A Field of Poppies (22 page)

Mike’s thoughts were spinning, bouncing from the interview with Carl and Hannah Crane telling him Jessup had been asking about the prom, to the video they’d seen of Jessup entering and leaving the hospital the night that he died. He’d looked like hell and they’d attributed it to his wife’s condition, but what if it was more? What if he confronted her and knowing she was on her deathbed, she told him the truth.

“
Damn. Just like that, another piece of the puzzle falls in place,” he said.

John frowned. “What?”

“
We know your father was asking some of your mother’s friends if they’d known about anything specific happening to her the night of her senior prom. I’m curious. Did she ever identify the boyfriend in the diary?”

Poppy’s heart began to pound. “When she wrote about him, it was always he and him, never a name.”

Mike nodded. “And Jessup probably wanted to know who dumped her.”

John was stunned. “Son-of-a-bitch! Are you saying my father was murdered over something that happened before Poppy was even born?”

“
I’m not saying anything definitive, but people have killed for less. I need the name of the boy who dumped her. If you find anything more, call me.”

Moments later he was gone.

John locked the door behind him then looked at his sister. To hell with blood. In his mind they were as related as two people could be, but the dejection on her face was stark.

“
Poppy. Look at me. You’re my sister. I don’t ever want to hear you say you’re not.”

She shook her head. “I keep thinking about what Daddy must have thought when he read that. How hurt he must have been. How betrayed he must have felt. I wonder if he and Mama fought about it?”

“
We’ll never know,” John said. “Now, what can I do?”

“
You can’t fix this.”

“
You’re not listening. There’s nothing to fix. So what if Dad wasn’t your birth father? He was the only father you had, just like Mom was the only mother I had and she wasn’t mine. We’re family forever, regardless of blood.”

“
You aren’t seeing it from my standpoint. I don’t know who I am anymore. The Poppy Sadler I knew doesn’t exist and I have no information to replace her.”

John sat back down beside her and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t think. So for the moment we have questions. Time will take care of that, right?”

“
I guess, but do you think this could have anything to do with Daddy’s murder?”

“
I don’t know but that’s not for us to solve. That’s Detective Amblin’s job. We have our own set of things to tend to, including Mom’s funeral tomorrow.”

She nodded. “You’re right. Did you get a chance to go to the funeral home?”

John shook his head. “No, but-“

“
Then go, Johnny.”

“
Not unless you come with me.”

She sighed. “If I come, will that make you feel uncomfortable?”

He frowned. “Hell no. I have to apologize to her and I don’t care who hears.”

“
I need to change.”

“
Then do it,” John said.

****

Mike was driving over the bridge when he saw a dark figure on the far end go scurrying off the walkway and disappear below. Sunlight reflected on the hood of his car and into his eyes, momentarily blinding him. When he looked again, the man was gone, but he was almost certain it was Prophet Jones. If it hadn’t been for the traffic, he would have hit the brakes and followed up to see for sure. He filed the site away for future investigation and kept driving to the precinct. The dispatcher had assured him the gas leak had been dealt with which meant they were back in business. He needed to fill his partner in on what he’d learned. He made the call as he drove, then waited for Kenny to pick up.

Kenny answered on third ring.

“
Homicide. Duroy.”

“
Kenny, it’s me. I have some interesting information that may or may not play into Sadler’s murder. Is Harmon there?”

“
Yeah, what do you need?”

“
Have him get a list of graduating seniors the year Helen Roberts graduated. She was Jessup Sadler’s wife. Went by the nickname, Sunny. I think it will be the class of 1973, but not sure. From that list I need the names of all the boys who lived on the north side of the river. No Coal Towners, okay?”

“
Yeah, okay. Got it. Anything else?”

“
Meet me out front. We’re going to the hospital.”

“
What the hell is happening?”

“
I’ll fill you in on the way.”

****

Justin went through the workday on automatic pilot. He’d answered questions, signed contracts, dealt with a strike threat at one of their companies in upstate New York, and managed to check on Callie without interacting with his mother, who had stayed home sick. He didn’t know what to say to her. Something along the lines of, ‘I’m still pissed at you for ignoring my feelings twenty years ago, but even angrier with myself for knuckling under,’ seemed futile. It was twenty years too late to change his mind.

But life went on – or at least his did.

Sunny’s was damn sure over and his daughter’s future was shaky.

Today thoroughly sucked and he was tired dealing with it. He buzzed his secretary.

“
Frances, I’m through for the day and heading to the hospital. You know how to reach me if the need arises.”

“
Yes sir. Give my best to your daughter.”

“
Thank you, I will.”

Moments later he was on his way down to the parking lot.

****

Callie Caulfield was in her hospital room, standing at the window overlooking the parking lot and wishing there was a way to change the last twelve months of her life.

The friends she’d had then were all weird when she talked to them now – like what she had might be catching, even though she kept telling them she was getting well. They were growing up and moving on – changing best friends and boyfriends as often as they changed their clothes, while she was caught in this time warp where nothing changed but the sheets on her bed.

Very little happened to her between the times when she wasn’t hooked up to dialysis. Even though she knew its purpose, on those days she was hooked up, she imagined the machine as her own personal vampire, sucking all the fluids out of her body and leaving behind nothing but a shell of her former self.

It wasn’t fair that this was happening to her and she was sick and tired of pretending it was. Nana kept telling her to pray and all would be well. Callie didn’t argue, but she didn’t believe it anymore. She’d been praying for a year and look what happened. In a really secret part of her head, she actually wished that the doctors had just let her die. Then she’d be with her mother and not living like some awful zombie, waiting for someone to die so she could live.

Something crashed out in the hall. She turned toward the sound, half-expecting someone to come in, but the door stayed shut and the noise was short-lived.

Nana hadn’t come to see her today. She’d called with regrets, telling her that she wasn’t feeling well and wasn’t allowed to visit for fear she’d bring her germs to Callie. Callie had told her it was okay and to get well soon. What else could she say? But it wasn’t okay. She didn’t have anyone to play cards with and nothing to do, and television without cable sucked eggs.

Frustrated and feeling extremely sorry for herself, Callie pushed away from the window and went to find her robe and house shoes. Even if she couldn’t leave this floor, at least they were finally allowing her to leave her room.

****

Kenny Duroy was waiting when Mike drove up.

“
What the hell’s going on?” he asked, as he slid into the passenger seat.

“
Poppy Sadler found an old diary that belonged to her mother when she was in high school. Remember when we interviewed the Cranes? The wife told us Sadler had asked if they knew anything about something happening to Helen on the night of her senior prom?”

“
Yeah? So the diary tells all?”

“
And then some,” Mike said. “Helen, who went by Sunny back then, had a boyfriend from the north side of town. They got serious. Then he breaks up with her the night of the prom and a few weeks later, after he’s off to college, she finds out she’s pregnant.”

“
So what’s that-“

“
Jessup Sadler did not go to school with Sunny, remember? That’s why he was asking the Cranes about it. So the kid Sunny was pregnant with was Poppy, and Jessup Sadler was not the father. He obviously figured it all out and wanted answers, only his wife was dying.”

“
Holy shit.”

“
Pretty much,” Mike said.

“
How’s the daughter taking it?”

“
Not good, that’s for damn sure.”

“
So why are we going to the hospital?”

“
I got to thinking about that video from the hospital that we watched the night Sadler died. Remember how dejected he looked? We were chalking it up to his wife’s condition. What if he was going to confront her about what he’d learned? What if she told him what he wanted to know?”

A slow grin slid across Kenny’s face. “You know, you just might turn into a half-ass detective before I retire after all.”

Mike shrugged. “I just thought there might be a chance they’d had some kind of argument and one of the nurses on duty could have overheard something we can use.”

Kenny rubbed his hands together. “I love it when a plan comes together.”

“
Don’t jinx it. Nothing is together yet,” Mike said. “Oh, and one other thing, I think I saw Prophet Jones on the bridge but then he ducked off and headed down toward the river. If it was him, he might have a hidey-hole somewhere underneath.”

“
That would explain how he’d come to witness Sadler’s murder, if that really happened,” Kenny said.

“
Right,” Mike said, and then they were at the hospital.

He pulled into the hospital parking lot. Once inside they checked the information desk for the critical care floor and started across the lobby.

“
Hey, that’s Justin Caulfield,” Kenny said, pointing to the man waiting at the elevators.

Mike nodded. “I heard his kid is sick with something serious.”

They reached the elevators just as the doors opened and followed Caulfield inside.

“
Good afternoon, Mr. Caulfield,” Kenny said, as he pressed the button for the third floor. “What floor do you need?”

“
Good afternoon, gentlemen. Three please.”

“
Ah. We’re all going the same direction then,” he said.

“
You two are with the police department, right?” Justin asked.

“
Yes sir.”

“
I hope there’s not a problem on three. That’s the floor where my daughter is being cared for.”

“
No sir, nothing like that,” Kenny said. “We’re just following up on a case. How’s your daughter doing?”

Justin actually smiled. “Thank you for asking. She’s beginning to heal from the disease that nearly killed her, but she suffered renal failure. She’ll need a kidney transplant before she’s back to her normal self, and we’re hopeful that will come soon.”

“
We’re glad to hear she’s on the mend,” Kenny said.

“
Absolutely,” Mike added.

The doors opened.

“
Have a good afternoon,” Justin said, and turned left as the detectives went right toward the nurses’ station.

Chapter Thirteen

As Mike and Kenny reached the nurses’ station, the duty nurse looked up. Mike pulled his badge.

“
I’m Detective Amblin and this is my partner, Detective Duroy. I’d like to speak to the nurse in charge.”

The short thirty-something red-head with lavender scrubs and a serious case of sunburn got up from her chair.

“
That would be me, Victoria Glenn. How can I help you?”

“
Helen Sadler was on this floor, right?”

“
Yes, she was.”

“
We need to talk to the nurses who were on duty the last night she was alive.”

She frowned. “Why? Has someone complained about her care?”

“
No, ma’am. This is in reference to her husband’s murder.”

Her expression shifted from reticence to regret. “Ah. That was such a shock, and of course a horrible tragedy for the family. He was certainly a devoted man. I don’t think he missed a night coming to see her.”

“
I believe she passed away early in the morning, correct?”

“
Yes, she did.”

“
I need the names of the nurses who worked that last night shift before her passing.”

“
That was the night we had that really bad storm, right?”

“
Yes, ma’am.”

“
We had some nurses unable to get here due to flooded roads, so a few of us pulled double shifts. Give me a few minutes and I can find out who worked that night. There may even be a couple of them here.”