Continued Story

Sam was concerned. Less than an hour ago, a noise woke him from his sleep, and armed only with an umbrella, he had checked to see if everything was okay. Wolf had uncovered a woman who was close to death, the police had responded to the 911 call, and the FBI turned up. Despite the fact that there might be somone lurking around outside, the FBI agent had hotfooted it to the hospital to try to talk to the injured woman, and the chief had followed him. No one had checked to see if anyone was still around and might be dangerous.

In the hospital, the FBI agent had upset the medical staff when he tried to speak to the woman. She had screamed as though her life was still at risk. The senior nurse rushed into the room and asked him to leave until the patient recovered.

The chief watched with bemusement, but said nothing.

The FBI agent sat stiffly, twiddling his thumbs.  He was in a huge hurry and wanted to hear what if anything, the woman knew.  Her screaming bothered him and he had no time for delays.

Sam was determined to learn what had happened to the woman.  Although it was officially out of his hands, he felt he had the right to know.  He always relied on his gut feelings and they were telling him that there was much more to be learned.  He felt the need to protect this woman that entered his life unexpectantly, disrupting his sleep and now his home.  Having strangers nosing around his property didn’t set well with him.  “Who was this woman”, he wondered.  He didn’t even know her name.  “Was she a neighbor coming to his house for help?”  “Who or what was she running away from?  Was it her husband or the FBI?” Was it a problem arising from something she did in the past?  Was she a foreign spy being investigated by the local FBI in conjunction with the CIA? Was the problem with her husband or live-in companion that was being investigated and they wanted to know what she knew? Why did the FBI  refer to her as a witness?” 

All these questions would have to wait. His main concern right now was the protection of his family. Anyone lurking around outside must be aware that there was a dog on the premises. Wolf had made enough noise to wake the whole neighbourhood. Still, he double checked that the doors were locked and the windows secure before he climbed the stairs to bed.

When Sam entered the bedroom, his wife was sound asleep. He doubted that he would find it so easy to drop off after all the commotion, but he was tired.

After a restless night, Sam was up early, but not as early as his wife. She was already fixing breakfast when he entered the kitchen.

His wife was a marvelous cook and today was making lemon pancakes. This was Sam's favorite food.
He was  thankful she was okay and still functional.

He looked at the pancakes and then at his wife.  She had a pleasant smile on her face and he was pleased that she was feeling good.  He would do his best to show his appreciation for the breakfast but not overdo it.  The fact that he didn’t like lemon pancakes would have to remain his secret.

How could he not like lemon pancakes?   It was what he always had on special occasions and 
took his wife literally hours to prepare.  On his birthday she fixed a double  portion.

Sam walked over to his wife and gave her a  hug.
"What's that for?" she asked.
"Does there need to be a reason?" Sam replied with a smile.
"I'm okay, if that's what you're thinking. I'm not worrying about last night."
"You'll leave that to me, right?"
"Heck no, you just let it go. Let the police deal with it."
"Or the FBI?"
"He was kinda cute ..."
"So you noticed, huh?"
His wife raised her eyebrows and laughed.
"Well, I'll be ... there I was thinking that you'd be upset with all that blood and hysteria and all ... but all you recall from last night is the guy from the FBI!"
"Just trying to take your mind away from messing in things that don't concern you. I know you ..."
Sam shrugged. His wife knew him only too well. He was already figuring out what he was going to do next.

“Sam felt relieved.  A bit of humor always seemed to help, but she was right as usual.  He was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and would seek answers. He couldn’t erase the look on the woman’s face or the scream she made upon seeing the FBI Agent.  His first action would be to check with the doctor about the condition of the woman.  Perhaps the wounds would provide some clue and even indicate what instrument was used to inflict those wounds.”

The doctor worked quickly on the woman.  He gave her morphine  for pain, covered her with heated blankets and  felt her abdomen.  
Miraculously,  she quit screaming  and relaxed.  She said, "HE tried to kill me."  Who was "He" they wondered?
A pair of eyes was seen briefly looking through th e window and the woman screeched when she saw therm. 
They drew the shade and carried on.  They let Wolf go outside so he could  sniff around.

As soon as his wife left the house for work, Sam called the hospital and asked to speak to the doctor who attended the injured woman. The nurse who answered the call, asked, "Are you related to the patient?"

Sam explained that he had found the woman lying in the snow outside his home, and he wanted to check her recovery.

"I'm sorry, sir, but if you are not a relative, I cannot help you," the nurse said.

"Could I please just speak to the doctor?" Sam asked again.

"No, sir, only relatives can enquire about patients."

Sam thanked the nurse and hung up. He wondered if he should just leave it. He had a busy day ahead, so for now, he would have to wait and maybe talk to the chief later.

In the meantime,  Wolf had found a culprit.  An old man who appeared to be homeless, was wandering about with a gigantic knife in hand .CREEPY!

Sam was pissed. He understood that hospital personnel were following procedures, but he was not about to be brushed off by procedures. He would find another way to talk with the doctor. The first thing he would do is contact the Chief for information. As far as he was concerned, the Chief was in charge and not the FBI, especially with his suspicion that the FBI was responsible for the injuries to the woman. The FBI had no jurisdiction without a warrant. They had come onto his property without a warrant. He had called the police, not the FBI. He called the police station and asked to speak with the Chief.
“Chief Murphy is not in at the moment, can I take a message”?
“Yes, tell him that Sam Sullivan called concerning the incident he was investigating at Delwood Lane in Dover. It’s important.”
“Is there anything I can do, Mr. Sullivan? I’m Deputy Snyder.”
“Have you identified the woman who was injured” asked Sam.
“We have made a preliminary ID, but it is not confirmed. Please understand that we cannot provide information about a case still under investigation.”
“I understand that. Can you give me the name of the attending physician, for Madam “X”?
“That I can do. His name is Dr. Sommers.”.
“Would you happen to have a first name and telephone number?”
“It is Dr. Clyde Sommers. I am not at liberty to give you his phone number.”
“That’s okay. I can look it up. I too can do some investigating.”
The deputy chuckled and asked: “Do you have any additional information you wish to report?”
“I don’t know if it’s important, but a derelict was seen carrying a knife. You may want to check it out.”
“Good. We have a few officers still in the vicinity. I’ll have them check it out. Anything else?”

“That’s it for now until I speak with Chief Murphy.”

That evening after a delicious pot roast prepared by his wife, Sam settled down in front of the television to watch the NFL match between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens. No sooner had he sat down than the doorbell rang. Sam heard his wife open the door and invite someone in. When he looked up, Chief Murphy was starring down at him. Sam's wife left the room to leave the two men to talk.

Chief Murphy did not look happy. He said, "Deputy Snyder tells me you phoned the hospital, and when you got no joy out of them, you wheedled the doctor's name out of my deputy. Hell Sam, it's bad enough with the FBI on my back without you interfering."

"Hold on a minute, Chief," Sam retaliated, "you left last night without checking to see who was lurking around. Today a guy with a knife was hanging around, but no sign of you or Deputy Snyder. Well fine, I'll protect myself if the police aren't interested."

The only defense  Sam could think of was  a bigger knife.  
He looked around and finally spied one.  It was a size 18
He felt safer
 with  the  big kniife

Sam had second thoughts.  He had Wolf for protection.  Having a knife might provide additional protection if attacked, however it would only be used in self-defense.  Killing was abhorrent to Sam.  Subduing a suspected assailant made more sense. He recalled the number of times when innocent people were reportedly harmed, even killed, by knee-jerk responses.  No, he would not use any weapon in an aggressive manner unless he knew that the person intended to inflict harm.  He relied on Wolf’s instincts.  
In the meanwhile, Sam had more pressing matters.  By challenging the Chief, he had hoped to get more cooperation. Yes, that was the better tactic.  It was the job of the police, not his, he thought.
“Chief Murphy. It is my understanding that the police are engaged to defend and protect.  Am I wrong?
“Don’t be a wise guy.  We are doing our job and don’t need amatures to advise us or tell us what our job is.”
“I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job, but as a citizen I want to be assured that you and your department have my interests in mind.  When you ask questions, you expect answers.  By the same token, when I ask questions, I expect answers. It’s a two-way street.  If you want my cooperation, you will cooperate with me.  So far, I’ve been stymied when I ask your department for information. Consider that I rescued the woman. Do you not think that I am concerned about her condition?”
“She is stable”, replied Murphy.
“Is that your opinion or the Doctor’s opinion?”
“That is what I’ve been told by the Doctor.  Are you satisfied?”
“I’m relieved, but not satisfied.  I would like to know the extent of her injuries and what caused them.  Is that too much to ask?”
“That’s all you need to know at this point.  We are investigating the matter.  Until our investigation is complete, there is nothing more you need to know.”
“Know this.  I will conduct my own investigation.  I will inquire with neighbors to learn the identity of the woman and anything else I can find out.  What I learn I will keep to myself unless or until you are more forthcoming with information.  If I can’t rely on police protection, I will do whatever is necessary to protect my family. You can take that in whatever manner you wish.”

The Chief decided to leave the matter there. He had warned Sam to back off and stay out of police business, and Sam had inferred that he was going to persist. Arguing further served no purpose. "Whatever you do, Sam, keep it to yourself. Oh, and stay away from the FBI. Those guys can get you into a whole load of trouble."

Sam nodded but decided not to say anything more.

"I'll see myself out," said the chief.

After he left, Sam could not concentrate on the football match. His mind was busy working on what to do next.

What to do next?   Sam was always  wondering and planning ahead. He never liked to be caught
empty  handed...

Sam was perplexed.  The warning from the Chief in reference to the FBI raised the question again. Why were they involved?  Did the Chief have some beef with the FBI causing him concern?  Sam felt no concern about the FBI involving himself, however the reaction of the woman when she saw the Agent was a concern.  Were they responsible for beating her and inflicting the wounds?  Who was she?  He was determined to find out.

The woman was badly injured and still bleeding profusely.  Sam wondered if she would survive.  Despite what Chief Murphy had said about her being "stable ", Sam had his doubts.  When Sam peeked through 
the window where she was being kept,to his horror he saw piles of blood oozing off her bed and piling up on the floor..

The next day was a Saturday. Sam's wife set our early to visit the mall to shop for groceries and a few other items. Sam decided to take Wolf with him to have a look around the yard to see if there were any clues out there. A heavy blanket of snow surrounded the house. Wolf's paw marks were everywhere; seems the dog had already had a good sniff around.

Wolf ran ahead to the pile of wood Sam had stacked for the long winter. Then he barked and wagged his tail.

"What have you found?" Sam called out to the dog.

Wolf's response was quick .  He lowered his head and began to dig fiercely. 
Snow flew everywhere.
Sam wished his woodpile weren't so high.  It was hard for Wolf to get to the bottom of it.

Suddenly, Wolf stopped digging.  He pulled on a red scar that he held tight in his teeth.  It looked like a woman’s scarf.  Sam quickly began digging at that spot.  “Was there a body under the snow?” he wondered.  Then he spied a purse and pulled that out.  He was curious to learn what was in the purse but first he needed to see if there a body concealed beneath the snow.  After clearing away the snow, he was satisfied that there was nothing more hidden.  He opened the purse and saw a Passport.  He quickly opened the Passport and saw the photo of the woman he had rescued. The name on the Passport was that of Olga Molotov.  A Russian name.  “Wow”, exclaimed Sam out loud.  Wolf perked up his ears standing alert as if waiting for some command. Sam patted Wolf on the head and said,, “Good Boy.  You did good.”  Wolf wagged his tail showing his appreciation and began sniffing again.  While Sam waited to see if Wolf found anything else, his thoughts returned to the Passport and the woman.  “Was she the reason the FBI was involved?"

Sam decided to make some inquiries.  He took the Passport and went to his neighbor.  Being careful to hide the name, he showed the picture to his neighbor and asked if he recognized the woman. “Oh, that’s Natalie! Good lookin gal.”
“Do you know her last name?”
“Not sure.  She’s living with that Hoffmann fellow.  I think it is one of his latest conquests.  I’ve seen a number of girls at his house during the past year.  At our club, Julius Hoffman is known as Casanova Hoffman.  He must be some Stud cause he’s nothing special to look at.  Why do you ask?”
“Just male curiosity.   I thought if anyone would know her, it would be you.  You always have an eye out for beautiful women.   Is Julius married?”
“Ha, ha.  If he is, then he has a very tolerant wife.  No, I think he lives alone so-to-speak, although he doesn’t appear to be lonely with all his women friends.”
“Thanks, Joe.  You satisfied my curiosity. Perhaps we are missing out.  It may be interesting to learn more about his attraction to women.”
“Yep.  It would be interesting, but I don’t think I could handle more than the one.  I’m satisfied with the one I got and don’t have to worry about her being faithful to me.”

Sam decided not to mention the passport or the scarf to his wife. He had agreed with the chief to keep things to himself if he found anything. He realised this was evidence, and he would have to alert the police but not until Monday morning.

When he returned to the house, Wolf gave up digging and ran from the yard for another pat on the back. Sam complied. "Good dog," he said. Then he walked inside and hid the scarf and passport in his briefcase. His wife would be home soon, so he decided to stay home until she arrived. He would need an excuse to give him a few hours away from home to make some more enquiries. He came up with an idea; he only hoped his wife would buy it.