Copyright © 2021 James Russell Stoakes
All rights reserved.
http://JamesStoakes.com
Detective Nico was reviewing the hospital security video. It had taken over an hour to get there in the storm with his compact car. His wife wasn’t happy that he had to go, but she knew it came with the job and accepted it.
Hospital security had the video ready for him when he arrived. He watched a white Ford van pull up to the emergency room door. The van’s sliding door opened, and two men in ski masks and winter apparel stepped out of it. Another man pushed what looked like a bundle out of the door and let it fall onto the slushy ground.
Detective Nico knew it was a person because he had already collected what physical evidence he could from the victim, but the video was too dark to be able to tell.
The two standing men grabbed the bundle and dragged it to the door. Security started to open the door but backed away with his hands up when a rifle barrel pointed out of the van. Unfazed, the two men dumped the package under the lights outside the door. It was easy to see now that it was a bound man. One of the men from the van pulled something from his pocket. He held what looked like a piece of paper to the restrained man’s head and put something shiny against it. The guard in the video winced as they finished up, but he waited for them to leave.
“Smart man,” Nico said to himself.
The two men jumped inside the van, and it sped away as fast as it could in the snowy conditions. The door closed as it moved. He turned the video off as paramedics rushed out to the victim.
Detective Nico made some notes on his pad.
“White, E-250. No plates. At least 4 men. 2 white, with average builds. 2 unknown. 1 weapon seen. Brazen.”
The unidentified victim was a young man. He had been savagely beaten and hogtied for delivery. Stapled to his head with a construction-type staple gun was a small piece of white cardboard that said, “I raped her.” Detective Nico had taken the note and was having the blood on it compared to the blood recovered from the Jordan case.
He didn’t care for vigilantes, but he didn’t feel incredibly motivated to find these guys if this was indeed the guy who raped and beat that poor girl. He hoped this was the guy. Too often, victims of brutal crimes never get closure.
Mrs. Mitchel watched out the kitchen window as Sarah clean off her husband’s pickup truck. It made her smile to think about her little girl driving such a massive vehicle. He was asleep and had given Sarah permission to plow out Alice since the school was closed for the day.
On a whim, Mrs. Mitchel threw on her jacket and boots. She rushed to get outside before Sarah could leave.
Sarah was just starting to climb into the truck when her mother surprised her and called out, “I’m coming with you!”
“Wait. What?” Sarah asked, sitting inside the truck and watching her mother scamper through the snow to the passenger side. When the door opened, Sarah asked, “What’s going on, mom?”
“Oh, nothing. I just got the idea that I wanted to watch you plow,” Mrs. Mitchel said with a grin. Sarah blushed at the thought of someone watching.
“It’s no big deal,” Sarah said. “Buckle up; this takes a while.”
“Is that so? Hit the coffee place up on the way,” Mrs. Mitchel said. “My treat.”
“Now you’re talking,” Sarah laughed and began backing out.
Sarah paused her plowing for a moment to take a sip of her coffee. The radio was playing soft enough that you could barely hear it while plowing, but now that everything was still, it was clear.
“This is a long driveway,” Mrs. Mitchel commented before taking a sip of her coffee too. “How come you don’t tilt the plow and just push the snow off to the side?”
Laughing, Sarah answered, “I tried that the first time. The truck is too light to do that with this much snow. It ends up pushing the truck sideways.” More than two feet of snow had fallen during the night.
“Huh. I hadn’t thought of that,” Mrs. Mitchel said as Sarah commenced plowing again.
Near the cottages, Sarah moved carefully with the plow. Mrs. Mitchel sat back and watched as Sarah used the mirrors to avoid hitting anything as she backed up and took more forward swipes.
“Almost done,” Sarah said and began pushing snow across a wide-open area. “This is where our visitors park their trucks and trailers. No one is here today, being Monday, so this should go quickly.”
Alice waved out the window to Sarah, and she waved back.
“That’s Alice? Mrs. Mitchel asked.
“That is Alice,” Sarah confirmed somewhat apprehensively. “Do you want to go in and meet her? She probably already has coffee going for us.”
“Well, your father said that I should meet her. What do you think?” she asked.
“Definitely,” Sarah said. “You two have more in common than you would believe.” A plan was forming in her head, but what would be the fallout, she worried.
The radio morning crew began their morning update as Sarah put the truck in park.
“Breaking news! You’re not going to believe this, John, but police already have a suspect in the brutal rape that happened two nights ago.”
Sarah froze in place and listened intently.
“What’s so hard to believe about that?” he laughed. “They occasionally catch someone.”
“That’s not the unbelievable part. Apparently, the perp was delivered to the hospital, but wait; there’s more,” the female announcer led. “The perp was bundled up with a note attached to him for the police.”
“Oh, my! Was Spider-Man there? ‘Cause, that’s some serious Spider-Man stuff there.”
Both announcers laughed.
“It seems so! Thank you, Spidy!” she said. “Police are now looking for the people who delivered the suspect to the hospital.”
“Why?” the male announcer asked.
“Beats me,” the woman replied.
Sarah let out a sigh of relief. She must have been holding her breath. “I hope it’s him,” she said.
“That would be a blessing,” Sarah’s mom agreed.
Jason groaned. His first thought was, “Where am I?” but he was unable to vocalize it. There was something in his mouth, and Jason couldn’t move his head. Opening his eyes, he saw a nurse through what looked like a tunnel.
“Relax, you are going to survive,” she said and disappeared from his view.
Jason groaned again when a uniformed officer stepped into his view. “I see you are awake. Blink twice if you understand me,” he said. Jason blinked twice. The officer spoke clearly to Jason, “You are under arrest, sir. Formal charges will be filed once we have ascertained your identity, but for now, I have to read you your rights.”
The officer pulled out a card and held it so that Jason could see he was reading from it. “Do you understand these rights as explained? Blink twice if you do,” he said. Jason blinked twice.
A new face pushed into view. The mousy-looking man said, “I’m your court-appointed lawyer. At this point, it is my recommendation that you remain silent for the time being and not answer any more questions, but it is your choice.”
Another new face came into view. “I’m Detective Nico,” the new visitor said. “I wanted to tell you that DNA collected from you matches DNA left at another crime scene, and you are our prime suspect now. You’re looking at a minimum of 25 years in prison when convicted.”
“Did you have a warrant for DNA collection?” the lawyer asked.
“We didn’t need one,” Detective Nico replied. “We were collecting evidence to help catch the people who assaulted your client.”
“What evidence did you collect that had DNA on it?” the lawyer pressed.
Nico laughed. “The note that was stapled to his head. There was plenty of blood on that, but all of it was his; none was from his assailants.”
“Come on in,” Alice said excitedly. “I made a fresh pot of coffee in anticipation of your visit. Muffins too!”
“Good morning, Alice,” Sarah said, smiling. The tantalizing smell of the muffins washed over her. “This is my mom, uh, Karen.” Sarah wasn’t comfortable using her mother’s first name.
“Nice to meet you, Alice. The muffins smell wonderful!” Karen said, stepping forward to shake her hand. “I hope Sarah has not been too demanding of your time.”
Alice laughed. “Quite the contrary. She’s a delight to be around, and I enjoy her company. You must be very proud of her,” she responded without hesitation. She moved to pull a few coffee mugs down from the cupboard and handed one to Sarah and Karen.
Sarah made herself at home and poured her coffee quickly. “Next,” she said and moved out of the way and disappeared around the corner.
Alice gestured for Karen to help herself. “There’s cream in the fridge and sugar on the counter,” she said.
“I’m all set,” Karen smiled at her as she poured. She backed up and took a sip while Alice filled hers.
“Let’s join Sarah in the next room,” Alice said, finishing up.
Sarah was sitting in her usual chair at the table. She was leaning forward, elbows on the table, with her cup in both hands and enjoying the aroma. “I didn’t realize how cold my hands had gotten,” Sarah said as the others joined her.
“We’ve got some work ahead of us,” Alice said as she sat at the table. All twelve of the cabins around the pond are now rented for the summer.” She waited for Sarah’s reaction.
“That’s great!” Sarah said excitedly. “Sooner than I expected. I can probably spend a good part of Christmas break going through each one.”
“It can wait until warmer weather,” Alice laughed. “I like the enthusiasm, though!”
Sarah thought about it for a moment, “I could at least make a list of repairs and start lining up contractors.”
“We might be able to accomplish that,” Alice agreed. “There is plenty of time between rental seasons, and the cabins are less than accessible at the moment. We should probably concentrate on the laundry center and what items we want available for sale to renters.”
“I had forgotten about the snow,” Sarah admitted sheepishly, eliciting laughs from all. “I can start a list or go over whatever list you have started,” she volunteered.
“Later,” Alice said softly. She focused on Karen. “So, Karen, what do you do to stay busy?” she asked.
“Oh, I mostly keep the house in order,” she replied. “I paint occasionally, but I haven’t felt inspired lately in that way.” She laughed. “A few paintings have sold, but not many. I did put together a children’s book recently. I was delighted with the art I came up with for that.”
“I always envied people with artistic talent,” Alice said. “I tried photography when I was younger, but I just didn’t seem to have a knack for it.”
“Have you heard anything from the publisher yet? Sarah asked her mom.
Karen frowned. “Nothing yet. It’s been six weeks. I’ve braced myself for the rejection letter.” She pushed her chair back and stood. “May I use your bathroom?” she asked.
“It’s right through there on the right,” Alice said, pointing.
“Thanks, I’ll be right back,” she said as she moved.
Alice pulled a small notepad out of her apron, “This is the list I have come up with so far.” The timer in the kitchen sounded. “I’ll be right back,” she said and pushed the list to Sarah. Sarah looked the list over while Alice removed the muffins from the oven.
The bathroom door opened, and when Karen failed to appear at the table, Sarah looked back to see where she was. Karen was staring at some pictures on the wall in the hallway, and she looked deep in thought. Turning away quickly, Sarah thought to herself, “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. This is it!” She sat there quietly and waited until her mother sat down and sipped her coffee.
“Muffins are ready!” Alice announced as she returned with a cooling rack full of hot muffins, three plates, butter, and knives. “Careful,” she said as she distributed the items about the table, “They’re very hot.”
Despite the warning, Sarah took a muffin with her hand and began peeling the paper off. Alice tried not to laugh when Sarah had to drop it on her plate and wave her fingers to cool them.
Mrs. Mitchel cut her muffin in half and put a little butter on each piece. “I couldn’t help but notice some of the pictures you have in the hallway,” she said to Alice. “Is that Vivian Mar I see in a couple of them?” she asked before lifting and blowing on her muffin.
Sarah looked at Alice expectantly. “It is!” Alice said. “Did you know Viv?”
“I did,” Karen said. “She was my mother. She was a stern woman with a lot of love in her heart.” She blew on her muffin again and took a test bite.
“That sounds about right,” Alice agreed. “I haven’t talked to her since about the time those pictures were taken, but I heard she recently passed.”
Swallowing the muffin she had in her mouth, Karen said, “She did. Cancer took her.” There was a pause while Karen got control of her emotions. “It was quick, though. She was diagnosed only a few weeks before.”
“Is Ralph still around?” Alice asked gently.
“No,” Karen said. “He was taken from us almost ten years ago by a drunk driver.”
“Oh my god!” Alice said, shocked. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, no, I’m okay. I’ve come to terms with it. They were not my birth parents, and I knew I was adopted, but they were the only parents I knew, and they were good to me; they loved me, and I loved them,” Karen said. “I was devastated when Dad died, but not nearly as much as Mom. She hid it well, though. She always tried to put on a good face when others were around.”
“That sounds like Viv,” Alice said and then asked casually, “Is Ralph’s brother, Brian, still around?”
“No idea,” Karen responded with a scowl. “I’ve never met him,” she answered. “I found an old picture of him once. Ralph and Vivian didn’t want to talk about him. They refused to tell me more than his name and that he was my uncle.”
Alice looked to Sarah quietly, eating her muffin and trying to remain forgotten but listening intently. “Did you spend much time with your grandmother?” Alice asked Sarah. Karen sat back, surprised that Alice moved on so quickly.
Startled by Alice’s question, Sarah looked up. “I saw her mostly on holidays, birthdays, and at family gatherings,” Sarah answered. “She took me out a few times. Just the two of us.” Her face lit up while recalling those days.
“It must have been fun,” Alice commented and grinned.
Sarah laughed. “We had good times together. She loved to go clothes shopping. We hardly ever bought anything, but we had a great time trying on outfits and commenting on each other’s style.”
“That’s funny,” Alice said, smiling. “Vivian and I were on a similar date when she met Ralph.”
Karen laughed. “I remember this story! You were the friend she mentioned?” She asked and continued without waiting for an answer. “The polka-dot bikini!”
“Yep,” Alice said proudly. “Viv opened the curtain to show it to me just as Ralph was walking by. He stopped and stared a full ten seconds before he caught himself. When she saw him, she put on more of a show than usual. She could be shameless at times.”
Sarah blushed profusely and said, “She must have matured a lot after taking on the responsibility of my mom.”
“I’m sure she did,” Karen and Alice said simultaneously.
“So, Alice, tell me about Brian,” Karen said suddenly. “I only had access to his picture for a short time, but I still remember being stunned by his eyes.”