Nightly Confusion

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

My heart began to race until my mind clicked into place and I recognized who it was. “I thought we’ve gone over this, stop scaring me! I swear you’re going to kill me.” I sat up in bed and looked at him in the dark I knew he was beside me. “Why didn’t you want me to turn on the light? Shot again?”

“I don’t like the light when I’m trying to hide. I talked to Myers but the police want me in custody, I’m not doing that. So no one can see me here.” Joey explained.

“Why are you here? It’s a pointless risk.” I knew he was sitting there but I couldn’t see him and it was annoying me.

“I wanted to make sure you were ok, I promised your mom I’d watch over you.” Joey answered. “Did she tell you anything?”

“Um…they gave me heavy drugs so why don’t you tell me.” I felt in crazy land again, my mother was involved in this mess of danger and all I could think was maybe this was a joke, it’s mom! She cooks all the time and argues with grandma from time to time and forces Alissa and me to get married. Mom doesn’t get notes about lies from deadly men and she doesn’t hide secrets, but here she was doing it.

Joey sighed, the sigh told me he didn’t want me involved but it was too late. “The fire was a warning to your mother. It turns out my father called her a few days before his death and he wanted to tell her something. We’re sure what he wanted to tell her is why he’s dead and someone is coming after you. The person causing all of this might believe Linda and Dad talked and she knows something she shouldn’t.” he explained.

“But mom and Art didn’t talk?”

“No your mom must’ve been out; she says they haven’t talked in years.”

“Ok so she was sent that note because whoever is doing this believes she knows something that Art told her before his death. But they never talked so mom doesn’t know anything. But this person is trying to kill me as a warning to her?” I said hoping if I said it I would understand it.

“Pretty much.” Joey said with a nod.

“Why me?” I asked myself. Not that I wanted anyone else in the family hurt but why target me to hurt my mom?

“Because you were there.” Joey said, I looked at where I believed he was sitting. “Someone figured out who you were that night at the club, you were around me and Linda’s your mother so the best person to hurt to send out a warning would be you.”

“That’s freakin great.” I mumbled. “You seem to know a lot more than you did before, do you know who set the fire?”

“No, I have to figure out who was at that club with motive to kill my father and almost kill you.” Joey answered tightly like a tight ball of rubber bands ready to snap any second.

“My mom knows all of this.” I realized. “Why didn’t she go to the cops?” It seemed like the right thing to do.

“We decided to leave the cops out of this.” Joey said. Oh boy he and my mother were working together, that’s scary, down right terrifying. “I’m not asking you to lie to Myers but it would help if you just didn’t say anything.”

I reached for the switch on the lamp next to my bed and finally looked at him. “Just make sure nothing happens to her. This person could lose it and decide forget warning and just hurt her or kill her. I can’t lose my mother Joey.” I needed him to know.

“Are you going to cry?” he looked like I got when someone started to cry around me.

“No.” Maybe. “I’m just…if you tell anyone this I’ll deny it but I’m scared ok?” I hated emotions I couldn’t control and fear was one of the big ones.

Joey almost smiled. “I won’t say a word and I promise I won’t let anything happen to her.”

He placed his hand over mine and it reminded me of the last time we were here. “We should stop ending up in the hospital.” I pointed out grimly.

“This will all be over soon and it’ll go back to how it was before.” He said that like it’d make me feel better but I didn’t want to lose Joey in my life. He was my friend.

“You mean where you disappear and I never see you again until one day you sneak into my place? Not gonna happen because it won’t be like before where you walk out like smoke and I know nothing. See I know something now.”  I told him, I probably should’ve just kept it to myself but this was fun.

I got a questioning look from Joey and a slight grin. “What do you know?”

“I got a little curious when you gave me that check from DLVM Inc so I did a little research to find out what the company was for. And I know you’re only two years older than me so cut out the kid stuff.” I explained.

“I knew you’d do something like that.”

Damn and here I thought I was being smart. “You gave me answers without actually telling me anything. You really are sneaky.” I folded my arms over my chest. “What happens now with all of this?”

Joey stood from his seat. “That’s for me to worry about. I’ll check on you again soon.”

I watched him leave and knew nothing I said would get him to stay; I just wanted to know what would happen next. What the hell was my mother involved in?

Zack knew Joey and I were at the club that night so maybe the cops had a list of everyone there. Someone in that club was responsible for everything happening now. That would mean talking to Zack but Joey nor my mother wanted that. Well too bad.

There was a clock in the room; it was nearly three in the morning so it wouldn’t help to call Zack. I lay back in bed and decided to sleep some more.

When I woke it was morning and the room was bright, a nurse was checking something in the room. “When can I leave?” I asked her.

“The doctor wants to run a few more tests and see the extent of the smoke damage and if it all goes will you should be out of here by tonight.” She answered.

“Thanks.” She wrote a few things on a chart before leaving the room. I turned over in bed and wished it would rain or the sun would just go away.

I heard the room door open again. “Hey.” Zack said as he sat in the chair. “You know these gowns can come in handy.” My back was facing him, he slipped his hand threw the opening and ran his hand across my ribs.

“Always thinking of sex huh?”

“Of course babe, I think you’d be disappointed if I didn’t.” Zack said and I turned over and looked at him. “You have that look that tells me you’re thinking of something. What’s up?” he asked.

“I need your help. We have to figure out who killed Art DeLuca before someone I love dies.”