Chapter 6
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It’s all so frustrating. So what if the cops maybe don’t have a whole lot to say? Still, if they think I’ll go away, they’re wrong.
They are so very wrong.
The thoughts were rampant.
“Are you okay?” Sammy’s voice pulled him out of his head, and she stared at him, concern in her gaze.
“Just thinking, … you know, wondering if I can do anything to help them.”
Her eyebrows shot up, and she shook her head. “I think that’s all better left to the police.”
He gave her a grim smile and countered, “I hear you say that, but it’s not quite true.”
“In what way?”
“If they won’t take this seriously, if they won’t look after my sister by protecting her the way her husband should have …”
Sammy asked, “He’s not around?”
“I haven’t been able to find him. For all I know, he could be the one responsible for this,” he suggested. “I have my doubts about him at this point. If we have to, my team and I will get involved.”
She opened her mouth to ask, and he was pretty sure it was about the team part, but then she seemed to think better of it, nodded, and let him be.
He stood up, leaned over, and gave his sister a soft kiss on the cheek. “You hang in there, girl. We’ll get you back on your feet and home to your babies.”
“That’s right. She has children, doesn’t she?” Sammy asked, as she looked over at Talia.
“She has triplets, ten or eleven months old now,” he told her with a small smile, trying to mask his weariness. “And believe me that taking care of them has opened my eyes to what she’s been going through on a daily basis.”
“Triplets,” Sammy repeated, her eyes going wide, and she giggled. “Triple toddlers?”
“Yeah, triplets, identical triplets, that I can’t even tell apart because I’ve been away with the military their whole lives. Nobody knows which one is which, as far as I can tell. I just hope to God my sister does because, for the moment, I’m calling all three of them Lisa.”
Sammy was still chuckling as he headed back out of the hospital and then to the car and straight down to the police station. His reception was just as he expected. Nobody to talk to with only a skeleton crew on duty. He was told to come back during working hours of course.
Surely somebody with answers was somewhere.
Trying to keep his aggravation at bay, he headed to the grocery store, calling Burton as soon as he made it inside. “Okay, I’m at the grocery store. I’ve been to the hospital and the police station. No joy in terms of good news at either.”
“That’s not encouraging.”
“No, not at all. So, what do we need from the store?” he asked. “Just text me.”
Immediately he got spammed with images of diaper brands, baby washes, and whatnots. And he wasn’t sure what that one item was. Maybe formula? He called Burton back. “How are they doing?”
“They just started drinking some tonight,” Burton replied.
“I wonder if we should be giving them formula,” he pondered.
“I don’t know,” Burton grumbled in a hectic tone, “but move your ass because I’ve got one awake, and I’m desperately trying to rock the second one, who’s looking to wake up soon.
I was thinking a bottle might help her settle.
So, I made one up, and she seems to be doing pretty well with it.
I think she just wants the comfort of nursing,” Burton explained.
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Anderson noted, as he walked through the grocery store. “I’m picking up groceries for the triplets and us.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. You do that,” Burton replied, “but groceries are one thing. Getting your ass home again is something different.” And with that and a slightly desperate-sounding laugh, Burton ended the call on him.
It didn’t take too long to pick up a few necessities.
He grabbed some steaks, hoping that maybe they could try to get a meal in for themselves, and then he headed home.
He was surprised to see another vehicle parked just outside the property.
When he got near, whoever it was turned on their lights and pulled away.
Instincts that had kept him alive all these years in the military had him following the vehicle down the street, trying to see the license plate and who was driving. As he got close enough, he found the license plate half covered with mud and dirt. He wasn’t sure if that was deliberate or not.
Suddenly the driver realized he was being followed and took off with tires screeching and squealing, ripping down onto the road leading to the highway.
Anderson knew he would lose him then. He had the dash cam from his sister’s car to show him what make and model the vehicle was, but that wouldn’t help in terms of identifying the driver.
He sure could use a license plate number, but that didn’t happen. He headed back to his sister’s house. As he stepped inside, Burton handed him one baby, then went in and picked up another, who was screaming at the top of her lungs.
Burton tried to talk to Anderson, then just gave up because of the noise.
Patient yet miserable, the two of them calmed the babies, walking them around.
The third one was trying to get back to sleep and didn’t want to be held, which was fine with Anderson because, well, … a man was given two arms for a reason.
He wasn’t sure what else to do for the babies. When he looked over at Burton, seeing the exhaustion on his face, Anderson shook his head. “You know, in a way—”
“I know,” Burton interrupted. “Don’t say it. I’ve been ambivalent on the topic of having kids, but believe me, at this point in time, I can’t imagine ever wanting to go in that direction.”
“And yet just think about how much experience we’re gaining,” he replied in all seriousness.
“That’s good. You keep thinking about that,” Burton muttered. “That was never part of my plan. And right about now, this is the absolute max I can do. I’ll be Uncle Burton, and that’s it,” he declared.
“Yeah, well, it would sure help if we had something to call all of them instead of Lisa,” Anderson responded.
Burton sniggered. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“Me? I don’t see you doing anything different,” he retorted. “What do you want me to do? Make up a name out of thin air?”
“That’s something we could do,” he noted. “Even if it’s just a name that would make them stop crying,” Burton suggested.
“If a name would make them all stop crying,” Anderson said, “I am all for it.” He put in earbuds as he spoke, then shared, “For now, I’ll just walk this one.”
With that, he turned around and proceeded to hike the hallways back-and-forth. About twenty minutes later Burton pointed and whispered, “She’s asleep.”
Anderson looked down and smiled. “Thank God for that.” He sighed. As he pulled the earbuds from his ears, he tilted his head and whispered, “It’s quiet.”
“It is quiet,” Burton whispered. “Now, if only you can put that one to bed without waking her up.” Burton had a questioning expression on his face.
Anderson nodded. “I got this.” Luckily he was successful.
“Thank heavens for that,” Burton muttered. “Everybody’s asleep.”
“I’ll go get the groceries.” Thankfully the steaks were in an insulated bag, and it did get cooler at sunset around here.
As he unloaded the car, he remembered the strange vehicle that had been parked out front. As soon as he got back inside, he explained what he’d seen to Burton.
He stared at him for a long moment. “Are you thinking it’s connected to the assault on your sister?” Burton asked.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I wondered if it was Tim, but I couldn’t tell, not with the tinted windows on the car and the dusk settling in.”
“And you think her husband is the one …”
“Believe me that the idea has done nothing but aggravate me this whole time,” Anderson shared. “Could he really have done this to her?”
“I don’t know,” Burton replied. “I thought they were happily married. … Would having triplets set off that level of rage?”
Anderson grimaced, while shaking his head. “I can’t see it, not unless it was already there.”
Burton shook his head. “I mean, I get it. I imagine one newborn is a shock and a big change in life for the couple. But three infants at once? Yes, this is a lot of work and a ton of stress. Maybe that’s part of the reason for Tim to snap, but I can’t imagine him—”
“Someone, … whoever it was, put her in the hospital. Not only that, apparently her pelvis is broken. I’m wondering what would cause that because I automatically think, you know, driving over an IED or something,” he explained.
“Right.” Burton winced.
“But how the hell did that happen?”
“Exactly,” Burton muttered.
“I asked the nurse what could cause that potentially. She seemed hesitant to say but finally suggested a heavy blow. My mind immediately went to a well-placed kick or three,” he added.
At that, Burton’s expression hardened. “Bastard.” His gaze remained on Anderson’s.
“It must have been a male. Maybe I sound sexist, but logically I think it definitely was a man,” Anderson stated.
“I would imagine so,” Burton replied, “and you’re right. While we can’t say it definitely, I can’t see somebody beating her to that extent who isn’t male.”
“Yet we do tend to look at the female species as being a whole lot gentler,” he added.
“I agree.” Burton helped put away the groceries and asked, “Are you bringing in any of the team to track down your brother-in-law?”
“I sent out the one SOS, asking for anybody who could help, given that they had the time,” he replied. “I don’t know how that will necessarily work at the moment, but first things first. I definitely have to get to court tomorrow, and I’ll need to be somewhat presentable.”
“That means we both need to crash,” Burton noted. “If you’ll be in court tomorrow, that means you’re leaving me here alone with them for as long as you need to be gone.”
“I’m sorry about that.” And he almost meant it. “We both need sleep.”
“Yeah, you got any idea how we’ll get that?”
“No,” he admitted, with a groan. “I’m hopeful that, if the triplets sleep, we can go to bed and crash.”