Chapter 17

Monday, November 5, 1979

The FBI wasn't even there to greet us when we had arrived home. In fact, we heard very little from them afterwards. Sarah had a long talk with Jimmy and informed him that if he didn't knock off the sexual advances, she was going to move out. It must have done some good because he did lay off, at least temporarily.

We called a family meeting Monday morning and decided we needed to try to find out who had done the kidnapping before any of us went to work. We all agreed that the most likely candidate was Adam Hunt's brother.

Ken said that someone would have to go to the Coroner's office to get a look at Adam Hunt's death certificate. I just didn't want any of us to go out, so we asked Sarah if she'd do some scouting for us.

Sarah went to the Coroner's office and waited until the records room was empty. She found the death certificate for Adam Hunt and found that his body had been released to the Dunbarton Funeral Home.

Sarah's next stop was the funeral home. There, she looked up Hunt's records and found his body had been shipped to a funeral home in a small town in New York and that the next of kin was listed as Zeb Hunt.

Tim called the funeral home in New York and told them he was working with the FBI. He told them they were doing a background check on Zeb Hunt for a security clearance. He said Hunt had listed them as a credit reference and asked if they could pull his brother's records and verify some information for him.

He found out that Zeb was indeed the younger brother of Adam and that he worked for an accounting firm in the same town.

Bonnie called the accounting firm and asked to speak to Zeb Hunt.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the receptionist said. "Mr. Hunt is on vacation. Is there anyone else who can help you?"

"No, I guess I really shouldn't be calling him at work. I'm an old friend and was just passing through town. I tried his home number, but I didn't get an answer, so I thought he might be at work."

The receptionist brightened up, probably assuming Bonnie was an old girlfriend. "Mr. Hunt is in California for the rest of the week, I'm afraid. If you'll leave your name, I'll tell him you called."

"Well... I'm coming back through this way in a couple of weeks. I think I'd really rather surprise him."

"Oh my," the receptionist giggled. "I'm sure it will be a pleasant surprise."

Bonnie assured her it would and hung up.

<So, what do we do now?> I asked. <We can't go to the police and tell them we think we know who did it, because we killed his brother a few years ago.>

<No, we can't do that, > Bonnie said.

<We could call all of the hotels in the area and see if he's registered, > Ken said.

<We could try, but he's probably using an assumed name, > I said.

<Maybe Phil Shelton's investigators could find something, > Bonnie said.

<We'd need a reason to give him. He'd be a lot easier to convince than the police would though.>

<I think I can come up with some kind of reason to give him, > Bonnie laughed. <I think Phil has a crush on me. I get the feeling he'd try to hang a new moon for me if I asked him.>

Tuesday, November 13, 1979

None of us went into work that week. We did do some work over the phone, but I didn't want any of us to expose ourselves to danger. We did enjoy the closeness of being together 24-7.

When we got up on Tuesday morning, Bonnie was adamant that she had to go into the office. I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted. Then, Sharon started in that there were things she needed to do as well. I told them they weren't going alone, so I went with them.

I was driving when we left home and Sharon was in the passenger seat with Bonnie in the back. {From what I hear from the reports I've been getting, we're almost out of the silver business,} Sharon said.

I had just pulled up to the stop sign where Crow Canyon Road goes onto the highway when Bonnie said, {I'll be just as glad when all of this silver business is over. It's made... }

The passenger side window of the car exploded. I whirled to look and Sharon was slumped forward, being held up by her seat belt alone. The whole side of her head facing me was gone, replaced by a bloody crater. I tried to touch her mentally, but she was gone.

Bonnie was screaming in the back seat and I felt something thump against my leg. I looked down and I was bleeding from a wound in the thigh. I tried to move my right leg, but it wasn't cooperating, so I stomped on the accelerator with my left foot and we shot out into traffic. The rear window exploded as I made the turn.

I knew the Laurel Grove Hospital was on Lake Chabot Road, which was just a few minutes away, so I headed there. {Bonnie, calm down,} I shouted mentally.

{She's dead, Mike!} Bonnie screamed back hysterically.

{I know she is, Bonnie. There's not a thing we can do for her. I'm wounded in the leg. Tell Missy to call the police and tell them where it happened and that we're on our way to Laurel Grove Hospital.}

{You're wounded? How bad are you hurt?}

{Don't worry about it, Bonnie. I've shut off the pain. I could heal it right now, but that would be very suspicious. Just get Missy to call the police.}

I pulled into the emergency entrance of the hospital and told Bonnie to get inside and get someone to help us. She was out of the car and running inside before I could finish saying it.

Four people came running out almost immediately, pushing a gurney. They ran to the passenger side first and threw the door open. A doctor took one look at Sharon and shook his head. They came around to my side of the car and after taking a quick look at my leg, loaded me onto the gurney and wheeled me inside.

The next hour or so was pure chaos. The doctors and nurses were asking me questions. Everyone in the family was asking me questions. The police were asking me questions. I was also feeling the loss of my wonderful wife/daughter.

I think the doctor finally took pity on me and ran everyone out. He told me they were going to prep me for surgery. It seems that although the bullet had passed through my leg, they would have to clean out the wound and sew me up. To be honest with you, I was ready to be out of it for a while.

As the anesthetic was starting to take hold and I was just drifting between being awake and going to sleep, I could hear Sharon calling to me. She was telling me she was okay and that I was going to be fine.

A couple of hours later, I was in the recovery room. I was out of it, so I didn't know what was going on. Bonnie was sitting with me, holding my hand when the doctor came in and explained to her that the surgery went just fine.

"When will he be waking up?" Bonnie asked him.

"We're going to keep him sedated until tomorrow," the doctor told her. "We feel we should let the trauma to his body heal a little before he has to face the trauma of losing his wife."

"There are some things I really need to tell him, doctor," Bonnie told him.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but they'll just have to wait until tomorrow."

Bonnie tried to argue him out of keeping me sedated, but the doctor was adamant.

Wednesday, November 14, 1979

I awoke the next morning, feeling very groggy and disoriented. I was alone. Bonnie had gone home for the night and no one had come in as yet.

I spent a couple of minutes clearing my mind and then took stock of my body. There were still traces of the sedative left in my body, so I cleared them out so my mind was sharp.

I called to my wives and found that Bonnie and Jude were on their way into the hospital. The told me to just relax and they would be there shortly.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew they were in my room and I heard Jude calming me, {Mike, my love, listen to me for a minute. Shut out everything else. This is very important.}

{Okay, Jude.}

{I was in rapport with Sharon when the bullet hit her. I don't know how to tell you this, but when Sharon's brain quit working, her mind came into my brain. Sharon's mind is still alive, Mike.}

{How is that possible, Jude?}

{I don't know, Mike. Sharon, say something to Mike.}

{Hi, my lover, husband, father. I am still alive. Jude or I neither one know how this is happening, but I'm here.}

I fainted.

I don't know how long I was out, but I came to with Bonnie and Jude holding my hands. When I started to stir, I heard, {It's okay, Mike. You're okay. Everything is going to be all right.}

{It's okay, Bonnie. Is Sharon still with Jude?}

{Yes, she is, Mike. I don't understand it and neither does anyone else, but she's still there. Cindi seems to think it was because Sharon and Jude were in rapport.}

{Sharon, are you still there, love?}

{I'm here, Mike, and so is Jude. We're trying to figure out what is going on. Is my body really dead, Mike?}

{Yes, it is, love. I think it was instantaneous.}

{It must have been. I didn't feel anything. I was sitting there in the car talking with you and Bonnie and then I was in the sitting room with a cup of coffee in my hand.}

{Can you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell with Jude's senses?}

{Yes, it's strange really. Coffee tastes a little different now than it did before. I'm sure other things will too.}

{Jude, are you having any problems with Sharon sharing your brain and body?}

{Not too much so far. We did nearly kill ourself a while ago when she tried to turn left while I was trying to turn right.}

{Yeah, we are going to have to learn to coordinate some things. I'd hate for us to try to drive a car right now. We'll figure something out though.}

{You know guys, this isn't so much different than what happened to me. You just didn't get thrown into the past, Sharon, and the brain and body you ended up in already had a functioning mind. The body I ended up in was brain dead so I didn't have the problem of two personalities occupying the same brain.}

{You know you're right. We'll have to give this some thought.}

{You guys should talk to Sheila about this. This could explain multiple personalities. If you two didn't know each other and trust each other, you would probably be fighting for control of the body. That in itself could lead to madness.}

{Wow!}

I HATE HOSPITALS! I especially hated it this time because I knew I could heal my leg and be totally well in seconds. I couldn't do it though because too many people had seen my wound. The most I could do was to eliminate the pain and refuse any pain medication they tried to give me.

Bonnie and Jude/Sharon stayed with me for a while then Missy and Cindi came in. Okay, it's not so bad staying in a hospital when you have four lovely women pampering you.

A doctor came in late in the afternoon and introduced himself as Dr. Smitson. He said that the bullet that had hit my leg had passed all the way through the back of my thigh. It had missed the bone or any major arteries.