Peggy Holloway - Judith McCain 01 - Blood on White Wicker (16 page)

When I finished my last number I went over and sat beside him. He gave me a quick glance then did a double take.

“Vicky?” he said, “Is that really you? I didn’t recognize you with blonde hair.”

He jumped off the bar stool and picked me up and swung me around. We were both laughing.

“Let’s get a table over here. Is that all right with you Frank?” Frank just gestured for us to go ahead.

When we were settled down with our drinks, we both started talking at once, but then he motioned for me to go ahead.

“Where the hell have you been?” I asked.

“Wow! Vicky, what happened to the innocent little girl I left behind? She would have never said hell.” I knew he was kidding me because he was smiling.

“To start at the beginning, when I got back to Houston things at work went haywire. There were so many things going on at one time. And I had to keep going back to the rig. We almost lost the well several times. I hardly had time to sleep and eat. When things finally calmed down, I flew back here to surprise you but when I got back, the house was closed down.

“I tried to find you but I really didn’t know where to look so I went back to Houston. I’ve been coming back and forth ever since when I have the time. It was like you vanished into thin air. Tonight, I decided to come over here and have a few drinks and see my old friend Frank. We go back a long way, Frank and me. Now it’s your turn. Where the hell have
you
been?”

I laughed, “Well, to start at the beginning, after you left, I continued to make deliveries for Dave. Then one day he said he was short-handed and wanted me to see one of the men that night. My date turned out to be a cop. It turned out that Marty ratted us out.”

His mouth dropped open and I continued. I told him the rest but again left out the part about Julia and the FBI. I didn’t think it would be fair to confide in him and not in Ben. While I was talking, my turn on stage came up but Frank didn’t interrupt.

Mark stayed at the club until we closed and I introduced him to Rosa. Mark offered to take me home but then I remembered that I had to get a hotel room so I hesitated. I told him that I roomed with Rosa but she was going to have company and I was supposed to get a room.

Then I told him that I was seeing someone else. He offered to take me to a hotel and said we could have coffee in the lobby. We went to the Royal Sonesta. After taking my bag upstairs we went into the coffee shop and chatted. We talked until about six a.m. and then he kissed me on the forehead and left.

I woke up at eight and was very sick. I barely made it to the bathroom before I was throwing up. I didn’t know if I should call an ambulance or wake up Rosa and John, if he was still there, to take me to the emergency room. I was doubled over in pain.

It seemed like no matter how much I threw up, I still felt sick. When I started dry heaving and couldn’t seem to stop, I decided to call the front desk and ask if there was a hotel doctor.

As I was reaching for the phone, it rang and Rosa said, “Thank God, we found you. Stay where you are, we’re coming to get you.”

She hung up before I could say anything and I wondered how she knew I was sick.

I kept dry heaving until I was so weak I could hardly make it to the bathroom. I lay down on the bed and must have fallen asleep because I was awoken by a loud knocking on the door. When I opened the door Rosa and John stood there.

She took one look at me and said, “Oh my God, what’s wrong with you?”

John pushed Rosa aside and caught me as my knees buckled.

The next thing I remember, someone was shining a bright light in my eyes while holding my eyelid open. I wished that they would quit so I could go back to sleep. I felt so tired.

I heard someone said, “I’d like to keep her overnight for observation.”

The next time I awoke, the first thing I saw was an IV stand with a tube running down to my hand. I looked to my right and saw John asleep in a chair.

A nurse came in and said, “Well I see you’re awake. How do you feel?”

“I feel okay now but I want this thing out of my hand and I want some food.”

“Well, that’s a good sign, isn’t it nurse?” John said as he stood up and stretched.

“That is a good sign, but first things first. That IV line is in there because you were dehydrated. We have to get some liquids into you. I’m going to bring you some hot vegetable soup and a variety of other liquids.” With that she flew out of the room.

John came over and took my hand, “We were worried about you. I saw you get in the car with Mark Rogers just as I drove up to pick up Rosa. By the way, I sent her home to get some sleep. Vicky, whatever possessed you to get in the car with him?”

“I met Mark when I was working for Dave. He was going to come back and take me to Houston with him. But he never came back.”

“You obviously don’t know who Mark Rogers is. You wouldn’t remember him. But you can be assured that he knows who you are and has known all along, since you look just like the pictures that I’ve seen of your mother. He is Hannah Roger’s son. And Hannah Rogers was your nanny. That’s why when I saw you get in the car with him I couldn’t believe it.

“We called around until we found out where you were staying. When you collapsed in my arms, I thought he had done something to you, but the doctor said he thought it was just food poisoning. I insisted that they do a blood test for anything else and I’m not leaving your side until you leave here. Can you think of anything you ate that could have been tainted?”

As he was revealing all of this information about Mark, I felt like I was in a state of shock and he had to ask me again what I had eaten before it sank in that he was talking to me.

 
“Rosa and I both had the same thing for supper and she didn’t get sick, so it must have been either the shish-ka-bob I had from next door to the club, no, a lot of the girls ate that too. The only other thing I had was the coffee with Mark and bread pudding at the hotel. But we both had that. Of course, Mark might be sick too. I don’t know.”

“Was there any time that your food was unattended? Did you get up, during your coffee and desert with Mark, to use the ladies room?”

“No, but Mark excused himself right after we ordered. I don’t see how he could have put anything in my food unless he went back to the kitchen and did it while he was gone. But if he did that how would he know for sure which pudding I got? Unless he got the waiter to help him, I don’t see how he could have done it, John.”

“If the toxicology report is positive you can bet I’m going to have a talk with that waiter. Do you know what his name was? Was he wearing a name tag?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t notice a name tag.”

“But you would recognize him if you saw him again wouldn’t you?”

“I think I could, John. Thank you so much. I’m sorry I ruined your night with Rosa,” I said laughing.

“Don’t worry about that, I’m going to let you rest while I go see Rosa as soon as my replacement gets here.”

He walked to the door and looked up and down the hall.

“Hey Ray, over here,” I heard him say. A man much shorter than John and a little heavier and chewing on a toothpick came in. He introduced himself as Ray Stanford of the FBI and said that he was going to be sitting right outside the door.

CHAPTER 14

I was in the middle of a dream and noticed that Hannah, the nanny, was wearing a nurse’s uniform. Then I realized that I wasn’t dreaming and that she was actually standing over my bed. She had a hypodermic needle in her hand. I started screaming, and she ran.

Ray came running into my room, tucking in his shirt.

“I was in the bathroom,” he said. “What happened?”

When I told him, he got out his walkie-talkie and sent out an alert. Before long, the hospital was crawling with hospital security.

John came in and jumped all over Ray for leaving his post. “I had to go to the bathroom, John,” Ray said.

“What was I just supposed do, go in my pants?”

When I heard this, I laughed so hard I almost lost my breath. John came over and slapped my face. It hurt my feelings more than my face, and I got tears in my eyes.

“I’m sorry, Vicky, but you were getting hysterical.” He put his palm against my cheek very gently, “You forgive me?”

In that moment I thought Rosa was so lucky to have him, and I knew he was a person I could truly trust. I felt so lucky because I had more people on my side than at any other time in my life.

I pulled back, “John, now that everyone seems to already know that I know about this, can’t I please meet my grandmother?”

He took a long breath and blew it out slowly and looked out the window so long, I thought he had forgotten me.

Then he took my hand. “I’ll have to think about this, Vicky. We don’t really know for sure who is involved in this. I’ll ask my supervisor and see what she thinks. It might work out better if you and your grandmother were together. It might be easier to watch both of you.

“We would need to bring her here because we need to watch Rosa also. Whoever has been following you two probably assumes that Rosa knows everything you know. Maybe we should put all three of you in a safe house.

“Mrs. McCain, your grandmother, doesn’t know you’ve been found, and she doesn’t know we’re watching her. I think she’ll be really angry with us when she finds out that we’ve found you and didn’t tell her. I haven’t met her personally, but I hear she can be a real terror. Let me talk it over with my supervisor.”

“All right, but don’t take forever. I’ve been waiting a long time, and I think I’ve been more than patient and cooperative.”

“You have, Vicky. But right now I’m going to ask your doctor if you can go. The toxicology report didn’t show anything, so I don’t see any reason for him to keep you here.”

“You’re right,” said my doctor as he came into my room at that moment. He handed me some papers. “If you’ll just sign these discharge papers, you’re out of here. And don’t look so worried. This bill is on the FBI.”

John drove me home and I was so excited to be going back to Rosa’s. She met me at the door and hugged me.

“I’m so glad you’re all right,” she said. “I’m so sorry I sent you to a hotel.”

She and John kissed and he told her he wanted to use her phone. I went upstairs to take a much needed shower.

When
I got out of the shower and got dressed and went downstairs, John was just getting off the phone. He looked at me and grinned from ear to ear and I crossed my fingers and looked at him with questions in my eyes.

Rosa looked from one of us to the other and said, “Someone want to let me in on the obvious good news?”

John picked her up and whirled her around then picked me up and whirled me around. I could tell he wanted to delay the good news and build up the suspense, but when I started getting short of breath and put my hand over my heart to try to keep it from beating out of my chest, he had mercy on me. I knew it was going to be good news but I didn’t know it would be this good.

“Vicky, your grandmother is flying in tonight. She will be here at around nine. An agent is picking her up. This is Sunday night so you and Rosa don’t have to work tonight or tomorrow night so that works out nicely. Vicky, when the agent who has been watching her told your grandmother everything, he said she was one happy old lady. She was laughing and crying at the same time.

“She said she was going to rent a house here for all three of you to live in but in the meantime, she’s made reservations at the Omni Royal Hotel. She’s booked a three bedroom suite. You both need to pack your bags. We’re going to take you to the hotel now so you can be there to greet her.”

“Can’t we meet her at the airport, please?”

“No, we, the FBI, are going to be picking her up and taking her directly to the hotel.”

Rosa had been standing there frowning. “Wait just one minute. I’m happy for you Vicky, but I don’t see why I have to leave my apartment. You can’t make me do that, John.”

They stood there arguing but I didn’t care what they decided. I knew John would protect her. All I cared about was seeing my grandmother. I left them standing there arguing and ran upstairs to pack. I felt excited but sad at the same time. Rosa and I had had some good times here.

When I got back downstairs, they were standing in the kitchen kissing. “Well, what’s the verdict?” I asked.

John stood there giving Rosa a lot of short pecks all over her face and saying between each kiss, “She’s (kiss kiss) going (kiss kiss) to (kiss kiss) be (kiss kiss) a good girl.”

I could tell that Rosa was acting like putty in his hands and I was so happy for her because I thought they made a great couple.

John took us to the hotel and checked us in which took about three seconds because all he had to do was pick up our keys at the front desk. My grandmother had already charged everything on her credit card with instructions for us to order room service including anything we wanted. I thought I was going to like my take charge grandmother.

Then I thought of Julia and her powerful father and I started worrying about her. I had tried to call her several times but they wouldn’t let me talk to her and she hadn’t called me either. I decided to get my grandmother’s help when she got here. Actually, I thought, I won’t even have to ask. When she finds out about my sister she would kick butt.

 
“What in the world are you grinning about, Brandy?” asked Rosa.

“I’m thinking about how that my grandmother is going to kick some ass when she finds out about Julia.”

We all got a good laugh about that, but we weren’t going to be laughing long when we got the news about Julia.

Rosa was sitting on the couch in the living room watching some kind of horror movie on TV when I came out wearing a long black shirt, black boots and pink cotton sweater.

She laughed “How many outfits does that make? Honestly Brandy, your grandmother’s not going to care what you’re wearing. Just keep that on and sit down here and watch this with me. It’ll help pass the time. It’s only seven twenty and her flight doesn’t get here until nine. By the time they wait in baggage claim and get back here, it’s going to be at least ten.”

I watched the movie with her but I couldn’t have told you what it was about. The time moved so slowly. I kept looking at the clock and Rosa kept rolling her eyes at me. At ten minutes to nine, my clothes were feeling uncomfortable and I decided to put on a pair of jeans.

 
I changed tops four times and ended up with a Ralph Lauren long sleeved light blue knit shirt. These clothes made me feel more relaxed. I decided to go barefoot.

I must have walked twenty miles pacing back and forth across the living room, and Rosa had quit commenting. There was a loud rap on the door and I jumped a mile high. Rosa shook her head and answered the door.

There stood a sophisticated older lady wearing a big smile on her face. She didn’t look anything like I had thought a grandmother should look. She was about my same height and was wearing a bone colored long-sleeved silk blouse and a dark brown pair of slacks, dark brown butter leather high heeled pumps, and gold button earrings. She had on an expensive looking watch and plain wedding band on her left hand. Her hair was light brown streaked with gray and was in a French twist.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I thought she was so beautiful. She was here and she was part of my family.

“Grandmother!” was all I said and then could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks. She pulled me to her and I saw that she was crying too.

“Oh, Judith,” she said, “I’ve waited so long to hold you. When they told me about you, I couldn’t wait to get here. I looked for you and Julia for so long and hired so many detectives. I had almost given up.”

The others had left the room and gone into Rosa’s room.

We sat on the couch and talked for hours, and every time she called me Judith, I had to remind myself she was talking to me.

“Judith, the FBI have told me or briefed me as they say, about your dreams and about your life in the last foster home and everything that’s happened to you after you ran away from there.” She chuckled, “You remind me a lot of me. You’re a real survivor. But can you remember where you were before your last foster home? Maybe we could work backward from there and try to figure some things out.”

“Okay. From ages eight to age 12, I was with the Kitcheners, Sally and Ken. They were only probably in their thirties. They had a son named Larry. I think he was a little retarded. He was about sixteen or seventeen and mostly sat around and ate. He was very fat, but Sally and Ken were both fit.

“They worked out in the gym that they owned and I never understood why they took me in. They didn’t pay much attention to me. They were gone a lot and I think they had me there to look after Larry.

“I did most of the cooking, If you can call opening and warming up cans of food, cooking. We lived in a trailer, and I also did all the housework. I think they took me in as a maid and baby sitter now that I think about it. This was in Savannah, Georgia.”

“Did you tell the FBI about this part?”

“No, there were so many other things we have been talking about. I think they were more interested in hypnotizing me to find out about the kidnapping, than what happened back then.

“Anyway, while I was living with the Kitcheners, I got tired of wearing Sally’s old clothes that she halfway pinned up for me. I thought I deserved to have something new. One day, while Larry was taking his nap, I walked to the downtown area, it wasn’t very far. I took some jeans and tops.

“I wasn’t very good and was arrested for shoplifting, and taken to Juvenile Hall. When I appeared before the judge and told him why I took the clothes, he shipped me off to the last place.”

At this point, my grandmother was laughing so hard she got choked. I got up and got her a glass of water. I was laughing too, although this was the first time I could see any humor in that period of my life. After we both wiped our eyes, she told me to continue.

“Grandmother, this has made me remember something that I had forgotten. Before ending up with the Kitcheners, I seem to remember a long series of living here one or two days and then there for a few days. It seems like there were long trips during the night several times.

“I remember being wrapped up in blankets and riding in a truck with someone holding me in her lap. I’m sorry. That’s about all I can remember. But John can help me remember more, I know he can.”

“Some other time. Right now, we need to get some sleep. Tomorrow, we’re going to figure out what to do about Julia.”

I laughed, “I knew you’d kick ass when you got here.”

She joined in my laughter.

As I was getting into bed, I noticed it was four thirty in the morning and I felt bad for keeping my grandmother up.

We slept until noon that same day and I would have slept later but Rosa shook me awake.

“John wants us all in the living room, Brandy. He’s got word about Julia and it doesn’t sound good.”