Wilmington, NC 04 - Murder At Wrightsville Beach

Kelly had said there were fans in all the rooms so perhaps the odor had dissipated.
    Then I recalled the humidor in the library and the fact that Joseph Lauder had loved cigars. The smell of his cigars had been a cover, I realized.
    I was feeling queasy and decided to leave, to go outside and get some fresh air. But when I stood up, my head swam and the back of my shorts was wet. Had I been sitting in a wet spot? I wondered, and looked down at the step where I'd been sitting.
    Before I could touch the wetness there, I felt a trickle run down my legs. I looked at my legs and saw, horrified, blood flowing from my shorts. No, oh no, I silently cried. Not that.
    Willie was up and yelling for Jon. "Jon, over here! You cops ! Get an ambulance!"
    The police surrounded me and gently reclined me onto the concrete floor. Diane Sherwood braced my head in her lap. Jon ripped off his shirt, wadded it in a ball and stuffed it between my legs in an attempt to staunch the flow of blood. Then the cramps began and I cried out.
    Maybe it was because a police officer had called, or maybe it was because we were not far from the medical center, but within minutes I heard the unmistakable warbling of an ambulance.
    The EMTs moved me onto a stretcher and ran with me up the stairs and out into the waiting ambulance where they started an IV line and clapped an oxygen mask over my face. Jon jumped into the ambulance with me. "I'm her husband," he said. "I'm going too."
    A team of doctors and nurses met us on the sidewalk in front of the emergency room entrance. They ran alongside the stretcher, one of the nurses talking to me, trying to reassure me. But by then I had lost so much blood I was starting to fade.
    Jon, shirtless, was trotting along too and one of the docs told him he couldn't come. "If you want to do something useful," he called over his shoulder as he ran, "go give blood."
    The nurse held my hand. "Are you pregnant, honey?"
    "Yes," I whispered. "I just found out."
    "How far along?"
    "Two months, I think."
    "Don't you worry none , honey, we're going to take good care of you, real good care of you." And then I passed out.

29

    When I awoke I thought I was in a sunlit rose garden. There were roses all around me and their fragrance filled the room. I realized it was morning for the sun was filtering through the windows. And the roses were in vases and set all around the room. I was in a hospital room, and in a flash I remembered everything that had happened until I passed out on the stretcher.
    "Hey," Jon said softly and I turned my head to see him sitting next to the bed. "Welcome to the land of the living."
    I started to cry, remembering everything. "I lost my baby, didn't I?" I sobbed. "Tell me the truth. I lost it."
    "Yes," he said sadly. "Ashley, why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? Or confide in Melanie, someone?"
    "I felt I had to tell Nick before I told anyone else, but . . . well, you know, I couldn't reach him."
    Jon took my hand. "I would have taken better care of you if I had known."
    "Tell me what happened? What day is it?"
    "It's Thursday. You've been asleep since yesterday. The doctor said you needed to rest. You can discuss the medical stuff with her but this is what she told me." He got a shy look on his face. Jon is so transparent. It's always possible to tell what he is thinking.
    "They think I'm your husband," he said shyly, "that's why they told me. Anyway, they had to do an emergency D and C. That stopped the bleeding and saved your life. You had a transfusion, two pints of O positive. I gave blood but I'm not your type. Melanie gave blood too. We all did in the Hematology Department."
    "Is Melanie here?" I asked.
    " Outside," he replied, "and having a fit. They'll only let us in one at a time. Your Aunt Ruby is outside too. And Binkie . Mickey left for Atlantic City this morning. I don't think he's coming back. Gordon Cushman went to the police and spilled everything, all about the illegal gambling ring Mickey was running." He smiled then. "And wait till you hear this. Binkie and Ruby are getting married. Isn't that cool?"
    "Yes. Cool," I whispered, and in spite of feeling sorry for myself I was happy for them.
    I wanted to ask the next question but couldn't bring myself to say the words.
    Jon leaned closer to my bedside. "Ashley, don't be scared. They think everything is okay. She said you'll be able to get pregnant again and have babies." He took my hand. "So don't worry. God, I was so scared, if