CHAPTER 12
Pete drove like a mad man, swerving in and out of traffic and sometimes driving on the shoulder of the road if he thought the traffic would delay him. He had his phone in his hands-free device, glancing at it often and hoping it would ring soon. He was fast approaching an area where he’d have to make a decision about which direction to go in. If it came to that he’d have to call the Chief’s secretary and light a fire under her ass. All during his trip he vacillated between being sure everything was all right to deep despair, like a pendulum in a clock. What would he do if Marla were hurt? He couldn’t live without her, not ever again, so she’d just have to be all right.
His thoughts about Dr. Stravinsky and her affiliations were muddled. Had she lied about Marla being pregnant? After several minutes of thinking about the possibilities he decided that as long as Marla was alive they could deal with anything else together. Of course that was assuming she had forgiven him, yet another little bump in the road of life. He hoped it was little and not a Mt. Everest. When his phone rang he jumped, startled. He crossed his fingers as he answered his phone.
“Hello Officer Jensen, this is Chief Parker. We’ve found a probable location in Suttonville. The Marriott can be seen from the expressway, I69 I believe. How close are you to Suttonville now?”
“About twenty five miles from there now, sir. Have you been able to make arrangements for backup with their P.D.?”
“Yes. They’re waiting for you across the , at the IHOP. They have a visual on the room and, to the best of their knowledge, everything is quiet right now. You can meet with them and tell them your plan. I’ll be waiting to hear back from you when this is all over. Any questions, or do you need anything else?” Chief Parker asked helpfully, no longer sounding angry about having his trip interrupted.
Pete had to force himself to drive the speed limit as he turned into the IHOP parking lot. When he walked into the restaurant he had no trouble picking out which table his backup was seated at. They may as well have had a neon sign with an arrow for all they blended in with their dark suits, ties and sunglasses. He walked directly to the table and introduced himself.
One of the officers produced a map of the hotel with the room prominently marked. He explained that he wanted the element of surprise on their side. According to their information there were only two occupants in the room. Pete made a point of telling them that the man had already murdered his Captain and that there was a witness. He didn’t feel the need to tell them the Captain was a traitor and a scumbag, although he thought it. Pete insisted on being the first to enter the room, explaining that he knew all the parties involved by sight.
Once everyone was in position outside the hotel room Pete gave the nod as two of the other officers busted down the door. Dillon had been lying on the couch, probably sleeping, and didn’t move when the other officers yelled, “Police! Freeze!” Pete ran to the bedroom on the left, gun pointing directly ahead in a two handed grip. He scanned the bedroom quickly, noticing the bathroom door was closed. Gently he knocked on the door.
“Marla. It’s Pete. You can come out now. We’ve got Dillon in custody.” Just as Pete got the words out he heard a shot in the living room. He ran to the door and saw Dillon, dead on the floor, his gun by his side as the other officer’s gun’s smoked slightly.
“What the hell happened?”
“He pulled a gun on us and threatened to shoot. I just reacted and shot him.” The officer explained, seemingly unshaken and very sure of the decision he’d made.
“Good job.” He gave the only response he could think of before turning back to Marla.
“Marla, Dillon’s dead. He tried to shoot his way out but it didn’t go the way he thought it would. Please come out and let me see that you’re all right. If you don’t I’ll have to bash in the door.” He held his breath and waited a few seconds until he heard her unlock and then open the door cautiously. She was too scared to come out further than a foot at first. He wanted to grab her and hug her, but when he saw the fear and mistrust written all over her face he just stood there. Smiling broadly when he realized she was indeed pregnant. Having not seen her in over a month he noticed the difference in her body immediately. A stranger would never realize she was pregnant, but he knew.
“Are you all right? Should I call a doctor?” He asked gently, finally unable to resist touching her, he ran his hand down her cheek.
“I think I’m fine. So Dillon is really dead?”
“Yes. It’s all over, I promise.” Pete reassured her. “I’ll send in one of the other officers to get your statement. Why don’t you have a seat on the bed, it could be a few minutes until someone can get to you. Can I get you anything?” He held her hand briefly before she pulled it away.
“Did Captain Perkins ever give you a letter from me?”
“No, but I heard them laughing about it. She said she burned it and let the ashes fly out the window while she drove here.”
“Then we need to talk when all of this is over. One thing you do need to know though is that I was really, really happy about the news of the baby. Dr. Stravinsky told me during our meeting with Captain Perkins.”
Marla just nodded her head briefly before another officer came through the door and told Pete he was needed in the other room.
He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket as he walked into the living room. She heard him tell someone that it was all over and that Dillon was dead. Marla sat on the bed trying to wrap her mind around the recent events, realizing she was free, finally.
The bad news was she had no idea where she was and didn’t have a dollar to her name until the banks opened in the morning. She got her suitcase out of the closet and began to pack her meager belongings. She wasn’t sure why she bothered to pack her clothes, they didn’t fit anymore, but they were hers and she didn’t know what else to do with them. Once the baby was born she’d be able to fit back into them, but did she really want to lug them around with her for the next five months? No. All she really needed were her grooming supplies for now. She needed to find some maternity clothes and an ob/gyn before she left the town. She would make a point of asking one of the police officer’s if there was a homeless shelter in the area. Not having a debit card she would have to wait until tomorrow to get access to her savings account.
Marla grabbed her grooming supplies and put them into her suitcase, anxious to leave as soon as she was done giving her statement. Sitting down on the bed Marla waited, at first patiently, then angrily, for someone to come and take her damn statement. After two hours of waiting, Marla grabbed her suitcase and walked out of the room, avoiding the sight of the dead Dillon as she slipped silently out the door.
She needed to find someplace to stay before dark and they could shove their statement. What could she say that they didn’t already know? The murderer was dead anyway, so what was the point in rehashing everything? She asked about the shelter at the hotel desk and was told it was on the other side of town, approximately three miles away. Piece of cake, Marla thought, as she began to walk towards the shelter. Luckily she had been walking on the treadmill so she had no doubt that eventually she could make it there on foot. Once she got settled at the shelter she’d ask about finding a doctor.
Marla walked slowly, stopping to rest when she felt tired, as she made her way to the shelter. While she was waiting to cross the street Pete pulled up quickly in front of her and was out of the car and in her face within seconds of stopping.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Didn’t I ask you to wait and give a statement? What in the world are you thinking, walking all this way by yourself?” Pete was furious as he yelled at Marla in the middle of the street.
“I’m walking to the shelter I plan on staying in tonight. And no you didn’t ask me to give a statement, you ordered me to. I’m done doing what other people think I need to do. That hasn’t worked out very well f
or me in the past. From now on I’ll make my own decisions and do what I think is best. By the way, I did wait for two hours but no one ever came to take the damn statement. I don’t know what you want me to say anyway. Alonso/Dillon or whatever the hell his name is is dead and he was the murderer, end of statement.” She started to walk around Pete’s car which was blocking her way, when Pete grabbed her arm to stop her.
“What about us? We need to talk about us and about the baby, or did you forget that little fact.”
“Again, not much to say there, either. I wanted you to be aware that there was a baby and you are. There’s nothing more to say and talking about it won’t make it any different or go away so what’s the point?”
“Well, I have a lot to say! Here, I reprinted the letter I wrote to you. Please, have a seat in the car and read it. I promise I’ll be quiet until you’re done. Please Marla, I’m begging you.” Marla thought for a minute and then nodded her agreement as Pete rushed around the car and opened the passenger door for her. He helped her into the car and then pulled into a nearby parking space while she read the letter.
With tears streaming down her face, blurring her vision, she read the letter. He didn’t say anything as he handed her a wad of tissues. She smiled when she got to the part about Curly, but she still didn’t say anything.
“Well, what do you think?”
“I don’t know, I have to think about it.” She rubbed her forehead, realizing that now she really did have a headache. “I think it’s pretty convenient that you wrote the letter only after you found out about the baby. Do you know yet who Dr. Stravinsky worked for?” She needed to stall for some thinking time more than anything else.
“No, but we will eventually find out.”
“What do you expect from the letter, Pete? A lot has happened and a lot of time has gone by. I’m not the same person anymore.”
“I guess I want forgiveness. I want you to understand that I know what I did was wrong on so many levels.”
“All right Pete, I can forgive you. Consider yourself absolved of all sin.” She opened the car door and began to get out.
“Wait! Where are you going?”
“I need to get to the shelter before dark.”
“There’s no way I’m letting you stay in a shelter tonight. Come with me and we’ll get a room at a different motel for tonight.”
“First of all, Pete, I don’t need your permission to stay at the shelter. I’m a big girl now and can and will make my own decisions. Until I can access my money I have no other alternatives besides sleeping in a doorway somewhere. I also need to eat something and the shelter will provide that too. One stop shopping. I plan on seeing a reputable ob/gyn as soon as I can get an appointment, just to make sure everything’s all right. Right now those are my priorities. Pretty basic stuff, really. I need to get on with my life.”
“Please, Marla, don’t cut me out of your life. Please let me help you attain those goals. I know my words sounded like orders, I promise to work on that, but for now allow me to help you. Let’s go get something to eat, I think all three of us will feel better once we’ve eaten. What do you say? Please?” He rubbed his hand up and down her arm gently as he spoke. This wasn’t going at all the way he’d expected or hoped. He had hoped she’d jump into his arms and smother him with kisses once she’d read the letter. Now he knew that was just some dumb fantasy. He thought he understood how deeply he’d hurt her, but he hadn’t even scratched the surface. This was going to be a lot harder than he’d thought. Marla was right, she’s not the same person she was. She had lost that glint of happiness in her eyes. She hadn‘t smiled once since he saw her, not even once she was rescued. Before all of this she had been open and friendly to everyone. Now she was closed and quiet, guarded in both words and actions. He found himself wishing he could change her back to her old self. Realistically he could probably only hope for a compromise between the two Marla’s he knew.
Thinking back on things, he couldn’t help but remember how he’d been when he’d come to Wynott. Marla was the one who transformed him from a selfish loner to a happy, friendly person. People actually liked him now that he wasn’t putting out negative vibes all the time. How had she transformed him? Pete decided that he needed to talk to Betsy back in Wynott, she knew Marla better than anyone and he needed all the help he could get.
“All right Pete, I’ll let you help but I insist on paying you back or I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“It’s a deal. What do you feel like eating?”
“Steak, medium rare. Baked potato and salad with strawberry ice cream for dessert.”
“Sounds perfect.” He turned the car around and headed back into the business district of Suttonville.
They found a steakhouse with a crowded parking lot, even a few trucks, a sure sign of a good place to eat. To their surprise they didn’t have to wait long for a table. He informed the hostess they were ready to order whenever the waitress got a chance to take it.
The waitress was in her mid-fifties, well groomed and dressed, so Pete felt comfortable asking her if she could recommend a good ob/gyn in town.
“Everyone I know goes to Dr. Jarrod Kane. He has a really good reputation and specializes in high risk pregnancies. My own daughter-in-law had lost three babies until she started going to Dr. Kane, now we just had a new grandson delivered last week. Both mother and baby are healthy as horses and my daughter-in-law swears it’s because of the care Dr. Kane gave her. I met him myself for a few minutes, nice guy. I’d recommend him and I know quite a few other people as well who would do the same.” Angie, according to her nametag, answered.
“One more question. What’s your grandson’s name?” Pete asked with a smile.
“Quint, but I don’t hold it against him. That is the most God awful name, but my boy is stuck on it.” Angie shook her head and laughed as she turned and walked away.
“Well, that was a pretty glowing endorsement, how would you feel about making an appointment with him,” Pete asked.
“He sounds like a miracle worker. I might have trouble getting an appointment.”
“Let’s see right now.” Pete popped up and asked Angie for a phone book or if she knew Dr. Kane’s phone number. Lucky for him, Angie looked up the number on her cell phone and watched Pete program it into his phone. He came back to the table and started dialing. Marla listened while he made an appointment, after quite a bit of maneuvering, for tomorrow at four o’clock in the afternoon. She had to admit that she was very impressed at how Pete was able to accomplish an appointment for the next day. Just from the part she had heard, the doctor was booked solid tomorrow, but Pete wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Well, that went better than I expected. We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon at four o’clock, will that work for you?”
“That will be fine, but what do you mean, we? Don’t you have to get back to Wynott tomorrow?”
“No, we can go back after the doctor’s appointment tomorrow. I know I have a few days off coming to me. I’ll just use a couple. Do you mind if I go in with you to see the doctor? I have a few questions of my own.” He carefully worded the request, not wanting it to sound like a demand.
“I have nothing to hide, but you know they can’t do a DNA test until after the baby’s born. I already checked with Dr. Stravinsky on that, I figured you’d want one.”
“Why would I want a DNA test? I trust you, Marla. If you say the baby is mine then it’s mine. I’ve never questioned it.” He was stunned that Marla would assume he’d question the baby’s parentage.
“You shouldn’t be so trusting Pete, it’ll come back and bite you in the ass and you won’t even see it coming. Anyway, like I said, you’re welcome to come along.”
“Are you trying to tell me you lied and I’m not the father?”
“No, I know absolutely that you’re the father.
You’re the only man I’ve ever been with.” Or will ever be with again. But Marla didn’t dare share that last tidbit with him. It really wasn’t any of his business anyway.
The conversation ended when Angie brought the rest of their dinner and they ate in silence. When Marla finished her ice cream she sat back in her chair and rubbed her belly. “I’m stuffed. I haven’t eaten this much at one time since - never. I’ve never eaten this much in one sitting before. It was delicious, thank you Pete. I’ll pay you back first thing tomorrow.”
“I think I can afford a steak dinner for the mother of my baby. Don’t worry about it, Marla.”
“That’s not the point. We had a deal and I’m sticking to it. If you can’t, let me know now and I’ll start walking back to the shelter.” She wasn’t kidding, and Pete knew it.
“I’ll stick to it, I just forgot for a minute. Could you cut me a little slack? I’ve had a busy day today.”
“Ready to find a room?” Pete asked as Angie laid down their bill.
“If you folks are looking for a room for a night there’s a little B&B straight down this street, it’s real nice and the lady that owns it is a good cook to boot. Can’t do any better than Bertie’s B&B, that’s for sure. Big sign’s out front, you can’t miss it. Tell her Angie sent you and she’ll take good care of you.”
“Thanks again Angie, you’re a lifesaver.” He picked up the check and left an extra generous tip for Angie.
Marla asked Pete to buy a newspaper on their way out of the restaurant. She needed to find a job with health insurance benefits before her own insurance ran out. She turned immediately to the Help Wanted ads and began to scan them with a pen she found on the seat of his car.
“What are you looking for in the classified ads, Marla?”
“A job. I need to find something with health insurance and a decent wage.” Being engrossed in her task she hadn’t realized they were already parked in front of the B&B or that Pete was staring at her like she had snakes coming out of her head.
“Why?” He asked simply. “Don’t you have health insurance through the bakery?”
“I did when there was a bakery. I’m sure by now everyone has gotten other jobs and I need to do the same thing.”
“Maybe you could start the bakery back up again. Everyone loved that place. You could have it up and running again in no time.”
“No, it wouldn’t be fair to everyone’s current employers, plus I don’t think I can work as many hours as I used to before the pregnancy. Once the baby comes I’m sure I can’t. Besides, I wasn’t planning on going back to Wynott to live.” Marla dropped that bombshell and Pete was the one who nearly exploded.
“What? Why not?” Suddenly he felt all his hopes and dreams shatter into a million pieces.
“I don’t want to be the town project anymore. I need to live someplace where no one knows me and start over again. I don’t really have very good memories anymore of my time in Wynott.”
“So where are you going to live?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll know it when I see it.”
“What about the baby? Dr. Stravinsky told me you were planning on keeping him or her. Did you change your mind?”
“No, I’m still planning on keeping him or her. Why would you think I wouldn’t?”
“Because you’re not taking into account that I won’t be able to see the baby, or be a father to the baby, if you move away.” Now he was angry, making no effort to conceal it.
“I didn’t know you wanted to be involved. I’ll try and keep that in mind when I decide where to live.” Marla conceded. “Could we go in now, I need to lie down for a while. My stomach is a little upset.”
“All right, but I’m not done with this conversation yet. We’ll get back to it later. Are you still having some morning sickness? Dr. Stravinsky mentioned you were but that was a while ago.”
“Every once in a while. It’s certainly better than it was, that was awful.”
“I wish I could have been there with you and helped you through it. I’ve been looking forward to being included in the pregnancy,” He confessed. “It never occurred to me that you wouldn’t want me to be involved. I mean, I knew you were mad and hurt and upset with me, but it never occurred to me that you’d deny me access to you and the baby.” “Pete, I don’t think staying here is really a good idea for me. I think I’ll be better off at the shelter for now. I’m afraid your expectations are different than mine.” “No. I’ll make sure you have a separate room, if possible. I won’t bother you, I promise. I’m pretty tired myself. Let’s just both get a good night’s sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.” “All right. I’m exhausted.”