N3D | Chapter 3

April 12, 2014 | Day 2

"Obviously crime pays, or there'd be no crime." ~ G. Gordon Liddy

3

SATURDAY | MIDNIGHT

Sheriff Barnes rang the Gibson’s doorbell and James was at the door in a matter of seconds. Despite the time, the sheriff was in his typical full on-duty uniform as was Deputy White who stood directly behind him. In his early forties, Sheriff Barnes stood six-foot-four and filled the doorway. The look on his face told James that he was ready for anything. He took off his issued brown ball cap and stroked his thick brown mustache a couple of times while glancing beyond James into the house. It was obvious that the two men were ready for anything as they had both unfastened the straps on their gun holsters.

            “Thanks for coming, Sheriff,” James said and offered his hand while motioning for the men to come inside. The sheriff took it and then entered the house. James shook Deputy White’s hand, as well. The much younger deputy tipped his hat to James and entered the house directly behind his boss. Despite the time, his eyes were alert and his demeanor all business.

            “What have you got, James?” Sheriff Barnes asked while putting his ball cap back on his balding head. Both men stood at attention in the living room while James closed the door behind them.

            “In the kitchen. This way,” James said. He walked ahead of them through the living room, past the tiny study and through the swinging door to the kitchen. Both men followed.

            “Dr. Tanner is on his way, as well,” Sheriff Barnes offered. “He just texted me and said he’s about five minutes away.”

            “Great, we’re going to really need him,” James said over his shoulder.

            Once in the kitchen, James announced that Sheriff Barnes and Deputy White had arrived. Introductions were made since neither the sheriff nor deputy had ever officially met James’ children. Victoria knew both men well and had actually gone to high school with the sheriff. She was one of the few in town that ever called him by his first name of Matthew. The woman still sat at the kitchen table. Amy was with her now and showing her some of her colorful rubber band bracelets that she had made for friends. Victoria pulled both men over and filled them in on what had happened so far leaving out none of the details. Deputy White wrote notes as Victoria talked. Sheriff Barnes had dealt with trauma many times in his life and knew that sometimes it was best if the police were the last to speak with the victim. He wasn’t really sure what they were dealing with yet and had not ruled out drugs or alcohol abuse. With the situation under control at the moment, he opted to wait for the doctor before speaking with the young woman.

            “Deputy White and I are going to take a look out back if you don’t mind. In fact, let’s keep everyone in the house until we give you guys the all clear,” Sheriff Barnes said in a hushed tone. “Dr. Tanner should be here any minute. We’ve also got Deputy Gill out patrolling your area as well as putting alerts out in other towns in the vicinity. It’s the best we can do since we don’t have much to go on at this point. If your girl here starts talking, let us know so we can see if we can try to get a description out of her and put out a BOLO on the boyfriend.”

            “What’s a BOLO?” Tommy asked. He had come up quietly and was standing next to his mom.

            Deputy White leaned down and spoke gently to him. “It’s a fancy way to say be on the lookout for someone.”

            Tommy smiled and nodded his understanding.

            The doorbell sounded again. Victoria nodded her agreement to Sheriff Barnes’ not wanting them to leave the house. She watched as he and Deputy White went out the back kitchen door.

            “I bet that’s Dr. Tanner,” James said as he left the kitchen and headed for the front door.

            Victoria whispered in Amy’s ear to go on to bed and help get Tommy settled, as well. Amy gathered up her colorful rubber band bracelets and did as she was told with Tommy right behind her. She started to leave the kitchen, turned back around and ran to their strange visitor. She hugged her and the woman hugged her back. Victoria smiled as her heart was warmed by the simple interaction and the sweetness of her daughter’s heart.

            James returned to the kitchen with a short balding man wearing wire-rimmed glasses, khaki pants and a blue button-down dress shirt while carrying a black backpack. Dr. Tanner was a fit man in his early fifties who ran three to five miles a day and was careful about what he ate. As the small town doctor for many years, he had seen his fair share of cases and was always ready to openly adapt to any situation. It helped that his wife was just as flexible and even helped pack his bag. Dr. Tanner slowly came onto the scene, surveyed the situation with his own trained eyes and set his backpack upon an open space on the counter top. Following him was a woman in her late thirties with short black hair wearing jeans and a pink blouse. She stayed close to Dr. Tanner. Victoria filled them in on the situation while James gave their guest more coffee and offered her a banana, which again she sniffed and studied closely before partaking.

            “Victoria, thanks for all you’ve done so far,” Dr. Tanner said softly with a genuine smile. “I realize this is difficult for everyone and we’re not sure what we have yet. If she is as attached to you as you’ve indicated, then I’m going to need you to stay by her where she feels safe. She’s obviously been traumatized by some event. It could take some time and patience to learn what happened to this young lady. After that, we will need to transport her to the county hospital for the night so we can help her recover. I’ve already called ahead. Oh, this is Janice Parker.”

            “No problem, Dr. Tanner. Nice to meet you, Janice,” Victoria said and took the woman’s hand in hers.

            “Nice to meet you, as well,” Janice said with a smile.

            “Janice is one of the nurses we use periodically and has some psychiatric background,” Dr. Tanner explained. “I brought her along just as a second opinion and to help communicate. Just follow our lead and I’ll help us all through this.”

            The three of them approached the table. Dr. Tanner motioned for Janice to stay back a little from the woman. He motioned for Victoria to go ahead. James stepped back and stood by the coffee pot.

            “Why don’t you introduce us and we will all sit together,” Dr. Tanner suggested. “It will all be on her terms. Has she given you her name?”

            “Not yet,” James whispered. “We’ve been kind of calling her Priceless since she has a tattoo of the word on her back shoulder.”

            “Priceless it is, then,” Dr. Tanner said.

            Victoria sat down at the table. She gently took Priceless’ hand in hers and smiled warmly. “Sweetie, I have a couple of friends that I would like you to meet. These friends are very nice people and they are here to help you. One of them is a doctor and the other one is a nurse. Can they sit with us?”

            Priceless looked from Victoria to Dr. Tanner and then Janice. Even though they had been in the kitchen for a while, Priceless looked at them as if she had not noticed them there before. She looked back at Victoria and nodded her head.

            Dr. Tanner sat on the right of Priceless and Janice sat across from her. They put their hands on the table where Priceless could see them and moved in deliberate slow movements. Priceless seemed indifferent to them being there and sipped at her coffee. She kept a tight grip on Victoria with her other hand. James brought coffee for Dr. Tanner and Janice. They both smiled their appreciation.

            “This is Dr. Tanner, Priceless,” Victoria said with a smile. “And this is his friend, Janice.”

            “Hello, Priceless,” Dr. Tanner said. “Are you able to tell us how you got here?”

            Priceless sat and thought for a moment. She looked up at the ceiling and then at her coffee mug. She looked back at the doctor and shook her head.

            “Priceless, that’s okay. We are going to try a little game. Do you like games?” Dr. Tanner asked.

            Priceless nodded her head and a little smile spread across her lips. It was as if she had reverted into a little girl.

            “Good, good,” Dr. Tanner said with a smile. “Okay, Janice is going to give you some note cards and a pen. We want you to try and draw what you remember. Anything at all. Whatever comes to you.”

            Janice produced some large index cards from under the table along with a black ink pen. “This is not a test, Priceless. Just draw what you can remember about tonight or anything in your past.”

            Priceless stared at the index cards in front of her. She looked up at Victoria with widened eyes that showed uncertainty and fear. Victoria leaned in closer to her and held the frightened woman’s hand tighter.

            “Priceless, you can do this,” she said, soothingly. “You are safe now. Nobody can hurt you here. We all want to help you. Please tell us what happened.”

            Priceless let go of Victoria’s hand. She sat up straight in the chair and set her coffee mug down. She picked up the pen and took one of the index cards. She started to write. Four words appeared on the card in block handwriting but very legible. Dr. Tanner slowly read them out loud.

            “Boyfriend…Insane…Out…There.”

            Priceless put the pen down and closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her lip trembled. Victoria stood up, moved closer to Priceless and held her. Dr. Tanner leaned in closer to Priceless.

            “Priceless, as a licensed doctor of the state of Texas, I have been trained to practice medicine. Do you understand that?”

            With her eyes still closed and her face half buried in Victoria’s robe, Priceless nodded her head. For a moment, Dr. Tanner felt as though he were looking at a frightened and fragile little girl.

            “Okay, so knowing that and knowing that you have been through something horrible, something that nobody should ever have to go through, I have to check you to make sure you are not hurt anywhere else on your body. Nurse Janice is going to help me and I promise it will only take a short time. Do you think you can do that?”

            Priceless opened her eyes and nodded. Then she pointed to Victoria and held her closer. Victoria soothed her and helped the young woman to her feet, the large men’s robe hanging from her body. Dr. Tanner turned and grabbed his backpack, in which he had packed most of his essential supplies including a rape kit with DNA collection items. If necessary, he could use this kit and quickly send the samples to a forensics laboratory.

            “We can use my master bedroom,” Victoria offered. “We’ll have privacy and access to a bathroom if we need it.”

            They all followed Victoria down the dimly lit hallway to her bedroom which sat toward the back of the tiny house. The kids’ bedroom doors were closed as they walked by. Victoria prayed that they were sound asleep by now and wished that she were under her covers as well. Priceless never let go of Victoria’s hand as they walked and seemed to sense when Victoria was going to stop. Dr. Tanner watched Priceless walk, looking for any limp or change in gait. She displayed none, which surprised him a bit due to her trek across the Gibson’s raw land of cactus and brush in bare feet. The mystery continued to thicken and more questions left unanswered.

            The small group stopped at the darkened doorway to the master bedroom and Victoria flipped on the light switch illuminating the room. The poster bed sat in the middle of the room with the floral printed bedspread and powder blue sheets still ruffled from when they jumped up earlier. Victoria started to clean up a little when she noticed James’ socks and a pair of shorts on the floor. Priceless would not let go of her hand, though, so she just left them.

            Dr. Tanner set his backpack down on Victoria’s antique dresser. Janice took over and started emptying the sterile contents. She laid them out so that Dr. Tanner could easily get to them when needed. Victoria stood with Priceless and unconsciously rubbed her back and continued to soothe her. Priceless seemed very calm and just watched Dr. Tanner.

            “Priceless, I’m going to give you a gown to put on,” Janice said with a gentle and trusting smile. “You can put it on in place of the robe. Once you do that, we will get started.”

            “We are going to need to ask you some tough questions, examine you entirely and take a few samples,” Dr. Tanner said in a serious tone. He wanted to make sure Priceless understood that she was giving consent. “Do you agree for us to do that with Victoria and Janice as your witnesses?”

            Priceless glanced at Victoria who nodded her approval. She let the robe fall to the ground, closed her eyes and nodded her agreement.

N3D | Chapter 2

2

FRIDAY | 11:46 P.M.

He took the ramp onto Interstate-35 toward Waco. It would put him in San Antonio in four and a half hours, which was what he had planned all along. The rare red 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Volante hummed along as if it had hardly been driven and there was not a scratch on it or the black leather interior. Smiling, he settled into the driver seat as the cool night wind blew through his hair in the open convertible. The radio was up and tuned to a local classic rock station. Traffic was very light and he did not anticipate any until Austin where construction could slow him down a little. Everything was coming together nicely.

            The car had been picked up at Ray Vivano’s Vintage Cars earlier in the day and would be delivered to the client as expected just like he promised his boss. He was not exactly happy that his boss had chosen him to do the job, but everything had worked out in the end. The call had come in yesterday from Adrianne’s Auction House in New York. As a freelance deliverer of vintage cars, he was available but did not like the hours. The client was a wealthy partial owner of the San Antonio Spurs and was having a birthday on Saturday. He had found the Aston Martin through his agent and the deal was struck with Ray. The plan was that the car was to be delivered no matter what the cost or method. Cars of quality and expense were usually transported in a special carrier, but the client was adamant about having it sooner than later. There was no time to set up other transportation and so he was driving it back to San Antonio. The rental car was included in the price. If the client complained about the miles or extra cost, he was ready to tell them where they could stick it.

            Gripping the wheel tighter, his anger flashed. He was tired of his boss and the antics of those in New York. They expected him to jump every time they called and thought that they could sweeten the deal with a few dollars here and there. He knew they were ripping him off and they would just dismiss him if he complained. It was as if they thought people in Texas were stupid, especially him. They would explain to him that they had other guys lined up and that he was a dime a dozen in the big pool of freelancers. Late night runs and questionable ethics were really getting to him lately. They were making a ton of money and he was getting peanuts. He was fed up.

            Time to quit this business for good and take what’s mine. Screw them all.

            Little did his boss know that he was about to be able to walk away from the business of vintage car sales for good. With one heist already under his belt and one underway, he would soon never have to work again for the rest of his life. The most recent girl he picked for the job was working out nicely. She took a little more convincing than the last, but came around after he explained the harsh alternatives. He figured about now she was in the victim’s house convincing them that she was in shock and needed their help. As it turned out, she had done some acting before dropping out of college. His luck continued.

There was one more job to be completed after this one and he knew he could not take his eye off the ball yet. There was still much to be done. Events were already in motion and it was only a matter of time at this point. The Eagles started playing on the radio and he sang along to the classic tune. A calmness came over him despite the flashes in his head of what had already gone wrong with the first job. His conscience told him to let it go. The stars were aligning. He allowed himself to be happy for the drive.

N3D | Chapter 1

April 11, 2014 | Day 1

 “Behind every great fortune lies a great crime.” - Honore de Balzac

FRIDAY | 11:11 P.M.

A lone gunshot pierced the quiet cloudless April sky of Lucky, Texas. James Gibson slowly pulled out of his dream and opened his eyes to the darkness of his bedroom. The sound of his wife breathing deeply beside him nearly made him dismiss what he thought he had heard and drift back to sleep. He had been dreaming about catching the biggest catfish of his life and was about to win first prize in the annual Lucky Fish Festival. It was something he had been thinking about lately with summer fast approaching. A second shot was fired and James sat up with a bolt. His rustling of the bed sheets woke his wife, Victoria. She moaned and wiped at her sleepy eyes. James had already swung his legs over the edge of the bed and was grabbing for his blue robe that was draped over the end of their wooden antique poster bed.

            “James, what is it?” Victoria whispered, being mindful of their sleeping children just a few doors down from their bedroom.

            “Gunshots,” he said. “Two shots and they were close.”

            James scrambled into a pair of sweatpants, made his way to the drawn curtains in their room and slightly pulled open the two panels of fabric. He then opened one slat in the blinds and looked out onto their twenty acres of wooded land. The moon was bright and allowed for him to quickly survey the parts that were closest to their aging wood-framed country house. His riding lawn mower was next to their shed casting shadows as well as a saw horse and some pieces of wood he had been planning to use in their vegetable garden. Mesquite trees and cactus were mostly what he saw while his eyes scanned the other parts of the terrain. He could barely make out the barbed wire fencing that separated their land from where their ten head of cattle roamed freely. Victoria came up behind him and pushed open the curtains a little further. She peered through the blinds, as well, and tried to make out any movement. They both heard the shrieking scream at the same time. James moved first.

            “I’ll get my gun,” he announced while hastily moving out of their room in his bare feet. “Call Sheriff Barnes and tell him the situation. Someone may be in trouble.”

            “James, be careful,” Victoria warned.

            By now both of their young children were up and moving into their bedroom. Victoria turned on her bedside lamp. She noticed her hands were shaking a little.

            “Hey, you two, what are you doing up?” she asked while folding them both into her arms. Tommy, aged ten, just groaned as he sunk his face into his mom’s night gown. Amy, newly turned twelve, seemed wide awake as if she were well rested and had been asleep for hours.

            “Were those gunshots, mom? Tommy said he heard two shots, but I told him I only heard one,” Amy said as she looked up at her mom for confirmation. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Victoria could barely make out the cute freckles across the bridge of her nose in the dim light.

            “Yes, those were gunshots,” Victoria confirmed. “I need to call the sheriff. You two get back to bed. It’s late.”

            “Aw, mom, I want to see what’s going on,” Tommy complained.

            “Me, too,” Amy added and then padded away. “Come on, Tommy, let’s go see what dad is doing.”

            Victoria had dialed the sheriff’s office and someone was already answering before she could stop her nosey children. “Deputy White, yes, hello, this is Victoria Gibson. We have a situation out here on our land and need help.”

            Amy and Tommy snuck through the house without turning on a light. The moon coming through the windows was enough for them to see and not bump into anything. Tommy stayed close behind his sister and didn’t say a word. It was as if he knew not to be his usual chatter-box self. When Amy would pause, Tommy would do the same. They both heard their dad at the same time. He was closing the door that led to the outside from the kitchen. A white bunny nightlight was on in the kitchen and lit the way for them to easily follow. They waited a moment before they opened the door so that he did not hear them. Just as they were about to close the door behind them, Victoria pulled it open and the kids froze on the tiny square concrete landing just outside the back door. They could see the warning and concern on their mother’s face.

            “What are you two doing out here?” she demanded in a stern whisper. “I told you to get back in bed. Now, get back in this house! It’s not safe out here. Someone has a gun. Your dad will take care of this.”

            Before they could protest, another scream came from the woods just beyond their fence line. The three of them watched as James turned with his flashlight just in time to see a figure run out from behind the closest trees. James raised his gun, pointed the light and said something to the stranger. Before anyone could react to the surprise, the figure was upon Victoria and throwing its arms around her. It was a woman. Whimpers escaped her mouth and she was hysterical. Victoria pushed her away a little and tried to calm her. She kept pointing behind her and literally was trying to climb onto Victoria.

            “Who are you? What are you doing out here?” Victoria asked in a somewhat calm but high-pitched voice. She didn’t know what else to say or do with this woman clinging to her.

            “Mom, she’s naked,” Amy whispered.

            James came up to them with his gun still raised and flashlight trained on the stranger just in case something happened. They all surveyed this woman and tried to make sense of what was happening. The young lady was completely naked except for a pair of black lace panties. Her hair was a tangled mess. Mud covered her arms and streaked her legs along with what appeared in the strained light to be blood and dead grass. A tattoo of the word Priceless was on her back under the right shoulder. She went from panting to sobbing and then back to panting again. James took off his robe and covered her with it.

            “H-H-He’s a-a-a-fter m-m-m-e,” the woman stammered and then nearly passed out into Victoria’s arms.

            “Who’s after you?” James asked. He turned and shone the flashlight into the woods beyond the fence line.

            “James, let’s get inside,” Victoria said. “I have a really bad feeling about this. She doesn’t seem well. I think she’s in shock.”

            “Did you call the sheriff?” James asked. He was on full alert and his past military training was kicking in on instinct. He scooped up the shaking girl into a cradle hold and carried her into the house. Tommy took the rifle from his dad. Amy stayed close behind with the flashlight trained on everyone.

            “They are on their way,” she confirmed. “I told them it was urgent. Come on, kids, let’s get into the house.”

            “May want to call Dr. Tanner, as well,” James added as he made his way through the doorway and back into the kitchen.

            “Good idea. Come on, kids, quit dawdling,” Victoria said, nervously. A shiver ran down her back as the breeze picked up behind them and rustled the leaves in the trees. She suddenly felt like they were being watched. Someone was out there and very close by. She was sure of it.

            Once inside, Victoria quickly turned on the lights and started a pot of coffee. She figured it was going to be a long night and knew nobody was going to be able to sleep any time soon. The kids were wide-eyed and unusually quiet. James was very serious and just stared at the strange woman who now sat at their tiny kitchen table. He was thankful that he had thrown on a pair of sweat pants and at least had on a t-shirt now that he was without his robe. Victoria sat down in a wooden chair next to the woman and gently took her hand. The woman jumped and stared at Victoria. Her eyes were bright blue and piercing. Mud streaked through her mostly blonde hair. A bruise could be seen under her left eye and her bottom lip was swollen and discolored. James’ large robe covered the rest of her body and Victoria could only imagine the bruising or cuts underneath. The woman never took her widened eyes off Victoria.

            In analyzing the woman, Victoria figured her to be in her mid-to-late-twenties judging by her beautiful skin and youthful appearance. She wore no makeup and yet had a magazine model allure to her. Her hands were soft and her fingers were long and delicate. There was no polish on the nails and it was safe to assume this girl had not had a manicure for a while.

            “You’re safe now, sweetie,” Victoria said in a soothing voice. She tightened her hold on the woman’s hand. “Can you tell us your name?”

            The woman shook her head but no words came from her mouth. She finally tore her gaze away from Victoria and glanced around their tiny country kitchen. She brushed some strands of hair from her face while taking in her surroundings. The wooden table was big enough for four people and after years of use was in need of a new staining. The linoleum floor had been polished recently but now was streaked with mud from all of the recent tracks. Wooden cabinets surrounded them with cream colored plastic laminate countertops along with a small dishwasher and stainless steel sink. There were a few pictures on the plain white walls of roosters and bluebonnets but not much else. She breezed past the door they had come in from outside, and her eyes stopped on the older model refrigerator. She licked her lips.

            “Are you hungry?” Victoria asked, noticing where she had stopped in her assessment.

            The woman nodded.

            Victoria stood and started toward the refrigerator. She tightened the sash on her burgundy robe and then adjusted her pony tail. She felt as though she looked a wreck and every gray hair she had was showing. With no makeup on and only night cream, she felt much older than thirty-five years of age. Amy moved over to help her mom by getting a plate and napkin. Victoria smiled at her little helper and noticed that her daughter was wearing one of James’ old t-shirts as a nightgown and her big furry slippers that she received last Christmas. Tommy sat up on the counter and just took in the whole scene without saying a word. He was without his usual electronic gadgets and wore athletic shorts along with a Dallas Cowboy jersey. His eyes looked very sleepy but he would never admit fatigue.

             Meanwhile, James poured a cup of coffee for himself and Victoria. He then got down another cup and poured it for the stranger. The woman took the steaming cup cautiously from James and then smelled it as if it were poisonous. She took a sip and resumed her analysis of the kitchen. She stared at the children at times and made everyone feel uncomfortable, especially since no sound came from her mouth. When Victoria put a ham sandwich down in front of the woman, she looked first at each person staring at her, and then devoured it as if she hadn’t eaten in days.

            “Oh, James, this is so horrible to watch,” Victoria whispered with tears in her eyes. “Who could have done something like this?”

            James put his arm around her and held her tight. The children came over and joined in the hug. None of them could take their eyes off the woman in the kitchen.

            “I don’t know, but I can bet you that Sheriff Barnes will get to the bottom of it.”

The Beginning

Current Friends and Future Friends | Novel Preview

Hello all and welcome. This blog is going to be a preview of my new mystery novel In 3 Days | N3D. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have writing the story.

For those of you who know me, you may recall that I wrote and published my first novel The Man Who Went to Heaven in 2001. It has been a while since I've embarked on another novel, but I feel like I cannot keep the stories inside any longer. So, here we go...

The book is not completed as of yet, but I wanted to start getting feedback on it. That's where you come into play (please and thank you in advance). 

Here are the rules of the game:

1) Author will post a chapter a month (only first 3)

2) Readers will comment on post(s)

3) Most constructive and engaging readers will be written into book as a minor character

Sound like fun? 

For those of you who like to read the synopsis before you pick up the book, this is for you:

The perfect crime is sometimes the one committed right under your nose. . .

In rural Lucky, Texas, a small town between Fort Worth and Weatherford, the Gibson family has just come into a large sum of money. They quickly become the newest multi-millionaires and overnight town celebrities. A rare baseball card that had been in their family for years has been auctioned off and the money now sits in their bank account.

Late one night, while they are asleep, a gunshot is heard and then the shrieking screams of a distressed woman. Finding the woman on their land half naked and bleeding, they invite her into their home. In shock from some traumatic event, the woman cannot speak and refuses to leave Mrs. Gibson’s side. Along with the sheriff and local doctor, the Gibson family tries to help her and find out who is chasing her. A tattoo on her back reads Priceless. That’s what they call her. They will soon find she’s not what she seems. Nothing in their life will ever be the same.   

Meanwhile, four hours down the highway in San Antonio, Doug Diesel is investigating a similar case. A rural family who came into a lot of money has been robbed by a woman pretending not to be able to speak. She’s disappeared without a trace along with their money. The FBI and local police have just figured out she had help. They realize they are now tracking a cold-blooded killer and a thief.

As the two cases collide and time is running out, all agencies must work together to find the killer and put a stop to the crime spree. Everything is unfolding fast. It’s all taking place…in three days.