Chapter 9:
Everyone was silent at this. The nurses had helped Rogers back into the bed and everyone was hovering around him like he had been injured once more. Rogers just sat there staring straight ahead with a look of both anger, fear and concern on his face.
"Why would he do such a thing?" Jacinda was the first to speak up and break the silence. After Weaver explained to everyone what he had found so far, it sent everyone on edge.
"I believe that this wasn't just him acting out. I think Victoria Belfry had something to do with this too. I had...gone to explain something to her about the Eloise Gardner case and then the next day was when I found out you were in the hospital."
"What did you tell her about the case?" Rogers looked his partner square in the eye with hurt lingering in his gaze for a few seconds.
"Nothing. She came to me a while back when you first started to investigate into Eloise's disappearance and started blackmailing me into keeping her informed on your discoveries. She threatened you and others in the Police Force if I didn't stop you from investigating. I have a hunch that if she's involved in the case, she didn't want you to find out. I came to her and told her I tried to dissuade you from the case and failed. Then she told me she would take matters into her own hands. When she told me that, was the night right before you were stabbed."
"That would explain why you were so adamant that I quit while I was ahead."
"But what does that have to do with Nick?" Lucy spoke up looking rather confused.
"That's the part that I am still trying to piece together. My guess is, that Nick isn't all who he seems to be."
Silence enveloped everyone. It was like everyone wasn't sure of each other. Rogers just sunk further into his bed, Henry was rubbing his left hand over his eye, Lucy and Tilly both sat still quietly holding each other close and Weaver just stood there trying to figure it all out.
"Weaver, Nick was just in here." Rogers' voice was barely above a whisper as he struggled to reign in his emotions.
"I gathered that from the way everyone was reacting when I mentioned it. But the question is, why? Why come into the one place that could possibly get him caught?"
"No clue." Jacinda wandered closer to the door, "He's not one to usually make a show of things."
"Then he must have come here for something." Tilly spoke up which seemed to startle everyone.
"They were drawing my blood right when Nick was here. And afterwords is when he disappeared." Rogers looked to Weaver who seemed to be a bit shocked at this. The silence ensued as every set of eyes looked straight back at Weaver who was looking only at Rogers in this instant.
"I'll be right back." Weaver exited the room and began to search for Dr. Hornstein. He found him about to enter a restricted area with what appeared to be some vials of blood.
"Dr. Hornstein! I need to speak to you!" Weaver finally caught up to the speedy man and tried to put on his best face.
"Ah! Detective Weaver! What can I do for you? Is Detective Rogers still aright?"
"Yes he is," The elder detective worked to slow down his breathing. "That's not why I am here."
"Then why are you here?" The doctor looked confused. Weaver smiled hesitantly at first but then tried to be genuine after he caught his breath.
"I was hoping you could help me figure something out."
"And what is that?" The doctor turned to face Weaver and crossed his arms.
"When you were taking some of Detective Rogers' blood last night, how many vials did you get of it?"
"I got four. But one went missing right when I returned to bandage the sight we drew from."
"Did you see who took it?"
"No I didn't sorry."
"It's quite alright. That helps us out a lot." Weaver gave a subtle nod of his head and then returned to the room everyone was congregated at. Everyone looked to him expectantly like he was giving them gifts.
"He stole a vial of your blood it seems."
"Why would he need that?" Rogers was starting to get a bit distressed at the thought of what his assailant might do with it.
"That is the million dollar question isn't it?" Henry turned to face the elder Detective.
"That is the million dollar question, yes." Weaver turned to face Henry parroting his question into an answer.
"Then how do we answer this million dollar question?" Tilly looked expectantly at her oldest friend in Hyperion Heights.
"I don't know, Tilly. I don't know."
All eyes returned to face Rogers whose pallor had turned white. Everyone could see that he was terrified.
"And if Nick is in fact Rogers' attacker, how do we stop him from returning?"
Weaver looked with sympathy upon his co-worker. The man couldn't move, or at the very least move fast and now his attacker knew exactly where he was. He watched as Rogers rested his right elbow on the railing of the bed and leaned his head into his hand. He could see said hand shaking, with what Weaver couldn't tell, but it still shook nonetheless.
"Why don't one of us stay here at all times? That way Nick can't try something without one of us knowing?" Henry broke the silence startling everyone.
"And I can post more police outside your door if it would make you feel better." Weaver aimed the idea toward Rogers who had peeked his eyes out from behind his hand. Rogers gave it a careful though before he nodded.
"Jacinda and I can take first watch if Tilly you could watch Lucy for us?"
"You can take her back to my place if you want Tilly." Rogers spoke up.
"It would be my honor." Tilly's smile grew big and then stood and began to gather her things.
"I'll drive her there." Weaver nodded.
"I'm going to see if I can find some food before everyone leaves if that's alright." It was at that moment when Henry's stomach growled.
"I'll come with you." Jacinda smirked. "I don't trust that you won't buy the entire cafeteria."
Everyone laughed and soon the group dispersed Weaver lingered in the doorway watching Rogers who still hadn't taken his gaze off of the wall on the other side of the wall. He then walked over to the younger detective and gently laid a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm not going to let that man do anything to harm you."
"I know." Rogers' choked voice whispered amongst the sound of a rising sob, "I'm...I'm just, for probably the first time in my life, scared."
"We'll get you through this." Weaver squatted down to where he could meet the down turned gaze of his partner, "You have people who care for you and will not let anything happen."
"And what if something happened to them in the process?" Rogers was becoming a slightly agitated at this.
"Nothing will happen to anyone. Whoever is orchestrating this is after you. Not Tilly, not Henry, not Lucy, not even me. They're after you. And besides, I'm making sure that they are safe. Believe me, if I had anything to do about it, I would put them all in my place to assure that they won't be harmed. Even bribe them with anything they wanted if I had to to make sure they stayed put."
Rogers chuckled slightly at this and quickly wiped away a tear that had begun to make a wet path down his cheek.
"We are going to get this man and we are going to track down the person who hired him and make sure that they know what they did was wrong."
Rogers nodded and then sunk back into the bed a bit and had began to stare up at the ceiling. He hoped Weaver was right. He hoped no one else would get hurt. He was counting on that fact. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if it did.
Victoria was growing restless. How long did it take to get something as easy as blood when the person she needed it from was in the hospital? She really needed this. She needed this more than the next person. Victoria wasn't going to lose what she had built up on the notion that this man couldn't complete his job.
"I've got what you asked for." Victoria reeled around to see Nick standing in the entrance to the place she had told him to meet her at. He held something up that carried a crimson hue to it. She rushed over and snagged it.
"Finally! This is the final ingredient that we need to finish the potion."
"Finish what potion?" Nick walked a little bit forward and crossed his arms.
"You wouldn't know this, but Rogers, myself and several others from this towns are not from this world. We are from an alternate dimension. In this alternate dimension, a friend of mine managed to poison Rogers' heart. Anytime he went near his daughter, it would start to slowly kill him. When a curse was enacted to bring us here, that poison within Rogers disappeared. I aim to bring it back."
"But he has no daughter in this realm."
"Are you sure about that?"
Victoria watched the wheels in Nick's head turn. She could tell he was trying to figure that out.
"Are you referring to Tilly?" It was the only explanation. She looked so much like Rogers it was uncanny.
"Tilly is his daughter and she has been seen around him often."
"If you can enact this poison once more, then he would be helpless."
"Except this time, we aim to make sure no one can go near him. Not even his own partner."
Nick nodded and smirked.
"This is cunning! And how do you expect me to do the deed so to speak?"
"Oh you won't be doing this deed this time I'm afraid." A new character waltzed in the door. Victoria smiled and watched as Mr. Sam D walked in carrying a few things in his hand, "I will be."
"What? I thought you said you wanted me to administer the poison."
"I did," Victoria walked closer to Nick, "But then Detective Weaver interrogated me the other day and knows of your involvement. I can't let them find you and ruin our plans."
"If you let me go, I'll go straight to the police and tell them everything."
"That's why we aren't letting you go." Sam D procured a small straw doll from his pocket and a rather large pin. He then poked the in into the gut of the doll and simultaneously Nick started gasping for breath.
"We can't let you interfere." Victoria smirked as she watched the life drain from his body. Nick then collapsed dead on the scene.
"We're rid of one man."
"Now we have to be rid of the other one."
"I can do the same thing I just did to Nick to him."
"No," Victoria shook her head and crossed her arms, "I need a distraction not a killing. I'm trying not to draw attention. I just need him hurt enough to where Detective Weaver's attention is no longer on me. And if you can think of anything else in the process, by all means, do it."
"Then what would you have me do?"
Victoria smirked and soon Gothel walked out carry a rather large vial of something in her hands.
"I've got the final ingredient." Victoria smirked as she held out the vial of Rogers' blood to Gothel who also held a smirk, "I think you know what to do from there."
"I think I can manage." Sam D watched the blood swirl into the liquid inside. Gothel then handed the vial to Sam D who looked inside as if he was expecting it to do something.
"Great! Now I trust that you let me know when the job is done."
"I will indeed." Sam D nodded and then began to walk out the door.
"He's the right choice right?" Gothel called out from behind Victoria and walked facing the direction in which Sam had left. She then turned to face Victoria who seems to be rather pleased with herself.
"Let's hope so." Victoria then turned towards the door and left.