Sandrift: A Lin Hanna Mystery (33 page)

“Did you see
Mark Simon yesterday at his house?” the Sheriff probed.

“Yes,” Lin
nodded “and his wife, she tried to hurt me.”

“That’s enough
information for now,” Midgett said, “I’m going up there now with a search
warrant. This information helps a lot.”
 
He turned to Neal and Tom. “Take her to the hospital and let them check
her over good, take care of her.
 
I’ll call and ask them to preserve any evidence they might find for
me.
 
I’ll call you after I conclude
this search, sometime tonight.
 
I’ve
got all I need from her now.
 
We can
talk later when she’s been taken care of.”
 
He thanked Dave and Susan for their help and left to meet his deputies
at the Simon house.

***

The bright
lights outside the hospital emergency room provided quite a contrast to the
still dark skies.
 
It was nearing
time for sunset by the time they arrived, but clouds still covered the sky
blocking the light.
 
The wind was
beginning to die down, and the rain had been reduced to intermittent
showers.
 
Tomorrow promised to be a
brighter day—in many ways.

Tom dropped
Neal and Lin off at the hospital and took Neal’s keys. “I’ll go by the
Sheriff’s department and see if I can find someone who can drive your car over
here.
 
Then I’ll head back to the
Banks.
 
Eloise will want to hear
about everything, and I need to get home and get some rest.
 
Please call me in the morning,
though.”
 
He gave Lin a gentle hug
and shook Neal’s hand.

“Thanks for
being here with me today,” Neal said, “I’m not sure I could’ve held it together
without you.
 
I’ll never forget it.”

“I wanted to
help,” Tom replied, “now you two get inside and get this lady taken care of.”

As soon as they
entered the brightly lit reception area, a nurse arrived with a wheel chair and
whisked Lin away.
 
Neal tried to
follow, but was directed to the waiting area, “You can come back in a few
minutes, after we get her settled,” she turned to Lin, “that is if she wants
you back there.”
 
Lin nodded her
permission, “He’s my fiancé,” she responded as she was wheeled into one of the
examination rooms.

Once the
curtain was drawn, the nurse helped Lin out of her wet clothes.
 
She gave her a hospital gown and then
covered her with two warm blankets.
 
Gradually, Lin’s shivering subsided, and she began to feel much
better.
 

The nurse
started an IV and placed an extra pillow under her head to make her more
comfortable. “The doctor will be in to examine you shortly, but first I’ll
clean up these scrapes,” she pointed to her hands and feet.

“Can Neal come
back now?” Lin asked.

“I’ll go get
him,” the nurse smiled.

***

By the time the
doctor arrived, Lin was already feeling much better.
 
The fluids had really helped, and she
now felt warm and comfortable.
 
The
nurse had cleaned the scrapes on her hands and feet, applying soothing,
antibiotic ointment.

Neal joined her
and together they waited for the doctor to arrive.

“I’m pretty
sure I was drugged,” Lin told him. “I was out for several hours.”

“I don’t think
I’m seriously injured but…I’m not sure what happened while I was unconscious but
…”

Neal leaned
over and kissed her forehead, “Try not to worry,” he murmured. “The doctor will
be here shortly and he’ll examine you thoroughly.
 
I’m sure he’ll do blood work and find
out what was in your system.
 
It’s
going to be OK.”

The doctor soon
arrived.
 
He asked a few basic
questions and then asked Neal to leave while he conducted his examination.

Neal returned
to the reception area and sat down.
 
He was exhausted and still concerned about Lin, but mostly he felt
enormous relief.
 
She was safe and
her only apparent injuries were minor.

In just a few
minutes the nurse came to get Neal.
 
When he entered the room he found Lin smiling and chatting with the
doctor.

“She’s a
remarkable woman, escaping like she did,” the doctor said. “Other than those
scrapes on her hands and feet and a few bruises she’s in good shape—no
signs of sexual assault or any serious injuries—a bit dehydrated but the
IV will set that to rights.
 
We’ve
taken some blood, and we’ll know by tomorrow what sort of drugs she was
given.
 
I’d like to keep her
overnight, but she’s insisting she wants to go home.
 
I think that’s ok, provided you promise
to call if she has any problems.
 
I
don’t want her to take any medication until we determine what’s still in her
system—maybe an aspirin if her feet and hands are too uncomfortable but
nothing stronger.
 
I’ll send the
nurse in to help her get ready.”

 
Lin’s clothes were still too wet to put
on so the nurse found her a set of scrubs and a pair of slippers.
 
She gave her a blanket to wrap around
her against the cold.
 
“You can drop
these off here later,” she smiled, “We’ve heard about what you did—escaping
from that boat—you’re a brave woman.”

“Thanks,” Lin
said, amazed at how fast news travels in a small town.

By the time
they’d arrived back at Kate’s house, Lin was beginning to feel the full effects
of her ordeal.
 
She was exhausted
and hungry.
  
She started to
tell Neal everything that had happened, but he wouldn’t let her continue.
 

“Tomorrow is
time enough to talk.
 
You need to
rest, and I need to call some folks.
 
I’m going to heat up Eloise’s good soup for both of us, then you need to
go to bed,” he insisted.

Lin had to
agree.
 
Even talking seemed like too
much effort right now. “Would you add Ben and Lucy to your calls,” she asked. “
Did they even know I was missing?”

Neal had to
admit that he hadn’t thought to call them during the weekend.
 
He was too concerned with trying to
locate their mother.

“That’s OK,” Lin
reassured him. “Now they won’t have to worry.
 
You can tell them I’m fine and looking
forward to seeing them next weekend.”

They ate their
soup in grateful silence.
 
Happy to
just be together again.
 
Afterward,
they went upstairs and Neal helped Lin to shower and get into a clean
gown.
 
She was asleep almost as soon
as her head hit the pillow.

Neal went
downstairs to make his calls.
 
He
spoke briefly with Eloise and Tom and then called Lin’s children.
 
Initially they were upset that no one
had called them earlier.
 
Neal
apologized but explained that he’d been wrapped up in the search effort and
hadn’t really thought of anything else.
 
Ben, somewhat grudgingly, had to admit that he would’ve probably acted
the same way in a similar situation, and Lucy seemed to understand also.
 
Mostly they were immensely grateful that
their Mom was safe and not seriously injured.

“At least she’s
not hospitalized like she was last spring,” Ben said. “We can’t wait to get
down there.
 
We’re really looking
forward to the holidays—with both of you.”

When he’d
finished the calls, Neal slipped upstairs.
 
Lin was sleeping peacefully.
 
He crawled in beside her and gently put his arm around her waist drawing
her closer,
content
to feel her warm body and hear her
regular breathing.

***

They both slept
late on Sunday morning and were grateful to discover that the storm had finally
ended.
 
There were still a few
lingering clouds, but the sun was beginning to peek through.
 
The day ahead promised to be a nice one,
certainly by afternoon the clouds should be gone.
 

Lin was happy
to discover that her hands and feet were already showing substantial
improvement.
 
Neal had to help her
get dressed, but she found that, with thick, soft socks and comfortable walking
shoes, she could manage to get around pretty well.
 

“I don’t think
you’re ready for hikes or long walks, and I’ll probably get stuck with cooking
and other chores for a few more days, but I’d say you’ll be back to normal by
the weekend,” Neal smiled as he grabbed the leash and headed out to give Sparky
a good long walk.
 
The dog had been
with Eloise yesterday and had only short trips out in the rain so he was eager
to hit the road. “When I get back, I’ll cook our breakfast.”

“No you won’t,”
Lin said. “I want to get out and enjoy the sunshine.
 
Let’s go out.
 
I’ll call Eloise and see if she and Tom
would like to join us.”

“Whatever suits
you,” Neal called back as he and Sparky headed out.

Later, over
stacks of pancakes and waffles laced with warm maple syrup, Lin told her story
to all three of them.
 
Neal and Tom
filled her in on their part in the search and how they’d finally learned where
she’d been.

“I must admit,
as that twenty-four hour mark approached, I was really getting scared,” Neal
squeezed Lin’s thigh gratefully under the table.

They lingered
over coffee, continuing to enjoy the sunshine that danced through the windows
onto their table.
 
“I really hate
the idea of having to go through all this again, but I know I’ll have to talk
to the Sheriff soon,” Lin sighed.

As if on cue,
Neal’s cell phone rang.
 
He saw that
it was the Kill Devil Hills police department so he went outside to take the
call, giving Lin a few more moments to enjoy visiting with Tom and Eloise.
 

Lin looked up
at him as he reentered the
restaurant,
she knew what
the call was about.

“That was Ken
Parker.
 
Sheriff Midgett called him
last night and he’s picked up Mike Clark.
 
He has him locked up for now with arraignment scheduled for tomorrow,
and he needs to talk to you as soon as possible.
 
I told him to come by the house in about
half an hour,” he glanced at his watch. “Guess that means our lazy Sunday
morning brunch is over.”

Neal paid the
check and the four of them left the restaurant.
 
Tom and Eloise were going to do a bit of
Christmas shopping, so they headed out toward the Outlet Mall while Neal and
Lin went back home.
 
They didn’t
talk much on the way.
 
Lin had
already told Neal her story, and she’d heard how he’d discovered that Mark Simon
was lying—how the Sheriff had been waiting for a warrant to search the
house when the call came in from the Bryans that Lin was at their home.

“I wonder if
Sheriff Midgett has located Mark and Millicent yet, and what he found at their
place?” Lin finally said, “I want to know if he found my ring or my purse and
coat?
 
If my purse is missing I’ll
have a mess to go through with all my cards and stuff and if I’ve lost my
ring…” she sounded almost tearful.

“It’s just a
piece of jewelry, beautiful but replaceable,” Neal was insistent. “All that
really matters is that you are safe and well.
 
We’ll do whatever we have to about all
your stuff.”

They’d barely
had enough time to get home and put on a pot of fresh coffee when Sgt. Parker arrived.
 
A short while later they were sitting at
the kitchen table and Lin was telling her story again.
 
Ken Parker listened and took notes
without saying much.
 
When the tale
was finished, he wanted to go back over the part that related to Mike Clark, including
a review of the earlier information they’d given him when they reported his
following them.

“ So far, Clark
isn’t saying anything.
 
Says he’ll
wait till he can talk to an attorney.” Parker sounded a bit frustrated.
 
“I’ve scheduled his arraignment for
tomorrow morning, though.
 
Maybe
when he realizes these will be serious charges and he could end up taking the
rap for everything that happened, he’ll be willing to talk about who hired him
to do all this.”

“So you do
believe he was working for someone else?” Neal pressed for more information.

“Absolutely,
Mike thinks he’s a tough guy, but I can see no reason why he’d attempt
something like this on his own.
 
He’s not smart enough.
 
Frankly, at this point, I think all these deaths are tied together—Connie
Frazier, Dorrie Johnson, even Liz Frazier, though that one would be hard to
prove at this late date.” He turned to Lin, “You’re just lucky you weren’t
number four.”

“ Earlier you
said he was probably working for Billy Thornton,” Lin replied.

“I know,”
Parker said, “but now I’m not so sure. Billy is still in a world of
trouble.
 
We have a roomful of
witnesses who’d testify that, at least, he assaulted Connie Frazier. I think we
could probably make attempted murder charges stick, maybe even murder two, but
what you’ve told me today about your experiences leads me to doubt he had
anything to do with Dorrie Johnson, apart from having sex with her and maybe
smoking a little pot.
 
It could be
hard to prove, but I suspect Mark and Millicent Simon. At least one of them was
responsible for Dorrie’s death, whether it was intentional or an accident caused
by negligence.

Lin nodded in
agreement.
 
Her memory was much
clearer now, but she still wasn’t sure exactly what had happened to
Dorrie.
 
The one thing she was
certain about though was that her death was not an accident. “Don’t forget the
bee box,” Lin reminded Parker, “that funny bruise on Dorrie’s shoulder matched
it exactly.
 
Personally, I think she
was drugged, probably the same way I was, and then one of those boxes, filled
with angry, confined bees was pressed against her and kept there until she was
stung.
 
We found the one we gave you
in the mud where her body was left.
 
Maybe someone took her there and then put the bees against her arm.
 
If she were drugged she couldn’t
resist.
 
However it happened, I’m
convinced it was no accident—it was just plain murder.”

Ken Parker was
silent but he didn’t voice any disagreement.
 
Just as he was getting up to leave,
Neal’s cell phone rang again.
 
This
time it was Pete Midgett.
 
Lin
managed to get on her feet and walk Ken to the door where he promised he’d be
back in touch soon.

When she
returned to the kitchen, Neal told her the Sheriff wanted to talk to her if she
felt up to it. “He says he can come here if you want.”

“No, I still
want to be out and enjoying the sunshine. ” Lin said.
 
“I need to put more medicine on my feet
and hands first though.
 
Ask him to
give us another hour.” She went upstairs to take care of things while Neal made
arrangements with Pete Midgett to meet at his office later.

***

It was close to
four o’clock when Neal and Lin arrived at the Sheriff’s office.
 
The clouds had all blown away, and it
was hard to believe that the weather had been so ugly the previous two
days.
 
This afternoon could not have
been prettier.
 
It was chilly and
still a little breezy, but the sun was shining brightly, and the water was a
deep, sapphire blue as they drove across the sound into Manteo.
 
In spite of the fact that they were
heading to the Sheriff’s office, Lin was enjoying being out on this beautiful
day.

Sheriff Midgett
met them at the door.
 
He was
working almost alone this afternoon.
 
Only one officer was there with him to man the phones and take reports.
 

“I gave everyone
I could the day off,” Midgett reported. “We’ve got a skeleton crew on the roads,
and I’m working this case, but most of my staff worked almost thirty-six hours
straight during the storm so I sent them home to sleep.”

“You look like
you’ve had a bit of rest yourself,” Neal suggested, “at least you’ve lost those
shiners you had.”

“After we
executed the search warrant at the Simon house, I went home.
 
I was about to drop in my tracks.
 
I feel much better today, ready to get
down to business.”

“Have you located
Mark and Millicent Simon?” Neal had to know.

“Millicent
yes,” Midgett replied,
 
“It took
some doing but we finally found that she was checked into a private psychiatric
facility in Raleigh Saturday morning. Of course, that’s the only information
they’ll give us—patient confidentiality and all that. Mark was with her
at the time, but no one seems to have heard from him since.
 
We asked the local Manteo police to
watch his house for us, and we’ve put out a bulletin with the highway patrol
and the State Bureau of Investigation.
 
They’re watching for him too but, so far, nothing.”

A shadow of
fear settled on Lin.
 
She was glad
Millicent was where she could get some help, but she wouldn’t feel entirely
safe until Mark Simon was located.
 
She knew he had given her some sort of drugs in her tea, and she was
convinced he was behind her kidnapping.
 
She suspected he was guilty of other crimes as well, even though it
might be difficult to prove.
 

It was more
than an hour later when Lin and Neal were finally ready to leave Midgett’s
office.
 
It had been difficult for
Lin to recount her story once more, this time in even greater detail, for Pete
Midgett had pointed questions about both Mark and Millicent, what they had said
and done.
 
Ken Parker had been
primarily interested in what she had to say about Mike Clark. Midgett explained
that the law enforcement agencies in the county tried to work together on major
crimes because that gave them better resources and coverage.

“Ken is taking
care of Mike Clark and his part in all of this, and I’m focusing on finding
Mark Simon and trying to figure out how your kidnapping and Dorrie Johnson’s
death might be tied together.”

“Then, I take
it you no longer think Dorrie died accidentally?” Lin had to ask.

“At least I
think that ‘accident’ could’ve been prevented,” he paused thoughtfully,
“perhaps I should say someone ‘caused’ it to happen.
 
So, maybe, it really wasn’t much of an
accident at all. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to build a sufficient case to
convict anyone, but I’m certainly going to try.” He shifted in his seat and
looked Lin straight in the eye.