Death at the Door (16 page)

June 1—Old Times Old Treasures Antique Shop,
Sister Bay, Wisconsin

Joel redialed the phone several times and got the same message, the one about the cellular phone customer not being available. He hopped in his car and headed to Ephraim. He tried to call Lark on his cell phone and in his motel room but didn't get an answer either place. He swore and tossed the useless phone down on the car seat. He shoved his car up to seventy-five miles an hour once he got out of the city limits of Sturgeon Bay.

Lacey opened her eyes and looked up to see two squirrels chattering down from the limbs of a white birch tree. She wondered if she was seeing double or if the pest from earlier had brought along a friend to gloat. She reached out a hand, trying to get her bearings, and they scrambled farther up into the tree. She dropped her hand back down to her side and realized she was lying on gravel. She looked to her left and saw her car. She had no idea how long she had been lying there. She put her hand up to her throbbing head and it came away sticky. There was just enough light for her to see blood covering part of her hand. She rolled over on her side and sat up. Pain shot though her head and her abdomen. She felt herself sway back and forth and put all her energy into not falling back to the ground.

For the first time she knew what it meant to see stars. Until now she had always thought that was a load of crap. Her stomach felt as if it were on Tilt-A-Whirl. She willed herself to take slow, deep breaths and told herself she did not need to throw up. The nausea subsided enough that she could focus on standing. She moved her left hand to stabilize herself and pain seared through it. She yanked her hand away and saw that it was cut and bleeding. She'd made contact with the smashed remains of her cell phone.

“Shit,” she muttered as she used her car to stabilize herself, and clawed her way into a standing position. She looked around for her purse, vaguely remembering leaving it on the hood of the car. It was gone.

She stumbled to the door of the antique shop. It was locked and the lights were out. The Open sign was still flipped to Closed.

“Bastard,” she said as she dug into her pockets, praying that her car keys were there. She grabbed ahold of her key ring and a “Thank God” escaped her lips. She crept back to her car, climbed up into the driver's seat, and fumbled the keys into the ignition. When the engine turned over without hesitation, she began to cry. She pulled out of the parking lot and turned south on Highway 42. Something tickled her ear and she wiped it away. When she brought her hand back down to the steering wheel, she noticed that bright red blood was smeared over dried blood on most of her hand. Her hands started to tremble. She willed them to stop shaking and focused all her energy on keeping the car on the road. She kept telling herself it was less than ten miles to Fish Creek and a shower.

She drove around the tree-lined curve in the road that led into what passed for the urban area of Ephraim. Two does and three tiny fawns stepped out into the road. They stood motionless as her car approached them. She jerked the car to the left, swerving into the other lane. She heard the blaring of a horn and looked up to see an old blue pickup truck coming at her. She screamed and yanked the steering wheel to the right, and her car lurched back into her own lane. The deer were no longer in sight.

She was shaking all over. It took all her concentration to keep the car in her lane. The part of her brain that was still rational told her to settle down and get off the road before she killed herself or, even worse, someone else. The rest of her brain was hell-bent on getting home, cleaning up, and getting some aspirin to get rid of the worst headache of her life.

She pulled into downtown Ephraim and saw the large, two-story porch of the Edgewater Resort bathed in gold from the setting sun. She knew that Lark and Ann and John were there. She knew she would be safe if she could get to them. It took all her might to turn the steering wheel to the left and pull into the parking lot of the Edgewater. She didn't notice the vehicle she had pulled in front of as it came to a halt, its brakes screeching on the asphalt.

Lacey pulled her car up behind Lark's Jeep and dropped her head to the steering wheel, relieved to know that he was there. She didn't have the energy to get out of the car and knew that sooner or later he would find her.

June 1—Edgewater Resort, Ephraim, Wisconsin

“What the hell was that?” Ann asked as she looked down at the road from the second-story porch of the Edgewater. The night was so beautiful that she and John and Lark had decided to have a glass of wine and watch the sunset while they waited for Joel and Lacey to call about dinner.

“Looks like someone almost had an accident.” John leaned over the railing to see what was going on. He saw a dark green SUV whip into the parking lot. “Whoever it is, they've blocked you into your parking space.” He nodded over at Lark.

The guy in the car out on Highway 42 laid on his horn and stuck his head out the window. “Learn how to drive it or park it,” he yelled. He stepped on the gas and burned rubber as his car sped up the road.

“You're still blocked in,” John said, watching the car that had pulled into the lot.

“I'll go down and see what's going on.” Lark got up out of his chair and headed for the door. John followed him.

“Looks like Lacey's Grand Cherokee,” Lark said as they clattered down the back porch stairs to the parking lot. Both men rushed to the car when they saw Lacey sitting in the driver's seat with her head lying on the steering wheel.

Lark opened the door and Lacey raised her head to look at him. He saw blood covering her hands and the left side of her head.

“What the hell happened to you?” he asked as he lifted her out of the seat.

“Someone hit me in the head and stole my purse. I think they kicked me in the gut too. Bastard.” She dropped her head on his shoulder as he carried her up the steps into Ann and John's suite. Ann took one look at her and began giving orders.

“John, throw those beach towels on the bed. Lark, put her down there as soon as he's done. I'm going to get some water and some washcloths so we can clean up this wound.”

“What's wrong with running her down to the ER in Sturgeon Bay?” Lark asked after he put her down on the bed.

“I don't want to go to the hospital,” Lacey said.

Ann walked in carrying a large bowl half-filled with water. She had a flashlight tucked under her arm. She sat down on the bed beside Lacey, and John handed her a stack of washcloths and hand towels. She smoothed Lacey's hair away from her face. “Honey, I'm afraid you're going to have to go to the hospital, but let's get this wound cleaned up first and see what we've got. Do you remember what happened?”

“We're not starting this shit again,” Lark snapped, thinking back to Ann's first accident last winter when the two women had ganged up on him over Ann's going to the ER.

“Someone jumped me. The bastard hit me in the head and stole my purse. He also kicked me in the gut.” Just thinking about the kick made Lacey curl up into a ball on her side.

“Lacey, were you raped or sexually assaulted?” Ann watched her face closely.

“No, no, nothing like that.”

“I think we really ought to just take her to the hospital,” John said.

“I agree, screwing around like this is bullshit,” Lark said.

Ann gave them a withering look. “You men are such wimps.” She turned all of her attention back to Lacey. “Everything's going to be all right, you're safe now.” She gently rolled Lacey over on her back. “Sweetie, I need you to open your eyes so I can look at your pupils.” They were equal. Ann held up her index finger. “Follow my finger.” Ann watched Lacey's eyes move back and forth, tracking the movement of her index finger. She took a hold of both of Lacey's hands. “Squeeze my hands as hard as you can.” Both grips were equal and strong. Ann wiped blood off one of her hands. She looked at the deep, jagged cut in the palm of Lacey's left hand and wrapped a washcloth around it. “Lacey, I'm going to have you squeeze this washcloth and see if we can stop that bleeding.” Ann picked up the flashlight. “I'm going to shine this flashlight in your eyes. It's probably going to hurt a little, but don't look away. I need to see what your pupils do when the light shines directly in them. We can do this very quickly if you can just maintain eye contact for a few seconds.”

Lacey nodded and Ann turned on the flashlight. Pain stabbed through Lacey's head and bile burned her throat. “Ann, I think I'm going to be sick.”

Mercifully, Ann took the light away. “Great job. Your pupils reacted well. They constricted right down with the light.”

Lacey curled on her side and retched, trying not to throw up.

Once again Ann turned her back over. She brushed Lacey's hair out of her face and laid a wet washcloth across her forehead. She held Lacey's hand, the one that wasn't cut. “Look at me.” Ann said in a soft but firm voice.

Lacey's eyes were riveted to Ann.

“Take a deep breath.” She coaxed Lacey by breathing in noisily and then letting her breath out slowly.

Lacey did the same thing.

“Another deep breath,” Ann said, and breathed in deeply.

Lacey once again took a deep breath. After about two minutes of deep breathing, Lacey was relaxed.

“Is your stomach better?” Ann asked as she put a new washcloth on Lacey's forehead.

“Much better. I'll have to learn how to do that.”

“I don't think so, that's a special nursing-only technique.” Ann smiled. “We're almost done. Now tell me your name.” Ann watched Lacey for any signs of hesitation.

“Lacey Smith.”

“Tell me where you are.”

“Door County, Wisconsin.”

“Who's the president.”

“George Dubya.”

Ann patted Lacey on the shoulder and looked triumphantly up at the two men. “She's more alert than half the people out there walking around on the streets. You guys get the hell out of here while she gets cleaned up. Then we'll decide if she needs to go to the ER.”

“Decide?” Lark yelled. “What the hell is there to decide? She's going to the ER and that's all there is to it.”

Ann stood up and waved the men toward the door. “Get out of here until you can calm down. Yelling isn't good for Lacey's blood pressure.”

Lark and John left the room after Ann assured them she had everything she needed. She soaked a washcloth in warm water as she talked to Lacey. “We're going to get this blood cleaned off you and see what we've got under it. You've obviously got some sort of head wound.” Ann wrung out the cloth and washed the blood off the side of Lacey's face. “You've got a gash about two inches long, but it's hidden by your hairline. Sorry, but you won't be able to use this scar as an excuse for a face-lift. You've also got a huge bump on the side of your head. Thank God you're so hardheaded.” Both women laughed.

“Oh, God, Ann, please don't make me laugh. It hurts like hell.” Lacey held her head in agony.

“Sorry.” Ann took the washcloth out of Lacey's left hand and dabbed a wet washcloth around the cut in the palm of her hand. It had finally stopped bleeding. “You've got a pretty bad cut here. It'll need stitches.”

“This is going to take forever. A shower would be quicker.”

“You think you can stay upright in the shower?”

“Yep.” Lacey swung her feet over the side of the bed. A wave of nausea hit her. And her head began to swim. She leaned back against the headboard, wrapped her arms around her abdomen, and closed her eyes.

“Just sit there for a minute. I'll be right back.” Ann slipped out of the bedroom and shut the door. John and Lark got up from the sofa when she walked in.

“What do you need?” John asked.

“Run up to Fish Creek and get Lacey a change of clothes.”

“Jesus Christ, Ann. That's nothing but a waste of time. Let's get her to the hospital,” Lark said.

“She wants to get in the shower and clean up. I'll stay in there with her. When she gets out, she'll want to put on clean clothes.” Ann handed John the hotel room key she had found in Lacey's pants pocket. “If you guys hurry up, you can be there and back by the time we're done. Then you can drive us to Door County Memorial. I think Lacey's got a concussion, not a fractured skull, but a head CT scan will tell us that for sure. She also needs a CT scan of her abdomen to make sure that kick didn't fracture anything. She has a cut on her hand that needs stitches. I'll call Gene to make sure he's there to take care of her.”

Lark started to protest, but Ann stopped him.

“Do you want to stand here and have an argument you aren't going to win or do you want to get going so you can get back here sooner?”

“Can't she just wear some of your clothes?”

“I swear to God,” Ann said, her voice dripping with exasperation, “I'm in a battle of wits with an unarmed man. If I didn't know you were a nice guy, I'd really let you have it. My clothes are not going to fit her. She's six inches taller than I am and half my size. I'm a size twelve and she's a size six.” Ann threw up her arms. “Wow, that feels good. She's younger, taller, smaller, and prettier. I think I should go drown her rather than help her take a shower.”

Lark glared down at Ann, so angry he couldn't speak.

“Lark, you know as well as I do that you wouldn't take a shower and put filthy clothes back on.” When Lark didn't budge, Ann pointed her finger up at him. “I've had just about enough of this. I suggest you get going before I really get pissed.” She looked over at John. “While you're on the road, you can call Joel and fill him in.” She headed back to the bedroom, not giving either of them the opportunity to comment.

“Is she always this damn bossy?” Lark asked as they went out the door.

“No, but when she is, you'd better just get the hell out of her way.” John grinned. “The really bad part is that when she gets like this, she's usually right.”

They called Joel as soon as they got in the car. He was just south of Ephraim and relieved to hear from them. He agreed to meet them at the White Gull Inn.

By the time they got back from Fish Creek, Joel in tow, Lacey was out of the shower and wrapped in a towel, napping on the bed. Ann pulled the bedroom door shut as the men walked in the front door.

She put her index finger to her lips. “Lacey's very nauseated. It's a typical reaction to a concussion. Noise, light, motion, they're all bothering her. Gene's going to meet us at the ER. He's got the radiology call crew coming in to do her CT scans. We'll go as soon as she's dressed.”

While they waited for Lacey to get ready, Joel and Lark discussed their plan to investigate Lacey's assault. Gene had called the sheriff, and he had pulled Fred Johnson in for questioning. Two other Door County officers were canvassing the parking lot and the woods behind the antique shop in hopes of turning up some evidence. Joel had already assigned an officer in Wausau to make sure the locks on her house were changed immediately. He'd also reported her badge, driver's license, and state police ID as stolen. Molly had volunteered to take care of reporting Lacey's credit cards as soon as they had the list of numbers.

Joel left to assist Skewski with the investigation once Lacey was ready to go to the ER. She was still dizzy whenever she stood up, so Lark carried her to the car. Skewski notified all the police in Door County about what was going on, and no one stopped them as they sped through the countryside down to Sturgeon Bay. They made the thirty-mile trip to Door County Memorial in just over a half hour.

True to his word, Gene was waiting for them in the ER. Ann took care of getting Lacey admitted while Gene started her IV and whisked her off to x-ray. When Lacey came back from her CT scans, Gene gave her IV medication for her headache and something for her nausea. He told Lacey there was no evidence of a fracture or a bleed in her head or her abdomen. From her signs and symptoms he was pretty sure she had a nasty concussion. She also had the beginnings of a large bruise over her kidney. He sutured the cut in her left palm and the one on the left side of her head. He suggested that she be admitted for the night for observation. Lacey refused.

Ann offered to do hourly neuro checks, so Gene released Lacey, giving Ann some additional meds for nausea and pain to tide Lacey over until she could get her prescriptions filled the next day. Despite Lacey's protests, he promised to stop and check on her on his way to the clinic the next morning.

The medications Lacey had received, combined with the downer effect of her adrenaline rush's wearing off, finally hit her. She insisted on walking to the car but exhaustion overtook her once she was inside. She was asleep with her head in Lark's lap before they got out of Sturgeon Bay. They debated on how to watch her through the night as they drove back up the peninsula. They stopped in Fish Creek so Ann could gather up some more clothing and necessities for Lacey, then drove back to Ephraim.

They decided that Lacey would sleep on the sofa bed in John and Ann's suite. They each agreed to take a two-hour block to sit with Lacey and do her hourly neuro checks. Ann showed the others how to do the checks and promised to create a checklist for them while she took the first watch.