Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center (31 page)

"I got a man here calling from a pay phone in Jackson Square.  Says he helped a man and a woman get away from a man with a ponytail.  You
want to talk
?"  The watch officer added, "The man said the couple asked him to call you."

"Hell, yes, get his location." 

"He's at Cafe du Monde.  Says you can recognize him easily.  He's a clown."

"A what?"  Francois' voice was incredulous.

"A clown, sir."  The watch commander's voice was deferential, without emotion.

"
What the fuck. 
Tell him I'll be there in ten minutes.  Tell him not to leave."

"Done.  Ten-four."

Francois pulled out his siren and raced towards Jackso
n Square.  He made record time and soon pulled
up to the curb next to the Cafe.  The clown was there all right. 
He sat
at a table
as he drank cafe au lait and ate
a beignet.

"Who
the hell
are you?"  Francois demanded after sitting down at the clown's table.

"Who are you?" the clown mimicked.  "Got any ID?"

Francois felt a grudging respect and pulled out his badge and ID.  The c
lown read it carefully and matched
the picture ID with the Captain's face.  He seemed satisfied and said, "They told me to call you.  So I did.  I hit the man in the head."

"Wait a minute, one thing at a time.  Who are 'they'?  Let's take this nice and slow so I understand."  Francois' heart was beating fast.

"Alex and her man
friend.  She said her name was Alex and told me to come to CCMC next week so she could reward me for saving her.  The man was nice too.  He shook my hand."

"What'd the man look like?"

"Oh, sort of tall, slender, had light colored hair.  Talked like a native."

"What did the other man look like
, the bad one
?"  Even though Francois was pretty sure who it was, he wanted confirmation.  

"Tall, real big, and powerful.  Dark hair with a ponytail.  Mean face, real cold looking.  I hit him in the head with the club I usually carry.  He was lying in the gutter
,
and I was going to hit him again before I called you.  He must've come to without me knowing it.  I turned my head, just for a second to see if I could see Alex
,
and he kicked me in my privates.  Knocked me over with pain.
Bastard.
That's when he took off."

"Where'd Alex and her friend go?"

"Don't know, just headed down Bourbon.  Must've gone in somewhere, 'cause when I looked up they were gone."

Francois sat for a few minutes
and looked
at the clown.  "What's your name?"  Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Francois could remember stories about a ma
n who roamed the French Quarter.  He was
dressed as a clown or a pirate, a good
Samaritan
of sorts.  He wondered if this could be the man.  "I asked your name."  Francois's voice was brusque.

"I'm Frank.  I live over on Dauphine."

"Have a last name?"

"Nope.  Never have.
Wouldn’t tell you if I did.
You can find me through Steve at the Maison Bourbon."

"Okay, Frank.  Listen, here's my card.  If you see this man again, call me.  You'll be able to recognize him, right?"

"Sure.  Nice to meet
an
honest New Orleans cop.  Thanks for coming."

Francois smiled at the weary cl
own, "Thanks, Frank.  This man with the pony tail is
really
bad.  Better go home and change to your pirate's outfit.
I don’t doubt he’d come back for you.
He'd love to kill you.
I’d lay low for a while.
"

"
Yeah, OK.
Thanks for the tip.  I'll do just that."  The men shook hands as they parted.

As Francois returned to
his vehicle, his cell rang and as he grabbed it he felt
a flood of relief when he heard Alex's voice on the other end.  "I'll be right there.  Sit tight."

Francois displayed his badge for Steve, who motioned for him to come into the back room.  When Steve pushed the button for the ancient elevator, Francois broke out into a sweat.

"There's got to be another way to get up there.  Don't you have some steps or something.  These old things give me the creeps.  Ain't you violating the fire code?"

"Nope, sorry.  Building's been like this for years.  Predates the building code.  This old baby looks worse than it is.  She usually makes it."  Steve was studying the captain carefully.

Francois continued to sweat as the elevator came to a screeching halt in the back room.  His heart almost stopped when he noticed that the elevator had lodged almost a foot below the entry level.  Steve opened the door and urged the Captain to jump on.  Francois felt his knees buckle as Steve punched the button for the third floor.  "Are you okay, Captain?"

They started their slow as
c
ent.  "How long before we get there?"  Francois said as he unbuttoned his collar.

"Just a few seconds.  Sure you're okay, Captain?  You don't have any
chest pain or anything, do you? Are you breathing
okay
?”

"No, I'm okay
’, Jack gasped
. 
“
I just have a phobia about these things.  Got shut in one when I was a kid.  Never have worked through it."

In an effort to divert Jack’s anxiety, Steve started an idle conversation.

"Sure seems like a busy Mardi Gras.  This place's been packed.
These people are
drinking like fish.
I've never seen so much
booze go down people's throats so quickly.
Should be a profitable weekend for me.  Any special activities planned for crowd control?"

"Nah,
just the same old thing.  No glass, weapons.  Anything and everything else goes. 
Business
is good?"

"You bet.  I'm busier now than last year on Fat Tuesday.  Wish I'd raised prices.  Every taxi driver I've talked to has turned down at least four loads tonight.  Every hotel's filled.  I, for one, am a happy man."  Steve was smiling.  

"Are Alex and Bonnet okay?"

"Yep.  They're a little shook up, had a real nasty go of it with
that bastard
.  Chased the
m
all the way from Alex's house.  Sounds like he was going to kill them."

"No question about it in my book.  Shit, is this thing close to getting us to the third floor?"  Jack broke out in a fresh sweat.

"Almost there, another minute
or
so.  Relax, I ride this sucker two, three times a day.  I get it serviced every six months.  Those guys over at Otis Elevator swear it's the best elevator in all New Orleans."  The elevator groaned and came to a grinding halt.  Steve opened the door.

Francois hopped out in a flash, his eyes sweeping the room. "I'm sure glad to see you both," the captain's voice boomed as he relished the open space.

"Jack, he almost got us.  The ponytailed man.  We were saved by two dogs and a clown."
  Alex couldn’t believe how ridiculous she sounded.

"I know.  Just talked with Frank.  You all right?"

"Yes," Alex replied, "Thanks to Steve for hid
ing us.  You two met?"  

"Yeah, on the forty minute ride up on that albatross of an elevator.  Bonnet, you okay?"  Francois extended his hand.

Robert clasped Francois' hand.  "Sure am glad to see
you.  You look a little winded
though."
R
obert's practiced physician's eye was scanning Francois disheveled, sweaty appearance.  His face was beet red, and he was a little short of breath.

“I thought he was gonna stroke out on the way up,” Steve reported.

"Yeah, I feel like I just tangled with an iron monster."

Steve interrupted.  "The good captain doesn't like my elevator.  Broke into
a
sweat while we were coming up
and
he was
short of breath
.  I told him we'd be okay, but he acted like
he'd rather tangle with your ponytailed buddy.  I was afraid he was going to pass out."

"Oh shit, I'm fine.  I just hate elevators.  You don't need to do that, Robert."

Bonnet had grabbed the captain's wrist and was counting his pulse.  "Just sit down a minute and rest, Jack.  Your pulse is racing.  Thank goodness I don't have a blood p
ressure cuff.  When this is
over,
you’re coming to my office
for a physical
.
"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Sure I am.
When this is all over, we'll talk.  Tell me everything that happened, from the top."

Alex and Robert took turns telling the story.  Between the two of them, no detail was overlooked.  The Captain asked numerous questions and took notes.  Alex almost cried when he told her that both dogs were dead.

"Oh, no.  Peter'll be so sad.  He let them go to help us.  Did he call 911?" 

"
Peter knows and he is
heartbroken
. 
Don't know
who called 911
.  Your house is pretty wrecked.  Is there something in your apartment he could've been looking for?  It looks like he went through a pile of papers
in your office and
beside your chaise lounge
,
and he also pulled out some drawers in your kitchen.  Any idea what he wanted?"  The Captain looked at Alex directly.

Alex searched her mind and tried
to visualize her home office.
"I can't think of a thing.  I have some files from the hospital, but I don't think any of them would interest him.  Let me think about it. There's an address book by the phone in the kitchen."

"I don't remember seeing it, but I left the uniforms to dust for prints.  I'll call in and ask."  Captain Francois reached for the phone.

"Wait a minute, I think I know.  Mitch called me at two.  Was the tape in the answering machine?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't know Alex.  I was intent on finding you, so I didn't stay too long.  What'd Mitch say?"

"He said he was out of town, but he'll see me at the Extravaganza tonight.  He also said not to tell anyone I'd heard from him.  Do you think the ponytail's after Mitch?"

"I'm sure he
i
s.  Was Mitch's conversation recorded on the tape?"

"Yes.  I didn't pick up until the third ring and the machine picked up, too.  It's all there."

"Let me call in."  Francois called the crime team, while Alex and Robert sat on the sofa.  Steve had retreated into the kitchen to make more coffee.  Robert and Alex could tell from the
captain's conversation that both the address book and the answering machine tape were missing.

After Captain Francois hung up
the phone, Alex and Robert pressed
him for details.  "Your address book and answering machine tape are both gone.  They c
ouldn't g
et any prints, h
e
probably wore gloves."

"Damn, my address book had everything in it.  Numbers for my grandparents, family, friends."  Alex had risen from the sofa.  "Do you think he'll try to get at any of my family or my friends?
I couldn’t live with myself if something happened….
" 

Francois' voice was curt
because he knew the ponytailed guy would do anything and go to any length to get what he wanted.
  "You've got to calm down.  This isn't helping." 

"My phone book's my life line."

Francois held up his hands.  "Alex, I think it's okay.  He doesn't have a lot of time to hassle people.  I don't think he's going to bother your family or friends, unless it's to find you.  Who's in the book locally?"  Your family isn't local, is it?"

"No, they're in Virginia.  Robert, I have to call my grandfather in the morning.  He threatened to come out here if he didn't hear from me.  Jack, everybody's in there.  Elizabeth from work,
Bridgett
my secretary.  I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to them."  Alex was interrupted by the phone ringing.  

Steve answered the phone.  "Who is it," he said into the receiver.  "It's for you."  Steve handed the phone to Francois who looked embarrassed. 

"Sorry.  I gave out the number on the phone."

"It's okay.  I don't mind. I'll change it again next week." 

Francois smiled and picked up the phone.  "Yeah,
yeah
, that's good.  What, who was it?  Yeah.  Interesting.  I'll check back shortly.  I'll need a place to hide two people out for today.  Check it out.  Sounds pretty saf
e."  Francois
slowly hung up the phone
while
Alex
paced impatiently wanting to know the other end of the conversation.