STAY THE NIGHT (The Phillips Family Book 1) (38 page)

    Alex Phillips praised Darja's skills and initiative as his secretary.  He dreaded the day she became a certified paralegal and would no longer be his personal go-to-gal, but he admired her perseverance to improve her lot in life.  Alex became her mentor and tutor when something confused her on a particular lesson.  Gwen wondered about her son Birch and Darja's relationship if there was one.  Darja didn't date and to her knowledge neither did Birch, but they never seemed to be together except for family gatherings. 

    Cray and Angelica moved to the Cape over Memorial Day weekend and quickly formed friendships with some of the other people vacationing there.  They spent hours alone on the terrace or walking the beach, but if someone knocked on the door and suggested a lunch or dinner out, they agreed with alacrity.  Seafood feasts on the beach became a common occurrence with lots of beer, laughter and good old-fashioned camaraderie.  They considered their late night bedtime sacrosanct and never drank too much.  They didn't want to dull or impede their insatiable need for each other. 

    When Bekka had her son, they discussed having a child or adopting one because they doted on their nephew, but in the end they decided their love for each other fulfilled their needs and to remain childless suited them. 

    They worked hard on the Angel Foundation as did Mona, Freddie and Bekka.  They met one Friday evening a month to discuss the progress being made.  Freddie invited a reporter from a local magazine to attend one month and the next month an article appeared in the magazine.  An avalanche of donations followed and Cray called an emergency board meeting to plot how to expand their service.  Lake and Ladd attended and told them it shouldn't be long now before they were recognized as a charitable organization by the Federal government with the benefits that entailed.

    Toward the end of their stay on Cape Cod, a group of male friends decided to rent a deep sea fishing boat for the day.  The wives demurred and planned to spend the day shopping and lunching.  Angelica told the women she needed to pass and devote the day to organizing her lesson plans for the coming fall semester.   

    Cray kissed a sleepy Angelica when he left their bedroom at the crack of dawn to drive to the dock where the boat would launch.

   
“
Have fun,
”
she murmured and rolled over to sleep some more.

    At six that night Cray approached the front door, saw it ajar and began to tremble. 
“
Angelica,
”
he screamed.  No answer.  He pushed the front door open and found a strange man lying in a pool of blood with a butcher knife sticking from the left side of his chest.

    Cray panicked, hopped over the corpse and ran through the house calling his wife's name.  No answer.  He spotted blood in the kitchen and a trail of blood leading to their bedroom.  He didn't think to call 911.

    He found Angelica huddled at the foot of their bed on the floor, dried blood between her thighs and down her legs. 
“
My God, my God,
”
he cried, kneeling beside her and pulling her to his arms.

    She uttered a blood-curdling scream and he dropped his arms from around her. 
“
Angel, sweetheart, it's Cray, your husband.
”
  She stared at him, her eyes glazed, not recognizing him while she cringed from him.

    He reached for his cell phone in his pocket, dropped it on the carpet from shaking so hard.  His eyes so tear-filled it took him three tries before he punched the correct buttons.

    The dispatcher asked him what he needed.

   
“
My wife.  A dead body.  Please, send help.
”

   
“
Sir, is your wife alive?
”

   
“
She screamed.  Please, send the police.
”

   
“
What is your name sir?
”

   
“
Cray Phillips.  Please, I need help.  My wife needs an ambulance.  Please.
”

   
“
I need your address sir.
”

   
“
Yes, it's.  I can't think.  We're renting this house for the summer.
”
 

    He cried in desperation. 
“
What's the address?  It's on the beach.
”
  A calm came over him and he recited the address.

   
“
Thank you, sir.  The police and an ambulance are on the way.  Stay on the line with me until they get there.  Is your front door unlocked?
”

   
“
Yes, it was open when I got home.  I'm in our bedroom.  Please, don't ask me to leave her.  She's alive, but she's staring into space and when I tried to hold her, she screamed.  There's blood.  So much blood in the house.
”

   
“
You're doing fine.  Help is almost there.
”

    
“
Oh, thank you, thank you.  Do you think my wife will be all right?
”

   
“
She's probably in shock, sir.
”

   
“
I hear the sirens.  Must I leave her to go get them?
”

   
“
No, sir.  They're aware you're in the bedroom.
”

   
“
They're coming down the hall.
”

   
“
Thank you for remaining on the phone, sir.  They'll take care of you now.
”

   
“
Help my wife, please.  She screamed when I touched her and there's so much blood.  Look at her beautiful eyes.  They're staring.  She doesn't see anything.
”

    A policeman took Cray's arm and said,
“
The paramedics will take care of her.  We're in the way.  Come with me to the front of the house and tell me what happened.
”

    Cray went through the events from the time he left her at six until he arrived home again at six and found her.

   
“
Did you have an argument?
”

   
“
No.  We never fight.  We love each other.  We've been married only a little over a year.
”

   
“
Who is the man in the foyer?
”

   
“
I never saw him before in my life.
”

   
“
You came home and found your wife and him in a compromising position.
”

   
“
You think I killed him?  Are you insane?  My wife and I don't cheat.  I never saw this man.
”

   
“
You became so incensed you grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him.
”

    The interrogation went on until Cray screamed at the police to leave him alone and take care of his wife.

    Matt and Nancy Thompson, their next door neighbors and friends entered the open door.  Matt said,
“
Cray, what's wrong?
”

    He began to tell Matt in a calm voice the sequence of events from the time he arrived home and then he started to tremble and cry. 
“
They think I killed that stranger.
”

    Matt spoke in a soft voice, but the listener understood his importance as he punctuated every word. 
“
Fellows, I'm the district attorney from Boston, vacationing here for a month.  This man spent the day with me on the ocean deep-sea fishing from six in the morning until six tonight when he arrived home.  I can give you the charter number and the captain's name.  Call the coroner.  I suspect the dead man has been like this for hours.  The coroner will know when he checks the lividity and liver temperature. You're jumping to conclusions and it's not helping.
“

    He glanced around the rooms he could see from the foyer. 
“
Looks to me like a battle royal took place here.  My wife and I heard nothing and we would have if we'd been home.  Nancy got home around four and I got there at six.  I suggest you find the identity of the dead man, check his fingerprints and run a report on him.  Seems like a home invasion to me, but what do I know?  I've only been doing this for the last fifteen years.
”
 

    A gurney wheeled by with Angelica strapped to it. 
“
Where are you taking her?
”
Cray demanded.

   
“
To the local hospital, sir.
”

   
“
I'm going with you.
”

    Matt placed his hand on Cray's and said,
“
Cray, we'll take you there, but you should shower and change clothes.  You're pretty ripe.
”

   
“
Yeah, I stink like fish. When Angel comes to she'll tell me I smell.  Ten minutes.  No more.
”

   
“
Sir,
”
the officer said,
“
this is a crime scene.  I can't allow you to shower here.
”

    Matt said,
“
He's right, Cray.  Officer, accompany him while he gets his clothes and toiletries.  Cray, you can shower at our place and stay there tonight.
”
  Cray, docile and seeming to be in shock took the officer with him.  

   
“
Honey,
”
Matt said,
“
run home and fix a sandwich for him and a thermos of coffee.  I doubt he'll eat, but if he does we're prepared.  Are the sheets in the guest room clean?
”

    She nodded and ran to her house to do her husband's bidding.

Chapter 20

             
Cray refused to leave the hospital.  Angelica needed some minor vaginal repairs from the brutal multiple rapes she endured, but every time a male nurse or doctor walked in her room she screamed.  She did the same with Cray and it broke his heart.  A surgeon talked to him, explaining the dilemma.  Cray listened and said,
“
She's afraid of me so it's obvious she doesn't trust men.  Isn't there a female surgeon on staff who can do the repairs?
”

             
“
Yes, but the anesthesiologists are men.  A female nurse can administer an injection that will knock her out before she's taken to surgery.
”

             
“
Do it,
”
Cray said.

             
While the surgery took place, Matt and Nancy arrived, asked about Angelica and Matt said,
”
The perpetrator has a long record over three states of being a peeping Tom and stalking women.  He's spent a few days in jail, but that's it.  I talked to the Chief of Police and told him to search for unsolved known rapes.  I suspect this guy got away with raping women and either the women never reported the attack or if they did, the guy left town.  You've been completely exonerated because the Coroner verified he'd been dead for at least six hours.  Nancy called a cleaning service who will take care of the house, but you shouldn't go back there.  You're welcome to stay with us.  What are your plans?
”

             
“
I haven't gotten that far.
”

             
Nancy sat down beside him and rested her hand on top of his. 
“
Cray, may I give you some advice?
”

             
“
Of course.
”

             
“
I used to be a psychiatric nurse.  Angelica is traumatized and it could take a while for her to trust any man.  My suggestion is have her transported to a private psychiatric residence in New York City for some intense treatment.  It's expensive, but we get the impression that money isn't an issue for you.
”

             
“
No, it isn't and I'll take your advice, but she's so afraid of men that wherever she goes it will need to be staffed by women.
”

             
“
Would you like me to research that possibility?
”

             
“
I'd appreciate that so much.  With your background you can explain the situation and understand the medical terms.
”