Bill Hopkins - Judge Rosswell Carew 02 - River Mourn (31 page)

Before the story of Maman
and Lazar could be told, Jim Bill rolled into the chapel in a wheelchair,
parking next to Rosswell and Ollie. One sticker on Jim Bill’s ride informed the
world: THIS IS THE WAY I ROLL! Another one announced: I BRAKE FOR NURSES! A
third one: ROLLER DERBY WANNABE!

“Thank you.” Rosswell rose to his feet, slightly
bowing. “You put your life on the line for Tina.”

“Duty calls and all that happy stuff.”

“Cool stickers,” Ollie said. “Why are you in a
wheelchair?”

Manners! I’m going to have to teach my research
assistant some manners.

“Orders from headquarters. The big boys want me
inspected from head to toe so they can figure out how much compensation I get
for on the job injury. They’ll release me either later today or tomorrow
morning.”

Rosswell hadn’t moved. “Tina said she owes her life to
you.”

“Speaking of Tina, could we talk to her?”

“Sure. She gets out tomorrow.”

Jim Bill rolled a few inches toward Rosswell. “Today.
Right now.”

Ollie said, “She had a baby yesterday!”

“Tina’s told me all about what happened to her and I
told her everything I did. Ask me anything. I’ll tell you.”

Jim Bill scratched his chin. “Now what’s that rule on
hearsay?”

“We’re not in a courtroom.”

Ollie lifted a forefinger. “May I suggest something?”

“Suggest away, my research assistant.”

“Why don’t you ask Tina?”

Tina stuffed a couple of pillows behind her back. “Where do
you want me to start?”

That morning, she’d showered, fluffed her hair with
some moves Rosswell couldn’t comprehend, and put on a dab of makeup. Yesterday,
Rosswell had taken it upon himself to buy her what he considered a nifty robe at
Walmart. The purple thing covered with cartoonish large flowers seemed perfect
to him. Tina had eyed the purchase after she came out of the delivery room. “Interesting.
It’s…serviceable.” A vague suspicion gnawed at Rosswell that Tina hadn’t
complimented his taste.

Rosswell had earlier come back to the chapel to
announce to Jim Bill and Ollie that Tina was ready to talk. “She said she was a
cop first. That means she knows she has a duty to let you debrief her.”

“I expected nothing less.” Jim Bill rubbed his cheeks.
Rosswell realized that the man hadn’t shaved in a couple of days.
He’ll have a glorious
beard within a week
.
Rosswell
tried unsuccessfully to smother his jealousy.

Jonathan David Carew slept in a crib next to Tina’s
bed. She positioned the baby in her shadow so that his newborn eyes wouldn’t be
bothered by the sun shining through the window. Occasionally, Rosswell heard
him scratching on the fresh sheets, his fingernails making a barely audible scritching
sound.

Tina—apparently tolerating her new robe—waited for an
answer to her question.

Rosswell started to answer. “Jim Bill demanded this
interrogation—”

“Interview,” said Jim Bill.

Tina said, “Ask me what you need to know.”

Food carts rattled down the hall. Visitors and staff
walked past Tina’s door, jabbering, telling jokes, laughing. A loudspeaker
blatted out pages for doctors who couldn’t be found and complained about owners
of cars who’d parked in the wrong spots. Telephones rang. Pagers buzzed.

“Wait a minute.” Rosswell shut the door. “Go ahead,
Jim Bill. That should cut down on the peace and quiet around here.”

“What’s the last thing you remember before you were
kidnapped?”

“I was in Saint Luke’s Hospital at Marble Hill after I’d
been shot. The wound wasn’t serious. I started feeling better. There was only a
little pain.”

Jim Bill said, “I remember Rosswell telling me he
couldn’t understand why you weren’t released. Yes, you’d been shot, but it wasn’t
life threatening. The hospital’s reluctance to discharge you after a couple of
days was strange.”

Rosswell paced around the bed, between Jim Bill in the
wheelchair and Ollie, then back around again. “No doubt Nathaniel had a doctor
or nurse or somebody on his payroll who also worked in the hospital.” He
allowed his eyes to drift shut. “That person or persons knew Tina would be a
prime candidate for Nathaniel’s baby farm.”

“How would anyone know I was going to have a baby?
Hospitals don’t routinely test for pregnancy.”

“Yes, they do.” Rosswell’s eyes popped open. “Somebody
in that hospital tested every woman who could’ve gotten pregnant. Malpractice
insurance requires it.”

Ollie walked to the window, staring out at the world.
Rosswell could tell that Ollie was possibly thinking about his own pregnant daughter,
Mabel. Or maybe he truly cared about Tina. Or maybe both. Something was
disturbing him. The thought that Tina was almost subjected to slavery.
That
had to top Ollie’s worry list.

Outside the window, a pigeon landed on the ledge. The
gray bird, boasting an opulent white chest, ogled Ollie and shared a soft coo.
Rosswell heard the baby utter a noise like a chuckle. The bird strutted up and
down, making a clicking sound as it pecked the window a couple of times, then
flew off. Rosswell stuck his head close to his son, who opened his eyes and returned
a smile before he fell back to sleep.

Jim Bill rolled closer to Tina’s bed. “Judge, you don’t
know what happened to her in Marble Hill. Let’s stick to facts only. Tina, do
you remember actually being kidnapped?”

“All I remember is that one night I went to sleep in a
hospital bed and woke up in the back seat of a car.”

“Do you know who drove you from Marble Hill to Sainte
Gen?”

“Not a clue. It was night and I must’ve slept the
whole way. I suspect someone sedated me. No one else was in the car when I awoke.
I sat up and looked out. I immediately recognized the courthouse square in Sainte
Gen. I was in front of the Southern Hotel.”

“Was anyone around outside?”

“There were lots of people on the square milling about.
It was a nice night.”

“Do you know the time?”

Rosswell said, “I showed you the time stamp on her
voicemail.”

Jim Bill said, “Tina, did you know any of the people
you saw?”

“Nobody I recognized. There was no way I could tell if
any of the people were good guys or bad guys. And I was dressed in a hospital
gown! I wasn’t about to get out and parade around.”

“Understandable.”

“I guess I should’ve got out and run down the streets
yelling bloody murder.”

“Were you close to the payphone in front of the hotel?”

“Yes. I saw the payphone but I didn’t have any money.”

“Why didn’t you call 9-1-1? You don’t need money for
that.”

Rosswell let out a groan. “She told you. She was
doped. She wasn’t thinking right. All Tina could think of was me.”

Tina said, “That didn’t come out right.”

Ollie turned from the window. “No, it didn’t.”

Those remarks earned Tina and Ollie a scowl from
Rosswell.

A nurse—a tall woman with bad hair—came in. “There are
way too many people in here. Two of you need to leave.”

Rosswell’s stress caused him to snap at the woman. “No
one is leaving this room but you.”

“I can call Security to see what they have to say
about that.”

Jim Bill said to her, “Step over here a moment, if you
please.”

The nurse strode to the wheelchair. “What is it?”

“Security is already here.”

The nurse stared down at Jim Bill’s badge and
identification. “So it is. Then I’m not needed here.” She left.

“Back to the call,” Jim Bill said. “The fact is that
you made a call. Where did you get the money for the payphone?”

“I tried the car’s back door and it was open. Whoever
had me was clearly not worried about me escaping.”

“You got out of the car by the payphone. Right?”

“Right. I figured I’d better get over my embarrassment
at being dressed in a hospital gown. And these kids were walking by. High
school kids. I jumped out of the car and yelled, ‘Give me some quarters!’ Must’ve
scared the hell out of them because I wound up with five or six dollars’ worth
of quarters. They thought I was a crazy street bum who needed money.”

“She’s not shy.” Rosswell sat next to Tina on the bed
and touched her cheek. “Why do you think I love her?”

Jim Bill said, “That’s when you called Rosswell.”

“Yes. And before I could finish the call, somebody
came up behind me and clicked the phone off. Then I was ushered back into the
car.”

“Who did that?” Jim Bill grasped the handles of his
wheelchair. “Male? Female? Young? Old? White? Black?”

“Two guys.”

“Could you recognize either of them?”

“I’m sure one of them was Nathaniel Dahlbert. I could
tell by the way he was talking, with that weird voice of his. He sounds like he’s
out of some old monster flick. And, even at night, he was so white he glowed.”

“Did Nathaniel say anything?”

“He did after they shoved me into the back seat. He
and another guy
got in front.”

“Who was driving?”

“The other guy.”

“Who was the other guy?”

“I didn’t recognize him at first.”

“What did Nathaniel say?”

“He said he was proud of what his boys had done.”

“Did the other guy say anything?”

“He told Nathaniel to keep his mouth shut in front of
me.”

“What happened then?”

“Nathaniel said…and this is a direct quote, ‘You’re
lucky you’re still alive. You’re not running this show. Forget that again and
you’re dead.’ ”

“Then what?”

“We left. I realized by then that if I’d jumped from
the car and run down the streets yelling bloody murder that it would’ve been
useless. Everyone on the square saw us in that car but no one did anything.”

“All those people standing around and nobody did
anything? Why not?”

“Because the driver was Gustave Fribeau and he turned
on his lights and siren.”

Ollie ran from the
window
to Tina’s bedside. “Did he carry you to the mental hospital?”

“We drove directly to River Heights Villa. That’s where
I was the whole time before Rosswell rescued me. For a little while, I tried to
hide my pregnancy. I think they already knew I was carrying a baby.”

Rosswell said, “Let me interrupt a minute.”

Jim Bill said, “Is there any way to stop you?”

“I want to clarify something for Tina,” Rosswell
continued. “Jim Bill wants to know why Nathaniel didn’t kill you immediately or
ship you out of the country at once or otherwise get rid of you as soon as
possible.”

Jim Bill emitted what sounded to Rosswell like a low
growl. “I’d planned on being a tad more diplomatic.”

Tina said, “Rosswell doesn’t spend much time on
diplomacy.”

Rosswell said, “Thought I’d run straight to the point.”

“I don’t know what was in Nathaniel’s mind. He knew
that people would be after him. Maybe he wanted to use me as a bargaining chip.”
Their son stirred but didn’t wake. Tina rubbed the baby’s back. “The night Rosswell
rescued me, they gave me a pill. I didn’t swallow it. When they left the room,
I flushed it down the toilet. A heavy dose of something to knock me out is my
guess. I didn’t want to hurt the
baby before he
was born.”

Jim Bill said, “But you slept through being carried
out of the hospital and being dumped in a car to drive up to Sainte Gen?”

“I was exhausted. I was hurt. Even when I’m perfectly
healthy and not pregnant, I sleep the sleep of the dead.” She paused for a
moment. “Maybe they put something in my food.”

Rosswell said, “Nathaniel never killed us, because he
couldn’t use you as a bargaining chip if I was dead. He figured he could
blackmail me into doing about anything to keep you safe.”

Jim Bill said, “We’ve considered you a hostage all
along. But we never knew for sure where you were until the night you were
rescued. And we’ve had Nathaniel under constant surveillance since your
disappearance.”

“Who is this?” Rosswell showed Jim Bill the business
card he’d received earlier. “Nicolas Rodriguez. Or Ramon Cortez. Or whatever he
changed his name to when he walked out of the hospital this morning.”

Jim Bill thrust the card back at Rosswell. “Never
heard of him.”

“You’ve never heard of anyone, yet Philbert and Theodore
seemed mighty close to you right after you got shot.”

“Speaking of those two, I do have some good news.”

Rosswell wanted all the good news he could hear. “Spill
it.”

“Theodore and Philbert checked Nathaniel’s escape
route. It seems that the white clown outsmarted himself. He didn’t take into
account the high water on the river. When he went down the hole in his library,
part of it caved in and, we hope, swept him into the Mississippi.”

Ollie said, “Have they found the body?”

“Not yet. From what I hear, there’s no way he could’ve
lived through that.”

Rosswell drew out the card Nicolas Rodriguez had given
him. “Here. Call him and tell him that Nathaniel is dead.”

Jim Bill snorted. “Told you once. I don’t know the
guy.”

It was Tina’s turn to talk. “Jim Bill, you said you
didn’t know Theodore and Philbert and then you tell us about their
investigation. You’re keeping secrets from us.” She brushed away a lock of hair
that had fallen over her eyes. “Every day that I spent in that prison, I vowed
that nothing bad would happen to me or our baby. I knew Rosswell would find me.
And it was you
who made that possible.”

She left the bed and planted a kiss on Jim Bill’s
cheek. Rosswell felt a burst of pride in his chest. Tina had made that speech
without crying. She was tougher than a new railroad spike.

Ollie said, “Ditto.” Rosswell didn’t mention it, but
he thought a tear rolled down Ollie’s cheek.

Jim Bill added, “I’ll tell you one thing about
Nathaniel’s baby-selling ring. Women who look like Tina produce fair-skinned
babies, often with strawberry blonde hair and blue or green eyes. Those kids
are particularly valuable in Venezuela, China, North Korea, and Cuba. The
Communist elite pay good money for them. They’re trophies. Racist trophies.”

Rosswell thought he was going to puke. No. That would
be bad form in front of his wife-to-be and son. He would pray to Whoever to get
that image out of his mind. Unwilling to dwell on the enormity of modern slavery,
he instead forced himself forward.

“Earlier, I started telling Ollie about Lazar and
Maman.”

“I want to know about them, too,” Tina said. “How did
she know where I was?”

Rosswell stared down his nose at Ollie. “I did a bit
of researching also.”

“You always get in trouble when you ignore me and try
freelancing.”

“Lazar does nothing but buy and sell second hand junk
all over the county. Everyone knows him and he talks at length with anyone who
will tell him stuff. He remembers all of it and then goes to tell Maman.”

“And,” added Ollie, “Sheriff Gustave Fribeau, too.”

“Anyway, if Maman needs more info, Lazar goes out again
and talks to more people. She analyzes everything. Someone in Nathaniel’s
organization—maybe even Gustave—must’ve told Lazar where Tina was and Lazar
told Maman. I paid with silver to hear a riddle about what she found out.”

Tina appeared a second away from exploding. “You paid
her good money? Why didn’t she come right out and tell you plainly where I was?”

“She’s a woman. She can’t state anything directly and
simply,” Rosswell said, immediately realizing his blunder.

“You want to try that again?”

Rosswell backed and filled as quickly as possible. “I
found out Maman’s big secret. You know how old she is?”

Ollie said, “No, but you do.”

“No, I don’t.”

Tina said, “Then why did you ask?”

Jim Bill said, “What does her age have to do with
anything? She’s an old woman. So what?”

Rosswell said, “From
my snooping, I found references t
o Maman Fribeau living out there on
that bluff going back to the year 1751.”