Dead and Gone

by Tina Glasneck

  “Let the nurse know as soon as your hands and feet start hurting. Don’t wait until the pain is severe, because it will keep escalating. I can’t give you any venotrolia if you’ve been sedated, and without it you’ll wake up in excruciating pain.”

  “If you’re trying to scare me into drinking it, it isn’t working.”

  “Have it your way.” He pushed the cart out the door.

  I suspected it was my head injury that caused me to be unstable on my feet, not the spider bite. After staying here another night, I was sure I’d be well enough to go home. Once I was there, one of my parents’ former colleagues could give me something for the bumps. The door opened and in came Conner, carrying a magazine.

  He smiled as he walked over to the bed, put down the magazine, and wrapped his arms around me. I pushed him away.

  “Sara, I’m so sorry.”

  “What are you sorry about, Conner?” I hissed. “That I’m not lying dead somewhere on the outskirts of Houston or that I’m in the hospital? I’m sure you know people who can finish the job here.”

  “I didn’t know Cameron’s plan.”

  “After I told you I was leaving, you went to make arrangements. When I came downstairs, you weren’t in the house. The only way Cameron would have known I was leaving was if you told him.”

  He bent down and attempted to kiss my lips. I stopped him by turning my face. He ended up kissing my cheek. Then he pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. “Cameron called when I was on the phone with the pilot. I didn’t want you to leave. I still don’t. Before Cameron came to dinner, he said that it would help you feel more like you were part of the family if we discussed business when you were there. He started doing that in front of Melanie right after they were married. She likes to know what’s going on. I should’ve known better. I still blamed him for you leaving. He said he could smooth it over if I gave him a chance to talk to you on the way to the airport.”

  He gripped my gloved hand. “Sara, I love you. I wanted you to stay. Since it was Cameron’s fault, I thought he could help. He said he’d drive you to the airport so I could take care of some things – business things – before we left Houston. I hoped you’d let me stay with you for a few weeks in California. I didn’t want our relationship to end.”

  “Cameron never planned on going with me to the airport. He had Saul take me. And you and I both know Saul wasn’t taking me to the airport.”

  “Please believe me. I didn’t know what Cameron had in mind. It was taking me a little longer at the office than I had anticipated, so I called him. That’s when I discovered he wasn’t with you. I told him if anything happened to you, I’d leave the family business. He assured me that he’d make sure you were safe.”

  “He was lying.”

  “I didn’t believe him either. I called the limo phone and Saul’s cell phone. No one answered. Then I sent out men to search for the limo. It has a homing device. They located it when you were being put in an ambulance. The limo driver said you had fallen and hit your head. My men followed the ambulance to the hospital. With the problems in Billings, I wanted to make sure you got there.”

  “The limo phone did ring, and Saul received two calls on his cell phone. He only answered the second one and seemed irritated about it. Then he moved to the seat across from me.”

  “Before that, was he sitting next to you?”

  “Yes. He was getting real friendly.” I briefly closed my eyes and crunched my face as I recalled every detail. “I’m sure he was planning on having sex with me before he killed me.”

  Conner’s eyes narrowed and his handsome face darkened with rage. “What did he do?”

  “A little foreplay—trying to get me in the mood,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I cocked my head. “He rubbed the inside of my thighs, stuck his hand in my blouse, felt my breasts, pushed me down on the seat. He was quite the gentleman. I kept trying to get him to stop. He couldn’t be swayed.”

  He clenched his jaw. “Saul is a dead man.”

  “Saul told me that you said I was the best piece of ass you ever had.”

  “Sara, I would never talk that way about you.”

  “I know. That’s obviously how Cameron talks about me.”

  “I’ll find a way to deal with Cameron. He won’t be allowed to be anywhere near you.”

  “How can you prevent that?”

  “Let me work on it. I can, and I will keep you safe.” He held up my gloved hand and kissed my arm. “How are you feeling?”

  “Okay lying in bed. I have to walk slowly. That’s probably because of my head injury.”

  “What did Dr. Alston say about your hands and feet?”

  “He said they should be cleared up in a few days.”

  “When can you leave the hospital?”

  “Don’t know. Dr. Shaw, the head injury doctor, hasn’t been in to see me since I’ve been awake. I’m hoping I can leave tomorrow.”

  “Do you still want me to take you to San Diego, or will you give me another chance and let me take you to my place?”

  “I want to go home,” I replied.

  “Can I fly you there?”

  I didn’t know if I’d be up for taking a commercial flight since I’d have to walk a lot. I hated Conner’s business and wanted to hate him. I was in love with the human façade he wore around me. The façade that was currently talking sweetly, yet probably wanting nothing more than to imprison me in his fortress home again.

  Still, when he said he loved me, it sounded genuine, and I believed him. Perhaps he wasn’t a monster wearing a mask. Maybe the “facade” was the real man, and his unforgiveable criminal tendencies deep-rooted in his personality from his birth into the Crussett family. I could never look past his crimes, nor could I ignore that his feelings for me were authentic. Whether the Conner I fell in love with was the real man or just the mask he wore, I did and always would feel something for him, if only regret for what could have been. Unlike other people, he had never outright lied to me—just concealed the truth, a truth I did not want revealed to me. Our relationship was over, but he wanted to help, and part of me still trusted him.

  He caressed my arm. “Sara, can I fly you to San Diego?” he asked again.

  I took a deep breath. “Yes, you can take me.”

  “Good. Your birthday’s in a few days. We’ve always gone away to celebrate. Right now, I’m sure you don’t want to go to an exotic place with me. I would still like to spend the day with you. Is that a possibility?”

  I smiled at him, remembering all the fun we had on our birthdays at romantic locations all over the world. My favorite was basking in the sun on a remote island in the South Pacific. “Let me think about it.”

  His eyes lit up with a warm glow. “At least you didn’t say no immediately. So I must be making some progress.” He stroked my cheek. “Flying with you from Billings and Nebraska. I’m ruined for wanting to fly with anyone else.” He grinned.

  I blushed as I returned his smile.

  “I’ll always want to be part of your life, even if you don’t need me. Often I had a hard time not laughing when a family member mentioned that you were just a gold digger. If any of them knew just how much money you had.”

  “How do you know?”

  “After the first time we had lunch together, I wanted to know everything about you. I had you investigated.”

  “Did you have all your dates investigated?” I asked, irritated.

  He gently squeezed my forearm. “Only if I wanted to see them again. In your case, it wouldn’t have mattered what the investigation turned up, I still planned on seeing you.”

  Given his family business, I understood he had to take precautions.

  He continued, “When you left, I had a tab placed on your account so I’d know if and where you made a withdrawal. If everything else failed, I hoped I could find you that way.” He leaned over and lightly kissed my lips.

  Nurse Mabel entered. “Dr. Alston wants you to rest. He asked me t
o limit your visits.”

  “Can I have another five minutes?” Conner asked.

  “Yes. No longer.” She stepped out of the room, leaving the door wide open.

  “I’m planning on coming back later,” Conner said. “Do you want me to bring anything?”

  “Some clothes and my purse. I don’t know what happened to the blouse and slacks I was wearing.”

  “Do you want shoes?”

  “No.” I moved the sheet, revealing my feet. “They won’t fit over them.”

  He touched a thick sock. “Any pain?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll pack a small suitcase.” He kissed me goodbye.

  Nurse Mabel brought my lunch. It was awkward eating with the gloves on. Yet, I managed.

  “Dr. Shaw will be here soon to see you,” she said, picking up the food tray.

  Feeling tired, I closed my eyes. Just as I started drifting off, someone touched my arm. I opened my eyes and saw an elderly man in a white lab coat.

  “Hello, Miss Jones. I’m Doctor Shaw. How are you feeling?”

  “Fine, except when I walk to the bathroom, I feel unsteady.”

  “Loss of equilibrium?”

  I nodded.

  “Let me examine your eyes,” he said, taking a small flashlight out of his pocket. He shined it in each of my eyes as he peered into them. He felt the back of my head. “Any tender spots?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t see any sign that your head injury should have caused that feeling. I’ll check with Dr. Alston. It could be a result of the spider bite. If not, I’ll arrange for some additional tests.”

  “When can I leave the hospital?”

  “Before I can release you as my patient, I need to check with Dr. Alston about the equilibrium issue you’re experiencing. Let me see if I can reach him now.” He stepped out of the room.

  Within fifteen minutes Dr. Shaw returned. “Dr. Alston confirmed that it’s caused by the spider venom. I’ll have my name removed as an attending physician.”

  “Can I leave tomorrow?”

  “As far as your head injury is concerned, you can. You are still Dr. Alston’s patient. I don’t know when he’s planning to discharge you. You’ll have to ask him. If you should have any head pain, let the nurse know. I’ll come and see you again.”

  “Okay.”

  “Have a nice trip back to San Diego,” he said, walking to the door.

  “Thank you.” I wondered how he knew where I was going.

  Closing my eyes again, I felt a slight stinging sensation in my hands and feet. I rolled over onto my side, thinking that another position might help. The stinging changed to itching. That might be a good sign. Maybe my hands and feet were healing. Then my hands started hurting a little. Please, don’t let Lance be right. This had to be my imagination. He just planted the seed.

  My hands and feet were keeping me awake. To get my mind off them, I thought about going home and sleeping in my own bed in San Diego. Then I got the urge to call an old friend. I scooted to the edge of the bed and picked up the phone just as a pain rippled through my arches. Gasping, I laid down the receiver and eased my head back down on the pillow. My feet throbbed. Maybe Mabel could give me a couple of aspirins or something to help me sleep. I pushed the call button.

  A moment later, she walked through the doorway. “Do you need something?”

  “I’m feeling tired. I can’t seem to fall asleep. Could I have two aspirins or something that might help me relax?”

  “Dr. Alston’s orders were not to give you any medication without checking with him first. Would you like me to give him a call?”

  “No … No. I’ll just watch some television.”

  “Push the call button if you change your mind,” she said and closed the door.

  I turned on the television and flipped through the channels. I ran across a crime show. Appropriate, given the circumstances. I propped up the pillows behind me and watched. The pain was getting worse. I found it became impossible to concentrate on the show.

  The door flew open and in strolled Cameron. I stared at him as he came closer.

  “How are you feeling, Sara?” he asked with a smirk on his face.

  “How did you get in here?”

  “No one stopped me.”

  “What do you want?” I knew what he really wanted was for me to be dead and buried.

  “What did you do to Saul?”

  “You came to see me so you could ask about Saul?” I sneered. “I should be asking you why you wanted Saul to go with me to the airport.”

  “He only went to protect you. I did want you to arrive there safe and sound.”

  “By allowing him to rape me? That’s your method of protection?”

  “Saul would never do that. You must’ve misunderstood his intentions.”

  “So his hands roaming all over my clothing was to make sure everything was securely in place? Is that what you’re saying?”

  “You sustained a head injury. You’re not thinking clearly.”

  “Right.”

  He sat down in the chair. “Conner still wants you to be a member of the family. I think we need to make peace.”

  “I’m not planning on being a member of your family, so you can just go on hating me. You don’t need to like me or even tolerate me. I’ll be going home when I get out of the hospital. You’ll never see me again.”

  Hatred shone through his icy blue eyes. “I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “I’ll let you live in peace in San Diego, as soon as you return the other documents you took.”

  “Conner has all the documents.”

  “You gave him the copies you made. I want the originals that were removed from the one ledger.”

  “I didn’t take any original documents.”

  “That’s too much of a coincidence,” he snarled. “Those documents go missing at the same time you copied some pages out of that ledger.”

  “I don’t have your documents,” I shrieked as an excruciating pain surged through my hands and feet. It moved up my arms and legs. Oh, no, Lance was right. My body began to writhe in agony as sweat streamed down my face.

  “What the hell?” Cameron said, his eyes fixed on me.

  Mabel and two nurses came running into the room. She touched my arm. The pain had spread through my whole body. I screamed again. “Don’t touch me!”

  Buzzers went off around me. People were yelling and shouting. I couldn’t comprehend anything they said. I screamed again when someone stuck a needle in my arm.

  18

  Research

  Opening my eyes, I saw Lance sitting in a chair next to my bed. He made a vague expression I took to be a smile as our eyes met.

  “I knew I couldn’t get you to take venotrolia until the pain became unbearable,” he said. “You’re just as stubborn as your mother.”

  So, he did know my parents. Though his perception of her being stubborn was off. She was better described as being opinionated. I noticed another IV tube attached to my arm and followed it to a bag of dark red liquid. He was feeding it to me intravenously. “I told you I didn’t want it. I could’ve been given other medication for the pain.”

  “No. Only venotrolia can attack your pain. All other medications would just put you to sleep. Do you want to sleep the rest of your life?”

  My mind felt clouded. I didn’t want to believe he was right. Yet, the pain had been terrible and now it was gone. “I had a visitor when I was given a shot. Do you know if he’s still here?”

  “He left and he won’t be back.”

  “You didn’t—”

  “No,” Lance interrupted. “I’ve restricted your visitors. He must’ve upset you for the pain to escalate so quickly. It shouldn’t have risen that fast.”

  I changed the subject. “When will Lindsey be here?”

  “She was here earlier when you were sleeping. I’ll call her and let her know you’re awake. Are you in pain anywhere?”

  “No.”

  H
e stood, carefully removed the needle from my arm, and took down the bag with the red liquid inside. “You won’t need this for a while. Before I leave, is there anything you want?”

  “Do you have a laptop computer I could use?”

  “Wanting to verify my medical credentials?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll have one delivered. Next time you experience the slightest pain, will you let the nurse know?”

  I nodded.

  He left with the bag of red liquid.

  I picked up the magazine and slowly thumbed through it as I waited for the computer. How could he be a physician and the son of a renowned doctor? He killed people. It didn’t add up.

  “Here’s the computer you requested,” Mabel said, placing it on the table in front of me. “The hospital has Wi-Fi. Just turn on the computer and click the internet browser icon.”

  “I don’t think I can press the keys with these gloves on. Do you have a pencil or pen I could use?”

  “Yes.” She pulled a pencil out of her breast pocket and handed it to me.

  “Thanks.”

  “Push your call button if you have any problems with the computer,” she said as she was leaving.

  Using the eraser tip on the pencil, I brought up the internet and searched for Lance Alston. Numerous pages of sites appeared. I went to the first one and saw a picture of him. It documented his research and vaccines he had developed. There were links to his clinic in North Dakota, his hospital affiliations, and his biography. I clicked on his biography. It stated he lived in North Dakota. Nowhere did it say anything about his home in Billings.

  All of the educational institutions he had attended were listed. It also said that he had been mentored by his father, Lawrence Alston, who was known worldwide for his publications on cures and treatments of insect bites and exposures. There was a link to his father’s site. I tapped on it. A picture of a gray-haired man with a mustache came on the screen. I saw the family resemblance: their dark eyes, nose, and the shape of their faces were identical. His father’s biography mentioned he had a son, Lance. Nothing else was stated about his family—no sibling, grandparents, wife—nothing. Then I noticed that Lawrence hadn’t taught or made any public appearances for over twenty years. No explanation was given. However, his father’s most recent publication was only five years ago. I continued going through the site to see if he had any book signings or anything like that. Nothing.