Murder Mountain Read Online Free PDF

during my melee with Bobby Delphy as I was right now, there in that hospital room. I could barely breathe. I felt Eric lay his head down on my chest.
    “Shh, I’m here, CeeCee. You’re gonna be okay. You made it.” He lightly rubbed my arm.
    Someone else grabbed my left hand then. “Cecelia, Eric’s right. You’re going to be fine,” said my Dad.
    I started taking deep breaths and tried to focus on the room. Things began to get a little clearer except for the blurry vision in my left eye, and after a few minutes, I was able to see fairly well otherwise.
    The room looked like a florist’s shop. Flowers and balloons were everywhere; there were even a couple of stuffed animals sitting by the window. A nurse came up and started adjusting something on my arm; she didn’t look too happy. I assumed she was the one Eric yelled at about closing the curtains. Whatever she had to do with my arm only took a couple of seconds, and then out the door she went. Since my eyes were adjusted and I had calmed down considerably and felt as if I could actually talk.
    “Are the girls okay? Where are Selina and Isabelle?” My voice was scratchy and whispery.
    “They’re fine. They miss their mommy and can’t wait for you to come home. They’re at my parents’ right now,” said Eric.
    “How long have I been here?”
    “Just a little over a day. The doctor kept you sedated because you have a minor concussion, a couple bruised ribs, and a pretty nasty gash on your left eye, but he said you’ll be fine in a week or so, with the exception of a couple of black eyes and bruises.” He leaned forward, his face serious. “You scared the shit out of me, Cecelia; your Dad, too. When they came and got me at home, I didn’t think it was going to be good. Thank God you’re okay.”
    I saw he had tears in his eyes, and I knew I would probably start bawling— something I almost never do—so I changed the subject and asked, “What room is Delphy in?”
    I already knew he was in the hospital. I didn’t even have to ask that. The bottom line is that if you hurt a cop you’ll get hurt a thousand times worse, and I agree with every part of that theory. Even though I blacked out, I already knew that Bobby Delphy had suffered severely when the other deputies arrived. Plus, I’m a girl, and the guys will inflict a higher amount of pain on someone because they feel a little more protective of a sister deputy.
    “He’s in the Intensive Care Unit. I guess he put up quite a fight when the cavalry got there, and they had to take care of some serious business,” Eric said, winking at the same time, confirming what I already knew. A serious beating had taken place.
Good,
I thought.
I hope he quits breathing.
    “All right, I give up,” I said, waving a part of the hospital sheet around like a white flag.
    “CeeCee, you already know what’s coming. Kincaid and the Chief have been in and out to see how you’re doing. Sheriff Stephens was here, too. Anyway, when you’re ready, you’ll have to give a statement and so forth. It’s pretty obvious what happened, but they need the extra details so the prosecutors can get the charges filed. They’re probably gonna go for felonious assault on the bastard.”
    “He tried to take my gun,” I said helpfully.
    Eric closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “If anything, they’ll charge him high, maybe attempted murder since you just said that, so he’ll plead to a felonious assault.”
    “Anytime; I’m ready. When did the doctor say I could leave?” I hated hospitals, and hated being a patient in one even more.
    “He said that, depending on how you’re feeling, maybe tomorrow. You’re gonna have to be off work for at least a week, though.”
    “That’s fine. I can certainly use a week off. Can you go get Selina and Isabelle and bring them here? Please? I want to see them.”
    Eric said he’d do that right away, and that he’d bring me some clothes to wear home.
    Dad, who had been sitting