Murder by Serpents (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (31 page)

Doc was by the door with a gurney and a nurse. The two men maneuvered Tony onto the gurney while he mumbled about his tongue.

“Damn, he's big. Couldn't we have elected a ninety-pound weakling?” Doc complained as they wheeled him into the treatment room. “Tony?” He examined the pair of puncture wounds. “When was your last tetanus shot?”

“Dog blow.”Tony watched the doctor's face, looking for signs of concern. Doc looked as inscrutable as ever.

Nurse Foxx slipped an IV needle into a vein in his arm. She attached it to a container of saline solution. Satisfied with her work, she proceeded to set him up with an oxygen mask.

“Dog blow, huh?” Doc Nash grinned. “Excellent diction, I must say. I can check your record for that but in the meantime, we're going to inject this serum under the skin. We're checking you for allergic reactions.”

The doctor proceeded to measure both of Tony's legs around the ankle and the calf. After prodding the flesh with his gloved finger and determining where the swelling ceased, he drew a line on the leg and wrote the time on it. “How long did the snake hang on?”

“Bade bot it.” Tony was pleased with his ability to answer the doctor's questions clearly and distinctly. “Didn' hurd. Hurds now. A lot.”

The doctor didn't seem very impressed by his speech and turned to Wade for the answer. “How long?”

The deputy shrugged. “I have no idea. It was still hanging on by a fang when I shot it, but the whole thing only took seconds.” He shifted from foot to foot. “I was thinking more about getting rid of it without shooting my boss.”

By now, the doctor, his nurse and the receptionist had gathered in the treatment area. Each one held a small bottle and carefully rolled the bottles back and forth between their palms, gently mixing the contents.

The pain continued to worsen. Tony felt like something corrosive had started crawling through his veins.

The doctor turned his attention to his patient. “Since you've had no reaction to the serum we injected under the skin, Tony, we're going to start giving you some anti-venom.” He held up a vial. “We don't like to use it if we don't need to, but it looks like it's time to begin.”

Doc looked up at Wade. “Why don't you call Theo and tell her to come hold this big brute's hand. And while you're at it, move your vehicle. It's blocking my drive. The helicopter won't be able to land.”

Wade's eyes widened. “Oh, dammit to hell, I've got a prisoner in the back seat.” He bolted from the room like someone dropped a firecracker down his shorts.

As he ran, he dialed Theo's shop.

Theo heard the shop telephone ringing, but she had her hands

full with a customer. She decided to let Jane and her trainee

answer it.

Gretchen handed Theo the portable phone. “It's Wade.” Theo listened for a minute, moving away from the others,

pressing her hand over her free ear. Her fingers tightened around the phone and she could feel the blood leaving her face. “Thanks, Wade.”

She disconnected and dropped the phone on the counter and looked at the faces around her. “Gretchen, you're in charge. Jane, come with me.” She wasted no time giving anyone an explanation.

Once they reached the sidewalk, she decided that it was faster and safer to walk to the clinic than to drive. As they walked, she told Jane what she knew about Tony's condition. They were hurrying down the street when Theo spotted Tony's Blazer headed toward them. Wade stopped it in the middle of the street and rolled down his window.

Holding Jane's hand tightly, Theo approached the vehicle. She could see Angelina in the back seat. The woman sat there spouting a constant stream of curses in Spanish and English. A glance was all Theo needed before she focused her attention on Wade's face. There was an edge of pallor to his features, but his smile was warm as he greeted her.

“Has there been any change?” said Theo.

“What's happening?” said Jane.

“It looks like they're going to have to give him the serum.” Although he tried to maintain a stoic demeanor, Wade's eyes betrayed him. He was deeply concerned. “Doc says for you to just go on past the desk to the treatment room.”

It only took another minute for them to reach the front door of the clinic, but it felt longer. Theo's heart pounded as if she had run there. The reception desk, normally occupied by Rose Flowers Walker, was empty. An elderly couple sat in the waiting area holding hands. Theo and Jane didn't pause, but walked straight through to the back.

Rose spotted them first. She smiled as she waved them forward.

For Theo, seeing Tony's uniform, vest and duty-belt piled in a heap on the floor was almost more traumatic than the sight of him stretched out on the gurney in a hospital gown, with an IV attached to his arm. She knew he would never abuse his equipment like that if he could do otherwise. Theo remembered seeing it treated like this before, while they prepared him for surgery in Chicago. That day, Tony's partner, Max, had collected it and taken it away.

Next to her, Jane made a moaning sound. Doc Nash must have seen the stricken expression on her face because he hurried to her side. With the ease of apparent practice, he eased Jane onto a chair and pressed one hand on her upper spine. “Take a moment to breathe, Jane. You know that big lummox is tough.”

He looked up from his examination of Jane's color to wave Theo toward Nurse Foxx. “Go on, Theo. I promise it's not as bad as it looks.”

Theo wouldn't have been surprised to learn that Sarah Foxx had been a nurse on Noah's Ark. Even when Theo was a child, Sarah had worked for the doctor of the time. The woman had more medical experience and information than most physicians, and Doc Nash had always respected that.

Sarah met Theo's arrival with a wide smile and a beckoning wave. “Here's someone to see you, Sheriff.”

Theo thought Tony looked way too big for the small bed. His head was raised, but his feet extended well off the bottom. Sarah bustled around the bed, measuring Tony's ankles and calves. The two legs were clearly not equal in size or coloring. The swollen one had dramatic patches of angry color. Drawing lines on his skin with a black marker, Sarah wielded a yellow measuring tape with the skill of a Hong Kong tailor. “This stuff doesn't wash off so he'll have zebra stripes for a while.” The elderly nurse seemed to find it amusing.

Doc Nash came up behind Theo with Jane in tow. “The ambulance is on another call, so we are going to send him by helicopter to Knoxville. They'll keep him in the hospital for a little while and use up some of their plentiful supply of anti-venom.” He patted her shoulder. “I'm guessing that he'll be home tomorrow.”

Relief flooded through her. “Thanks, Doc.”Theo moved past him, pulling Jane with her, until they stopped by Tony's head. His eyes were closed, and he was clearly having trouble breathing. An oxygen tube snaked around his neck, into his nose. One monitor kept constant track of his blood pressure, while the contents of a clear bag dripped through a tube and into his IV.

When she kissed his cheek, he opened his eyes, but he seemed not to recognize her at first. They were a darker blue than usual and had a lost, vacant expression. When he lifted his hand and ruffled her hair before giving her a crooked little half smile, she released the breath that she hadn't realized she was holding.

“How do you feel?”

Tony could feel himself slipping in and out of reality. His tongue and lips were almost completely numb and his ears were a real problem. “Numb. And tingly. My ears are gone.” His words were indistinct even to his own ears. When he tried to talk, he felt like he using someone else's tongue. Opening his eyes, he was glad to see Theo smiling at him. Her blond curls were flying everywhere. Just the sight of her pretty face was enough to make him feel better. He reached up and touched her hair, but couldn't feel it. Even his fingertips were numb. “Dandelion fuzz.”

He focused on Theo's eyes and discovered that he could see them through the tears on her glasses. The combination of the droplets and the prescription plastic distorted everything in the oddest way. His breath rasped in his throat and his thoughts scattered. Was this how Harold Brown had felt? If he were to be handcuffed now, would he know it? Why were there tears on Theo's glasses?

As he slipped into oblivion, he realized that he was unbelievably cold. He couldn't stop shivering.

The next clear thought he had was that being in a helicopter was not much better than being in a coffin. He complained about it to the man with a full beard and pointed teeth who sat by his head.

“You must be the devil,” said Tony.

At that, the devil laughed uproariously. “Welcome to hell.”

PUTTING THE CLUES TOGETHER

Each block should measure 8 1/2” by 8 1/2”. If yours are larger trim them to this measurement. If they are smaller, measure carefully and determine the common size.

If your blocks are smaller than 8 1/2”, trim the length of the 2 1/2” by 8 1/2” rectangles of fabric (A) to 2 1/2” by that size.

Sew 4 sets of pinwheel block/2 1/2” by 8 1/2” rectangle (A)/ pinwheel block/rectangle/pinwheel block. Press all seams toward the rectangles of fabric (A).

Sew 3 sets of rectangle (A)/2 1/2” square of fabric (C)/ rectangle/square/rectangle. Press to rectangles.

Assemble by placing strips between rows of blocks. When finished, you should have a rectangular top of twelve blocks, separated by strips of (A), set with cornerstones of (C).

Measure center of pieced top from side to side. Cut 2 of the 1 1/2” strips of (E) to that length and sew to top and bottom. Repeat for sides. This is the inner border.

Repeat the process with the 3 1/2” strips of (A) for the outer border. If you have used a directional print for (A), pay attention to direction of motifs.

Reserve the remaining 4 strips of (A) for the binding.

Congratulations! You've solved the mystery to Springtime in the Smokies.

“I brought you some papers to sort through.” Wade hefted a bulging cardboard box onto the flimsy rolling table and slapped a box of gloves on top of the pile. Dust flew from the box and floated in the morning sunlight. For his efforts, he received a glare from the occupant of the bed. “It's the stuff we picked up at Quentin's. I haven't had two minutes to look at it.” Wade paced back and forth at the foot of the hospital bed.

Watching him was making Tony dizzy. “What happened with our arrest?”

Wade stopped pacing and threw himself onto the chair. An accusing frown pulled the corners of his lips down. “Angelina spat a vile yellow glob of something at me. She wanted to have it land on my face.” He shuddered. “Luckily she missed her target or I'd probably be in the bed next to yours, only it would be serious.”

Tony frowned, moving and shifting on the bed. His fingers plucked at the sheet before moving on to test the tape that held the IV in place. Although Wade made light of it, Tony could tell it had been a most unpleasant situation. “What did you charge her with?”

“I wanted to charge her with being pond scum, but Archie charged her with assault on a police officer and several other things, including the attempted murder of Nellie Pearl. We learned that she showed Sammy the way up the hill, but left when she spotted Sheila.”

“So, your engagement is off?” Tony teased, laughing atWade's expression.

Wade ignored him. “I sent her fingerprints out and guess what? Our Angelina is wanted by the Feds for drug charges, the Arizona State Police, and the INS. We'll be rid of her real soon.” Looking quite pleased with himself, he lounged on the plastic chair. “I drove Kenneth and a couple of his guys from the drug task force up to Quentin's. They're mad about the lab. Real mad. If they can find a way to level heavier charges against her because of the inconvenience of that cleanup, I'm sure they will.”

Then Wade started to laugh. “Since Quentin sat in our jail at the time and her fingerprints are the only ones in the makeshift lab, they have no evidence to directly link Quentin to the crime. He'll be able to go home when they finish cleaning up the site unless we charge him with possession.”

“Does he know about his truck?” Tony noticed that he could feel his lips when he smiled. That made him smile again. “Seeing it like that is bound to break his heart.”

“I hated to tell him, but I thought he should know. We had to get it out of the way. I skirted around the amount of damage but I did tell him that I had to have it towed to the Thomas Brothers' Garage.” Wade cracked his knuckles as he shook his head. “He and Elvis were singing the blues when I left. I believe all that practice is paying off. They sound better.”

Tony lifted an eyebrow as if to ask a question and the corners of his mouth twitched. He didn't say a word.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Wade grinned at the same time a flush rose on his cheekbones. “I know that it is just Quentin in there, but . . .” His voice trailed away and he shrugged. “At least he'll have his dogs. Joe Kyle's on day shift for the moment. He found both of them, plus Angelina's, running in the mud.” Wade chuckled. “I'm just glad I don't have to clean that much mud off my backseat.”

Wade left the hospital with Tony's list of things he needed to accomplish.

Tony slipped down in the bed and slept for a couple of hours.

Awakening to the sound of Chris and Jamie trying to be quiet brought him peace and put a smile on his face. “Hey, boys.” He sat up. “Come give me hugs.” The boys readily complied and settled down to investigate the IV, the remote control that worked the television, the adjustments that could be made to the bed, all the time chattering with apparent delight about the snakes. From what Tony could gather, they considered his snakebite a positive thing. He just hoped he wouldn't have to go to school and be “show and tell.”

“I hear you get to come home tomorrow.” Theo smiled but still looked worried as she leaned over to kiss him.

Delighted that he could feel her lips, he kissed her again.