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Author's Note: I am so glad that you are enjoying this story. Every time I read my reviews, I see that I have someone new reading it. I am trying to use some of your ideas in my story. You are giving me great inspiration for this story, considering I am writing this as I go. Again, thank you and please continue to review.
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"She should wake up any time now." Frank said. "Why don't you come here and tell Nancy in person?"
"Maybe you're right." Sheriff Vaughn said. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
Frank hung up Nancy's cell phone and Joe looked at him quizzically. Frank just shook his head and they went into Nancy's room. She was sitting up in bed, watching the news.
"Good morning, Sunshine!" Joe said, cheerfully.
Nancy smiled at him. "Good morning."
"How are you feeling?" Frank asked.
Nancy shrugged. "I have a slight headache."
"Here," Frank said, putting the bouquet of flowers on her lap. "These are from Luke."
"Oh," Nancy said. She lifted them to her face and sniffed them. "Where is Luke?"
"He said that he had to get to the store." Frank said.
A nurse knocked on the door and brought in a tray of food. "I thought you could use some breakfast." she said.
"Thank you." Nancy said. "Do you know when I'll be released?"
"Doctor Mars will be making his rounds soon." She said. "I'll be back in a little bit to get your tray."
Nancy picked up her fork and began to pick at her food. She made a face as she stabbed at her eggs.
"What's wrong, Nancy?" Joe teased. "Aren't you hungry?"
"Not so much." Nancy said. "But what about you, Joe? You look famished."
"I don't think so." Joe said. "I'd rather take my chances with a block of moldy cheese. I'm going down to the vending machines."
"Bring me something back edible." Nancy said.
Joe held up his hands innocently. "Sorry, Nan. That would go against doctor's orders."
He whistled as he walked out of Nancy's room.
"Does he always have to be like that?" Nancy asked Frank.
"Everyday." Frank said. "Don't worry though. He'll bring you something back. He's not completely heartless."
Nancy pushed away her tray. There was another knock on her door and Sheriff Vaughn walked in.
"Sheriff!" Nancy said, surprised. "How did you know I was here?"
"I just called your phone and your friend told me." She turned to Frank. "Frank Hardy, I presume."
"Yes ma'am." Frank said. "It's nice to meet you."
Nancy looked at Frank. "Why didn't you tell me she called?"
"I didn't want you to ask questions that I didn't have answers for. And I thought it best that Sheriff Vaughn tell you in person what she found." Frank said.
Nancy looked at the sheriff. "So, Sheriff...what did you find?"
"We found the red car that you saw the night of the murder." Sheriff Vaughn said.
"What?" Nancy asked, shocked.
"It was in an overgrown field a couple miles out of town." She explained.
"Did they find anything in it?" Nancy asked.
Sheriff Vaughn shook her head. "Not yet. But we're going over every square in of the car. They were getting ready to tow it off when I was leaving."
Joe walked back into Nancy's room with an armful of snacks from the vending machine. He looked around the room, confused.
"Sheriff, this is my brother, Joe." Frank said. "Joe, this is Sheriff Vaughn."
Joe looked at the sheriff and then looked at the food in his hands. "This isn't for Nancy." He said. "This is all for me."
Sheriff Vaughn smiled at Joe. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."
"Hoe many people know about this?" Nancy asked, steering the conversation back to the case.
"Just you three, me, and my guys that are working the case." Sheriff Vaughn said.
"This isn't going to get out, is it?" Nancy asked, a little worried.
"We'll try to keep it as quiet as possible. But this is a small town and people talk, so I can't promise anything." Sheriff Vaughn said.
"You can keep it quiet." Nancy said. "You're the sheriff, for crying out loud."
"I understand that." Sheriff Vaughn said calmly.
Frank was looking at the television. A news bulletin just appeared on the screen. It cut to a reporter standing in the field in front of the red car. The car was hooked up to the tow truck.
"Looks like you're too late." Frank said.
Sheriff Vaughn looked up and cursed silently. "That's Rob Wilson." She said disgustedly.
Nancy looked up at the television as Frank turned up the volume.
"Huntingdon police are saying they found a car that a witness claims she saw the night of the supposed murder of a Holly Springs woman. The murder still has not been confirmed and police are still looking for evidence of a murder. Police say they are looking for Eric Warren, a person of interest in the murder..."
Frank turned down the volume and looked at Nancy. She had turned completely pale.
"Oh, my God," she whispered.
"What is this?" Frank exploded.
"Rob Wilson. He has a police radio and follows us to all of our crime scenes." Sheriff Vaughn put her hands to her temples. "I should have seen this coming!"
She looked at Nancy. "I am so sorry about this, Nancy. I didn't even think of this. Someone in the department must have talked to him."
"I have to get out of here." Nancy said.
"The doctor hasn't released you yet, Nan." Frank said.
"I don't care!" Nancy said. "Do you think Eric's going to miss that?" she asked, pointing to the television.
"I will post an officer with you at all times." Sheriff Vaughn said.
"No." Nancy said. "I don't trust your department right now. I'll just take my chances."
Sheriff Vaughn opened her mouth to protest, but shut it quickly.
"My brother and I will be with her." Frank said.
Sheriff Vaughn nodded and pulled out her cell phone. She angrily dialed a number on it. "Ill call you as soon as I find out anything." She told them. Someone apparently answered the phone because Sheriff Vaughn was yelling as she walked out the door. "Who the hell talked to Wilson!"
Her voice faded as she walked down the hall.
Nancy could feel her own anger rising. How could things have gotten so way out of hand?
"We need to get away from here." Frank said.
"He knows my name, Frank." Nancy said. "He'll still come after me no matter where I go."
"I'm going to go see if I can find the doctor." Joe said.
Joe walked out into the hallway and sighed. He had never worked on a case where the police were so incompetent. Nancy had pleaded with them to drop the case and now they had basically just given Eric permission to come back and kill her.
Joe went to the nurses' station and asked them to page Doctor Mars. While he was waiting his cell phone rang.
"Hello?" he said.
"Joe Hardy?" A male voice asked.
"Yes. Who's this?" Joe asked.
"Detective David Miller. You sent out an email asking for information on Eric Warren." the man said.
"Yes." Joe said."Please tell me you have something good for me."
"That's why I'm calling." Detective Miller said.
Joe walked out of the hospital so he wouldn't disturb anyone. "So what have you got?"
"Well, in the email you said that he worked in Maine for a time. I ran the name by some people in the police department that I know up there." Miller said. "It seems that Mr. Warren was pretty busy up there."
"What do you mean?" Joe pressed.
"Eric Daniel Warren–he has arrests for trespassing, petty theft, and several misdemeanors. Nothing he didn't have to serve time for. He just had to pay a lot of fines. But there is one other thing that I found that might interest you." Detective Miller said.
"What is it?" Joe asked anxiously.
"It seems that when he was working there, he was also arrested on suspicion of murder." Detective Miller said.
Joe felt as if the wind was knocked out of him. Detective Miller had just told him that Eric Warren, the man Nancy witnessed kill a woman, was arrested in Maine on suspicion of killing someone else.
"Are you sure about this, Detective?" Joe asked.
"Of course I'm sure. I have the file in front of me." Miller said.
"Is there any way you can send me a copy of his file?" Joe asked.
"I don't normally do this, but since your father and I are good friends and I know that this will help your case along, I suppose I could do it." Detective Miller said.
"Great." Joe said. "This will be a big help to us."
"Just give me the address of where you're staying and I'll have it to you by tomorrow." Miller said.
Joe gave him the address to Luke's that Nancy had given them. Joe was about to hang up the phone when another thought occurred to him.
"Detective, Eric wouldn't happen to have any family around here, would he?" Joe asked.
"Um..." Joe could here the rustling of paper as Detective Miller searched through the file. "As a matter of fact he does–a sister that lives in Holly Springs."
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