Where's Hansel and Gretel's Gingerbread House?: A Gabby Grimm Fairy Tale Mystery #2 (14 page)

“It wouldn’t have to be Albany, you know.
There’s Boston, Springfield, even the resident office in
Burlington.” He was already working the possibilities. Suddenly,
his career was less about the prestige and more about real life. He
was willing to settle in as a career agent than a superstar. No
executive service for Will. He was a man in love.

“You look tired. Did you want to get some
sleep? I’d be happy to sit with her.” There was a plea in his eyes.
I didn’t have the heart to shut him off cold turkey from his fix.
“I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

“Sure. Maybe I’ll go back to Annette’s place
for a bit.”

One of the FBI agents had handed me Annette’s
dainty little purse when the ambulance arrived to take her to the
emergency room. I had tucked it into my big hobo bag. Now I checked
it for her house keys. The pair was tucked in a zippered pocket,
building key and front door key. Holding them tightly, I went down
to the hospital entrance. A security guard was stationed
nearby.

“Any chance I can catch a cab at this time of
night?”

“Sure,” she told me. “Let me get you the
phone number.”

Twenty minutes later, I was dropped at the
entrance of the building. I took the elevator up, let myself in,
and groaned. My overnight bag was still in the parking lot at 1423,
in Annette’s car. No toothbrush or clean underwear for me. I
grabbed a seltzer from the fridge, helped myself to a dish of
chocolate chip ice cream, and made my way back to the living room.
Exhausted, I flopped on her sofa, flipped on the television, and
gasped.

This just in. A series of explosions leveled
a mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut just about forty minutes ago
during a raid to apprehend a man wanted for murdering his own
brother. Kyle Frist, who disappeared....

My fingers were already flying through my
contacts list. I punched the call button.

“Will!” I said breathlessly, “have you
heard?”

“I’m watching it now.”

“Does this mean....”

“No trial. I think so. Maybe.”

“Merry Christmas to you, buddy. Looks like
Santa came early this year.”

“Yes, indeedy!” There was relief in that
voice. Hansel and Gretel were out of the witch’s oven and soon
would be leaving the gingerbread house. Let’s hope they could find
their way out of the forest without running into more
predators.

I watched the news a little longer, hoping to
find out if Kyle survived the blasts. Ironic that he planned to
blow up 1423 with his brother’s body in the Phase One building.
That dismembered body would have been incinerated, along with my
cousin. I wondered how Kyle had hoped to spin that. Would Kevin
have been accused of the financial fraud? Would the reinvented Kyle
have raked in the bucks as Blue Ridge Investments? We might never
know now.

At six-thirty, I called Will to find out how
Annette was and to tell him I was going to swing by 1423 to
retrieve her car.

“Talk to Lorenzo. He’s the agent in charge on
the ground. If he tries to impound the car as evidence, have him
call me.”

I did as he suggested and by eight o’clock, I
was walking into Nettie’s room, where the new physician was
checking her chart.

“Are you a relative?” he wanted to know. I
introduced myself. “Could you excuse us, Agent Jondahl?”

“He stays,” I insisted. “He’s practically a
member of the family.”

The psychiatrist went over the short-term
plan for Annette. I shared my intention for the long haul, of
moving her to Black Forest Farm as soon as possible. He thought so
much change in such a short time was a very bad idea. I explained
that my cousin was all alone in the city, she had just found out
her boss was a snake, and I had already spoken to the head of the
psychiatric department at Fletcher-Allen Medical Center in
Burlington about the transfer.

“Well, I’m not sure I can sign off on this,”
he said, bristling. I read his name tag.

“You’re going to have to, Dr. Hissam. I’ve
sent other PTSD patients to this team before with great success.
Besides, my cousin spoke about moving to Vermont before all this
hit the fan. At the moment, not only does she no longer have a job,
the second suspect in the case was just blown to bits when he tried
to prevent the FBI from arresting him.”

“Taking a patient out of her normal
environment and expecting her to recover from trauma is....”

“It’s not a matter of getting back on the
horse, Doc. The truth is ever since her husband passed away,
nothing in her world has been the same. She needs to be around
people who love her. It’s about letting Annette sort things out in
a safe environment. It’s about letting her come to terms with the
horrific crime she witnessed in her own way. The farm is a very
healing place to be. She can be busy and productive. The therapy
will help her put the events into perspective. More importantly,
since this involves organized criminals, she will have security to
protect her.”

“You seem very determined, Ms. Grimm.”

“Deputy Grimm. Latimer Falls Sheriff’s
Department.”

“Oh. That explains a few things. When do you
want me to release her?”

“Sooner, rather than later,” I announced. “I
want her to start therapy with her new doctor as soon as possible,
so they can establish a relationship.”

The older man bit his lip as he considered
the situation. He checked the notes on his clipboard.

“I would like to speak to the psychiatrist
first. Do you object to that?”

“Not a problem.” I gave him the doctor’s
phone number. “Tell her I suggested you consult.”

The doctor left us to consult with his
Vermont colleague. Will offered me the chair, standing at the foot
of Annette’s bed as he stretched. His eyes were blurry and there
were suitcase-sized bags under them. The man was completely wiped
out, emotionally, mentally and physically.

“Thanks, Gabby, for arranging the transfer. I
really would feel better if she was somewhere safer.”

Chapter Fifteen --

Safer? What was he talking about?

“Is Kyle Frist dead or not?”

“Yup. They recovered the body and they’re
doing the DNA to confirm it, but my boss says they’re pretty sure
it’s him.”

“Does that mean there’s no trial?” I
wondered.

“The Snuffman already made his deal to turn
government witness in exchange for not getting the needle. His plea
deal may be legally challenged, but he’s probably going to jail
anyway. The Department of Justice would love to close this without
forking out money for a trial.”

“What did you mean about Annette being
‘safer’?”

“Part of the reason she was so vulnerable to
my...er, handling of her as a...potential informant was because she
was so lonely.”

“Oh?” This came as news to me.

“When Paul was sick, she spent all her time
taking care of him. She lost touch with her circle of friends. She
had also recently changed jobs, so she was working with strangers,
rather than her old friends from Harvey. And when her husband died,
she was left in a new, unfamiliar life. She said the best thing
that happened to her is when she went to visit the Grimms at Black
Forest Farm.”

“We love her. She knows that.” I studied him.
Something was still eating at him. He was worried. “And what about
you?”

“I’ll be looking into my options,” he said
quietly. “Right now, the question is what’s best for Annette.”

“True,” I agreed. “It’s going to take some
time for her to feel safe again. She’s not exactly in the market
for an instant romance, is she?”

“I’ll give her time, Gabby. It’s the least I
can do, given that a lot of what happened was the result of my case
spinning out of control.”

“It could have been a lot worse, Will. You
got the gas shut off. I stopped the Snuffman. In the end, Annette
survived. I just wish she hadn’t witnessed Kevin Frist’s
murder.”

“You and me both.”

“What happened between the time I left here
last night and now?” There was a little flicker of pain in those
eyes. He seemed newly wounded.

“She cried in her sleep, Gabby. And when I
tried to comfort her, she pulled away from me, like I was going to
hurt her.”

“Oh. I wouldn’t take it personally, Will.
It’s not you she’s scared of right now. Her mind is muddled. Dr.
Hissam prescribed some powerful tranquilizers because she was in
shock.”

“What if she never gets over this?” he wanted
to know.

“Is that what you’re worried about? That
she’s permanently scarred?” I shook my head and smiled at him. “You
don’t know the Grimm family, my friend. We are tougher than we
look. And we stick together. Nettie will be okay with time.”

“What if she’s not?”

“What if she is?” I countered. “What if you
go ahead and get your ducks in a row? What if you commit yourself
to working with us to help her, instead of worrying yourself sick
that she can’t be helped? She’s going to have good care, Will.
Either you’re part of the team or you’re not. What’s it going to
be? Make a decision.”

“I’m in,” he sighed.

“You know, it’s not like you two don’t have
an existing relationship. Maybe the FBI thinks you two are
unacquainted, but the heart knows better, doesn’t it? Don’t pull
away from her in her hour of need, Will. Be her friend. Be her
cheerleader. But be there.”

“You don’t think that will add to her
misery?”

“I think she’ll be more miserable if you take
off.” It was true. I knew my cousin. After all, I had helped
jumpstart her romance with Paul. I didn’t mind doing it a second
time with Will. “Why don’t you let Annette decide what she
wants?”

“What if she doesn’t want me?” There it was.
The big question that haunted him.

“What if she does?” I countered. “If you book
it out of here before she has the chance to send you away, you’ll
never know. So, I suggest you ‘man up’ and stick around until you
get your marching orders.”

Will left just after nine. His boss wanted
him to follow up on some leads involving Kyle Frist. It turned out
that the lovesick FBI agent was an accountant by training, with a
specialty in white collar crime. Perfect, I decided. Those were the
desk jockeys, a staple of FBI financial investigations, normally
chained to the office and armed with a calculator. He would be too
busy looking at the books and balancing the numbers to get himself
shot by some thug in a dark alley. He might actually have a chance
with Nettie after all.

At four o’clock in the afternoon, my cousin
blinked her eyes groggily and groaned. I could see her struggling
to remember.

“I’m right here, babe. You’re okay.
Everything is okay. You’re safe.”

“Will...”

“Will what?”

“Will...you....”

“Do you want me to do something for you?”

“Blood...everywhere.”

“That’s all over,” I reassured her. “You’re
in the hospital, Annette, and I’m with you.”

“Where is...Will?”

“He had to track down some information. The
FBI got the bad guys, so Will had to go back to work.” I watched as
a tear rolled down my cousin’s cheek. “Would you like to speak to
him?”

“Mmm....” she nodded. I could tell the drugs
left her dangling on the brink of conscious thought. With my
Smartphone in hand, I dialed.

“Hey, it’s me, Gabby. You have a second?”

“Sure,” said the FBI agent, using his
professional voice. “What’s up?”

“Annette is asking for you.”

“She is?” The professional demeanor slipped.
The lovesick man was back. “Is she okay?”

“She cried when she found out you weren’t
here.”

“Oh, damn. Tell her I’m really sorry. My boss
insisted I go to Greenwich....”

“Tell her yourself. I’ll put her on. And,
Will, just remember she’s doped up.”

“Right.”

Even as I held the phone up to Nettie’s ear,
I saw her smile briefly. She managed a few words here and there.
Will was speaking to her, reassuring her that it would all work
out. He promised he would be there as soon as he could get away. I
watched the eyes slowly close as she listened to his voice,
drifting back to sleep. I put the phone to my ear, expecting to
break in.

“Maybe around seven,” Will said. “Is that
okay, Annette?”

“That’s fine, big guy,” I teased. “By the
way, she’s sound asleep. Whatever you said to her made her
happy.”

“When are you transferring her to Vermont?” I
could hear the wisp of desperation in his voice. Now that he had
re-established that thread between them and he had a chance to tie
it up, he was already wishing she wasn’t leaving.

“Monday. By the way, we have a bed and
breakfast up there. If you’re ever interested in a visit, it’s a
great place. Lots of hiking, fishing -- all that good stuff.”

“Maybe we can talk about that when I get
there.”

“Maybe we can,” I agreed.

In the days that followed, there was much
discussion. Come Monday morning, with Annette’s Toyota Corolla
packed with as many of her belongings as I could cram into its
interior and trunk, I collected her at the hospital for the journey
to Black Forest Farm. The long drive was uneventful. Most of the
time, Nettie stared out the window, her mind still numbed on
tranquilizers. She was greeted by the gang when we arrived at the
farmhouse, welcomed as if she was coming home after a long absence.
In some ways, that was true. You never really lose your family,
even when time and distance seem to separate you. That’s because
the love is always there, tucked away in the heart. And when the
heart remembers to open the door, all things are possible.

The week started off well. Gerhard and Ervina
insisted that she stay with them, at least until she regained her
confidence. There was time enough down the road to discuss where
she would set up house permanently. They were still getting ready
for Christmas and there were gingerbread, pfeffernusse, and molded
shortbread cookies everywhere. Slowly, but surely, Annette got back
into the action. It started in the kitchen. Baking was a very
healing thing for her. She threw herself into the effort, spending
hours mixing, rolling, and cutting out cookies.