Sneaking Suspicions (The Tharon Trace Mysteries Book 1) (16 page)

CHAPTER 26

Before it disappeared, the children’s trail followed the railroad tracks.  They decided to continue following the tracks, which veered to the right to skirt around a large section of woods.

Dana ran as fast as the rough ground permitted, but could barely keep up with Matt and Tom.  She cursed her short legs as they cleared the far side of the woods and she was still several hundred yards from it.  The smell of burning wood slowed her pace.

Dana scanned the landscape.  To her left, a half mile or more away, she saw a black car parked along the road with a Fort Wayne Police cruiser behind it.  She wondered if Officer Brandt had made himself useful after all.

Smoke drifted up from the woodlot ahead and left of the tracks.  As she looked for the source she saw something in the trees.  She shook her head in amazement and her heart surged when she saw the waving arm and heard Tharon’s faint cries in the distance calling out, “Daddy!  Daddy!”

She cupped her hands and yelled, “Tom, there she is!  Up in the tree!  Do you see her?” Dana left the tracks and headed straight for Tharon and the smoke.  Tom and Matt did the same.  She was closer and knew she’d reach the children well ahead of the fathers.  A wave of anticipation bordering on guarded relief swept over her.  But she couldn’t shake that unsettling feeling that had plagued her since yesterday.  She drew her Sig from her chest holster and spurred forward with a burst of adrenaline.

Dana crashed through the woods and reached the tree just in time to see Kaid catch Tharon when she dropped to the ground.  “I’m Deputy Donovan from Whitley County.  Where’s Helm?”

Tharon pointed through the woods to the smoky fire and ran toward it.  She dropped down by Helm, whose face was pasty white.  “Helm, help is here.  Your dad and my dad will be here any minute.”

Helm held her hand in a feeble grasp.  “Burt?” he rasped out through cracked lips.

Tharon said, “His car is parked near the end of the woods.  There’s a police car behind it.”

Dana shifted her gun to her left hand.  She took out her phone and called Simon. “I’m with the children.  Helm is in pretty bad shape, we’ll need an ambulance.  We’re in a woodlot.  You should be able to see the column of smoke rising from our position.”

“Great news!”  The happiness in Simon’s voice tugged at her heart. “I see it.  Are you secure?

Dana hesitated.

Simon’s voice lost the smile.  “Dana?”

She spoke out loud to order her thoughts. “Something feels off.  I’m not sure—oh, no.”

She turned her phone as she spoke to capture for Simon the image of the two men moving toward her.  Burt Payne pointed his revolver at the children.  Walking in stride with Burt was Officer Brandt.  His gun targeted Dana’s chest.

Her only concern was for the children.  After all they’d endured during the past day; she would not let this be their end.  She would not let Tom come into this clearing to find his daughter dead.  If talking didn’t work, she’d draw both their fire until help arrived. 
Please, don’t let it be too late.

“Officer Brandt?  What’s going on?”  As she spoke she positioned herself between the children and the two men.  Tharon shielded Helm with her body and Kaid knelt by the fire between Burt and his friends.

Brandt sneered at Dana.  “Deputy, I see you found the children.  Too bad for you.”

Burt’s gun hand started to shake.  “Deputy?  I didn’t sign up to kill no cop.”

Brandt snapped at the man who was old enough to be his father. “You want to shoot little kids but you don’t want to kill an adult cop.  Don’t you get it?  It was a cop you killed yesterday that started this mess.  You idiot, you’re dumber than that stupid brother of yours.”  Brandt made a whistling noise when he spoke the s sound.

Tharon and Kaid looked at each other with wide eyes.  They recognized the voice of the officer from the dark building.

Burt’s voice turned hard.  “Nobody talks about my brother like that.”

Brandt scoffed. “
Everybody
talks about your brother like that.  Now focus.  We got orders to take the girl but you can kill the boys.”

Tharon stood up and clenched her fists at her side.  She yelled angrily, “Who ordered you to take me where?”

Even Dana was stunned by the intensity of her outburst, which gave her the split second distraction she needed to drop her phone and pull her second weapon from the holster at her hip and aim it at Burt.  Her movement had the desired effect of both men now aiming their guns at her.

Tharon shouted again, “Who ordered you?”

Dana took a side step away from the children.  The guns followed her.

Brandt said, “Kid, shut up and walk over here to me.”

Tharon’s anger ramped higher. “Or what?”

Dana took another step.

Brandt fired the same instant Dana pulled both triggers.

Brandt took the bullet in the midsection and her other shot grazed Burt’s right shoulder.

Burt’s bullet went wide, but Brandt’s hit her hard and she felt like someone punched her in the chest.  She flew backwards against a tree with her head snapping back with a thud.  She sank to the ground still gripping her guns.  Fog crowded at her consciousness and an excruciating pain throbbed on the top of her head.

Burt half hobbled, half ran away toward the road.  Dana’s bullet threw Brandt flat on his back.  He recovered before Dana’s head cleared.  “You dim wit!  Too stupid to notice I’m wearing a bullet proof vest?”

Dana saw two Brandts.  She raised her gun to aim between them and laughed. “You think a hick deputy doesn’t wear tactical gear?” She hoped she was aiming at him and that he didn’t call her bluff.

Shots rang out from her right as two Toms and two Matts ran into the clearing toward the children.

The two Brandts staggered but managed to keep their footing as the bullets hit his vest.  He lunged for Tharon to pull her in front of him as hostage and shield.

In the midst of the gunfire, Tharon pulled the knife from her pocket and opened the large blade.  When Brandt grabbed her coat, she sliced his gun hand.  Blood spurted from his wrist.  He let go of his gun and Tharon as he gripped his bleeding wrist.

When the officer dropped his gun, Kaid picked up the unburned end of a two inch branch from the fire and wacked Brandt in the face and head with the hot embers which also ignited his hair and dropped down inside his shirt and vest.

Brandt dropped to his knees.  He screamed in agony as he slapped at his face with his bloody hand and rolled in the leaves.

Tharon grabbed the gun and ran to her father.  She hugged Tom and said, “Oh, Daddy!  I’m so glad to see you.” She handed him the gun and then tore from his embrace to run back and drop to her knees next to Helm.

Kaid continued to beat Brandt about the head with the branch until Tom put his hand on Kaid’s shoulder and said, “You can stop now, son, I think he’s had enough.”

Matt Harris knelt next to Helm’s other side and targeted his rifle on Brandt.  “Helm, wake up.  It’s Dad, I’m here.”

Helm opened his eyes and gave his dad a weak smile and poked the air with his right thumb.

Dana still held her gun poised in the direction of the two Brandts and only relaxed her hand when the double Toms approached her.  “I’m really glad you two joined the party,” she said.  She heard Simon’s voice calling her name.  Was that her phone or was he nearby? “Simon,” she breathed his name as darkness closed around her.

CHAPTER 27

A flurry of reporters, photographers and cameramen greeted the ambulances outside the Whitley County Hospital Emergency Room.

Tom pulled his hat brim low over his eyes and draped his jacket over Tharon’s shoulders but she refused to let go of Helm’s hand.  A photographer captured the image of Tharon and Helm clinging to each other with Kaid’s hands on her shoulders.  The heart wrenching picture was splashed on the front page of every newspaper in the country and went viral on social media.

Angela Harris’s petite frame shouldered a reporter out of her way and rushed to Helm’s side as soon as the paramedics lifted him from the ambulance.  She gasped at the sight of his pale face.

The paramedics hurried them inside, straight past reception.  Marilyn skirted behind the throng and ran to her son.  When she reached Kaid she hugged him fiercely.

Before Doc Walker examined anyone he pulled Kaid into his arms and hugged him tight.  After a quick check for injuries he tousled his hair and passed him back to Marilyn.

Teams of nurses and doctors spirited each child into an exam room and worked quickly to assess their condition, warm, and clean them.  As hands removed her clothing and tucked warm blankets around her, Tharon looked around and wondered why her mother and Maisy weren’t there too.

Dana’s stretcher wheeled in close behind Helm’s.  Sheriff Simon Ellis hovered over her.  He stepped out as the nurses went to work on warming her and cutting away her clothes.  With a quick pat to his pockets, he made sure he’d recovered both guns and all of her bullet clips, badge and phone.  He took a moment to seal her phone in an evidence bag.

A reporter and his cameraman forced their way past reception into the ER.  A graying woman in her early sixties rushed after them. “You can’t go in there.  I’ve called security, you have to leave.”

The reporter shoved a microphone into Simon’s face. “Sheriff, can we get a statement on the condition of the children.  Who found them and was anyone injured?  Did you catch the kidnappers?”

Simon struggled to check his fury at the intrusion into the private reunion of the families and the blatant security breach.  He was spared having to respond when Nurse Gretchen rushed forward with her hands on her hips.

Gretchen hissed at the newsmen. “If you don’t get out of my ER and out of this hospital, I’m going to have the Sheriff arrest you.  Then you can ask him all you want from inside the county lockup.  For now get out of my ER!”

Gretchen motioned the hospital security guard to escort the reporters back outside. 

Simon called his office for Penni to send more deputies to help with security at the hospital.  “Dana has a head injury and is still unconscious.  One of the children has a bullet wound to the leg, but the other two seem relatively unharmed.”

“Back up—Dana’s still unconscious?” Penni couldn’t mask her concern. “How bad is she hurt?”

Simon closed his eyes.  “I don’t know.” He passed his hand over his face and his voice shook a little when he spoke.  “What if I lose her?”

He could hear the smile in Penni’s voice. “So, you finally opened your eyes.  It’s about time.  She’s a tough woman.  You’re not going to lose her unless you slip back into stupidity.  So don’t.  Call me and let me know when she wakes up.”

Tharon’s hand stretched out for Helm as they wheeled him into the exam room next to hers.  A gasp escaped from her throat when she saw his face even paler; his lips bluer.  She couldn’t lose him.  She just got him back.

A whirl of activity flowed in and out of his room.  The cramped space forced his parents to wait outside his room, watching the nurses and doctors work on their son.  Angela strangled a sob and buried her face in Matt’s chest.

Tharon dangled her legs off the side of the bed and sat up.  As she slid to the floor she said, “I need to be with Helm.  I’m not hurt.”

Tom lifted her back up and covered her with the warm blanket the nurse gave her. “The doctors are helping him now.  Let the nurse check you and after the doctor says we can, we’ll go see him.  I promise.”

Reluctantly she let the young nurse named Ellen help her out of her clothes and into a hospital gown.  Tharon winced when her socks were peeled off and welcomed the warm blankets tucked snuggly around her.

Nurse Ellen said, “Honey, I’m going to get another nurse to look at your feet.  You stay here and I’ll be right back.”

A nurse with strawberry blond hair entered.  Her face was bright with a crooked grin.  “Hello, Tharon, I’m Gretchen.  I’m just going to take a peek at your feet.”  She lifted the end of the blanket to examine Tharon’s feet.  Gretchen blinked rapidly as her eyes glistened with tears.

Tharon’s feet were swollen and covered with blisters, several were broken open.  She looked straight up at the ceiling without blinking.

Gretchen cleared her throat. “Oh, sweetie, you must have walked a long way.  Are you in a lot of pain?”

Tharon kept looking at the ceiling; she gave a quick shake of her head.

“Nurse Ellen will bring you some special medicine to help your feet.” To Ellen she said, “The doctor will probably want to keep her in for a day or two for observation and to make sure no infection develops.”

Gretchen moved to Tharon’s side and patted her arm. “You’re a brave girl, but if you are in pain, you need to tell us.  You’re safe here and we want to help you feel better.”

Tharon grabbed her sleeve as she turned to leave. “Can I see Helm yet?  How is he?”

Gretchen patted her arm again. “Honey, don’t you worry, we’re taking good care of him.  He’s in the room right next door.  Give us a few minutes to get him stable and then you can see him, but not until after the doctor sees you.”  She smiled and left the room.

Doc Walker came around the corner from Helm’s room.  He spoke to Gretchen, but his voice was too low for Tharon to hear what he said.  She noticed the cloud of concern that passed over Gretchen’s features.

Tom came back into her room and stood by her bed.

Tharon watched Doc Walker join Angela and Matt.  He spoke to them in low tones but Tharon was able to pick out a few words:
knees, infection, septicemia, transfusion, amputation.
  She looked up at her father who had been listening too; his face filled with sadness.

Doc touched Angela’s arm and said, “He needs you both to be strong for him.”

Angela nodded.  Matt kept his arm around her shoulder as they entered Helm’s room.

Doc washed his hands in the sink by Tharon’s bed and said, “Helm and Kaid tell me you were very brave and that it was because of you that the three of you escaped and got rescued.” He looked squarely into her eyes.  “Thank you doesn’t begin to express my gratitude.”

Tharon shrugged. “We all saved each other.  How’s Helm?”

Doc frowned.  “You and Kaid did a wonderful job dressing his wounds, but it was very dirty in the woods.  I’m afraid Helm has a bad infection and he’s lost a lot of blood.  We can’t risk surgery until he’s more stable.”

Tharon sat up. “I didn’t lose any blood.  You can give him some of my blood.  I never get sick.”

A gleam lit in Doc’s eyes, but then he shook his head. “You’re much too young.  I’m certain there will be plenty of blood donors wanting to help Helm.”

“I want you to give him my blood,” she said firmly.

Tom touched her shoulder. “Honey, you heard Doc.  You’re too young.  I know you don’t understand—”

She was adamant.  “No, you don’t understand.  It should have been me that got shot.  We were hiding from Burt and I was thinking of Shep and I didn’t mean to, but I made a crying sound and Helm squeezed in the bush behind me to comfort me.  That bullet should have hit me instead of him.”

Doc was deep in thought and seemed to be considering her offer.

Tharon clutched at her father’s sleeve.  “Daddy, tell him.  I never get sick so my blood might help make Helm better.”

Doc studied Tharon’s face then looked at Tom and shrugged.  “It isn’t a bad idea.”  He paced around the small room talking more to himself than to them. “We could try a small, fresh whole blood transfusion.  It’s a proven safe and effective practice in the military.  Not enough to endanger Tharon.  We can compensate for her loss of fluids with an IV.”  He tapped his chin with his index finger as he spoke.

He stopped abruptly, enthusiasm in his eyes. “We could try.  I promise there’d be no danger to Tharon.  And if it doesn’t work...” He shrugged his shoulders.

Tom and Doc exchanged a long look, and then Tom nodded his head.  “If Doc says it’s safe for you, you can donate a small amount.”

Tharon relaxed back onto the bed and said, “Good.  He’ll get better.  I know he will.  When can I go see him?”

Doc gave her a warm smile and patted her arm. “First let me make certain you are in good enough health to donate.  And we’ll have to check your blood type and cross match it with Helm’s.”

Tom smoothed her hair back and kissed her forehead.  “You’re a remarkable girl.”

Doc probed her belly and she winced when he touched the tender place where Everett had kicked her.  “How long have you had this pain?”

Tharon glanced at her father. “It happened when I was eight.  It hasn’t bothered me for a long time but when we were escaping and running it got a little sore.”

Doc continued to gently probe her sore rib. “How did it happen?”

Tharon stared up at the ceiling. “Someone kicked me in the side.”  As though it made a difference, she repeated, “But it happened a long time ago.”

Doc looked from her to Tom.  “You should have come to me when it happened.” He nodded to Ellen. “I want to get an image of her rib to make sure there’s no danger.  Then you can bathe her and clean her feet.”

The nurse came back in and handed him a small device with a rounded end.  Ellen squeezed a small amount of a clear gel onto Tharon’s side.

Doc smeared the gel with the smooth rounded end of the device. “This is an ultrasound.  It lets me see inside you without opening you up.  Just hold still.  That’s good.”  The image appeared on the white screen above the bed.

Doc’s brow furrowed then smoothed as he watched the screen and moved the device over her rib.  “Your rib tip healed crooked.  I don’t see any immediate need for surgery.  There is no sign of internal bleeding.  Let me know if it continues to bother you.”

The nurse pressed some tissues into her hand and she dried the gel off her ribs. “Do I have to stay in the hospital?”

He examined her hands and feet.  He frowned at her white toes and the open blisters.  “Any numbness?  Can you feel all your toes?” he asked as he touched her feet.

“All but the two middle toes on my right foot.” She resumed staring at a fixed spot on the ceiling

Doc raised an eyebrow.  “How about pain?”

She wasn’t fooling him.  “They hurt more now that they are warming up.  Please don’t keep me away from Helm, he needs me.”

Doc shook his head. “I’m going to have the nurse clean your feet and fit you with a special sock.  Even when you walk it takes all pressure off your feet and we can control the temperature so your feet will re-warm without too much pain.  They look like duck feet.  We call them happy feet.  Once we get you and Kaid fitted with them, you can visit Helm and I’ll set up a small direct transfusion.”

He moved back to her side and patted her arm.  “I want you and Kaid to stay in the hospital for a day or two, until I’m sure your feet are healing and there are no other complications.  We can put you near your mother’s room, if you want.”

“Why is Mom in the hospital?”  Tharon looked from Doc to her father.

Tom gripped her hand.  “Mommy’s here because—”

“The baby died, didn’t it?” she said softly.  Tears welled in her eyes.

Tom smoothed her hair back. “Yes.  I’m sorry to give you bad news.”

“Oh, Daddy, I’m sorry too.”  Tears spilled down her cheeks.  The last time she saw her mother, she was angry with her.  Did she cause the baby to die?  She cried for the unborn child; for her parents; for her own loss of the brother or sister she’d been so excited to love.