Over Her Dead Body (24 page)

Amber shook her head. “No, I need to. Maybe you can make sense of all of it. I’ve tried and I sure can’t.” April grabbed a tissue and handed it to Amber. She took it and dabbed her eyes. “Thanks.” She said.

Amber took another drink of
C
oke. A courage shot. She took a deep breath and began. She told them about being adopted and about the man and woman who raised her. She told them about leaving and moving in with her roommate. She told them about going to school and working at the diner. And she told them about Maria and how she had found her there. Then she went through all that had happened since. Their food came and sat on the table getting cold while Michael and April listened intently about meeting the doctor, then getting kidnapped, and finally her sister being murdered. She told them about how she had escaped and had gone to the police only to be almost killed after coming out of the building. She had been living with a friend and hiding out since then, not wanting to be seen. She was afraid to go outside. Then there were the dreams. She kept dreaming of Michael, April, and her sister. She recognized the amusement park. She had spent three days out there walking around and looking. She felt compelled to. Like she was supposed to find something there. Or someone. She was about to give up when she had spotted Michael and recognized him from her dreams. “And you know the rest.” She finished.

Michael and April were staring at her
,
lost in thought. Michael finally broke the trance first and picked up his fork and started in at his food. April and Amber followed suit. They all ate quietly reflecting on what Amber had just told them.

“So this doctor…,” Michael said between mouthfuls, “Dr. Wimm…Wimmon…”

“Wimonowski.” Amber helped him out.

“Right. Wimonowski. What did he tell you?” Michael asked.

Amber shrugged. “Nothing important. He just said that we had been dropped off on his doorstep twenty
one
years ago and that it was in the newspaper. He asked some questions about how we were doing. I asked if he knew anything about our birth parents and he said he didn’t. We said our goodbyes and then I left. He seemed nice.”

“But then you were kidnapped right outside his door?”

“Yep.”

“And you think the guy who took you knew who you were?” Michael asked.

“Ya, I overheard him on his cell phone. He said ‘I got’em’. Which made it sound like that was his whole purpose. Like he was supposed to grab us. It wasn’t just random.” April gasped and shook her head.

“Do you think
he
meant to kill you or was it because you tried to escape?” Michael asked.

“No,
he
meant to kill us. He had already stopped out in the middle of nowhere. He was going to kill us both.”

“Why would somebody want you dead?” April asked.

“I don’t know. We didn’t really have any enemies and we weren’t even in the same town as we were living. That’s why I said, I just can’t make sense of it.”

“What had Maria been doing right before she found you?” Michael asked.

“I don’t know. She said her parents had been killed in an accident. She had been trying to find our birth parents and she found out about me.”

“Do you think it has something to do with
her parent's
accident?”April asked. “I mean, maybe she saw something she wasn’t supposed to.”

Amber nodded her head. “I doubt it. It was a drunk driver. She was arrested and plead guilty. Case closed as far as I know.”

“No, I think this may have something to do with her poking around looking for her birth parents. I only say that because you were kidnapped outside the doctor’s house. I think he may have something to do with it. Something doesn’t feel right about it.”

Amber looked at him puzzled. “I don’t follow you.”

“Well, you were dropped off on his porch twenty
one
years ago. Why? Why his porch?”

Amber shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I just assumed my birth parents must have known him.”

“But you said they never figured out who your birth parents were? I would think the doctor would have known if one of his friends were pregnant. It doesn’t make sense. He should have known
something
.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Amber said.

“I say we go there.” Michael said.

“Tonight?” April asked.

“Why not? We’re kind of running out of time. We could stay here tonight but what then? We can’t use credit cards and we can’t stay on the run forever. If we have even the slightest chance at figuring this thing out, I say we go for it.” Michael said.

Amber looked fearful. “I…I don’t know. That’s where that guy kidnapped us. I don’t think I can go back there.”

Michael was about to offer a rebuttal but dropped it. If it was going to do more harm than good, he didn’t want her going back there. “Ok,” he said, “I see your point. I wouldn’t want to go back there either.” Michael sighed and leaned back. He took another long sip of tea.

“So what do we do then?” Asked April.

Michael shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea. That was the only place I could think of to go. I guess we turn ourselves in and Amber can go back to her friends.” Michael said. “I don’t know what else we can do.”

Amber shook her head. “No, that’s no good either. Maria wouldn’t have wanted that. I made her a promise that I would find our parents. I’m not going to let her die in vain and I don’t want you in jail while her murderer walks free.” Amber said. “You’re right. The doctor is all we have that might lead us to some kind of an answer. I say we do it.”

Michael was relieved. He didn’t really want to turn himself in but he didn’t want to stay on the run either. Finding the truth wa
s all that remained. Michael wi
ped his mouth with a napkin and fished out his remaining money so he could pay the bill and leave a tip. “Alright,” he said, “Let’s do it.” They all three headed back out to the SUV, somber and nervo
us about having to head back in
to Angel Falls.

Chapter 40

It took just over an hour to get back to Angel Falls and pull into the driveway. Amber had given Michael specific instructions on how to get there. Now that she was back in the driveway where her and her sister had been kidnapped, she wished she hadn’t. Amber looked out each of the windows half expecting to see her sister’s killer. It was dark. There was a dim light that could be seen through the window blinds. Michael put the SUV in park and shut off the ignition. They all sat in eerie silence for a moment, either contemplating or reconsidering. Or maybe both.

“Well, he must be home.” April pointed out. “There’s a car in the carport and a light’s on.”

“I’m not sure if he’s going to give us the answers we need. It might be best if I go in,” Michael said, “You can be the getaway driver. If there’s any trouble, I’ll come out and you can take off. It won’t matter if they get the plates; they won’t trace it back to me.”

“Michael, where did you get this car?” April asked having completely forgotten to ask earlier. “You didn’t…tell me you didn’t steal a car Michael Bander…” April put her hand over her face and shook her head. “Oh my God, we are all going to jail.” She said.

“Relax, I didn’t steal the car. But if it’s not returned tonight, it will be called in stolen.” Michael said.

April was momentarily relieved. Then as it dawned on her that they weren’t likely going to be able to do that, she began to get nauseous. “I think I’m going to puke.” She said.

“I’m going in with you.” Amber said from the back.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Michael said. “What if the doctor did have something to do with you getting kidnapped?”

“I met the doctor and I seriously doubt he had anything to do with it, but
i
f this guy
is
hiding something, I want to know what. My sister is dead and if he is responsible, then I want to know how.” Amber said.

“Your choice,” Michael said, “I’m just saying you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I want to.” She said.

Michael nodded and got out of the SUV. Amber and April climbed out at the same time.

April came up next to Michael and whispered. “Michael, I am not sitting out here and waiting in the car by myself. This place gives me the creeps.” April said looking around. She could just make out the outline of the building against the night sky. A slight breeze blew and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She had goose bumps all over her arms.

“Alright. We’ll all stick together then.” Michael said. Michael led the way and the girls followed him up to the front door.

All three quietly walked to the door. As they approached, it became obvious that the front door wasn’t quite completely closed. It had been left slightly ajar. Light from an inside lamp was visible in the crack. April and Amber looked up at Michael who just shrugged his shoulders with a ‘don’t ask me’ look. He reached out and knocked on the door which caused it to open further.

“Hello?” Michael hollered into the house. “Is anybody home?” There was no sound and no reply. Michael hesitated a moment and then spoke even louder. “Hello? Anybody?” Still nothing. Michael reached out and gave the door a little push so it would open the rest of the way. After a moment of not hearing any sounds Michael stepped into the house.

April grabbed him by the shirt. “What are you doing? We can’t just walk into someone’s house!” She whispered sternly.

“What?
T
he door was open. I thought I heard someone say ‘come in’. Didn’t you?” Michael said. April gave him a very sarcastic look.

“That’s what I heard.” Amber chimed in and took a step inside.

Michael and Amber walked into the house. April decided she must have heard someone say ‘come in’ as well because she crossed the threshold and stayed close to Michael.

The light was coming from the living room to their right and that was the direction they all went. There were bookcases from floor to ceiling on the right and they circled around the far wall. Most of the shelves contained books, but the third and fourth rows from the ceiling were adorned with various trinkets, artifacts, and old family photos. As they rounded the corner, they could see a recliner chair set up near where the bookcase came to a halt. There was a small end table next to the chair that had a glass of what looked to be iced tea. The glass was sweating from the melting ice cubes. The lamp that lit up the room was slightly behind the table and arced over the top, illuminating the area and most of the room. There was a book on the table next to the glass of tea that had been laid face down and open as if someone had set it down for a moment with
the
intent of returning to it momentarily. Michael took another step forward and stopped dead in his tracks. His heart all but froze as he took in the scene before him. April saw Michael’s expression change and followed his gaze. Her hand flew to her mouth where she stifled a scream. Amber moved around Michael to get a better look and stood expressionless unable to believe what she was seeing.

There on the floor of the reading room was the doctor with a small hole in his forehead and blood oozing out of it and onto the floor. The doctor’s glasses had f
allen
away from his face and his eyes were open looking out toward them. They hadn’t even begun to gloss over yet. Michael realized that whoever killed the doctor had done so only moments before they had arrived.

Chapter 41

Detective James and Dr. Crane were thumbing through the evidence piece by piece. Under normal circumstances, they would have both gone home and continued putting the pieces together the next day. But this case was going to become very public with a suspected murderer on the loose and two police officers that were publically arrested in Alexandria Bay. There was no dragging their feet on this one. Michael Bander had escaped their custody once and they had failed to collar him at the river, Walmart, and the amusement park. Both Detective James and Dr. Crane knew that they would be held accountable for any more deaths that may come about from Michael Bander. They nearly had him at the amusement park, but the Alexandria police force had not been told to watch for him. They were focusing on the descriptions of the two renegade police officers
instead
. The other officers and detectives were supposed to watch for Michael and April at the gate until backup could arrive and sweep the entire park. But a fake bomb scare sent a large crowd of people screaming through the entrance and the officers believed to have lost Bander and his wife in the crowd. Mrs. Bander must have come to the conclusion that they were tracking her vehicle because she abandoned it there. They had tried to track her cell phone but weren’t getting a signal. Detective James let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair. He pulled at his face with his hands attempting to pull away the exhaustion. He looked up at Dr. Crane who was partially sitting on his desk looking through one of the dossiers. “We’ve got to be missing something Doc. There must be something we’re overlooking.” The detective said.

Dr. Crane looked at the detective shaking his head. “When the evidence is conflicting, and the likelihood that the current theory can’t be supported, I like to lean on the advice of the old craftsman Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”

“Doyle?” The detective said.

“Detective, you of all people should recognize the genius behind the notorious Sherlock Holmes.”

“Can’t say I’ve read any Sherlock Holmes stories,” the detective said while grooming his mustache lost in thought, “what would this Doyle tell you in this situation Doc?”

Dr. Crane stood up and stretched his back. “Sir Doyle would tell us that ‘once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.’”

The detective thought about it for a moment. “That really doesn’t tell us much now does it
D
oc?” The detective said.

“Are you certain about that
D
etective? Have you actually applied it?” Dr. Crane said with a smile.

“Doc if you’re on to something just spit it out.” The detective was growing impatient.

“You are the detective,
D
etective. I’m not going to tell you how to do your job. I’m merely making a suggestion on how to look at the case from a unique angle. You connect the dots.” Dr. Crane said and walked away.

The detective leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
God, why did Doc have to be so damn difficult?
He thought.
Eliminate the impossible…what seems impossible?
The detective wondered.
It seems impossible for the two girls not to be the children of Michael and April Bander.
The detective sorted through it in his mind.
So if I eliminate that, that means Michael and April are the biological parents. But April never gave birth nor did she have a surrogate
. Hell, it
still
didn’t make sense. The detective got up and stormed down to Dr. Crane’s office and stood in the door. Dr. Crane was behind his desk and looked up from his work with his glasses slightly below his eyes.

“The truth is that the twins, Maria and Amber are the biological offspring of Michael and April.” The detective said.

“Go on
D
etective.” Dr. Crane said.

“April passed two exams and a lie detector test. So it’s also true that she never gave birth. Right so far Doc?”

“I believe you are. So far anyway. Keep going.”

“That means the truth is that there has got to be a surrogate. But she passed a lie detector test. She said she never had a surrogate.” The detective turned his head sideways and put his chin on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and let his mind try and find it. It was right there, he could feel it. It just…wouldn’t…connect. He felt it start to slip away. “
Shit.” He said looking back at Dr. Crane
. “How can she have a surrogate and not have a surrogate?”

Dr. Crane took off his spectacles and laid them on the desk. He looked at the detective. “Let me ask you something
D
etective.”

“Alright, ask.” The detective said trying to maintain some amount of patience.

“How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

“Doc, you know the answer to that as much as I do. I’m an only child.”

“Are you sure of that?”

“Ya, I would think I would have known if I had grown up with an extra kid in the house
D
oc.”

“So you would pass a lie detector test if I were to ask you while being tested?”

“I would hope so.”

“How many girls did your father sleep with before he married your mother?” Dr. Crane asked.

The detective had a strange expression on his face. “How the hell should I know Doc? I don’t see how that’s…” Then it hit him. “You’re saying I could have a brother or sister and not have known about it and passed a lie detector test.”

Dr. Crane smiled and nodded. “And…”

“If Michael and April had a surrogate and didn’t know about it, all the pieces fit together…” The detective rubbed his mustache. “How could you have a surrogate and not know it?” The detective asked.

Dr. Crane smiled again. “Now that is a question worth investigating don’t you think?”

The detective stopped grooming his mustache and looked at Dr. Crane as if another revelation had dawned on him. “The
d
octor…the one who found the twins…shit. You’re a genius Doc.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Dr. Crane said. “That was merely the collective reasoning of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.” Dr. Crane said while placing his spectacles back on.

“Well then Sir Arthur Doyle is a fucking genius. I gotta go. Thanks Doc.” The detective said as he spun and headed out of the doorway. He looked down at his watch. With any luck the
d
octor would still be up.