Freeze Frame - Chapters 29 & 30

      

By B. David Warner

In a story that seems ripped from today’s headlines, a Mexican drug cartel is using devious means to elect their puppet candidate president of the United States. If elected, their candidate would re-open the Mexican-U.S. border to drug smuggling. Darcy James, creative supervisor for a major Detroit advertising agency is suspicious of a new account group at Adams & Benson. Summoned to the condo of one of her writer/producers who has discovered something suspicious on the DVD of one of her agency’s car commercials, she finds him badly beaten and the DVD gone. She called the EMS and has followed it to the hospital. Chapter 29 Saturday, Oct. 16 -- 12:10 a.m. I followed the ambulance to Henry Ford Hospital, five minutes from Rodriguez's condo. Rushing through the automatic glass doors, I found myself a few feet from the reception desk. The expression on the face of the chubby, middle-aged African American woman at the desk told me to stop there. "I'm looking for Emanuel Rodriguez. He was just brought here by ambulance." "Are you a relative?" The woman typed something on the computer in front of her. "No. A friend." "I have no record of an Emanuel Rodriguez. You say he just arrived?" "Minutes ago." "It’ll take time to process him," the woman said. "Have a seat in the waiting room." "You’ll call me?" "Check back in ten minutes." I walked into a small, brightly lit waiting room overflowing with people. I picked up a Newsweek and found an empty chair next to an older woman. Niles VanBuhler's picture peered at me from the cover. The story inside featured VanBuhler’s surprising success in the spring primaries. I tried to read, but my mind wandered. What had Manny found? Who had beaten Manny and stolen the disc? Were Bacalla or Roland involved somehow? "Pardon me." I looked up to see a tall black man in the uniform of a Detroit patrolman. "Are you the lady who found the man they just brought in?" the policeman asked. "The man who was assaulted?" "Yes. How is he?" "I wouldn't know, ma'am. But I need your name, address and telephone number so our detectives can reach you." "Why isn't someone here, now?" Rodriguez’s beating deserved more than the mechanical recording of names and phone numbers. "Busy night. A detective will call you tomorrow. Now may I have your name?" I gave the policeman the information, then decided to check on Manny. But the woman at the desk said his information still hadn't reached the computer. I found a bank of telephones in the small snack room and decided to tell someone from the agency what was happening. My first call, to Matt Carter, found his answering machine. Reluctantly, I called Sean Higgins. He answered on the sixth ring. "Sean? It's Darcy James." "Darcy? What’s up?" "It's Manny Rodriguez, Sean. He's in the hospital." "Hospital?" "He's been beaten. Badly. They just brought him to Henry Ford Emergency." "How is he?" "No word yet. I just thought...well, I thought someone from the agency ought to know." "I'll be there in twenty minutes." As I replaced the receiver, the woman at the reception desk motioned to me. "Still nothing on the computer," she said. "But I called upstairs. Mr. Rodriguez is in intensive care. His condition is 'critical'." "Can I see him?" "Sorry. Not unless you're a member of the immediate family." I thought fast. “His brother is on the way. He'll be here in twenty minutes." "You're his brother." I caught Higgins by surprise as he walked through the automatic doors. "He’s in intensive care." "His brother? Who's going to believe that?" "The receptionist seems pretty busy. I don’t think she’ll ask for identification." "What floor's he on?" "Four, but you need a pass." I led Higgins to the desk. "This is Manny Rodriguez’s brother." The woman looked at Higgins for a moment, as I held my breath. She finally opened a drawer, withdrew a numbered visitors’ badge and handed it to him. "ICU’s on four.” Higgins started for the elevators with me close behind. Chapter 30 I described the scene at Rodriguez’s condo, and the trip to the hospital. As we reached the elevator, the doors on our left parted, and I followed Higgins inside. "Where do you think you're going?" "With you," I said. "Until someone stops me." The doors closed and a moment later opened on the fourth floor, the hallway vacant. The numbers and arrows on the wall across from the elevator told us to go right for the Adult Intensive Care Unit. "I still don't think this is a good idea...I mean your being here," Higgins whispered. "The place is deserted. Who's going to see me?" The answer came two seconds later. "Your passes, please." We found ourselves confronted by a woman as tall as Higgins, and nearly his weight. Standing hands on hips, she reminded me of a WAC drill sergeant. "You need a pass to be on this floor," the woman said, walking closer. Her tag read "Dahner, Head Nurse, Intensive Care." "We’re here to see Manny Rodriguez." Higgins held out the plastic pass. Dahner examined it briefly, returned it and looked at me. "Where's yours?" "I...I don't have a pass," I said. "I'm the one who found Mr. Rodriguez." "Sorry. No pass, no visit. You'll have to leave." "Can you at least tell me how he is?" "The doctor just left. He's alive. Vital signs are stable. That's all I can tell you." Not exactly Florence Nightingale. She turned to Higgins. "You can have ten minutes." "Is he conscious?" "No." The way Nurse Dahner said it, it sounded like it would be a long while, if ever, before Manny regained consciousness. Next month: Freeze Frame continues as Darcy and Sean continue their investigation into the mysterious DVD, delving further into the plot to corrupt the upcoming presidential election. Be sure to check out Dave’s web site: www.bdavidwarner.com