Chapter Five
THE PARKING LOT adjacent to the ferry was packed and Ruth was already behind schedule. Finally, she found a slot in long term parking, grabbed a ticket and raced as quickly as she could with a bum leg for the ferry. Ruth made it just as it was beginning to pull away from the docks.
“Guess it’s your lucky day.” One of the deck hands connected the safety rail behind her. He offered her a friendly smile before rubbing a calloused hand across his cheek stubble.
“Yeah, lucky, that’s me.” Ruth abruptly forgot about the crewman. A stricken look crossed her face and she began patting her waist before delving into her purse frantically. “Damn, where is it?”
“You all right?”
He rolled his eyes when Ruth pulled a cell phone out of her purse with a sigh of relief. She ignored the man and walked away to find a cup of coffee and a seat. She dialed the number Jordan had written down on the directions to Ghost Island as she strolled across the deck. The trip to Jessup Bay would take approximately fifteen minutes. Although the ferry was loaded down, Ruth wasn’t concerned about offending anyone now that she wasn’t driving. Jordan answered the phone on the first ring.
“Hi, Jordan. It’s me, Ruth. I just got to the ferry. Sorry I’m late, but something happened.”
Ruth told her about the harrowing incident on the freeway. She tried to remain as calm as possible and left out the graphic description of exactly how terrified she had been although she was certain Jordan could see past the bravado.
“I never saw the other driver, but I get the feeling that I was extremely lucky. If Officer Fowler hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would have happened. What I don’t understand is, why me? I understand road rage well enough; I’ve even experienced it to some degree. I just can’t imagine what I could have done that was so severe that someone would want to kill me.”
Ruth cringed internally as she heard her voice crack. Her discomfort quickly gave way to curiosity as Jordan hesitated for an instant too long. Finally, Jordan responded with an unexpected change of subject.
“How well do you know Mark Fuller?”
Ruth struggled to keep up with the change of subject. She didn’t think she had bored Jordan to the point of ignoring her tale. If she was asking about Doctor Fuller, he must tie in with this discussion somehow. She weighed her response, considering whether she should confess her instincts about Fuller or maintain an unbiased position based on actual observation. She decided to go for honest.
“I don’t really know him well at all. He was Karl’s cousin, but I only met him a handful of times before the accident. As for my personal feelings, I don’t like him. It’s nothing that he’s done, more of a visceral reaction. Why?”
She heard Jordan take a deep breath and guessed that her question was leading to a lengthy response.
“After you left my office last night I was contacted by security. One of the floor nurses found the narcotics cabinet open and some of the drugs were missing. The lock hadn’t been forced, so it appeared to have been done by someone with a key.”
“Do you think it was Doctor Fuller? I don’t see how that’s possible. I saw him drive away from the front of the hospital as I was leaving. I guess he could have broken into the cabinet before we saw him, but wouldn’t someone have raised the alarm earlier?”
Ruth realized that they didn’t know how long Mark had been in the hospital. He had said he was picking up some paperwork from his office. That errand could have taken seconds.
“I don’t know what to think,” Jordan admitted. “All I can tell you is that I got an anonymous phone call saying that the head nurse had stolen narcotics stashed in her locker.”
Ruth remembered the smile on Trisha Flanagan’s face when she had visited the hospital earlier. Somehow, she couldn’t believe that Trisha’s open, honest countenance hid a liar and a thief. “No way, I can’t believe she would be party to such a thing.”
“Nevertheless, I am required to investigate such a claim and the drugs were there. That’s why I wanted to ask you about Doctor Fuller. He was in the hospital and he also has a key.”
“You believe he’s capable of setting her up like that?”
“I believe he’s capable of more than that. I have a bad feeling about him. I put nothing past him.”
“Including an attempt on my life? Jordan, I’m sorry, but I just don’t see how the two events are connected. I didn’t even really know him a few months ago. Why would he try to kill me?”
Jordan’s immediate response gave Ruth the feeling that she’d been thinking deeply about everything that had been happening for quite some time.
“I admit my evidence is somewhat circumstantial, but from the moment of your accident he has been very noticeable in his actions. He visited you constantly in the hospital even though you barely know him. He approached you with a trust fund in Karl Stein’s name, someone with whom you have a strong emotional tie especially through a shared tragedy. Doctor Fuller was in the hospital when the narcotics went missing last night, yet was noticeably absent when I received the anonymous call. I also believe that it would not be beneath him to have attacked you this morning.”
“But he drove up the coast last night,” Ruth argued. “I saw him leave the hospital and it was not a red Ferrari that tried to force me off the road.”
“He said he had business up the coast.”
That did stop Ruth in her tracks. It was true that he could have just said he had other business. She didn’t recall informing him that she was driving up Pacific Coast Highway this morning, but all he had to do was wait outside her house until she left to follow her. Still, what could he possibly gain from harming her? He was no beneficiary of any policy that she had.
“Ruth, this trust fund...Have you given Mark any money?” Jordan had to be aware that she wasn’t making an accusation against someone without the benefit of any proof.
“Not yet. I just got the paperwork from him last night. The folder is in the car and I haven’t even had time to look at it.”
“Then I must be wrong. If you haven’t signed anything over to him then he really doesn’t have a motive. I guess I’m just grasping at straws.”
“Which means that Nurse Flanagan is guilty? Look, Jordan, I admit it’s a bit of a reach that Doctor Fuller was involved in these incidents. There must be a logical explanation. It makes more sense that I angered someone on the road and they overreacted. Still, just because we don’t know the truth, that doesn’t mean Nurse Flanagan is automatically guilty.”
“I don’t like to believe it either. Trisha denies that she took the drugs and says she doesn’t know how they got into her locker. Unfortunately, the facts speak for themselves and I was required to suspend her pending an investigation. It doesn’t matter at this rate anyway. Trisha resigned this morning.”
“Oh no, that was absolutely the worst thing she could have done. Just the fact that she resigned makes it look like she did something wrong. I don’t believe that for an instant. There has to be another answer.” Ruth was sure Trisha was innocent.
“At least she’s safe.” Jordan’s comment brought them back around full-circle to the original point of Ruth’s call.
“I am too, now.” Ruth returned lightly. “I’m on a crowded ferry heading to a secluded marina where I will take a boat with a crew of one to a nearly deserted island.”
“I agree and you’re probably right about the road rage thing. You’ll be fine at the island and I want you to concentrate on relaxing. I should be able to join you Monday afternoon and then I’ll take you on a tour. The neighbors are suspicious of strangers and we keep an eye out for each other, so I’ll introduce you around.”
“Sounds good.” Ruth eagerly anticipated her upcoming time with alone with Jordan. She could almost picture a fireplace and chilled wine along with lowered lights. “Maybe you can explain why it’s called ‘Ghost’ Island when you get here.”
“Happily. Well, I have to go. I have rounds, but Ruth prom
ise me something.”
“Yes?”
There was a brief pause before Jordan said, “Please be careful.”
She said it softly and Ruth could easily imagine a hidden meaning. “I will. See you soon.”
IT WAS SHAPING up to be a fine California day, full of sunshine and a slightly warm breeze. The ferry crossed steadily toward Jessup Bay with the slapping sound of waves striking the front of the vessel. Ruth leaned against the railing and she closed her blue-gray eyes to inhale the salt-scented air. She basked in the sunlight and could feel the muscles in her body finally begin to relax. The ache in her leg had started to subside, and even with the cane leaning against the railing next to her, Ruth let go of the events of the last few months. With her eyes closed and the briny smell of the sea, she could imagine that she was on a cruise somewhere in the Caribbean.
Voices rose in excitement around her and Ruth opened her eyes as she sensed people pressing next to her. A school of dolphins raced along beside the ferry. One of them playfully leapt from the water, seemingly grinning from ear to ear as it glanced sideways at the foolishly laughing and clapping humans. Ruth thrilled at the display, seeing in it a glimpse of hope for the future.
Although it was a childish fantasy, she desperately wanted to believe that this was a good omen. The dolphins finished their impromptu performance and sped off at phenomenal speed. Soon they were out of sight and Ruth was alone at the railing as people drifted away. Sighing deeply, she glanced down into her now empty Styrofoam cup.
With the disappearance of the dolphins, Ruth’s mood shifted abruptly leaving her feeling empty and helpless. She wasn’t a child anymore and had long ago lost her belief in fairy tales. They had been replaced with cold, hard reality.
In today’s world, the witch would successfully capture Hansel and Gretel, but before they died in her oven she would turn them into prostitutes, confiscate all their earnings, and addict them to methamphetamine before hacking them to pieces and cooking them in a stew. After that, she would escape prosecution by claiming that society’s intolerance for evil-minded, bad-tempered witches had driven her temporarily insane.
Ruth shook her head and cursed herself for a fool. She decided to push the cynicism away and concentrate on being positive and hoping for the best. There was always a bright side and she could see it looming on the horizon embodied in six feet of sleek, sensual, full-lipped brunette bombshell.
She checked her surroundings and realized that they would soon be docking at Jessup Bay. People were crowding near the landing point, but Ruth decided to sit and let the mob out first. She was on vacation for the next four days and with a new resolve, Ruth determined that she was going to relax.
The next twenty minutes were uneventful as she finally left the ferry and easily found the marina. Jordan’s directions proved easy to follow and quite detailed. The Marlin was docked in berth 63 near the end, but Ruth walked toward it as though it was something she did every day. She felt a little funny about just taking someone’s ship, even if she did have their permission. The usual marina patrons wouldn’t know that. Part of Ruth worried that an overly protective sailor who actually knew Jordan would show up and demand proof that Ruth had a right to accost the vessel.
No one was around at any of the other moorings and Ruth felt relieved. She really had expected someone to challenge her as she carried her bag onto the boat and before she untied the lines to take Jordan’s motor yacht from the port.
After a few minutes without the expected dispute, Ruth turned on the trolling motor. She navigated carefully away from the dock, easing past the other vessels anchored nearby. She crossed the buoys marking slower water and finally opened the throttle and grinned at the sensation of freedom induced by the speed and the wind in her hair. The compass beside her showed that she was right on track and Ruth expected to see Ghost Island in another fifteen minutes. Perfect.
Ruth easily lost track of time, watching gulls sailing overhead and the silvery glint of water all around. The powerful motor pushed the ship through the sea, cutting a wedge in the froth so that water lapped up high on each side. Eventually, she spotted a darker shadow across the horizon and instinctively knew the outline was her destination.
When she finally saw the island before her, Ruth could admit to herself that she had been concerned. Sailing to a strange place across the ocean with only word of mouth directions was a little foreboding. She should have known that Jordan’s instructions would be without reproach, just as those to the marina itself had been.
Discovering the pier was equally unchallenging as it was clearly marked. Ruth found it by veering slightly to port as she approached the inlet and rounding slightly to the starboard side of the island before entering a small cove. The cove was the picture of tranquility. Palm trees grew tall and thick about fifty feet from the beach and would ensure privacy if she decided a little skinny-dipping was in order. Given the fact that the island was all but deserted, there would be little chance of a peeping tom in the first place.
Ruth shut off the engine and allowed the Marlin to coast the rest of the way to the pier. She moored the vessel with hardly a bump, jumping onto the boards quickly with the anchor line in hand. Ruth felt a slight twinge from her thigh and gave a little hop before hauling back on the rope. After she tied the ropes to the silver cleats attached to the dock, Ruth headed toward the island. Her eyes scanned the tree line. It was so strange not to hear another living soul other than the birds singing. She traveled down a well-worn path about a quarter of a mile from the beach to find Jordan’s cabin. Of course, the word cabin was one that Ruth would apply judiciously. She grinned and realized she should have known that Jordan would not do anything in half measures.
Although not large, the two-story structure boasted an impressive rock chimney. Part of one side butted up against a hillside, giving the impression that the building continued into the earth, although the cost of such an undertaking would be enormous. A few steps, easily traversed, led up to a small porch. The entrance to the cabin would have been an understatement if not for the glass-enclosed sunroom that ran the entire length of the house on the front side.
Ruth looked upward toward the second floor and spotted two separate balconies. She thought they led out from the bedrooms so a person could enjoy the balmy evenings. She reached up and felt in her pocket for the key that would let her inside. The door opened without even a slight squeak and she stepped inside. There was no air of neglect that might be associated with a cabin in an out of the way location. Then again, Jordan had told her that the cabin was her primary residence. She kept an apartment in the city for when she was on call, but this was her home.
The scent of furniture polish and scented candles tickled her nose. Ruth stepped out of the bright sunshine onto the fine Italian marble of the small entryway. Although this was a cabin on an island, Jordan hadn’t skimped on making her home elegant. Ruth was also pleased at the welcoming atmosphere of warm earth tones and large windows that allowed in loads of California sunshine.
Ready to put her vacation to good use, Ruth propped her cane against the trim of the front door and dropped her bag beside it. Now it was time to explore her temporary home. She mentally rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
A flight of stairs on the right led to the second floor. She would save the upstairs for last since she assumed it would contain only bedrooms. Nothing interesting up there. At least until Jordan arrived, she thought saucily, trying to ignore the shiver of anticipation. Ruth quickly cautioned her raging libido. Just because she desired Jordan, that didn’t mean Jordan felt the same way. From their brief discussion, Ruth knew Jordan wanted to get to know her on a more personal level, but Jordan might prefer to take things slowly.
Ruth nodded and set off through the house. The floor plan was open, allowing for maximum use of a small space. The living room contained the huge rock fireplace and black leather furniture. One leather easy chair was different from the other furnishings, standing out for
its blue color. On closer inspection, Ruth could see from the wear that this chair was a favorite. Cracks adorned the leather here and there. Undoubtedly, it was also the most comfortable place to sit.
In the back, French doors led outside onto a wooden deck. Ruth could see a grill through the glass panes but was uninterested for the moment. Her tour of the interior was more of a priority. She walked slowly and considered that her limp was hardly noticeable at this pace. When she saw what she was searching for, her stomach rumbled. It was time to find the kitchen. A low work counter separated it from the living room. Two chairs tucked under the countertop and Ruth couldn’t see any other table. She assumed this was where Jordan took her meals.
Ruth thought the space seemed perfect, cozy. From the look of things, Jordan didn’t get a lot of company here in this intimate setting for two. She rounded the work area and found that the only appliance on the countertops was a coffee maker. Coffee was just the thing she was looking for. First, she would start a pot and then find something to eat.
While the coffee brewed, Ruth started looking through cupboards and the refrigerator. After a moment, she realized what she was doing and stopped. She chuckled as she realized she had been in the cabin less than ten minutes and was already at home with the surroundings.
Ruth continued looking and was amazed at just how well stocked she found the kitchen. She could make a gourmet meal with just the contents of the cupboards and the fridge. Well, someone could. Ruth was pushing her luck with coffee and sandwiches. Fortunately, luck was on her side. She was happy to see cold cuts, cheese, Dijon mustard and sourdough bread. Lettuce, tomato and purple onion would add to the perfect sandwich.
Illusive Witness Page 5