Middle River Murders (29 page)

“Look!” I screamed, pointing to the front window. “I say we
follow them!”

I grabbed my purse and headed for the back door.

“Come on, Billy! We’re going after those cop cars!”

“Wait…” he started to say when Claire butted in.

“We don’t have time to waste on a wild goose chase,” Claire
yelled to me. “Somebody probably had a heart attack or something. Just wait a
minute, Jesse.”

“Not likely,” Cole said. “Sheriff Hudson…”

Before Cole could finish his sentence, his cell phone rang.
He snatched it up and responded.

The voice on the other end came through loud and clear.
Sheriff Hudson had found a body in the basement of Kansas Moon’s house.

Claire and I just about knocked everyone down trying to get
out the back door.

Claire and I were running around in circles, crying
hysterically when Billy came up to me, grabbed me by the arm and shoved me up
into the truck. Randy grabbed Claire and the two of them jumped into the
4Runner with Frank. Cole was in his cruiser heading out the driveway. He turned
left in the direction the sheriff had taken earlier.

It was a mad dash by all of us to get to Kansas Moon’s house
and I rambled the whole way.

Billy sat slack-jawed. He had his foot to the pedal and was
concentrating on the road.

The rain started up again and this time it had the intensity
of a gale-force wind. Visibility was almost impossible. Billy slowed the truck
down.

“What are you doing? Go faster!”

“It’s too dangerous, Jesse. It’s raining so hard I can hardly
see the road.”

“I don’t care!” I yelled. “Go faster!”

Billy reached over and put his hand on the back of my neck
and said, “Stop, `ge ya. You’re out of control. You’re going to have an anxiety
attack.”

I slid close to him and clung to his leg as his hands
clenched the steering wheel. His muscles tightened with each passing second.

“If your mother knew you were riding in a car without wearing
your seat belt, she’d have a fit.”

I let out a soft chuckle and said, “Are you kidding? I’m the
one who’s always giving her a hard time about not wearing her seat belt.
Usually, I have to tell her a gruesome story to get her to put on the belt. I
swear it’s like banging my head against the wall. She’s so stubborn sometimes.”

I cried softly all the way to
Kansas
’ house.

We could see the flashing lights in the distance before we
reached Kansas Moon’s house. When we got there, we pulled in off to the side
behind Cole and the rest of the
Greene
County
police cars. The 4Runner pulled in
behind us.

An ambulance had backed up to the entrance of the house and
medical personnel were running around.

Sheriff Hudson was standing out in the pouring rain, shouting
orders.

I heard a dog bark.

I kept telling myself that I needed to go look for Athena.
Why hadn’t I listened to my own words earlier?

Billy and I looked at each other and then jumped out of the
truck.

Athena, muddy and covered with yard debris, came barreling
around the side of the ambulance and ran straight up to me. She jumped up and
dug her muddy paws into my jeans. She jumped back down, turned around in a
circle and then jumped back up on me. She barked like a maniac. Finally, she
turned and ran back to the house.

Billy and I ran after her, fighting our way through the
pouring rain and the darkness that was only lit by the flashing lights of the
police cars and the ambulance. Sheriff Hudson and his deputies held
flashlights, but they were of little use in the blowing rain.

Claire was standing on one side and Billy was standing on the
other side as they brought the body out.

I took off and ran toward the two EMTs, but wasn’t fast
enough. Sheriff Hudson stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

The two EMTs carried the covered body on a stretcher as they
wrestled with it trying to make it down the rickety steps of the porch to the
opened doors of the ambulance. One of them slipped and almost lost his footing.

“Is that my mother?” I screamed. The rain and the wind
drowned out my words. “Is she all right? Speak to me! Tell me something!”

Sheriff Hudson leaned over and spoke loudly as he tried to
talk above the blowing wind and rain. “Yes,” he said. “She’s…”

Athena’s bark was so loud I couldn’t make out what the
sheriff said. She jumped up and put her paws on the stretcher. Her barking was
nonstop until Billy grabbed her by the collar and held her back.

“Are you trying to kill me?” a weak voice under the black
plastic said. “I can hardly breathe under this thing.”

“It’s to keep you from getting wet,” one of them said.

My heart pounded in my chest at the sound of her voice. My
mother was alive!

As soon as they shoved the stretcher up into the ambulance,
Mom pushed back the plastic cover and tried to sit up. The interior lights of
the ambulance gave us a glimpse of the faint smile on her bruised and dirty
face. She looked pale and drawn.

Claire and I stood there in shock, and cried until they were
about ready to close the door.

“Wait a minute!” I yelled. “We’re coming with you!”

I looked back just for a second and caught sight of Sheriff
Hudson. He had a smile on his face as he winked at me. I looked over at Billy
and Athena—their eyes said it all.

I ran to the ambulance, jumped up and fell to my knees beside
my mother. I grabbed hold of her tiny hand and held onto it. Claire followed.
She sat on the seat by the door and shivered until I stretched out my hand to
her. She dropped to the floor beside me, and we both cried together. We were so
glad to have our mother back.

As the
EMT
closed the doors, I looked out
through the glass into the murky night and saw Billy, Cole, Frank, Randy and
Sheriff Hudson standing in a circle with their heads together. They were
huddled together with their arms raised over their heads as if to cover
themselves from the downpour as they talked. They were planning their next
move, I was sure of that, but I couldn’t think about that right now. This was
one time I was going to let the men handle the situation. They could go out and
chase down the bad guy—or woman in this case—but for now, I was going to give
up my private eye status and concentrate on my mother. Her well-being was all
that mattered. The rest would work itself out.

Sheriff Hudson and his deputies, along with the help of the
Blackhawk boys, Randy Morgan and Frank Trainum, would capture the
Middle River
murderer and put her behind bars
where she belonged. As sorry as I was for the people Naomi Kent killed, I was
so glad that my mother wasn’t one of them.

I watched the dreary, rainy scene fade in the background as
the ambulance made its way down the road en route to the hospital. It finally
dawned on me that I hadn’t said a word to anyone. I just jumped up in the
ambulance and left. I didn’t take the time to hug Billy or give Athena a pat on
the head. I didn’t even say thanks to Sheriff Hudson.

Sheriff Hudson—his face stuck with me as we rode down the
bumpy road. My mind drifted back to the minute when he stepped in front of me.
I was sure that the body they were bringing out was my mother, and that she was
dead. That awful feeling still lingered, and I was sure it would for some time
to come.

The
EMT
inserted an I.V. into the top part
of Mom’s hand and then hung the fluid bag on a metal post attached to the
stretcher as I talked to Mom.

“You’re going to be fine, Mom,” I said, teary-eyed.
“Everything is okay now.”

“That woman is a killer, Jesse,” Mom said weakly. “She took
me to my house, tied me up and then left me alone. I don’t know where she went,
but before I could get lose, she came back. She beat me.” Mom’s lip started to
tremble. “It was so awful. I was afraid I was going to die.”

“You’re safe now,” Claire said. “She’ll never hurt you
again.”

“After she beat on me, she blindfolded and handcuffed me and
then forced me into my van.”

“Is that when she took you to Kansas Moon’s house?”

“I didn’t know whose house it was. She dragged me to that
horrible place and shoved me down the stairs to a basement filled with all
kinds of critters. I couldn’t see very well, but I could feel the cobwebs. I
felt like things were crawling all over me. Something bit me on the leg.”

“Don’t try to talk,” the
EMT
said to Mom. “Just let us take care of you.” He looked down at me and said,
“Your mother is going to be all right. She’s safe and in good hands, so you can
sit back and relax.” He motioned to the seat behind us. He looked back at Mom
and asked, “Which leg was it?”

She pointed to her right leg.

Claire and I backed up out of his way and sat on the bench
seat along one side.

The
EMT
checked out Mom’s leg and said, “It
looks like a spider bite. Does it itch?”

“Yes,” Mom said.

“I’m sure it was a harmless spider. If it was a black widow,
you’d be sick by now, and if it had been a brown recluse, the area would be
inflamed. I wouldn’t worry. Just keep an eye on it.”

I laid my head back and closed my eyes. I was emotionally
drained. I had never been this close to tragedy. I’d known others who had lost
a loved one at the hands of a killer, but I had no idea of the impact it could
have. Losing a loved one in such a horrible manner has to be one of the things
nightmares are made of. I was just thankful my mother was going to live! If it
hadn’t been for Sheriff Hudson and Athena, Mom would not have been found!

Once again, Athena had proven herself. She had sniffed out
Mom like a hound dog after a coon. She was a true hero… and so was Sheriff
Hudson!

When I first met Sheriff Hudson, I had few, if any, dealings
with the police, and wanted to keep it that way. But then I went to work for
Billy, the two of us started butting heads with the local sheriff.

However, my opinion has changed. Folks talk about the cops as
if they’re a bunch of hard-asses with a gun and a badge, and for a long time I
felt that way, too. But I don’t anymore. I no longer put the Greene County
Sheriff’s Office in the same category as those officers who do their jobs and
don’t give a rat’s butt about the people they’re supposed to serve. Now I
realize how lucky we are to have someone like the sheriff and his men out there
patrolling the streets, making it safe for the citizens of
Greene
County
.
I’ll sleep better at night knowing I can count on them to do their best. When I
moved to
Charlottesville
, I worried about Mom living alone,
and it might take me a while to put my fears to rest after this, but at least I
know she has the sheriff and his men to look after her.

I made up my mind that I would let Sheriff Hudson know how
much I truly appreciate what he did for our family. From now on, I wouldn’t
give him a bunch of grief and I would try to behave myself. He deserves my
utmost respect. It’s just too bad that I didn’t realize this until now. They
say it takes a tragedy to bring people together. I guess
they
are right.

After what seemed like such a long ride, we finally made it
to the hospital. The EMTs hustled about doing what they were trained to do.
They took Mom to the emergency room and made sure she was in safe hands. Then
they turned and headed out to save someone else.

As I stood and waited for someone to help us, I looked out
through the glass doors of the hospital and noticed that the rain had stopped.
The storm had moved out.

The hospital was a madhouse. There had been an accident on
Rt. 29 involving three cars and a transit bus and the injured were steadily
coming in. Some were on stretchers, and some walked in assisted by others.
Interns attended to patients as quickly as they could.
UVA
Hospital
knew how to keep it together in a
crisis. They were definitely professionals. I was amazed as I watched them in
action. Even with that many people in the ER all at once, they managed to treat
everyone in a timely manner. With all the madness going on, we still only had
to wait about ten minutes.

Mom was checked and double-checked. She was examined, poked
and x-rayed, until I was sure she was going to get up and walk out of the
hospital. However, the broken ankle she sustained had to be taken care of
before that happened.

Claire and I were waiting in the hall while Mom was taken in
for another x-ray. She had hip pain and the doctor thought it might be a
hairline fracture. Either way, Mom most likely would get a night’s stay.

As we waited, Claire and I reminisced about Mom, Dad and
other things in our lives. We talked, trying to pass the time, until I looked
up and saw Billy coming around the corner. He was followed by Randy, Frank and
Cole. All of them had a look of relief on their faces.

I ran to Billy, threw my arms around him and hugged him
tightly. I also hugged everyone else, including Cole. I stood by Billy and
said, “I’m so glad to see you. Mom’s going to be okay! I was so afraid…”

“All is well,” Billy said. “You need not worry.”

“What happened?” Claire asked as she stood by Randy and held
onto his hand. “I can see it in your eyes, Billy. Somebody died. Who was it?”

“Nobody died,” Billy said. “That look you see is the look of
exhaustion. I’m beat.”

“What about Naomi Kent?” I asked. “Has she been found?”

“Not yet,” Cole replied. “But we have every available deputy
out looking for her. It’s only a matter of time before someone finds her.”