Chapter 2
Winter woke in the middle of the night with her body burning with fever and aching all over. She tried to get up to go to the bathroom when her legs gave out, and she fell to the floor. She crawled back into bed and pulled the covers up hoping she could fall back to sleep. She pulled a bottle of Ibuprofen out of her night stand and popped 800 mg. I’m sure this will nip it by morning. But she couldn’t fall back to sleep, so picked up the folder and read some of the information Jim had given her, and in spite of how she was feeling, she too noticed a pattern with the missing women. By daylight, she felt worse and called Cole. He was there within minutes. Her temperature was 102, and her whole body was shaking. He tried to get her up so he could take her to the hospital, but she fast was becoming dead weight. Without asking, he dialed 911.
Winter was immediately rushed to the hospital and put on a steady IV drip of fluids. The doctor ran blood work. Winter had an infection, and the doctor was going to start antibiotics. Cole pulled up a chair as close to her as possible and held her hand. She kept coming in and out of consciousness. He finally called Jessie. “Jessie, Winter is in the hospital and is very sick. They don’t know what’s wrong with her, but she’s in intensive care.”
“Oh my God, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
As soon as she got off the phone, she called Jim and told him. She rushed around the room grabbing things to throw into her purse and started out the door and raced to the hospital in Deland. On the way, she decided to call Winter’s older sister, Madison.
“Agent Hart.”
“Hi Maddy, this is Jessie. I thought you should know that Cole had to call 911 for Winter. She’s in the hospital in the intensive care unit, and they said she had an infection, but they cannot figure out what else is wrong. I thought you should know.”
“Thank you, Jess. I’ll catch the next flight out and should be there later today.”
Madison lived in Virginia near the DC area. She was a criminal investigator and profiler with the FBI, but being on the road all the time was wearing on her and was toying with the idea of going into private practice and opening a Private Investigation office in her hometown of Maitland, Florida.
Madison called headquarters and told her supervisor that her sister was in ICU in the hospital, and she needed to leave immediately. She threw a few things into an overnight bag and headed for Washington’s Dulles International Airport. Fortunately, with her credentials, she was able to get a flight out immediately. She arrived at Orlando International Airport later that day. A car was waiting for her and drove straight to the hospital.
Madison entered the hospital just as Jessie was coming down the elevator with Jim. Jessie threw her arms around Madison. “She’s very sick, Maddy.” Jessie turned and introduced Madison to Jim, and the three of them went back to the ICU.
Madison entered the room and saw her sister lying there with tubes protruding from her arms. Winter looked like she was asleep. Cole stood up when they came in. He was shocked at how much Madison looked like Winter. “You must be Madison?”
“Yes, and you have to be Cole, Winter has told me so much about you. How is she?”
“She’s stable, and they are giving her fluids. The doctor was just here and told us she also has pneumonia, but the antibiotics and fluids should help with that. However, they still don’t know what is causing the infection. They’re about to take her down for more tests. I know she’ll be glad to see you. She talks about you all the time.”
Madison sat next to her sister and held her hand, “Hey Win, it’s Maddy. You’re going to be fine. There’s so much we need to talk about, so get yourself well quick. You’ve got a great guy standing by waiting for you too. Madison felt a squeeze of her hand and saw a slight smile come across Winter’s face. Madison had a hard time letting go of Winter’s hand when then the nurses came in to wheel her downstairs for tests.
They all paced the room waiting for Winter’s test results. It seemed like hours, but after about an hour the doctor came in and told them that Winter had Bacteremia. Madison furrowed her eyebrows. “What does that mean?”
The doctor slipped his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. “It means that the bacteria entered into her bloodstream from her lungs, and the infection has spread to some of her other organs. However, we feel we caught it in time, but she will need to remain in the hospital until the infection has cleared.”
“How serious is this?”
“All I can tell you is that it’s a good thing we caught this in time. If not treated, it could have caused Ms. Hart’s organs to fail, but we are very optimistic about this treatment. It has shown full recovery in many patients, and since you got her here immediately, I think she’ll be fine. But for now, she’s going to need plenty of rest, fluids, and antibiotics. As soon as she’s out of the woods, we’ll transfer her to another floor, and soon after that; she’ll be able to return home. However, she will still need care at home for awhile to regain her strength.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Madison sat down in the chair mulling over what she just heard. “Thank God you got to her in time, Cole. I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to her.” She lowered her head in her hands.
Minutes later, they wheeled Winter back into the room. She had regained consciousness but was very weak. A big smile came across her face when she saw her sister, and then she glanced around the room. She smiled up at everyone in the room.“I have all the people that matter right here with me.”
Winter motioned Jim to come to the edge of the bed. “Jim, I am so sorry. I was looking forward to helping you with this story, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to.” Then she called Madison to the bedside. “Maddy, are you going to be around for awhile?”
“I sure am. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of moving back for awhile. What do you think about that?”
Winter looked up at her, and tears started trickling down her face. “I can’t wait for you to move back.” Winter glanced over at Jim and then back to Madison. “Jim, I may not be able to find out the truth about what’s going on, but I know someone who could. Jim, meet my FBI sister, Madison Hart. If anyone can solve this mystery, she can. What do you think?”.
Jim looked over at Madison. “Well, what do you think, Madison? Are you up for a challenge?”
“I sure am.”
“Good! We’ll talk about this later when we know Winter is stable?”
“Thank you, Jim. That sounds great.”
Cole stayed by Winter’s side while she was in the ICU. He and Madison alternated sitting with her so she would never be alone.
After about a week, Winter began to show some improvement, so they moved her to the main floor. The doctor said she was out of danger for now, and as soon as she had completed the antibiotics and tests showed no more infection in her system, she could return home.
Winter was regaining her strength slowly, and the doctors anticipated a full recovery. Her tests showed she no longer had any signs of the infection in her system, and they gave her the okay to return home, as long as she had someone there with her for awhile. “It might take a few months for her to regain full strength, and she’ll have to continue breathing treatments during that time as well.”
Jessie wanted Winter to come home with her, but Winter was insistent on returning to her home. Madison looked at Jessie. “That’s okay, Jessie; I’m not going anywhere until I know Winter is okay.”
Cole turned to Madison. “Thank you, Madison. I’ll be staying with her too until she was well.”
Cole drove Winter back home, and Madison followed in her car. Winter was so eager to get back into her own bed, but it was apparent she was having difficulty climbing the massive, winding staircase that led up to the landing toward her room on the second floor. Cole nearly had to carry her the entire way.
As soon as Winter settled into bed, Madison came over to the edge of the bed. “Winter, it’s very important you listen to Cole and s
tay in bed. What you had was serious, and you need to allow your body to heal. I thought you might like some good books to read while you’re recuperating. I just finished The Freedom Trilogy, by Brenda Kennedy. She’s one of my favorite authors, and I thought you would enjoy her books too.” Madison handed Winter the book.
“Thank you, Maddy.” Winter started to nod off to sleep.
Everything was going well with Winter, so Madison thought it would be a good time to meet with Jim and start moving forward with the investigation, so she gave him a call. “Good morning, Jim. Do you have time to meet with me today? I could come to your office if that’s more convenient for you.”
“That would be great. Can you come by right after lunch?”
“Sure. I’ll see you then.”
Before Madison went to Jim’s office, she wanted to visit the Maitland Art Center. It was the last known destination of the first missing person, and she wanted to start there. Besides, Madison grew up in Maitland and wanted to see if it was as she remembered.
The Maitland Art Center was designed in the Mayan Revival style. Tourists from all over the country stop to walk the courtyards, meander through the walkways and see the hidden alcoves that make up the center’s design.
Madison entered the reception area, picked up a few brochures and the schedule of artists that were exhibiting or giving classes.
The receptionist greeted Madison in the lobby. “Good Morning. Is this your first time to the Center?” Madison was hoping to ask a few questions without sounding too inquisitive. Madison glanced around the lobby. “Not exactly. Maitland is my hometown, and I often came here in my youth. I’d love to look around to see the changes.”
“I’d love to show you the center. There have been a few upgrades, but we have pretty much stayed the same all these years. Especially now that we’re on the National Registry. I doubt there will be many changes in the future.”
“Thank you. I’d like a tour to refresh my memory, and then I like to inquire about your upcoming events.”
The receptionist introduced herself, “My name in Alice, and I’ve been working here for a few years, so I can likely answer most of your questions.”
They walked through the main gallery, which displayed the latest paintings by Tyler Kincaid. They were of women in various locations around the Central Florida area. “Mr. Kincaid has had several showings here and has a large following. His paintings sell every time his work is on display. He also gives classes on occasion, but lately, he only shows. His works showcase local landmarks, and there is always a young woman in his paintings. I guess the combination works well for him because we can’t keep his art in here long,”
Madison found his art lacking in interest for her taste. In her opinion, it looked like he just repeated the same theme over and over. She couldn’t imagine that after buying one, why anyone would hang another piece of his art. His works were too similar, just the women and places changed. Hell, what do I know about art?
Finally, Alice escorted her to one of the courtyards. From that point, Madison asked if she could just meander on her own for awhile. “Sure, many of our visitors like just hanging around in the alcoves or courtyards. If you need anything or have any questions, I’ll be up front.”
“Thank you, Alice.”
There were classes going on in a few of the rooms, but there was a woman in one of the alcoves, working on a painting that caught her eye. The painting was a large Bougainville plant gripping a picturesque wall. Madison kept her distance until the woman took a break. “I like that painting of yours. Have you been painting long?”
“No, I started about a year ago with a class I took here. I instantly fell in love with it, and now I can’t stop.”
“Well, if your other work is like this one, you should have a showing of your own. I like your work.”
“Thank you, but I still have a lot to learn, and I don’t think I’m that good.”
Madison stepped up closer to the painting. “I don’t know a lot about art, but I like what I like, and your work is the kind I would purchase. Who did you take your classes with?”
“Tyler Kincaid. He’s the best, but it’s hard to get into his classes. He’s not doing many anymore because he has such a large following buying his works as fast as he can paint them. Of course, most of the followers are women,” she said with a snicker.
Madison grinned. “He must be good.”
“He is, and not bad to look at either. He has an exhibit coming up in two weeks and is bringing in his new collection. You should come by and see him, I mean his works.”
“I just might. Will you be there?”
“I wouldn’t miss it. My name is Aspen, what’s yours?”.
“Madison.”
“Nice to meet you, Madison. See you then. I’ll be here both days during his showing. I also volunteer here at the Center.”
“Nice meeting you, too, Aspen.”
Madison continued around the Art Center reliving some of her childhood memories. She wandered back through the gallery and stopped again at Mr. Kincaid’s paintings. She found them more interesting this time or was it the thought of a good-looking man painting them? She was curious why he limited his subjects and decided she would ask him as soon as they met.
Madison looked down at her watch. Her meeting with Jim was in twenty minutes, and since she hadn’t been in downtown Orlando for so long, she wasn’t sure of how the traffic would be. She called Jim to tell him she was on her way, just in case. “Hi Jim, I’m on my way. I wanted to stop by the Maitland Art Center and see if I could pick up on anything. I’ll be there shortly.”
“No problem. I’ll be here whenever you get here. I’ve cleared my calendar for the afternoon, so take your time.”
Madison was amazed at how quickly central Florida had blossomed into a real metropolitan city. High-rise buildings and upper-class complexes were going up as fast as old buildings could be torn down. The young career-minded couples were no longer looking for that house in a good neighborhood; they were moving into upscale apartments above shopping complexes and dining areas that were within walking distance. The once quaint small family businesses had disappeared and now shadowed by rows of corporate buildings that loomed over the streets. Even in her hometown of Maitland, some of these complexes were going up along the main drive on Highway 17-92 that ran through the center of town. It is going to take some getting used to, coming back here. It’s not the same place where I knew up, but it still has its charm.
She finally arrived at the Orlando Sentinel. It too had changed a lot. The receptionist escorted her to Jim Tucker’s floor and then to his office.
Jim stood up to greet her. “Thank you for coming, Madison.”
“I’m eager to get started on this investigation. I read over the material you gave me, and I agree that something doesn’t feel right. I can’t put my finger on it yet but plan to move backward and start with the most recent missing woman.”
“I see we are already on the same track. I was thinking the same thing. I know Winter is still very weak and most likely hasn’t told you too much about how I work. I’d appreciate if we kept this investigation in the family, so to speak.”
Madison nodded.“I understand.”
“If there is anything you need, call me anytime. I know this assignment is out of the ordinary, but I just have a strange feeling, and that’s why I want you to explore all possible avenues. Maybe it’s nothing, but somehow I don’t think so.” Jim sat back in his chair.
“I agree, Jim. I’ll dig as far as I can and let you know what I find out.”
“You not only look a lot like Winter, but you seem to have that same spunk and tenacity to get to the bottom of a story. I appreciate that. Good luck.”
“Thank you for the confidence.” Madison reached across the table and shook his hand, then turned and left.
Madison’s work with the FBI had trained her for details, but first, she wanted to set up a central
location where she could work. She called Jessie, knowing her family had a few vacant buildings in Maitland. She didn’t need much room since it wasn’t going to be for the public. “Hello,” Jessie answered.
“Hi Jess, it’s Maddy. I think you’d better put my ID on your phone since I’m going to be here for awhile.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m so excited about your being back, and I know Winter is too. What are you up to this morning?”
“I was just driving past that block on Horatio and noticed you have some empty shops in there. Would you consider renting me one of the small ones in the back?”
“Are you sure you want to rent one of those? They’re pretty small for an office if that’s what you’re thinking about.”
“That small one in the back looks perfect for now. I’m not looking for an office yet, only a place to set up a central command for this investigation. Does it have a bathroom, running water, and electric? If it does, that’s all I’ll need for now.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. I can show it to you now if you’re free.”
“The sooner, the better. I need to get going on this.”
“How soon can you meet me there?”
“I’m just leaving Jim’s office now, and can be back in Maitland in twenty minutes. Will that work for you?”
“I’m on my way.”
Jessie was waiting in front of the row of old shops behind the old vacant bank. She didn’t have to wait long. Madison pulled up next to her car, and then they walked toward the buildings. “Which one are you interested in?” Jessie asked.
“I think I like the one in the middle. I looked in the window and noticed it had the least amount of boxes. What are storing in these shops, since no one is renting them?”
Jessie shrugged her shoulders. “I hate to say it, but our family uses them as storage units. Fortunately, the one you’re looking at hasn’t been used much. I’m trying to get everyone to start cleaning out their junk but haven’t gotten very far on that yet,”.
“I just need to get this cleaned out as soon as possible. Do you know anyone who can come in immediately and thoroughly clean everything? You mentioned that it has a decent bathroom with a shower in the back. Do you think I could get a bed, too? I know I’ll be spending a lot of time here, so a place to shower and sleep would be great. I know I could stay with Winter, but the drive every day might be a problem if I need to be somewhere fast.”
“I sure do. I’ll give them a call. I’ll bet they can be here today or at least by morning, and have it ready for you to move into by tomorrow afternoon.You can stay in my guest room, and that would be just as easy.”
“Thank you, Jess, but this place will be fine for now and renting this is going to be a big help. Now, all I need to do is run over to Staples and buy one of those giant dry erase boards to start my project.”
“Sounds like you’re ready to jump into this. If there is anything I can do to help, please call me. I can be here in five minutes. Also, don’t forget I only live down the street, so don’t be a stranger.” Jessie hugged Madison.
Madison smiled. “I won’t.”
Jessie handed Madison a set of keys to the shop and then left. Madison opened the door to what would soon be her headquarters, at least for awhile.