The Door Into Summer
Chapter 22Jerry and Gloria Ames returned to Yuba City. All hope they had of finding their daughter was gone, and they accepted the fact that she was probably dead. Jeff and Stu couldn't blame them, but there was no way they were giving up on the search. No body had been recovered, and the two private investigators still held out hope that the teenager was out there somewhere – alive.
Tony Daggett didn't bring up their living arrangements again; he seemed to be distracted with something and Rachel didn't care what it was. She was trying to find a way to escape Tony without returning to her parents. The harder she looked, the more impossible it seemed.
Four days later, Ellen Gilmore finally called the office. Jeff had gone to Sampson Jewelers in downtown Long Beach to take an initial report on the robbery they'd suffered, but Stu was busy researching something in his office. He heard the intercom buzz. "Stuart, Ellen Gilmore is on line one."
"Merci, Suzanne." Stu picked up the phone. "Hello, Ellen. How's he doing today?"
Her voice sounded different; there was a lightness to it that hadn't been there before. "They finally moved him, Stu. He's in room 407. He's been asking for you."
"Anything in particular on his mind?'
"You can probably guess – the explosion and Daggett."
"I'll be there as soon as I can, Ellen."
Stuart buzzed Suzanne when he'd gotten off the telephone. "I'm going to the hospital to see Gil. If Jeff gets back before you leave, tell him it's room 407." Stu stood up from behind his desk, put on his shoulder holster, then his coat, checked for his lighter and his cigarettes, and left via the side door.
"Dad . . . where are you going?" Kookie asked as he brought Stu's brand new, red T-bird up for the P.I.
"To see Gil. He's finally out of the ICU. Room 407, when Jeff gets back. I'll see you later." Stu got in the car and stopped at the nearest florist. He knew how Gil felt about flowers, but Ellen loved cacti and Stu bought the biggest desert bowl he could find. He was beyond thrilled to hear that Gil was asking for him; it meant that his friend was finally improving. That improvement was reinforced by his move out of the ICU and into a regular room. The guilt Stu had carried in his back pocket like a comb ever since the bomb explosion subsided just a tiny bit.
He and Jeff had honored Ellen's wishes since Gil was injured, staying away from the hospital while he remained in the intensive care unit. They'd split their time between trying to find Rachel and locate Daggett, never dreaming that the search was one and the same.
Neither pursuit had yielded any significant clues, beyond locating the donut store clerk who'd seen Rachel when she made her purchase the night of Waverly's capture. His shift at the store ended soon after Rachel took her seat by the window; the employee that replaced him didn't recognize the girl. And Daggett had proven every bit as elusive.
Stu walked into room 407 to find Ellen reading to Gil, who appeared to be asleep. "Ellen," the P.I murmured, and she stopped reading and stood up.
"Don't get flirty with the misses," came from the bed even though Gil's eyes were closed.
"All I said was her name," Stu laughed back.
"It was the way you said it," Gil responded.
"These are for you." Stu handed the bowl filled with living cacti to Ellen as Gil's eyes slowly opened.
"You didn't bring me flowers?" the Lieutenant inquired sarcastically.
"You hate flowers. I brought these for Ellen instead."
"They're beautiful, Stuart. Thank you." Ellen set the cacti down and kissed Stu on the cheek.
"Don't kiss him, Ellen. He tried to get me killed." The words were serious, but the tone of voice was playful.
"About that . . . " Stu began before being interrupted.
"Forget it, Stu. You didn't put the bomb in the car. We both know who did."
Ellen looked from one to the other of the men. "That's my cue to leave. I'm going down to get something to eat. No fighting while I'm gone."
"Aw, Ellen, what fun is that?" her husband asked.
"Don't let him talk too much, Stuart. He gets short-winded, and the doctor said that's not good for his lungs. They were burned pretty badly."
"Yes, ma'am," Stu answered. Nothing else was said until Ellen left the room and started for the elevator.
"What happened to the guard on the door?"
"I sent him home." Gil looked across the bed at his friend. "Okay, spill."
"How much did Ellen tell you?"
"As little as she could get away with. Have you found Daggett yet?"
Stu nodded. "I assumed the same thing and no, we haven't found Daggett yet. He seems to have vanished into thin air."
"And the girl?"
A shake of the head. "Nope. Not a trace."
"Maybe they're together somewhere," Gilmore suggested, and Stu laughed.
"Those two? Have you ever seen a more unlikely pair?"
"No," the policeman answered sheepishly.
Stuart got serious. "I'm really glad to see you moved out of ICU. You had us all worried for a while. And Gil, I'm sorry you were injured so badly. I'd have given anything for it to be me instead of you."
"And how would those ribs of yours have done if they'd taken another pounding? How are they, by the way?"
"Getting better with every day that passes. You're the one we have to concentrate on now."
"What happened?"
"Do you remember anything?" Stu asked so he'd know where to begin.
"Leaving the restaurant. From now on we eat at the diner you and Akin . . . uh, down the street from the station."
"Not much to tell. We walked out of Joe's, you in front of me. The carhop turned the key in the ignition and boom. It flattened both of us – I got up and you didn't. The ambulance came and brought you here."
"Ellen said they brought you here, too."
"I'm going to have a talk with Ellen about divulging confidential information. They were just hedging their bets. Some new stitches and some iodine and I was as good as new. Well, as good as I was before the car exploded."
"The carhop?"
Stu shook his head. "Not much left. The kid's funeral's tomorrow. The city's paying for it."
"Good. What's next?"
"Next is we find the s.o.b. who tried to blow you two up." The voice came from the door to the room, and was followed inside by the body of Jeff Spencer. "How you feeling, Gil?"
"I've been better. See," he said, looking at Stu, "your partner brought me flowers."
Jeff shook his head. "I did not. They're for Ellen. Where is she, by the way?"
"She went down to get something to eat. I'll tell you what I told him. Leave my wife alone." A small smile accompanied the pronouncement.
"Now Gil, you know we're all in love with Ellen," Jeff protested.
"It's nice to be popular," Ellen remarked as she returned to the room. She walked straight to Jeff and kissed him on the cheek, just as she had Stuart. "Flowers? For me?"
"They're certainly not for that ugly husband of yours. How are you doing, Gil?"
"I'll answer that, because he's probably already done too much talking. Better than expected, but not as well as he'd like. In other words, the way you'd expect to find him."
"I've got some news from Flaherty, by the way," Jeff explained. "Is it okay . . . ?"
Gil nodded. "Go ahead."
"An unidentified male called the precinct the day you two went to lunch. He said he had some urgent information for you and wanted to know where you were and how long you'd be there. Flaherty suspects it was Daggett. He also said the type of bomb planted appears consistent with one that Daggett's used before. Suzanne remembers a man calling the office and asking for you, Stuart. He wanted to know if you and Gil were having lunch together at Joe's Seafood. Wouldn't leave his name, said he'd be in touch later. He never called back."
"I'm glad you're in the hospital, Gil. You're safe from the bastard." Ellen's voice was angry, an emotion very rarely expressed by the even-tempered woman. It was understandable, given the circumstances of her husband's current condition. She'd been through shootings, kidnappings, automobile accidents, and all manner of attempts on her husband's life. This one, however, had gotten to her like none other. And all three men were aware of it.
"We'll find him, Ellen," Stu tried to reassure her. Ever the gentleman, Stu did his best to soothe her fractured nerves.
"When? Who's he going to try to kill next? Jeff?" Mrs. Gilmore glanced over at Spencer, who wore a perplexed expression. "He hasn't taken a swipe at you yet."
"Ellen!" Gil was surprised by the vehemence in his wife's voice.
Ellen looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry, Jeff. You know I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I know, Ellen. Whatever happens, happens. But we're doing our best to find him." Jeff took his friend's hand. The last thing any of them wanted was to upset her any more than she'd already been upset . . . which was plenty, considering both her outbursts and the language she used.
"Mrs. Gilmore, I'm sorry to put you through this, but you knew I was a snake before you took me in," Gil chastised his wife.
"Gil, honey, I just worry about you. And," she swiveled around in the direction of the private investigators, "about you, too. Sometimes it's like having three husbands."
"No ideas, boys," Gil reminded the two men as his eyes slowly closed.
"I think that's our cue to leave," Stu informed his partner.
Jeff nodded. "I think so. Ellen, we'll be back in a day or two. As soon as he gets some rest."
Stu bent down and kissed Ellen on the cheek. "Be a brave little soldier. And call us if you need anything. I'll have Flaherty put a man back on the door, with instructions to ignore Gil's instructions. Bye."
Jeff was next. He kissed Mrs. Gilmore, too, and both men ambled out of the room and down the hall.
"Do you suppose . . . " Stu began, before coming to an abrupt halt.
Jeff waited while they rode the elevator down. When they got to the lobby he prompted, "Do I suppose what?"
"Do you suppose Rachel's with him?" Stu finished, as if he hadn't started the conversation five minutes ago.
"Who? Daggett?"
"Yes. Could Rachel Ames be with Tony Daggett?"
"I suppose it's possible. Maybe that's why we couldn't find her. But how did she meet him? And where? And why in God's name does she stay with him?"
"All good questions, Jefferson. None of which I have an answer to."