Cheryl Tardif - Submerged

In a blink, the lights went out.

Marcus parked close to the emergency entrance of the hospital. He noted the two patrol cars nearby. Both were empty.

That’s a good sign. They must be inside.

He strode through the doors and made his way to the intake desk.

“Fill out this form and take a seat in the waiting room,” the receptionist said without looking up.

“I’m not a patient,” he said. “An ambulance brought in a mother and her two kids. I need to know where they were taken.”

The woman scrunched her face and peered over wire-rimmed glasses. “And you are?”

“Marcus Taylor. The guy that pulled them out of the river.”

“One moment, please.” The woman picked up the phone, dialed, said something into the receiver, then hung up. “The boy and girl are on the third floor, room 312.”

“And their mother?”

“She’s in surgery. Collapsed lung.”

“Damn it.”

“Mr. Taylor, the police are with the children. They want to talk to you.”

“Detective John Zur?”

The receptionist nodded. “And another officer.”

Marcus sprinted to the main elevators. He stabbed the button, watched the numbers slowly tick down from 4 to 3 . It stopped at 2 . With a frustrated groan, he spun on one heel and headed for the stairs. He took them two at a time.

On the third floor, he followed the signs to room 312.

A police officer stood guard outside the room. Another good sign.

Marcus flashed his ID at the man. “Marcus Taylor. I work at the 911 center in Edson. I found the mother and kids.”

The officer nodded and opened the door. “They’re waiting for you.”

The first thing Marcus saw was two kids propped up against starched white pillows in the beds. Both were grinning, their faces flushed and healthy.

When Colton saw him, the boy’s face lit up like it was Christmas. “It’s Marcus!” he said to his sister.

Marcus moved toward the beds. “Hey, you two. Enjoying the hospital food, I see.”

“The nurse gave us green Jell-O,” little Ella said.

Even though he’d only seen her briefly in the ambulance and had spent a small amount of time with Rebecca, he could tell Ella was the spitting image of her mother—all blonde hair, blue eyes and pretty face.

John Zur was seated in a chair next to Colton’s bed. “They’re both doing fine, Marcus. They’ve polished off a plate of chicken and fries.” He let out a short grunt. “And they’ve been talking my ears off about some superhero dude who saved them. Don’t suppose you know anything about that, do you?”

Marcus grimaced. “I didn’t see anyone in tights and a cape.”

“We meant you ,” Colton said, laughing.

“Yeah, thanks, buddy.” Marcus ruffled the boy’s hair. It was dry this time. “Listen, I have to talk to Detective Zur. We’ll be right outside in the hall.”

After he closed the door, Marcus nodded at the guard, then turned to Zur. “We have a problem, John.”

“You mean the driver?”

“Exactly. It’s unlikely this was a random hit and run. On the way here I realized that whoever wants Rebecca dead isn’t going to be happy when he discovers he failed.”

“And he’ll most likely try again,” Zur said with a nod. “I thought the same thing. We’ll keep a guard on her room once she’s out of surgery.”

“Hear anything about that?”

“They said it’ll be a few hours. Meanwhile, I’ve been questioning the kids. The daughter doesn’t remember much.”

“She had an asthma attack and was unconscious for the whole ordeal.” Marcus shook his head. “Probably a good thing. Did Colton recall anything?”

“Nothing other than those flying pigs.” Zur let out a chuckle. “Angelo’s Pork Farm?”

“Angelo Pucelli. Guess he thought he was an angel—hence, the logo. Moved to Calgary about seven years ago, after his wife was diagnosed with leukemia.”

“The place has been closed since then?”

“Yeah.” He stared Zur in the eye. “Jane and I used to go there.”

“Weird coincidence.”

Marcus thought of Jane’s ghost in the back seat of his car. “You don’t know the half of it.”

“Why, what’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you later maybe. It doesn’t really relate to this case.” He leaned against the wall and peered down the hallway, looking for anyone who seemed suspicious. “You think he’ll be stupid enough to come here?”

“Maybe. Rebecca’s going to be here for a few days, recovering.”

“What about the kids? And their father?”

“We contacted the RCMP in Fort McMurray, where her husband allegedly went to find a job. They’re looking for him.”

“You think it’s the ex?”

“Usually is. But he’s a sick bastard if he’s willing to kill his kids too.”

“Rebecca said that was a last-minute decision. Her sister was supposed to look after them so she could go away on her own. That’s what she told the ex.”

“So he thought she was alone?”

“Yeah, but the sister bailed, and Rebecca took Colton and Ella with her. Very last-minute. Wesley Kingston didn’t know.”

“He’s looking more and more like our number-one suspect.”

“You going to arrest him?”

“There’s not enough evidence against him. We will bring him in for questioning though.” Zur’s cell phone buzzed. “Yeah… okay… tonight? No problem… thanks.”

After Zur hung up, Marcus said, “They find Wesley Kingston?”

“Yeah. Exactly where he said he’d be. He was in interviews earlier, then went to a bar. Left his phone at the hotel. He’s driving back. He’ll be here in about eight hours.”

“I’d like to be there when you interview him.”

“Marcus…”

“Please, John. I want to hear what he has to say. You do all the asking. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

Zur grunted. “Is that even possible?”

“Ha ha.”

An attractive doctor in her forties approached. “Are you Mr. Kingston?

Marcus shook his head. “He’s about eight hours away.”

The doctor paused with one hand on the door. “Are you a detective?”

“Superhero.”

“He’s the guy that rescued them,” Zur said. “The kids are calling him a superhero, and now he thinks he can fly.”

The doctor smiled. “They’ve got drugs for that.”

Marcus gave Zur an exaggerated grimace, but said nothing. The woman didn’t know he was a recovering addict.

“Any word on the mom?” Zur asked the doctor.

“Last thing I heard, all was going well. The surgery could take two to six hours.” She cracked open the door, then looked over her shoulder. “We’re moving the patient in the room next door. We’ll put the mom there so she can be close to her kids.”

Zur gave a nod. “We’ll have guards on both doors.”

“Thank you,” Marcus added.

She went into the room and the door swung shut. Marcus stared at it and chewed his bottom lip.

“Dr. Burns has already been checked out,” Zur said. “As have the day nurse, the night nurse and Dr. Monroe, the surgeon operating on Mrs. Kingston.”

“I figured as much.”

“Then why do you look so worried?”

“Some guy’s got it in for Rebecca and her kids. And she’s in surgery fighting for her life yet again. Why shouldn’t I be worried?”

“She’ll be fine, Marcus.”

“I sure hope so.”

“Make sure this guy gets in to see Rebecca Kingston once she’s out of surgery,” Zur said to the guard. “Access to both rooms, anytime.” He smiled at Marcus. “Now go visit the kids.”