Chapter 16 #2
“Alright,” he conceded to her reasoning, although he didn’t seem happy. “But how are we going to slip out unseen? In case you hadn’t noticed, you now seem to have a permanent police shadow sitting at the end of your drive.”
“Theo, go look in the top drawer of the left-hand cabinet in the kitchen and get me two bandages.”
Curiously he did as she asked while she pulled her phone out of her pocket and called for a cab.
“What are you up to?” He handed her the bandages.
“Like you said, we need to lose that tail. The second I drive out of here, they’ll be all over us, and the roads just aren’t busy enough to shake them off.
” She pulled off one of her sneakers and began to wrap her ankle, making it look twice as big as it actually was.
“When the cab turns up, I need you to carry me out to it. With any luck, the cops will see you do it and follow us to the hospital. We can lose them there.”
She looked up at him, holding out her hand so he could help her to her feet. Hobbling back into the library, she picked up the file and her spare sneaker and shoved them down into her backpack while Theo retrieved their jackets.
Theo waited out on the front porch for the cab and Olivia was grateful for a moment to herself.
She had a heaviness in her chest, accompanied by an uncomfortable feeling she was about to find out something she really didn’t want to know, and not for the first time she cursed herself for ever having come back to Mercy.
Unfortunately, there was no way out now; she didn’t have the luxury of running away this time.
She had to see it through, even if it did mean finding out her father was a serial killer.
She wasn’t safe, she knew that much, and if the police weren’t going to do their job and find out what really happened, she would have to do it herself. Thank God she had Jake and Theo.
She was startled out of her reverie by her phone ringing.
Pulling it out of her pocket, she glanced down at the screen and frowned.
It was Mags calling again. She’d have to talk to her sooner or later, but the fact was, she didn’t want her getting caught up in this mess.
There was no way she was going to put her in danger.
“Cab’s here.” She looked up at Theo standing in the doorway. “Are you going to get that?” He nodded at the ringing phone in her hand.
She took one last look at the screen and sighed as she rejected the call. “No, let’s get going.”
She limped out into the hall and slipped her jacket on, grabbing her purse in one hand and keys in the other, before Theo swept her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing.
“You sure about this?” he asked.
She nodded slowly.
“Alright then.” Theo turned and stepped out of the door as she leaned down and pulled it closed behind them.
* * *
The police were so blatant it was almost laughable.
Gazing out of the back window of the cab, Olivia could clearly see the squad car brazenly tailing them down the empty roads into town.
Fortunately, the cab driver chose not to comment; in fact, he seemed to be uncharacteristically quiet for a cabbie, and wore an expression of extreme discomfort.
When they finally pulled up outside the hospital, Theo once again lifted her into his arms and carried her through the main entrance.
Olivia watched quietly as the cab pulled away and the police car parked across the street. After a moment, Deputy Hanson emerged from the car and crossed the street.
“What the hell, Olivia?” Louisa slipped the chart she’d been signing back into the holder at the front desk and walked over.
“My ankle’s still acting up,” Olivia told her, her eyes widening a fraction in warning.
Louisa’s gaze swept suspiciously over her friend’s shoulder and noted the tall blond deputy walking in. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth tightened in disapproval. “Come with me,” Louisa led them toward a small cubicle.
Theo followed obediently, setting Olivia down on the edge of the bed as Louisa closed the curtain.
“What’s going on?” Louisa asked in a low voice.
“I need your help,” Olivia whispered back. “We need to lose Deputy Barbie out there.”
“Why? Where are you going?”
“I don’t have time to explain right now.” Olivia shook her head as she started unwinding the bandages. “I promise I’ll tell you everything later, but for now, I need a way out of here without the cops knowing, and I need to borrow your car.”
Louisa sighed and pulled her car keys out of the pocket of her white coat and handed them to Olivia.
“Leave the deputy to me. Once I distract her, slip into the next cubicle. There’s a door next to the bed that leads into a trauma room, which is not being used right now.
Go straight through to the double doors at the other side of the room.
You’ll find yourself in one of the main corridors.
Take a left and head to the end of the corridor.
Through the next set of double doors on your right is the stairwell that’ll take you down to the parking levels.
” She grabbed a pen and scribbled on the palm of Olivia’s hand.
“That code will get you out of the parking garage.”
“Thanks, Louisa, I really owe you.”
“Yeah, well, I expect a full explanation and dinner in return,” she replied.
“Done.” Olivia smiled and pulled her other sneaker out of her bag and pulled it on.
“Ready?” Louisa asked, picking up an empty chart tucked into a plastic holder at the foot of the bed.
Theo and Olivia both nodded.
“Just keep the weight off that ankle. We’re a bit backed up in x-ray today, so you may be here a while.” Louisa spoke loudly enough for the deputy to hear her as she stepped out of the cubicle.
Satisfied that she had Hanson’s attention, Louisa wandered out onto the main floor, her gaze firmly fixed on the chart in her hands. Heading straight for the deputy, she ran smack into her, and they both went down in a tangle of limbs.
“Oh my God, I am so sorry, Deputy.” Louisa moved, blocking her view of the cubicle. “I didn’t see you there.”
Deputy Hanson grunted as the wind was knocked out of her. Louisa clambered over her, trying to climb to her feet but elbowed the other woman in the stomach. Finally, Louisa stood as she held her hand out and helped the blonde to her feet.
“Are you alright, Deputy?”
“I’m fine.” Deputy Hanson brushed herself off as she stood.
“Sorry again. Jake always says I should come with turning signals.” Louisa gave a fake smile. “Anyway, what can we do for you? Are you sick, injured?”
“No.” Her cheeks blazed, although whether from embarrassment or indignation, Louisa wasn’t entirely sure. “I’m here on official police business.”
“Oh,” Louisa answered. “Anything I can help with?”
“That won’t be necessary, Dr. Linden,” she said stiffly.
“Suit yourself.” Louisa shrugged. “Can I get one of the interns to get you a coffee?”
“No, thank you.”
“Well, if you’ll excuse me then, I have patients to attend to.” Helga nodded and Louisa made herself scarce, a small smile curving her lips.
* * *
Olivia and Theo made it down to the parking garage without any other interference and before long found themselves on the road to Salem. The journey itself didn’t long, only about ninety minutes from Mercy.
She’d forgotten how much she liked Salem. She didn’t visit often, as it had always been a little too close to Mercy for comfort, but she had spent some time there promoting her books and being a guest speaker at the university. Despite her age, she was well respected in her field.
They finally pulled up in front of a single-story bungalow nestled behind a rusty wire fence.
The shutters, once a vibrant red, had faded to an unpleasant dusky pink and the paint was peeling away from the wood.
The lawn was brown and patchy. Weeds choked the ancient flowerbeds and littered the gravel path.
The building looked so sad and neglected that as they opened the gate and walked slowly down the path, Olivia began to wonder if anyone still lived there.
Theo rang the bell, and they waited patiently. A few minutes passed by and nothing. Olivia tried again, and still they waited. Nothing. Theo stepped back off the stoop and looked toward the windows.
“The place is in a state of disrepair. Maybe she no longer lives here,” Theo mused.
“I guess.” Olivia stepped back off the stoop to join Theo.
Suddenly, the front door creaked open and an old woman stood on the other side of the screen door.
Olivia stepped back up to the door. “Mrs. Talbot?”
“Who wants to know?” the old woman rasped.
“Mrs. Talbot, my name is Olivia West, and this is my friend, Theodore Beckett.”
“West?” Her eyes narrowed as she studied Olivia.
“We were wondering if we could speak to you about your son, James.”
Her gaze moved from Olivia to Theo and back to Olivia before she pushed open the screen door with her twisted walking cane.
“Better come in then,” she said by way of invitation before turning slowly and shuffling back into the darkened room.
She walked slowly, hunched over her cane and dragging a wheeled cylinder of oxygen behind her.
A long, translucent tube ran over her oxygen tank, hooked over her ears, and then under her nose.
She lowered herself into a well-worn chair and primly tucked her flowered dress around her knees before taking her patchwork blanket and laying it across her legs.
Taking the TV remote from the table next to her chair, she lowered the volume, then patted her hair as if to make sure it was still in place.
“Please, take a seat.” She motioned for Olivia and Theo to sit on the couch opposite her. “You look a bit like him,” Mrs. Talbot said after a moment of staring at Olivia.
“Pardon?”
“You’re Charlie Connell’s daughter, aren’t you?” She tilted her head. “I’d heard the West girls always take their family name rather than their father’s.”
“It’s a bit of a unique family tradition,” Olivia murmured.