Irrefutable (12 page)

Chapter Sixteen

His sleep was interrupted by his cell phone. He probed at the night stand, searching blindly for his phone. “Mendez.” He looked at the glowing red numbers of the alarm clock. It was twelve forty. Alex had only been asleep for an hour. “I’ll be there in fifteen.” Alex washed his face and got dressed. He looked in on Carmen who was sleeping soundly. He wrote a short note telling her where he had gone then headed for the hospital.

A female uniformed officer greeted Alex as he approached the door to the exam room. “The nurse said it looks like the same assailant.” she said.

“Does she remember anything?”

“She’s pretty groggy. She remembers leaving her office after work around nine-thirty and was pushed to the ground from behind before she got to her car.” the officer explained. “Next thing she knew, she was naked and lost. A woman found her sitting on the side of the road out by the old marina. She called us.”

“The marina seems to be a favorite dumping ground.” Alex said. “So no description or any details?”

“That’s all she could tell us.”

Janet came from the exam room. “Hey detective. Looks like number three, I’m afraid. She’s definitely got something on board. She’s pretty out of it.

“That’s what I hear.” He handed Janet the evidence kit along with a small, sealed plastic cup. “I need a urine sample this time.”

“Sure thing.” she said. “So, I hear there may be a connection to a car dealership. Are they really related?”

“Where did you hear that?”

“On the radio. I heard your press conference.”

“I told them that we had no evidence of a connection but I guess it doesn’t matter what they are told. They report what they want.”

“So is it true?”

Alex took a deep breath. “Not a word. Okay?”

“Hey, my lips are sealed.” Janet said.

“The first two victims’ names were on a list of files stolen from the dealership’s computer. We’ve collected DNA samples from most of the male employees, but we don’t have any results yet. It’ll take a while to run all of them.”

“So, that’s how he’s choosing his victims?”

“It’s just a theory were working on. I do have another idea or two, but I can’t go into that right now.”

Janet looked down at the counter top. “Well, my patient should be ready. I’ll be out in a little while.” She knocked on the exam room door then disappeared inside.

Alex turned toward the officer, “Do you have her info?”

“Her name is Tracy Blackwell. She is co-owner of Prestige Financial, a mortgage brokerage here in town.”

“Do you have her address?”

“Let’s see, she lives at twenty four twelve Cypress Court. I believe that’s in The Cove.”

“That’s interesting,” Alex said. “Not only have all the victims lived in The Cove, but they are all connected to the real estate business. We have a real estate attorney, and real estate broker and a mortgage broker.”

“You think someone has a bone to pick over a house?”

“It may be nothing, but it’s an awfully interesting coincidence. I’ll bet she just bought a new car too, probably a Mercedes or Lexus.”

“I wonder if her name is on that list you were talking about.” the officer said.

“I’ll be surprised if she isn’t. Where is her office?”

“On Montague, next to the First State Bank.”

“A bank huh? Do the parking lots connect?” Alex said, his heart suddenly beating faster.

“I’m not sure. Why?”

“Because if it is, there may be security cameras covering the lot. There’s a chance that the whole thing was captured on video.”

Alex walked outside and dialed his phone. “This is detective Mendez. I need Sean Miller’s phone number, he works in the lab.” He wrote the number on the small notepad he kept in his pocket. “Thanks.” He hung up and dialed the number. “Sean, Hey, sorry to wake you, this is Mendez. I’ve got a question. Can you analyze video from a security camera?”

“It depends. Inside or outside?”

“Outside a bank.”

“We can watch it, but typically, the outside cameras are pretty low resolution. If it needs to be enhanced for detail we’ll have to send it out. Why?” Sean said.

“We’ve got a third victim, but I think we may have caught the attack on a bank security camera. I’m going when they open and see if anything was recorded. I’ll let you know if there’s anything to look at.”

Janet interviewed the woman, asking the routine questions about current sexual partners, medical history and life style. After which she took photographs to document the injuries to her face and hands and any other visual evidence. Janet then opened the evidence kit and did a quick inventory of the items. “Okay Ms. Blackwell, I’m going to start the exam now. I’ll tell you everything I’m going to do before I do it. Okay?”

“Yes, alright.”

Janet arranged the swabs and began the procedure. She took the blood tube from her pocket, opened the top and poured a small amount of cloudy liquid onto the pad that was under the patient. After performing the other swabs, Janet took a fresh swab and rolled the tip in the liquid she had poured from the tube. She placed the swab into the protective cover and sealed it. “All finished.” She said.

“That wasn’t so bad.” Ms. Blackwell said.

Janet gave her a set of paper scrubs to wear until she could replace them with her own clothes, she wished her well.

Alex had long since finished his coffee when Janet emerged from the room. “Except for the names, it’s like the identical case all three times. This guy’s nothing if not consistent.” She handed him the closed evidence kit and chain-of-custody form.

“Did you get urine?”

“I had to cath her, but I got it. The doc wanted a sample sent too.”

“Who’s the doc on tonight?” Alex asked.

“Dr. Meade. She’s from out of town, filling in for Parker. She seems pretty sharp.”

“Why’d she want the urine?”

“Just like the others, this lady can’t remember anything, so she ordered a urine drug screen.”

“When will the results come back?”

“An hour or so, but I can’t tell you what they are. It’s part of the patient’s medical record.”

“Yeah, I know, HIPPA.” He said. “So, are you finished with her?”

“I’m finished. You can talk to her now.”

“Okay. I just have a few questions. Are you working or just here on call?”

“I’m just on call tonight. Why?” she said.

“I wondered if we could sit down and talk for a few minutes, after I see the victim.”

“Sure, I suppose.”

“Good. Just give me five minutes. I’ll be right back.”

Alex entered the room and introduced himself. He asked her the routine questions and filled in the information he needed for his report. He assured her that they would find her attacker, wished her well and excused himself.

Janet was waiting for him when he exited the room. “So what did you want to talk about?I already have a boyfriend you know.” She said smiling.

“Let’s walk down and get some coffee.”

“Sure. You know, too much caffeine can cause an irregular heartbeat.” she told him, as they walked toward the cafeteria.

“On the contrary,” he said “Sometimes I think it’s the only thing that keeps mine beating at all.”

Janet smiled. “What’s on your mind detective?”

“How much do you know about Dr. Levine?”

Janet stopped and looked at Alex. “More than I’d like. Why?”

“I’m just curious. Would you say he’s a good doctor?”

“I guess he’s competent, if that’s what you mean.”

“What about his personality? Is he appropriate, you know, in his interactions with people?”

“He has a good bedside manner. I mean, he’s good with his patients.”

“What about the staff? Does he get along with the people he works with?”

“Well, personally, I find him irritating. He’s way is too open about his personal life.”

Alex tried to hide a snicker. Pot and Kettle, he thought. “Open about what?”

“He makes sure everyone knows about his divorces. It’s like he’s looking for sympathy or something. Kinda creepy if you ask me. Why the sudden interest in him?”

Alex opened the door to the cafeteria and motioned for Janet to go first. He looked to be sure no one else was in the room. “I came up here to talk to him the other day, just to follow up on one of the victims. I asked about a urine drug screen on one. He said he hadn’t ordered one. When I asked why, he became very defensive.”

“What did he say?”

“He asked who the hell I was to question how he practiced medicine. All I wanted to know was, if he suspected a possible drug being used, why hadn’t he tried to find out what it was.”

“And you think he might be trying to hide something?”

“I don’t know.” Alex said as he poured a cup of coffee. “It just sent up a red flag. You know? I mean if you forgot, just say you forgot. But he made this big scene. I think he’s unstable.”

“We’ve all thought that for a long time.” Janet said. “He gets so mad when we call him Cliff Clavin. We’re just teasing him, but he has no sense of humor at all.”

“How is he with computers?” Alex asked.

Janet looked at him. “Oh my God, he’s a suspect?”

“Shhh, not so loud.” Alex cautioned. “We got a criminal profile from a forensic psychiatrist. Let’s just say there are some interesting similarities.”

“Like what?” Janet covered her mouth and looked around to make sure no one heard.

“Well, according to Dr. Reynolds…”Alex said

“Elizabeth Reynolds?”

“Yes, you know her?”

“Yeah, she’s my shrink. You know, I have some issues from my past.”

“Right, anyway, she thinks our suspect has, how’d she put it, difficulty establishing or maintaining personal relationships, and may over compensate by being too open or talkative around the opposite sex.”

“Yep. That’s him. What else?”

“She thinks he’s been divorced several times and feels the need to strike out at women who he sees the same as those who hurt him. And he never takes the blame for failed relationships. It’s always the other persons fault.”

“Son of a bitch.” She said. “Sorry, son of a gun. Now that you mention it, he’s always messing with some new electronic gadget. And the other day, when it was on the news about the files being stolen from that car dealer, he was talking about how it wouldn’t be that hard to do. All you needed was some spy bug to send to the other computer and have it send you back information or something like that.”

“Well, I don’t want anyone to know we’re looking at him, especially him. And it may be nothing, I mean, I don’t have any evidence at all that would tie him to any of these cases, but I’ve got to look at all the possibilities.”

Janet stared straight ahead, “Wow.” She sipped her coffee.

“You know, tonight, we may have caught the abduction on video.” Alex said.

Janet coughed suddenly, blowing coffee all over the table. “I’m sorry,” she managed between coughs, “went down the wrong pipe.”

Alex pulled a handful of napkins from the dispenser and wiped down the table.

“I’m so sorry. Did I get it on you?” she asked, wiping her face and chin.

“I don’t think so, just the table.” Alex furrowed his brow.

“How did you get it on video?”

“It happened next door to a bank. I think the outside security cameras may have filmed the whole thing. I’m going first thing in the morning to look at the video.”

Janet had a look of concern that gave Alex an uneasy feeling.

“Why do you look so worried?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m just thinking,” she looked down at her cup, “surely he knew there would be cameras if he was next to a bank. It seems he is getting either very careless or very brazen. That’s a little scary.”

_________

Alex parked in the rear lot reserved for bank personnel. After walking the perimeter of the building, finding the location of each camera, he observed the parking lot where Tracy Blackwell had been attacked. He could see two security cameras from this area. Now he just needed to see how much, if any, of the abduction was captured. He returned to his car and waited for the first employees to arrive.

A car entered the lot from the far end. Alex watched as the woman parked in a space some distance from the door. He exited his car and walked toward the door of the building to meet the woman.

“Good morning.” Alex greeted, holding his badge for the woman to see. “My name is Detective Mendez. I’m investigating an abduction that occurred last night in the parking lot next door. I need to see if there was anything captured on the bank’s security cameras.”

The woman, who was carrying a stack of file folders, raised her left hand to block the morning sun from her eyes. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to talk to the manager about that.” the woman said. She turned to point at the parking space nearest the building, “He’ll park there when he gets here.”