Markers (Joshua Stokes Mysteries Book 3) (19 page)

“You think they were trying to kill you, Sheriff?”

“No, if he wanted me dead, I’d be dead-I was as helpless as a newborn kitten in that situation. I think maybe someone is trying to get a point across or maybe just wanted me out of the way for a while… Where was this murder you were talking about?”

“It was in Fairview, out there off Old Moffett Ro-” Paul was interrupted mid-sentence and did not get to finish; a nurse walked into the room.

“Alright, this bunch is going to have to clear out,” ordered Bonnie Huggins as she walked into the room pushing a surgical supply cart. James and Paul both grumbled good-naturedly, but told Joshua they would return later and then left the room.

“Glad you’re a familiar face,” Joshua said as soon as James and Paul left the room.

“I just saw you last night, Hun-you know, we’re going to have to stop meeting like this, Sheriff. You know you can come see me without getting hurt to do it,” Bonnie kidded, and then told him that when Dr. Lightfoot told her he was awake, she had to come see about him- “Doc suggested I change your bandages while I was in here.”

“Were you working the Emergency Room when they brought me in?”

“Nah, Hun, I was on the ambulance that picked you up and brought you in.”

“I don’t remember anything about that…”

“Well, I don’t reckon so, Sheriff. You coded twice before we got you here; it’s a dang wonder you’re even alive!”

“What does that mean, I coded?”

“It means that your heart stopped beating you big oaf,” Bonnie laughed nervously.

“Really?”

“Yeah, really,” Bonnie said, emphasizing the word
really
. “Every time you tried to get air into your lungs you sucked more cocaine into your system. In addition to that, you was bleeding like a stuck pig-forgive my comparisons, but I knew you would understand how much that was. We had to shock your heart the second time it stopped.” Joshua remembered the lightning bolts zipping through his veins and wondered if it was from that. “The paramedic that was on the bus with us, finally turned you over and vented your lung through the knife wound on your back. He inflated your lung so you could get enough oxygen into you bloodstream to keep you sustained until we got you into the emergency room. You were lucky, Dr. Laughlin was on duty - he’s one of the finest surgeons in the state.”

“I’m glad you were one of the ones that got me here. I know you were looking out for me… thanks, Bonnie,” Joshua said reaching for her hand.

“Honey, you’re lucky the good Lord was looking after you, or you’d be dead,” Bonnie said, patting his shoulder with her free hand. “Now, turn your butt over and let me bandage you up. You need to try to get up and walk too. The longer you lay there and wait, the harder it’ll be on you.”

Joshua let go Bonnie’s hand and used the bedrail to pull himself over. He hated grunting and groaning, but could not help himself; it hurt pretty damn bad. Bonnie whistled loudly and drew his attention to something besides his pain.

“Where’s your drawers, Hun-didn’t know I was gonna get a peepshow today!” she exclaimed and chuckled nervously.

“I’m sorry Bonnie… I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I didn’t know I was naked under here,” Joshua said as he pulled the hospital gown around him to cover himself.

“Aw, you didn’t embarrass me none, sweetkins,” Bonnie said patting the cheek of his ass. “I’ve seen it all before-heck, you see everything imaginable working on the ambulance and in Emergency. However, I do know that
several
of the nurses would pay damn good money to get a peek at that ass of yours.

Joshua chuckled. “Well, send ‘em on in and charge a couple of bucks a head,” he said. “By the time I get out of here, I’m probably gonna need it to pay the hospital bill!”

“Lie still you big ox and let me doctor you up. We need to be real careful cleaning around those drainage tubes.”

“We - You’re the one back there,” Joshua grumbled. Bonnie poked him forcefully in the right scapula with her index finger and then threatened that if he did not be still, she was going to stick him extra hard with the needle when she gave him his Demerol shot.

“Why don’t you give me the damn shot first,” Joshua suggested, adding, “maybe it won’t hurt as bad while you’re cleaning me up and changing those bandages.”

“Alright, whiney butt - you just want to go and spoil all my fun, don’t you. I’ll give you your shot first.” She slapped him on the hip and said, “Now, turn that lily white ass of yours up here so I can stick it. If you follow instructions, and do what Doc and me tells you to do, we can work on getting you discharged and on your way home soon.”



Sitting in his back porch rocker, listening to the rumble of distant thunder, and Jim Morrison’s ‘Riders on the Storm’, that was playing softly from the radio in the kitchen, Joshua swore the weeklong hospital stay, was the worse week of his entire life. He also swore that if there were any possible way to avoid it, he would not be caught in that situation again. Hook nodded his head as he listened, and smiled to himself every now and then over Joshua’s exchange. He was just glad that his friend was okay. Joshua had stopped talking - both were now quiet as they sat, feet propped, and listened to the approaching storm. The intense clearness of the azure skies from earlier in the day was now darkened by large, chunky, steel blue clouds that hung in the sky seemingly without movement. Darker hued, delicately thin charcoal clouds sailed eastward beneath the chunky ones at a much faster rate of speed. Joshua reached and poured himself another glass of whiskey, then offered the bottle to Hook. James refused, saying that he needed to go ahead and leave so that he could get ahead of the storm; he needed to feed his animals before the storm hit. Joshua nodded and lit a cigarette.

“I appreciate you bringing me home, Hook. I know the doc said that I don’t need to drive for another week or so but I got news for him, I’m gonna have to drive some, I’ll be careful though. I can’t stay cooped up in the house for too long -I’ll go stir crazy.”

“Nah, you won’t, Hoss; you’ll be alright. I’m just a phone call away if you need me. And, didn’t Emma say that she was coming out to stay a couple of days?”

“Yeah, she did say that before her and Metcalf left the hospital the other night. I’m not gonna complain-as bad as I hate to admit it, I could actually use her help.” The deep bass sound of thunder rumbling surrounded them; it rolled beneath the cabin and vibrated everything within for a moment; they even felt it in the chairs they sat in.

“Dang, it sounds like this is gonna be a rough one,” James said, referring to the storm. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright out here by yourself? I could always take you home with me - we got plenty of room now that the boys are out of the house.”

“I’ll be fine, James. Quit your worrying, I’m use to being out here by myself - Most of the time, I prefer it that way. Besides, I am not an invalid, not yet anyway. At least I can still wipe my own ass” Joshua chuckled. “Now, go on and git before that storm catches you and Ilene’ll be a bitching about having to feed them damn goats of yours!”

“All right, I’m a going… you sure-”

“Damn‘it, Hook, How many times am I going to have to assure you that I’ll be fine. Now, get the hell on out of here before I kick you square in the ass!”

“I’m gone,” James chuckled, walking toward the front yard. “If you need me call me,” he threw over his shoulder before he disappeared around the corner of the house.

“I will,” Joshua replied. He was relieved when he heard Hook’s truck crank up and drive out the driveway. He was ready for some alone time. He had always heard people complain about not getting enough rest while in the hospital - he felt he had gotten too much rest, but with nurses constantly checking on him and friends visiting, he had not gotten enough time alone. He knew it was going to be a long night-he was nowhere near sleepy. He kicked back in his chair, propped his feet on the railing and took a long pull on the whiskey bottle before lighting another cigarette, and refilling his glass.

A tender tune began playing on the radio-he immediately recognized that it was the group Led Zeppelin. He liked Robert Plant’s vocals on most everything he had heard him sing, but he had never heard the song that was playing-

“
There's a feeling I get, when I look to the west, and my spirit is crying for leaving. In my thoughts, I have seen rings of smoke through the trees, and the voices of those who stand looking. Ooh, it makes me wonder, ooh, it really makes me wonder
.”

“Yeah, boss, it does,” Joshua mumbled, as he thumped his cigarette butt out into the yard and picked up his glass of whiskey. Lightning flashed across the dark, roiling sky, highlighting the treetops and riverbank. Joshua felt its electrical energy charge the air that flowed around him, but he was not afraid. He figured if God intended to take him out by striking him dead, he would a done it when lightning struck him the first time. When the next song began to play, Joshua knew that Emma must have left it on WABB-it was the only station in Mobile that played that particular music. He could tell it was a Pink Floyd song, but not one he had heard before. It made him realize how stymied he was in his music. He listened to his 8-tracks all the time, but most of them were five or six years old. When the lyrics began, he lit another smoke and adjusted his behind in his chair. All of their music was soothing. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

“So, so you think you can tell, Heaven from Hell, Blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell?”

He wished it was a little louder, but then again, he didn’t-the mixture of the approaching storm and the spacey music was actually comforting. He must have dozed off momentarily because a loud boom and a flash of light brought him upright in his chair; dead silence greeted him. The lightning had knocked the power out.

Thirty-Two

Divine Prophecy

The image came to him almost as the storm reached his back porch. Even through the pouring rain, he could see the girl as plain as day. She was partially clad in the remainder of what looked to be a bathing suit or maybe matching panties and bra beneath a covering of thin gauzy material. Large hollow eyes and a small narrow chin caused her to appear waiflike, reminding him of a bloodied, abandoned child he had seen in television footage several years earlier.

The television show was on the aftermath of the Vietnam War and featured orphaned children in a village somewhere over there; but this was no small child-she looked to be a teenager. She stood about twenty feet away, between him and the river and, if he had not of been sure it was a vision, he would have thought she came up from the water. Her long wet hair, matted with twigs, leaves, and bits of small loose debris hung well below her shoulders. It was coated red by blood oozing slowly from an injury near the top of her head. The rain caused the blood to trail down her face, arms, and midriff in small multiple rivulets. Joshua had learned that the visions always came for a reason.

He took a long draw off his cigarette, tossed the butt into the yard, and then closed his eyes and leaned back in his rocker. This girl was in trouble-she was either dying or already dead. He tried to relax his brain and open his mind to the spirits. It was hard for him. Most times, his mind was always busy; always thinking, analyzing things, wondering what he could have done different. As he tried to relax his mind, he realized that this girl had come to him before… maybe while he was recovering in the hospital-maybe even before he regained conscious… If that were the case, she definitely was dead.

Joshua sat up and took a long pull from the whiskey bottle then lit another smoke. He leaned back again, this time letting his body limber up as he relaxed…
Where are you
, he asked in his mind before freeing it and letting it travel. Much the same as if he was in his patrol car, he cruised the back roads of the county using only his mind.

With a bird’s-eye view, he left his back porch and traveled south, staying along the off beaten main track, flying low over the bayous. When he felt the signal weakening, he headed east toward Dauphin Island, staying in that direction until the trail felt cold again. He then went north toward the roads that led to the Tensaw Basin and the waterways surrounding the city. That too, was a wasted effort. In his mind, he turned and headed northwest, but turned again before reaching the county line and headed southwest. That was where he found her - She was lying facedown in the trampled grass of a steep pathway off Highway 13. The trail led down to Chickasabogue Creek in an area near Robbers Island. She was not posed in any suggestive way-it looked as though she was tossed down the embankment from the trailhead… the vision was as clear as if he were standing on the embankment looking down at her. Now that he had had this experience, what was he to do with it?

Several weeks earlier, he would have simply driven to the site of his vision and if his vision were right, he would report finding a body. He had done it before… but that option was not available to him-he was off duty, restricted from driving, at least until the remaining drainage tube was removed. The surgeon had removed the one from his lung, but said the one to the wound in his kidney needed to remain awhile longer. That had been fine with him as long as he could leave the hospital…

Joshua had never revealed his visions to anyone, not his family nor had he even revealed them to Hook, who was the closest friend he had ever had. Sure, he admitted seeing the old woman’s ghost in his cabin; plenty of people had seen her so that was not much of an admission. His visions were not always accurate, and sometimes he had none at all on cases - he thought of Willie and Lacey Stinger and their murders-he did not have a clue where Willie’s body was… He thought of Emma when the Dixon brothers held her prisoner. He did not know where she was - and the ghost that rose from the river was the ghost of a girl already murdered by them… That was why a vision of Emma had not come-she was alive. Sometimes he wished he could see things in real time - but that would probably drive a person insane…

He
had
actually hinted to his ability to see other ghosts before, but never felt comfortable enough to reveal it to anyone. The closest he had ever come was that day at Margie Redfeather’s when the ghost of her late husband had tried to jump him while James and Carlos were there in the room.

The visions of his mother had always bothered him most, because he could not tell whether they were visions or memories. Somehow, even though her face was never revealed in the visions, until recently, he still had always known it was his mother… He sat forward and lit another cigarette. The items he had gotten from Vivian Bradley’s house were on the kitchen table. He had made sure James retrieved them while he was still in the hospital. He had read Vivian’s journal before leaving the hospital.

Lying in bed day after day with nothing to do was about to drive him nuts and then James brought him the journal. The journal hadn’t revealed much at all concerning his mother, at least not as he had hoped it would, but he now knew everything there was know about Vivian’s life, or at the least, everything she shared with her diary, and reading it had kept him occupied.

It seemed that even though Vivian said that she also seen the ghost of Annaleigh’s father, she had her doubts about his mother’s sanity. Was he going to go crazy too? It seemed that both his grandfather and his mother were diagnosed as having some sort of schizoaffective disorder. Maybe that was why neither his father nor his grandparents had ever told him anything about his mother’s past. Were they trying to protect him or did they hope that by not knowing, it would not happen to him… Thinking of his own experiences, Joshua felt his mother was not crazy, she was like him or he was like her; they could see ghosts. But folks did not like to believe that people hung around after they died or that people could see them, they just didn’t-It was as simple as that. They would rather believe that after someone died their spirit went straight up to Heaven or drifted straight down into Hell if that was where they were meant to go.

His thoughts and the ghost of the girl also caused Joshua to think of the old Prophet, Josiah Long and his
divine
glimpses into the future… His “prophesies” was what Josiah called them. He wished old Josiah were still around so that he could seek his advice. Before his death, Josiah had prophesized many future events in people’s lives… he was the one that told Joshua of his father’s impending death. He also advised him that he had abilities to see things that others did not see.

“All’s you got to do, son, is embrace ‘em, embrace them abilities and let ‘em come to you.” that was what he had said - but Joshua had always fought against his visions, especially when he was younger. He had never wanted them - to him, they were not divine at all; they were disturbing. When they did manage to slip through as this one had, he did try to embrace it, figure it out, but they usually just caused him to feel helpless and powerless to do anything about them. What good were the visions if he could not help the person who needed his help? Why did they always come too late?

The very first vision Joshua ever remembered having, was of an old gray-haired woman who was sitting cross-legged on the ground near a fishing hole his granddaddy took him to when he was about four or five years old. He remembered asking, “Who’s that, Papa?” His granddaddy had looked at him strangely then handed him a fishing pole. “Don’t worry about it, Hoss, just catch some fish,” he said. Suddenly, Joshua remembered Paul Calvert or someone saying that they had had another murder in the county… could the visit from the girl’s ghost have something to do with that. He needed to get up to date on what was going on and check into it. Maybe they found one body when actually there were two, that one, and the girl that came to him…

Joshua looked toward the river. She still stood there in the yard staring toward him. It gave him the willies, but if he had to, he could deal with it for a little while. It was still early, he decided he needed to call his deputies or John Metcalf and get the lowdown on the Fairview murder. Well heck, thought Joshua, Calvert was still out of commission the same as he was. He did not feel like dealing with Cookie, he was too hyperactive-and Davis was a little gung-ho too; it looked as though it would be John Metcalf. He was probably with Emma if he was not working on a case. On the other hand, thought Joshua, he could just call Ida Mae; she knew everything that was going on in the entire county. It was past her work time though; she was probably already gone for the day… he reckoned it would just have to wait to morning.

He had hoped to doze the night away sitting in his rocker, but could not sleep - even the pain medication the doctor had given him had not made him sleepy. The night was long and dark, much darker than he remembered from recent nights before the stabbing. Even though he sat in a wide-open area, the darkness caused him to feel claustrophobic.

Several hours before daybreak, it grew so dark he could no longer see the girl standing between his back porch and the river. However, just because he could not see her, did not mean she was not there. He knew she was there; he could feel her presence; her vibe was strong, steady, and unwavering.

A stagnant odor had come with the apparition… He got the same feeling he had the night he watched the spirit woman with the sewn shut mouth rise up with the mist from the river; but that spirit had made contact. It had come straight to him on the porch and tried to communicate-this one had not moved an inch.

Total and complete darkness is a little unsettling, thought Joshua as he strained his eyes first skyward and then toward the river. While looking toward the river, he heard the splash of a branch or something as it fell into the water. Beavers are nocturnal creatures, thought Joshua; maybe one is building a dam below. He used to check periodically for dams and if he found one, he would tear it apart. He did not want beaver dams that close to his cabin. He knew that his not wanting them close, stemmed from a dream he had as a child. In his dream he was sucked beneath the surface of the river and then surfaced in a beaver dam; the mother beaver attacked him and chewed his face off. He did not know why he had dreamt such a thing just that he did. He was probably seven or eight at the time. Joshua did not remember ever having seen a beaver before the dream…

“Damn’it!” he grumbled when he could not find his cigarettes in the darkness. He felt around where the side-table ought to have been, but it took him a minute to locate it and then his cigarettes were not there. The whiskey bottle and glass were, but not his smokes. He knew the power had come back on; he could hear the radio playing the soft late night tunes they played from midnight to 6 a.m. He reckoned they were meant to soothe you to sleep. Wobblingly, Joshua stood to his feet, using the arms of the rocker to push himself up and then turned toward where the screen door should have been; it too had moved. Joshua knew that neither the table nor the door had actually moved; it was his mind playing tricks on him because of the darkness. He reached out and almost put his hand through the screen - it was just closer than he thought it would be. He opened the door, reached in and flipped the switch; the kitchen filled with brilliant, blinding light. He quickly looked behind him to avoid the light, which was harsh on his eyes. He almost yelled out-the ghost of the girl was standing at the top of the porch steps. Her expression was now one of acceptance whereas earlier, it had been almost pleading… Joshua stopped trying to avoid her; he yelled out, asking her what she wanted him to do.

“I know you’re dead, but right now there’s not a damn thing I can do about it!” he said grumpily, then walked to the other side of his rocker and began looking for he cigarettes. He badly needed one and a swallow of whiskey to settle his nerves. After he located his smokes and took a long pull on the whiskey bottle he turned back toward the steps; the girl’s image was gone. However, he was not alone; the Indian on horseback stood a few feet from his porch.

Joshua stared into the rider’s eyes. Without flinching, the rider stared back for what seemed to be a full minute and then softly chuckled. When Joshua blinked to clear his vision, the rider had vanished.

Just before daybreak, Joshua was in his pickup headed toward Fairview. He knew Joe opened every morning about six o’clock. He did not care what the doctor had said, he could not handle another moment stuck at home; he had to get away from the house. When he pulled into the parking lot, the sun had not risen high enough for its light to break through the trees. He sat there and smoked a cigarette while waiting on Joe to open. After about ten minutes, he saw a light on at the back of the building. He got out, walked around to the back door, and knocked. After a few choice curse words and some grumbling, Joe opened the door.

“What the heck is youse a doing, knockin’ on folks door afore daylight?” Joe squinted, trying to focus on Joshua’s face. “Oh, it’s you-somethin’ wrong?”

“Do you just open the door to anyone without inquiring who it is first?”

“Apparently so; you is a standin’ there ain’t cha.”

“That could be dangerous Joe - you don’t ever know who might wander by and think it worth knocking you in the head to rob you.”

“Aw, hell, I done gots too dang old ta be worrin’ bout setch as that- ‘sides, ain’t no door gonna keep ‘em out, if’n they wanna kill me they gone do it, ain’t nuthin’ nobody can do ta stop ‘em.”

“Maybe, but you still ought to be more cautious, Joe…” Joshua did not know why the sudden worry over Joe’s safety had come over him; he tried to shake it. “I figured you’d already be open and I could get a cup of coffee and maybe a bowl of grits. It’s been a long ass night; I had to get out of the house or go completely stir-crazy, especially after spending all that time in the hospital if you know how that feels.”