Chapter 6
It seemed like it took an eternity for Dallas Calloway and a team of his officers to show up. An ambulance followed their official patrol cars. It was only when they were all parked in her driveway and out of their cars that Suzanna finally felt safe enough to leave her vehicle.
She was still weeping as she told Dallas what had happened. His men immediately fanned out to search the area while Dallas led her to an ambulance so she could get her bleeding arm and collarbone area taken care of.
The abject fear and the adrenaline rush that had gripped her during the attack had abated, and as a paramedic cleaned and wrapped her wounds, she felt strangely numb. It was as if her brain could no longer absorb or process anything more.
“You need to go to the hospital,” Amos Unger, the paramedic, said gently to her.
“The wound on your collarbone isn’t too bad.
Some antibiotic cream and a bandage will take care of that.
But these slices on your arm really need to be stitched up to minimize scarring.
I’ll bandage them up for now, and do you want us to take you on to the hospital? ”
“No, thanks. I’ll drive myself in after I’m finished speaking with Dallas,” she replied. Amos helped her out of the ambulance, and then she walked over to where Dallas stood directing his officers.
Before she could say a word, Seth’s car pulled into the driveway. He jumped out of his car and headed toward her. She ran to him, needing his big strong arms to hold her tight, wanting him to pull her against his muscled chest and make her feel safe once again.
The minute he embraced her, she began to cry again. He tightened his arms around her as she continued to weep. His familiar scent surrounded her, bringing with it a sense of safety. Finally, she got her tears under control and reluctantly stepped out of his embrace.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Chief Calloway called me. He said you might need a friend right now, although he didn’t go into any real details.” His features darkened as he saw the bandages on her arm. “You’re hurt.”
“According to the paramedics, I need to go to the emergency room and get some stitches. I told the paramedic I’d go to the hospital after I spoke with Dallas,” she explained.
At that moment Dallas approached her and Seth. “Whoever attacked you, he’s probably long gone by now. Can you give me any kind of a description of the person?”
Suzanna frowned thoughtfully. “It all happened so fast, and the person was dressed all in black and was wearing a ski mask. To be honest, I didn’t really pay too much attention to what the person looked like because I was too busy trying not to get stabbed. I’m sorry.”
“I understand,” Dallas replied. Seth threw an arm over her shoulder, showing his support of her as Dallas continued.
“Suzanna, I really need you to think about who might want to harm you. If we take into account the car accident that you had, along with this attack tonight, it’s obvious somebody wants to hurt you.
Think hard about who that person might be. ”
“I thought about it after the car accident,” she replied. “And I couldn’t think of anybody but I can’t stop thinking about the Scarecrow Killer.”
Dallas raked a hand through his hair. “Suzanna, there is absolutely no evidence that the Scarecrow Killer functions this way. We are relatively sure he gets his victims off the street.” He looked at Seth and then looked back at her.
“The local gossip is that you and Seth have been spending a lot of time together. Is there anyone who might have a problem with that?”
“Not from my world,” Seth replied immediately.
Suzanna’s brain whirled. Was it possible?
“There are three men who I work with who might not like the idea that Seth and I have grown close. All three of them have asked me out for a date in the past, and I turned them all down. But I really can’t imagine any one of them having anything to do with this. They are all respected teachers.”
Dallas pulled a small notepad and a pen from his breast pocket. “Names,” he said.
“Boone Wilder, Arlan Barlow and Ray Stedman,” she replied after a moment of hesitation. She released a small burst of nervous laughter and flipped her hair behind her ears. “Still, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kill me because I didn’t go out with them. It seems ridiculous to even think that.”
“You let me decide what’s ridiculous and what’s not,” Dallas replied. The lawman looked tired and stressed. Suzanna knew he had his hands full with the scarecrow murders, and she hated that this attack on her put more on his already full plate.
“Can you think of anything else to tell me about the assault tonight?” he asked.
“No, I think I’ve told you everything,” she replied. A cold shiver shot through her as she thought of the attack that could have easily left her dead. In response to the shiver, Seth pulled her even closer against his side.
“If you think of anything else, please don’t hesitate to call me,” the lawman said.
“In the meantime, I’ll get back to you in the next day or two with any updates.
You’re free to go into your house, but I would prefer you not use your car or the driveway for the rest of the night as we are still working the area as an active crime scene. ”
“But I need to go to the hospital to get stitches,” she replied.
“I’ll take you,” Seth said.
She looked up at him. “But what about Sammy?”
“He’s with the babysitter, and she will stay with him until I get home, no matter what time it is. Now come with me and let’s go get your arm and that collarbone taken care of.”
A couple of minutes later they were in Seth’s car and headed to the hospital. “You want to tell me exactly what happened tonight? I got bits and pieces of it, but not the whole story,” Seth said once they were on their way.
As she retold him what had happened, a new icy knot of fear formed in the pit of her stomach. Who was the perpetrator? Who on earth would want her dead? Who had wielded that knife in an effort to stab her to death? Thank God, there had been no gun. If there had been, then she would be dead.
When she was finished telling Seth about the attack, he reached out and took her hand in his.
“Thank God you were only hurt on your arm and the collar area and not stabbed in a worse place.” He squeezed her hand and then released it.
“You could have been killed. Although it makes me sick and madder than hell that somebody hurt you at all.”
“I just wish I knew who it was and why I’m a target of this kind of hatred.” She wrapped her arms around herself as the ice inside of her expanded. Why was somebody after her? What had she done to warrant all this…this rage?
“The names you gave Chief Calloway are of men you work with, right? I remember meeting two of them when we ate together at the café.”
“Yes, they’re all teachers with me,” she replied.
“And they’ve all asked you out in the past?”
“Yes, but I told each of them that after Davy’s death I had decided not to ever date again.”
Was it possible her seeing Seth on a social basis had stirred some sort of crazy rage in one of those men? A rage that wanted to see her dead? She just couldn’t imagine it. They all seemed so…so normal. None of them came across as a jealous monster who would want her dead.
“Who was the last one to ask you out?” Seth asked.
“Ray. He asked me out right before I started tutoring Sammy.”
“He’s the one who was in that supply closet with you on the day the scarecrow was left in your classroom.”
“That’s right.” Was it really possible Ray was behind the attacks on her?
She had known for some time he had feelings for her.
He was extremely solicitous of her, and there were times she felt his gaze lingering on her far longer than it should.
But could Ray really be the one who now wanted her dead?
She and Seth fell into silence. His headlights pierced the darkness of the night as they continued the drive to the small hospital. The wounds on her arm stung and hurt and reminded her of her frantic fight with the masked assailant.
When they reached the hospital, Seth parked in the nearly empty lot, and then they headed into the emergency room.
They were the only people there. Seth sat in one of the olive-green plastic chairs in the waiting room while Suzanna was immediately taken to one of the curtained compartments in the back.
She waited only a moment, and then Dr. Ralph Reeves came in. She smiled at the older man who was also her personal doctor. He was not only a good physician, but he was also a very kind man.
“Now, what on earth have you done to yourself, Suzanna?” he asked as he gestured for her to get up on the bed. “Amos Unger told me you had a run-in with a knife.”
“That’s exactly what happened,” she replied.
Dr. Reeves first took off the bandage on her collarbone. “This doesn’t look too bad,” he said. “I’m sure it’s painful, but I think it will heal up nicely on its own.” He cleaned it out, slathered antibiotic cream on it and then put a new bandage over it.
He then moved to the bandages on her arm. He unwound them and then frowned. “These are some nasty slashes,” he said. “That knife was obviously very sharp. I’m just going to stitch these up. They’ll heal much better that way, and your scarring will be kept at a minimum.”
It took about a half an hour for the stitching to be completed. She received twelve stitches in one of the wounds and fifteen in the other.
When everything was finished, she walked back out to the waiting room, where at the sight of her, Seth rose from his chair.
A tremendous gratefulness surged up inside her as she looked at the handsome farmer. Thank goodness for Seth and his steady friendship and support of her. She didn’t know what she’d do without him. Right now, he was the only person in town who she fully trusted.
“Okay?” he asked her, a deep concern shining from his beautiful blue eyes.