Black Ghost Runner Read Free

knowing he would lose some of that dark hair when he removed the tape later. Beth lowered her hands as he turned to open a box, pulled out a tube and handed it to her. Beth looked at it as he turned his back to her. She quickly understood he wanted her to apply whatever was in the tube to the burn on his back. She took a deep breath and squeezed out a large dosage of white cream. As gently as she could, she began to cover the burn with the salve. He gave no indication, yet she felt he had to be in deep pain, since that type of burn was below the skin.
    When she was done, she stepped back. He then took the tube from her hands. He pulled his dirty shirt back on, and picked up a plastic liner from a wastebasket under a sink.
    “Wash your hands.”
    Beth was surprised at his instructions so she hesitated.
    “Do you need help?” He asked as he was looking down at her.
    Beth didn’t want him to touch her again, so she moved over carefully to the sink, using the special soap used by the Vets, and scrubbed her hands. Perhaps he did have something wrong with his blood.
    In the meantime, she was aware he was gathering up all the cotton from the table. He wiped it with the antiseptic, and put everything into the bag. He turned and pulled bottles and boxes from the cabinet, some off the different shelves. She thought it looked like he was just pulling at random. When his bag was full, he turned, picked up his jacket, and held it on the same side as the bag. He turned so he faced her, taking a step towards her.
    “What do they call you?”
    She hesitated, then answered him when he placed a hand under her chin to raise her face upward towards his. “Beth, that is...Elizabeth Donald.”
    “Okay, Beth Elizabeth Donald, you have two choices. I can knock you out, or you can give me five minutes before you call the police. So, far, you have been smart. Continue to play it that way. Just wait the five minutes. At least you won’t have a bruise. Can you do that?”
    She found it hard to look up into those strange eyes, still wondering if they were contacts. By now, he had let go of her chin. Now she couldn’t look away. That old gold just drew her in.
    Beth heard his deep voice say, “Beth, make your choice.”
    Finally, she shook herself as she forced herself to step back. “I will wait five minutes.”
    “Good girl.”
    Then, he was gone. Beth was surprised at how fast he had moved. She was astounded how quiet it was. She didn’t even hear the back door close. Maybe he didn’t go out that way.
    Beth slowly came out into the hallway to look both ways, choosing to turn towards the front reception area. The glass showed only darkness beyond the lights in the parking area, no movement. She walked over to check the door and found it closed and still locked. Beth shifted and went down the hall to the back door, also finding it closed as if it had never been opened. This area was as she had left it, with the one box opened that she had been working in. By this time, she figured most of the five minutes had passed, so she picked up a house phone instead of her cell to calmly dial nine one one.
     
    The cops were there before Reggie returned. Beth was giving her statement to a team of a man and woman detective unit, who were checking out her ID’s that she had pulled from her bag. They had asked if they could go through her bag. She had consented.
    A paramedic had checked out her neck. A police photographer had taken photos of her neck and the arm bruises. It got bad. They took samples from her hands, but found no traces of any blood or medicine. Beth explained he had told her to clean her hands. They checked the sink, again finding no traces.
    Although the bag was missing from the waste can, there was no trace of anything on the tray. There were no fingerprints or handprints on the broken cabinet. From the items taken, it was hard to pin point exactly what he was after. The only prints in the room were hers or some of the Clinic staff.