Page 71 of Fatal Fame
"Like a Mack truck hit me," she said, attempting a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. "Where am I exactly?"
"Saranac Lake. The medical center here has the best trauma facilities in the region." Noah pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down heavily, the movement of someone who'd been on his feet too long. "You've been unconscious for almost twelve hours."
"Is Gideon alive?"
Noah's expression grew grim. "For now. The blogger is in critical condition in the ICU. He broke multiple bones in the falland is in a coma. The doctors aren't sure when or if he'll wake up." His voice softened. "But don't worry about him right now. My concern is you. How did you end up down in that well? What were you doing out there in the middle of nowhere?"
"Did you find the bones?"
"What bones?"
"Gideon got an anonymous tip that Travis Rudd's body was dumped down there. We found skeletal remains with identification confirming it was him."
"Travis Rudd?" Noah asked. "The kid who disappeared after the Hale murders?"
She nodded.
“Hon, there were no bones at the scene when we found you," Noah added carefully. "Just you and Gideon at the bottom of an old well."
"Shit," Mia said, processing the implications. "Whoever ambushed us took the bones. They set it all up, the anonymous tip, luring us out there, everything.”
"What are you talking about? Walk me through what happened."
That's when realization struck her with the force of clarity that cut through the morphine haze. "Dad, where are my clothes? My jacket?"
"In a bag over there. I was going to bring you some clean clothes later."
Mia tried to sit up, but Noah gently pushed her back down. "No, young lady. You're staying in that bed until the doctors clear you for movement."
"I need that bag of clothes. Please." The urgency in her voice seemed to penetrate his protective instincts.
Hugh stepped forward and retrieved the bag, handing it to Mia with the knowing look of someone who recognized theimportance of following investigative instincts even when they seemed irrational to others.
Mia unzipped the bag with her uninjured hand and pulled out her jacket, fishing through the pockets until her fingers found what she was looking for. She withdrew several small bones that she'd pocketed while collecting evidence in the well.
"Here," she said, holding them out to Noah. "I took a couple just in case something like this happened. You need to test these and compare them with the DNA evidence being held at the Adirondack County Sheriff's Office. I think this is Travis Rudd. Also see if they match the glove."
"What glove?"
"The latex glove found at the Hale crime scene. Compare this DNA with the glove and with the DNA found under Jacob's fingernails."
"You're talking about that old case again? I thought we were done with that after what happened to Pierce."
"Dad, please," Mia said. "This is the evidence that could solve the case. Travis Rudd was there the night Rebecca and Jacob were murdered. His wallet had proof of insurance for a dark blue Honda Civic, the same car Connor Walsh saw at Rebecca's house that night."
Noah studied the bones in his hand, recognizing their potential significance despite his reluctance to see his daughter continue pursuing the investigation. "I'll see that these get to the right person for analysis."
"No, you have to take them in yourself," Mia said with intensity that surprised him. "You can't let anyone else handle this. There's corruption in the local department, people who've been covering this up for ten years."
Hugh narrowed his gaze at her.
"Okay, okay, Mia. Don't panic. Just rest." Noah replied in a soothing tone, but his expression suggested he was taking her concerns seriously. "I'll handle this personally."
Hugh moved closer to the bed, his weathered face showing pride despite the circumstances. "You did good work out there, Mia. Even injured and trapped, you had the presence of mind to preserve evidence. That's the kind of thinking that solves cases."
"And nearly gets people killed," Noah added, though his anger seemed directed more at the situation than at Mia herself.
Mia leaned back against the hospital pillows and let out a long sigh, exhaustion competing with relief that she'd survived the trap that had been set for her and Gideon. The morphine was making her drowsy again, but her mind raced with implications and connections that needed to be explored.
