Plain Truth

TWO

Ella stepped into the hallway and paused. Her head ached, and the muscles in her back and legs were strained. Although she’d survived the attack, her insides were still trembling. After Quin’s death, she had moved to Georgia, looking for a better life. Now an intruder had robbed her of her peace and sense of security.

She doubted that the special agent could understand the way she felt. He was big and bulky, and impeccably dressed in a navy sports coat and khaki slacks, with a patterned tie that brought out his rugged complexion and dark eyes. Some might call him handsome. She found him intense.

Glancing into the small treatment room, she saw Hugh Powers, head in his hands, sitting in the chair where his wife had slept not that long ago.

Ella tapped on the door frame. “Corporal Powers?”

He glanced up.

“I’m sorry about Mary Kate.”

“The EMTs said she would have bled out if you hadn’t helped.” He looked weary and confused.

A sound caused her to turn. The special agent had entered the hallway and stood staring at her. “I thought you were going to your residence.” His voice was low and clipped.

“I was talking to Corporal Powers.” She glanced back at the soldier. “I know this isn’t the homecoming from the Middle East that you expected, with sick children and an injured wife. If it’s any consolation, the girls are getting stronger, and I’m sure the doctors at Fort Rickman are doing everything they can for Mary Kate.”

“When can I leave here?” he asked. “I need to go to the hospital to be with my wife, but the sergeant said he might have more questions.”

“Maybe Special Agent Swain can help you.”

Zach stepped forward, getting much too close to Ella. All she’d been able to smell since the storm was Georgia clay and dried blood. Now she inhaled the clean scent of sandalwood and a hint of lime.

She looked up, taking in his bulk, and then glanced down at her tattered blouse and soiled hands, realizing once again that she couldn’t let appearance define her.

Ella wasn’t who Quin had wanted her to be—that became evident over the course of their short marriage. The problem was, she wasn’t sure who she was or what she wanted anymore. Quin had that effect on her. Or maybe it had started with her father, who was never satisfied with anything she did. How had she married a man who reminded her of her dad? A psychologist might say she was trying to prove her worth to both men, but she was tired of having to prove herself to anyone, even the special agent.

He touched her arm. She glanced down at a hand that would dwarf her own.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice brimming with concern.

Evidently, she had been lost in thought longer than she realized. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

Turning abruptly on her heel, she followed the female police officer into her private residence and sighed as she closed the door behind her. Of course she wasn’t fine. She had been beaten up by an assailant who’d tried to shoot her.

The gun. Why hadn’t she remembered the gun?

Ella hurried back into the hallway and stopped short in front of the treatment room. Zach moved to the door.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“The man...the assailant...he drew a weapon. The gun jammed. He kept trying to pull the trigger, over and over again.”

The reality of her own brush with death overtook her. Tears burned her eyes. Her body trembled. Shock. She knew the signs, but couldn’t help herself. She felt weak and sick and all alone.

Powerless to stop herself, she stepped toward the special agent with the wide shoulders and broad chest.

He opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace. “You’re safe now.”

Which was exactly how she felt. Then, all too quickly, she realized her mistake and pulled out of his hold.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, embarrassed by her moment of weakness. Her cheeks burned as she retraced her steps and escaped into the kitchen.

Ella had hoped to find peace in Freemont, Georgia, but she’d found something else. She’d found a brutal attacker, a man who had tried to kill her. Why had he come into her clinic and what had he wanted to find?

* * *

Why had he opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace? Zach let out a stiff breath and mentally chastised himself for his emotional response to the doc. What was wrong with him tonight?

He stood staring after her as she closed the door at the end of the hallway, and willed himself to act like an investigator instead a guy taken in by a pretty face and big blue eyes. Inwardly, he shifted back to CID mode before he stepped into the treatment room where Corporal Powers waited.

After introducing himself, Zach inquired about the corporal’s unit and why he had followed his wife and daughters to the clinic.

“I didn’t follow them,” the man insisted. “Mary Kate and the twins left the house when I was sleeping. The girls had been sick, and my wife mentioned calling the doctor.”

“Dr. Jacobsen?”

The soldier nodded. “I figured they were here.”

“So you came to find them.”

“That’s right.”

“Tell me what happened when you arrived?”

“I already told the Freemont cop.”

“But you need to tell me.” Zach pulled out a notebook and held a pen over the tablet. He glanced at the young father and waited.

The sergeant clenched his hands. A muscle in his thick neck twitched.

Zach voiced his concern. “Does it make you angry to talk about what you saw, Corporal Powers?”

“I found my wife on the floor of this clinic. If it hadn’t been for the doc, Mary Kate would have bled out. How would that make you feel?”

“Worried about my wife’s condition.”

“I was also worried about my girls. I thought they’d been killed. I was frantic.”

“And angry?” Zach added. “Perhaps at your wife for leaving you and taking the children?”

The corporal shook his head. “I was angry that my wife was hurt, and fearful for my daughters. When I found them unharmed and sound asleep, I...I lost it.” Hugh pulled in a ragged breath and rubbed his neck.

“You and your wife married when?”

“Five years ago. Soon after the girls were born. Mary Kate was living in the Savannah area. I was stationed at Fort Stewart.”

“She was pregnant when you met?”

“That’s correct.”

“Did you adopt the girls?” Zach asked.

“I’m their father.” Anger flashed in his eyes. “Yes, I adopted them.”

Other questions came to mind, like who was the biological father, but at that moment, Officer Abrams entered the room and nodded to Zach.

He posed one final question. “You’re staying with your in-laws?”

“I am.” The corporal nodded. “But right now, I want to go to the hospital and be with my wife.”

“Looks like the Freemont police need to ask you some more questions.” Zach handed the soldier his card. “Contact me if you remember anything else.”

He handed a second card to Abrams. “I’ll be in touch.”

“You’re taking the doc to the Freemont Hospital?”

“Roger that.”

Zach returned to the office and studied the bloodstains on the floor. From the position of the blood spatter, he guessed Mary Kate had probably awakened, heard a noise and stumbled into the room, where the intruder had attacked her physically and then shot her with his weapon. Yet the doctor hadn’t mentioned hearing gunfire.

He walked to where Taylor was lifting prints off the doctor’s desk. “I was at Fort Rickman when the storm hit tonight. We had a lot of lightning and thunder. Was it the same around here?”

The young cop nodded. “Sounded like explosive blasts, one after another. Don’t know when I’ve heard such deafening claps of thunder.”

“Loud enough to muffle a gunshot?” Zach asked.

Taylor hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “As loud as Mother Nature was tonight, anything could have been masked by the storm.”

“Yet the doctor heard a scream.”

“Which could have come between the lightning strikes. I don’t think that’s a problem, if you’re wondering about what the doc remembers. Sergeant Abrams said she’s got a bit of amnesia on top of shock. Her memory might return with time.”

Zach peered down at the top of the desk. “Have you found any good prints?”

“A few partials. Whether we’ll be able to identify anyone from them is the question. They’re probably Dr. Jacobsen’s or the nurse who works for her. I told you that we took the doc’s prints earlier. We’ll get the nurse’s tomorrow. Won’t take long before we know if we’ve got a match. I’m sure Sergeant Abrams will keep you informed.”

“He’s got my number.”

An engraved invitation embossed with a caduceus logo and printed on heavy ecru card stock caught Zach’s attention. He leaned closer, not wanting to touch anything on the desk until Taylor had finished his work.

“Cordially invited... Medical Symposium... Atlanta...” The event was scheduled for the upcoming Friday.

Zach rubbed his jaw. Somehow he couldn’t see the rural doc fitting in at what appeared, from the fancy invitation, to be a rather highbrow event. Although maybe there was more to Ella Jacobsen than he realized.

The sound of footsteps caused him to look up as she entered the office. She was wearing gray slacks and a matching rust-colored sweater set. From the damp hair that curled around her face, he guessed she had taken time to shower.

As she stepped closer, he inhaled a fresh floral scent that contrasted sharply with the stale air in the clinic. A roomful of law enforcement types working extended shifts late into the night didn’t do much for air quality.

“I appreciate you driving me to the hospital.” Her apologetic smile looked more like a grimace. “I doubt there’s anything wrong with me other than some scrapes and bruises, yet I always encourage my patients to be examined after any significant injury. I wouldn’t be much of a doctor if I didn’t practice what I preached.”

“Going to the hospital is a good decision.”

She glanced at Officer Taylor. “I usually don’t leave my desk in such disarray.” She tugged a strand of hair behind her ear. “I saw the man standing over it. Maybe he went through my papers.”

Taylor pointed to an open cabinet. “Looks like he was going through your patient files, too, ma’am.”

“I can’t imagine why.”

“Have you treated anyone recently that might not want their diagnosis revealed?” Zach asked. “Most folks don’t want their medical information to end up in the wrong hands.”

“I deal mainly with Amish children. I can’t think of anything significant that my patients or their families would want to keep secret.”

“What about the twins’ condition? Is there any reason for that not to get out?”

Dr. Jacobsen shook her head. “Not that I know of.”

“Maybe we’ll find a match with one of the prints,” Taylor said.

“Are you going to talk to my nurse in the morning?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll get her prints then.”

Zach pointed to the door. “If you’re ready?”

She took a step forward and then hesitated. “I need to tell someone to turn off the lights and lock up when they leave.”

The concern for her clinic was understandable. “I’ll talk to Sergeant Abrams,” Zach said. “Wait here and I’ll be back in a minute.”

He hurried to the treatment room where Corporal Powers stood with his back to the wall and his arms crossed over his chest. Antagonism was clearly written on his face. Abrams saw Zach and stepped into the hallway.

“I’m taking the doctor to the ER in town,” Zach explained. “She’s worried about her clinic and asked that the lights be turned off and the doors locked when you leave.”

Abrams nodded. “We’ll be here until the crime scene folks are finished. Could take most of the night, but tell her I’ll make sure we leave the place secure.”

“Hopefully, we’ll be back before then, but knowing how slow emergency rooms can be, it might be hours before she’s seen.”

Abrams smiled knowingly. “Our local hospital isn’t known for speed, so you’re probably right. I’ll contact you if we learn anything.”

Pointing toward the treatment room, he added, “Corporal Powers is anxious about his wife. He plans to stay at the hospital on post. I imagine someone from your office will question him more thoroughly.”

“I’ll contact the CID,” Zach assured the cop. “One of our people will visit Powers at the hospital. We’ll contact his unit and ensure he’s getting some support from their end. I’ll check on his daughters and in-laws after the doc is treated. He’s not a flight risk, and we know where to find him.”

“I’ll tell him to expect someone at the hospital.”

Zach returned to the office, where the doc stood, her eyes wide as she looked around her, no doubt, once-tidy space. What had the assailant wanted? Two women were injured, one seriously, and medical files had been accessed.

In spite of what Abrams had suggested, the guy hadn’t broken in looking for drugs. He wanted information or else to do harm. Maybe both. If only the Freemont police would uncover evidence they could use to track down the assailant. Until then the doctor needed to be careful and on guard, lest the guy return to do more damage.

Zach would keep watch, too. He didn’t want anything else to happen to the doc.

THREE

If she made her patients wait this long she wouldn’t have any. Ella sat in the exam room and hugged her arms around her chest, grateful that Zach hadn’t deserted her. His frustration with medical personnel was evident by his frequent sighs and the pointed questions he asked the nurse concerning the lab results and CT scan. Yet he’d tried to buoy Ella’s spirits and never complained about his own discomfort.

Of course, the nurse didn’t have any way to speed up the lab technologists handling her specimens nor the CT techs, who had probably already given the results to the doctor. But Ella was beginning to feel as frustrated as Zach. Considering the number of patients in the waiting room when they’d arrived at the hospital hours ago, and the number of people who passed by in the hallway, if she received her test and lab results by lunchtime she would consider herself fortunate.

Not the way to run a hospital. Quin would have been equally as annoyed as the special agent, although her husband wouldn’t have hung around while she was being treated. He would have mumbled some excuse about needing to get to his research, and left her to find her own transportation home.

Ella shook her head at the memory of what their life together had been like, and then let out a lungful of air, mentally refusing to dwell on the past.

A tap sounded at the door.

She sat up straighter and raked her hand through her hair, not sure who to expect. “Come in.”

The door opened, and Zach stepped into the exam room, carrying a white paper bag. “Two coffees from the cafeteria, one with cream and sugar, and two breakfast sandwiches. Egg and sausage sound okay?”

“Sounds delicious. How did you know I needed food?”

“Just a hunch.” He glanced at the clock on the wall and then handed her a coffee and sandwich. “Patients could starve to death while they’re waiting in the ER.”

“I’ll remember that in case I’m ever a hospital administrator.” She accepted the food he offered.

“You’d be a good one, for sure.”

She was taken aback by his comment. He was probably just being nice and making idle chitchat, but she was so accustomed to Quin’s negativity that she hadn’t expected anything as affirming and supportive. For some reason, she suddenly wanted to cry.

She blinked back the tears that stung her eyes, feeling totally foolish as she removed the plastic lid and took a sip of the hot brew. “Coffee was just what I needed.”

Hopefully, he hadn’t realized the emotional turmoil that had taken her by surprise. She blamed it on fatigue and her recent brush with death. If only her memory would return, so she could grasp exactly what had happened.

“I thought you’d stepped outside to make a phone call,” she said as she unwrapped the sandwich.

“Actually, a number of calls. The first was to CID headquarters and the second to Corporal Powers’s unit to ensure they knew what had happened.”

“And did they?”

“He called them on his way to the hospital.”

“Did you learn anything about Mary Kate’s condition?”

“That was my third and final call. She remains critical and in ICU, but her husband is there, and so is her father.”

“Maybe they’ll offer each other support.”

Ella and Zach ate the sandwiches, and by the time they’d finished their coffees, another tap sounded at the door.

“I’ll wait in the hallway.” Zach left the room as the doctor entered.

“Did I scare him off?” the physician asked.

Ella appreciated Zach’s thoughtfulness in leaving so she could talk to the clinician, who seemed oblivious to the importance of patient privacy.

“I’m sure my labs were in normal range,” she said, to get the doctor back on track. “But what about the CT scan?”

“You have a slight concussion, so I want you to take it easy for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Continue to ice that lump on your head. You might have headaches for a day or so. Expect muscle soreness, especially where you were kicked. Ibuprofen will help or I can prescribe something stronger.”

She held up her hand. “That won’t be necessary.”

“I don’t know if you’re a churchgoing woman, but I believe in God’s benevolence. He was watching over you last night.”

His comment took her aback. She’d never had much of a relationship with God in her youth and had stopped asking for His help when her marriage had fallen apart.

“You were fortunate not to have broken ribs,” the ER doc continued. “Or something worse. If anything changes, don’t hesitate to come back. I doubt you’ll have to wait as long next time.”

“I’m hoping there won’t be a next time.”

“We’re short staffed right now, Dr. Jacobsen.” He tapped her file. “If you are looking for some weekend or evening work, I’m sure the personnel office would be happy to accept your application for employment.”

She smiled at the job offer. “Thanks, but my patients keep me busy.”

“I’m sure. We don’t see many Amish at the hospital. Every once in a while we’ll set a broken bone or tend to some farm injury. As you probably know, the plain folk usually tend to their own medical needs. I know they probably appreciate having you in their area.”

“Some do. Some don’t.”

He nodded. “That’s always the way. I wish you the best with your clinic. Let us know if we can be of help.”

Ella appreciated his comments almost as much as she was grateful for the clean bill of health. She found Zach in the hallway, and after receiving her treatment notes from the nurse, hurried with him to his car.

He opened the door to the passenger side and held her arm as she settled in the seat. She wasn’t used to such attention, but wouldn’t do anything to dampen his enthusiasm or good manners.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said.

“Just a little tired, which I’m sure you are, as well. Thank you again.”

“No problem.” He was silent until they turned onto the main road leading to the Amish community. “I need to know a bit more about Mary Kate, if you feel up to talking.”

“I don’t know much about her family. She mentioned an older brother in Atlanta.”

“Any family history of violence?” Zach asked.

Ella looked down at her hands folded in her lap and weighed what she should tell the special agent. She needed to be truthful, but she also worried about the young family, who seemed to have so many problems.

“Her husband was recently diagnosed with PTSD.”

Zach kept his eyes on the road, but pursed his lips before he asked, “Do you know if he’s had any volatile incidents?”