5. Gabi
FIVE
GABI
“Good morning, islanders! This is Sam Lewis of WHAT radio, the official radio station of Hatterwick Island, with your storm update. Hurricane Hannah continues to churn in the Atlantic and is still projected to make landfall on the Outer Banks sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening, with the potential to be a Category 3 storm.”
With a sigh, I turned up the volume on my car radio as I backed out of my sister’s driveway and headed toward Sutter’s Ferry. The village was going to be a madhouse, with people fleeing like rats from a sinking ship.
“We want to remind all residents and tourists who plan to evacuate the island to please do so today. The last ferry departing Hatterwick will be at 3pm sharp. Evacuation is strongly recommended but not mandatory for all non-essential personnel.”
More people would stay than go. That was the way of things here. We were hardier than most storms, which was why our village had survived in some form or another more than a century.
On the radio, Sam continued, “For those staying on the island, sandbags are still available behind Town Hall until noon or whenever supplies run out. All residents should be finalizing storm preparations and have your emergency kits ready. Expect powerful winds, flooding rains, and storm surge up to fifteen feet in vulnerable areas. We’ll continue to keep you updated on Hurricane Hannah’s track and intensity as it approaches. Stay tuned to WHAT for all the latest storm news. Be safe out there, Hatterwick!”
For at least the dozenth time, I cursed the crap timing of Dr. Sibley’s vacation to Mexico. The idea of being the only doctor on-island for this made me nervous. Not that I wasn’t capable, but depending on how the storm went down, there might be greater need than I could manage as just one person. I was praying for the best and otherwise bracing myself for a total shit show.
Despite the relatively early hour, as I hit the edge of the village proper, I could see evidence of the news spreading. Streets were clogged with vehicles as tourists fled toward the ferry terminal that would get them safely back to the mainland. Locals were easy to pick out. They stood outside homes and buildings, boarding over windows or installing hurricane shutters. Others would be gathering supplies and planning hurricane parties. Me, I’d be making sure that the clinic was ready for whatever emergency came our way as a result of storm prep or the aftermath.
Because of the congested roads, I was later than I intended when I pulled behind the clapboard building housing the clinic. Nina was just slipping out of her car, her myriad of tiny braids gathered into a thicker plait that hung over one shoulder. She flashed a bright smile that stood out against her medium brown skin.
“Mornin’, Doc. Looks like it’s gonna be a nasty one.”
We both looked off to the south, where clouds were already beginning to build in the distance. “I think they’re wrong about when it’s gonna hit. We’re gonna get somethin’ sooner.”
“Hope not. Lotta folks still tryin’ to get off-island. Rather not have to find a place for them.”
Or spend all our storm supplies. Not that we’d begrudge them aid if needed, but despite some of the monster houses marching along our coastline, in general, our island wasn’t exactly rolling in money and assets. Because we depended heavily on tourist dollars, we tolerated the annual invasion of our shores with varying degrees of hospitality, but there was no quicker way to draw a line between us and them than the kind of storm that would dry those tourist dollars up for a stretch. That and no islander wanted to be responsible for idiot mainlanders who didn’t have the first clue how to prepare for or ride out a storm like this.
“Here’s hoping they get off as planned.”
We strode up the stairs, toward the back door. Like most buildings on the island, it was raised up on stilts to accommodate things like storm surges and flooding.
“Are you planning on keeping us open regular hours today?” Nina asked.
“Depends on what comes in, I guess. You and I both know we’re gonna get more people in for accidents from the storm prep. We’ll be keeping an eye on the weather reports for sure.”
At the door, I paused, my hand buried deep in my purse.
“Something wrong?”
I stared at the knob and the scratches all the way around it. The knob itself looked loose on the door. “Somebody tried to jimmy the back door.”
“Oh, shit! Do you think they got anything?”
“Doesn’t look like they got in.” But the fact that they’d tried didn’t bode well. Not with a storm coming.
Other than the local pharmacy, the clinic was the only source of drugs on the island. We didn’t keep any schedule-one narcotics on hand for precisely this reason, but the average thief might not know that.
“Do you feel safe running around to the front to check that door?” I asked.
Nina uncapped the mini-mace on her keychain. “Got it.”
As she disappeared around the corner of the building, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed 911.
“911. What is your emergency?”
“This is Dr. Gabriella Carrera. I’m at the island clinic, and there is evidence that someone attempted to break in sometime since last night.”
“Is the door open?”
“No. I haven’t touched it. I don’t know if it’s unlocked or not. My initial impression is that they weren’t able to get inside, but I don’t know for sure.”
Nina came back, giving a thumbs up.
“The front door was untouched.”
“Please remain outside. I’m sending an officer to your location.”
“Understood.”
Nina and I retreated to our vehicles to wait.
Kristie pulled into the tiny staff lot and got out of her Mini Cooper. “Are we having some kind of hurricane party in the parking lot?”
“Attempted break-in,” I explained. “We’re waiting for the police.”
“Guess we’re gonna be late opening this morning. Does this mean I have time to run to Panadería de la Isla for a pastry?”
I dug in my bag for my wallet. “You know what? It’s gonna be a hell of a day. Get some for all of us.” I passed over a twenty.
“You want your usual?” Kristie asked.
“Not sure an empanada is going to cut it. I need sugar. As much as you can manage.”
She grinned. “You got it.”
A few minutes later, a police cruiser pulled into the lot. Officer Cory Teague slipped out of the car.
“Morning, Gabi. Have a little trouble?”
I gestured toward the door. “I don’t know if they got in or not. We haven’t touched anything, in case you needed to dust for prints.”
“You said the front wasn’t disturbed?”
“Door was still locked and isn’t broken. It didn’t look like they’d tried anything there,” Nina added.
“Since it faces the main street, that’s not surprising. Y’all got any cameras back here?”
“No.” And that was something that needed to change. But I’d have to take it up with Dr. Sibley when he returned.
Cory did his due diligence, taking photos of the damage, before checking the door with a gloved hand. It was still locked. Once I unlocked it, he preceded us inside, making sure to clear the entire building.
“Looks like everything is safe,” he pronounced.
He waited while I checked our med supplies. “Nothing seems to be missing.”
“That’s good. In this case, no news is good news.”
“You’re not going to dust for prints, are you?”
“I could, but as that’s the door the whole staff uses, they’re likely muddled. And since whoever it was didn’t actually get inside, and there’s no video evidence linking that person to the door specifically last night, there’s not a lot we can do. Especially as we’re all busy getting ready for the hurricane.”
I sighed again. “That was more or less what I expected. I just wanted to document in case of… whatever.” If someone had tried once, they might try again sometime during the storm when they thought the building would be abandoned. Something to think about.
“Sure thing. I’ll have that report on file. And y’all might want to consider changing out the existing lock or adding another deadbolt.”
Right. Because we had time to mess with that while the island was preparing for the storm. But I simply nodded. “I appreciate you coming, Cory. Stay safe out there.”
“You, too.”
Kristie returned with pastries as he left, and Justin Humphries, our other nurse on duty today arrived.
He came in, brows up. “I have one day off and come back to the police? Somethin’ I need to know about?”
“Attempted break in last night. Failed. We’ll talk about it in a staff meeting later. Meanwhile, come grab a pastry and let’s get the doors open. I can already see folks lining up outside.”
Nina headed to unlock the front door. “Hold on to your butts.”