Murder! Too Close To Home (25 page)

I also don’t care.

It’s a joyous feeling, I’m just there and happy and comfortable. I could learn to live like this.

Did something just touch my shoulder?

No, not really a touch, maybe a caress…it seemed to be doing something, pulling me along maybe. I don’t care, I love it here! Take me where you want.

The sense of movement stopped…are we there?

Where are we?

Do you have coffee here?

I sensed movement again, but different. Down? Am I going down?

I was kinda hoping for the other direction just so you know, but I really don’t care.

Did I mention I was really happy?

What’s that?

Ow!

What is that, some kind of pressure? On my back, it feels like…gravity? It feels like I’m laying
on
something all of a sudden. Aw, come on, I thought we were so over that!

Something is poking me in the back, feels a rock? Can you do something about that? It’s really uncomfortable.

I see flashes now, just every once in awhile, kinda red…maybe blue too. I really liked the darkness, but I can live with this I guess. But seriously, can you do something about the rock?

“Whoop!”

Ahhhh…the noise…what the hell! I mean…what in heaven’s name
was
that? That really hurt my ears! Look, I’ll make you a deal, take me back to where we were a few minutes ago and I’ll shut up. Quiet as a mouse, I promise.

More noise…damn, he didn’t go for it. Sounds like people talking…maybe yelling…but real far away…

“Gerbil…Gerbil!”

Gerbil? Where have you taken me, a pet shop? Not a big fan of rodents I gotta tell ya. Oh wait…I get it…you got confused by what I said. Being quiet as a mouse
doesn’t
mean I want to be a rodent. It just means…

Whoa! That’s a lot of light. Everything is real bright…and blurry.

“Gabriel…Gabriel!”

I can see a shadowy form in front of me now. Do my eyes work now? Maybe if I blink my eyes, let’s see if I remember this…ok, that’s better. Hey, it’s Frank! What are you doing here Frank?

“Frrnk.”

Did that just come out of my mouth? What does it mean?

“Yeah, it’s me buddy, you ok?”

Opening my eyes all the way, I saw a worried looking Frank looking down on me. The side of his face had a carnival look of flashing red and blue from a police cruiser.

“Where are we?” I asked as I started to rise on my elbow. The pressure on my back lessoned somewhat, so I reached behind me and pulled out a dirt clod.

“We’re in a field in Franklin County. Do you remember we were in pursuit, the curve came upon us, and we flipped? Apparently we were thrown clear, the plowed soil must have broken our fall. At least I don’t have a scratch on me. How do you feel?”

I moved things around a bit before standing up; taking stock of my body. “I guess I feel great, not even a rip in my clothes.”

“They want us to ride the squad to the hospital, check us out. You ok to walk?”

“Yeah, just give me a minute” I said as I tried to clear my head a little more.

“What about Wesley?” I asked as my memory returned. “He flipped too didn’t he?”

“Sounds like he’s pretty broke up, but alive. They’re getting him ready to transport, we’ll be riding in the same squad.”

Nodding my head, we set off to the life squad sitting along the road. Wonder how it got here so quick?

“Gabe,” Frank half whispered when we got away from the others.

“Yeah, Frank?” I replied back.

“About getting out of the wreck, without getting hurt I mean. When I got to you, you were just lying on your back, like you were sleeping. They said I was the same way when they found me. But we were over a hundred feet from our car, just lying there, like we were sleeping.  How do you explain that?”

We continued walking slowly toward the squad, both of us puzzling over the situation.

“I think,” I started, continuing to walk as I spoke, “I think we may have just witnessed a miracle, Frank.”

Walking along further, I thought about the words that had just escaped my lips.

“It’s the only explanation…that we had help getting out of that car. Guardian angel, hand of God, I don’t know how it happened, but I’m not sure there
is
a rational explanation Frank. We were saved for some unknown reason. Seems we were saved by a miracle.”

We hadn’t lost a step during the whole of the conversation and were just about to the ditch when I grabbed Frank’s shoulder and stopped him midstride.

“Tell me what you think, Frank. Can you think of another option?”

Frank looked at me then, a look of serenity showing on his face like none I’ve ever seen before. Nodding then, he just turned and continued on to the ambulance.

We arrived at the squad, getting in to wait for them to bring Wesley there. We were both quiet, in awe, neither of us saying much until we got to the hospital later that night.

A symptom of being in the presence of a higher power?

Maybe…

Chapter 67

March 25, 1997

The EMT’S finally hustled Wesley into the back of the life squad, a flurry of activity ensued as they fought to keep the perp alive from his injuries. Frank and I were looked at summarily, deeming us ok to ride in the front as they needed the room in the back.

I took the opportunity to call Betty from the driver’s cell phone, telling her I was fine and would be home after they looked me over at the hospital. She had of course been getting regular updates from dispatch on the chase and subsequent crash and had been ready to hop in the car when I called. Assuring her again that I was fine, she finally agreed to wait at the house until she heard from me.

The ride to the hospital was crazy. In the back of the squad, the patient coded twice on the drive. In the front, we quietly watched the passing barren fields of Franklin County evolve into the wooded hills of home as we approached our destination. A wailing police cruiser led the way on our trek.

I did not know it was possible to have so little empathy for the life of a fellow human being as I was now experiencing about the man in the back. Allen Vanguard would push for the death penalty anyway, let’s save the tax payers some cash and just not try so hard back there. Considering our recent experiences though, maybe I should be a little more forgiving. I would have to give that some more thought I guessed.

Arriving at the emergency room, we were met by a basketball team of doctors and nurses waiting to swarm over the accident victim, taking control of the situation immediately and wheeling him into the building.

One of the EMT’s and the deputy followed the horde into the building, as the other emergency workers took the opportunity to start cleaning up the squad. Frank and I were left standing on the sidewalk, temporarily forgotten in the bustle.

I noticed a park bench nearby and caught Frank’s eye. Cocking my head toward the seat, we made our way to the bench and sat down, both of us seeming to enjoy the chance take a load off on this fine spring night. The bench was a hard looking piece of city functionality, one of those concrete based jobs with the wood slats sticking through holes in the concrete.

I don’t quite remember ever feeling a bench as comfortable as this one. My body seemed to mold to the slats like it was made for me. Frank also seemed to greatly relax after a few seconds of sitting on the amazing bench.

We had both been reflective on the trip here. I was slightly shaken but accepting of the facts of the wreck and our subsequent miraculous survival. Frank also seemed resigned to the night’s events, a look of contentment evident on his face.

“You know,” I started, “with everything else that has happened I almost forgot the best part. We got him, partner. We got him! We followed some weird-assed clues and solid investigative techniques, and we got him, we got the ‘Ghost’.”

Holding out my hand, my partner, my friend took it in his with a smile on his face.

“We did indeed,” was all he said, but that said it all.

“Let’s go on in,” I said after awhile, “get checked out, get an update on the prisoner, and a ride home.”

“Yeah,” Frank answered thoughtfully, “that sounds like a plan.”

***

Entering the emergency room, we were met by the same bottle-blonde woman we had met the other night.

“Are you the guys that rode in with the life squad?”

Saying we were, she started herding us into the exam room.

“Where the hell have you guys been? I’ve been looking all over for you!”

She stuck us each in a room, saying the doctor would be in soon before leaving us to wait. Soon of course being a relative term, it was another hour and a half before the doctor actually walked into the room, reading a clipboard as he walked.

Asking me a few questions and if anything hurt, then he pushed and pulled on a few appendages before announcing me fit. He then told me to take it easy for a couple of days and to come back if anything showed up.

Exiting the room, I found Frank standing in the hallway, having passed his exam also with flying colors. We made our way to Intensive Care to check on the prisoner, getting lost only once on our way there.

The glassed-in room had a deputy on guard outside and four medical personnel within. Flashing our badges, we asked the deputy a few questions about the prisoner, but he didn’t really know anything of importance, save that the doctors had been working nonstop since the man got there.

Getting one of the doctor’s attention as he exited the room, we asked him straight out if he thought Wesley would make it.

“Touch and go right now,” the doctor said as he kept walking. “Prepping him for surgery, internal injuries, won’t really know anything for a couple of days.”

He rounded the corner out of sight as he finished his report. Frank and I stood there for a few seconds, deciding then to head for home. We could do our paperwork in the morning, and all of the sudden I was bone tired.

We asked the deputy to get someone to take us home. He got on the horn and said a patrol deputy would be out front in ten minutes.

Arriving out front as the sheriff’s deputy pulled up, we got in and gave him the addresses for the short ride to our homes.

Sitting there quietly, I once again went over the night’s events. The dreams had helped lead us to the murderer, someone or something had saved us from injury in the wreck, and now I had more questions than ever.

Getting to my house first, I got out of the car, saying goodnight to Frank and thanking the deputy for the ride. I was dead tired, but desperately needed the comforting feel of my wife in my arms before I slept.

Describing the night’s events once more to a relieved Betty before closing my eyes for the night, I determined it had been a somewhat eventful night after all.

Chapter 68

March 26, 1997

This room was bright yellow, hurt your eyes bright yellow.

There was a metal folding chair in the middle of the brightly lit space. Since it was the only place to sit I did so. Looking around the room, I realized there are no doors, only walls and ceiling and floor, a linoleum floor of black and white squares.

I was mesmerized for a few moments by the alternating pattern of the floor, and I realized that it was completely quiet in the room.

I continued to enjoy the floor. Then I realized it is more or less crazy to stare at the floor and started to investigate the walls more closely. Shuffling my feet, I pivoted around in the chair looking at all the walls as I go, looking for…what? When my leg hit the back of the folding chair, I stopped. Since my progress was halted, and the walls were still yellow, I took that moment to look up.

The ceiling was…bright. In fact, I can’t really see the ceiling.

The top of the room is all light, but there are no fixtures. It was like the ceiling
was
the source of light, a beautiful light. I stared at it for a long time before I was suddenly aware I had a goofy smile on my face. I was being crazy again, so I went back to wall…staring, shuffling my feet the other way as I pivot to the right.

As my right leg hit the back of the chair, I noticed something on the wall. A window or opening, about six feet up, three feet wide by two feet tall. Odd that I hadn’t noticed it before, but there it was.

I stood up, deciding it is time to leave. Logic dictated that I move the chair over against the wall, stand up on it, pull myself up and wiggle through.

I jumped instead.

Jumping up into the air, I found that I was kind of flying/floating toward the window. I was somewhat amazed, but not as much as one would think. It seemed natural here for some reason.

Heading toward the window, I was off course a little. Flying/floating could take a little practice, it appeared. I easily corrected my trajectory with my arms as I approached the frame of the opening before pulling myself into the deep cavity.