Chapter 16
Everything had happened so quickly. The plan they had had arranged weeks before, had to be changed. Fred leaned against the window, looking out into the busy world.
"What do you want?" He stood up from his desk. His father stepped into the office; the door gently swung shut behind him. "I want to talk." He said.
"About the money?" Fred asked, "That's all you came here for isn't it?"
"Fred." His father began, Fred shook his head, "No, dad." He said, his voice thick with bitterness, "You turn up into my life after 26 years, and you want money. I haven't seen you for weeks and now what do you want?" He exclaimed.
"I messed up Fred." His father said, Fred scoffed. "I just want to talk." He begged but Fred shook his head.
"I don't want to." Fred said, his father gave him a pleading look. "My wife is due in a few weeks, and I have a lot to do. Please leave me alone, don't bother my family."
His father sighed and looked defeated, Fred looked away from him, just as his phone rang.
Fred listened to the TV in the background. He watched the cars driving around the street and tried to imagine where people were driving to and what they would do when they got there.
"Good evening, tonight's breaking news; police have arrested Doctor Damian Wicker, of Buffalo General Hospital, and his son Peter Wicker, for the murder of Mr George Blake. Mr Blake was rushed into several months ago after having a heart attack, he died hours later. Doctor Wicker has been charged with performing a fake autopsy and his son Peter has been charged with Mr Blake's murder."
Fred sighed, as he listened to the news. He didn't look at the TV, he'd watched the news so many times, he knew they'd show photographs of the criminals and the victims.
"Police arrived at the home of Mrs Blake at 5 o'clock last night, accompanied by an ambulance. When they arrived, they found Doctor Wicker and his son Peter in the house with Mrs Blake, her daughter and son-in-law and another male in the home. Neighbours called the police upon hearing a disturbance in home, and heard gun shots before police and ambulance arrived.
"Hello?" Fred asked, he picked up the phone. "What no! No, it's too early!" He exclaimed. His father stopped in the doorway, he looked at his son who was cleared distressed about something he had just been told.
"Have you called an ambulance? I'll be there as soon as I can!" He hung up the phone and grabbed his keys.
"What's the matter?" His father asked as Fred grabbed his coat, Fred ignored him. "Fred?" His father asked again, "Is everything ok?"
"Like you care." Fred sneered, "I need to go!" The two stepped out of the office, Fred turned the 'OPEN' sign around and locked the door. "Shit!" He exclaimed.
"What?" His father asked. "I need to get to my mother-in-law's house. Daphne's got the car, Shaggy's got the van!" Fred exclaimed." I'll take you." His father said, Fred looked at him, unsure. "I'll take you. It's the least I could do."
Fred sighed; he really didn't want to get into a car with his father. Could he trust him? He couldn't be sure, but he desperately needed to get to Mrs Blake's house. Besides, he had a pocket-knife in his jeans and a handgun in his coat pocket.
"Alright." Fred sighed, "Alright."
His father owned a blue Honda Civic, he remembered Daphne telling him that Sara had memorized the licence plate. He climbed into the small car, he was used to driving in his new Jaguar and the Mystery Machine, so this was a lot different for him.
"What happened?" His father asked, Fred ran his hand through his hair as his father started the engine. "Daphne. She's gone into labour." He said.
"I thought she wasn't due until April 20th?" His father asked, Fred nodded, "She's been under a lot of stress lately." Fred said, his hands shook, and he tried to keep himself together.
"Tell me the way." His father said, speeding away from the office.
"'How did Doctor Wicker fake an autopsy? And why?' One of the news anchors asked. 'Well, Jenny. When Mr Blake died, police believed it was death by heart attack, which is what Doctor Wicker had told his family. But recently, a young doctor working at the hospital, stumbled upon two autopsy reports.' 'Two?' 'Yes Jenny. One autopsy, carried out by Wicker says that Mr Blake died of a heart attack, however an autopsy carried out by Doctor Chester, say Mr Blake's cause of death was a heart attack, caused by paracetamol overdose.' 'This changes things for Doctor Wicker, doesn't it, Mark.' 'It does indeed Jenny.'
The Honda skidded to a stop outside Mrs Blake's home. Fred saw the Jaguar parked in the driveway, along with Mrs Blake's car and a car he'd never seen before, a Maserati.
He jumped out of the car; his father followed him. Fred pushed open the front door, he heard voices coming from the living room. "Daphne!" He called, as he ran through the house. He stepped into the living room; his father close behind him. He saw Daphne sitting on the couch, her mother's arms wrapped around her. Fred realised she was trying to remain calm and she was breathing heavily.
He also saw two unfamiliar faces. "Hello." The older man smiled at him. "Daphne are you ok?" Fred asked. "She'll be fine, I don't think she's quite dilated yet." The younger man smiled.
"Who the hell are you?" Fred asked. "Oh, sorry, let me introduce myself. I'm Peter Wicker, and this is my father Damian Wicker." He smiled, extending his hand out to Fred, who just ignored it. He made his way over to Daphne. "Are you ok?" He asked, she nodded, but clearly, she was distressed. But Fred also noticed that her mother looked uncomfortable.
"Did you call an ambulance?" Fred asked. "Yes." Mrs Blake replied, her face stained with tears and fresh ones falling from her eyes. "What's the matter?" He asked.
"They-they ki-killed…" Mrs Blake stuttered. "Mr Blake." The older man finished; Fred looked to the two gentlemen stood behind him. He glanced at his father who was giving studying the two men.
In the distance, Fred could hear sirens, he felt a little bit of relief but still, what do they two about the two men confessing to the murder of his father-in-law?
There was another sound. Fred's father also heard the sound and looked around to where it could have come from. Fred realised it was the sound of tyres screeching. He looked at the two Wicker men, bother looked confused. Mrs Blake squeeze Daphne tighter. Fred laid his hand on Daphne's leg, and she grabbed it, squeezing it tightly. She bit her bottom lip.
The front door burst open and within seconds Sara stood in the doorway, Daphne sighed with relief. Sara looked at Fred's father, "No!" Daphne exclaimed, "Them!" She pointed at the Wickers, both stood completely confused.
Sara faced the two men. And just as quick as she had arrived, she kicked Peter Wicker's stomach and he doubled over, and whilst he was down, Sara kicked Doctor Wicker's leg and he screamed.
"Sara!" Daphne exclaimed, Peter Wicker pulled out a gun, his hands shaking as he went to pull the trigger. But Sara was quicker, and she pulled out a gun, aiming at the two men she pulled the trigger. Fred's father squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the gun shots, but the never came.
He opened his eyes and saw the two men convulsing on the floor; Sara had tasered them.
"Ambulance here!" A voice called. "In here!" Fred's father exclaimed.
Two paramedics rushed into the living room, they saw the two men lying on the floor and thought it was them who needed help, until Daphne screamed.
Fred knew what the news reporters had said wasn't true. The paramedics called the police when they arrived, they were quick to get Daphne out of the house before the two men woke up, and incase the baby was quick to come out.
"Freddie?" A tired voice asked. He turned away from the window, he smiled when he saw Daphne had woken up.
"Hey, are you feeling ok?" Fred asked as he made his way over to her. He sat down on the hospital bed next to her, and gently took her hand.
"I'm ok. I'm tired." She yawned. "I bet you are." Fred said, pressing his lips against her forehead.
"Where is he?" Daphne asked, Fred chuckled, "He's here. He's asleep." Next to Daphne's hospital bed, was a tiny hospital crib. Fred looked inside the crib; he felt his eyes filling with tears when he looked down at his new-born son.
He wasn't a tiny baby, he weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces. The nurse had wrapped securely into a blanket, and Fred's mother had knitted him a hat. He was wearing a baby grow supplied by the hospital. Fred hadn't had a chance to go back home and get some clothes for him.
The baby had Daphne's nose for sure. But not long after he was born, when he tried to open his eyes, Daphne noticed instantly that he had Fred's blue ones.
"I was scared he wouldn't make it." Daphne mumbled, wiping the tears from her eyes. Fred gently took her hand, "He's 5 weeks early, the nurse said he'll be fine." Fred reassured. "I know, but I was scared that the ambulance wouldn't arrive in time, or there would be complications." Daphne said.
"What happened? Why were those men at your mom's house?" Fred asked, Daphne sighed. "I went to Mom's to ask about Peter Wicker. She insisted that everything was ok, then she started getting really upset. And she said that, before she met my dad, she and Peter Wicker dated for a couple of months. She started to lose interest in him, so she dumped him, and got with my dad a couple of weeks later. Mom had no love loss, but Peter did." Daphne sighed, "My water broke while she was telling me. She called you and then she called an ambulance. And when she got off the phone, Peter Wicker and his dad showed up. They confessed to killing my dad."
Fred gently ran a hand through her hair, "Your dad bought you in?" She asked, Fred nodded, "If he didn't show up at the office, I wouldn't have been able to get to you. You had the car, and Shaggy had the van." Fred said, "I hated him, but I owe him for being there."
Daphne sighed, Fred looked back at his baby and he smiled. "Have you signed his birth certificate?" Daphne asked, Fred shook his head. "Did the nurse get his name?" Daphne asked, Fred nodded, he glanced at the nametag on the crib; TOBY GEORGE JONES
"I can't wait to get out of here and take him home." Daphne said, her voice filled with excitement, but Fred could tell that she was tired, and she should probably get back to sleep. But there was something on his mind that he just had to know, something that he'd been thinking about for the last few hours.
"Hey, Daph." He said. "Yes." Daphne relied. "Did you call Sara when the Wicker's showed up?" He asked, Daphne shook her head. "No." She replied. "Then how did she get there so quickly? How did she know where you were?" He asked, Daphne smiled.
"Look in my jacket pocket." She said. Fred picked up jacket which he'd hung on the back of the chair. He put his hand into the pocket and felt something in the pocket. He pulled it out, it was a little but slightly heavy. It appeared to be a button. "What is it?" He asked.
"Not long after I met Sara, she told me if I ever needed her, I should press this, and she'd come and find me." Daphne explained, "I recognised Peter Wicker from the last time I was at mom's, I knew the ambulance wouldn't bring police to a woman going into labour. So, I 'called' Sara."
"If we ever have a baby girl, we'll have to name her after Sara." Fred joked, Daphne groaned, "Freddie, I can't even think about that right now." Fred chuckled, "Get some sleep, baby." He pressed his lips to her forehead, "I'll be here when you wake up." He sat into the armchair next to the bed, and slowly Daphne fell asleep.
Fred leaned over the crib and watched his son sleep. The tiny human wiggled a little, before he yawned and dozed back to sleep. Fred smiled, he leant back into the chair and felt himself drifting off.
