The Amber Stone (7 page)

He unzipped the man’s trousers and administered the EpiPen directly in the man’s outer thigh. Slowly the man came to. Sean kept his voice calm and professional as he told the man to keep still while he asked him some questions.

Teresa noticed that Sean looked over the man with an expertise the average person didn’t have. The quick questions, the detached assessment; she knew he was a doctor, but not a general practitioner. He had a specialty.

The sound of sirens soon pierced the air and she stepped back to let the medics take over.

“How did you know?” Sean asked her as the ambulance raced away.

“About what?”

“The reaction.”

“Why aren’t you practicing anymore?”

He just stared at her.

She nodded and smiled. “Right, you have your secrets and I have mine.”

***

The cramped room in the back of the police station smelled like cigarette smoke and dark fudge. She knew it was a smoke-free facility so she wondered if she’d caught Detective Hartnett after his break. Unfortunately, if he’d had a break, it hadn’t improved his mood. He greeted her with polite disinterest as he sat behind his desk, dwarfing his chair. He was big, not fat, just large with a touch of silver at the temples of his short-cropped hairstyle. He stared at her with all the interest of a man forced to attend a knitting competition.

“It’s very important that someone investigate what is going on there,” Teresa said after she explained the situation about the two women at the nursing facility and the man at the bay. “This is the third person, I believe.”

“You believe? You mean there’s no proof.”

She put the Valley Ray supplement bottles on the table. “People have gotten sick.”

He glanced at the bottles, making no move to inspect them. “We haven’t heard any complaints. It’s flu season that’s what happens. People take different remedies. Some work and others don’t. They’re not doing anything illegal.”

“It’s very important that the lab check to see the levels—”

“We’ll look into it.”

She knew he wouldn’t and she couldn’t force him. Perhaps she could persuade him with some sympathy. She saw a jar of aspirin on the side of his desk and could tell by his eyes and the absent rubbing of his temple what his current trouble was. “You can ease tension headaches with the essential oils of sweet marjoram. It’s applied topically, so you won’t have to worry about it upsetting your system.”

She saw a hint of interest, then it quickly disappeared. “I’ll remember that.”

Teresa took a deep breath, she knew their meeting was over. “Thank you for your time.”

He nodded. “Of course.”

She sighed then left.

Detective Hartnett watched her go, wishing he had time for another cigarette. He left the room and went to the front desk. “Who the hell put her through to me?”

“She was insistent,” the front clerk said.

“So what?”

That was the problem with some of the newbies. They didn’t know how the office worked. They acted as if they served the public like some damn restaurant. Instead, they sent in people who just wasted his time. The police department had done a stupid campaign to polish their image with the community, and held diversity training so that the officers could better interact with the immigrant community. Of course, life would be a whole lot easier if the damn immigrant community understood how things worked in America instead of forcing his officers to change their ways to make the foreigners feel more comfortable.

His family had been part of this soil for centuries. His ancestors had arrived by ship after being kidnapped then stacked in boats like sardines. There had been no special privileges for them and they had survived and thrived. He cared about law and order, he didn’t care about creating good feelings and he wasn’t interested in made up concerns when there were burglaries and murders that took up most of his time.

He’d had some of his men having to focus on stupid stuff like illegal rituals—hell if you’re going to use a poor chicken as a sacrifice at least clean up the head after you finished using it—and he remembered a guy from another town having to educate some people about not killing chipmunks for consumption. Fortunately he didn’t have to interact too much with those ‘straight off the boat’. He knew immigrants’ ways were strange and didn’t want anything to do with them.

She was one of them. He could spot one a mile away, from the strange cadence of her speech to the way she talked about herbs as if they were magical cures. If people didn’t want to go to a licensed doctor and wanted to take the risk with some quack, that was their business. But he sensed her two little bottles had trouble written all over them. It was part of his job to be suspicious of everything—especially big business. However, that didn’t mean he wanted to do anything about it. He didn’t want to see her again, she didn’t know what she could be sniffing around and he didn’t want to educate her. “If she comes back here, come up with an excuse.”

He turned and pointed to another officer. “Follow me,” he said then walked back into his office and pointed to the bottles on the table. “Get rid of these.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And make sure they disappear.”

“Do I look crazy to you?” Teresa asked her sister Michelle later that day. They still shared the same family house they’d grown up in.

“Of course not,” Michelle said from the living room. She was still dressed for work, drinking coffee and looking over a new business venture.

“I know that police officer thinks I am. Nobody is taking me seriously. No, that’s wrong. Dr. Knox said nothing was wrong, but it’s still bothering me.”

“What?”

“The Valley Ray supplements. I had him test them and he said they were fine. And then this man had an accident and I know it was an allergic reaction to something—”

“Actually, something, you’re not certain. You can’t make these kind of allegations without direct proof.”

“You think I’m crazy.”

Michelle nodded. “Yes, if you think you can convince people just because you ‘sensed’ something then you’ve lost your mind.”

“Do you believe me?”

“What is there to believe? Yes, I know you have a gift, but that’s not enough.”

“You don’t take me seriously. Nobody really does. Do you think I pushed Bess down the stairs too?”

“That’s not fair.”

“I know what I feel.”

“So what? Being frustrated and angry about it will not change what people think.”

Teresa rested her hands on her hips. “And people think I’m weak and simple and naïve.”

“No, I don’t—”

“I have to do something daring. I have to be strong. I have to do something really daring, at least for me.”

Michelle put her papers in her briefcase. “Like what? Jumping in the bay like the man you think you’ll one day marry to see what the experience is like?” Michelle paused as a light entered her sister’s eyes. She grew nervous. Teresa only got that glint when she was up to something. “Wait, that was sarcasm.”

“But it’s a good idea. That’s not something you’d ever think I’d do. It’s something a daring woman would.”

“It’s stupid.”

“No, it’s not.” Teresa stood up ready for action. “I’m tired of people like Helene and that police officer looking down their noses at me. I’m going to do this to prove to myself that I’m not afraid. That I can take chances. I’m not crazy. I know what I feel. Life is to be lived with courage and not fear,” Teresa said, pacing back and forth as she thought about how she would pull it off.

“What?” Michelle asked, not understanding Teresa’s train of thought.

Teresa stopped in the middle of the living room and stared at her sister. “Would you come with me?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Fine, then I’ll call, Jessie.” She grabbed the phone. “I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Michelle frowned. “This is crazy. Jessie won’t agree to trying to impress people who don’t even matter. No one will see you.”

Teresa grinned as she dialed. “I’ll just tell her it’s a bet. You know how Jessie feels about bets.”

Michelle rested her coffee on the counter. Unfortunately, she did know. Jessie could never refuse a bet—the more daring the better. “Hopefully, she’s learned her lesson.”

Teresa shushed her. “Hello, Jess...? Hi...great. I was wondering if you could go to the bay with me tomorrow morning around five. I know it’s early and cold, but I bet this guy I would jump in. Who? Uh…a police officer. Yea, a real jerk, macho type. What? Great...I’ll see you around five. Bye.”

Teresa hung up the phone and smiled with triumph. “It’s all set.”

“Yes, and you’re crazy as a loon.”

***

“I think you two have lost your minds,” Michelle lamented as the three women drove to the bay the following morning as the sun was just about to rise.

“You’ve already said that ten times, Mich. You might as well recognize that we don’t care,” Teresa said.

“Yes,” Jessie agreed already in a competitive mood. “Teresa has to show this police officer where to put his opinions.”

“If he shows up,” Michelle said.

Jessie turned to Michelle, who was sulking in the back seat. “What?”

“Teresa made him up.”

Jessie turned to her. “What is she talking about? I thought you said—”

“I just wanted your company,” Teresa cut in. “And I wasn’t sure you’d come otherwise.”

“You don’t have to lie.”

“It’s insane,” Michelle said.

Jessie looked at Michelle through the rearview mirror. “Why are you coming with us when you’re against this?”

“To keep you two out of trouble. Who knows what crazy scheme might enter your heads? You might convince her to run in naked just to prove a point.”

Jessie waved the thought away. “This is harmless.” She turned to Teresa, lowering her voice. “Besides, skinny dipping is best left for the summer months.”

“You’re not helping, Jessie.”

She shrugged.

“She’ll probably get pneumonia.”

“No, I won’t.” Teresa parked the car. “Here we are.”

Michelle frowned as she looked at the steep incline. “I thought you said it was off a hill, I could skydive off here.”

“You don’t have to come,” Jessie said opening the door. “If you were really mature, you’d admit you’re as curious as I am.”

Michelle didn’t reply as she shut the door.

However, once they reached the beach, Jessie became more cautious. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Jessie asked Teresa. She pulled on her gloves. It was a nippy morning. “You don’t need to prove anything. I only came to support you, but you don’t have to do it.”

“I told you I’m doing this for myself. I want to be the kind of woman who does things like this. I just want to see what it’s like.”

“Then wait until summer,” Michelle suggested, rubbing her hands together.

Teresa shook her head, taking off her jeans and top. She was already beginning to feel more alive. “No. I have to do it now.” She pulled a green swimming cap over her head then jumped up and down to keep warm as she stared at the calm waters of the bay. She stopped and took a deep breath. “Well, here goes.”

She ran and jumped in, a scream caught in her throat as the cold water assaulted her skin.

“Are you okay?” Jessie called.

Teresa only nodded, too shocked to speak. She slowly began to move her arms and legs and soon her body grew accustomed to the cold temperature. She quickly began to understand Sean’s fascination with the morning swim—the quiet, the waves splashing her like kids in a pool; the sound of seagulls circling overhead. She did somersaults and spun around, closing her eyes. She used her hands to direct her, trying to see the bay in a whole new way. She bumped into some rocks and let her hands trail over their furry smooth surface and curled her fingers into something that felt soft like seaweed. Oh, if only now, somehow, her world would fall into place, her destiny would take hold. Suddenly something encircled around her waist like an eel, it was solid and warm. She opened her eyes and screamed. Sean faced her with a smile on his lips, the hazel glint of his eyes spiked with wet, black lashes.