Sweet Karoline (28 page)

Chapter
27

"What the hell's going on here?"

Ethan
's policeman voice thunders well above Glenn's moans and Dembi's whimpers.

There
's something in his tone. Anger. Shock. Protectiveness. Love.

I
get to him in two long leaps. He wraps his arms around me. How could I even have thought for one minute that he would betray me? Insecure with the new Anne, I relapsed into one huge moment of doubt. I burst into grateful tears.

Dembi
begins to flap and screech. Glenn sits up.

Miriam
hands the gun to Ethan. "This man tried to kill us."

"
I did not." Glenn's voice is whiny. "I only had the gun so I could scare them. I wouldn't have shot them."

Ethan
lets me go. He yanks Glenn up by the arm as though he is a featherweight and pushes him onto the sofa.

Dembi
moves to stand beside Memé. He's quiet now. He can see that the other man, the one I've been hugging, is in charge and easily handles Glenn. Dembi's eyes are round and dilated but his hands are still. I quell my tears for his sake.

"
Well, I imagine threatening with a gun is just as much against the law here as it is back in L.A. You go to jail for that, buddy."

There
's a noise at the door. We all turn and gape at Melody and Tommy. In response they gape back at us. The gun in Ethan's hand captures most of their attention.

"
You're a little late," Glenn says.

I
glance at Glenn then focus back on Dee. I am breathless, aghast. We had welcomed this woman into our home. Betrayal makes my heart pound again. I work hard to replace the anguish with rage.

"
You
are Glenn's friends?"

"
How could you, Dee?" Miriam's face is ashen.

At
least Melody's expression is one of shame and fear. She might have some morals somewhere. She looks as though she's about to say something but Ethan doesn't allow her to speak.

"
Nobody say anything. Dee, you sit over here. You—whoever you are—sit there."

Tommy
is obviously weak with distress. He collapses in the chair. His wife sits straight, head lowered. Silent tears stream down her face.

"
I'm a police officer in L.A. Though I've got no jurisdiction here I've certainly got the citizens' right to detain you until we can get the locals on scene. Has anyone called them?"

"
The phone's not working."

"
Ah, well, that explains a few things."

He
smiles at me then snaps his official look back in place.

"
I'll go and get them. The station's not far," Miriam says.

"
Can we get Memé into bed first, Ethan? Her portable oxygen isn't as strong as the one in her room and she's been through a lot."

"
I don't see why not. Dembi, I'm Ethan."

He
takes two long strides forward and puts his hand out. I notice that he still has a good grip on the gun with his other one.

"
I'm a good friend of Anne's. I'm here to help you."

Dembi
nods. Once he shakes Ethan's hand he looks completely calm.

"
I would like you to help me, buddy. Can you do that?"

Another
nod.

"
I want you to go and help Anne and Miriam put your Memé to bed. Then I want you to stay with her. Keep her calm and happy. Can you do that, too?"

"
I am strong," Dembi says. "I can help Memé."

"
Excellent. I knew that. I'll just stay here with these people and keep all of us safe."

We
wheel Memé into her bedroom and lift her onto the bed. She's drenched, so I replace the diaper while Miriam adjusts the oxygen. All the while our mother strokes our hands. Murmurs our names. She's so exhausted she can barely lift her legs or arms, yet she's desperate to comfort us by her touch.

Once
Memé is settled Miriam leaves for the police station.

Dembi
lies down beside our mother. He curls into a fetal position against her body, exhaling with relief. Memé puts her arm over him. Rolly pops out from his hiding place under the bed and snuggles into Dembi's neck.

"
We'll bring you some food in a bit." I kiss Memé's hand.

"
Anne." She sighs it. The word feels like a song inside me.

Even
before I straighten up, she's asleep.

I
make my way over to Dembi and kiss his cheek.

"
You are a hero, Dembi. You are strong and smart and wonderful."

He
smiles but doesn't open his eyes.

I
stand and watch them for a while. I'm not sure what to feel. My body is propelled only by adrenalin. Emergency mode. My mind is blank. I decide to leave it that way for a while.

Ethan
sits in the telephone chair with his long legs crossed, the gun propped on his knee. This is my lover as police officer. He's composed but there's an aura around him that speaks of strength and ferocity. Immediately I feel calmer, too.

He
smiles when I enter the parlor. His eyes grin, too. Sparkle with love. I realize that he's been waiting for me. He wants to interrogate these three before the local police get here and take over. He wants me to hear.

I
wiggle in beside him. There's plenty of room for two of us.

"
Would someone get me a bandage or something?"

I
notice that Glenn's head still bleeds a little. His hand and arm are covered in blood. Out in the kitchen, I find an ice pack and a clean tea towel. He mumbles thanks when I hand it to him.

"
I'm a little confused. Who are you people anyway?"

"
I'm her brother."

If
Glenn thinks self-pity is going to bring him favor, he's wrong. His whiny pathetic tone only irritates.

"
We haven't proven that yet," I say, wanting distance from this bumbling idiot in front of me. "You said Karoline found you when she was searching for our siblings. But I don't trust a word you say."

He
starts to retort but Ethan cuts him off.

"
And you, madam?"

Dee
's tears have not abated. "My name is Melody Fischer. I'm a caregiver. Can I please explain?"

"
In a minute. Introduce yourself, sir."

Tommy
looks pasty and sunken. His voice is weak and belies his pompous response. "Dr. Thomas Fischer."

"
All right. I'm Detective Ethan Byrne from the Los Angeles Police Department. You wanted to tell us something, Mrs. Fischer?"

"
I want to explain what happened."

Dee
clears her throat and wipes the tears across her plump cheeks.

"
Our son is a gambler."

She
sounds like a confessor at an AA meeting.

"
He got himself involved with some very bad people. We never had much money because Tommy would not move from this little hick town. Somehow Karoline found out about our situation."

Glenn
groans as he shifts the ice pack on his head.

"
She was brilliant."

I
had to agree with him there.

"
She paid off his debts. In return, I helped her with her research and Tommy gave her drugs."

No
wonder Dee knew so much about our history. The second thought that crosses my overloaded brain fills me with anger. I sit up very straight.

"
Memé! Did you give drugs to my mother? Is that why she stopped being able to talk or move or…"

"
We never gave her any drugs. That was Karoline and Glenn."

"
What the fuck is the difference? You knew about it. You preyed on an innocent woman. A dying woman."

I
am on my feet, fists clenched. Ethan reaches out to pull me back. I resist for a moment. Venom spills out in a long shuddering exhalation. I sit back down, but on the edge of the chair.

Tommy
clears his throat.

"
Your mother may have a lot more time than you think. The radiation and chemotherapy were very successful in shrinking the tumors. Her results were better than for most cancer patients, in fact."

"
You knew she should be in remission, not sliding backwards. You knew she was being fed those drugs. And you're a doctor."

I
spit out the last word the way my mother says Diable.

"
As soon as Karoline was gone, Tommy made sure we took good care of her."

Dee
is actually defending their actions.

"
We figured out that Glenn here must be giving Libby the drug whenever he could. When he told us Karoline was dead we knew we were free, but we were still nervous about Glenn. That's why I offered to do the job of caregiver. You saw how she improved."

Her
skewed logic is astonishing. Perhaps it's similar to ignoring your best friend's disintegration. Perhaps it's akin to manipulating all the people in your life for financial gain.

"
You mean you were working against me? There are nothing but bitches in my life. Only Karoline…"

Glenn
's ridiculous whine trails off into a weak mumble. He looks like a giant slug as he slithers further into the folds of the sofa.

Ethan
moves his body slightly so that I can feel his warmth right up next to me. I want to dissolve. Disappear into his arms. Let go.

Either
that or pummel the faces of these three lowlifes into bloody pulp.

"
Let me get this straight," Ethan says.

He
leans forward, the gun highly visible. His tone is measured and melodious. For that reason alone he sounds scary.

"
Karoline found out about Anne's history. She came here and pretended to be a Johnston sister. Immediately she realized there was a lot of money in the paintings and antiques. She recruited Melody here to help with researching the family. I'm supposing she didn't have the time to do it herself. Mrs. Fischer did her bidding because Karoline offered to pay off their son's debts. As a result of the research Karoline found Glenn and began a love affair."

"
They used to have CoJons hanging on their walls. They didn't even have insurance," Glenn scoffs. "Karoline dealt in art for her boss. Right away she knew their worth. Libby didn't even notice when Karoline substituted them for different prints or just left the walls blank. Slut mother didn't deserve that art."

Fortunately
for both Glenn and me, Ethan moves his arm in front of me and holds me in.

"
You are a bastard in more ways than one."

It
's a childish retort but I feel better anyway. I have one more question that I need answered.

"
Do people around here really think that I burned down Vryheid?"

Melody
nods. "That was one of the theories, long ago. Karoline asked me to revive the rumors. Old superstitions kept people away from the farmhouse."

I
draw in a shaky breath. Sweet Karoline. How could I have lived with this person my whole life? How could I never have known how controlling and evil she was? I am ashamed of my previous shallow existence. I was so self-satisfied that I took no notice. Never examined anyone or anything too deeply.

A
loud noise at the front door interrupts my thoughts. Lots of heavy footsteps. Then suddenly a booming voice.

"
Detective Byrne? Constable Miller here! Is everything all right?"

Ethan
moves into the doorway, the gun at his side, talking loudly.

"
I'm here, Constable Miller. Everything is under control. I confiscated a gun from the perpetrator and I have it here at my side. Just down the hall in front of you."

Three
burly men and one tall thin woman all in dark uniforms follow Ethan's voice into the parlor. Behind them, Miriam looks tired and scared. She lights up when she sees me. We hover in each other's arms for a minute. Neither of us even tries to stop the tears, though I do tamp down on the sobs that want to scream out of my chest.

Things
happen very quickly after that. The police constables question each of us separately, including Melody, Tommy and Glenn. They pretty much leave Dembi and Memé out of any heavy interrogation. All I remember about the officers is that they are of a size that could be intimidating but they are kind and thorough instead.