SUSPICIONS-PART 11

By Nancy F. Thysell (The Nifty Lady)

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The month of October was coming to a close. JoAnne came over to the ranch one afternoon with Jennifer and Christopher to help Chris make jack-o-lanterns in time for Halloween. Christopher later cajoled Chris into letting him take Lucy out for a ride. Peggy Sue followed the boy and horse out on the trail. Jennifer was more interested in playing with the babies. Chris and JoAnne sat at the newspaper-covered picnic table on the patio to carve their pumpkins.

"So how's it been going?" JoAnne inquired, once they were alone.

Chris stabbed the top of her pumpkin to cut out the round lid.

"Oh. It's been going okay. J.R. is starting to sleep through the night. That is if Royce Ann doesn't wake him up for her feeding." She smiled a little. "A bit tiring especially now that Mom's not here. She was a big help."

"I hear ya. As much as Roy doesn't get along with my mother, I know how grateful he was that she came when our kids were born. I remember how exhausting it was then," JoAnne remarked as she, too, carved out the top and began scooping out the seeds.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Hold on!" Chris said as she dashed inside. She returned a moment later with a large bowl, filled with salted water.

"What's that for?"

"For the seeds. I'm going to roast them in the oven when we through," Chris explained.

"Okay. Do I need to pull off the membranes?"

"As much as you can. I'll finish cleaning them before I roast them."

"I've never done that before. Are they good?"

"Delicious! Just wait til you try 'em."

"Well, if you say so," JoAnne responded a bit dubiously. Chris laughed.

"I hope Chris and Lucy don't have any trouble on the trail," Chris commented, looking toward the direction the boy had ridden in. JoAnne followed her gaze.

"I'm sure he will. Johnny's a good teacher and Chris is a good rider."

Jennifer walked out on the deck. "Aunt Chris, the twins are both asleep," she announced.

"You want to help with the pumpkins?" Chris asked.

"Sure! What can I do?" Jennifer kneeled on the picnic table bench, resting her hands on the table.

"I need the insides scooped out," Chris told her. Jennifer made a face.

"Yuck!" she commented.

"Oh, come on, Jen. It's fun!" her mother chimed in. Jennifer gingerly stuck her hand inside the pumpkin until she came in contact with the slimy interior. She quickly withdrew her hand.

"Oh! Grouse!"

"Here Jen. You can use this spoon," Chris laughed as she handed her the implement. Soon Jennifer was making progress in cleaning out the inside of the pumpkin. Then Chris let Jennifer help her mark out the face of the jack-o-lantern. The phone rang so Chris hurried inside to answer it.

"Hello." There was a moment of silence before she heard the hushed voice.

"Tick. Tick. Tick." the voice said and then the line went dead Chris replaced the receiver with a worried look. She turned and found JoAnne staring at her.

"Another hangup call?" JoAnne asked. Chris nodded.

"Did he say anything?"

"Tick. Tick. Tick," Chris replied tersely.

"Oh my! It's got to be the same person. You should call Johnny and let him know," JoAnne advised.

"Maybe we should call Lt. Partin?"

"Perhaps we should. I mean this has been going on for a couple of weeks," JoAnne agreed.

"Have you noticed that there are more hangups when Roy is home?"

"Yeah. But I usually get that 'Tick. Tick. Tick.' when I pick up. We've started taking the phone off the hook at night. It's the only way Roy or I get a full night's sleep."

"Yeah. Me too. Johnny hates taking the phone off the hook too but if it's not waking us up, it's waking the twins."

Jennifer came inside. The subject of the hangups was dropped in front of the kids.

"Mom? I just saw Chris coming back. Can I go down to the barn?"

"Sure sweetheart. Be careful," JoAnne admonished. Jennifer smiled at her mother.

"I will!" she exclaimed and ran back out.

"Jennifer! Close the door!" JoAnne called. The youngster ran back and shut the door and took off to the barn. JoAnne sighed as Jennifer disappeared.

"At least the kids haven't taken any of the calls," JoAnne commented.

"That's good. Look, I'll call Lt. Partin after you guys head home."

"Thanks Chris. They may mean nothing but I'd rather he be informed."

"So are the kids doing any special costumes for Halloween?" Chris inquired, changing the topic.

"Well, I think Chris is getting to feel a bit too old to dress up. Jennifer wants to be a fairy princess, as usual," JoAnne remarked. "Are you dressing up the twins?"

Chris laughed. "No. Not this year but we'll be ready for Trick or Treaters."

"So, how do you like the station wagon?"

"Well, it's no pickup truck but I'm getting used to it. I hate to admit that it's so much more practical with the twins but it is."

"Come on, we still have faces to carve!" JoAnne remembered and they went back onto the patio. They had almost finished when the kids came up from the barn. Christopher carried their Jack-O-Lantern out to JoAnne's station wagon. Chris placed hers on the front porch and stood back to admire her creation. JoAnne and the kids joined her.

"So what do you think, Jen?" she asked the youngster. Jennifer stepped back and studiously looked at the pumpkin.

"Well, I think once you put the candle in, it'll be real scarey Aunt Chris," she opined.

"Will it scare your Uncle Johnny?"

"Maybe."

Chris tousled Jennifer's hair. "Okay. Then I guess it's good enough."

"No way that's gonna scare Uncle Johnny," Christopher chimed in.

"Well, come on you two. Time to head home. Chris, I'll talk to you tomorrow," JoAnne said as she herded her two children to the car.

"Okay. Bye kids."

"Bye Aunt Chris!" the DeSoto's chorused.

Chris made her way back into the house after JoAnne drove away and began to prepare the pumpkin seeds for roasting. She made a mental note to call Lt. Partin before it got too late. She didn't notice the small brown car that passed slowly, almost stopping in front of their drive.

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Chris rushed around trying to get a few things taken care of before the twins would awaken from their napes. She called Lt. Partin and informed him of the phone calls that they and the DeSoto's had been getting. He told her that he would make a note of it in their file but there was little he could do about it. Later in the afternoon, when the twins were awake and fed, Chris felt like going for a walk. Soon she had settled the twins in the double pram. Then she grabbed her purse and sunglasses. Peggy Sue came running around the house, tongue flailing in the breeze to greet them. Chris leaned over and gave the growing Labrador a friendly pat on the head.

"Careful now, Peggy Sue! Don't knock me down," she cautioned the playful dog. Peggy Sue was almost full grown and weighed nearly 70 pounds. "You want to go to the store with us?"

Peggy Sue barked happily as though she understood what Chris had suggested. Chris put on her sunglasses and pushed the pram toward the Kim's store.

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The sun had set and Roy pulled away from Rampart, feeling more than a little hungry. They had been going almost non-stop since just before noon. Johnny sat quietly staring out at the passing scenery.

"You hungry? You wanna stop somewhere before we head back to the barn?" Roy inquired. Johnny looked over at his partner, considering his answer.

"Might not be a bad idea. No telling what condition dinner is in. There's that taco stand over by the grocery store."

"What? Paco's Tacos? I thought you said you'd never eat there again?"

"Well, it has been cleaned up a lot since our last inspection. It might be worth giving it a second chance," Johnny reasoned.

"Okay. I'm game if you are."

"Hey Roy?"

"Yeah, Junior?"

Johnny shifted in his seat and watched his partner as he collected his thoughts.

"I've been thinking about taking the Captain's exam."

Roy shot him a surprised look. "Really?"

"Well, we both know we can't stay paramedics forever. And I know you've been thinking about a promotion ever since you took the Engineer's exam. Now that we can be promoted to Captain, we'd be crazy not to try for it."

"True. But what's got you considering it now?"

"Well, now that I'm married and have the twins, I'm just beginning to realize how expensive it is on a paramedic's salary. I don't know how you and JoAnne have managed all these years."

Roy chuckled. "It hasn't been easy. Once both the kids were in school, JoAnne worked for a while but it just never felt right."

"Chris and I talked about her going back to work but when we ran the numbers, we realized she'd only be working to pay for daycare and what's the point of that?"

"I hear ya," Roy agreed. He swung the squad into Paco's Tacos' parking lot. A few minutes later, the two paramedics sat at a patio table with their plates of tacos and refried beans. Johnny had also ordered a beef burrito. They ate in relative silence, trying to eat their food without inhaling it. Both men were contemplating what it was going to be like when they no longer were partners. The thought was sobering. Inevitable but still not one they looked forward to.

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The brown car slowed down as it reached the fire station and pulled into the drive that led to the rear parking lot. Once parked, Van Kessler exited the vehicle and made his way to the building. Both pieces of rescue equipment were absent from the truck bay. Van made his way into the day room. He had to be quick since he had no idea when one or both trucks would be returned. He made a fast sweep of the kitchen and spied a likely candidate. He efficiently laced a couple of Oreo cookies in the open jar with a prescribed amount of arsenic. With the cookies re-sandwiched and replaced, Van smiled to himself as he made good his escape.

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Roy guided the squad back toward the station. They were approximately a half block from the building when they saw the small brown car pull out of the drive and turn away from them.

"Who was that?" Roy asked with a nod of this head. Johnny frowned.

"Don't know. Didn't recognize the car. Maybe it was just someone turning around?" he suggested.

Roy backed the squad into the vehicle bay. "Yeah, I guess I'm just being paranoid."

Johnny chuckled softly. "You're beginning to sound like me."

"Well, after so many years, it was bound to wear off on me," Roy responded with a wry smile. They stepped out of the squad and headed into the day room. Roy made himself comfortable on the couch and picked up the paperback book he had left there earlier. Henry waddled over and flopped next to the paramedic, exposing his belly to be rubbed. Roy complied by rubbing Henry's belly with his free hand as he held the book in his other hand. Johnny was perusing the contents of the refrigerator.

"You want anything?" he asked. Roy glanced up from his book and shook his head.

"No, I'm fine," he replied. He couldn't imagine eating again so soon. Even after all these years, it always amazed him how much food his skinny partner could consume. Johnny pulled a can of soda from the refrigerator door.

"Sure you don't want a drink or something?"

"No. Not now. Thanks."

"Okay." Johnny shut the door and opened the cabinet above the fridge but only found a box of crackers. He then looked over at the counter and spied the cookies in the jar. Smiling, he opened the jar and a took a handful of the sandwiched morsels. He popped one in his mouth and began chewing as he moved toward the t.v. He popped open the soda and took a swig. He had just finished the last cookie and was settling in to watch "Quincy" when his stomach took a sudden and violent turn. He jumped up and ran for the locker room, barely making it to the toilet before retching. The combination of the Mexican foods, cookies and bile was powerful. The food burned his throat as he expelled it from his body. Johnny's body shook as he tried to relax from the exertion. He didn't hear Roy behind him until he spoke.

"You okay?" he heard his partner ask with concern. He scrubbed his face with his hand and reached up with the other to flush the mess down the drain. He rose slowly shakily to his feet.

"I guess. Are you okay?" he asked concerned that Roy might get sick as well.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"You think I might have gotten food poisoning from Paco's?" Johnny leaned against the stall frame. Roy shook his head.

"I don't think so. I mean, I'd be sick too. But it does seem like some form of poisoning."

Johnny looked up sharply at his friend.

"What do you mean?" he asked cautiously as he crossed to the sink and rinsed out his mouth. Roy leaned against the tiled wall, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared at the floor a moment.

"Well. It's just that I've noticed that each time you've gotten violently sick lately, it's been here at the station."

"Yeah?"

"And you've just eaten something before you get sick. And it's so sudden."

"But I'm the only one getting sick!" Johnny exclaimed. Then he thought for a moment and frowned with disgust. "Chet!"

"No, I don't think so Johnny. I know Chet likes to pull practical jokes on you but he's not mean spirited. Ithas to be some kind of poison for you to react so quickly."

Johnny considered this for a moment and then it occurred to him. "Roy! That car we saw leaving the station. You think...?"

Roy stood up from the wall, piecing the puzzle together. "It's possible. Are there any cookies left?"

"A few. Why?"

"Maybe we can get them analyzed, see if there's any trace of a poison in them," Roy said excitedly as he pulled Johnny back to the day room. As they crossed the truck bay, Mike was backing Big Red into her spot.

"Come on, let's get the container and take it over to Rampart," Roy proposed. Johnny was right behind him. His stomach still felt queasy but he wanted to get to the bottom of this. The rest of the guys made their way into the day room.

"Cap? We've got to make a run over to Rampart," Roy informed their superior as they dashed out to the squad with the cookie jar. Hank stared at his paramedics as they rushed the near empty container out with them. He scratched his head, perplexed but he rarely questioned his paramedics when they said they needed to go to Rampart. He followed them out to operate the overhead door.

"Just stay available," he admonished them as the engine roared to life.

"We will. Thanks Cap," Roy assured him and he put the squad in gear. Both paramedics hoping that the jar still held some answers for them.

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Once Roy and Johnny reached the Emergency room, they headed directly for Dr. Brackett's office. Roy knocked on the door.

"Come in," Dr. Brackett called. Roy opened the door and stepped partially into the room.

"You got a minute, Doc?" he asked tentatively. Kel looked up from the paperwork on his desk with a broad smile. The two paramedics' interruption was a welcomed break from his tasks.

"Sure guys. What can I do for you?"

Johnny set the cookie jar on Brackett's desk.

"What's this?" Kel inquired, curious as to what they were up to.

"Doc, I think someone is trying to poison Johnny," Roy declared. Kel's brow furrowed and his mouth twitched.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Well, Johnny's gotten violently sick three times at the station recently. And each time it's been after eating something there," Roy explained.

"And afterwards, I'm a bit queasy for a while but otherwise okay," Johnny added.

"The last thing Johnny ate was cookies from this jar. He immediately became violently ill. I think the cookies were laced with something," Roy concluded.

Brackett leaned back in his chair and looked at his paramedics in disbelief. It was beyond comprehension that someone would deliberately try to harm one of them.

"Why do you think it's Johnny they're after? Couldn't anyone of you on the shift eaten the same thing?"

"I considered that. I think who ever is doing this may not care as long as someone is getting sick. But he seems to be targeting foods that Johnny's the most likely to consume," Roy argued.

"Doc? Is there any chance we can get these remaining cookies analyzed?" Johnny interjected, pointing to the jar. Kel leaned forward in his chair and picked up the jar.

"I guess so. I'll see what the lab can come up with," Kel agreed and wrote out an order on the pad on his desk and handed it to Johnny. "Johnny, I want to get a toxicology screen on you. Stop by the lab before you leave."

Johnny took the lab order from the doctor and made a face. Having his own blood drawn wasn't something he cared to do.

"Maybe in the meantime, you might want to avoid eating anything at the station," Dr. Brackett suggested.

"Oh, man. That's not gonna be easy!" Johnny groaned. Roy couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah, especially with your appetite."

Johnny threw his partner a sour look.

"Look. I just want you to be careful. At least until we can get this analyzed," Kel stated. "Plus, if anyone else gets sick, we might be able to pinpoint it."

"Well, thanks Doc."

"How long will it take?" Roy inquired. Brackett shook his head.

"I don't know, Roy. But I'll ask the lab to put a rush on it," Brackett promised.

"Okay, well, we'll see ya later," Roy said as he and Johnny took their leave. They headed down the hall and Johnny grabbed Roy's arm.

"Look, as long as we're here, do you mind if I get something from the cafeteria?"

"Nah. You're probably starving to death," Roy quipped. Johnny rolled his eyes.

"Cute Pally. Cute."

Roy turned his partner toward the hospital lab.

"But let's get the blood work out of the way first."

"Oh, Roy!" Johnny whined.

"Come on, Junior. First things first. Then you can eat."

"Okay," the younger man agreed begrudgingly as he allowed his partner to guide him into the lab.

A short time later, the two paramedics made their way to the hospital cafeteria. Johnny made sure he had plenty to eat before they headed back to the station.

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"Gage!" Chet yelled as Roy parked the squad from the day room. Johnny closed the passenger's door and looked over at his coworker.

"Yeah? What is it?" he yelled back.

"Phone!" Then Chet disappeared back into the day room. The guys were playing cards at the table. Johnny jogged over to the phone.

"This is John Gage," he said into the receiver.

"Hi Johnny. Van Kessler here."

A scowl crossed Johnny's features.

"What do you want Kessler?" he snapped. Roy heard the tone of Johnny's voice and his interest peeked when he heard Johnny say "Kessler."

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"Van, we stopped being friends a long time ago," Johnny responded tersely.

"Now, Johnny. I find that hard to believe."

"What do you want?" Gage demanded.

"Well, to be perfectly frank, I want you to know that I intend to get a paternity test on Royce Ann," Van responded coolly.

Roy watched the color drain from Johnny's face. He stepped closer protectively in the ready in case his friend needed him.

"What?" Johnny rasped softly.

"You heard me. I'm challenging you as to the paternity of the little girl. You can't deny that she favors me a heck of a lot more than you!" Van smirked. He could just imagine the look on the Johnny's face.

"You bastard!" he growled. "There's no way in hell that girl is yours and we both know it!"

"Really? Well, Johnny, how do explain why your son looks so much like you and your daughter doesn't?" he jeered. Johnny began to shake as he rage grew. He clenched his fists. Roy put a comforting hand on his partner's shoulder.

"Van? You're sick! Just leave me and my family alone!" Johnny yelled into the phone. His coworkers stopped their game to listen. They couldn't help but overhear Johnny's side of the call.

Van laughed in his ear. "Afraid to find out Johnny? Afraid to know the truth about me and Chris?" he taunted.

"Go to Hell!" Johnny shouted and slammed the phone down. He turned to find Roy and the rest of the crew staring at him expectantly.

"Sorry," he mumbled, his anger subsiding.

"What's going on, Pal?" Captain Stanley asked.

"That was Van Kessler. He's insinuating that Royce Ann isn't my daughter," Johnny explained as he rubbed a nervous hand across the back of his neck. His coworkers stared back at him in disbelief.

"You're kidding!" Chet sputtered.

"No way!" exclaimed Mike.

Marco muttered something in Spanish under his breath as Captain Stanley rose to his feet. He placed his hands on his hips.

"I don't believe it. What's wrong with that guy?" Hank spoke angrily.

"I wish I knew, Cap. I wish I knew," Johnny responded agonizingly. He felt Roy's hand on his shoulder. He just couldn't understand what he could have done that would make Van torment him and his family like this. He looked at his concerned coworkers and suddenly felt vulnerable. "Excuse me," he said as he bolted from the room. Roy turned and watched Johnny head into the rear parking lot.

"Is he okay, Roy?" Hank inquired of the older paramedic. Roy turned back to look at his superior and shook his head.

"I don't know, Cap." Roy looked at the other men, trying to decide if he should say anything more. "Cap?"

"Yeah Roy?"

Roy shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

"Well, I didn't want to say anything until we knew for sure but..."

"But what?" Hank demanded. The rest of the guys listened intently. Roy looked in each man's face before continuing.

"Cap, we think someone has been trying to poison us. So far I think Johnny's the only one to get sick but it could have been anyone of us."

The men stared at Roy in disbelief. Marco, Mike and Cap all swung their eyes to Chet, accusingly.

"Chet?" Hank growled the incomplete question.

"Honest Cap! It isn't me. The Phantom hasn't been up to anything honest!" Chet declared boldly.

"I don't think it's Chet," Roy stated. "Johnny and I saw a car leaving the driveway when we returned after that last run. Then Johnny got sick eating cookies from that jar we took to Rampart," Roy went on to explain.

"I wondered about that," Hank said, nodding his head with understanding.

"It'll take a while to get the results but Dr. Brackett thinks we all should be careful what we eat around here."

"Oh man! Is that for real?" Chet grumbled.

"I'm afraid so," Roy admitted. Just then Johnny returned to the room with a determined look on his face as he headed for the phone. The room was quiet as he dialed his home number.

"Chris. Hi sweetie!" he spoke into the phone. "Yes. Something is wrong. I just got a call from Van Kessler."

"Van? What did he want?" Chris asked fearfully.

"He wants a paternity test on Royce Ann," he stated evenly.

"What?! Why? Johnny there's no way he could be her father!" Chris cried out in anguish.

"Then why would he ask for such a test!" Johnny snapped.

"I don't know! I don't know!" Chris sobbed, fear gripping her being. That nagging seed of doubt was back. "Johnny! I'm scared. He couldn't have...he couldn't, could he? I mean, without me knowing?"

Johnny's demeanor softened as he heard Chris' sobs. "Don't cry sweetie. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dumped on you like this. I'm sorry. I'm...I'm just...I'm just going crazy with all this."

"Oh Johnny!" she cried.

"Shhh. Don't cry, baby. Don't cry. I'm sorry." Johnny's voice was barely a whisper. His coworkers tried not to listen but they couldn't help but overhear his anguish. Suddenly the klaxon blared, cutting the tension in the room. Johnny listened to the dispatcher's voice.

"Station 51. MVA. 405 northbound one mile from La Cienaga Boulevard. Time out 19:34."

"10-4 LA. KMG365," Captain Stanley responded and handed Roy the slip.

"I gotta go sweetie. I'm sorry. I love you!" he professed as he hurried to the call.

Chris held the handset to her breasts and sobbed as she sank onto the bed. She felt as though her world was unraveling.

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THE END PART 11--TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 12

"Suspicions" ©2000 by Nancy Thysell. "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions. All rights reserved. No infringement on any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.