“I’ll be there as soon as I get directions.”
Maggie was propped up on one of the emergency room beds when he arrived. She had an IV in her arm, a bandage on her left hand, and her left foot was raised and covered in ice packs.
He started to reach out to hold her hand, and then pulled back. “How are you?”
“Glad you came. All I could think of when I thought I was going to die was that I’d been a fool. That I loved you.”
Will smiled a little, but didn’t move closer.
“I’m okay. Bruised all over. Not too many cuts, though, and the X ray of my ankle showed it’s a clean break. As soon as the swelling goes down the doctor’s going to put a cast on it. What do you think about a blue cast? He’s out of pink, and I refused purple. They don’t seem to do white casts anymore.”
“This is from the car accident?” said Will.
“Most of it. I’ll fill you in,” said Maggie.
“And what’s the good news?” he asked.
“Oh, there’s lots of good news,” said Maggie. She wanted to say, The good news is that you came. “The best news is, I’m getting some good pain meds through this IV, so my ankle doesn’t hurt very much anymore, and my bruises and cuts are getting better all the time.” She stopped talking for a minute, and closed her eyes. Then she opened them. “And I know who killed Dan and Cordelia. And where Tony Silva got the pills that killed him. That’s all very good.”
Jim appeared in the doorway. “Maggie! I just talked to Ike Irons outside. He says you not only got into a car accident with his wife, you also got yourself into the middle of his investigation.”
“I solved all the crimes,” said Maggie. “Did he tell you that?”
“She’s on heavy meds,” said Will quietly. “I don’t know how reliable she is right now.”
“Ike told me when he and the ambulance arrived she was standing in the mud waving a gun at Rocky Costa and saying he’d told her he was going to kill her and Annie.”
“She was…what?” said Will.
“Absolutely right,” said Maggie. “He was. That was Rocky’s gun. You can check it out. I got the gun from him. One bullet’s been fired, but I didn’t fire it. He did. Ask Annie, too.”
“Annie won’t be answering any questions soon, Maggie. Her arm’s shattered, and she has some internal injuries. She’s in surgery.”
“I think I’d like to talk to my lawyer now. In private.”
Will looked at her. “Maggie, why don’t you wait until your cast is on, and you’re feeling better?”
“I need to talk to Jim now. Please, Will.”
Will shook his head and shrugged and left the room.
“Okay, Maggie. I’m here. What is it?” Jim sat down next to her bed.
“Jim, I found out who sold drugs last spring, and who supplied the drugs to Tony Silva. And who killed Dan Jeffrey and Cordelia West. The problem is, I don’t have proof. Annie Irons is at the center of it all. If I tell Ike Irons he could just ignore what I say. I think he may already know Annie was connected with Tony’s death last spring; that’s why he stopped investigating. Tonight Annie and Rocky were going to kill me because of what I’d found out.”
“Maggie, those are serious allegations.” Jim hesitated. “Are you very sure? Because you’re not only accusing two people of murder and drug trafficking, you’re suggesting there may have been a police cover-up.”
“I don’t know for sure about the cover-up. But it seems strange Chief Irons has never questioned the amount of money his wife spends. Jim, she collects very high-end antiques, and her clothes cost a fortune. Unless she has a very rich family or Ike is paid a lot more than most police chiefs in small towns, that money’s coming from somewhere. Ike may not know everything she’s involved with. But I think he suspects, and closes his eyes. And there’s circumstantial evidence to support what I’ve found out. There’s probably more, once someone knows who to investigate. But the investigation has to happen quickly. Chief Irons was right: I was holding a gun on Rocky Costa when the police arrived tonight. Rocky and Annie both know I found out about the drugs and murders.”
Jim paused, then said, “Costa’s in jail right now, because you said he threatened you. That was enough to hold him. Annie’s in the hospital. You’re in no danger tonight or tomorrow. And you’ve been given painkillers tonight.”
“What does that have to do with anything? I’m fine!” said Maggie.
Jim pointed to the IV and the ankle. “I’m talking about legalities, Maggie. The fact that you’re under the influence of drugs could be used to invalidate anything you say now. Get your cast on. Go back to Six Gables. Get a good night’s sleep. I have a couple of ideas. Let me make some calls. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
“You’re getting married tomorrow,” said Maggie.
“There is that,” said Jim. “Don’t worry. I don’t think Gussie will let either of us forget the wedding. We’ll talk in the morning. In the meantime, get some rest. Tomorrow you have to be the maid of honor.”
Chapter 41
The Bride.Classic lithograph, 1909, by Harrison Fisher (1875-1934). An elegantly attired bride sitting in a full-length satin wedding gown, with train and bouquet of white roses. Fisher, a third-generation artist, was the top magazine cover illustrator of the early twentieth century. His “American Girls” were considered the epitome of feminine beauty. He described his ideal as “well-bred and healthy-minded, delightfully free of pose. Mistress of herself, she looks out upon the world with frankness and assurance.” Fisher’s girls were on every cover of Cosmopolitan from 1913 until his death in 1934, and on eighty Saturday Evening Post covers. Trim, athletic, and educated, his “girls” helped define the “new woman.” 8.5 x 11 inches. $100.
The sun had the audacity to shine Saturday morning, displaying to the world the damage Hurricane Tasha had left in her wake.
Downed branches were everywhere. High tides and surf had brought seaweed, driftwood, and parts of collapsed buildings into villages close to the beaches. Beaches themselves had lost quantities of sand. Sections of boardwalk had disappeared.
Shingles, parts of roofs, and street signs were now on lawns and streets and hanging from trees. Trees had fallen on houses, cars, and other trees. Electric lines throughout Cape Cod and the Islands were down, leaving most homes and businesses dark. Many wires had fallen on flooded streets, creating the danger of electrocution. NSTAR Electric trucks seemed to be everywhere, but never in enough places.
The governor was on television and radio telling people to stay off the roads, leaving those that were open for clean-up and emergency vehicles, but most people didn’t have electricity so they didn’t hear his warnings and pleas to stay home.
Despite posted signs warning people of the continuing dangers of unusually strong high tides and rogue waves, people wandered the dunes and beaches, taking pictures of the dramatic breakers and looking for treasures the storm might have washed ashore.
At Six Gables Mrs. Decker served a breakfast of cold muffins, eggs hard-boiled on Friday, apples, and canned pineapple. No one complained, although Maggie knew Will was longing for hot coffee. She sponged herself off with cold water and was glad she’d showered the afternoon before, although her adventures after that had not left her in wedding picture-perfect condition. She pulled out the heels she’d planned to wear for the wedding, and Will tried not to laugh as she considered wearing one with a cast on the other foot and a crutch. At least the sapphire blue cast didn’t clash too much with the navy dress she’d decided to wear.
Maggie settled on one sandal and the reality that she’d be limping down the aisle.
She and Will were on speaking terms. Neither of them had said anything, but they had to stay civil for Gussie’s and Jim’s sakes, and they were doing that.
At nine o’clock Gussie called. “Maggie? How are you? Jim told me about your adventure last night.”