Waiting to Heal Read online

  Megan paused and took a sip of coffee before she continued.

  "I asked her if she knew what he was doing out on that dilapidated fire escape as it wasn't safe for anything or anybody and should only be used in an emergency. She said it wasn't even safe for that as it didn't even lead to the pavement below, it ended down one landing, still about four stories off that alleyway's paved surface."

  Megan shook her head as she thought about her comments. "Mrs. Logan said that they heard a noise from that area and he went out to check. The responding investigators didn't believe her and simply wrote his fall to his death off as a suicide. Then when the insurance company sent their investigator in here they just followed suit and also wrote it off as a suicide and that gave them an out so they turned down her insurance claim. It made a lot of sense for the company but not for the policy holder."

  Megan slowly rose and stood for a moment before making minor changes in the way she had been sitting then lowered herself back into the chair. JJ could almost feel the pain she was experiencing as she relayed the part of the occurrence she could remember.

  "I decided I would at least take a look at the fire escape and see for myself where the incident took place. That fifth floor's emergency exit to that outside stairwell was from the hallway just a few steps from the Logan's apartment door and this was the expected route for all on that floor, that is if the inside stairwell was compromised and unusable. The Logan's also had the luxury of a cumbersome access to that fire escape landing through the bedroom window, if it became absolutely necessary. Mrs. Logan also told me the stairwell could take you to the fourth floor, if there was no other way out and just getting off this floor was critical."

  Megan paused and raised her head and looked at her partner, "this is where it gets a little flakey and mixed up, at least in my memory. I went out in the hall and looked at the emergency exit door. I noticed it wasn't alarmed but I assumed there was no access door handles that would allow entry from the outside so I wouldn't go out there unless I blocked the exit door open. I took a small chair from Mrs. Logan's dinette set and once I had the door open I blocked it from closing with that chair. I went back and told Mrs. Logan that I would be returning shortly then went out through the exit door onto the metal landing of the fire escape."

  "I looked at the blank wall to my left wondering what was up there on the roof above me only about 10 feet up. I turned and looked down the fire escape and saw the landing one floor below and I saw that the fire escape did end there. Something banged behind me but before I could turn around I was hit in the back and sent head first down the metal steps of that fire escape."

  Megan rose from her chair and slowly paced back and forth in front of the desk as she continued, "The next thing I remember is looking down at the dark alleyway several floors down. My feet were swinging back and forth below me and I seemed to be bent in the middle and hanging from something. I heard a very loud scream in an extremely high voice, kind of like a scream from Alvin and the chipmunks. The next thing I notice was someone looking out the window not more than ten feet from me and level with whatever I was hanging on. It was a lady, a cartoon lady, with huge eyes saying over and over, OMG, OMG as her eyes seem to bug out from her head like in one of those cell phone photo shopped Snap Chat videos."

  Megan slowly returned to her chair and sat back down again, " That little lady was so animated that it was hard to believe she was real. I actually thought I might be dreaming. It reminded me of those dreams I had when I was in middle school, about that animated black pencil, you know the Onyx Quill case. Everything was simply a cartoon but it reeked so of realism that it frightened me."

  "Yes, I remember that case we had just become partners and I helped you try to solve that mystery. This however is real and almost deadly. You must have been out of it after that fall down those bruising stairs and the injuries you sustained must have caused you to imagine those things," JJ said.

  "That isn't the half of it, I saw the red and blue lights coming and turning into the alley but the car was also a cartoon car. It kind of bubbled to a stop and two cartoon cops jumped out and started running circles around that little vehicle jumping up and down, throwing their hands up in the air and saying, in a cartoon voice, what will we do, what will we do? They would occasionally stop and point up at me and then grab both sides of their faces then run around the car as before. They made me think of those Keystone Cop skits during silent movie days."

  "How long did this go on, these cartoon vision I mean?" JJ asked.

  "A long time. I just hung there slowly swaying back and forth watching the action below. It wasn't long before the ladder truck bent to come down the alley. It actually bent and curved around the edge of the building and yes it too was a cartoon truck with cartoon fireman. They sent that ladder out and swung it around like a scene from a 1963 movie "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." firemen were hanging on and swinging out like crazy."

  "Weren't you frightened with those visions?" JJ was animated when he asked this question.

  "Actually no, I was laughing at the antics, anyone would have, besides, those little animated firemen came up finally and carried me down that ladder to the top of the fire truck then down onto the ground. I looked at the ambulance, with its red, white and yellow lights flashing, and suddenly everything changed and looked real and this is where I must have passed out. I don't remember anything after that until I woke up in the hospital."

  "Were you in a lot of pain while you hung there?"

  "Not that I can remember, at that time I wasn't feeling anything as far as I know."

  Chapter Three

  A Life Saver Pack

  "JJ, can you tell me something?"

  "If I know it I will be glad to tell you."

  "Why didn't I fall to the pavement below when I was pushed down that fire escape? Why didn't I end up like Mr. Logan?"

  Megan's close call was beginning to really hit home and JJ watched a tear slowly trickle down Megan's face. JJ reached out and took both of Megan's hands in his and tried to reassure her that she was safe. He then told her what he had learned from the police and firemen that had rescued her.

  "It was a little something you had done two days earlier that saved your life."

  "Something I did, what did I do," Megan asked.

  "You know how you loved to wear those tight fitting pants, the ones you liked so much," Megan started to say something but JJ waved her off and continued, "I know, I know, they look good on you but they are inconvenient as they do not have any pockets and your refusal to carry a purse was a hassle. You were always going places with your wallet and keys in your hands and you were tired of doing that. Long story short, two days before your plummet down those stairs you purchased a Fanny Pack and started wearing it everywhere."

  "Buying a fanny pack saved my life, no, no, I'm not confused, but you're going to have to fill in the blanks," Megan said as she shook her head. She did this slowly trying to avoid causing any pain.

  "You made sure that fanny pack would stand up to rough treatment and stay secure no matter the circumstances and that's what did it. That fanny pack belt caught on a piece of the broken railing, the railing that should have but no longer surrounded that fire escape landing. That belt caught and held you in that dangling position until those cartoon firemen rescued you and carried you down to the pavement and the waiting ambulance."

  "My new fanny pack saved my fanny, hilarious, simply hilarious. Well, from now on, I am wearing that puppy until the cows come home, literally, I'm not going to be caught dead without it. Ha ha, ok, maybe that isn't the best comment under these circumstances."

  "Man, you are one funny lady. You shouldn't forget that this thing is unbelievably serious, your life was on the line," JJ said as he slowly shook his head in disbelief at Megan's lite treatment of this crime and her off the cuff comments.

  "Did you take a look at the scene of the crime, did you go out on that fire escape?"

  "Of course, there is
no way I could stay away from that, you're my partner and my best friend, I have to get to the bottom of this attack on you."

  "Anything jump out at you?"

  "Not really, I found that the only unhampered access to the fire escape is through that hallway and fire escape door outside of the Logan's apartment. I took a good look at the fire escape and the surrounding area. I notice some minor abrasion in the stucco wall in back of the fire escape's railing. That stucco wall is about ten or so feet above the landing and leads up to the roof of the building. I want to find a way to get up on that roof and take a look around to see if there is anything up there that could have some connection with that attack on you."

  "Take someone with you if you go up there, I think someone is very serious about that area, promise me you won't take any chances. One of us recovering is enough and I need you out there and I need you with full mobility," Megan just had to add.

  "Don't you worry, I value my body too much to take foolish chances," JJ hugged Megan and then continued, "you take care of yourself cause I want you back out there helping me with this and the other cases that are lingering in the wing. I am headed back to the city and I will find someone to go with me to check out that roof ASAP and I will let you know the results."

  "Thanks JJ, I will take care."

  Chapter Four

  The Ladder of Success

  JJ called Jim Blackstone, one of Megan's friends, and asked him if he would help with a little investigation into the reason for the attack on Megan. Jim was eager to help and couldn't wait to be of some assistance in bringing in those responsible and making them pay for their violence. JJ rented an extending ladder and met Jim in front of the Login's apartment building. The ladder barely fit in the old elevator, which had evidently been repaired, and JJ had to manipulate the ladder around leaning it across from corner to corner from front to rear so the doors would close.

  They propped the fire escape door open and guided the ladder through. Finding a reliable position and secure footing on the landing of the old fire escape was somewhat exasperating and several short climbing attempts were made before JJ was satisfied and felt comfortable with the stability of the ladder.

  "I'm going up now so I want you to hold the ladder and monitor my progress," JJ told Jim.

  "No sweat I will be right here hanging on." Jim replied.

  As JJ climbed he noticed that the scarred marks on the stucco wall, behind the ladder, looked like a shadow of the ladder he was climbing. As a matter of fact the shadow of the rungs of his ladder fell into the scar marks on the wall as if there had been a ladder there before. JJ looked for any holes in the stucco that might have been used to adhere some type of climbing apparatus previously located on that wall. Unfortunately he found nothing except the scars on the blank wall he was scaling.

  "JJ, go slow, you have no idea what to expect when you get to the top of that wall," Jim said as he pointed at the top of the wall, "there may be danger up there."

  "10-4, I will, I don't like surprises when it comes to murder or attempted murder."

  JJ reached the point where he could now reach up and grab the top of the wall. He slowly raised up and peeked over the top of the wall. He took his time and did a 180 thereby taking in the whole roof. It seemed that nothing was amiss and nothing stood out as a possible hiding place that might provide any type of concealment.

  "I'm going over onto the roof, you might want to follow me."

  "On my way as soon as you're clear," Jim said as he started his climb up the ladder.

  Jim caught up with JJ and he too stepped onto the roof. JJ was just standing there taking his time with a detailed look around. Not much to see but some air handlers and old TV antennas and some satellite dishes. All the dishes were pointing in the same direction with the same attitude so they would pick up the signal from the stationary orbiting telecommunicating satellite equipment several miles away in close orbit to the earth.

  "Anything jump out at you?" Jim asked.

  "Not sure, plenty of open space up here but it seems there is very few points of access," JJ said and then pointed across the flat surface then continued, "I'm going to look for any actual preplanned roof accesses as I'm sure our use of the ladder was not in the original blue prints."

  "Sounds like a plan, I'll look on this left side if you want to go to the right?"

  JJ simply nodded his head as he was deep in thought when he turned to his right and started his search.

  JJ took his time as he examined the right side of the roof. There were some indentations in the flat roofing material that left the impression that something had sat there for some time.

  “Hey Jim, you see anything unusual?

  “Nothing really stands out. There are some marks here that looks like something was dragged across the roof,” Jim said as he pointed at the scar marks. “There are also some dents like the legs of a table had been in place with something heavy on it.”

  “I’m seeing the same things on this side,” JJ said as he squatted down and looked across the roof to where Jim was standing., “looks like there was a long row of tables placed here. Little indentations run all the way across and reach from me to you. I could see two rows of small random dents when I squatted down.”

  “Ok, I see them too,” Jim said as he squatted down and looked across at JJ.

  “I believe something has been removed recently as some of the dents have started to heal from environmental exposure, you know, like heat would do to this tar like substance,” JJ said as he pointed at a couple of the indentations.

  Jim nodded his head in agreement as they both headed back toward the ladder they had used to access the roof.

  “Hey, what is this?” Jim said as he pointed at two small pieces of rope that were each knotted around a metal bar attached to the inside of the roof wall they had climbed over.

  They both examined the rope and saw that the rope pieces lined up with worn groves in the wall as if the two pieces of rope had at one time been longer and ran over that wall parallel to each other.

  “What do you think?” Jim asked as he looked at JJ.

  JJ looked over the wall at the scar marks on the wall behind the ladder and said, “Rope ladder is my guess. A rope ladder with wooden steps that hung from this bar down over the edge of the wall causing those two groves and the scars in the wall that shadows our ladder’s rungs.”

  “I agree, that would be my assumption,” Jim added.

  “Access for individuals maybe, but not for any sizable equipment or tables.”

  “Again, I agree, there must be another access point of some sort,” Jim replied.

  “Robert B Parker’s Jesse Stone said, if you don’t like your answers, check your premises.”

  “Did he mean literally?”

  “Not sure but, I’m going to make a trip around the perimeter of the roof and see if I can find another access point,” JJ said as he started his second search.

  Jim started his search in the opposite direction. They walked the interior of the roof foot by foot. They found an access hatch for maintenance behind one of the air handlers but it too was to small of an access for equipment of any size, it was only a manhole of sorts. Looking at the edges of the building they found some minor scarring on the back side. Looking down from the roof the back of the building was a blank brick wall with no windows and the wall ended in an alley with a paved access road that came in from the nearby street.

  “Seems simple enough to move equipment up or down from this point and hey look, this frame work swivels and one beam extends out beyond the edge of the roof. I thought this was some necessary roof structure, didn’t realize it swiveled, it looked fixed in place,” JJ said as he had held onto the frame work to look over the edge of the building realizing then that it moved.

  “Attach a small electric hoist to that beam here and you got everything you need to move equipment,” Jim said as he checked out the small holes in the end of the beam that JJ had moved back from the edge towa
rd him.

  “I agree but I don’t see a source of power that would allow the operation of an electric hoist. Hey, maybe they used a simple block and tackle hoist, you know, manpowered,” JJ said as he swung the beam from Jim’s hands and he took a closer look as he again checked out the end of the frame work where the holes were drilled.

  “Extension cords, portable generator or manpowered hoist, it doesn’t matter we agree that it would be a piece of cake to move some heavy or awkward equipment off the roof,” Jim supplied as he patted the edge of the roof where the evidence of some recent activity was present.

  “I’m heading back down our ladder and have another talk with Mrs. Logan and see if she had heard any unexplained activity, either in the hallway, out on the fire escape or from the roof top, anything since Megan’s fall,” JJ said as he headed back across the roof.

  “Ok, you go that way. I’m going to check out that other access and see just where it leads,” Jim said as he pointed at the manhole hatch over on the other side of the roof. “I’ll meet you at Mrs. Logan’s apartment in a little while.”

  Down on the landing below the ladder JJ looked back up and started to remove the ladder. He paused then let the ladder lean back against the wall. “Better leave it here in case that other access doesn’t lead anywhere,” he thought and voiced out loud. “We can always come back out and get it.”

  Chapter Five

  Hug a Blazing Nightmare

  Megan brushed the forefront of the horse and softly sang as she worked. The horse she brushed had its name engraved in the bridle she wore. Blazing Nightmare was tall, beautiful and fast as the wind. Her individual track record was close to the all time track record. Megan wasn't sure why she was called Nightmare. She planned to talk to Paul and find out why this gorgeous specimen was given that moniker as it would seem to leave a negative connotation. "There is no reason anyone should call you a nightmare as you are so gentle and seem to love attention, I would call you Blazing Beauty if I had an input," Megan said as she rubbed the horses face.