Rifiuto: Non Mirena
"What did she say?" Zane looked up as Carter entered the infirmary in civilian clothes, looking tired but relieved that something had hopefully come out of this. He sighed, before stepping away from the bed. He led the older man out into the lobby, glancing back at the curtain.
"I asked her what she wanted to do when she was finally released from the infirmary, and she said the first thing she wanted was a hotdog-" Carter held up a hand, confused. He struggled to speak, unsure of what to say, before,
"Zane, you called me here to tell me that she wants a hotdog?" He didn't bother to hide the exasperation in his voice. "Unbelievable." He muttered, shaking his head. "Call me when you have some real informa-" He turned to leave, but Zane continued.
"She said that he never allowed junk food. That he hunted everything they ate, and that she never left the cabin-" The younger man sighed. "except to go with him to the apartment."
Carter turned back around, shock in his eyes. "Cabin? Where?" Zane shook his head.
"I don't know. She wouldn't say." Carter nodded; Zane could see the wheels turning. A moment of tense silence passed before he moved past the younger man. Zane watched him take a seat next to Jo's bed and reach out to take her hand. Her dark eyes opened, a small smile appearing on her face.
"Sheriff Carter." He returned her smile, and gently, softly, asked,
"Hi Jo. How're you feeling?" She swallowed.
"Okay." He nodded, glancing down at her hand. He studied her fingers for several minutes, noticing the cracked and broken skin, the torn up knuckles.
"Good." Silence filled the space between them, before Carter took a deep breath and asked, "Um, Jo, I have a couple questions to ask." She waited. "Were you... kept in a cabin at all?" Her dark eyes shifted towards Zane, who ducked his head. A moment of tension filled the air, before she nodded. "Where?" The girl took a deep breath.
"In the woods, near a lake. The cabin was big- he said that... that a family used to own it. Dono-something." Zane's head snapped up.
"Donovan?" He asked, stepping to the end of the bed. Both turned to him. Jo seemed to think before she nodded slowly.
"Yeah. Yeah, I... I think so." Carter could see the range of emotions flashing over his face as he connected the dots.
"Jo, where is this cabin? How much time did you spend there?" She shrugged.
"I don't know where, but... we only stayed in the winter and spring- never in the summer, because the family always stayed there." The sheriff turned to Zane. The younger man shrugged.
"My... family would stay at the cabin in the summer." He whispered. "Rest of the time, we were in Boston." Carter searched Zane's face; the younger man looked sick, as though he were holding himself responsible for holding this young girl hostage. The sheriff made a mental note to take Zane aside and have a firm chat with him; to tell him that this wasn't his fault. A moment passed, before Carter spoke, choosing his words carefully.
"Zane, where is your family's cabin?" With a quick lick of his lips, the young scientist replied,
"Fifty miles from Eureka, tucked back in the Oregon woods."
"Are you sure, Jack?" He turned his gaze quickly to Henry before returning to the map of Eureka and the surrounding area he'd pulled. Carter had taken Zane into Fargo's office and asked him to tell him everything he could remember about the cabin that his family owned in the Oregon forests. And when Zane couldn't remember something, they'd called his mom and gotten details from her. The two had worked everything out; Carter going back to Jo and gently asking her for more details in regards to the cabin her captor had kept her in.
"So, what have we got?" Henry asked, watching the younger scientist and the sheriff work. It was amazing how the two seemed to unite ove a single cause- Jo. Carter sighed, looking up at his best friend.
"It's Zane's family's cabin. The one that Jo was kept at. He kept her at the Donovan cabin in the woods in the spring and winter, and then moved her to this apartment in the summer, when Zane and his family would stay there." Carter said, returning his gaze to the map. "Maybe... maybe if we search the cabin, we can find something he left behind."
"I don't know, Carter. There was never anything missing or out of place whenever we'd stay there. It just looked... usual." Zane said, crossing his arms. Carter turned to him.
"Well the least we can do, is check it out. Come on." And without another word, he rushed from the office. Glancing at the others, Zane followed.
"Carter! Wait! Now?"
"Is there anything else about the cabin that you remember?" She looked up from the copy of Sunset Pass that she'd procurred from one of the nurses. Carter watched her close the book, and lay her head back, her dark eyes struggling to remain open. Zane nodded, hands on his hips.
"She likes... to read... Zane Grey." He muttered at Carter's confused look. The girl gave him a small smile.
"... bunch in... living room... of cabin..." She whispered, her words becoming slurred as the sedative they'd given her began to work. Zane glanced at Carter. He bit his lip.
"My... my mom's favorite author is Zane Grey. I... was named after the author." He whispered, glancing quickly from Carter to Jo and then down at his shoes. Jo gave him a small smile, struggling to stay awake.
"I knew there was literacy background in your name. A person... isn't given a... specific name without... some reasoning..." She took a deep breath. "At the end of the day faith is a funny thing.' Good night, Mr. Grey."
As the sedative began to work, and her eyes finally closed, Carter turned to Zane. "What did she-" The younger man shook his head.
"Maybe that she has faith in you?" The sheriff thought a moment.
"Or that she has faith in both of us." He replied, as they rushed from the infirmary.