Chapter 13
Jamie
Jamie and a beleaguered doctor stand outside Mellie Bauer’s hospital room. The young woman in the hospital bed is lucky. One
leg, above the knee, is wrapped in gauze; otherwise, Jamie can’t see any other sign of injury. In his work, Jamie has seen
people burned beyond recognition, flesh and muscle and bone melting into one globulous mess, but somehow still alive. “She’s
going to be okay?”
The doctor nods her head. “Oh yes. Lucky girl. She’ll be discharged in just a little while.”
“Any family stop by yet?”
“No,” the doctor says. “From what we can gather, she recently moved out here by herself. No family in the area. The catering
company has a Rose Bauer listed as next of kin. We never were able to get a hold of her,” the doctor says, glancing at her
phone. “I have to go, but feel free to go on in.”
“Did she say anything?” Jamie asks. “About what happened?”
“She’s been pretty tight-lipped,” the doctor says. “We’ve given her some medication, so she hasn’t felt much like talking.”
Jamie remembers the feeling. After his attack, morphine became his welcome companion.
His injuries so painful that he was sure he would die, coupled with the panic of not being able to see because his eyes were so swollen that his vision was reduced to paper-thin slits.
He remembers his mother sitting at his bedside, holding his hand, and the desperate prayers that swept past his ear.
“Please, God, where is she? Please bring her home.” And her pleas to Jamie— “Please, Jamie, what happened to Juneau? Do you know where she is?”
The IV became an umbilical cord feeding him a blissful reprieve from the pain and knowledge that something very, very bad
had happened to him and to his sister.
Focus! Jamie hears Juneau’s voice and the snap her fingers, something she was fond of doing when he wasn’t paying attention.
“She’s been sleeping a lot,” the doctor continues, “but she did ask about the woman who died. She wanted to know if Johanna
was okay.”
“She said Johanna?” Jamie asks. “She called her by name?” The doctor nods. “Anything else?”
The doctor thinks for a moment. “She was really out of it, but she did mumble something about a baby. I figured she was asking
about Madeline Drake, since she’s pregnant.”
“Makes sense,” Jamie says and thanks the doctor before stepping into the hospital room.
The room is dim and cool with the cloying smell of eggs coming from a tray sitting on the bedside table.
The young woman in the bed is dozing, but restlessly. Her pale face registers a different emotion with each brow furrow, each
downturn of her mouth: pain, fear, shock, anger. Jamie doesn’t want to startle her, so he keeps a respectful distance and
clears his throat. “Good morning, Ms. Bauer,” he says. There’s no response. “Mellie,” Jamie says more loudly. Her eyes, a
striking blue, flutter open. “My name is Jamie Saldano,” he says gently. “I’m investigating the explosion at the Drake ranch,
and if you’re up to it, I would like to ask you a few questions.”
She eyes him suspiciously for a moment, something Jamie is used to. He doesn’t read too much into it.
“Okay,” Mellie says. She sits up in bed, wincing at the movement.
“Here, let me,” Jamie says, reaching for the remote-control dangling between the bedrails by its cord. He presses the button
that will raise her head, watching to make sure he isn’t causing her any more pain. She looks even younger than her twenty-one
years. Her face is unmarred except for a small piercing in one nostril and her cranberry-colored hair is dusted with soot
and smells smoky. Jamie pulls a chair next to her bedside but, before sitting, moves the breakfast tray with the offending
smell to the far side of the room. “Does it hurt?” Jamie asks, finally settling into the chair.
“Some,” she says, shrugging. “But the doctors said it could have been much worse. I’m more sore than anything. I can’t wait
to get out of here.”
“Then, I won’t keep you long,” Jamie says, “but if you need a break or want me to get a nurse, let me know.” Mellie nods.
“You work for the catering company, correct?”
“Yeah,” she says. “I started last summer. Mostly I walk around handing out appetizers during events, but I also help with
setup and teardown.”
“You live in Nightjar?” Jamie asks. Mellie nods. “And you’ve lived here how long?”
“For about a year. Thought it would be fun to live in the mountains.” Mellie gives a little shrug of her shoulders. “It’s
beautiful, but it hasn’t been much fun.”
“That’s understandable, given what you’ve been through,” Jamie agrees. “But we’re working hard to figure out what happened.
Can you walk me through what happened yesterday?”
“Like from the beginning of the day?” Mellie asks wearily.
Jamie knows that even the smallest detail can be crucial in an investigation, how memories can dissipate, and despite Mellie’s
obvious exhaustion and pain, he needs answers. “Tell me everything you remember.”
“Okay,” Mellie says, shifting in her bed.
“I worked an event that ended late the night before and slept in until about ten and hung around my apartment until about two, and then I ran a few errands before I headed to the caterer’s and then rode with some of the other crew to the Drake ranch.
We arrived there about four and got right to work helping to unload the catering vans and set up the food. ”
“Did you see anything out of the ordinary?” Jamie asks. “Anyone hanging around who looked out of place?”
“No. But I really wouldn’t know who should be there or not. It was the first time I’ve ever been to the ranch,” Mellie explains.
“Once the guests started to arrive, I began handing out appetizers, then there was an announcement that the gender reveal
was going to begin. So everyone started moving toward the field.”
“And you headed that way too?” Jamie asks, thinking the waitress could be a dead end.
“No.” Mellie shakes her head. “I went to the barn. I saw the midwife go in there earlier, and I was hoping to talk to her.”
“You knew Johanna Monaghan?” Jamie asks, with surprise.
Mellie looks down. “It’s a small town, and I’m not supposed to have personal conversations with the guests, but I’d heard
what a great midwife she is. Was. And I had some questions.”
“What kind of questions?” Jamie presses gently.
“You won’t tell my boss, will you?” Mellie asks. “I just started this job, and I don’t want to get fired.”
“Fired for what?” Jamie asks, though he has an inkling as to what she’s about to tell him.
“Being pregnant,” Mellie says softly. “I heard that Johanna was this incredible midwife, and I was hoping she’d maybe be able
to help me.”
“You know you can’t be fired for being pregnant, don’t you?” Jamie says. “That’s illegal.”
Mellie looks at him like he’s grown a second head. “Of course they won’t say that’s the reason why, but everyone knows it happens.”
Jamie can’t say that she’s wrong. “I won’t say anything,” he promises. “You followed Johanna into the barn?”
“I was supposed to stay behind because once we saw the smoke, we were supposed to start pouring the champagne and top it with
pink or blue cotton candy and hand it out to the guests. But it was kind of chaotic because they weren’t planning to do the
actual reveal until right before sunset, and it was only like six something.”
“They went off-schedule?” Jamie asks. “Do you know who made the change?”
“The Drakes, I guess, but I don’t know,” Mellie says. “I heard it might rain later, so I figured it had something to do with
the weather, but I’m not sure.”
The change in schedule could be significant, Jamie thinks. He needs to find out who made the decision to push up the reveal
and why.
“So, everyone is moving toward the meadow, and you hang back?”
“Yeah. I decided to peek inside the barn in case I could talk to the midwife for a minute. That’s when I smelled smoke. At
first I thought that my boss had moved the grills into the barn, which would have been weird. I was curious, so I opened the
door, and I saw her, the midwife.” Mellie takes a shaky breath. “She was smoking a cigarette and holding a gift. It looked
like she’d been crying.”
“She was holding a gift?” Jamie asks, his radar beginning to buzz. “Do you remember what it looked like?”
Mellie shrugs. “I’m not sure. It did have a big black bow on top, which I thought was a weird choice for a baby party.” She
reaches for the cup of water next to her bed, takes the straw between her lips, and takes a long drink.
“How big?” Jamie asks.
“The bow?” Mellie asks in confusion.
“No, the box,” Jamie clarifies.
Mellie holds her hands about twelve inches apart to indicate how wide the package was. “I asked her what was wrong, but she
yelled at me to leave her alone, to get out. I turned right around and left. Then she called out to me, said she was sorry,
and started walking my way. That’s when the barn exploded. I went flying, and when I hit the ground, I saw my legs were on
fire.” Tears fill Mellie’s eyes. “It crawled right up my legs, and that’s when I remembered I had spilled olive oil all over
my pants earlier. Someone tackled me and put the flames out. The last thing I remember was how much it hurt.”
Tears stream freely down Mellie’s cheeks, and she wipes them away with the edge of the bedsheet. “I think I’m tired now,”
she says. Jamie can see that it’s true. Her eyes are heavy with exhaustion, her face tight with pain. Their short conversation
seems to have sapped any energy the young woman might have had in reserve.
Still, Jamie has more questions. “We’re almost done here, Mellie, I promise. Did you see Johanna Monaghan carrying a gift
earlier when you saw her?”
Mellie lifts her eyes to the ceiling, thinking. “No, I don’t think so.”
“And you don’t know where Johanna got it from?” Jamie asks.
“I have no idea. It was so crowded and busy, I didn’t even notice,” Mellie says. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jamie says, though he’s beginning to wonder if the package is what held the IED. “Did you see anything
else unusual? Anything out of place?”
Mellie closes her eyes, as if thinking. After a moment she opens them and shakes her head. “No. Everyone looked like they
were having a good time.” She pauses, then adds, “Except for maybe Mrs. Drake. She looked kind of miserable.”
Now that’s interesting, Jamie thinks. A gender reveal party is supposed to be a happy, joyous occasion.
And from what Jamie could gather, the party was one of a kind.
An A-list country singer, hundreds of friends, great food and drink, finally learning the sex of her baby, all set against the beautiful backdrop of the mountains. Why wouldn’t Madeline Drake be happy?
“Any idea as to why she was upset?” Jamie asks.
“I don’t know,” Mellie says. “And I wouldn’t say she was upset, more like she didn’t want to be there.”
“Okay,” Jamie says. “I will have more questions for you, but if you think of anything else, will you be sure to give me a
call?” He sets a business card on the tray in front of her.
Once in the hallway, Jamie feels the buzz of his phone in his pocket and moves to a quiet corner and looks at the screen.
It’s his boss, Special Agent in Charge Sykes. Jamie lets out a breath before answering.
“Saldano,” he says by way of greeting.
“Saldano,” Sykes says. “What the hell do you have going on over there? It’s all over the news, and my phone has been ringing
off the hook.”
“We found all the makings of an IED. Ball bearings, nails, PVC piping,” Jamie explains. “The bomb techs from Jackson are packing
everything up and sending the evidence off to the lab, and the deceased has been transported to the medical examiner’s office
for an autopsy.”
“Anyone taking responsibility?” Sykes asks. “Is there any chance of terrorism? Domestic or otherwise?”
“It’s too soon to tell, but my gut says no, that this is personal. I’m just not sure that the woman who was killed was the
intended target. I’m in the process of interviewing witnesses.”
“Keep me posted,” Skyes says. “I’ll handle the press for now, but you’re going to have to talk to them sooner or later.”
“Will do,” Jamie assures him before disconnecting. Talking to the press is Jamie’s least favorite part of the job, but right now he has other matters to attend to, like interviewing the Drakes’ neighbors, Sully and Mia Preston.
“Agent Saldano?” comes a voice from behind him. He turns to find a nurse dressed in yellow scrubs. “Mellie says she has to
talk to you again.”
“Great, thanks,” Jamie says and quickly returns to the hospital room. Mellie is sitting in a chair now, dressed in the same
kind of scrubs that Madeline Drake had been wearing the night before.
“I remembered something.” Mellie’s voice has a floating quality, her words are loose, unfinished. “I saw him.”
“Who?” Jamie asks, trying not to sound too eager. “Who did you see?”
“Coming out of the barn. I saw him,” Mellie says quietly. “I didn’t think it was a big deal before, but now . . .”
“Every bit of information could be important, but you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll figure it out. Who did you see?”
Jamie asks again. The nerve endings in his fingers jangle.
“Her husband,” Mellie says. “I saw Johanna Monaghan’s husband coming out of the barn before I went in, and then a few minutes
later it exploded.”