Part 21- It's Alright by Fractures
"We're going live now with Jorga Miles on the scene, Jorga."
"Thanks Pam. I'm here in front of Bones' Body Shop located on Knox Abbott and 12th. What you are seeing here behind me is the gruesome crime scene of what police believe was a gang fight. Several gunshots were heard coming from this building late last night, and 911 calls were answered just shortly after 1 o'clock this morning. Bones Darley, the business owner, was found severely injured by a gunshot wound to his chest, and a body was also found in front of the shop with a gunshot sustained to the head, but the fight didn't stop here. We've gotten word that six bodies have been found in the charred ruins of Marywell Mental Hospital which has been abandoned for well over a decade. The start of the fire is believed to be that of various accelerants located inside of the hospital in what authorities say is a meth lab. Some of the bodies found inside the ashes were not so severely burned that they were unrecognizable and there are telltale signs of possible multiple murders as well as arson. We are currently unsure on what the connection is between Mr. Bones Darley and the men found inside of the hospital, but we do know that he had large supply of illegal guns and drugs as well as money that is thought to be the profit from selling these items. Mr. Darley is currently recovering in Providence Hospital. This is Jorga Miles coming to you live with WIS News."
From the lobby across the hallway, the voice of the reporter had drawn Detective Wallis' attention to the TV screen. As she listened to the midday report, she turned back to the window of the hospital room where Annette Stone lay with Mona by her side. She held the sleeping woman's hand, her own eyes closed and wet with tears. She hadn't said a word when she walked back in, bloody and beaten. Any attempts to stop her from getting past hospital security had been futile as Mona found her way hastily to the room that her father occupied. When she moved to see her mother, Detective Wallis had grabbed her gently yet firmly by her elbows, stopping her.
"You're gonna have to tell me what happen some time," she had told her. Mona gave no response back and Detective Wallis hesitantly granted her entrance to the gloomy room that held her mother.
Now watching the two, she wasn't sure about what to do with the girl. She knew that Mona was the one responsible for what had happened, but the knowledge rested solely on her shoulders. She never believed in going against the law. Hell, being the law was her job, but at the scene before her eyes she just couldn't bring herself to be angry at what Mona had done. In fact, she felt herself being completely sympathetic to her.
"What're you gonna do detective?" turning away from the two women, she faced the young officer who had questioned her.
"Get a doctor to admit her to the hospital, have her in bed and healing as soon as possible. No one does anything with her until I give an order," she replied.
"Got it, detective," the officer turned away and headed for the nurse's station.
She turned back to the door, looking inside through the small window again. Resting her head now beside the woman's shoulder, Mona looked as if she had fallen deeply asleep; her face stained with dried blood and tear streaks. A cloud then shifted in the sky and the sun shone brightly into the room which enlivened the heavy atmosphere. It was such a moving moment that Detective Wallis felt herself become tender, and she made her final decision to let Mona go. She decided to drop the case completely as well.
She turned away, intent on giving her new orders to the officers on the floor when something caught her eye. Quickly, she whipped back to the window and searched Mona's face. She was still in the same position, breathing shallowly. Furrowing her eyes, Detective Wallis walked away from the door and towards the nurse's station.
How odd, she thought to herself, for an instant, I thought saw her smile.
"Pam Teller here on WIS News 10 with the developing story. Police have now confirmed the possibility of another victim being caught in the open fire of what they think was a gang fight. Suspicious amounts of blood were found at the scene of Bones' Body Shop, but a third body has not yet been recovered. Confused, police are uncertain if it could be the blood of Bones' eldest son, Billy Darley, or of the ones responsible for this crime. We do know that Bones Darley's son, Joe Darley, was recently murdered, but we do not know by whom. Speculation leads back to the possibility of a gang fight as his two sons were affiliated with a gang of their own. The current whereabouts of the aforementioned Billy Darley are unknown, but the police are investigating his disappearance and his involvement in last night's events."