The Botanist (31 page)

Chapter 48

Norman Oliver glanced at his phone. He stood behind a police blockade, staring at a mountain in the middle of the desert. How had it come to this? He’d sworn that he would never do this again: stand on the sidelines, foot tapping, praying for the best but expecting the worst. Yet here he was. Again.

The sun was not yet up, but the sky had turned light blue over the last half hour, and the opaque of pre-dawn was receding imperceptibly, minute by minute.

Norman was a man who prided himself on being right
all
of the time. He was a business consultant, and he loved his job because it was something he could control. Any problems had solutions. Norman was very good at ferreting out a problem, and then posing and implementing the solution. It was very satisfying work.

Which was why, when his only son chose to follow his brother into a law enforcement career, Norman simply didn’t understand. Truth be told, it frightened him. Criminals were unpredictable people. They lived by their own set of rules, and often no rules at all.

But it was more than even that. Norman had watched his kid brother, with whom Cody shared
so
many traits, fall into a pit of his own making. And there had been nothing Norman could do about it. He couldn’t save his brother. He’d accepted that. And he was a father who’d been in love with his son from the first time Cody had wrapped his tiny, infant fingers around Norman’s thumb. He didn’t want the same end for Cody as his brother had experienced. And Cody just couldn’t understand that. Worse, he never tried. Why would a man want to put himself into a world of utter chaos?

The only way Norman knew to bring his point across was to not be seen to support Cody at all. And he’d done a good job of that, he thought. What Cody didn’t know was that Norman kept a police scanner hidden in his den. Cody had been a detective for several years now, but back when he was a uniform, Norman would sit up on nights that Cody worked the graveyard shift and listen to it. If his son had ever gotten into a dangerous situation, Norman might have beat EMS to the scene, but it had never happened.

There was the incident in the barn with that pedophile, but Cody had been a detective then. Norman had been out of town when that went down and didn’t hear about it until hours after it was over. By then, the only news was that Cody was a bit beat up, but all right. He had a few injuries, including one to the face that would result in a scar, but that was all. And what did Cody do? The day after getting out of the hospital, he simply went back to work, with no fears and no regrets.

Now he was after a serial killer, which posed a much bigger threat than the pedophile had been. Despite the massive relocation looming in his future, Norman had taken to sitting up nights listening to the scanner again, ever since Cody discovered the mass grave in the desert.

Last night, Norman hadn’t been able to sleep, so he’d slipped into the den around midnight and turned it on, playing solitaire on his computer while he listened. Then the captain’s voice had come across the radio, announcing that three of Mt. Dessicate’s detectives had gone into the mountain and needed backup. Only someone close to the force would know that three detectives were all Mt. Dessicate had left, and that the “mountain” was where they believed the killer had taken his two female captives.

Norman had flown up the stairs, scared the daylights out of his wife while yanking his clothes on, and rushed out the door. Now he stood between two cruisers, wondering for the hundredth time why no one was going into the mountain looking for them. They seemed to think the detectives would come out, but what if something had happened? What if they were hurt?

Norman sighed and glanced at his phone again. His wife was texting him every ten minutes, and each time he had to tell her that there was no news.

He decided to go talk to the captain again. He knew Cody’s boss was supremely annoyed with him, but he was too restless to stand here any longer. Besides, the captain had let Norman stay, despite his civilian status, so he was somewhat sensible.

Norman started around the barricade, eying the side of the mountain. The exit from whatever underground labyrinth the killer had built was up high, the slope down from it steep. A line of rescuers had taken up position from the mouth of the cave to the ground, where three squad cars and two ambulances waited. They stood like a human assembly line down the rock-faced slope to make sure no one tumbled.

But what was the point? The call to help the detectives had gone out not long after midnight. It was nearly dawn. Why wait around to see if they’d make it out?

Norman was about to put a hand on the captain’s shoulder when the cry went up from the man standing closest to the mouth of the cave. “They’re coming!”

All the rescuers turned full attention to the opening. The EMTs, who’d been lounging against their buses, stood up straight and readied their stretchers. The captain glanced back to see Norman standing right behind him.

“Behind the barricade, Mr. Oliver.”

Norman nodded but couldn’t make his feet move. It was another ten minutes before anyone emerged from the mountain. Norman recognized one of Cody’s fellow detectives, but couldn’t recall the man’s name. He was sweating and covered with a layer of dust. A second man Norman didn’t recognize leaned on the detective for support. The second man was elderly, painfully emaciated, and looked like he would break at the slightest provocation. The two of them made their way slowly down the slope, helped by the line of rescuers, until they reached the ground.

The old man was immediately taken to the ambulance. The EMTs asked the detective if he was hurt. He assured them he wasn’t, but Norman didn’t hear any more because more people were coming out of the cave.

This one, Norman remembered, was named Frank. Frank was dirtier than the first detective had been. He carried a woman whose clothes were stained with blood. Even from this distance, Norman could see tears glistening on her face. He wondered what had been done to her.

One of the rescuers offered to take her from Frank, since Frank was sweating from exertion, and she was passed to a solid-looking man who wore a uniform with “Salina Fire Department” embroidered on the sleeve. He carried the young woman to the nearest ambulance, with Frank on his heels.

Finally, Cody emerged. He carried a second woman in his arms. Another of the rescuers offered to take her, but Cody shook his head and continued down the steep slope, steadied by the line of rescuers. They followed carefully down the slope after him, which meant there must not be anyone coming after them.

Norman studied his son. Cody was caked in the same grime his comrades were, but he looked much worse. His nose was obviously broken. Purple bruises and trails of dried blood covered his face. His eyes were bloodshot and haunted. Even what Norman could see of his arms were scraped and bruised.

The young woman in Cody’s arms was in no better state. She was covered in muck and her wrists, twined around Cody’s neck, had blood on them. He couldn’t see her face because it was buried in Cody’s shoulder, but she was shaking so violently Norman could only surmise that she was in a lot of pain.

When Cody was three quarters of the way down the slope, he caught site of Norman and did a double take. His eyes widened. He paused at the base of the slope for a moment to stare at his father.

Norman stared back, unsure what to say. The young woman was gasping in agony, so Cody took her to the waiting ambulance. He laid her gently on a gurney, but she seemed unwilling to let go of him. She clung to his shoulders, shuddering. The last of the rescuers made it down the slope, then converged silently around the ambulance. Alex was the last victim to be loaded in, and all those who had assisted huddled around in silence to see the bus off. Those wearing caps removed them and watched Alex and Cody with reverence.

Cody placed his hands softly on her head and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and let go of him. Not until Cody stood up, away from her, did Norman realize that this was the same woman—Alex, he thought her name was—that he’d met only a few days before. His heart went out to her.

Cody spoke quietly with the other two detectives, who seemed to be trying to convince him to get in the ambulance. Norman hoped he would. He ought to be seen by a doctor. Cody nodded his head and turned toward the ambulance. Then he looked at Norman again.

The haunted look in his eyes was one that Norman would never forget.
Now do you see?
his eyes asked. Then he climbed into the ambulance. One of the paramedics closed the back doors before hurrying to the driver’s seat.

The first ambulance, carrying Melissa and the old man, had already taken off, lights and sirens blazing. Norman hadn’t noticed. He watched Cody’s ambulance until it was out of sight.

And for the first time, he understood.

Chapter 49

Two days later, Cody talked with Alex’s doctor. He needed to understand her medical condition so he could finish his case reports—which was true, and provided a good cover for his relentless questions about her well-being. He knew she’d had surgery, but was hazy on the actual prognosis.

“What did she need surgery for?”

Dr. Malcolm was tall and lean with ash-blond hair quickly fading to gray. “She had a flail chest,” he said, then continued quickly upon seeing Cody’s expression. “Uh, that means several broken ribs. The jagged edges of the bones caused tiny tears in her diaphragm and the walls of her abdominal cavity. The tears were bleeding and needed to be repaired surgically.”

“She was bleeding internally?”

“Essentially, yes.”

Cody sighed, guilt washing over him. He shook his head.

“Are you all right, Detective?”

“Her condition is at least partially my fault. I carried her out of the cave after her injuries occurred. I thought it would have been better to wait for a rescue team to come in, but my colleagues disagreed because that would have taken several hours. I should have pushed harder for that option.”

Dr. Malcolm frowned as he listened. Then he slowly shook his head. “No, Detective. I think you did right bringing her out when you did. The tears may have worsened by carrying her, but I believe at least some of them came from the original injuries. Had she waited several hours to seek care, it might have been too late.”

Cody wondered if the doctor was just trying to make him feel better. His skepticism must have shown on his face.

“Truly, Detective.” The doctor placed a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “You did right by her.”

“Thank you.”

The doctor turned to go, but Cody stopped him again. “The other woman, Melissa Adams, what room is she in?”

Dr. Malcolm had to confer with a nurse at the station, but then he turned to Cody. “Room 234.”

“Thank you.”

Cody headed for the elevators. He’d tried to visit Alex several times, but had been less than successful. Alex’s mother had driven up after her rescue. More than once, when Cody had gone to see her, he’d found her curled up in the hospital bed weeping, her mother holding her hands while her father rested his palms on her shoulder. They were a tight-knit family, and Cody had tiptoed backward out of the room, not wanting to disturb them.

Melissa had a broken ankle and a cracked cheekbone, but her mental state was much worse. Because Frank had carried her from the darkness into the daylight, she’d latched onto him. Frank was still with her, but Cody wanted to speak to her before her family came.

He knocked on room 234 and Frank’s voice called out an invitation. As soon as Cody was through the door, Frank stood and silently exited the room. Melissa stared at Cody for a few seconds, then turned her face toward the wall. He went to her bedside and laid a hand over hers, but she jerked her hand away.

“I’m sorry, Melissa,” he said quietly. “I’m so sorry.”

When she refused to so much as acknowledge him, he sighed and turned to leave. He couldn’t be angry with her for it.

He closed the door softly behind him. Once he did, a sound he thought was Melissa crying filtered through it. He sighed again.

“You okay?” Frank asked, coming over. He’d taken one of the narrow, hard chairs that lined the wall a few feet down from Melissa’s door.

Cody shrugged. “I don’t blame her for it.”

“For what?”

“Being angry with me. She’s got every right to be.”

“Why’s that?”

“I chose Alex. I wasn’t there for her like she wanted me to be.”

“Are you sorry about that?”

Cody shook his head. “No, but that doesn’t make it any fairer to her.”

“Maybe it’s all for the best. It does say something about how you feel about her, about both of them.”

Cody nodded. “I don’t expect to have a relationship with Melissa, but the idea of her being mad at me, hating me . . . I wonder if she’ll ever forgive me. For anything that happened in those caverns. I’m going to see Landes. Care to join me?”

“I told Melissa I’d stay with her until her folks arrived. Did you see Alex?”

“No. She’s with her parents. I don’t want to disturb them. I’ll see you back at the station.”

Frank nodded and Cody started down the hall.

“Cody?”

Cody turned back toward Frank.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. It was an impossible situation.”

Without responding, Cody turned and walked away. Perhaps Frank was right, but that didn’t make it any easier.

Landes needed nearly as much medical care as Alex. He was unhurt, but dehydrated and direly malnourished. His DNA was sent to the state lab, where it would be compared to Alex’s, as well as to a distant relative of Alastair’s living in Cedar City to establish that this was, in fact, Jonathin Landes. Even with a top-priority rush, the results wouldn’t be back for a couple of weeks.

When Cody arrived at Landes’ room, he was surprised to find that the man sedated and in restraints. “What happened?” he asked the night nurse. Her name was Tanya.

“He kept screaming at us, being combative. I’m not actually supposed to be here. Got called in on my night off because he attacked the nurse that was here.”

“Is she okay?”

“Nothing serious, but he bit her arm and sprained her wrist. Doctor sent her home with an ice pack.”

“What was he screaming about?”

“She said he kept calling her Mudface. Said if she’d murdered his daughter, he wouldn’t make the flowers grow anymore.”

Chills ran down Cody’s spine. A living victim of a serial killer, especially one who had lived side by side with the killer for so many years was a rare find, but Cody was less and less sure that Landes would be able to tell them anything coherent.

“Detective? Does that mean anything to you?”

Cody gave the nurse a tight smile. “Thank you, Tanya.” He handed her his card. “Will you call me if his condition changes?”

“Sure.”

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Cody turned and walked away.