Waiting to Heal Read online




  M&M Investigations

  Waiting to Heal

  by

  Phillip N. Hancock, Sr.

  The following book is totally fictitious and any resemblance to actual places, characters or events is a product of the writer's imagination.

  Text copyright @ 12/11/2017 Phillip N. Hancock, Sr.

  ISBN: 9781370739042

  Smashwords Edition License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your enjoyment. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please pick up an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not get it on line, or it was not picked up for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and pickup your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Note: All cover artwork is a combination of free photo art combined with the authors use of computer programs and no copyrights were violated.

  Cover photo was taken by Patricia Hancock

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Prologue

  Book Characters

  Before you go

  Other Books by this Author

  Prologue

  Her lawyer friend had called her and asked if she had time and would take on a case for one of his clients. Agreeing and accepting, to at least see his client, she set out. If things panned out, as he had presented, this would actually be M&M Investigation’s second murder case. She was 5 ft. 10 in., an old 33 1/2 in human years and she had matured a lot during and since she closed that first murder case. That case, she had so eloquently solved, was a little over a year ago so she thought she was ready for a new one. Those two clients, husband and wife, had become her very good friends. When you get your client released from jail by finding the true culprit of the crime, you almost can’t help but make friends. She hoped she could also help this new client by some means and, just maybe, gain a new friend.

  The address wasn’t far so the young PI (Private Investigator) decided she would check it out by herself. She drove the short distance and parked in front of the five story brick structure. Walking up she noticed there was no lock on the front door of the rundown apartment building. Once inside she saw the sign over the call button on the ancient elevator and it was easy to understand. A big red “NO” with the word stairs and an arrow below it pointing toward the worn staircase.

  Five flights and a little breathless later she knocked on the apartment door of # 503. A small mature fine looking lady invited her in after they both introduced themselves. They sat for a short time while, the mature lady filled her in on what had happened and why she felt she needed a Private Investigator.

  “I hope you won’t consider me too insensitive if I ask you some questions later to make sure I have the facts straight,” she asked the elderly lady.

  “Don’t worry, after dealing with the cops accusations and comments for the last couple weeks, I have become a veritable unemotional piece of granite,” The lady assured her.

  It seemed that the lady’s husband had taken a fatal fall from the fire escape outside their apartment window. After investigating the incident the police had come to the conclusion that he was not of sound mind and had taken his own life in order for his wife to profit from their life insurance policy. The life insurance company had then refused her claim due the suspected suicide conclusion reached by the police.

  After talking with the tentative client for a short time, the young investigator decided to take a look at the crime scene if, in fact, it was a crime scene. She propped open the hallway exit to the fire escape and went out onto the shaky landing. Looking down she could see the fire escape was very short. It only ran down to the fourth floor then with that landing it ended. She turned and looked back at the wall behind her that led to the roof above and said out loud, “I wonder what is up there?”

  She turned back to the fire escape leading to the lower floor and just before she took a step down something heavy landed on the landing behind her and slammed into her back causing her to go head first down those steal steps. Hitting her head first then with uncontrollable tumbling she was carried down the steps onto the fourth floor landing. Something she wore snagged on one of the broken rail’s metal post at that landing and prevented her from plunging those final four floors to the paved alley below. Semi-conscious she dangled from the fire escape landing and began to slowly swing back and fourth as if she was a pendulum on a clock.

  Chapter One

  Back at the Ranch

  The early morning sun cast a bright slash across the foot of the bed and the angle of that slash was at least a clue to where she was. Even though she moved very slow the pain was sufficient to cause a sudden quick intake of breath that only acerbated the soreness in her rib cage. "Jesus, that hurt," she said to the empty room.

  She looked at the ceiling and saw the faint outlines of the decorative stars that simulated a night sky. They had lost their luminance due to the brightness of the sun that had flooded the room with a disbursement of bright rays. The pale green wallpaper that decorated the room was another clue and putting all the clues together told her she was most likely in the second floor green room at the Haley's ranch and the pain told her she had been severely injured.

  Sitting up in bed was an ordeal but she did it, "I've got to move super slow or I will be on the floor crying with this pain," and now she had her feet lightly touching the floor as she had continued to move and push through the somewhat searing pain.

  "Oh, look, there is a spot right there, that little spot, that little, little, very small spot, it's the only place on my body that doesn't hurt," she said out loud as she pointed at a small area on her thigh that didn't hurt and wasn't black and blue bruised.

  "Crap, I must be a real good listener because I keep talking to myself."

  She looked out the 2nd story front windows and across the pastures that fronted the house. These open pastures ran down the quarter mile to the small shared lake road that allowed public access to these beautiful pastures and several others that bordered its route. In one of these pastures three mares and their recent folds grazed aimlessly through the lush grass that the spring rains had caused to flourish. Heads down they all moved independently as they munched on the plentiful green vegetation.

  She heard them before she saw them as the honking they made was loud and continues. The large flight of geese flew across the open pasture as if they were simply heading north for cooler temperatures during the coming summer months. One of the trailing birds in the flight peeled off the flock and turned back and descended flaring its wings and slowing down as it softly touched down in the pasture. As if on some unseen signal, the rest of the flock suddenly turned and also approached as she watched, their honking was even louder and noisier than before. They flared their wings and slowly settled into the pastures close to w
here the previous bird was waiting and near the grazing horses. Their arrival was seemingly ignored by all the horses who didn't raise a head at the geese's landing, all except one of the young colts who lifted his head momentarily as if acknowledging the geese's arrival. Megan sat and watched for a moment as the large birds spread out waddling around as they began pecking at the grass and the nutrient found there.

  Megan took her mind off the birds as she thought about her situation. She took a quick look in the mirror before she left the bedroom. The bandages on her head were sufficient to give her the look of someone wearing a turban. She wondered how much hair she had left under those bandages. The sleep ware she wore was adequate for entertaining so she didn't bother trying to change her clothes. She gently stepped into her house slippers and, taking it extremely slow, she made her way to the top of the narrow staircase. The thoughts of descending down those stairs seemed overwhelming and caused her to hesitate. This hesitation was swiftly aborted when the smell of bacon cooking accompanied by the smell of fresh brewed coffee hit her, like a well thrown pie, square in the face. These irresistible odors and the growling in her stomach told her she really needed both, food and coffee. The two together caused her to face the daunting task and suffer the pain as she navigated slowly down the stairwell.

  "Well, well, hello sleeping beauty, the prince must have come by and kissed you awake," Paul Haley said as he rose and turned to the sudden motion and quite appearance of Megan at the foot of the stairs. He hesitated going to assist her but did stand and watch with paternal concern as she continued to slowly come into the ranch's great room. It was clearly apparent she was trying to hide the pain that severely hindered and slowed her to an almost snail's pace.

  Sophia was in the kitchen busy at the stove and, due to her small statue, only her head was visible above the bar that separated the dining area from the small kitchen, "Pay no attention to his attempts at humor, it will just encourage him if you do." Sophia smiled at Megan and asked, "Are you okay? You are moving very slow, the pain tolerable or do you need something to ease it?"

  "It's bothersome but I can handle it, my stomach is growling and I am in bad need of some coffee if it's not too much trouble?" Megan replied as she took the offered hand of Paul and grasped the table with the other. Using the table as a guide and with Paul's assistance, she slowly lowered herself into one of the dining room chairs. A very small, but noticeable moan, escaped her lips as she settled to the wooden surface of the solid oak hard chair seat.

  "Should I get you a pillow? I know that chair is hard as they don't have any cushions and are designed for old hard assed farmers or ranchers," Paul said as he moved toward the front room.

  "It's ok, I'm ok, I am fine now that I am seated and I want to stay this way, too much pain involved to get up again right now," Megan replied as she gently waved him off.

  "Coffee fresh brewed and on its way now," Sophia said as she poured the hot dark liquid into a large John Deere decorative cup. The steaming cup in hand, Sophia made her way around the bar to the dinning table. "Keep your seat and I will take care of you, eggs, bacon and toast are on their way," Sophia said as she placed the steaming cup of coffee on the table near Megan then she proceeded back around the bar to continue Megan's breakfast preparation.

  Megan wrapped both hands around the cup and slowly raised it to her lips. The first sip was simply amazing and seemed to put a little life into her, restoring some of her resilience. Her mind raced at the feeling and she thought, "If coffee can do this much, what kind of restoration can I expect from the breakfast that Sophia is preparing?"

  Well, the restoration breakfast wasn't a total cure but it did go a long way at least in her mind. Feeling much better she slowly made her way back upstairs to get dressed. She wanted to somehow make her way out and meander into the pastures and visit with the horses.

  Paul and Sophia cautioned Megan on her condition and her planned too soon outing but she wouldn't be dissuaded from her quest. The nearest pasture seemed miles away as she slowly painfully step by step made her way to the gated entrance while their dog Onyx followed. Megan petted the dog as she walked remembering how small he was when she was up here before, he was just a pup.

  Resting at that gate lasted longer than she had planned but her pain made it so necessary. Onyx seemed to sense the struggles Megan was going through as he sat beside her softly leaning against her leg. Megan closed her eyes resting one of her hands on the dog’s head and holding onto the gate, with the other, for at least five minutes, simply waiting to get her discomfort under some control. The unexpected but gentle nudging by one of the horses, that had quietly approached, caused her eyes to fly open. She smiled and gently stroked the long face of that female thoroughbred. Her hesitation had now evaporated and she slowly unlatched and swung the gate open causing the large animal to move backward a few steps letting her and the dog through.

  Megan pushed the gate closed behind her as she approached the waiting horse. She again stroked the horse’s face and then moved in closer. She moved past the horse’s head and wrapped her arms around her neck as she pressed herself against her muscular body. She stood and simply held on for a long time as the horse made no attempt to move backward or forward. The recuperative value that petting and hugging a beautiful race horse has not actually been medically measured but the strength and comfort she felt flowing from that wonderful animal, now emanating through her complete being, was nothing but amazing.

  "Hey there," JJ said as he approached the pasture gate. "I knew it but I had to see it," JJ said as he petted and also said hello to Onyx.

  "Hey JJ, you had to see what?"

  "That you are outstanding in the field".

  "I'm pretty good but I'm not sure I'm outstanding," Megan said with a smile as she turned to face her Private Investigating partner, James Jacques or JJ as it were.

  "You look a lot better, it's good to see you up and about."

  "Thanks, I owe my speedy partial recovery to Sophia's breakfast and the strength and comfort I gain when I hug this big beautiful girl," Megan said as she patted the neck of the waiting race horse, and you too, she said to the dog, giving it welcomed attention as she petted him.

  "I believe it, Sophia's cooking and this beautiful ranch have the power to heal."

  "So JJ, what are you doing here, I didn't expect you up this week?"

  "Some progress on the case you were investigating has spirited me and raised some questions that you may be able to answer," JJ took Megan’s arm and assisted her through the pasture gate. Once she was clear he closed the gate then said, "Let's walk back to the house, I need to say hi to the Haley's then we can talk."

  As if she had some kind of second sense, Sophia had a breakfast ready for JJ and was placing it on the dining table when Megan and JJ entered from the back patio area. JJ gave Sophia a big hug as she ushered him toward the waiting breakfast. He paused long enough to shake hands with Paul on his way.

  "Wow, I didn't expect this but there is no way I'm going to refuse a country breakfast. You guys are just too much, it's no wonder Megan is back on her feet so soon, the powers of your ranch is simply impossible to explain."

  "It's really nice of you to say that but I'm sure it's Megan's own motivation that has speeded her recovery so far," Sophia added as she gently pushed JJ toward his chair adding a hot cup of coffee as he sat.

  Chapter Two

  Hanging in There

  JJ ate slowly as he caught up with the Haley's progress, here at the ranch. Paul had really come to life now that he, thanks to Megan and JJ, had been cleared of the murder of Roger Rankin. It had been Megan and JJ's first murder case and they had handled it with some aplomb. They had taken this closed case and, where the detectives had charged Paul Haley with the murder, they exposed the real culprit proving Paul was completely innocent of the charges brought against him."The horses look great and the new addition, wow, those babies are just gorgeous and so full of energy."

  “It's almost unbelie
vable that something so young can race around and jump the way they do," Paul Haley said. "I assume it is survival instinct that gives them that ability."

  "I'm pretty sure you are correct because what they are capable of is amazing," JJ rose from the table and gestured for Megan to follow, "I have some questions for Megan about her case and her injury if it's ok with you guys?"

  "No, it's ok, I know you are trying to find out what happened when she was injured," Paul said as Sophia nodded her head in agreement.

  JJ and Megan made their way slowly into Haley's ranch office and approached the chairs beside Paul's desk. "Can I get you some water, another cup of coffee or anything before we start?" JJ asked.

  "Yeah, maybe another cup of coffee would be great if Sophia still has some in the pot," Megan said as she slowly lowered her aching body into one of the office chairs.

  JJ soon returned with a half cup of hot coffee and placed it on the desk near Megan.

  "I'm not sure I'm ready for this, my memory of that night is so flakey I might not be of any help in sorting out the details."

  "Well, we can only gain what we can but we have to try."

  "I keep having this weird dream and it is mixed up with what actually happened to me making it difficult to separate the two."

  "Tell me about the dream ok, it might not mean anything but maybe I can help you separate the two, the real from the dream."

  "Let me take you through how I got to the dream part, you know the factual stuff first. Mrs. Shirley Logan and I had tea at her apartment around nine o'clock that evening. We had discussed her husband's mood the night he died. She assured me he was in high spirits and he had never even hinted at being depressed or considering harming himself in anyway."