Beautiful Girls (23 page)

 

^{Time sped up. The emergency medics arrived and took over the twins' care. I remember riding in the back of the medical transport truck with the twins. We arrived at the University Medical Center off Charleston Boulevard in minutes.}

^{Both women were taken to the emergency room. They were calm patients. A doctor told the twins that while their injuries were not life-threatening, they still required surgery to remove the bullets, which were lodged under their clavicle bones.}

^{I had a flesh wound, a bad one I suppose, but still only a flesh wound. The bullet had dug a channel across my bicep, an inch above the knife-wound scar of sixteen months earlier. They wrapped my upper arm in a bandage.}

^{I remember sitting in the waiting room. Someone told me that the twins' operations would each be about two hours long.}

^{Harmony went in first. Before she did, I stood next to her bed. She had tubes connected to her arm. Her clothes had been removed and she wore a white gown. She looked like a hurt angel.}

^{She looked at me and said, “You will be here when I wake up, Stevie.”}

^{It wasn't a question.}

^{“Of course I will be.”}

^{“And, you will stay with Melody.”}

^{“Sure will.”}

^{“Please hold my hand. I am somewhat nervous.”}

^{“Sure you are. But, I'm here. And, so is Mel. All of our troubles are over once we get through these procedures.”}

^{“Yes, they are.”}

^{“We will have things to talk about tomorrow.”}

^{Harmony was getting drowsy.}

^{She said, “I love you, Stevie.”}

^{I looked at Mel. She nodded.}

^{I winked at Harmony. She tried to wink back but could only blink both eyes. I leaned over and kissed her. She squeezed my hand and said, “Thank you. Say a prayer.”}

^{I did. Then, she was off.}

^{I spent the final minutes before Mel's surgery next to her bed.}

^{She said, “Stevie, you saved our lives. I can't believe it. Thank you.”}

^{“I should have protected you better. We were almost killed.”}

^{“That's just it. It almost happened, but didn't. That's because of you.”}

^{“Oh, Mel, it was too much of a close call.”}

^{“Why did Rob do these things?”}

^{“We don't have all the answers. But, I hope to have more by tomorrow.”}

^{Then, my cell phone rang. It was Lieutenant Lomita again. I told Melody I had to take the call. I walked out of the pre-surgery room to the hallway.}

^{He said, “Garrett, how's everything there?”}

^{“OK. Harmony's in surgery. Mel goes next, in a few minutes. They think it will take about two hours to remove the bullets and repair the damage.”}

^{“How about your arm?”}

^{“I'm OK. It has a bandage. I took a pain pill.”}

^{Lomita said, “Good. I spoke to Andy Ozick, the lead LVPD detective. They think you acted bravely in the arena.”}

^{“Well, I was lucky that I figured out it was Rob walking towards us on the ground.”}

^{“No, that was good instincts, Garrett.”}

^{“Ozick and his men saved my life.”}

^{“They didn't miss Nealy, did they?”}

^{“No, I think Rob took four shots within a second or two after he shot his second bullet.”}

^{“Yeah, that's what Ozick said.”}

^{I asked, “So, what do we do now?”}

^{“What do you mean? We got the bad guy and you've saved four beautiful girls' lives.”}

^{“We haven't figured out everything yet. These twins are linked to Rob somehow, even though he told Mel he wasn't Edie's father. That Sister Carrie is involved, too.”}

^{“She could be.”}

^{“Right now, I need to call Edie.”}

^{It was after nine o'clock. She would be worried.}

^{Lomita said, “Good luck with that.”}

^{“I hear you.”}

^{“Well, before you call, I have some news.”}

^{“What news?”}

^{He said, “We got the blood test results.”}

^{“Oh, really. What do they show?”}

^{“The blood on the mansion's driveway was the girl's.”}

^{“Yes, that's what we thought.”}

^{“It matches her mother's DNA.”}

^“Sure.”

^{“Here's the weird thing; it also matches up with your fiancée's DNA.”}

^“What?”

^{He answered, “Yes, Tawny and Edie share some DNA.”}

^{“How can that be? Bambi was Tawny's mother.”}

^{“That's true; they match. However, your fiancée and the girl's DNA must match on the father's side.”}

^{He explained what he meant.}

^{Then, Lomita said, “I told the lab guys to take a deeper dive into the blood of everyone.”}

^{“There are three others I want to test, too.”}

^{The Lieutenant asked, “Who?”}

^{I took the time to explain my theory. He listened. He didn't say much. He didn't say no. He also agreed to fly to Tucson and meet me there early the next afternoon.}

^{When I finished talking to Lomita I went back to pre-surgery. Mel was about to go. She was getting her IV started. I held off asking her questions about her time with Rob.}

^{She said, “Wish me luck.”}

^{“I will be praying for you, Mel.”}

^{Then, I kissed her and touched her wonderful red hair. She smiled through her tears and winked.}

^***

^{Detective Ozick said, “This was on his body.” It was another envelope with my name written on it in blue ink. He pushed his right hand through his short blonde hair. He held his Dodgers baseball hat.}

^{We were the only ones in the surgical waiting room. Ozick had walked in just as I was about to dial Edie. He had been briefed about all the other events and clues. I could sense he wanted me to open the letter right then.}

^{The envelope contained no Bible verses. The thirteenth and final clue read:}

^Garrett,

^{If you are reading this clue it means you have won. I could not give you what is not mine. I think you know that. I also think you know the link between these four beautiful girls. And, why I acted so.}

^R.N.

 

^{Ozick looked at me and said, “What do you know?”}

^{I told him. He agreed to arrange the blood tests.}

^***

^{“Hello baby.”}

^{“Stevie, you're late calling. What's happened?”}

^{“I have some bad news. Rob died tonight.”}

^{“Oh, my God, how?”}

^{“At Excalibur, at the end of the show. He was disguised and he shot at Harmony, Melody and me.”}

^{“Oh, no, God, no. Are you hurt?”}

^{“I'm OK. I have a flesh wound on my right arm, just above the knife cut. I'll have a dual scar. He also shot both of the twins in the chest. They're in surgery, but the doctors say their wounds aren't that serious. They should be OK.”}

^{“Oh, Stevie…”}

^{She began crying. Then, she said, “I knew this would happen. You didn't kill him yourself, did you?”}

^{“No, baby, I didn't. The police did it after he fired his two shots. They stopped him from shooting me with his third bullet. The police were watching us, trying to protect us.”}

^{“That didn't work too well, did it?”}

^{That was the Edie I knew, making one of her smart comments.}

^{“Yeah, well, still they saved my life.”}

^{“Oh, my God, Stevie, I'm so grateful for that. How did all three of you get wounded if my father shot only twice?”}

^{“We got lucky, I guess.”}

^{I explained how Melody and I got hit by the first bullet as I tried to push her out of the way.}

^{“Where are you now?”}

^{“At the hospital, in the waiting room. The twins are in surgery.”}

^{“Did you get your arm looked at?”}

^{“Yes, I have a big bandage on it. They shot me with pain killers and anti-infection meds.”}

^{“How bad is it?”}

^{“It's about three inches long and it runs along the surface. The bullet created a little channel. It damaged a little bit of my bicep muscle.”}

^{“So, how did it happen? What went on during the show?”}

^{I explained from the moment Melody and I arrived at Excalibur, to Harmony's appearance, and through to when the rogue masked minion walked towards us in the Norway grandstand. I also read the final clue found on Rob's body.}

^{“Stevie, why did he do it?”}

^{“I don't know for sure, Edie. I'm mad at myself for not getting out of there once Harmony came back, because she had the next clue.”}

^{“Don't get so down on yourself. My father could have snapped if he saw you leaving.”}

^{“True, but I could have had a police escort out of Excalibur.”}

^{“Stevie, bottom line, you saved those girls' lives and the police saved your life.”}

^{“Now, that's true too.”}

^{“I want to come to Las Vegas.”}

^{“OK. But, what about your trip to L.A.?”}

^{“I'll call and reschedule our visits.”}

^{“OK, but take your time getting here tomorrow.”}

^“Why?”

^{“Detective Lomita and I are going to Tucson in the morning. I'll be there for just a few hours.”}

^“Why?”

^{“To talk to Sister Carrie.”}

^“Why?”

^{“I think she has the answers to our final questions.”}

^{“She does?”}

^{“We think so.”}

^{“Stevie, you're holding back something. What is it?”}

^{“Baby, I don't know for sure. I think Sister Carrie does. I don't want to say until I know for certain. I promise to explain everything to you and Tawny and the twins when I get back. So, please come to Las Vegas. Check into one of the hotels. Get a suite so Tawny can be close to us.”}

^“OK.”

^{“I know I'm acting mysterious. I'll explain everything to you, first, when we meet tomorrow. Please trust me.”}

^{“I do trust you.”}

 

^{Monday, October 25, 2004}

^{The surgeries were successful. I spent the night in the reclining chair in Melody and Harmony's hospital room. Mel woke first with a smile and said my name. I gave her a kiss.}

^{Harmony woke from anesthesia in control of her emotions. She forced a smile when she saw me by her bedside and Melody in the adjoining bed. I promised the twins I would stop by later that day once I returned from Tucson.}

^***

^{While waiting for my plane I sat in front of a TV and got caught up on the baseball world. The Red Sox had a two game lead over the Cardinals in the World Series. This series looked to be an anti-climatic ending to the season as nothing would be able to compare to the Sox incredible comeback in the American League Championship series. They achieved a first; they came back from a three games to none deficit to beat the Yankees in game seven at the Stadium. I had seen only glimpses of this amazing story over the past few days.}

^{I was reminded that Election Day was approaching. I wondered if I would be home to vote.}

^***

^{“We all commit sins. Those were mine. I lived the lie for too long.”}

^{That was Sister Carrie speaking as she finished her story. Lieutenant Lomita and I had heard it all in her private office after Monday lunch at the Cactus City Kitchen.}

^{Her cardinal sin, or act, had been committed twenty-four years earlier. That act had been near the start of a series of events, or other sins as she called them, over many years that culminated with Rob Nealy's death the previous evening.}

^{Her long statement was recorded by the Tucson police detective; the fourth person in the private office.}

^{When we finished, Carrie let a Tucson lab technician take a blood sample from her. The tech filled two vials. He put them in special containers and gave one to Lomita and the other to me. We would have them tested in L.A. and Las Vegas. In a matter of hours, the lab results would confirm her story.}

^{At the end, I said, “Thank you for your time, Sister Carrie.”}

^{Tucson police told the Sister that she was a person of interest in this case and they were still gathering and sorting through the case information. They asked her to stay in Pima County. She agreed.}

^{Lomita walked out of the soup kitchen with me to the curb where a taxi awaited us.}

^{During the ride to the airport, Lomita said, “Thanks, Garrett. This information will help close my oldest and most frustrating case.”}

^{“You're welcome. And, thank you, too. I could never have done it without your help.”}

^{Lomita was flying to Vegas with me. He needed to debrief with the police. I also asked him to stay another day or two. He agreed.}

^{“Are you sure you don't want me to be there when you talk to the ladies?”}

^{“Lieutenant, I need to do this alone, with all four of these beautiful girls.”}

^{“Good luck. That will be a tough conversation.”}

^***

^{While we waited for our flight I called Edie. She and Tawny were driving the BMW across the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas. They would arrive earlier than me. They were heading straight to Caesar's Palace. I would meet them there after a stop at the University Medical Center to drop off Sister Carrie's blood sample and to see the twins.}

^***

^{“Stevie, oh my God!” Edie said as she opened the door to our hotel suite. She gently hugged me. Before I could speak I was interrupted by our first kiss. Tawny came up and joined our hug.}

^{I had a special reunion with Edie and Tawny. They both looked gorgeous. Tawny seemed older and Edie's belly appeared to be bigger. Being with them helped clear my dark thoughts. We survived some incredible traumas that week. The recovery would take time. It would also take time to get adjusted to the changes created by DNA testing. Still, I wouldn't want it to be any other way.}

^{I had arrived at 7 PM. We ordered room service and ate in the dining room of our suite. The women had arrived around five o'clock and settled into the bedrooms. Their uneventful trip through the desert took about five hours.}

^{After dinner, Tawny entertained herself with the huge selections of movies on the large, wall-mounted TV in the living room. Edie and I retreated to our bedroom for a talk, a long, life-changing talk. It wasn't easy. Then, any conversation that reveals your real relatives is bound to be shocking!}

^{Edie had endless questions for me. Fortunately, I had most of the answers.}

^{Who else knew this? Lieutenant Lomita, Sister Carrie and a Tucson detective.}

^{How did I guess this? It developed over the past week, as each clue was discovered.}

^{When did I first think this? After seeing the photo of Sister Carrie with the twins.}

^{What was the final clue? The initial blood test results from Lieutenant Lomita.}

^{Where will we explain this story? At the hospital, the next day.}

^{How will we be certain? When all the blood testing is completed. We should have solid, preliminary results tomorrow.}

^{Edie said, “Oh, God, Stevie, I'm so weirded out about all this. Sid, Junior was my half-brother! I know I'm going to need some therapy to deal with all this.”}

^{“Get whatever you need. I'm here for you, too.”}

^{“You're the only thing that will get me through this.”}

^{Edie anxiously agreed to the Big Reveal.}

^***