Gone for Good (30 page)

I slept a long time in Dan's bed. Beth and I went there after we left Dover Community, figuring that it was a safe place to spend the night. It was too late for her to drive back to Reston Point anyway, and once Dan got over his initial shock at learning that I suddenly had a half sister, he was willing to accommodate us. Beth slept on the couch, curled up with one of Dan's old blankets pulled up to her chin. We made sure the door was double-locked.

The only thing I could think about before falling asleep was Ronnie. I hadn't been back to St Vincent's. I hadn't checked in with Paul. Dan reassured me, telling me that when he'd left the hospital Ronnie was content and resting. He already looked healthier.

‘I need to see him tomorrow,' I said.

And then I faded out.

I don't even think I got out of bed to go to the bathroom during the night. I was deep under, dreaming of Neal Nelson being chased by someone I couldn't see, when the phone started ringing. It took me a long time to surface. Even though the dream scared me, I didn't want to come out of it. I feared that the ringing phone was going to bring me something worse.

Then Dan gently shook me awake. He held the phone in his hand.

‘You
need to take this,' he said. ‘It's the police. That detective, the one from your mom's case.'

I shook the tattered remnants of the dream away and wiped my eyes. I was in Dan's bed. I was safe.

I took the phone, hoping for Post but instead hearing Richland. I had called them the night before and left a message telling them what I had learned at Dover Community.

‘Ms Hampton?'

‘Yes?'

‘We've been trying to locate you,' he said.

‘You just did.'

‘We went by your apartment and you weren't there.'

‘That's because a fat man with a knife wants to kill me.'

‘Can you tell us where you are?' he asked. ‘We need to give you an update on the investigation.'

‘Did something happen?'

‘We'd rather not get into it over the phone.'

I sighed. Would the day ever come when I'd be done with the police? ‘I'm at a friend's house.' I gave them the address. ‘Can you give me half an hour? And then after I talk to you, I need to go see my brother.'

‘That's probably a good idea,' he said. And hung up.

That comment didn't make me nervous. Not at all.

Beth sat up on the couch when I emerged from the bedroom. Her hair was tangled and ragged, her face puffy. Dan must have made coffee, because she held a mug in her hand. She lifted it to her mouth and blew on it gently.

‘Did you sleep okay?' I asked.

‘Not really.'

‘It's
not a great couch for sleeping, I guess.'

‘It's not that,' she said. ‘I had a lot on my mind.'

‘I did too. But that didn't stop me.'

Dan disappeared into the kitchen. I heard water running and dishes clanking. He meant to give us our space to talk.

‘The police are coming to talk to me,' I said. ‘They have something else to tell me.'

‘They want to come here?' Beth asked.

‘Yes.'

‘Hmm,' she said.

‘What's wrong?'

‘It's probably nothing, but usually when they have to tell you some bad news, they come to your house and do it in person.'

‘At this point, I don't know what to expect,' I said. ‘But you're welcome to stay if you want. I'm going to shower since I haven't done that in two days. But if you want to wait …'

Beth shook her head. ‘I have to get back. My granddaughter has a soccer game. I know it's not a big deal, but I agreed to take her. I could call my daughter and arrange something else, but …'

‘But what?'

‘I feel that you might be better off doing this on your own,' she said. ‘I feel like I brought all of this down on you. Maybe you need to be away from me.'

‘I wasn't thinking that at all,' I said. ‘Are you worried you might be in danger in Reston Point? Gordon knows where you live. He could hurt you or your family. He was
already there with a knife. I'm pretty sure he broke into my apartment and trashed it.'

‘I know,' she said. ‘But I've been taking care of myself for a long time. I've been in tight spots before. Gordon is a son of a bitch, but I've known my share of those as well.'

I didn't know what to say. ‘Well, I'll call you when I know anything else. And if you want to come visit Ronnie in the hospital, you can.'

She smiled, but it looked forced. She set the mug of coffee down on Dan's table. I could tell there was something else she wanted to say. I could see her gearing up for it.

‘You've been very nice to me. Wonderful, really. And it's great to get to know you like we did yesterday. But I understand that you and I come from very different worlds. If you decide you don't even want to see me or talk to me again, I understand. I have my own family, and you have a nice life here.'

‘I wasn't thinking those things,' I said.

‘Well, a lot of time has passed. I don't want to force anything.'

She stood up and grabbed her sweater. I stayed in my seat while she gathered her purse and started for the door. The water in the kitchen had stopped running. I suspected Dan was eavesdropping, monitoring my interaction with my half sister. He probably wanted to know whether I'd let her just walk away the way I'd let him go before.

When Beth reached the door, I said, ‘You know, it was … I guess “fun” isn't really the right word. But I liked
being with you last night. I mean, it felt fun to do those things with you, like getting into the hospital and all that.'

Beth smiled. ‘We were like Thelma and Louise or something.'

‘Right.' She didn't open the door. I continued. ‘I used to ask Mom to have another baby because I wanted a sister. She always told me she was too old. Which she was.'

‘How old was she when you were born?' Beth asked.

‘Forty-three.'

‘That is too old,' Beth said. ‘I already had grandchildren when I was forty-three.'

‘Damn,' I said. ‘Well, I know Mom thought Ronnie ended up with Down's syndrome because she had him so late. She told me once that the main reason they had me was so that someone could take care of Ronnie after they were gone. It used to really piss me off that she said that.'

‘She didn't mean that,' Beth said. ‘That's not the only reason she had you.'

‘I know that now,' I said. ‘In a way, meeting you and everything with Ronnie has made some of that clear. I think Mom probably had me and probably would have had more if she could just because she liked having us around. You know?'

‘Yeah,' Beth said. ‘I know. That's why I'm off to the soccer game on a Sunday morning.'

‘I'll call you later, okay?'

‘Okay.'

She left the apartment, and I went to take my first shower in forty-eight hours.

I
wanted to stay in the shower for a long time, letting the hot water keep running over my body until I turned into a prune. But I couldn't afford the time. I knew the detectives were coming, and my mind raced with more possibilities. I worried that another shoe had dropped with Ronnie, or that everything we knew about Gordon Baxter wasn't enough to convince them to go after him. I tried to contain the rampaging thoughts.

I towelled off in the bathroom, then stepped into Dan's bedroom. I didn't have much choice but to put most of my dirty clothes back on. I did borrow a T-shirt and sweater from Dan's dresser. I hoped they would keep me from smelling too bad.

When I emerged, Dan was sitting at his desk, his books and laptop opened. But he didn't seem to be doing any work. It looked like he was waiting for me to come out, like he wanted to talk.

‘How are you doing?' he asked.

I knew he was probing, hoping to get insight into the deeper regions of my mind and soul. But who had time to go there?

‘I'm fine,' I said.

‘Crazy night,' he said.

‘Is there more coffee?' I asked. ‘Or do you have tea?'

He stood up and went to the kitchen. He came back
with coffee and two buttered pieces of toast. ‘I thought you'd be hungry.'

I was. I ate the toast so fast the crumbs flew like wood chips out of a chain saw. Dan watched me eat. Ordinarily that bothered me – it bothered me when anyone did. But today I didn't care.

‘I can make more,' he said. ‘Or eggs.'

‘This will do for now,' I said. ‘They'll be here soon.' I wiped my face with a napkin. ‘Thanks for letting us stay here last night. I know it's crazy, me just showing up like that.'

‘With a half sister I didn't know you had.'

‘It's not boring around here,' I said. ‘Does that count for anything?'

‘Not really.'

‘Well, I do appreciate it,' I said. ‘You've been great.'

I downed the rest of the coffee. I needed the caffeine buzz.

‘You seemed to be getting along well with Beth,' Dan said.

‘Yeah,' I said. ‘We were thrown into the deep end together last night. But I guess being someone's sibling is the same thing. You're just thrown in with that person, and you have to figure out a way to make it work.'

‘She's going to make your life pretty full,' he said.

‘It's already full,' I said. ‘I have no idea what I'm doing at school. I have no idea what's going to happen with Ronnie. For all I know, the cops are coming to the door with an indictment against him.'

‘I understand,' he said. ‘I'm not trying to get you stirred up.'

‘You've
been a champ, Dan. Really. I couldn't have made it through any of this without you.'

The doorbell rang. I went and opened it, but only after looking through the peephole first. I wondered whether that paranoia would last the rest of my life.

I let Richland and Post in. They both nodded at me and then at Dan. They looked sombre and serious, which only set my mind to racing. I introduced them to Dan, but Richland explained they had met him the night before at the hospital.

‘Right,' I said.

We all sat down. Richland asked, ‘Where were you last night?'

‘Finding my long-lost half sister in Reston Point.' I nodded towards Detective Post. ‘I'm sure you told him about that, right? Elizabeth Yarbrough. The woman named in the will.'

Richland nodded as though he knew all about it, his big head bobbing almost comically. I hoped he appreciated the openness and transparency of his female partner.

‘Is this woman around?' he asked. His hand rose in the air. ‘This half sister of yours?'

‘She just left,' I said. ‘She went back to her house.'

The two detectives didn't say anything.

‘She had a family function,' I said. ‘A soccer game for one of her grandkids.'

‘Do they play soccer games on Sunday?' Richland asked. ‘My kids always play on Saturday.'

‘Hell,' I said. ‘I don't know.' I had become more protective of Beth, even though I barely knew her. I didn't
want them to suspect her of anything, even though I could tell their detective radar was buzzing.

‘We'll have to talk to her soon,' Richland said. ‘And we will. But can you give us an idea of what you found out from her?'

‘What I found out from her?' I asked. ‘Everything. I found out everything. A lifetime of stuff.'

‘Care to share any of it?' Richland asked. ‘It might help bring some clarity to things we've been working on.'

‘Is Ronnie okay?' I asked. ‘I haven't seen him since yesterday.'

Post said, ‘He's okay. No worries there.'

‘Really?'

‘Really,' she said. ‘Just give us a quick rundown of what you were doing last night. It's important we know this.'

So I did. I told them about finding Elizabeth with the help of Neal Nelson. They didn't look happy about that. I went on and told them about Beth's story. The porn movies and her forced exile from Haxton, then coming back and eventually reconnecting with both Gordon and Mom. I shared her theory that Gordon had been blackmailing Mom, and when she cut the money off, he ended up killing her.

‘I've seen the bank records,' I said. ‘She was giving money to somebody. And I can assure you it wasn't me.'

Post and Richland didn't look surprised by anything I told them. It seemed I was merely confirming what they already suspected.

Richland asked, ‘So you didn't know this Elizabeth Yarbrough woman existed until your mom died?'

‘Not until I saw the will.'

‘And
you believe she's your half sister?' he asked.

‘She looks a hell of a lot like Mom. And me. And she knew a lot about Mom. If she's not my half sister, she's doing a good job convincing me.'

‘Right,' Richland said. ‘And did she indicate the nature of her relationship with Gordon Baxter? Where do they stand now?'

‘Just what I told you,' I said. ‘She was trying to get back in touch with Mom, and he was holding them apart to try to get money.'

‘That's what she said?' Richland asked.

‘That's what she told me.' I watched their faces. ‘Gordon knew where Beth – my half sister – was. And he told Mom he knew, but doled out the information in exchange for money. Look, my mom didn't suffer fools gladly. I know that about her. It would be tough to take advantage of her. But this should tell you how much she wanted to see her daughter again. She was desperate. I feel terrible for my mother having to go through that.'

They didn't say anything. They seemed to want me to say more.

‘Are you wondering if I believe Beth?'

Richland shook his head. ‘Has she asked
you
for money?'

‘No. I just met her yesterday. Besides, she's getting money. A third of the estate. There's life insurance. What are you getting at?'

Richland remained quiet for a moment, as if he was absorbing everything. Then he said, ‘Okay, we wanted to let you know where everything else stood, especially as it relates to your brother.'

‘Okay,' I said.

I
looked at Dan. He was sitting on the arm of the couch, his eyes focused on the cops. I felt alone and scared. I noticed how my hands shook as I tried to tuck a strand of my still damp hair behind my ear. I looked at the front door. I thought about running through it – just get up and go and not hear whatever was about to come.

Richland said, ‘We spoke to the doctors at the hospital this morning, and they seem to think it's possible your brother could be released in a day or two. His vital signs are back to normal, and they want to get him to eat something today. If that goes well …'

He broke his sentence off. I leaned forward, waiting for the rest. What else was there? I looked back and forth between the two detectives.

Post smiled a little. ‘This is good, Elizabeth,' she said. ‘Our investigation has shifted its focus. We now believe Gordon Baxter is a person of interest in your mother's death. We're actively trying to locate him right now. Your story helps to fill in a few gaps we had.'

I wasn't sure what I expected. Ticker tape. A choir of angels. They were telling me the most important news I had ever heard – Ronnie
wasn't
a suspect in Mom's death any more. And not only that, his health was coming back. He was going to be okay in more ways than one.

I wasn't sure what I felt. It wasn't joy. A touch of relief perhaps?

‘Is that it, then?' I asked. ‘Ronnie is off the hook?'

‘Well, it's an open case, an ongoing investigation. And you'll have to talk to the doctors at St Vincent's,' Richland said. He seemed stuck for a moment, not sure what to say next. He pointed at Dan. ‘I suppose your … friend
here … I guess he told you about the cause of the overdose?'

‘This digoxin stuff.'

‘Right.' With something to explain to me, Richland seemed to be on firmer ground. ‘It turns out it's not a medication that your brother has ever taken. And Dr Heil, after his examination of Ronnie, reached the conclusion that it was unlikely your brother would harm anyone. Not your mother and not himself. It seems clear that someone tried to get Ronnie to take that medication, to make it appear as though he killed himself. Perhaps to cover some prior crime and frame your brother for it. At least, that's the working theory. We'll know more when we talk to Gordon Baxter. Like we said, we're trying to find him.'

‘Is she safe?' Dan asked, his voice full of scepticism. ‘This guy you're looking for, you think he already killed somebody and tried to kill somebody else.'

‘Two people,' I said. ‘He tried to kill Neal last night.'

‘Is Elizabeth safe?' Dan asked again.

‘You should certainly be cautious,' Post said. ‘Mr Baxter knows where you live.'

‘Can you put her somewhere safe?' Dan asked. ‘You know, some sort of protection program? What does this guy even want? Do you know, Elizabeth?'

Richland answered for me. ‘We don't really do that,' he said. ‘Put people in a protection program, unless it's a really dire situation. As far as what he wants …' He looked at me. ‘Didn't you say he wanted money from you? Money from the life insurance policy?'

‘That's what he said,' I said.

‘I don't see how he can expect to get that any more,'
Post said. ‘He may have gone after Ms Yarbrough because she knew so much about him from the past. But now we all know.'

‘I think you'll be safe,' Richland said. ‘A guy like Baxter, you have no idea if he's even going to stick around in a town like Dover. His last known address is an hour away in Columbus, and he has an outstanding warrant there. He's not really looking to wait around until the law finds him. Chances are, he's left already, moved on to some other town. He's an old man, and he knows the noose is closing.'

If I was supposed to take comfort in that bit of wisdom, I didn't. It made sense that someone might run off when the noose tightened. I knew that better than anyone.

But what about those people who kicked and fought the more the pressure increased? Didn't Gordon Baxter seem more likely to be one of those guys?