100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 190: The Skeletons X

Bristol Airport

After a 2 hours flight from Heathrow to Bristol, the two walked out of the plane with their carry-ons; after deactivating plane mode, Levi’s phone suddenly rang in the mildly populated airport. The slicked blond looked at his mobile’s screen,’ secured number’ he read.

"Levi Jackson." He greeted, waiting for the person on the other line to speak.

"Room 16, Tom Florence." A masculine voice spoke from the other line, causing Levi to halt all of a sudden. Marco shot him an odd look, wondering what was going on. "Stop her." the man added shortly, Levi opened his mouth to speak, but the call ended soon after.

Room 16, Tom Florence. His mind repeated.

"What was that?" Marco asked, curious about his best friend’s noticeable change in stature he could imagine only akin to relief? Levi turned to Marco, "The Big Bad Wolf, decided to save Red Riding Hood." he replied, continuing on their way out of the airport.

Hailing a cab to bring them to the hotel, the two left their belongings and headed immediately to Hope Valley Healthcare.

The duo ran towards the entrance of the facility, barging before the sun had even fully risen. Levi walked straight inside, ignoring the woman at the front desk.

"Sorry, we are here for Tom Florence, it’s important." Marco stopped for a moment to say. "It’s too early for visitation, sir." the annoyed staff informed, gesturing to her coworker to follow Levi. "Yeah, again I apologise. I’m Dr. Marco Evans. We’re looking for a woman with red hair, about this height. Really pretty, had she been here?" he asked; the woman with the name tag ’Suzie’ scowled. "Do you mean, Dr. Gray?" was Suzie’s reply, one that caused Marco’s brows to shoot up.

"Yes. Exactly. She’s a friend of our’s." he said, "When was the last time you’ve seen her?" he asked, curious. "Last night, if you need her, she’ll be back in the afternoon for her shift." Suzie replied, wanting to get the two men out. Patients in the facility were still asleep, and she’d rather they stay that way till her shift ends.

Marco scowled. Did he hear the woman, right? "Sorry, shift?" he clarified bewildered. Why would she have a shift?

The woman shot him a suspicious look; she really shouldn’t share information with a random man. "Dr. Gray came here a week ago to research for her new book." Suzie clarified. "What?" Marco muttered more confused, then turning towards where Levi had suddenly emerged. Back from wherever he disappeared to. Behind him was an annoyed male nurse, shooting them a glare.

"Let’s talk outside." Levi said, recognizing the usual look of confusion on Marco’s face.

The two stood outside the facility, hands in their pockets due to the chilly autumn wind blowing.

"The woman at the desk said Sam came here for research. Did we make a mistake?" the bearded man started, causing Levi to frown at him. "Don’t ask stupid questions, Marco." he replied. Of course, they did not make a mistake. Especially him, he rarely makes mistakes.

It dawned on Marco finally, as to where the slicked man disappeared to. "Had she...is he...?," he started, not wanting to say the words. Levi huffed, his breath fogging before him. "No, she has not. He’s still alive." he said, recalling the man he saw lying on the hospital bed, several medical contraptions attached to his body. He was an old wrinkly man in his late 60’s, and from reading his thick chart, he has several medical problems and complications.

Marco sighed in relief, facing Levi, "That’s good right? Do you think she had a change of mind?" he asked the psychologist.

Levi looked straight ahead into the empty lot, "I doubt it." he replied, wondering himself. Why had she not taken his life? As from what they had learned, she had been there for almost a week. She had enough time to kill him, and she was smart enough not to get caught. The man was in grim condition; he could die anytime for several different reasons. But why was he still alive? Had she forgiven him? He doubts that. She would never forgive him.

...

A week ago

Sam’s green eyes rested on the man lying on the hospital bed, bed rails making sure he doesn’t fall off the bed. Something doubtful considering the man barely had enough strength even to speak.

She looked at him, his ashen colored hair, pale blotchy skin. Wires and tubes attached to his body. She stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her quietly, and she stood before him, scanning his features. Yes, she thought.

’I finally found you.’

It really was him; she could never forget. Time may have changed him drastically, but she could still see it, his younger self. His rough hand was gripping her mother’s hair harshly, pushing her face to the floor.

She felt her chest ache, and it started hard for her to breathe. Her heart kept hammering against her chest as she hovered over, looking down at his helpless state. Fear enveloping her for a moment or two as she got lost in the memories of the horrendous past, but not a minute later, fear turned to rage. She balled her hands beside her, reining in the urge to slit the man’s throat then and there. Just approximately 1.5 inches from the surface of his neck was his carotid, Sever it, and he’d be dead in 5-15 seconds. Too fast, in her opinion, too fast, too merciful. And she was anything but to men like him.

And most of all, she was too smart to kill him in such a gruesome way. Too much blood, too much mess equals too many ways to leave evidence and get caught. And she has no plans on going to prison for the likes of him; he had ruined enough of her life already. She will not let him do it again.

Slowly his eyes opened as if sensing someone was there with him in his room, he peeled his lids open, and his blurry vision started to focus, and the sight before him shocked him to his very core.

Sam turned to look at the heart monitor to her left, the machine beeping fast, his eyes filled with fear as he stared up at her. Fear that the woman he could never forget stood before him. The woman he killed decades ago. He could never forget that shade of hair, that face. The gentleness in them he initially saw was nowhere to be found; was it his time? Was she there to take him to hell as where he belongs?

The hatred in her eyes, he could clearly see, and she panted for breath, trying to move away from the ghost haunting him.

No! No! NO!

He wanted to scream, but only a gurgle passed his throat.

Sam looked down at the man, wriggling from his place. The undiluted fear in his eyes as he looked up at her, then it hit her.

’Ah,’ she mentally said, ’He thinks I’m the woman he killed. He thinks I’m my mother,’ she realized, and she took a step forward. Her lips stretched into a sinister smile, much amused at his state of terror.

"Hello." she greeted, and his heartbeat reached new heights. The heart monitor beeped at such a fast rate, then all of a sudden it stopped, and the zigzag line on the heart monitor started to turn straight. His breathing had stopped, and his eyes glazed over. And she could see the light in his eyes started to be pulled into the abyss.

She could let him die now and be done with it, but she had other ideas in mind. She pushed the call button on the side of his bed, not even a minute later, a nurse walked in, seeing her repositioning the bed flat. She started giving instructions as she climbed on top of the man and started providing chest compressions, ’No, you’re not dying today. I’m not done with you yet’, she thought as she continued to perform CPR, each compression on cue with Bee Gees Stayin; Alive’ beat in her head.

Other staff walked in hurriedly, one pulling the nearest crash cart, the other removed the oxygen mask on the patient’s face, and ready to provide manual resuscitation using an Ambu bag. After the initial 30 chest compressions, Sam paused, and the nurse took it as her cue to give two ’rescue breaths’. Sam continued with the cycle. All of them hoping to save the man’s life that day; after all, ’Not on my watch’ is everyone’s motto.

Dr. Dawson walked into the busy room, eyes glued in awe at the determined look on the redhead’s face. Her face was slightly damp with sweat, compressions, after all, are a tiring task, but she has yet to falter with her pace and strength. Making sure she did it correctly. He found her determination to save the man’s life admirable, and he decided to join the group.

Not long after, they all turned quiet when they started to hear the heart monitor started beeping again.

And everyone exchanged smiles in relief. Unbeknownst to them, the redhead was smiling for, ultimately, a different reason.