Chapter 1: The Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast

June 22, 1991, Chicago, Illinois

My knees went weak and I sagged to the loveseat, but I didn’t feel faint.

“Is she alive?” I asked warily.

Jessica gasped and whispered, “Who?”

‘Katy’ I mouthed back.

“All I know right now is that the fire is out and the paramedics took her to Central Vermont Hospital in Berlin.”

“What about her guests?” I asked.

“My deputy reported she was the only one transported to the hospital.”

“And the building?” I asked.

“Frankly, I don’t know. Let me give you the number to the hospital and I’ll give you the number here at my office.”

He read off two numbers which I wrote down on the pad I kept next to the phone. And I made a decision.

“Sheriff, I’m not sure of my exact plans just yet, but I’ll most likely be there by the end of the day.”

“Call here anytime. They know how to get in touch with me. I’ll leave word. And if I hear anything, is this the best number to call?”

“Or my mobile phone,” I said.

I gave him the number, thanked him, and hung up.

“What happened?” Kara asked.

“A fire. I have no details other than Katy being taken to Central Vermont Hospital in Berlin, Vermont. I’m flying out as soon as I can arrange a flight.”

“Are you sure that’s the right thing to do, Tiger?” Jessica asked.

“First of all, it’s Katy, and she has nobody there. Second, we invested in the bed-and-breakfast and somebody is going to need to see to the guests, handle insurance, see to repairs, and whatever else is necessary. So yes, I’m going. Kara, would you pack me a bag? My weekender with four changes of underwear and three changes of clothes, please. I’m going to call the travel agency emergency number.”

“Did you feel faint?” she asked, switching to ‘Doctor Jessica’ mode, much like Pete used his ‘Law Enforcement’ voice.

“Weak in the knees,” I said. “But, no, I didn’t feel faint. I’m fine, Babe.”

“Let me check you out,” she ordered.

Kara giggled, “He’ll miss his flight!”

Jessica ignored her, now completely in ‘doctor’ mode. She got her bag, took out the stethoscope and blood-pressure cuff and quickly checked my heart, lungs, breathing, blood pressure, and pulse.

“OK,” she said, putting away her bag. “Make your call.”

Three hours later, my wives and I were at Midway Airport for my flight. I’d pick up a rental car in Boston, because the only connecting flight from Boston that could get me close to Montpelier was late in the afternoon and would need a forty-five-minute drive on the other end. I could drive there before that flight would arrive. We hadn’t been able to get any more information on Katy or the fire before I’d had to leave home.

“Call as soon as you land,” Jessica said. “I’ll see if I can get any information.”

We’d called the hospital, but they wouldn’t give out any information, despite me being listed as Katy’s emergency contact. In my bag, I had the ‘Power of Attorney’ papers for the bed-and-breakfast that we’d drawn up for just such a contingency, but I didn’t have any that would give me any specific powers with regard to Katy.

“I will,” I said.

“And remember how I told you to talk to the hospital,” she said. “If you go in as her fiancé, they probably won’t question it, especially with you being able to show your involvement with the business.”

“She’ll get a kick out of that. I wonder if they called her parents?”

“If you were listed as her emergency contact, I’d say the answer to that is ‘no’,” Jessica said. “The Sheriff called you.”

“We should let them know,” I said. “She wasn’t estranged from them.”

“Do you have their number?” Kara asked.

“No. And I suspect there are quite a few O’Connor’s in Boston,” I said. “Wait! In with the photo albums and memory books, is the invitation to her wedding. It’ll have her parents’ address on the envelope. You can call information in Boston and get the number.”

“What if it’s unlisted?”

“Then call Sheriff Edson. He’ll be able to get it, I’m sure. I left his number and the hospital number on the pad next to the phone.”

My flight was called. I kissed my wives, hugged them, and then boarded the flight for Boston.

June 22, 1991, Boston, Massachusetts

“I got in touch with her parents about 7:00am our time,” Jessica said. “They said they were leaving right away for the hospital.”

“But no word on Katy?”

“No. I even tried using doctor’s privileges, but they have some strict rules. The Sheriff asked that you call him. He wouldn’t give me any information, either.”

I sighed, “I’m all for privacy, but sometimes it’s annoying as hell! I’m going to sign for the rental and call from the shuttle bus. I don’t want to waste any time.”

We hung up and I hurried from the gate to the Hertz desk, where I showed my license and signed for the car that Barney had reserved for me. The answering service, at my insistence, had called him, rather than the on-call person. I knew he’d have everything set. He’d also found me a hotel room in Montpelier. As soon as I was on the shuttle bus, I placed the call.

“Sheriff Edson, please. This is Mr. Steve Adams calling. He’s expecting my call.”

“One moment, Mr. Adams. I’ll need to patch you through to his cruiser.”

It took the best part of two minutes before he came on the line, and I could tell his end of the call was going over radio. I immediately asked about Katy.

“She’s stable, but suffering from smoke inhalation. The fire wasn’t too bad, just smoky. My deputy says that it was in the chimney, but you’ll need to talk to the Fire Department for details. Are you in Vermont?”

“I’m at Logan Airport. I’ll be in my rental car shortly.”

“OK. I assume you’re going to the hospital first?”

“Yes!”

“Call when you want to head over to the bed-and-breakfast. I can get you inside. The Fire Marshal has it locked down until he finishes his investigation.”

“Thanks, Sheriff. What about the guests?”

“They were able to get their things. We helped them all resettle in hotel rooms. When you get here, I’ll get you in touch with the manager of the hotel so you can make arrangements if you need to.”

“Thanks. I already have a room at The Inn on Main Street. As for the guests, I’ll need to speak to the insurance company and my attorney.”

“OK. Call when you want to meet me at Katy’s place. I’ll make sure the Fire Marshal is there as well.”

“Thanks, Sheriff.”

I hung up and was about to dial the house when the shuttle bus stopped in the lot. I grabbed my bag, and quickly made my way to the Pontiac Grand Am that Barney had reserved for me. I tossed my bag in the back seat, got in, plugged my cell phone into the cigarette lighter, and quickly got on my way. I dialed home at the first traffic light, and pressed the ‘speakerphone’ button.

“She’s in stable condition with smoke inhalation,” I said.

“No burns?” Jessica asked.

“The Sheriff didn’t mention any. He said the fire wasn’t bad, just smoky. Apparently it was in the chimney, but until I meet with someone from the Fire Department, I won’t know for sure. Did you get in touch with the emergency claims department at the insurance company?”

“Yes. They have your phone number. Someone will call you today. I also called Sensei Jim and your dad. Your dad wants you to call when you have a chance. I also talked to Elyse. She wanted to know how long you would be away.”

I sighed, “I don’t know. If anything comes up on the lawsuit, or anything else at work, she can call me. Did you get in touch with Jack Switzer?”

“Yes. He’ll reschedule your interview with the FBI. He did say they were likely to be quite upset.”

“Fuck ‘em! It’s harassment. They have absolutely nothing because they can’t have anything! And if in some alternate universe they did, I’d either be under arrest or they would have made some clear threats.”

“Are there any other calls I need to make?”

“No, I think that’s it for now.”

“Are you doing OK?” Jessica asked.

“Other than being concerned about Katy, and about her business, I’m fine. You checked me before I left, remember?”

“Yes. You did miss your run this morning, and you’ll miss karate. That’s not good, Tiger.”

“One day won’t hurt. I promise I’ll find some time to exercise before bed.”

“And watch what you eat.”

I sighed, “I promise to look at every piece of food before I put it in my mouth!”

“Don’t be snarky! You’re under stress. The fire. The lawsuit. The FBI. All the other stuff from the past few weeks. You need to be extra careful! Do you hear me?”

“Yes, Doctor Jessica,” I said flatly.

“Don’t ‘Doctor Jessica’ me, Tiger! I’ll call Doctor Barton right now, if you like.”

“Sorry,” I said. “I just think you’re overreacting. I’m fine. Tell everyone I love them and I’ll call later.”

When she hung up, I snapped the mobile phone shut and tossed it on the passenger seat. She was right that I was under stress, but I was also annoyed by her constant harping on me about my diet and my exercise. I had been exercising regularly since Junior High, and except for a brief period after I moved to Chicago, or because of travel, I hadn’t slacked off in any way. It was the price of being married to a doctor. Kara was equally concerned, but more circumspect in how she handled it. The bottom line was, they both cared. I just wished Jessica would back off a bit.

June 22, 1991, Berlin, Vermont

I was happy that I’d grabbed the radar detector from the BMW when I’d parked at Midway and tossed it in my bag, as it allowed me to drive faster than I might otherwise have been willing to. I made good time, and pulled into the lot at the hospital in just over three-and-a-half hours. I parked and quickly walked inside.

“Hi. I’m Steve Adams. I’m Katy O’Connor’s fiancé. She was admitted last night for smoke inhalation after a fire at a bed-and-breakfast we own together.”

The woman at the desk accessed a computer terminal. As Jessica had predicted, she gave me a room number and I headed straight for the elevator and up to the third floor. I stopped at the nurses’ station, and was directed to Katy’s room. I walked down the hallway, and found the door open. I recognized Katy’s parents and sister from the wedding.

“Hey,” I said.

I nodded to the others in the room, and walked over to Katy and took her left hand. The right one had IVs and a pulse-oximeter. I glanced up at the monitor and saw that her ‘sat’ was only 89%, which was low, especially given that she was receiving 5 liters of oxygen per minute by mask, according to the gauge on the wall. In addition, her respiration was faster than it should have been, and her heart rate was elevated. All of that added up to decreased lung function, based on things I’d learned from Al Barton and Jessica.

“Steve! What are you doing here?” Katy asked, her raspy voice muffled by the oxygen mask.

“The Sheriff called me and I got on the first flight to Boston. How are you?”

“My chest hurts, I’m coughing up black gunk, and I have a headache. Otherwise, OK.”

Mr. O’Connor shook my hand, “Thanks for having your wife track us down.”

“You’re welcome. What did the doctor say?”

“That she should be fine in a few days. There doesn’t appear to be any permanent damage. They need to run more tests.”

I nodded, “OK. Do we know anything more about the guests?”

“All OK, according to the Sheriff,” Mr. O’Connor said. “I guess they helped them all get hotels.”

“Katy,” I said, “I’m going to meet the Sheriff later and check out the building. I’m waiting for a call from the insurance company.”

She was about to answer when a doctor walked into the room.

“Doctor,” I looked at his name tag, “Markum? I’m Steve Adams, Katy’s fiancé. How is she?”

Katy’s sister’s eyes went wide, and her parents looked confused. Katy went wide-eyed and squeezed my hand. I hadn’t had time to explain, but I would afterwards.

“She’s doing OK. We’re monitoring her, and she should be released in a couple of days.”

“Her sat level is low,” I said. “I assume you’ve been doing regular blood gasses?”

“Yes, we have. Are you a physician, Mr. Adams?”

I was married to one, but there was no way I could say that now that I’d introduced myself as Katy’s fiancé!

“No. I have a close friend who is head of Emergency Medicine at University of Chicago Hospital and one of my housemates is a Resident there. And I have other close friends who are medical students or Residents.”

“Well, overall, given the smoke inhalation, everything is where it should be. We expect her PO2 to come up overnight as her lungs clear. Once she’s above 94% on room air, we’ll release her. I’d say Monday, most likely.”

“Thanks, Doctor Markum. Sorry to interrupt.”

He nodded and I moved so he could examine Katy. When he left, I got the expected question.

“Fiancé?” her sister Kaylee asked.

“A ruse my wife, the doctor, suggested. When we called here early this morning, they wouldn’t tell us anything because we weren’t family. So Jessica suggested I use a standard hospital ruse to get past them. It worked.”

“I was wondering,” Kaylee said. “You already have two women!”

“Kaylee, stop it,” Katy rasped.

There was more going on here and I had no idea what the dynamic was within the family. I moved back to take Katy’s hand again.

“I’m going to call the Sheriff. I’ll come see you later.”

She nodded. I was sure she had a million questions, but just the little talking she’d done seemed to wear her out. That didn’t surprise me, given her low blood oxygen levels. I stepped out of the room and Kaylee followed me.

“Where’s her girlfriend?” she asked.

That answered THAT question. Katy hadn’t said anything to her parents about her personal life. And I had to be careful what I revealed. I decided to play it purely as a business arrangement.

“Katy moved to Vermont and she doesn’t fill me in on her personal life,” I said. “Anything else you’ll have to ask her.”

“Did they break up?”

“Kaylee, I need to make some phone calls. You’ll have to ask Katy any questions about her personal life. I need to deal with the business. That’s why I’m here.”

She frowned and walked back into the room. I checked my cell phone and saw there was no service, so I continued down the hall to a small waiting area. I dropped a dime in the pay phone and dialed the number at the Sheriff’s office. We made arrangements to meet at the bed-and-breakfast in an hour, and he promised to have the Fire Marshal there. I went back to the room, let Katy know I’d be going to the bed-and-breakfast, and that I’d come back before I went to bed.

“Can I come along?” Kaylee asked.

I just knew that she’d spend the entire time pumping me for information, and I wasn’t interested in dealing with that.

“I don’t know that anyone but me will be allowed into the building, and I didn’t say anyone would be with me, so it’s probably not a good idea.”

She frowned again but didn’t say anything. I headed out of the hospital, consulted my map, and drove to Katy’s place.

June 22, 1991, Apple Orchard Bed-and-Breakfast near Montpelier, Vermont

Chapter 2 »