Dead Storm Page 7

  It took her close to two hours and thirty minutes to get around to the hospital. When she arrived, Skylar hurried in to get an orderly to help. They brought out a stretcher and wheeled Donnie in to be looked at. Exhausted, soaked to the bone and chilled by the weather, she sought out a coffee machine and tossed a few coins in. As she stood there with a puddle of water forming around her feet, a nurse with long dark hair came in and purchased a pack of chips from the vending machine. She was in her late fifties and slightly heavyset. “Nine years in this town and I’m still not used to this weather. You?”

  “This is a first,” Skylar replied.

  “Oh, really? Well you are in for a treat.” She opened her chips and shoveled a few into her mouth. “Here to see family?”

  “Two friends of mine.”

  “Sorry to hear that. Nothing serious, I hope?”

  “I don’t know.” She pulled out her cup of hot coffee and took a sip. It tasted like crap but it was hot and right then she was grateful to be out of the weather. “You mind me asking you something?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “You ever lose someone close to you?”

  The nurse pulled a face. “Several. My husband of twenty years passed away three years ago.”

  “Does it get better?”

  She stared back at Skylar. “I miss him every day but the sting fades in time.”

  Skylar smiled. She had lost her mother, and seen several cops in New York die on the job. Death wasn’t uncommon to her but every now and again she just needed to be reminded that it would turn out okay. Ben used to do that for her. Remind her that it was okay to grieve, it was okay to not feel okay.

  “You okay, dear?” the nurse asked placing a kind hand on her arm.

  Skylar nodded, thanked the woman and made her way to the front desk to enquire about Ben, and where he was being kept. They gave her directions and she swallowed hard as she made her way down the corridor. The thought of seeing him on a ventilator machine, or worse, having lost a limb tormented her mind as she approached the door.

  She took a deep breath, turned the handle and walked in.

  9

  Harvey lifted the top of the pot and sniffed. “Ah, pure heaven.” It was his turn to cook and he’d chosen to whip up his specialty — chicken stew and dumplings. After finalizing the Erickson crime scene and talking to Reid, he’d made his way home, fully expecting to see Skylar but she wasn’t there. For once she’d actually listened to him.

  The back door swung open and a gust of wind blew in as Elizabeth entered, shaking water off her coat like a dog. “Did you seal up the shed?”

  “Already done,” he said, turning and taking the cork out of a bottle of red wine. If the weather was going to be bad, he planned on taking the edge off with a little Pinot. Elizabeth removed her coat and hung it up in the mud room before making her way in and glancing at the already set table. “You are on form tonight. But why are there only four spots? I thought you said Skylar was joining us.”

  “I invited her. Ben has been in an accident.”

  “Oh no.”

  “And…” he poured her a glass and made his way over. “Donnie apparently has taken a nasty knock to the head.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Elizabeth asked. She took the glass and then slipped into some slippers. “Are they okay?”

  “Won’t know until I hear from her. She’s headed over to the hospital. I doubt we’ll see her this evening.”

  “Is Payton home?”

  “Yeah, she’s in her room studying.”

  “Did you see the boy today?”

  “Uh-huh,” he said after taking a huge gulp of his drink and giving the stew a stir. “What a mess that situation is. I also spoke to the Carrabelle officer who was in charge when Jake filed a report a few years back against Tony Parish, his stepfather. Seems there was a disagreement over what actually occurred. His mother actually backed up Tony and said that Jake was just doing it to get attention.”

  “So what did they do?”

  “They treated it like any other report — seriously. Tony accepted anger management classes and because of that he got a slap on the wrist. You see, he has a buddy in the department so…”

  Elizabeth crossed her arms and nodded. “They pulled a few strings.”

  “Yep, that and not enough evidence.”

  “And now?” she asked.

  “The mother is saying the same thing. That Jake is lying and he created the welts and shiner.”

  Elizabeth frowned and shook her head. Harvey had a feeling he knew what she was thinking. It was rare they were that far off. Their concern was for Payton first and foremost. While it was possible that the abuse was being covered up, if it wasn’t, they were dealing with someone who could be dangerous for their daughter.

  “So what are you going to say?”

  “I don’t want her to see him.”

  “Harvey, you know how she’ll react.”

  “C’mon, Elizabeth. It’s not like we are making her go without food. He’s a guy. There are lots out there and many that don’t have the issues this kid has.”

  “Issues? What if he’s telling the truth?”

  “If he is, we’ll get to the bottom of it but in the meantime, I don’t want my daughter hanging around a kid that runs away from home, and potentially makes up stories.”

  “You can’t say that to her.”

  “As long as she’s under this roof, she plays by our rules. It’s for her own good.”

  “Whose good?” Payton appeared around the corner.

  Still holding a spoon in hand, Harvey narrowed his eyes. “How long have you been standing there?”

  She screwed up her face, ambled over to the table and snatched up a section of bread and began buttering it. “I just arrived. What’s up with you two?”

  “I spoke with Jake today.”

  “Are you serious?” She waited for a response but didn’t wait long before she continued. “Of course you are. Dad. Why?”

  “You might be comfortable with him showing up here at all hours but I’m not. Besides there are a few things about what’s going on at his home that concern me.”

  “Like?”

  Harvey took another swig of his wine and looked at Elizabeth. She mouthed the word, careful. He rolled his eyes and continued. “Like the fact that his mother said he gave himself that bruise to his face.”

  “And you believe her?”

  “I didn’t say that but when he filed a report against Tony a few years back, Jake’s mother said the same thing. She said it was because he didn’t like Tony and wanted him out.”

  Payton chuckled and shook her head in disbelief. “So, you think he inflicted that shiner on himself. Is that it? Oh my God, Dad. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? That’s extreme.”

  “People can be extreme,” he said thinking about Jason Matthews and Erickson. “I know it’s out there but it does happen. Some people do mentally disturbing things to get attention. In this case, attention from his mother and…from you.”

  “No.” Payton threw up a hand and went to leave.

  “Young lady. Come back here.”

  “I’m not listening to this.”

  Elizabeth chimed in with a stern voice. “You heard your father. Now get back to the table. We’re about to eat anyway.” Payton returned with a scowl on her face. She sat down on a chair and took a bite out of her bread and stared at her plate. Harvey glanced at Elizabeth. They knew this was going to be a fun meal.

  Then to make matters worse, Michael came bounding into the room, full of beans and with a grin. “Okay, so a couple of friends of mine are heading over to Matt’s place and having a party there for a few days while his parents are away. You think I can go?”

  Both Harvey and Elizabeth gave him an are you kidding look that answered that. He didn’t bother to protest. Sulking, he took a seat across from Payton. Both of them looked long in the face. Harvey took a seat at the far end of the table and placed the stew in the middle
while Elizabeth brought over the wine.

  After dishing up the food, Harvey looked at Payton. “Listen, I understand. You’re young. Impressionable. Jake Weslo is a handsome kid. He’s probably said some real nice things about you, am I right?”

  Payton raised an eyebrow.

  “Jake Weslo?” Michael asked with a mouthful of food.

  The table shifted underneath them as if Payton had attempted to kick Michael but missed and struck the leg of the table.

  “You know him?” Harvey asked.

  “Who doesn’t. Guy’s got a reputation.”

  Harvey eyed Elizabeth and both of them looked at Payton.

  “Shut up, Michael. You haven’t a clue.”

  “A reputation for what?”

  Michael brought a thumb and finger up to his lips and mimicked smoking pot.

  “So? It’s practically legal across all states. So he smokes a little pot. Big deal. So do you,” Payton shot back.

  Michael coughed hard, nearly choking on his food. He reached for a glass of water to clear his throat. Once he was able to speak, he replied, “Me?” Michael looked at Harvey. “She’s lying. Trying to cover up her own misdeeds.”

  Payton tossed a piece of bread at Michael and it hit him.

  That was when Elizabeth intervened. “Enough!”

  “Anyway, it’s not just that,” Michael said. “He sells other things. Pills. And he throws his weight around.”

  “No he doesn’t,” Payton said.

  “No? Maybe you can ask Perry next time you see him. He’s still sporting the black eye Jake gave him. Or maybe ask Russell what he thinks of him.” Michael turned to Harvey. “He took his lunch money by force.”

  “Well that’s settled. Until we find out the truth about Jake, he’s not welcome here.”

  Payton abruptly got up, shoving her chair back so hard that it toppled over. She hurried off and Elizabeth went to intervene but Harvey waved her off. “Leave her be. Give her time to think it over.”

  “It will only get worse,” Elizabeth said.

  “I need to find out what’s going on.”

  “And how are you going to do that with the weather getting worse by the hour?”

  “I don’t know.” He tucked into his food and his mind shifted to Reid.

  The steady rhythm of the heart monitor machine was a relief to hear. For the past hour, Skylar had been seated in a chair at Ben’s side watching him. Since her arrival he hadn’t stirred but the nurses had reassured her that it was the medication they’d given him for pain. He’d arrived in a lot of pain and although he was stable, they were planning on keeping him for the next forty-eight hours just to monitor his progress. Skylar sighed and glanced at her phone to check for messages from Harvey or Reznik but there were none. She gripped Ben’s hand and just began talking to him as if he was awake.

  “I know I’m probably not the easiest client you’ve had, and I’m sure it’s been easier without me, but I miss our sessions. I really do. I didn’t think I would, you know, being as I avoided meeting with you for so long but…” She grimaced. “I had a sense you understood me. You gave me space to breathe and you had this knack of drawing things out of me even when I really didn’t want to say anything. The others. Well, they’re okay but they’re just not you. I kind of feel lost. Like swimming in a big ocean. At one time I was so sure of myself. You know. I didn’t need anyone. I could stand on my own two feet. Everything I had was because I’d worked my ass off for it. But…” she trailed off lost in her thoughts. “What does it matter if there isn’t anyone to come home to and share it with? I have Harvey but he’s my partner. And I love him dearly but how the hell Elizabeth puts up with him, is anyone’s guess. Then there is Donnie. A fountain of wisdom. Scarily accurate at times but he’s just a friend.” She sighed and looked at Ben to see if there was any response. Nothing. She could hear him breathing quietly. His chest rising and falling. “I haven’t told you this. Obviously, because you canceled our sessions, but I’ve been drinking heavily. And not really caring, to be honest. But what scares me the most is that I don’t remember half of it. I’m waking up with different men and for the life of me I can’t even remember their names. I mean that’s bad, right?” She paused as if expecting him to answer. “I don’t even remember what we do half the time. It comes to me later in fragments. A bar, drinks, dancing, laughter, flirting, making out and then waking up the next day. Rinse, repeat. I know. I know what you’re going to say. So stop. Stop going out and I agree. I know you may find this hard to believe but there was a time I didn’t frequent bars. I was too focused on building my career. I didn’t want anything to stand in the way of working my way up the ladder. But after Alex’s death, none of it seemed to matter. It was like it brought everything into perspective. My career was just a job. I was just a number. Just another cop that could and will eventually be replaced by another fresh face in uniform. And what then? What will I have to show for it all? A few battle scars, some damn good bar stories and maybe a gold watch if the department isn’t cheap.” She stopped talking and gripped Ben’s hand. “I miss you.”

  Skylar rose to leave and checked in on Donnie when Ben spoke.

  “Now that’s got to be the most honest session we’ve had.”

  She turned, looking surprised. “You were awake? You heard it all?”

  A painful smile appeared. “Most of it. Though I think you left out the part about what a great therapist I was, and worthy of accolades and…” He started to chuckle and then began coughing and winced in pain.

  “You ass.” She took a seat beside him.

  “It’s good to see you, Skylar. Thanks for coming.”

  “I had no choice. Donnie is injured. Struck in the head by a sign.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “I’ll find out shortly. It’s you I’m concerned about right now. You know, you can’t do that.”

  “I didn’t exactly go out of my way to.”

  “Scared the crap out of me. I thought you were…”

  “Dead? Sorry to burst your bubble. Not yet.”

  She nodded slowly. “How you feeling? Can I get you something? Coffee? Food?”

  “A bedpan?”

  She laughed. “Right. Let me go see.”

  “Skylar. It’s okay. I can get up.”

  “You can?”

  “The last time I checked, yeah,” he said, pulling back the covers on his bed and then placing a hand on his chest.

  “Let me give you a hand.”

  She helped him up and he said he could go the rest of the way on his own. There was a small bathroom inside his room. As he walked towards the door, she noticed all he had on was the hospital gown, the rest of him was exposed from behind. Her eyes widened and he must have known as Ben said, “It’s open, isn’t it?”

  She gritted her teeth and broke into a smile. “Yep.”

  Without adjusting the ties around his waist, he went into the bathroom, leaving her there to wait for him. Eventually when he returned, it looked like the color was back in his face. “You should probably check in on Donnie. I’m good here. Do you know how the other driver is?”

  “The one your vehicle struck?”

  He nodded, supporting himself against the railing at the end of the bed before making his way around and getting back under the sheets.

  “Not sure. I can find out. I do know there was one fatality.”

  His eyes closed and he swallowed hard. “This woman came out of nowhere. I was on the phone.”

  “Holding it?”

  “No. Of course not. I was talking to Sam when…” he trailed off before his mind connected the dots. “Oh man, Sam. He must have heard the entire thing. Has anyone informed them?”

  “Not that I know of,” Skylar said. “Let me make the call. I’ll take care of it.”

  Tears welled up in Ben’s eyes. It was the first time Skylar had seen him emotional. He usually had a smile or looked like he was concentrating really hard. “You have the number?”

 
; “On my phone. In my jacket.”

  Skylar went over and took it out and powered it on. The first image she saw for his home screen was Ben and some woman. She was gorgeous. An all-American, girl next door look with blond hair and blue eyes. The selfie was taken in front of a ski lodge. He must have caught her staring at it. She glanced up. “Oh, that’s Tracey.”

  “Your wife.”

  He nodded.

  Ben was still holding on to the past, just as much as she was. Tracey had died in a skiing accident six years prior.

  10

  By morning the weather was even worse. Heavy winds tore across the Forgotten Coast, uprooting trees and tearing away anything that wasn’t locked down. With the investigation spanning from Carrabelle to Port St. Joe, and the main bridge out of service, it only made sense that Skylar stayed on the other side of the water. That way they could kill two birds with one stone if she needed to return to the anger management facility or do an interview in Port St. Joe. Harvey wouldn’t have minded working alone but Davenport had partnered him up with Hanson. It was for his safety. Of course he waited until he was outside the Franklin County Medical Examiner’s Office to unload the bombshell.

  “But Captain, I—” Harvey said in protest.

  “Don’t captain me, Harvey. Hanson can be of use to you.”

  “And Reznik?”

  “He’s working the phones here and assisting me.”

  “C’mon!”

  “This is not up for debate. Now get to the bottom of these murders and fast. At the rate this is going we are going to have to evacuate. And Harvey.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Stay safe out there.”

  “I…”

  The line went dead and Harvey sat there looking out his rainy windshield. The wipers were on full blast but it did little to help. The sky had turned an angry gunmetal gray and the roar of the ocean crashing against the shore put him on high alert. Davenport told him that Hanson was on his way and to wait at the ME’s office until he arrived. Out of all the people he could have partnered him with for the day, he couldn’t believe he’d chosen Hanson. The captain was all too familiar with the bad blood between them over the death of his sister and the escape of Callum Jackson. While Reid might have been right, and at times he and Hanson had to cross paths, if given the decision he would have been glad to not see him.