The Cin Fin-Lathen Mysteries 1-3 (45 page)

Harry climbed over the end of the bed and right into my
arms.  I held him tight.  I cried, and he cried.  I didn’t release my hold
until Harry’s sobs stopped. 

“I almost lost you.” He held me so tight.  “I told them I
was your son, otherwise they would have thrown me out.”

“You are my son.  I claim you Harry under the rules of
finders keepers.”

“What am I going to tell Alex and Noelle?  You got hurt, you
almost died, and I was supposed to take care of you.”

“When things calm down, talk to them.  They will tell you
that it is virtually impossible to take care of me. Noelle left the country,
and Alex took off running to Tallahassee.  Luke abandoned ship.  I am too much
trouble, Harry,” I said calmly.

“You’re just saying that,” he said as he sat up and got out
of bed, grabbed the visitor’s chair and dragged it over.  “But I love you for
it.”

“Shhhh, just be quiet for a while.  We can talk about this
later.” 

He murmured something I didn’t catch as a cloud of sleep
stuffed my ears with soundproof cotton, and I returned to the land of nod.

~

“Ms. Fin-Lathen?” Brent’s voice whispered in my ear.

I opened my eyes.  “Yes, Brent?” I whispered back.

“The police are here.”

“Where?”

“Down the hall in the waiting room.”

“Can you keep them from coming in?”  I said as my eyes
adjusted and saw a comatose Harry sprawled over the chair.

Brent followed my gaze and smiled big.  “I can for a
while.”  He took a blanket out of the closet and covered Harry up.  “I’ll be
back in a half an hour.”

“Thanks Brent,” I said and fell back asleep, comfortable
with the knowledge that my knight in shining armor was half my age and wore
tennis shoes.

Brent came in and roused us.  Harry yawned, pulled some
blanket fuzz out of his hair and headed into the bathroom while Brent took down
my vitals.  I was calming myself, putting up all the storm windows.  Harry,
having washed, came over, and Brent managed to contain my medusa snakes into a
braid, securing it with the lace supplied by Harry from my mangled tennis shoe.

We heard them long before they arrived.  Ed pushed his way
past Tony and grabbed my face and checked out my eyes.  There was a wicked
scratch along his cheek.  I had a sick feeling I did that.  “That was some trip
you were on!”

“What are you looking so happy about?  Looks like I maimed
you for life.  Sorry about that.”  I smiled weakly.

“Hey, I lost Cheryl but not you, sister.  You hung in there
and fought.”  He nearly danced as he walked.  “That’s it. I’m out of here.  Bye,
Hon.”  He waved as he left.

I looked at Harry and he raised his shoulders.  “I’ll tell
you about it later.”

Sergeant Dave and Tony looked horrible. 

“Don’t tell me you lost my car,” I accused.

Tony’s face eased up.  “Dudley has your car.”

“You gave my car to Dudley Do-Right?  Are you mad at me?”  I
winced.

“No, but couldn’t you have waited?  Did you have to run
headlong into an ambush?”

“Ease up on her, Tony,” Dave cautioned.  “She was only
trying to save Miles.”  He pulled up a chair.  “Sit,” he commanded Tony. 
“Harry, could you find me another chair?” 

“Sure, just don’t gang up on Cin while I’m gone.”  Harry
left the room, not without looking sternly at the men in the room.

Dave came over to the bed.  “Cin, Harry had a rough go of
it.”

“I know.  Are both of them dead?”  I asked already knowing
the answer.  He nodded.  “Who?”

“Officer Tom Bradley.  Young guy never knew what hit him. 
Curare.  He was taken out as he left the building.  Then Miles.  The necklace
was to let us know what the killer was going to use next.  You ran in, and he
was all too pleased to spray the poison into your eyes.  We heard a car speed
away as we ran.  You were still on your feet when we got to you.”

“Interesting, the use of a spray poison this time.  Why?”
Tony asked.

“Another message,” I sighed.

“And that would be?”

“I think I’m so observant, but I am too blind to see.”  I
punched the bed, forgetting I was still attached to the IV.  It jiggled a bit
but didn’t fall.  “I’m so tired of this.  I just want to have someone tangible
to fight.  I feel like I’m an ant running around hoping I won’t get stepped
on.”

“Or poisoned,” added Harry, dragging in a couple of chairs.

“So what happens next?” I asked the room.

“We have to find the killer or killers first,” Dave, aka
Captain Obvious, stated.

“We’re looking for Manfred and Tobias.  They supposedly took
an evening gambling cruise with their wives.  Doctor Sanders wasn’t home. 
Brian is missing, and Billy was playing jazz in front of thirty witnesses,”
filled in Tony.

“I can help you out with Brian.  It’s a full moon tonight.  Check
out the Boy Scout Park north of Jupiter.  I understand that’s where the Celtic
Irons hang out.”

“How do you know so much about this coven?”

“I know his wife.  I believe they are both wiccans,” I
explained.

“We messed up with Miles,” Tony started.  “He was a target,
not a suspect.”

“I don’t understand.  Why did the cop, er, officer get
killed?”  Harry asked.

“He was in the way.  The killer had to kill Miles.  Miles
was a failed attempt.  The killer can’t stand failure,” Dave supplied.

“So Cin is still in danger?” Harry asked.

“I’d say so.  I think we better get a hold of your family.”

“My family is here.”  I nodded at Harry.  “We’ll decide when
to tell the rest what has happened.  Do you understand?” I said sternly.  “My
daughter and ex-husband can’t possibly get here for two days.  My other son
Alex can be here in seven hours.  But he would be a sitting duck for the
killer.  Harry, do you have any ideas?”

“Can she leave here?”

“If the doctor releases her.  Why?”

“Because she’s too vulnerable here.  He, or they, could
already be at the hospital.  We can’t go to her house because they could have
already rigged the house.  I will have to take her to my place.”  Harry took a
piece of paper from Tony’s ever-present clipboard.  He wrote something down.  Handing
it back to Tony he said, “Have Dudley bring the car directly there, put it in
the garage and close the door.  Here is the key.  Tell him to wait in the
house.  He can return with whoever drives us up there.  Until you find Manfred
and Tobias or Doctor Sanders, I am going to hide her there.  I will contact the
family and let them know what’s going on.  It will be up to them to do what
they want to do.”

Tony looked over at me.  “This fine with you?”

“Harry is in charge, gentlemen.  It should be an interesting
ride.”  I smiled.

Tony got up to leave. 

“I have to arrange transportation.  I’ll be right back.” 
Tony left.

Sergeant Dave got up and sat on the edge of the bed.  “Well,
Cin my dear, you had quite a time of it.”  He looked over at Harry.  “Both of
you.”

“It’s only because I am - how did that bozo profiler put
it?” 

“You’re beautiful, original, humorous and...”

“Hungry.”  They looked at me oddly. “Well I am.”

~

Harry had Nurse Brent bring in some tea and Jell-O.  He and
Dave were munching on some vending fare by the time Tony came back. 

“Sorry, I made a few phone calls.  I had an officer run the
key over to Dudley.  I didn’t want him coming here with the car.  That car
stands out.  Not too many blue ones around.  I asked Martin County to look in
on the witches and make sure Brian was with them all night.” 

“Any word on Doctor Sanders?” Dave asked.

“Nothing as of yet.  Botticelli is a trifle miffed at me
right now.”  Tony blew air out his nose.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I said he wasn’t worth crap.  Seems to me that
Buslowski and the two of you have a better handle on this then he does.”

“We’re more personally involved.  I’m worried about the
others in the band, in particular Bernice,” I said with concern.

“The funeral is tomorrow,” Tony reminded me.

“Find a way to cancel it.  Or we will have more funerals,” I
said weakly.  “I have one more request.  Can one of you take Harry shopping?”

“Sure, why?” Dave asked.

“Because I don’t want to risk sending anyone home.  I don’t
have anything to wear out of here.  I’ll give you and Harry a list and my
credit card.  Nothing fancy.”

~

By the time Harry had returned with my clothes, the eye
doctor had given me the bad news.  The poison had been in my eyes long enough
to cause some permanent dilation.  I would be light sensitive for some time, if
not forever.  The extent of the brain damage wouldn’t be known for a while. 

“So you’re saying that I am going to look and act like I’m
high?” I asked.  “Might as well go back to college, so I can fit right in.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“Please, this isn’t a death sentence.  I happen to like
wearing sunglasses at night.  And as far a brain damage, I was doing a good job
of it myself with Irish whiskey,” I said.

“You’re a remarkable person,” the doctor said.

“She sure is,” Dave said from the doorway.

“How much did you two hear?” I asked.

He made a face and showed me a space of two inches with his
fingers.  “Basically all of it.”

“Harry teach you to eavesdrop?”

“Hey, now.  If I don’t eavesdrop...”

“You’ll never hear anything,” I finished.  “What did you buy
me?” I asked, holding out my hands.

“I bought the clothes.  I had the married man pick out the
underthingeys,” Harry said as he plopped down in the chair.

“That was a unique experience that I don’t want to repeat.”  Dave
wiped his brow.

“And we bought you some shoes!” Harry announced.

“Well, not exactly shoes,” Dave cautioned.

Harry stood up and reached into the handle bag and pulled
out pink, fuzzy bunny slippers.  “Watch this.”  He tilted the shoes and the
bunny’s eyes lit up.

I started laughing.  Dave gave Harry a high five.  Brent
walked in and tossed me the wrap around post-cataract-surgery sunshields.  I
put them on.

“I guess I am styling now. Century Village, here I come.”

“I‘ll have the hospital release you.  I want to see you back
here if you experience any of the symptoms on the sheet Brent will send along
with you.  Otherwise, see you in thirty days.  Good luck, Ms. Fin-Lathen.”  The
doctor shook my hand and left.

“What happened to Tony?” Dave asked.

“He’s putting together a decoy car.  He really feels that
the killer may be out there.  I think he hopes to lure him into a street with a
long cul-de-sac and block it off.  Voilà, instant jailbird.  Anyway it will
take the heat off of us.”  I sighed.

“How are you feeling?” Dave asked.

“Very tired.  I don’t know what time it is.  I realized that
I sent you guys shopping very late at night.”

“Wal-Mart was open.” 

I looked through the bag.  Not too bad.  I didn’t remember
asking for a Game Boy, but everything else was fine.

Brent took off my IV and sent Dave and Harry out of the
room.  “Ms. Fin-Lathen, the things that I have been hearing about your
situation, I feel compelled to give you something.”

“Advice?”

“No, this.”  Brent handed me three inches of sharpened steel
that folded up into another three inches of cold metal.  He showed me how to
open it, hold it and slash with it.  I didn’t want to explain that I was very
familiar with knives.  He seemed so earnest.  I wanted to refuse it, but
something in the back of my mind told me to take it.

“What do I owe you for this?” I asked.

“Nothing.  Just bring it back to me when they catch those
two, plus lunch and the full story.  That’s the interest.”

“You got a deal, now get out of here.  One nude flash a
night for you.”  I got off the bed, and with wobbly knees I proceeded to get
dressed.  I pulled out the underpants, pink with little black Scottie dogs on
them.  I rolled my eyes and tried not to dwell on the fact that Dave would know
I was wearing them.  The bra was a black lacy thing.  I guess it was supposed
to match the little black dogs.  My stomach rolled a bit at the thought of the
cop handling my undergarments.  I pulled on the green khaki cargo pants, black
t-shirt and topped it off with a gray, hooded sweatshirt.  I put Brent’s knife
in one of the many pockets in the legs of the pants.  I was pleased to count
out six other Scottie dog underpants and a nightgown with the word “Brat”
on
the front.  I returned those to the bag, pulled on my bunny slippers and
grabbed my sunshields. 

Brent came back in with my pills and instructions.  He
teased me about the slippers, but when I showed him the lights, he said he was
going to get himself a pair.  Tony walked in with Pete, Dave, and Harry
sporting a Coconut Palm police uniform and a wheelchair.

“Pete is going to drive you and Harry to your destination. 
I have a policewoman and a young male officer to double you and Harry.  They
will leave with me in the front.  Pete will wait fifteen minutes and leave from
the emergency room area.  Dudley is already at the house, and he has your purse
and cell phone with him.  Dave is going to have the CSI team go through your
home when you’re ready to return to it.  So just let him know in advance.  Anything
I forgot?”

“Maybe you should get a pair of these for the officer.”  I
tapped my glasses.  “And please be careful, Tony.  Take no chances.”  I reached
over and hugged him.  I almost got my arms around him.  Harry shook his hand. 
Dave followed Tony out.  He was going to shadow the decoy car at a safe
distance.

Brent wheeled me to the service elevator.  Harry and Pete
were very quiet in the elevator as we went down.  I think we all were thinking
of Tony and hoping for the best.  Pete and Harry sat up front, and I lay down
on the floor of the back seat.  Someone had thought ahead and a pillow eased
some of the discomfort.  I think I fell asleep because we were moving when I
heard Harry quietly call my name.

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry did I wake you?”

“Gee, I guess so.  Where are we?”

“The interstate.  We’ll be turning off soon and heading for
the beach.”

“The beach?  You live on the beach?”  I whistled.

“You’ll see.”

“Did you hear anything about Tony?”