by Cathy Roberts
When John returned home, he saw that Kerry was curled on the couch, reading.
"How did things go?" she asked, looking up from her book.
"The police think that Uncle Joe was murdered because there were no fingerprints on the shot gun that he used to kill himself with. So, until they have an answer or a suspect in custody, there can't be a funeral. Aunt Emily is really torn up about that. My cousin Casey is being driven home by one of her friends, because she's so upset that she just can't drive. My parents and sister will be here tomorrow. I don't know what good it will do for them to be here though, considering the circumstances." John sank down into the armchair.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Do the police have any idea why someone would murder your uncle?"
John shook his head. "Nothing that makes sense. To my knowledge, Uncle Joe didn't have any enemies. He had a nice job with grandfather's company, but he wasn't in a position where he would make policy decisions or fire anyone." John closed his eyes and savored the feeling of the fan forced air that wafted over him. "I think it's getting cooler in here."
"By one or two degrees," Kerry agreed. She indicated the bowl of ice that she had placed in front of the fan. "That helps, and I also think I'm getting used to the heat as well. You look tired, John. Why don't you go on to bed now?"
"I can't. You're sitting on it. You're taking the basement tonight, remember?" he opened his eyes and grinned at her.
Kerry shook her head. "I can't run you out of your bed."
"You aren't. It's cooler in my room and you should sleep there. Tomorrow night, you can take the couch, okay?"
"All right. You win, but just for tonight. Do you need to go down first and get anything?"
"Yeah." John went to his room to get his sleeping gear while Kerry went upstairs to get her pajamas. Less than thirty minutes later, John was curled up on the couch, unable to stretch out because it was too short for his long frame. He briefly considered moving to the floor, but then decided that the couch had to be better than that.
He still felt shocked over the allegations that his uncle had molested a little boy. Hadn't he promised him that he would never touch anyone else as long as John did what he wanted? True, that had been years ago, but a promise was a promise, right? He could still hear Uncle Joe's voice telling him that it was all his fault anyway. "You bring out these feelings in me, Johnny. It isn't fair for you to leave me feeling this way and not be willing to help me feel better. You wouldn't want me to have to turn to Bobby or Chase for my relief now, would you?" John angrily wiped away his tears, forcing the memory aside once again. He didn't want to think about that time or any of the other times his uncle had touched him or asked to be touched. He didn't want to think about any of it ever again. He would never have to look at his uncle and remember all the things they had done. Joe was dead now and could never hurt him again. That's all that mattered, right? The police and his family didn't need to know about those things. His aunt and cousin should be allowed to remember Joe the way they wanted to, as a good husband and father. They didn't need to remember him the way John did. That boy had to be lying, right? His grandfather had to be right about why the parents took the money and the boy had been lying. If he wasn't lying, then that meant that after John, Joe had gone on to do the same things to other boys and John just couldn't handle that thought right now.
John spent a sleepless night as the heat of the house combined with his tortured memories to keep him awake. When he heard Kerry's footsteps on the stairs, he sighed, knowing that it was time to get ready for work.
"You look like you didn't get any sleep at all," Kerry observed.
"I don't think I did. Those air conditioning people had better get out here soon."
"My thoughts exactly. Why don't you go take a cool shower while I fix breakfast? You'll feel better."
He headed for the basement.
"John?"
He turned around, "Yeah?"
"Thanks for letting me use your bed. It was cooler down there. Just don't forget that tonight is your turn."
"After last night, I don't think I'll forget."
As he went down the steps, he heard her cut on the stereo, the volume blasting throughout the house. He smiled as he thought of what Jerry would say if he happened to walk into the house right now. How many times had Kerry yelled him at because the radio volume was too loud? Too many times to count probably.
He scrubbed hard, working the soap into his skin, then rinsing thoroughly under the cool spray of the shower. He felt slightly guilty over feeling relief that his Uncle Joe was dead. The living nightmare that man had put him through was now over. The guilt came into play when he thought about the boy who accused Joe of molesting him. Was it his fault because he never told anyone what Joe had done to him? Had there been other boys over the years? He was scared to find out the answer to either of those questions.
With a little bit of luck, the police would quickly realize that Joe had killed himself and had not been murdered. The bastard could be buried and properly mourned by his family, then forgotten. He could always hope for that to happen.
As he searched through his drawers for something to wear, his gaze fell upon the photograph he kept on top of the dresser. It was of him, Barb and Bobby, taken the year before Bobby died. Before he had begun his chemo treatments. He looked deceptively healthy, beaming at the camera happily. John ran his finger over his brother's face, a familiar guilt looming inside his heart.
"I'm so sorry, Bobby," he whispered. Then he gave himself a mental shake and finished dressing for work.
When he got upstairs, Kerry told him it was too hot to prepare anything, so they decided to get breakfast at Doc Magoo's, leaving early so they would have plenty of time to eat.
The restaurant was crowded, but they managed to get a booth to themselves anyway. They ordered, then sat back and simply enjoyed the coolness of the restaurant air.
"If it's quiet, you should try to get some sleep," Kerry told him.
He nodded. "Thanks. We'll see if it does get quiet. Weather like this always seems to bring out the worst in people, doesn't it? You would think it would be too hot for people to go around stabbing or shooting their neighbors."
Kerry shook her head. "It doesn't make sense sometimes, does it?"
"There are some things I've seen that I will never understand, nor do I want to understand."
"Same here." Kerry noticed John tense as he looked at someone or something behind her. "What's wrong?"
"I hope that nothing is wrong. The detective that was at my grandparents' house last night just walked through the door."
Kerry turned around in her seat and noticed only one man standing in the doorway. He was looking around, but he didn't head their way. Instead he took a seat at the counter. "Well, he's not here to see you. He might be headed to the hospital to talk to all of us who were involved with treating your uncle."
"Maybe. We'll find out soon enough, won't we?"
The waitress arrived with their breakfasts. Kerry dug in, feeling hungry now that she was cool. John mainly played with his food, what little hunger he had felt had been destroyed by the arrival of Detective Morgan. John's hope that the detective would leave without noticing him was dashed when Morgan paid for his coffee, then approached their table.
"Doctor Carter, do you mind if I sit down?"
"Would it matter if I did?" John replied, ignoring Kerry's surprised expression. He didn't care if he was being rude. He didn't feel like hearing any more of the detectives questions.
Morgan smiled. "No, it wouldn't." He looked over at Kerry. "I'm Detective Morgan, and you are?"
"Doctor Kerry Weaver. I'm an Attending Physician in the Emergency Room."
"And Doctor Carter's landlady. May I?" He gestured to the bench.
Kerry scooted over, giving him room to sit. She could feel a lot of hostility coming from John toward the man, but she didn't understand why he would feel that way. It wasn't the detective's fault that his uncle had not left any fingerprints on the gun. He was only doing his job by investigating a possible murder. John should be relieved to know that the police would pursue the case.
"I understand that you treated Joseph Thielen yesterday morning," he turned his face toward her and Kerry was struck by the intensity of his deep blue eyes.
"That's correct. Not that there was a lot of treatment involved. Mr. Thielen was a D.O.A. The paramedics had been surprised to arrive upon the scene and find him still alive, but he died enroute to the hospital."
"And he had no identification on him at all?"
"No. There was nothing except for a note, which we turned over to the police officer that arrived when he did. That was the only personal effect that was not put into a bag."
"Was he wearing any jewelry?"
"I didn't really notice. The nurses handle the disrobing of the patient."
"I see. Do you remember the names of the nurses who were in the room at the time? Or is there a record kept of things like that?"
"We don't keep those type of records, Detective Morgan. But, I think that we can find out who was in there at the time. I remember Chuni being there, and Malik. John? Do you remember who else was in there?"
"No. They were the only nurses in the room."
"I thought that a another doctor was there as well," Morgan said.
"Mark Greene was with us."
"Man must have rated highly to get three doctors and only two nurses."
"Once it was obvious that there was nothing that could be done for him, there was no need for more nurses. As a matter of fact, I think that Malik left the room once Mark declared the patient dead," Kerry looked to John for confirmation, and he nodded.
"Do you often get patients that are unrecognizable?"
"Too often," Kerry curtly replied.
"It must be rough," he stood. "I need to talk to the others who were in the treatment room. What are the last names of the nurses you mentioned?"
"They are Chuni Marquez and Malik McGrath," John told him.
"Thank you. I'll see you later. Thanks for your time."
John waited until the detective was out the door before he visibly relaxed. "I wish they would just drop the whole thing," he muttered.
"John, if someone murdered your uncle, then that person needs to be brought to justice." Kerry remembered that in his note, the man had admitted to being guilty as charged. She suppressed a shudder at that memory, not wanting to bring it up to John. Surely he remembered it on his own and if not, then it wouldn't do any good for her to remind him of it. Still, she couldn't help but wonder just what Joseph Thielen had been guilty of doing.
"Ready?" he asked.
She nodded. "I'm done."
"I'll get the check," he grabbed the check and headed for the cash register. Kerry fished around in her purse for money to leave as a tip, then met him at the door. Together they walked across the street to work. Detective Morgan hadn't wasted any time. They could see him in the lounge talking with Mark. Malik and Chuni greeted them somberly and they knew that the detective had already told them that he wished to speak with them, too.
John wearily sat on the bed. He had never gotten a chance to take a nap because it had been a rough day and he knew that the worst was yet to come since he had to go back to his grandparent's house. His father had called him from the airport to let him know that they had gotten in safely. Then his Aunt Emily had called to tell him that Casey had arrived at the house. He checked his watch, noting that he still had an hour before he was supposed to be there.
He headed for his bathroom, intending to take a shower. But he never made into the enclosure.
"Hey, Johnny."
John was frozen with fear. He had to be having some type of a hallucination - that was the only reason he could come up with to explain why Joseph Thielen was seated on the toilet.
Joe laughed, "Don't look so shocked. Haven't you ever heard of ghosts?"
"There's no such thing."
Joe shrugged, "Believe what you want, but I'm really here and you're really talking to me. I was here yesterday, too. Didn't you wonder how it was that you tripped so easily in the attic over something that had not been in your way before? Simple answer really, I put the fan in your path. And I broke the light bulb."
"What do you want?"
"I want to make sure that my reputation remains unsullied, Johnny. I don't like it that the police are investigating my life, even if they do want to bring my murderer to justice. It was very difficult for Emily to have to deal with the charges that little brat's family was pressing, I don't want her and Casey to go through any more pain."
"I don't see how I can do anything about that."
"You can make sure you keep your mouth shut, Johnny. The police aren't going to get anywhere by investigating my life. The brat's family let themselves get bought off and they'll keep quiet."
"Then you did molest him?"
Joe shrugged. "That all depends on point of view, doesn't it? If someone throws it in my face and I finally reach out and give him what he wants, then is that really molestation? I think not. It wasn't with you, now was it? You teased me unmercifully, John." He shook his head. "I don't see where I could have done anything any differently. You teased me and led me on, then when I gave you what you wanted, you got all upset. I never liked the fact that I had to resort to threats to keep you quiet and obedient, but, again, that was something that you caused by your behavior. Just as you caused Bobby's death."
"You killed Bobby, not me."
"I wouldn't have touched Bobby if you would have kept your mouth shut and you know it! He was going to tell Roland what you told him about me. I couldn't let that happen. Roland wouldn't have bothered with the police, he would have killed me straight out. I would have been dead and he would have been in prison, or maybe even executed for murdering me. I think that one death was a small price to pay to keep two deaths from happening."
John shook his head. He had never gotten over feeling guilty about Bobby's death. Yes, it was a fact that his brother was dying from leukemia, but when John had broken down and told Bobby what their Uncle Joe had been doing to him, Bobby had not been weak or overly frail. The boys had sat up all night, talking. Bobby had written down what John had told him, then assured him that he would talk to their father the next day. John had gone to school feeling confident that Bobby would handle this, just like Bobby handled everything else bad that came up. On his way home from school, he had a sudden feeling that Bobby had died. When he got home, that feeling was confirmed. Joe was there, crying along with everyone else. It seemed that he had come over to stay with Bobby because their mother had to take Barbara to a doctor's appointment and Roland had a meeting he could not get out of. According to Joe, Bobby had felt tired and wanted to take a nap. When Joe went in later to check on him, Bobby was dead. John didn't quite believe him and when Joe took him aside later, he found out his suspicions had been right on target. Bobby had lashed out at Joe, telling him that he knew all about the things he had done to John and that he would pay dearly for hurting his brother. Joe had told him that he didn't know what he was talking about and Bobby had admitted that John had told him about everything. Joe had then suffocated Bobby to keep him quiet. He told John that it was his fault for not believing him when he had told him that something bad would happen to anyone that John confided in about what "they" did together.
"If you tell anyone at all about what happened when you were a child, then someone is going to get hurt, John. Just like Bobby did. Do you understand me?"
"I've never told anyone else." John shook his head at the apparition. "I still don't see how you think I can say anything that would stop the police."
"If you keep quiet about us, then they won't have anything to go on with regard to the molestation charges and they can concentrate on finding my killer."
"Don't you know who killed you?"
"No. I've never seen him before. He had to have been a professional though, so that means that someone with money hired him to kill me. Once the police find out who that was, then I want you to make sure that the person pays."
"Why would I want to do that?"
"To keep your loved ones alive, that's why," the ghost smiled.
"You're as much of a bastard dead as you were while alive, do you know that?"
Joe shook his head, laughing. "That's one thing that's changed about you, John. There used to be a time when you wouldn't have dared talk to me like that."
"You weren't dead then."
"Ah, so you think that a dead man can't hurt you, is that it?"
"That about sums it up."
Joe smiled. "We'll see about that, won't we?"
Then he was gone. John carefully looked around the bathroom and the rest of the basement, but there was no sign of anyone there. Had he imagined the encounter? Maybe he was really asleep and this had been a dream?
He forced himself to breathe slowly, looking carefully around the room and noting that he was alone. At least from what he could tell. If his uncle was to be believed, there had been times when he had been around, but not visible to John. That scared him even more than the idea that his uncle's ghost was haunting him. Threatening him and those he cared about.
The sound of the water in the pipes told him that Kerry was still taking a shower, so if he didn't want to deprive her of any hot water, he would have to wait a little before he could get clean. Wait a minute, he thought. Kerry had been in the shower for over twenty minutes. She never spent more than five minutes in the shower. Never. Something had to be wrong. And that something probably was his uncle.
John sprinted up the stairs from his room, then up to the second floor of the house. He paused outside the bathroom door, deciding he had better make sure she was okay before he barged in.
"Kerry? Is everything all right?" He called loudly.
No answer. That scared him and he called out her name again, louder this time. Still no answer.
He tried the doorknob, but it wouldn't turn. There was no other option except to break down the door. He stepped back, then delivered a hard kick near the door handle, forcing it open.
Dashing into the bathroom, he went straight to the shower, pulling back the curtain and finding to his dismay that Kerry was collapsed in the tub. Her head was somehow blocking the drain and the water was now covering her face. He lifted her out of the tub and placed her on the floor, establishing the fact that she was no longer breathing. He immediately began to perform mouth to mouth and CPR, working frantically until she finally coughed up water and began to breathe on her own once more. He covered her shivering body with towels, then rushed to her room to use her phone to call for help. He returned to the bathroom and turned off the water, then knelt by her side to monitor her breathing.
"Please be all right, Kerry," he said. "I know this is all my fault and I'm so sorry. Please forgive me for making this happen to you. Please be okay."
He stayed with her until the paramedics arrived, then he went downstairs to let them in. They did what they could for her there, then headed for the closest hospital, which happened to be County General. John made sure everything was locked up, then followed them there. Once he knew for sure that Kerry would be all right, he would go to his grandparents' house.
By the time John arrived at the hospital, he discovered that Mark had sent Kerry for a CT scan because she had hit her head. Mark assured him that otherwise, she seemed fine.
"What happened?"
John shook his head. "I really don't know. When we got home, she wanted to take a shower and she went upstairs. I went down to my room. After a while I realized that I could still hear the water running and that Kerry had been in the shower for about twenty minutes. Kerry never takes longer than five minutes when she showers, so I was worried that something was wrong. When I knocked on the door and called her name, there was no answer. I had to break the door in to get inside, and when I found her, her face was covered with water. I guess that when she fell, her head somehow managed to block the drain. She wasn't breathing, so I performed CPR and mouth to mouth, then called for help. Are you sure she's going to be all right?" John was anxious about that.
"She should be fine. She woke up in the exam room, complaining that her head hurt. I think it's just a minor concussion, but we'll know more once we get the results of the CT scan. She will have to stay here overnight for observation."
"Since our air is still out, that might not be a bad thing. Do you think I could see her? I have to go out to my grandparents' house because the rest of the family has finally arrived, but I don't want to go until I know she's all right."
"That shouldn't be a problem."
"Thanks."
A few minutes later, John was in Kerry's room. Her naturally pale skin seemed even whiter and he found himself blaming himself for what had happened to her. He knew that Joe had done this to Kerry just to prove to John that he was capable of doing harm even if he was dead.
Kerry's eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at him. "I hear I have you to thank for saving my life." Her rough voice was more hoarse due to taking in all that water.
"I did what I could. Do you remember what happened?"
"It was the strangest thing, John. I was done with my shower and I took a step toward the spigot to cut off the water when I stepped on a sliver of soap and my leg went flying out from under me. I don't know how the soap got in the tub. I've been using a body wash for months."
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter now, does it? The important thing is that you're all right. But, next time you take a shower or bath, leave the door unlocked. I could have reached you a lot faster if the door would have been unlocked. I'll replace the door tomorrow."
Kerry frowned. "I didn't lock the door, John. I never lock the bathroom door. When I was a kid I locked the door once to take a bath and I slipped in the tub. My parents scolded me for that and made me promise to never lock the door again. I never have. I know that I need to make it easy for someone to reach me if I should need any help."
"Well, it was locked. I had to kick the door in to reach you."
"I didn't lock it. I swear to you that I didn't lock it."
John didn't want her getting upset over that, so he gently grasped her hand in his. "Maybe it was just stuck. With this heat and humidity, it's possible that the wood swelled."
"That could be what happened. Hey, aren't you supposed to be at your grandparents' house now?"
"Yeah, but I wasn't going anywhere until I knew you were all right. I'm headed that way now."
"Drive carefully. I know you haven't had much sleep lately and I don't want to have you joining me here in the emergency room," she joked.
"I will."
"If you feel tired when it's time to leave there, then stay overnight with your grandparents."
"I'll consider doing that. I'll see you in the morning."
"I'll be here."
John left, passing Mark as the other man was heading into Kerry's room. Since Mark was smiling, John knew that the CT scan had been normal, so he continued on his way to his grandparents' house.
John had just turned into the long driveway to the house when Joe appeared in the passenger seat.
The surprise of having him appear out of nowhere made John jerk the wheel sharply, but he quickly got the car back under control.
"Damn! Don't do that."
Joe laughed, "A little jumpy aren't you, Johnny? So, how is your landlady?"
"Alive. No thanks to you. I don't want you to ever go near Kerry again," John replied through clenched teeth.
"That's all up to you, Johnny. What you do and don't do is going to determine what happens to those you care about. I could have made sure that Kerry Weaver died tonight, but I didn't. I might not always be so nice in the future. Now, I want you to go in there and comfort my wife and daughter. Assure them that I never did anything wrong."
"You already admitted to being guilty in your note."
"A note I never wrote, Johnny. The only part that had my handwriting on it was the envelope. The rest was typed. Find the printer or typewriter that note was created with and you might find my killer. I would never be so stupid as to admit to doing wrong, even if I was desperate enough to kill myself. I would never hurt Emily and Casey in that way."
"No, just in other ways," John muttered.
"I never did anything to hurt them. I kept my mouth shut about what was going on and never flaunted our relationship in front of them. You were the one who wanted to bring it out into the open, not me." As quickly as he had appeared, Joe was gone.
John sighed and parked his car, then headed into the house. Since he was late, he didn't even bother to ring the bell. He knew the door would be unlocked. He stepped into the foyer to see his father, his cousin Casey and his uncle Branch in a heated discussion. As he loudly closed the door, they all looked his way, immediately looking guilty. Had they been talking about him? He didn't think he was that late.
"Sorry I'm late. There was an accident at home. Kerry fell in the shower and nearly drowned."
"Is she okay now?" Roland asked. He had spoken to Kerry on the telephone a few times and liked the woman.
"She has to stay in the hospital overnight for observation, but she'll be okay. Casey, how are you holding up?"
His beautiful blonde cousin had tears in her eyes as he hugged her. "I'm doing much better now that I'm here with Mom. She's trying so hard to be strong."
"Aunt Emily is a strong woman, Casey. She'll make it through this. Pretty soon the police will find that there isn't anything here to investigate and then she can put this all behind her."
"Those are some serious allegations, John," Casey replied. "I don't know how we can move past that. It's not easy to find out that your father is a child molester. Was a child molester. I guess that if anything good can be found in all this, it is that he can never harm another child."
"Casey, there's no proof that your father did any such thing. The charges were dropped."
"Because father paid the family to drop the charges," Branch said.
John glanced at his uncle and saw anger in his eyes. He just didn't know if the anger was directed toward his grandfather or his uncle.
"I think that grandfather is right in his belief that the parents would not have accepted the money if Joe was guilty. They must have been lying."
"They weren't lying, John." Roland coldly replied.
"Of course they were. Uncle Joe would never hurt anyone."
"Well, someone murdered my father," Casey spat out, her glare shifting from Roland to Branch. "A person can't pull the trigger of a gun and then wipe off his own fingerprints. It just isn't possible."
"It could have been just about anyone, Casey. Plus, the paramedics said that he was still alive when they arrived at the park. He might have wiped the prints off the gun."
"Son, the entire gun was wiped. There was no way he did that. You saw him in the hospital and you know that isn't a possibility," Roland said.
"The police want to speak with Chase. They think that Joe might have tried something with him." Branch suddenly said.
Everyone turned to look at him, but it was John who spoke.
"He wouldn't have touched him. Besides, there's no way that Chase can answer their questions."
"I've got an appointment with Chase's doctor in the morning. Detective Morgan will also be there. We're going to discuss Chase's present mental state and whether or not his answers can be believed."
"I can't believe that you would put Chase through that. He's in no condition to be questioned by the police. What's next? Digging up Bobby to see if Uncle Joe ever tried anything with him?"
"John, there will be no more talk like that. I will not have you upsetting your mother that way."
"I don't understand you all. How can you stand here and talk as if you believe he was a child molester? Especially you, Casey. He was your father and he loved you very much."
None of them would even look at him, they simply stared at the floor.
"I'm going to go see Mom. Where is she?"
"In the study with the rest of the family," Roland replied.
"Then that's where I'll be if any of you come to your senses and want to talk." John walked away from them. If his Uncle Joe wanted him to comfort Casey in her time of grief then she was certainly going to have to work harder at finding some of that grief.
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