La Bruja y el Asesino (The Witch and the Assassin)

By Vicki

All too soon I found myself at the nurses station where the nurses were chattering about the mysterious man and the missing Mr. Bain.

"Leigh! Where have you been?" asked one particularly gossipy nurse as they all gathered around me like hens around feed.

"I've been down in Mrs. Brown's room …Why?" I asked innocently as I casually picked up a chart to review.

"Mr. Bain's brother is here looking for you and Mr. Bain. He's not in his room though and we can't find him anywhere." The nurses where looking at me suspiciously…the 'mussed' look wasn't my usual appearance. I quickly looked up and flushed as Miguel's 'brother' came up behind me.

"Here she is, Mr. Bain!" Candy called out. I turned to speak to the man, although my heart began beating harder in my chest. As I said hello, I studied his face. Large, hooded eyes were prominent in his large, dark face. He was surprisingly short - about 5 feet 10 inches, but his physique was strongly muscled. The suit he wore was expensive…it hid the gun that I was positive he had somewhere hidden.

"Hello, I think we spoke on the phone this afternoon, but it's not Mr. Bain, it's Mr. Rath. We had different fathers," he explained with a polite but growling type of accent. I mentally placed him being from the eastern part of the country, Jersey maybe - but I wasn't sure because of my nervousness.

"Yes, hello. I'm Leigh, your brother's primary nurse. How can I help you?" What a performance, I thought.

"Well, I can't seem to find my brother. He's not in his room, and I've looked everywhere on this floor. Did you happen to mention to him that I was coming to visit?"

"Really? He's not there?" I asked. My brows knitted together in mock concern. "He was just there 20 minutes ago. No, I didn't tell him you were coming - I know you wanted to surprise him," I lied. "I wonder where he is?" I was sure that I had the nurses and Mr. Rath fooled. "Did you check in Rehab? Maybe he went for some late therapy?"

"No, I don't believe I found the Rehab area. Is it on this floor?" Mr. Rath asked.

"Yes, but it's on the other side of the atrium and it's officially closed at this time of the night. I'm off duty now - why don't I show you to over there?" My voice dripped with congeniality…it was nauseating. Or maybe I was just ready to puke due to nerves. But I headed down the hallway in the opposite direction of the stairwell that Miguel had disappeared into. He probably had found the parking garage under and adjacent to the hospital. My car was parked fairly close to the entrance, so I was hopeful that he could find it quickly and hide in the back. I couldn't wait to get rid of Mr. Rath and make my way down to see if he was OK.

Leading the way down the corridor, I chitchatted with Mr. Rath. "So, you had different fathers?" I asked brightly.

"Yes. How are Miguel's injuries? Is he recovering well?" Mr. Rath asked. His tone of voice discouraged any further personal questions, while we walked. His pace outdistanced mine and I had to hustle to keep up with him.

"He's doing quite well considering all of his injuries. The doctors are hoping to release him tomorrow or the next day. Here we are," I said as I turned into the darkened rehabilitation unit. "Hmmm, that's strange. I was sure he'd be here." I flipped the lights on to reveal the empty exercise area. Mr. Rath looked around, flipping curtains aside and looking into empty offices.

He seemed highly irritated and turned back to me menacingly. "Where is he?"

"I don't know Mr. Rath. Mr. Bain has always done exactly as he pleased here - none of us likes working with him. I'm sure he'll show up when he's good and ready." I turned to the desk and picked up the telephone. Mr. Rath's manner made me very nervous and I didn't like being alone with him in the empty room.

"Security?" I asked after I dialed. Mr. Rath's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "This is Leigh, the charge nurse. Can you come to the ortho floor? I'm afraid a patient has eloped."

"Eloped?" Rath chuckled as I hung up the phone. He shook his head in amusement. "I don't think he got married."

"No, no - that's the term we use when a patient leaves without a doctor's order," I explained. "Even if Miguel shows up shortly - if he gets hurt when he's not on the ortho floor, we'll need to have documentation that we reported him missing. All that documentation, you know!"

I turned toward the door and reached to flip off the lights. Mr. Rath quickly grabbed my wrist and turned me around to face him. "You know, Miguel can be very charming, but he's also known to be...uh, shall we say dangerous." He looked closely into my face, but my acting had apparently improved with practice. I faced him without a change in expression.

"I have no doubt of that - he's been a total prick while he's been here." I said. "Now, can you please let go of me?"

Mr. Rath looked into my face a moment longer before releasing my wrist. "Sorry," he said unconvincingly.

We returned to the nurses' station just as security showed up. Rath walked down the hallway toward Miguel's room, looking closely into each room he passed. As I began writing up the report - I saw him disappear into the closet where Miguel and I had hidden such a short time before. My heart sped up as I watched. But he came back into the hallway without raising an alarm - our presence must not have left clues. I began to feel calmer - that is until I saw him disappear into the same stairwell that Miguel has used to escape. I knew I couldn't race down the hallway after him…still, I was dying to know if he would find Miguel in my car.

Fifteen minutes later I was finishing up the report with security. It had probably taken so long because I had been craning my head down the hallway every 30 seconds or so looking for Rath's return. I was sure that he must have found Miguel by now and that I would find a murder scene when I got to my car. I signed the papers, grabbed my purse and started down the hallway when one of the night shift nurses stopped me to ask some questions regarding a patient. Impatience washed over me, and I hesitated to talk. But either my nursing experience or good conscience made me stop and answer her queries. In retrospect, I was glad I did - as I was explaining part of the chart to her, Rath returned to the floor through the same stairwell door that he had used earlier.

He was still walking slowly - looking in every doorway and empty room. My breath came out in a rush. He hadn't found Miguel. He returned to Miguel's room and then approached me.

"Has he shown back up yet?" he asked.

"No, he hasn't. I think he's gone for good this time, but I say good riddance! It will be a lot less hassle for us from now on, that's for sure," I said with a smile on my face. "But if he shows up, do you want us to call you?"

Rath looked at me speculatively, then reached into his pocket. "Sure - here's my number. Give me a call if you see him again."

The card was plain white, with the name "Robert Rath" and a phone number on it - nothing more.

"OK. Well, I'm exhausted, so…good night." I hoped I was convincingly uninterested in Rath and his search for Miguel. When I began walking down the hallway, it was all I could do not to sprint. But I kept a normal pace, slowing to say goodnight to several patients and co-workers. As soon as I saw Rath turn the corner at the nurses' station and disappear out of sight, I hustled down the stairwell 6 floors to the parking garage.

My breath came hard and fast and I stumbled on the last few steps to the entrance door. It was dark outside, but the parking structure was well lit for the exiting shift of hospital workers. The trouble was, I had taken so long with security, there was no one exiting this late. I was alone in the ramp. I hurried over to where I had parked my Camry. There I lurched to a stop and stared, horrified by what I saw. Or rather…what I didn't see.

The parking spot was empty. No car…no Miguel…no nothing.

I frantically looked around, hoping that I had been mistaken about the location - but finally figured out with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The Camry was gone. And with it - the man whom I had trusted.

Sleep was impossible that night. I kept hearing little noises - those normal creaks that go with living in a house. I imagined that every noise was Miguel coming to either seduce me or to kill me. Either one would put me out of my current misery. But the night passed without sleep, and without Miguel.

I changed the house locks in the morning and then filed a police report. I left out some minor details while talking with the police. For example that I knew who took my car and the fact that I actually had given him the keys. All I told them was that the car had disappeared from the hospital parking ramp.

They found the Camry at the airport 3 days later. The laptop was locked in the trunk, although it's hard drive had been erased. The car had been wiped of any fingerprints, according to the local police.

Only weeks later did I stop waiting for the doorbell to ring, or for Miguel to walk back into my life. My contract in Texas ended, and I quickly took another assignment, this time in Washington, D.C. Life went on, and the experience taught me, once again, that men are not to be trusted or believed.

Little did I know…