Illusive Witness

by S. Y. Thompson

  “There, see. That wasn’t so bad.”

  “What did you give me?”

  “Just something to help you relax.” Jordan stood and walked away until she was just out of Ruth’s line of sight. When she returned, she carried a vodka bottle. She grasped Ruth’s chin and put the bottle against her teeth.

  Ruth spit and tossed her head, trying not to swallow. Still, the liquor burned a trail down her throat. Suddenly, inspiration struck. Ruth had to go along with them, make them believe her to be helplessly drugged. She’d already tucked the pill between her cheek and gum before Jordan forced her to swallow.

  “I thought Carlotti told you to wait an hour.”

  “Don’t worry; you’ll get your hour. It’ll take a while for that pill to work.”

  Ruth believed her, but Jordan wouldn’t wait out of any kindness toward her. She would follow her orders out of loyalty to a mob boss. “In that case, can you at least tell me why? I thought we really had something.”

  “Oh sweetie, we did.” Jordan kissed her undamaged cheek and Ruth flinched away. “I couldn’t believe it when you ended up at my hospital. My job was to find out if Stein had told you anything useful. Imagine my delight when you showed a...personal interest in me.”

  “Then why did you save me from Henry? You could have just let him take me out.”

  “I told you, I really did like you. Besides, I was working so many hours that Uncle Franco didn’t tell me he sent Henry after you. I had no way to know he’d ordered it until later. I thought I was saving you from some psycho.”

  “Can’t have the wrong guy take me out until you know everything you need to?”

  “Yeah, you could say that. I got in a lot of trouble for that, by the way. Uncle Franco almost ordered me to stay away from you.”

  Ruth allowed her eyes to droop, feigning sleepiness. “Why didn’t he?”

  “Umm well, head wounds are a funny thing. I expected you to start screaming your head off the first time you saw me. Instead, it was really like you never had seen me before. No one can fake that. I knew your amnesia was genuine, but your memory could come back at anytime.”

  “Or never.” The words slurred and Ruth saw Jordan smile.

  She held the bottle to Ruth’s mouth again. Liquor streamed out from the corners of her lips and Ruth made a show of choking on the foul liquid. In truth, very little of the alcohol hit her stomach.

  “Or never,” Jordan allowed. “I was so disappointed that you started remembering things after that incident with Henry. At least your subconscious did. As I said, you talk in your sleep. You said a few things while you were in the hospital that made me wonder. Then when we spent the night together, I knew.”

  Ruth thought about that night and remembered the phone call Jordan had received. Jordan had explained it away as an overeager colleague checking on patient exams. She recalled the words Jordan had spoken on the phone and realized someone had called to see if Ruth had implicated herself yet. Even worse, Jordan had the audacity to terminate the connection and then make love to her. It was almost too much and Ruth felt her stomach clench.

  “What about Fuller? Was he any part of this or was that all just make believe?”

  “Nah, he’s just a bush-league pusher, but he was useful for keeping you distracted. Now let’s get this over with. I have early rounds at the hospital tomorrow. Vinny wipe down your gun and hand it to me.”

  A hand disappeared from Ruth’s shoulders and she felt Vinny moving around. In front of her, Jordan removed a pair of latex gloves from her hip pocket and tugged them on. Her eyes were calm, soft and reassuring. Ruth’s heart sped up, hammering desperately to escape. This was it. Her last chance.

  “Jordan?”

  “What is it, honey?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “None of that now. It’ll all be okay. I promise it won’t hurt.”

  Vinny passed the gun back over Ruth’s shoulder. Jordan took the weapon and pressed it into Ruth’s right hand. She lifted both until the barrel pressed against Ruth’s temple. Ruth shivered at the sensation of cold steel against her skin.

  “Put your finger here, honey. That’s it.”

  Ruth felt Jordan fumbling about a bit. It must have been a tight squeeze to get both of their fingers on the trigger. Ruth’s was against the lever, but Jordan’s finger would apply the pressure that would fire the shot. In essence, Jordan had accepted the responsibility of shooting Ruth in the head.

  She felt Jordan’s hand tighten, felt her begin to squeeze. Ruth had never fired a weapon in her life, but figured all she had to do was point and shoot. She didn’t have to contend with any safeties, surely Jordan had already thought of that. When she felt Jordan begin to press down, Ruth lurched into action. She whipped her head back at the same time the shot went off and then all hell broke loose.

  Ruth heard the back door to the kitchen bang open and bounce off the wall. The almost simultaneous movement combined with Ruth’s actions threw Jordan off guard. Ruth planted her foot in Jordan’s midsection and shoved her away. Vinny’s hands were gone from her shoulders so Ruth jumped to her feet, swinging the gun around and pointing it at Jordan. Jordan had already risen and was coming after Ruth with her hands outstretched. Ruth couldn’t take the chance that Jordan would get hold of the gun. She fired, surprised by the loud boom and the way the pistol kicked in her hand.

  A second shot went off, but it took a second for Ruth to realize it didn’t come from her gun. Ruth spun toward the door, ready to shoot.

  “It’s me,” Emma shouted. “It’s okay.”

  A swarm of men in blue poured into the room. They wore tactical gear and armored vests emblazoned with “SWAT.” Weapons raised, they streamed past Ruth and continued into the house. Ruth glanced over her shoulder and saw Vinny lying on the floor. There was a smoking hole in the center of his chest.

  Ruth dropped the gun, listening absently as it bounced on the wooden floor, and turned her head to the side. She spit the partially dissolved capsule onto the kitchen floor before she rushed to Jordan’s side. Ruth slid a hand around Jordan’s neck and raised her up slightly. Jordan coughed and looked up into her eyes.

  “That’s why you said you were sorry,” Jordan whispered, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

  Ruth nodded. “I already knew I was going to have to shoot you.”

  Blue eyes closed and Ruth heard Emma yelling at someone, wondering where the hell the ambulance was. Moments later, a hand rested gently against her arm. “I’m afraid she’ll be gone before they can get here.”

  Ruth nodded, vision blurry from her tears. She had already known that. Ruth was far too close to Jordan when she fired. Even without the advantage of any sort of weapons training, there was no way she could have missed something vital. She felt like there was a rock in her throat and couldn’t speak. Her eyes stayed on Jordan until she drew her last shuddering breath.

  Unable to look at Emma, Ruth asked in a broken whisper, “How did you know we were here?”

  “I saw you grabbed at the country club. I’m ashamed to say I was too far away. We pulled traffic cam footage and started after them. It took a while to get the plates. That led us to the vehicle’s VIN and we are very fortunate that vehicle was equipped with GPS.”

  Ruth didn’t respond. She felt numb all over, cold and shivering one moment, hot and almost feverish the next. She knew it must be shock from all that had occurred in such a short period of time, but there was more to it than that. Jordan was the second person she had trusted without reservation and both people had tried to kill her. Jordan had come a lot closer to succeeding than Henry did. Was she just so oblivious to what was right in front of her? Surely, anyone else would have seen the writing on the wall.

  “Are you okay? Ruth? Ruth?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  ABSENTLY, RUTH WATCHED as paramedics rushed into the room a few moments later. One of the uniformed men felt for a pulse at Jordan’s neck. Ruth tried to push the truth away when he sho
ok his head and moved on, but it was impossible. She had taken the life of someone she cared about. She was aware of movement behind her and assumed the paramedics were checking Vinny.

  “Don’t waste your time,” someone said in a gruff voice.

  The paramedic returned and squatted beside Ruth. Fingers went under her chin and forced her head up so that she would meet his eyes. She found kindness and compassion, but instinctively distrusted him. She had fallen into that trap far too often of late. Instead, Ruth kept silent while he wiped none to gently at the blood on her face with an alcohol pad. She didn’t flinch when the alcohol hit the gash on her cheek. A few butterfly stitches and the man started cleaning up.

  “It’s not too bad, but you should see your doctor. You might have a fractured cheekbone.”

  “I’m not going back to the hospital.”

  The EMT shrugged, clearly not invested in her response. Ruth flinched at the touch of someone’s hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Emma’s worried expression. “I’m fine.”

  “Sure you are, but why don’t you have a seat over here? We need to get photos of the crime scenes and unless you’d like to be the star...”

  The very idea threatened to make Ruth vomit. She nodded slowly and climbed up off the floor. Ruth couldn’t believe how sore she already felt. It was almost as if she’d been in a major car accident. Emma helped her into the hard-backed chair Ruth had so recently vacated and stayed close beside her. One of the officers outfitted in tactical gear joined them to report to Emma.

  “No one else around, Marshal. There’s only the one van outside, but the rest of the place is empty.”

  “Get crime scene techs out here. I want every inch of this place swept for hair, fibers and anything else that might lead back to Carlotti.”

  The officer didn’t waste time asking for details. He acknowledged Emma’s order and then marched out of the room. As soon as they were alone, Ruth forced the words out that Emma needed to hear.

  “He was here. Jordan is...” Ruth swallowed and started again. “Jordan was his niece. He ordered her to do it.”

  Emma knelt down and took Ruth’s hand, offering her strength and comfort. “Unfortunately, without forensic proof of that, their relationship is a tenuous connection at best to what occurred here. We need hard evidence. Until then, you’re the only one who can tie Carlotti to this. You know what that means don’t you?”

  “That you get your way?” There was a hard edge to Ruth’s question that she didn’t try to temper.

  “I’m sorry. I know this is the last thing you want. I’ll have someone go by your place and bring you a change of clothing, but you are going to a safe house.” When Ruth attempted to object, Emma quickly continued. “At least for tonight. We’ll figure out the rest in the morning. Once Carlotti finds out what happened here, he’ll be coming for you.”

  The fight abruptly left her and Ruth sagged tiredly. “Especially since I hurt his family.”

  Without anything else to say, Ruth and Emma waited silently as technicians arrived and began photographing everything. Ruth watched them fingerprint every surface in the room. The medical examiner arrived and performed a cursory examination of both Jordan and Vinny. After that, the EMTs loaded both bodies into black plastic body bags. Ruth choked on her silent anguish as she watched them seal Jordan within.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  Ruth was surprised to see that it was completely dark outside. She estimated it was some time in the middle of the night and had difficulty believing so little time had passed. It felt like days since Vinny and Marcus grabbed her from the golf course. Officers in SWAT gear were climbing into a van.

  “Why did you bring these guys?” Ruth asked, not really caring about the answer. “Why didn’t you call the locals?”

  “Are you kidding? No one lives out here. The single deputy assigned to this beat is on the other side of the county helping someone change a flat tire.”

  The mention of a car made Ruth’s brain re-engage in the present situation. She turned and grabbed Emma by the forearm. “My car!”

  “What about it?”

  “Carlotti sent some of his guys to get my car and bring it back here.”

  “How long ago?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe an hour?”

  Emma quickly looked at her wristwatch. She muttered a curse and then jogged over to the police van before they could drive away. Emma spoke to the man inside for few minutes and then returned to Ruth’s side.

  “They’ve got a description of your car and are going to wait for Carlotti’s goons at the end of the road. Their black van will blend into the terrain and they’ll get the drop on them.”

  Ruth didn’t really understand what good that would do. “And then what? They’re not going to testify against their boss you know.”

  “They don’t have to. We pinch them for grand theft auto. That’ll let us hold them until we can tie them to all this.”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  “Sometimes it is.”

  “That hasn’t been my experience,” Ruth pointed out. “To date none of this has been easy.”

  Emma led her to the black Lincoln Ruth had noticed in the club’s parking lot. She opened the door for Ruth, but didn’t speak again until she climbed behind the wheel.

  “Why were they going to the trouble of bringing your car out here? That doesn’t seem to make sense.”

  “To make my suicide more plausible. That’s what they were doing when you broke in; staging my suicide.”

  “Heartless bastards,” Emma spat. “I can’t believe your girlfriend could be involved in something like this.”

  Ruth felt the sting of betrayal again and turned her gaze out the passenger side window. Her voice shook as she spoke. “It gets worse.”

  “And I’m going to have to ask you to tell me everything, but right now you need a bath and something to eat.”

  Ruth became aware of the fact that she stank like vodka. Her shirt was still damp with the stuff and her skin itched where the fabric stuck to her. Emma started the car and turned on the lights, giving some illumination to the inside of the car. Ruth blinked and realized there were spots of something dark brown on her clothes.

  “Oh God, I think I’m going to be sick.”

  She pushed open the door and rushed out, grateful that Emma hadn’t started them moving yet. The bullet that ended Jordan’s life had caused blowback. Ruth had only been standing a few feet away and the spray of Jordan’s blood covered her clothing. She sank to her knees and puked up everything that remained in her stomach. When Ruth finished, Emma was there with a cloth. Once she had wiped Ruth’s mouth, Emma took her into her arms.

  The simple embrace had the effect of opening a floodgate of emotions, a torrent of recriminations, guilt and sorrow. Ruth sobbed helplessly, soaking Emma’s collar with her tears. She tried to stop the flow, but was unable as the events of the day replayed over and over in her mind. Again and again, Ruth experienced the sensation of pulling the trigger and the surprise on Jordan’s face as the bullet found its mark. Ruth would never forget the way she crumpled to the ground, her life’s blood spilling out onto the floor.

  Vaguely, Ruth became aware that Emma was uttering words of reassurance. In her current condition, she wasn’t exactly sure what Emma said, but her simple presence and the warmth of another human body was enough. Finally, slowly, Ruth sat back on her heels. Emma allowed her to draw away but kept one hand on Ruth’s upper arm. Her touch was sure without being confining and was exactly what Ruth needed.

  “I killed her,” Ruth stammered brokenly.

  “You had to, sweetheart. Surely you know that. If you hadn’t, she would have killed you.”

  Ruth started shaking her head and the movement threatened to send her out of control again. Through an effort of sheer willpower, she managed to stop. “That’s not true. You were there. You came in just as it happened.”

  “So what?” Emma asked softly. “Y
ou think I could have taken both of them out?”

  Ruth nodded and wiped at the tears on her cheeks.

  “As much as I appreciate your assessment of my skills, that’s not how it would have gone down, Ruth. Think about it. Everything happened so fast that things played out exactly as they had to. You did the right thing. I know that’s hard to hear right now, but it’s true.”

  Ruth was too tired to argue the point. She felt completely wrung out as she tried to stand. Emma offered her a hand, which Ruth gratefully accepted. Now that the initial emotional storm had hit and slowly passed, Ruth wanted nothing more than to get back to the city. Usually, a person wanted to escape the press of humanity in the Los Angeles city limits, but Ruth felt convinced there was safety in numbers. With so many people around, Carlotti wasn’t likely to try anything. At least that’s what Ruth wanted to believe.

  Composed for the moment, Ruth settled back in the car and rested her head back against the seat. Her body screamed out for rest, but her muscles simply couldn’t relax. Panic fluttered continuously at the edges of reason. Every movement in the shadows caused Ruth to stare in trepidation, convinced that another assassin would lunge from the darkness. When warm fingers took her hand in a firm grasp, Ruth couldn’t suppress her reaction. She gasped in fear and tried to pull away.

  “It’s all right, Ruth. Just try to control your breathing. Concentrate on that. I promise I’ll keep you safe.”

  Ruth chuckled, the sound angry and harsh. “How can I believe that? I trusted Henry and Jordan, too.”

  “Yes, but I have a badge. I’ve sworn to protect the innocent.”

  “And Jordan was a doctor. She took an oath too, but in the end that didn’t mean anything. Did it?”

  Emma released her and placed her hand back on the steering wheel. “I can’t blame you for your mistrust after all you’ve been through. Despite that, I will take care of you, Ruth.”