Sorry this is slow going, but spring is here! Spring break, illnesses, alas it stifles the creative flow. Anyways. Hope this is found to be in favor...
With Miguel and Carmen's help I found what I hoped was AJ's house. They were great. I didn't understand much of what they said, nor they I, but we communicated great. Carmen must have been a doctor or a nurse in Mexico because she did a bang up job of bandaging my left arm and my ribs. My arm must have been in front of me or behind me or something when that jerk shot me. The bullet hit between the bottom ribs and went through the back of my left arm. The tricep I think it's called. Carmen cut up part of the blanket and tied my arm to my chest and it helped a great deal. They shared their food and water and with a lot of gestures and smiles we managed to figure out a way to get me back to civilization. I suspected they would not be comfortable with a police station, and I was not comfortable with going back to my apartment, which is how we ended up here.
I remembered the address AJ had written down when he had offered to pay for my cars repairs. It was a nice house. All the houses backed up to various canals and there were bridges that went back and forth over the canals at intervals. All in all it was a nice little neighborhood.
Miguel's car drew a few glances, but I think that was for the lack of a muffler and the raunchy noise it made. That and the piles of rust it left at various intervals. Carmen and Miguel gestured back and forth again with me indicating the two-story house with a boat parked nearby. There was a great debate as to whether it was decent to leave a girl in my condition here without a large family rushing out to care for her I assume. I assured them (I hoped) that thanks to their help I would be fine. I was feeling a great deal better, even though I was still tired. I guess the couple thought the home was mine for with a smile and a shrug (Carmen smiled, Miguel shrugged) and a great deal of noise, my angels drove off, leaving me with their blanket. I sincerely hoped it was not their only one.
For privacy, there was a gate and a fence leading to the main door. I pushed it open and walked down the walkway, hoping I was not making a huge mistake. These guys almost got me killed. They ruined my car. Because of their recklessness, I couldn't go home to my apartment. If I could think of anywhere else to turn, I would. There was a ships bell hanging by the door. I took a deep breath and rang it. I waited for a few minutes. Nothing. I rang it again. It was loud and annoying – typical. Still nothing. Couldn't see anything through the stained glass of the door so I looked in the kitchen window and tried the door. Locked. Great. Now what? I pulled the blanket around myself and took yet another deep breath. It hurt. I could feel the giddiness of exhaustion settling in once more.
There had been a truck parked out front. Surely someone was around. I decided to go look at the boat. But I was so tired. Instead I sat down for a minute on the front stoop and that's where they found me who knows how long later.
The two detectives pulled up in front of the house in the Camero, one in stony silence, the other relaxed with his feet hanging out the window smoking a cigar. Rick knew when to push it and when to shut up, and for the moment, he was enjoying the upper hand.
The garage was taken up with the '57 and some boxes and just for kicks, a boxing bag, so AJ had taken to parking the Camero outside and coming into the house through the kitchen. Rick got out and started inside while AJlingered to lock up the car.Rick paused when he noticed the dark figure slumped on the doorstep. He wasn't sure if it was alive or dead.
"AJ!" He whispered, immediately bringing his brother into alert. He looked around, taking in the surroundings. He noticed nothing out of the ordinary, no signs of struggle, no bloodstains. AJ was moving in behind him so Rick quickly but cautiously went over to the person on the stoop. He was surprised toidentify the unconscious figure as the missing girl!
"Polly?" Rick reached out and with his right arm and firmly shook her arm. The woman took a sharp intake of breath, opened her eyes, screamed and immediately shot her palm out straight out at his nose. Blinding pain shot through his face as he fell backwards. He covered his face with his hands as AJ came up to calm Polly who was struggling to figure out where she was and how to get away. Rick's hands came away covered with blood. He said incredulously, "She broke my nose!"
"Won't be the first time your nose was broken. Hey, stop it! You're OK." AJ stood back while the missing woman struggled to her feet. He could see awareness return to her eyes. She was filthy. Her hair, while still tied back, was lank, oily and matted. She was still in the same clothes she had worn the day he had met her. Her arm was tied to her side with part of the blanket she had around her shoulders. AJ smiled his most charming, yet assured smile, reached out a hand without touching her and repeated himself. "You're OK. Do you want to come in, Polly?"
"Polly?"
"Aren't you Polly Linsky?"
"Where did you get that from?" She asked.
"Well, when we didn't hear from you, we got a little worried and we checked up on you. We went to the police after searching your apartment."
"You searched my apartment?"
"Well…" AJ looked uncomfortable.
Rick came to his brother's rescue from the scrawny bushes near the fence. "The door was open."
"They left the door open?"
"They?" AJ, ever the detective, asked as he helped Rick up. He glanced distractedly at the blood on his hand and then at his brother's nose. A small smile danced on his lips as he remembered the razing he took that afternoon to be smoothly erased before he turned to face the girl again. Rick noticed the smile too and returned it with a show of teeth at AJ's back.
"A couple of guys." She winced and leaned back against the doorframe.
"You're hurt Polly?" Rick asked.
She nodded and added, "My name isn't Polly though. It's Leigh. Nobody has called me Polly since I was a little girl."
AJ leaned past her with the keys and said, "Leigh then. Let's go inside and get you," he paused to look at the blood that was still seeping from his brother's nose, "The two of you, cleaned up and sort this whole mess out." With that he opened the door then reached for her good arm and guided her in through the kitchen and towards the couch. He figured Rick could find his own way to the towels and ice.
"What happened to your arm?"
"I was shot."
"Shot? Good Lord, we need to get you to the hospital!"
"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not. I don't want to go to the expense. I don't have insurance and I don't have a lot of money. Carmen did a pretty good job of cleaning it up…"
"Carmen?"
"She and Miguel found me out in the middle of no where when I got away from the goons. They didn't speak any English. I think they might have been illegals, but to me they were angels. They helped me get here."
"How'd you get away?" AJ asked. Leigh looked at Rick who had a paper towel to catch the last of the blood seeping from his nostrils and was holding a bag of ice to his nose. "Same move?" AJ surmised.
Leigh nodded. Rick moved the bag down long enough to utter, "Effective." AJ noticed the beginning of raccoon eyes. He suppressed a smile unsuccessfully.
"Let's take a look at your arm." AJ offered.
"If it's all the same to you, what's going on? All these guys wanted to know was what my connection was to you two. I think I convinced them I had nothing to do with you; either that or they thought I wasn't going to tell them anything. They were going to kill me!" Leigh was angry, verging on hysterical.
Rick stood up and walked out to the kitchen while AJ moved over onto the couch and took a hold of Leigh's right arm
"Calm down! Leigh, calm down. I am sorry we brought you into this, whatever this is, and I will do everything in my power to get you out. Can you describe any of the men who took you?"
"No. I was blindfolded." Leigh tried to jerk her arm out of AJ's grip. He tightened his hold just enough to convey that this time he was not backing off, but so as to not intimidate, he softened his voice.
"What about the guy you hit? You weren't blindfolded then, were you?"
"I wasn't really paying attention. The sun blinded me. All I can tell you is that he was white. I think his hair was dark." He noticed that she relaxed just a hair, and he in turn relaxed his hold on her arm. He took in the stray pieces of grass in her hair, the bruising around her left eye, the dark circles of exhaustion underneath both eyes. There was dried blood on her shirt and her pants leg.
Rick came up just then with a snifter of brandy. "I think you need this." Leigh nodded in agreement.
"Just a little at a time." AJ helped her with the glass. "Do you think you can eat?"
"I ate. Not much, but it was enough for now." Leigh replied, taking the glass of brandy from AJ. She studied it in the light for a few moments while AJ studied her.
"AJ?" Rick caught his brother's eye. "I'm going to make a few phone calls. Check on a few people. Why don't you help her get cleaned up, clean up that wound? Then we can determine the next step."
"I think that's a good idea. Leigh?"
"I don't have anything…"
Rick stepped in with, "For tonight you can sleep in his pajama's," Leigh looked panicked for a moment and AJ quickly stepped in with "And in the morning one of us will go to your apartment for you for some of your clothes. Or better yet, to the store. In case someone is watching."
"Do you think they are still looking for me?"
"Maybe."
Leigh closed her eyes and collapsed into the couch. "Great." Unconsciously she relaxed into AJ's protective arm. "They are not high on my list of people I want to visit with again."
"They are mine." Rick growled under his breath.
"On that we are agreed."
Leigh opened her eyes and graced Rick with his first smile. It was well worth the wait, Rick thought. "Thanks." She whispered.
"We'll do everything in our power to make sure they'll never think about visiting you or anyone else for that matter."
Leigh glanced down, unaccustomed to having anyone care for her, unaccustomed to how good it felt. It scared her on some levels. It reminded her of the safety she felt when her dad was around. "You know, I'd like that." She graced them both with a smile again. "And, I think I could go for that shower now."
AJ smiled with her and stood up. He could see as soon as he did, it caused her pain. "Ah hey, I'm sorry. I think I have some aspirin, tylenol…"
Leigh finished off the brandy. "Let's see if this has any medicinal value first." She stood and fought a wave of nausea before looking to AJ to lead the way. "And I guess if we have to change the bandage, I could always bite a bullet. Isn't that what they did in the old west?"
Rick replied, "I think I could find one for you."
"You would." AJ threw over his shoulder as he led Leigh up the stairs. "Talk to Town, would you?
