Beyond the Mirror
Copyright© 2012/2014
Chapter 21
Tom wasn’t surprised to awaken in the hospital, and he wasn’t surprised to have a headache, but he was surprised to be alone in the room when he awoke. He wasn’t alone for long, though, because a young nurse appeared momentarily. The nurse was only there long enough to take his pulse and his blood pressure, then she stepped away.
“The doctor will be with you shortly,” she said with a smile and a wink. “Just so you know, you’re a very lucky man. If you hadn’t swung that shovel when you did, you would probably be dead. So if I were you, I would no longer try to play baseball with a pitcher who is using a rifle and live bullets.”
Then she was gone, and he was alone again. Tom was left staring after her because of her attempt at humour, but she’d hardly left before Sandy came into the room, accompanied by his mom. They’d only had time to say ‘Hi’ and ask how he felt before an officious older doctor came in and shooed them out again. Then he turned to Tom with a slight frown on his face.
“Good morning, Tom. You are certainly popular, and although you’ve been here for a day, I doubt if you will be here for much longer. You see, there really isn’t much that we can do for someone in your condition, except to recommend that the patient rest and take things easy for a while, usually for a week or two,” he said rapidly. “Oh, I should tell you that I am Doctor Samuel VanBrunt, and in case you wondered, you are almost certainly going to survive this attempt on your life. From what we have discovered, you have suffered a minor concussion, but aside from some bruising near your right ear and a minor bruise on your right shoulder, you appear to be quite healthy. Are you suffering any nausea or having blurred vision?”
“Hi, Dr. VanBrunt. I only woke up a few minutes ago, but other than a minor headache, I feel okay,” Tom said, then tried to lift his right arm, but found it was held down. That’s when he noticed that he had sensors and wires taped to his body and saw that he had a needle in his arm which was connected to an IV bottle hanging on a stand near the bed. “What’s with all the wires and stuff?”
“Those are there to verify that you’re going to live, and as far as we can tell, you will,” the doctor smiled. “I suppose I could have those all removed, but we will keep you here and under observation overnight. The fact is that you were struck by an object which had been hit by a round from a high-powered rifle. It’s my understanding that the object was a shovel that you were carrying over your shoulder. Had it not been for that shovel, you would probably be in the morgue. Your assailant is just down the hall and is also lucky to have survived because he was buried under a snowbank for some time. As a result, when he arrived, he was suffering from hypoxia and hypothermia, but he will also survive, although in his case, I understand he will be facing a charge of attempted murder. Now I have other patients who need my attention more than you do, so I will see you later, but remember, take things slowly and easily.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Tom managed to say to the doctor’s retreating back before the door closed behind him.
He had a few minutes to himself then, but not long. His next visitor was Sergeant Lance MacDonald, who looked as if he was both annoyed and apologetic.
In fact, his first words to Tom were: “I’m sorry, but the city cops didn’t take my warning seriously. Scherer had time to go home, grab his drugs and a rifle, then torch his own house before those idiots even started looking for him. Meanwhile, he was on his snowmobile and knew enough to look for you at the airstrip in the morning.”
“Hey, you tried,” Tom shrugged his shoulders, then grimaced because his right shoulder didn’t like that move. “Ouch, I guess my shoulder is a bit tender, but the doc says I’ll be fine.”
“You’re bloody lucky. You should see the shovel,” Sergeant Mac snorted. “Scherer’s shot hit the metal section that wraps around the wood handle, so the slug entered through the metal on one side, expanded in the wood, and almost escaped the metal on the other side. The metal is swelled out and split open, but we managed to dig the slug out, so we can match it to Scherer’s rifle. He won’t get away with this one, not like he did as a juvie! If I’d seen his juvie records, he wouldn’t have had this chance.”
“I hear you caught him though, so what’s all the fuss about, Lance?”
“Hah, we didn’t catch him. Ben Jacobs, your young helper out at the airstrip, did that. He buried the bugger under a couple of tons of snow using the big snow blower. Scherer was caught between the side of the hanger and an old fence, so he couldn’t escape and was knocked down, then pinned there while he was buried by snow. We had to dig the stupid bastard out, but if his rifle barrel hadn’t been sticking out of the snowbank, we probably wouldn’t have found him until spring,” Lance grinned, then sobered. “I’m going to have to check all the local crooks’ records though, because Lister and some Oriental shmuck from Vancouver have put out a hit on you. Scherer told us your head is worth a quarter of a million bucks if it’s delivered to a guy named Sung Yee in Vancouver. That means I’ll have to keep an eye on every two-bit crook still around town for fear one of them gets their hands on a rifle and comes after you.”
“Holy shit!” Tom gasped. “They want me dead?”
“Yep, but every dollar either Lister or Sung Yee had is already being seized, thanks to fast action by your Dad and his political buddies. They kicked some judge in the butt, and he put a hold on every dollar Lister has access to, then stuck him in solitary confinement. Then the Vancouver police raided Sung Yee’s residence and his business. They found a huge stash of drugs in both places, so they shut him down as well. On the way here, I just heard that Sung Yee tried to skip across the border and was stopped by Canadian Border Services. Somehow he escaped from them though, then was shot and killed by FBI agents as he was crossing the border into Washington State on foot. The problem is there’s an Oriental gang of drug smugglers involved, so you’re still in danger.”
“Cripes, all this because I talked to Randal Scherer and made a wise-ass crack about finding more of Lister’s files?”
“It might be. I don’t know? I’m wondering if there isn’t some secret hidey hole in your new building that we didn’t find, so if I can have your permission, I’d like to go check it out a lot more thoroughly. I suspect there might be something up in Lister’s old office that will have some bearing on this whole mess.”
“Hey, as far as I’m concerned, you didn’t even have to ask, just go down and tell the contractor what you want to do and that you have my permission. In fact, if you want, you can have him help you to rip Lister’s old office on the second floor to pieces, because it will all have to be torn out anyway. Eventually, the second floor will be almost totally stripped, so unless it’s structural and holding up the roof or something, just go for it. As far as I know, the contractor has stripped the main floor, and he’s started to rebuild that already, but I don’t think he’s done much on the second floor. I’ll clear it with Ann, but you might want to talk to her as well.”
“I did talk to her, and she said to talk to you, but like you, she has no problems with me looking things over or opening things up,” Lance smiled, then grew serious again. “Before I leave, there is one other thing I need to talk to you about. I’d really appreciate it if you and Sandra would move up to your lease for a while, because I think both of you are in danger right now.”
“You might have an argument with Sandy about that, since she’s just bought that house from Anna Morgenstern, and she’s going to want to move there as soon as she can.”
“Tom, you were knocked out for over twenty-four hours, and in that time, your father, your sister, and the people working for you went nuts. In the first place, they did everything you had planned to do during that time, unless it was something requiring your personal participation. I’ll let them explain what they did, but amongst other things, most of Sandy’s and your belongings are already moved to your new house,” he chuckled. “Your sister and your dad had a hand in arranging that, as well as most of the other things that were done.”
“Wait a minute, did you say Dad got involved?”
“Well, yes and no. I mentioned that he got the politicians and legal people involved, but he also rattled the sabres locally and shook up some of the local bigwigs. He and Ben Jacobs were standing over you when I arrived on the scene, and he rode in the ambulance with you, but most of that time he was on his portable phone, raising the roof. Your brother JJ is flying out sometime today, and there’s a possibility your second brother and your nephew may come out as well,” he paused and smiled. “It was your sister, Ann, who took time off work and went through your notes to find the things you had scheduled to do yesterday. She’s a whirlwind when she gets involved and had your crew organised in no time flat, but they aren’t exactly lazy either. I think I’ll let them explain all the things that they’ve done, because I have a building to check out, and you have family members who want to talk to you.”
“Okay, Lance, and thanks for all you’ve done.”
“It’s not as much as I would like to do. Now I almost had to hogtie Sandy and your mother to keep them from breaking into our discussion, so I had best let them in to talk to you. I’ll be talking to you later today,” and with that, he left.
Only Sandy and his mother weren’t the next people Tom saw; instead, it was the nurse who had been there before.
“Good morning again, Mr. Dunn. I have orders to remove your IV and the monitoring pickups before we let in the crowd. Once I have you all disconnected from the bells and whistles, I’ll stand by at the door to keep folks out, since I imagine you need to use the washroom,” she smiled.
“Oh, thank you!” he said emphatically. “The bathroom has been calling me since I woke up, and I don’t seem to have been fitted with a catheter. By the way, could you call me Tom, please, and what should I call you?”
“My name is Myrna Gorman, and you were fitted with an adult diaper when you were admitted,” she chortled. “And before you protest, we do that with most patients now, especially those we admit via the emergency room, because it is faster and less traumatic than a catheter. In your case, your injuries were so mild that we expected you to awaken momentarily, but you remained comatose much longer than we expected. According to your fiancé, you were probably catching up on your sleep, since she claims you’ve been burning the candle at both ends.”
As they had been speaking, she had also been busy removing all the sensors and wires. Then, she stepped back with a smile: “There you go, Tom. In case there is any adhesive left on your skin from the sensors, you can mention that to any nurse who happens to be on duty, or you can use one of the wet wipes in the washroom. I would imagine you’re probably hungry, so I’ve arranged for a snack to be delivered in a few moments, and you are now free to get out of bed to use the washroom. Please don’t leave this room or wander the halls, however.”
“Thanks, Myrna,” Tom said as he sat up, then frowned at the hospital gown he was wearing since it was quite short and open down his back. “I don’t suppose I could ask for some shorts or pyjama bottoms, could I?”
“Sorry, Tom. We don’t supply those, but I could get you another diaper if you want?” she answered with a grin as she headed for the door. “I’ll allow your visitors to come in shortly, but you’ll have at least ten or fifteen minutes to yourself. If you need anything or if you have any feelings of distress, there is an emergency call button on the end of that cord by the head of the bed.”
Tom was sure he had longer than she had said before his visitors arrived. In fact, while he was in the washroom, his snack had been brought in. He’d had time to eat that and had drunk the weak tea that came with it before Sandy and his mother appeared once more. When they did come in, there was a short time while hugs and kisses were exchanged, then Sandy checked the bruise that ran from his jawbone and up past his right ear.
“It’s already turning green around the edges,” she commented.
“Well, it doesn’t hurt unless you press on it,” Tom pulled his head away from her fingers slightly. “As far as I’m concerned, I just slept for a day, so other than a slight headache and an appetite that would match a grizzly fresh out of hibernation, I feel fine. But I’m curious about what happened after I got clobbered yesterday. Sergeant Mac gave me a few hints, but I want to know the details.”
“I don’t think either of us can tell you everything, but we each know some of what happened,” his mom sighed deeply. “Jack said he saw you go down and after shouting at you when you fell, he dove for cover. He said Harry did the same thing, so the only person who was still in the open was young Ben Jacobs, who jumped into the cab of the snow blower truck, then turned the nozzle so it was aimed toward the shooter. I understand Ben buried the guy under a ton of snow, then dashed to your side. He said you were awake and talked to him, telling him to run to the office and call 911. Meanwhile, your dad ran over and checked that you had a pulse, but you didn’t answer him, so he dialled the RCMP to say you’d been shot. Once he had raised hell there, he called me and I told Sandy, so she and Ann headed over here to the hospital. The two of them were in such a rush that they left me behind.”
“I’m sorry about that, Kelly. We were so worried about Tom that I never even thought about you not being with us until we were in the hospital parking lot,” Sandy’s face flushed slightly. “Anyway, we beat the ambulance here, but by then we could hear the sirens coming our direction. So we ran in through the emergency entrance with Ann shouting that her brother had been shot and was being brought in by the ambulance. Because of our warning, the emergency staff were outside waiting for the ambulance when it got here, and they zipped you away in no time flat. Once I saw your dad getting out of the ambulance with the EMTs, I thought about leaving your mom behind. Ann did too and grabbed my keys out of my hand to go get her. Meanwhile, your dad and I were sent to the waiting room, and he told me that the EMTs hadn’t found any open wounds, so although he saw you fall, he didn’t understand what had happened. It was only after they found the bruises and x-rayed your skull that they discovered you had a concussion, but by that time, Sergeant Mac had seen the shovel you’d been carrying, and they had found that little piss-ant politician buried in the snow.”
“That’s when Jack heard about the hit money out on your head, because the RCMP officer was telling us what that Scherer asshole had said, thinking he had killed you. He was pissed that he hadn’t gotten your head to take to Vancouver so he could collect the hit money. Your dad virtually grilled the RCMP officer about who had put out the hit and where Scherer had said he was going to take your head to collect the money, then he headed outside. We found out later that he called several lawyers, some high-ranking cops, and a provincial politician. In turn, they got on a judge’s case about Lister setting up the hit by working with the leader of a drug gang. Somehow, the judge discovered that the drug gang was tied in with Lister’s efforts here in town, so he tied up the last of Lister’s and the gang leader’s funds,” Tom’s mom explained. “Then just a while ago, we heard that the drug boss had been killed while trying to get over the border into Washington State. That doesn’t make sense to me, unless he was trying to run away and hide down in the States, but I can’t see how he thought he could get away with that.”
“Your dad didn’t stop there either,” Sandy snorted. “Sergeant Mac had said that you and I would be safer if we were up at the cabin, so when Harry came driving into the parking lot in your pickup, your dad had him turn around, and they headed back to the airstrip. They got Russ and Liz to fire up the big chopper and had them deliver that bulldozer out to the claim, then bring Arne and Alvin back to town. Meanwhile, Jim, Ron, Donna, and Travis from White Out arrived at the airstrip in one of the helicopters and carrying another helicopter in a sling underneath it. I guess you talked to Jim about buying a wrecked helicopter yesterday morning, so they went ahead and bought it, then brought it down with them. Oh, and he said to tell you he cut your upper limit in half, whatever that means.”
“I imagine that means he bought a bent-up Bell Jet Ranger for about seventy-five grand or thereabouts, but even as a wreck it’s probably worth well over two hundred grand,” Tom explained. “That machine is worth more than what they paid for it even if we took it to pieces and sold it as parts.”
“Well, he didn’t stop there, but instead he explained to your dad what you were planning to do. Then Jim told your dad that he’d talked to CHC in Kamloops about a similar wreck they had that he could buy for about the same price and that it had most of the parts he needed to repair your machine. Jack added two and two, then called Rachel Morgenstern and told her to get her butt down to the airstrip. He loaded Rachel and Jim into his plane and flew them both to Kamloops, that way Rachel could reclaim her car and trailer, while Jim was looking over the other helicopter. Rachel managed to prove ownership of the car and trailer and took possession of them, but waited in Kamloops and followed as her mother drove the second car to Vancouver. Jim checked out CHC’s wreck and dickered the price down by quite a bit, then bought it and made arrangements to have it trucked up here,” Sandy explained.
“Meanwhile we had heard that you were in a mild coma, but in no danger, so Ann and I talked Sandra into the fact that there was no sense in all three of us remaining here. The doctor explained that when you did come out of the coma they’d call us immediately and since we’re all living within such a short distance we could be here by the time you were fully awake. Besides that they said you wouldn’t be released for at least eight hours after you awakened, so we played rock-scissors-paper and I won the job of waiting here. I know Sandy didn’t like it much, but I told her I’d call as soon as there was any change, so she and Ann went back to the office,” his mom added.
“When Ann and I got to the office, it was a madhouse,” Sandy rolled her eyes skyward and shook her head. “From the sounds of things, everyone in town had heard about the shooting, and half of them wanted to know if you were dead or not, so I told the people in the office the truth and told them to pass it on. I’d hardly gotten that out when Charlie burst into the office with the news that the developer for the condos had received an offer on two of the condos, and you could lose them if something wasn’t done right away. Now I knew you had given Ann signing authority for anything to do with TF Dunn Properties or whatever it is, so I sicced Charlie on her, and she handled it.
“Then the woman showed up that you were supposed to interview yesterday, Ann’s friend, the one who is stuck in a wheelchair. What’s her name, Lillian Samuels or something? Anyway, that was Ann’s business as well, so I explained the situation, but I think I was a bit brusque, so she wanted to know who I was and why I was so grouchy. Now I hadn’t seen them come in, but Matt and Linda Devons were standing right behind her, and I guess Linda works part-time at the hospital or something, because she knew what was going on. She laid into that Lillian gal like she was a witch for suggesting that you were anything but a great guy and told her that I was all but your wife and that you were in the hospital after being shot. Luckily, Ann came back from Charlie’s office about then and managed to calm both of them down before a real screaming match broke out.”
“Actually, I think you and your friend Linda handled Lillian perfectly. She is excellent at her job, but she can be a real bitch at times, and she’s nosy as blazes, so she can be a pain in the butt. Having two people sound off when she stuck her nose into other people’s business was more than likely the best thing that could have happened,” Tom’s mom commented, with a slight grin on her face. “Not only that, but after Ann got Lillian calmed down, she told her that you’d arranged to have the new building wheelchair-friendly and had bought a condo that suited her needs before she was even hired. I guess one of the condos is designed for wheelchair access and has covered parking right near the door. I think Ann said Lillian wants the job and likes the condo so much she wants to buy it, not rent it, but Ann left the final decision of hiring her up to you.”
“Well, if she’s too feisty, she won’t work out, but she does need some backbone to do the job. I suppose it might be an idea if I do interview her after all, but tell Ann she did good to step in and prevent an all-out screaming match in the office,” Tom frowned slightly. “It sounds to me like she stepped up and filled in for me, which is what her job is going to involve, at least to some extent.”
“Oh, she stepped up to the plate in more ways than one,” Sandy smiled slightly. “For one thing, Linda and Matt Devons reminded me that we should take possession of the former Morgenstern house. That got Ann going in another direction, and since she’d met Jim, Donna, and Travis while she was over in Charlie and Laura’s office, she got them involved too. She virtually chased me out of the office and sent me home to do the final packing for the move, but when the White Out crew were done with their meeting with Charlie, she sent them to help me. Between the Devons and the White Out crew, then Harry, Russ, Liz, and the ‘A-team,’ once they arrived back in town, we had the essential items packed and moved to the new house by eight yesterday evening. We didn’t get everything moved, but Laura and I slept in the new house last night, and she’s working with Arne and Alvin this morning to move her belongings to the little house. We haven’t touched your office in the basement yet, and we still have most of the food and kitchen things to move, but we’ve made a huge dent in the job already.”
“What blew me away is the fact that the telephone company has already swapped your phone lines, so calls for you go to the new house, and Ann has a working telephone line at the old house,” Tom’s mom broke in. “I can’t believe the service. In Calgary, it took two weeks for some friends of ours to get a number switched to a new house.”
“I think Matt Devons swung that. He has a close friend working for the telephone company,” Sandy grinned. “On another subject, I think Ann, Laura, and I are going to be doing some furniture swapping, though, and I can see that there’s going to be a lot of things left over. Mrs. Morgenstern left us most of the furniture in two bedrooms, as well as the master bedroom suite, and she left the leather Chesterfield and chairs in the living room, not to mention the dining room suite. We might need to have a garage sale when the shifting and shuffling is all over with.”
“I wouldn’t rush that,” Tom sighed. “We’re a little short of furniture up at the cabin, and from the sounds of things, Arne and Alvin will be moving up there too, so they’ll eventually have cabins to furnish.”
“Yeah, that brings up another subject,” Sandy sighed heavily. “From what Sergeant MacDonald said, you and I may be in danger from that gang from Vancouver, and he’d like to see us move to the claim for now. I’m not sure that I can, though, not right now, since my heaviest work period of the year is still coming up. At the rate things are going at the office now, the next two months are likely to be crazy.”
“Sandra, Tom was attacked and shot at by a man sent by your ex-husband, and he has placed a price on my son’s head,” Tom’s mom barked. “I would imagine you’re also included as a target, and if you remain in Bear Creek, you’ll be an extremely easy target. If you were attacked and perhaps killed, my son would be inclined to retaliate; in fact, he would probably become careless in his desire to avenge the attack on your life. Is that what you want to happen, because that’s easily what could happen, or don’t you think your ex-husband knows where you live and where you work? I’d be willing to bet he knows when and how you drive to work and almost all of your habits, so it would be easy for him to tell a hit man where he could arrange an attack on you and get away with it.”
“Mom’s right, you know,” Tom said quietly. “Besides, didn’t you say that Rachel took several accounting courses at UBC while you were there? Since she’s going to be spending some time here anyway, there’s no reason you couldn’t offer her a job in your business, is there?”
“Actually, Jack flew to Vancouver this morning and plans to pick up both Rachel and JJ at the airport; then, they’ll fly back here early this afternoon,” Tom’s mom said enthusiastically.
“JJ is coming out now?” Tom sounded surprised. “I thought he was still doing the wrap-up of his job at Dunn-Redding for another week and wouldn’t be here for another two weeks.”
“Oh, your dad talked to JJ, Don, and your Uncle Tom yesterday, and they decided he’d be more useful out here. He can be your hands and feet while you’re laid up and on death’s door.”
“What do you mean, the doctor said I might be released as early as tomorrow morning?” Tom protested.
“Oh, but the general public only knows that there was a shooting out at the airstrip, then you were rushed to the hospital, and that you were in a coma at that time. Since then, the people treating you have been told not to say anything about your condition to anyone outside of the family. In fact, the RCMP has asked them to either say nothing at all or else to put out the impression that you’ve slipped into a deeper coma and might die,” she smiled slightly. “It’d be extremely easy to put over the idea that you died of your supposed wounds, because half of the town is already convinced that you were shot and killed yesterday.”
“Well, you certainly look different now, because they had to cut off part of your beard and trim the hair on the right side of your head to check out the area that was injured. I’m sorry, but after I saw that, I had them trim the rest to match, because you looked so strange with a bushy beard on one side and almost bare skin on the other,” Sandy looked apologetic, then winked. “Besides, this is the first time I’ve ever seen you with shorter hair and a very short beard. I’ve always wondered what was hidden under all that hair.”
“Oh brother, I’ll freeze when I go outside,” Tom snorted as he ran his left hand up the side of his face. “I don’t think my beard has been this short since I left home and started working up north.”
“Well, you certainly look different,” his mom looked thoughtful. “Now you look more like your father, so if you dyed your hair in a darker shade, I think you could walk downtown, and people would think you were one of his other sons. They don’t know what colour Don’s hair is, because he’s never been here, so we could get away with saying you were him.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’d just love having me masquerading as him,” Tom snorted. “I’m not so certain I want to hide away in any case. The whole idea just gets under my skin and makes me upset.”
“Hah, if you think you’re angry, you ought to have seen your father when he stormed into the local police station and demanded to see the police chief. Then he ripped into the police chief about his men ignoring Sergeant MacDonald’s warning that Scherer was scared and on the run. He was almost arrested for disturbing the peace, and if I hadn’t been there, trying to calm him down, he might have been,” his mom grinned, then sobered. “You are the only one of his sons who has never backed down and who is always willing to argue with him when you think he’s wrong, and that has really impressed him. He considers you to be more like himself than either Don or JJ, so he’s extremely proud of you, even if he has a strange way of showing it. The idea that you could be shot right in front of his eyes absolutely infuriated him, and I think if he could have gotten to Scherer or Lister right then, he’d have torn them apart, limb for limb. Since he wasn’t able to do anything like that, he took his frustration out on the local police chief.”
“Well, I’ve always said he and I are a lot alike, but unlike him, I try to control my temper,” Tom shrugged his shoulders, but grimaced at the pain in his right shoulder. “Damn, that hurts.”
“Well, don’t do it then,” Sandy snorted. “The doctor said you have a bone bruise there and another on the outside of your skull, but it was having your brain bruised and shaken up that caused the coma. You’re just bloody lucky the bullet hit the shovel and not your skull.”
“Yes, dear. I know that, and I am thankful that things happened the way they did. By the way, I want you to tell young Ben that he just earned himself a permanent job for thinking clearly and acting quickly.”