Page 40 of Shadow of Death
On the other end of the line, Andy laughed.
“Yeah. That’s Odin.”
“He’s here—I’m off to find the doctor.”
“Excellent. One of Crandon’s men headed after the ambulance with Brian’s mom, and he’ll stay there until a second shift arrives. I just want you to talk to whoever is treating her, find out just how serious her condition is.”
“Got it. I’m on my way. Sherman tank is approaching me!” she told him.
Andy laughed and ended the call. Amy quickly stepped toward Odin and offered him her hand.
“Amy Larson?” the man asked.
She smiled and nodded. “Odin.”
In turn, he smiled and nodded. Then his expression grew grim. “Don’t worry. I’ll see to it that no one unauthorized comes anywhere near her. This case...” He broke off, shaking his head. “People who are so brainwashed—who think they have the right to judge others—anyway, sorry! I will seriously be guarding this young woman with my life.”
Amy smiled. “I get you!” she assured him. “Thank you.”
She hurried to the nurse’s station and discovered Peggy Johnston was just being transferred from the ER up to a room. Dr. Barton was still with her.
Amy hurried to the appropriate room, then waited by the door for a minute. The doctor was giving instructions to the nurse. She turned and saw Amy and gave her a grim smile. Excusing herself to the nurse, she walked out to speak with Amy.
“I thought she was going to need surgery, but it was a through and through. No vital organs damaged. The bullet didn’t even damage her bones, though she’ll be wearing a cast for a while. But barring the unexpected serious infection, she will be fine.”
“Thank you,” Amy said. “Is she sedated?”
Dr. Barton shook her head. “You may have ten minutes if you wish.”
Amy hadn’t expected to be able to speak with the woman, but she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity. She thanked Dr. Barton and approached the bed.
She wondered what she would find—defiance? The desperate determination the cult on the cliff had been right in wanting to punish the wicked—and thus save their immortal souls?
But the woman’s face was damp with tears as Amy approached the bed. She looked at Amy with wide eyes, unsure of who she was, and yet in such a state it might not have mattered.
“He—he—was going to shoot Brian! My son, my innocent son,” she said incredulously. “And that man...on the cliff. He stopped him. I don’t—I can’t—how can it be truthful we need to drink the blood of sinners to save their lives—but then turn around and try to take the life of an innocent child? Brian is...a kid. Not sinless. But that’s ridiculous, really. None of us is...sinless. But we didn’t all dance mostly naked to seduce others, we didn’t lie or cheat, and we weren’t supposed to be witnessing a murder. We were supposed to be saving souls because... Well, I mean, I believe it is coming, the Apocalypse is coming. I mean...the pandemic, people so hateful... It’s easy to see the end must be near, but now I don’t even know about that! Brother Martin was going to shoot Brian—he did shoot me!”
The woman was in her late twenties or early thirties with long brown hair now a tangle beneath her head. She wore no makeup but had a well-proportioned face and enormous dark eyes, glistening with tears now as she looked at Amy—frowning suddenly as if determining who she might be.
“It’s all right,” Amy said quietly, setting a hand gently on the woman’s lower arm. “My name is Amy Larson. I’m working with the FBI. And I want to first assure you, your son, Brian, is fine.”
“And Bret? My husband?” she asked.
“He’s fine.” Amy hesitated. “Mrs. Johnston, I’m sorry to say this because I don’t think you believe what you were doing was horrendously wrong, but your husband is under arrest as you will be when you leave the hospital.”
“Under arrest?” she repeated blankly. “But—”
“Accessory to attempted murder,” Amy said quietly.
“I thought we were saving her soul!” Peggy whispered. “But they were going to shoot Brian! He is good, and how do you shoot someone good? I mean, I understood many authorities may not have read the Bible. They might not have understood... Oh, God.” She started to sob softly. “That the innocent would always be spared was a lie, so all the rest was a lie. We were going to watch Mateus kill that woman, and we were going to drink her blood, but if the one thing was a horrible lie, then...”
“We will get it all sorted out,” Amy said. “But don’t worry about Brian—”
“Call my sister. Please, call my sister, Violet. She loves Brian and he loves her. And I think she hates me now, but she won’t hate Brian because...”
Peggy Johnston broke off and stared at Amy as if she’d suddenly been hit in the face with bucket of ice water.
“Because I was an idiot!” she said firmly. “Tell Violet...please, please, tell her how sorry I am! Beg that she watch over Brian. Whatever comes my way, I might deserve. But...” She paused again, closed her eyes, and sighed. “They told us we needed to bring Brian. They said he needed to learn now, because the end was coming quickly, and he had to know we were all responsible for others. We were our brothers’ keepers. He didn’t have much time to become a strong soul, because the end was near, and we had to be ready to rise to the greatness of Heaven. The fourth horseman would ride, and when he did, we all needed to be prepared. I think... I think it was just that the last few years... Well, it was easy to believe the end was coming with so much violence and hatred all around us!” She suddenly clutched Amy’s arm. “You will call Violet, please?”
