Chapter 13
"Well, it took us a while, but we found something." Sara said, as she stepped into Daphne and Fred's house.
It had been a few months since Sara had shared the information about Fred's father. Daphne was now on maternity leave and was due 7 weeks, whilst Fred and the rest of the gang continued working at the office.
"What did you find?" Daphne asked, as she began to stand up from the couch, "Stay there!" Sara exclaimed; Daphne rolled her eyes. It had been like this for a while now, especially with Fred, she couldn't get up to go to the bathroom without Fred rushing to her side.
"I'm fine." Daphne said, settling back on the couch, her phone buzzed on the coffee table; it was Fred…again. Daphne sighed as she reached for her phone and quickly replied to his text.
Sara chuckled, "I'm glad I'm not married."
Daphne looked up at her, "Speaking of, how's things with Shaggy?" She asked. "Alright." Sara said, "Still a little bit…erm awkward but we're ok."
"Anyway, wanna see what I found?" She asked, Daphne nods and Sara opened her laptop and showed her sister what she'd found, she also pulled a file out of her bag.
"So, this Doctor Wicker, I found out quite a bit about him." Sara began, "He used to work at the morgue in Seattle in the 80's but he was fired after not carrying out complete autopsies and lying on the reports. Also, I found out that he was acquainted with a Mr Samuel P. Bergman."
"Bergman?" Daphne pondered, "I know that name."
"You should." Sara said, "It's your mother's maiden name. Samuel Bergman is your grandfather. He died in 1996 at Seattle General Hospital, he was sick for a few months and died at the hospital."
"I don't think I met him." Daphne said.
"Anyway, it seems that your mom and Doctor Wickers stayed in contact with each other, not frequently but it seems he'd call her on Samuel's Birthday's and Christmases. Then my friend looked into the phone records and discovered that your mom made several phone calls to Doctor Wicker 2 weeks before dad died." Sara showed Daphne the papers. All the years she and the gang had been solving mysteries and then becoming detectives, she had come across many telephone records, she knew this one was genuine.
"Why was she calling him?" Daphne asked, Sara shrugged, "I don't know."
"Do you think there's a possibility that my mom had something to do with our dad's death?" Daphne asked, Sara shrugged again, "Well, the original autopsy report said that he died of paracetamol overdose, but they weren't living together so how could she have killed him?" Sara asked.
Daphne thought for a minute, "She wouldn't have had a key to get into the house, but she said they met up for coffee the day before he died." She said, Sara raised an eyebrow, "Maybe she put something into his drink whilst he wasn't looking, but not enough to kill him there and then."
"Maybe it worked itself over night and affected his heart, causing a heart attack." Daphne said.
"So, he could have had a heart attack, but the amount of paracetamol found in his body wasn't any cause for concern with the doctors because they would have just assumed that he was taking the paracetamol for heart pains." Sara said.
Daphne sighed; the baby had been moving around for a few minutes but at that moment he kicked.
"But, why would one autopsy be locked away in a desk draw, and the other in the cabinet with the rest of the reports?" Daphne asked, Sara shrugged.
"I don't know, and I hate to say it Daph, but I think your mom has something to do with it." Sara replied.
Daphne hated to think that her mother would have had something to do with her father's death, but it would have made sense as to why she acted so strange at the funeral and why she had been in contact with the doctor before her dad had died.
"If they're 'friends', and she wanted dad gone, could she have asked the doctor for advice?" Daphne wondered aloud; Sara shrugged.
"I don't know." She sighed, "Maybe she thought it was safer to ask him than to Google it? If the doctors thought it suspicious and the police got involved, at least they wouldn't find anything connecting to her on the computer." Sara added.
"Well, a doctor would know how to kill someone." Daphne said grimly.
"I wonder…" Sara began, as she reached for her phone. "What?" Daphne asked. "I wonder if Julia can get into the hospital files." Sara said.
"For what?" Daphne asked. "Any current reports against Doctor Wicker." Sara said, "It might take a while but I'm sure she'll find it."
"Do you want anything to drink?" Daphne asked, as she began to stand up from the couch. "I'll get it." Sara said, quickly standing up.
"Sara honestly, I'm fine. How do you think I manage when Fred isn't here?" Daphne asked, as she made her way to the kitchen.
"You know he's just worried about you; I am too." Sara said. "I appreciate that, but I'm pregnant not dying." Daphne joked, putting the kettle on.
"I still can't believe you don't want a baby shower." Sara commented. "I know, Thalia said that too. I suppose after 3 kids she's used to them, but I don't want one." Daphne said.
"Why?" Sara asked. "I don't know. Things haven't been the same since mom and dad got divorced, and then dad died. It's just, too much happening at once." Daphne said.
When kettle finished boiling, Daphne poured the hot water into two mugs.
"Hey, has Fred said anything to you about the baby's nursery?" Daphne asked, "Every time I bring it up, he just gets really awkward and changes the subject."
Sara shrugged, "Nope, he hasn't said anything."
"I don't want to put too much pressure on him to finish it, but Thalia bought him some clothes and some of Tobias' old clothes which are currently in bags in our bedroom because Fred won't let me go into the nursery." Daphne said.
Sara chuckled, "Have faith in him, Daph. I'm sure it'll be fine."
"So, things are goin' pretty good with you an' Miranda, huh Jack?" Shaggy asked. "Yeah, it's going good." Jack said.
"But?" Shaggy asked. "But nothing." Jack said, "We've been friends since we met at the hospital, and then we started dating a few weeks after. Yeah, things are going well."
"But?" Shaggy asked again, Jack rolled his eyes. "But nothing." Jack repeated, but Shaggy raised an eyebrow, even Fred and Velma looked up from their paperwork.
"Alright, she asked me to move in with her." Jack said. "That's good, Red and I moved into together a few weeks ago." Velma said.
"I know, but I divorced Delilah a few months ago and I can't help thinking if it's too soon to move in with someone else." Jack said.
"Dude, you and Delilah aren't together anymore. You don't have t'worry about upsettin' her anymore." Shaggy said.
"He's right." Fred said. "She's the one who divorced you." Velma added.
"I suppose." Jack sighed.
"Anyway, what's happening with you and Sara, Shaggy?" Velma asked. "I don't know." Shaggy sighed.
"Tell me what happened again?" Velma asked, Shaggy sighed, "Scoob stayed at my parents house with Sugie, so Sara an' I went out t'the bar. Anyway, we had a few drinks, but it was so busy we decided t'come home where we had more drinks. I don't know how it happened and I can't even remember it, but when I woke up in my bed the mornin' with Sara and we were both…undressed." Shaggy said.
"Naked?" Jack asked. "That is what undressed mean." Velma said sarcastically.
"So, do you think you guys did it?" Jack asked. "What else would they have done if they were naked?" Fred asked.
"So, what happened?" Jack asked. "Neither of us can remember what happened and it was just too awkward, so we stopped being a couple and went back t'being friends." Shaggy said.
"But you still live in the same house?" Jack asked, Shaggy nodded. "Dude that can't be easy." Jack said. "It's not." Shaggy said, "I live with her and I see her every day, but I miss her."
"You need to talk to her." Fred said. "Otherwise you'll just end up drifting apart."
"I suppose." Shaggy said.
When Fred arrived home, Daphne was sat on the couch reading the baby book Thalia brought for her, which was what their mother had gotten for Thalia during her first pregnancy.
"Hello Princess." Fred said as he hung his coat up. "Hey, babe." Daphne replied, putting her book on the coffee table, Fred sat on the couch close Daphne. Laying his head on her shoulder and rubbing her bump.
"Have you had a good day?" Fred asked. Aside from finding out somethings about her father's death, Daphne hadn't done a lot. Sara stayed with her most of the day, which Daphne was grateful for as she enjoyed the company and when she left, she spent the rest of the day reading her book.
"Yes, I have." She said, stoking his hair, "What about you?" She asked. "It's been a slow day, it's not the same without you there." He said, Daphne giggled as he kissed the spot on her neck.
"Wanna see something?" He asked, Daphne raised an eyebrow and smirked when he looked up at her. "Get your mind out of the gutter." He laughed, he stood up and held out his hand for her. He helped her stand up and then he wrapped her arm around her shoulder and walked her down the hall.
"Freddie, I can walk you know." She joked, Fred smiled, "I know but there's something I want to show you."
Fred stopped outside the baby's room, "Sara told me you were worried that it wouldn't be finished by the time the baby arrives. I was going to show you a little bit closer to the due date, but Sara and I finished it a couple of weeks ago." He said.
"It's finished?" Daphne asked, her heart began pounding in her chest. All this time Fred had been keeping secrets about what he was doing for the baby's room and now she was finally getting to see it.
"Want to see it?" He asked, Daphne nodded, and Fred reached for the doorknob. He turned it and slowly pushed the door open.
Daphne stepped into the room, she felt like her heart was going to stop and she was utterly speechless.
The furniture that she and Fred had picked out had been built and there was a rocking chair that Daphne had never seen before. But what stood out the most was what he had done with the walls.
One wall was bright blue with big white puffy clouds and a bright yellow sun which had a huge smiley face, and the other wall was a much darker blue with big stars and a full moon which, like the sun, had a huge smile. Some of the stars even had smiles.
"Did you paint these?" Daphne asked, Fred stepped towards her and gently wiped away the tears that filled her eyes, chuckling at the same time. "I can't even draw stick men." He joked, "But it turns out your sister is quite the artist."
"Sara did these?" Daphne asked, Fred nodded, he pressed his lips to her forehead. "Do you like it?" He asked.
"I love it." Daphne replied, she looked in the crib which was filled had a huge teddy bear in it and a beautiful knitted blue blanket, Daphne smiled, "Did your mom knit this?" She asked, Fred nodded.
"And she picked this out too." He said, putting his hand on the rocking chair, Daphne smiled.
"It's perfect." She said.