Part 9
The first night with armed guards lounging on my couch
passed without event. Even if men in black swarmed the house and filled the
walls with bullets, I wouldn’t have noticed. The doctor sent me home with a
mild sedative to insure my ability to block out my nightmares, but our
definitions of mild clearly differ.
The effects of that one tiny pill follow me into the
morning. The new day swirls around me in a haze. Four other cops take turns
making sure I don’t trip over my two feet as I stumble through my apartment.
When Polsen and Wason return, they find me snuggled up in my bathrobe ready for
another drug-induced sleep.
“How did we pull night detail again?” Wason grumbles as I
open the door.
He quickly pastes on a smile, shaking his head to discourage
his partner from answering.
“Good evening, Miss Holden.” Officer Polsen nods to the
officers who flanked me the moment I stepped toward the door but offers them no
greeting.
Equally terse, the departing officers don’t even wish me
good evening as they step past me. They barely pause to pat their peers on the
shoulder on their way out the door. As they reach the parking lot, they regain
their voices. Deep voices tease each other as they march toward their unmarked
car.
“…Miss Holden?” Officer Polsen waits patiently for my response.
I blush. “Sorry. I’m still a little…”
“I was just suggesting you get some sleep, ma’am. My partner
and I picked up those papers you told us about. We’ll go over them and see if
we find anything.”
My face scrunches up as I try to remember telling them about
the papers Larry left for me. I must have because Officer Wason holds a
familiar envelope in his hand. As my eyes wander from the papers to his face,
he offers me a smile.
“Things were quiet last night, so we should have plenty of
time.”
“Okay. There’s some snacks in the kitchen.”
They step past me into the living room. Their eyes wander
over the now familiar room only briefly. Officer Wason gently nudges my hand
off of the doorknob so he can close the door.
“Thank you, ma’am. I think my partner’s right.” He nods his
head toward my bedroom. “We’ll be right here if you need anything.”
I don’t need more encouragement. I don’t even take the time
to wish them a good night. I barely remember to push the door closed before
stumbling to the bed and lowering my head to the pillow. My eyes close and
dreamlessness claims me.
*
“Wake up, Theresa.”
“No.” I mumble.
“Please. They almost have it, but they don’t see.”
“Huh?” I open my eyes slowly, letting in the blue glow that
illuminates Larry’s face.
“Please, Theresa.” He turns away from me, disappearing
through the bedroom door.
I push myself up from the bed, grabbing my robe and cinching
it tight. As I open the door, three faces
turn toward me expectantly. Hope
brightens the glow around Larry, while the officers faces oscillate from
intense scrutiny to worry.
“Is everything okay, ma’am.” Officer Polsen rises from his
chair and walks toward me with arms extended as if to catch me.
“Yes, I’m fine, I…”
“It’s very late. We didn’t expect to see you until morning.”
He stops just short of me, arms still ready should I falter or fall.
I open my mouth, chasing excuses through my mind until one
pops out. “I was thinking about those documents and I wanted to look at them
again.”
Officer Wason sets down the paper in his hand and stands up,
gesturing to the table. “Please. Any help you can offer.”
I try not to look at Larry, but I can’t help throwing him
one helpless confused look before leaning over the papers on the table.
“Tell me you see it.” He says.
I shake my head slightly, trying not to give the officers
any reason to take me back to the hospital. I scan through the numbers on the
page in front of me. I flip through the pages a couple more times before a
pattern emerges through the fog sedating my mind.
“Their profits increase dramatically the third week of every
month.”
“That could just be the best week for people who really love
to hit the batting cages.” Officer Wason shrugs.
“But it is almost the exact same number every month…even in
the winter.”
“That does seem odd for outdoor batting cages.”
“We’ll go take a look when our reinforcements come in the
morning. Go back to bed.”
With that dismissal, I glance toward where Larry lingered.
Only the officers remain at my side. I shrug and stumble back into my bedroom.
~~~
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