Suffer (7 page)

12

FOURTEEN DAYS HAD PASSED SINCE the Coast Guard found Paul’s boat adrift near an oil platform off the coast of Louisiana. They searched for five days, but his body was never recovered. The “Diver Down” flag was raised and gear was missing, which gave officials enough circumstantial evidence to declare it an accidental death. Paul’s empty casket was buried next to Caleb in a Miami cemetery.

Grey’s investigation into the life of Gregory Kirsk was postponed when Paul never showed up to meet him and Evan at the café. They both knew their friend took his life, but never expressed their belief to authorities or Kate’s family. Instead, they created the story that Paul told them he wanted to go diving to clear his head and that he showed no indication he may have been suicidal. The State declaring him dead guaranteed Kate the substantial assets of their estate. If she survived, the 320 million dollars Paul had earned selling his business would bring her net worth to 400 million.

While Grey and Evan attended to the somber duty of helping the family bury Caleb and Paul, Chief Tony Hill continued to dig deeper into the murder case considered closed by Florida law enforcement. As the days passed, he became more convinced Kirsk didn’t act alone and may have been set up by the real killer. He attempted to reach Grey on his cell phone to update him on a recent discovery, but it went straight to voicemail. Grey, Evan, and Kate’s family were in a meeting with Dr. Singer.

“We’ve kept Kate in a chemically-induced coma in order to help her brain heal as much as possible,” said Dr. Singer. “Yesterday we reduced her sedation so we could perform a series of tests to assess the damage. Her EEG shows sporadic activity, but again, I have to caution you that the results of today’s tests may be disappointing.”

“But there is a chance, correct?” asked Maggie, Kate’s mother.

“Of course, but I believe those chances are less than ten percent,” replied Dr. Singer. “We’re going to stop breathing for her for a brief period so we can find out if she can do it on her own. That may seem like a good sign, but it’s a very basic human brain function. We’ve seen cases where patients have breathed on their own, but never regain consciousness.

  “This is the most difficult aspect of my job, but I need to inform you of all your options,” said Dr. Singer, looking at Kate’s parents. “In the event she doesn’t breathe on her own or show any signs of progress, you need to consider taking her off life support and letting nature take its course.”

“Oh, dear God,” exhaled Stan. “We’re not ready to make that decision today. We just buried our grandson and son-in-law.”

“Today?” interjected Abby. “I’ll never be ready and neither should you. If you let her die, then she has no chance, dad. You shouldn’t even be thinking about letting her go.”

“You don’t have to make the decision today,” said Dr. Singer. “Again, I have to inform you of your legal options. I should have a better idea of her condition very soon.”

A nurse entered the conference room and informed Dr. Singer that Kate was ready for the tests. He excused himself, and the family returned to the waiting area where Grey and Evan were anxious to hear the new developments.

“How did it go?” asked Evan, sensing the news wasn’t good.

“They’re bringing her out of the coma so they can test her brain activity,” said Abby. “They also informed us of our legal options if she fails.”

“Legal options?” asked Evan.

“Letting my sister die,” answered Abby, turning to her father.

*****

Chief Tony Hill was on the phone speaking to the sleazy motel manager where Kirsk’s body was found. He was in his office chair looking out the window with his back to the door. He didn’t hear Sheriff Conrad Doyle enter the room. Chief Hill didn’t flinch when he swung around to hang up the phone and discovered his visitor.

“What do I owe for the pleasure of this visit?” asked Chief Hill.

“Well, what did he tell you?” asked Sheriff Doyle.

“He told me Kirsk checked in, paid for two weeks in advance, and that he asked not to be disturbed by the staff. He said nothing raised any red flags, and he was a model tenant during his stay. He figured out why when the maintenance tech went in to change the air filter after banging on the door for a few minutes.”

“Exactly what he told us, Tony,” said Sheriff Doyle. “So why do you feel the need to check up on my work? Did you get a promotion and I missed the memo?”

“Come on, Conrad,” said Chief Hill. “You and I both know this doesn’t add up. Kirsk was an asshole, but pulling something like this is a stretch for him. Either he had help, or somebody wants us to think he did it on his own.”

“Oh, now it’s a conspiracy.”

“I’m not saying it’s a conspiracy, but what I am saying is, this case was closed before we got all the answers.”

“You like your job here, don’t you?”

“Tread lightly, Conrad. I’m not looking to jam you or anyone else up. But I don’t respond well to threats. Not even from you.”

“Take it down a notch, Tony. I’m not threatening you. I’m asking you a serious question.”

“In that case, yes,” answered Chief Hill. “I do like my job here. I like it very much. Now, where are you going with this?”

“If you think I’m the guy calling all the shots, you’re crazy,” said Sheriff Doyle. “I presented the evidence to the State’s Attorney like I do in every other case. He’s the one who was satisfied we got the man responsible for this; he’s the one that closed the case and sent us on our way.”

“Bullshit, Conrad. If you had told him you weren’t satisfied, he would’ve let you keep the case open until you were. You may not be the guy calling the shots, but you’re damn close to the top of the food chain.”

“You can’t even begin to understand the position I’m in,” said Sheriff Doyle. “As soon as they found out about the murders, they were in my ear every hour of every day to find the killer quickly and quietly.”

“Who the hell is ‘they’?”

“‘They’ is the fucking governor, the mayor, the DA’s office, and not to mention the most powerful group, the Board of Tourism. All of them wanted this thing over the same day it started.”

“Man to man, Conrad. Do you think Kirsk acted alone and is our guy?”

“He’s our guy,” replied Sheriff Doyle. “His level of violence has been escalating since he was a teenager. He’s been evolving in his methods for years. Kirsk is right out of the pages of an FBI profiler’s handbook. We found his fingerprints and DNA at the scene and both victims’ blood on him at the motel. The fact he still had the murder weapons and their missing fingers on him didn’t hurt our case. I find it difficult to believe you can’t accept he’s the guy. Show me your evidence proving otherwise and I’ll reopen the damn case myself.”

“Are you giving me the green light to look for it?” asked Chief Hill.

“No, goddamnit, I’m not,” said Sheriff Doyle. “Unless you have that evidence right here, right now, no.”

“What are you afraid of, Conrad? You worried I’m gonna find something that makes you look incompetent?”

“Okay, Tony, here’s where I tell you to tread lightly,” said Sheriff Doyle, trying to remain calm. “I didn’t come here to threaten you, even though I know you’ve been investigating without my authority. I’m here to warn you out of the kindness of my pissed off heart. I don’t have to do shit but sit on my ass and watch a bunch of other people destroy your career. If ‘they’ get a whiff of you poking around and stirring up this case again, they’ll do it for me. This conversation is over.”

“Always good to see you, Conrad,” said Chief Hill.

“Think about what I’m telling you, Tony,” said Sheriff Doyle, stopping in the doorway. “You’re a good man, but that doesn’t mean shit to them.”

Officer Parker entered Chief Hill’s office a few moments after Sheriff Doyle left. “Hey, Chief, Mrs. Habersham is back and pretty fired up. She stepped in another pile of dog crap while walking on her beach. This time she says she can ID the mutt in question.”

“Parker, draw your weapon.”

“Excuse me, Chief?”

“Pull out that pistol and shoot Mrs. Habersham in the leg,” said Chief Hill with no emotion. “Then I want you to find that dog and shoot it in the leg, too. But before you do, go gas up my car. I’m taking the rest of today and tomorrow off.”

“Yes, Chief,” said Parker, turning to leave his office.

“Parker,” said Chief Hill before he walked out. “On second thought, just shoot Mrs. Habersham. It’s not the dog’s fault.”

“Right away, Chief.”

*****

Dr. Singer entered Kate’s room as the staff was preparing her for the tests. At that point, he was going through the motions outlined in hospital policy. He sympathized with the family and the unimaginable pain they were experiencing, but felt confident they’d be able to move on with their lives in a short period of time.

He signaled to the respiratory therapist to suspend the ventilator. When the pump fell silent, he started a stopwatch. As he suspected, Kate wasn’t breathing under her own power. He stopped the watch and signaled for the therapist to resume ventilations. When he moved to the side to allow the neurologist to begin his procedure, Kate inhaled. The ventilator was still suspended.

“She really is a fighter,” whispered Dr. Singer. “We’re going to let her breath for a few minutes. If her blood oxygen level drops any further, restart the vent.”

“Yes, Doctor,” replied the respiratory therapist.

“You ready to begin, Dr. Patterson?” asked Dr. Singer.

“Yep,” replied the neurologist.

After reviewing her chart and being briefed by Dr. Singer, Dr. Patterson was pessimistic about positive results. He started the simple tests by dragging a dull instrument across the bottom of Kate’s foot. She responded by slightly bending her knee to escape the sensation.

“Well, then,” said Dr. Patterson. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I told you,” said Dr. Singer, “she can be very deceptive.”

The respiratory therapist informed the doctors that her blood oxygen level was rising. Not only was Kate breathing for herself, but her ability to transfer oxygen from her lungs into her bloodstream was intact.

“We started weaning her off the sedation yesterday morning,” said Dr. Singer. “I’m amazed she’s reacting to foot stimulation, but I don’t know if you’ll get much more out of her until the sedation has cleared her system.”

“It may have been enough time,” said Dr. Patterson. “We’ll continue.”

He dragged the same instrument across the sensitive underside of her forearm. She reacted again with a slight bend in her elbow. Dr. Patterson continued the tactile testing as well as checking her pupil for reaction to light. She responded to every test.

“I don’t think she’s done,” said Dr. Patterson. “She’s progressing very well. Actually, exceptionally well.”

“I’m impressed myself,” said Dr. Singer. “Unfortunately, these tests are for basic neurological functions. She lost half of her blood volume. We’re not going to know the severity of the hypoxic brain injuries for a very long time. I don’t normally say this, but I’m not looking forward to telling the family there’s hope.”

“Just tell them the facts. You’ve done a good job of not promising them anything to this point. No sense starting now.”

While Dr. Patterson was speaking to Dr. Singer, he took Kate’s hand for a final test. He called her name and asked her to squeeze his hand. He prompted Kate by squeezing several times while speaking.

“Do you have any idea how long she was down before medics arrived?” asked Dr. Patterson.

“The investigators told us maybe –”

“Whoa,” exclaimed Dr. Patterson. “I think she just squeezed my hand.”

“Are you kidding me?” asked Dr. Singer.

“No, I’m serious. I felt a light squeeze. It could’ve been involuntary, but I definitely felt pressure.”

“Kate, I’m Dr. Singer. Can you hear me?” he said, taking her other hand. “Kate, squeeze my hand if you can hear me.”

Both doctors were watching Kate’s fingers for any sign of movement. He asked again, but neither felt pressure. He took his eyes off her hands and looked above her head at the monitor. When he brought his eyes down, she was staring at him.

13

DR. SINGER DID HIS BEST to explain that everyone needed to remain optimistic about the results of Kate’s neurological exam, but the news she had opened her eye gave them a renewed sense of hope. Any thoughts of letting her go disappeared.

Kate’s parents were exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster and returned to their hotel room. Evan and Grey decided to leave the hospital to have dinner at a pub a few miles away. They invited Abby to join them, but she didn’t want to leave her sister’s side in case she woke again. After drinks, Evan went straight to his room, but Grey returned to the hospital to check on Kate.

He walked into her room and found Abby sleeping in a chair beside her sister. She had butted the chair against the bed so she wouldn’t have to let go of Kate’s hand. Grey stood in the doorway watching the sisters sleep. He was surprised when his thoughts drifted toward thinking about how peaceful and beautiful Abby looked. He cleared his head when she stirred.

“What time is it?” asked Abby, looking confused.

“It’s a little after one a.m.,” answered Grey. “Did she wake up again?”

“I felt her squeeze my hand a few times, but I don’t think she woke up,” said Abby with a smile.

“That’s great news, Abby. I’m very happy for you.”

“Did you hear how many times Dr. Patterson used the word ‘miracle’ when he was talking to us?” asked Abby. “They have no idea how strong she is, do they?”

“No, they don’t,” said Grey, turning to leave.

“You don’t have to go,” said Abby. “I mean, unless you’re tired or something.”

“I just figured you wanted to be alone with her.”

“No. Please, sit down for a minute. Would you mind?”

Grey pulled up a chair next to Abby and they sat in silence for a few minutes. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but it was a silence dedicated to reflecting on the life shattering events of the past few weeks. Grey was thinking about Paul. Somehow, Abby knew.

“Do you think he would’ve done it if he knew she was going to wake up?”

He had suspected Abby might know Paul’s death wasn’t a diving accident, but he wasn’t sure. After her question, he was. “I don’t know,” answered Grey.

“You don’t know, or you don’t want to tell me what you think?”

Knowing he and Abby were always a few words away from an argument, he decided to be more forthright. “I think he was more scared about her waking up than not.”

“How so?” asked Abby.

“He didn’t know what to say to her if she became coherent enough to ask for Caleb,” said Grey. “He knew it would be the first thing out of her mouth and felt like he failed to protect his family; he felt it was his fault.”

Also understanding their ability to say the wrong things to each other, Abby paused before she replied. It was her attempt at being more sensitive to Grey’s position. “I guess he thought she’d never wake up,” said Abby.

“I truly believe that,” said Grey. “Either way, I understand what he did. It was a no-win situation for him. Losing Caleb must have been unbearable, but the thought of losing Kate was just too much. He knew nothing was ever going to be the same, and nothing he could do or say would change that. I think it would’ve been too much for anyone.”

“This may sound selfish, but it seems to me like he took the easy way out,” said Abby. “He didn’t know how to tell her they lost their son, but now I’m going to have to tell her she lost her son and her husband.”

“I am sorry, Abby,” said Grey. “It wasn’t fair of him to do that to us, but I can’t even begin to imagine what was going through his head. None of us can.”

“I know what he meant to you,” said Abby. “I loved him like a brother, and I’m sorry, too.”

Abby paused for a moment before speaking again. “Do you know what I can’t seem to get out of my head? And don’t give me a funny look when I tell you.”

“I don’t think I have the strength to give you a funny look.”

“Good,” said Abby. “I can’t help but think about Romeo and Juliet.”

Even in a weakened state, Grey couldn’t help but give her a funny look. “Romeo and Juliet?”

“Are you familiar with the story?”

“I can’t recite any passages, but I know it was a tragedy,” said Grey, trying to recover.

“‘For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo,’” said Abby. “That’s how the play ends. But what I keep thinking about is the final act when Juliet drinks a potion to mimic death. Romeo was supposed to get a message that she was faking it. She did it to avoid a pre-arranged marriage to man she didn’t love. Her true love, Romeo, never received the message and thought she was truly gone. He drank poison at her crypt, committing suicide.”

“Okay, I can see the similarity,” conceded Grey. “But didn’t she kill herself as well?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he had made a mistake.

“You’re right,” said Abby, looking at Kate. “She did. She stabbed herself in the heart when she discovered her Romeo was dead.”

“Abby, sometimes I even impress myself with how insensitive I can be,” said Grey, noticing her trying to hide tears.

“No, you’re not being insensitive at all,” said Abby. “And, yes, I’m very worried she’s going to give up fighting because she lost her Romeo. It’s not enough that she’s battling to stay alive. When she wins that battle, finding out her family is gone may end up being the thing that kills her. How do I tell her, Grey? What do I say?”

When Abby asked him those questions, he thought about how far the tables had turned since their previous conversations. He didn’t remind her she was asking for help from the same guy she said had no backbone. He didn’t tell her, but he was thinking it. “The best thing, the only thing, you can do is tell her the truth.”

“That’s your jewel of wisdom?” asked Abby, returning to the personality he recognized. “Tell her the truth?”

“I’m afraid so,” said Grey, trying to remain on the high ground. “I can’t think of another moment in anyone’s life where hearing the truth is so important. If you don’t, she may never trust you again. I’ve seen it happen, Abby.”

“When have you ever seen anything like this, Grey?” asked Abby in a condescending tone. “You know what, forget it. I should’ve known you’d try to be more stoic than helpful.”

As he had done since he first met Abby years ago, he was going to avoid the impending argument by leaving. But when he reached the door, he stopped. He turned around and walked back to her. She didn’t turn her head to look at him; she just cut her eyes in his direction.

“I’ve seen it more times than I care to remember,” said Grey. “Early in my career, we were executing a search warrant at a man’s home who we suspected had abducted a thirteen-year-old girl. He was in custody when we went into the house. I found her in a shallow grave he hadn’t had time to cover in a tool shed in his backyard. Her broken and bruised body was caked with blood and dirt. He tortured, mutilated, and raped her for twenty-four hours straight before she died.”

Abby turned her head to look him in the eyes. She didn’t say a word as he continued.

“After I found her, I had to inform the parents. When I rang the doorbell, her father stepped outside, leaving his wife in the kitchen with her friends. I think he knew why I was there. I gave him the details of how we found his little girl. He told me he needed to be the one to tell his wife. I had no reason to believe he’d lie to her.”

“He didn’t tell his wife their daughter was dead?” asked Abby.

“He told her,” said Grey. “But he made up a story about how she was discovered. He didn’t tell her about the rape or torture. He said something along the lines of she died quickly and in no pain. A few months later when the case went to trial, the wife heard the details for the first time. She felt betrayed by her own husband. The last I heard, they ended up separating.”

“Her reaction seems a bit harsh,” said Abby.

“Not really,” said Grey. “She couldn’t trust him anymore. When she needed answers, or just to talk to someone, it should’ve been the person closest to her. But because he lied trying to spare her feelings, he was no longer that person. Does that make any sense?”

“A little, I guess.”

“When Kate wakes up, she’s going to need someone she knows will always be honest with her. Even if it’s difficult for you to answer her questions, you can’t avoid telling her the truth. She’ll eventually find out, or even remember, every detail of that night. If you’re not the person who’s going to help her deal with that reality, then who does she have left? Your parents or Evan? Are those the people closest to her?”

“No, I am,” said Abby. “You’re right, Grey. I need to be honest with her. I just don’t know how I’m going to react when it hits her.”

“You’re going to hold her and cry with her, Abby. You’re going to be the one that helps her cope. You’ll end up helping each other, I promise.”

“Hold her and cry with her?” asked Abby, wiping a tear. “I never pegged you for the emotional type. And I’m not saying that to be mean.”

“I know,” said Grey, feeling his phone vibrate on his hip. “Excuse me. I need to take this call.”

Grey walked into the hallway to answer his phone, “Hey, Chief. A little past your bedtime, isn’t it?”

“
Can it, hotshot.
You’d be surprised what I can do when properly motivated. And for the record, I’ve been properly motivated. Do you have any plans tomorrow morning?
”

“Not in the morning, but I have a plane to catch tomorrow night back to Atlanta. I’m due in court this week for an old case. Why do you ask?”

“
How would you like to take a peek in Mr. Kirsk’s house
?”

“You know I’d like that very much. How did you swing it?”

“
You’re seriously going to ask me that
?”

“Ask you what?”

“
That’s better. I’m in town and have been since lunch. I’ve been doing some digging into Kirsk’s life and found nothing of interest. The idea that he did this on his own isn’t holding water. I’ll fill you in on the details when I see you in the morning. Would you mind if we met up at the hospital? I’d like to see Mrs. Freeman if that’s okay.”

“Sure, Chief. I don’t think anyone would have a problem with that. I’ll see you in the morning,” said Grey, ending the call.

“Chief Hill from the Sugarloaf Police Department would like to stop by and see Kate in the morning. He was one of the first responders at the villa. Would you and your family mind?”

“No, of course not,” replied Abby.

“The chief and I are going to spend some time together tomorrow talking about the case. I may not be back before my flight home.”

Abby stood, walked over to Grey, and took his hand in hers. The gesture surprised him, and he looked down at her fingers wrapped around his. He raised his eyes to hers when she spoke. “I want you to promise me you’ll come back as soon as possible. If she wakes up, I want you to be here when I have to tell her.”

“I promise I’ll try, Abby.”