Irrefutable (14 page)

“No sir, but you did threaten my partner. For that I don’t need a warrant.”

Levine glared at Alex.

“So, you can come along peacefully, or we can charge you with making a threat to a peace officer and you still come with us. Either way, it’s your choice.” Alex said

“Can I at least put my car in the garage?”

“Yes sir, you may.” Alex stood in the garage opening to block the sensor in case Levine tried to close the garage and escape inside his house.

The drive to the station was quiet. Alex tried to make small talk. “That’s a nice Vette. What year is it?”

“Did you really come to talk about my car?”

“No, not that one anyway.” Alex said.

“What does that mean, Not that one?”

“Maybe we should just wait until we get to the station to talk.” Alex said. No one spoke for the remainder of the trip.

“Who’s this?” Phelps asked as Alex led Levine to the interview room.

“This is the ER doctor that was on duty when one of the victims came in.”

“Why is he here?”

“I just want to ask him a few questions?” Alex said.

Phelps frowned then walked away.

Alex opened the door to the small room and motioned for Levine to have a seat in a chair on the far side of the small table.

“Why am I here?” Levine asked, as Alex sat opposite him.

Alex was not one to beat around the bush. “You’re here because you fit the psychological profile of the suspect in the three rape cases. And quite frankly, you act suspicious. If you remember, you became very defensive, when I asked questions about one of the cases.”

“I want to speak with my attorney.”

“You’re not under arrest doctor.”

“Then I demand that you release me.” Levine raised his voice.

“Dr. Levine, you’re not being held.” Alex said, “You’re here because you agreed to answer our questions.”

“If that’s the case, then I am finished. This interview is over.” Levine stood to leave.

“Sit down doctor.” Alex said without looking up. “We still have the matter of you threatening my partner.”

Levine slowly returned to his seat. “Am I a suspect in the rapes?”

“Let’s say you’re a person of interest.” Alex said. “We don’t have any evidence to link you to any of the victims, so you can relax. I’m simply doing my job. I have to follow every lead, no matter how unlikely it is. It may just be coincidence that you fit the profile. I’m sure there are dozens of men in this city that would fit some aspects of it.”

“Then why aren’t they in here?”

“We’ll get to them if need be, but there are a few things that made you stand out.”

“Like what?”

“The other day, I came to ask you about a urine sample on one of the victims. Why didn’t you just answer the question without becoming defensive?”

“You asked in an accusatory manner.” Levine said.

“Can you answer now?” Alex said. “Why didn’t you order a urine drug screen on her, when you told me yourself that she may have been drugged?”

“Because there are protocols in place that dictate the procedures for dealing with sexual assaults.” Levine slumped back in his chair. “My job is to evaluate the victims from a medical standpoint. Whether she had been drugged or not, was a criminal matter that should be dealt with by the nurse with whom the responsibility for the collection of evidence lies.”

“So the fact that she had no memory of the attack had no medical bearing on your decision of whether to keep her for observation or to releases her?

“She was lucid during her stay in the emergency department. It was my opinion that she was in no danger as a result of any medication she may or may not have been given.”

“Do doctors have the option to order urine drug screens on a victim, even though the legal responsibility lies with the nurse?”

“We could if we saw the need.”

Alex looked at his notepad for several seconds, then back to Levine. “Where did you buy your Mercedes?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well doctor, as it turns out, all three victims had just purchased new cars from the Lexus/Mercedes dealership. You know, the one that had the financial files hacked? All three women were on the list of people whose files were stolen.”

Levine didn’t respond.

“So, where did you buy it?”

“I bought it from the same place.” Levine raised his voice. “What does that tell you detective?”

“Well, it’s funny. We have the records from that dealership. You bought your car in November of last year, but your financial files weren’t compromised.”

“And…” Levine shrugged.

“We’ve looked over these records several times. Every person that bought a new car since September is on the list of files that were stolen, except you. Can you explain that?”

“I paid cash.” Levine said with a smirk. “Am I being charged with something?”

Alex’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. “Out here.” Phelps said, motioning for Alex to join him in the hall. Alex excused himself from the room and closed the door behind him.

“Cut him loose.”

Alex started to protest but Phelps interrupted him. “You don’t have anything on him. Let him go. Now.”

Alex returned to the room where Levine was already standing to leave. “We’re watching you.” Alex said.

“That’s probably a wise choice.” Levine said looking Alex in the eye. “But you can’t be everywhere.” He gave Alex a wink, and walked toward the door. “By the way, I do need a ride home.”

“We’ll call you a cab.”

Chapter Eighteen

It appeared on the right. High up on the wall near the ceiling and moved slowly to the left, toward the corner, then across the wall in front of her. It was shaped like the arched window above the front door. Carmen was used to the moving lights made by the sun reflecting off the windows of passing cars. She usually didn’t notice them, but this one caught her attention. It moved much slower than usual. She looked up from her book and watched it until it disappeared, just before reaching the corner on the left side of the room. She watched the wall for a few moments then her attention returned to her book.

Her American History final was tomorrow and she had a bad habit of waiting until the last possible minute to cram the day before an exam.

After a few paragraphs, the light returned, this time on the left, the same spot from where it disappeared earlier. Carmen looked up from her book again. The light moved slowly to the right and stopped, just short of the corner. She watched for a few moments, waiting for it to move on. It didn’t. She stood from the couch and walked to the window. Using her fingers, she parted the drape just enough to see. The car was stopped directly in front of the house. She didn’t recognize it. She tried to see the driver but sun reflecting off the tinted windows made it impossible.

“Maybe they’re just lost.” She said aloud to herself. Then, the car slowly drove away.

Carmen jumped at the sound of her cell phone ringing.

“Hey Dad,” Carmen answered. “What’s up?”

“”I just wanted to let you know I’ll be a little late getting home. Go ahead and fix yourself something to eat and I’ll be there when I’m done.”

Carmen returned to the couch. “Want me to fix anything for you?”

“I don’t know how long I’ll be. Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure it out when I get there.”

“Okay.” Carmen sighed.

“Everything going okay?” he asked.

“Fine. I’m just studying for my history final.”

“Okay, I gotta go. Stay inside and keep the doors locked. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.” She said, rolling her eyes.

Carmen tried once again to find her focus in the dry history book. It wasn’t something she was interested in, in the first place, but the interruptions made it that much harder to concentrate.

As she read, her eye once again caught the light as it appeared on the wall to her right. And, once again it moved slowly to her left and stopped near the corner. Carmen tossed her book on the couch beside her and ran to the window. The car was back. This time it was stopped against the curb on the far side of the street. Carmen swallowed hard as her heart began to pound in her chest. Who was this and why did they keep stopping in front of her house? She drew in a deep breath and opened the door. She walked quickly toward the street, dreading the confrontation but compelled to find out who was so interested.

As she approached the street the car suddenly sped away, but not before she read the license plate. She stood on the sidewalk, still, silent, hearing only the pounding of her own heart. She repeated the plate number out loud several times. She made her way back inside the house, watching to be sure the car didn’t return. Inside, she grabbed her pen and wrote the number on a piece of notebook paper.

She dialed her father’s number. “Someone drove by the house a couple of times. They stopped once then drove off, but they came back a minute ago.” she said, sounding out of breath. “They parked on the other side of the street. I wanted to find out who it was so I went outside. They took off when they saw me.”

“I told you to stay inside and keep the doors locked.”

“I had to find out who it was.” she said. “I got the license number.”

“Give it to me. I’ll run it and see who it is.”

Carmen read the number to him. “It was a black Mercedes. I recognized the emblem on the back.” She held her hand out flat in front of her, surprised at how badly she was shaking.

“Stay inside and lock the door. Don’t go out if they come back.” He said. “Do you hear me? Stay in the house.”

“I’ll stay inside. I promise.”

_________

Alex typed the numbers into the department of motor vehicles’ data base and read the results.

Year model/make/color: 2009 Mercedes Benz, E-350, Black.

Registered owner: Levine, Jacob M.

Alex’s pulse quickened. He dialed Carmen’s number.

“Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice answering system…”

“Dammit.” Alex hung up and dialed again, and again his call went to voicemail. “Gotta go,” he announced to whoever was listening.

“What’s going on?” Samuels asked.

Alex didn’t answer or look back. He headed for the door.

Samuels walked to Alex’s desk. She looked at the computer screen for a clue to what was happening. She saw the display of Levine’s information. She shrugged and returned to her desk.

The grey Crown Victoria sped through the city streets, weaving between lanes, passing cars. Alex tried again to call Carmen, but still no answer. His mind raced. He pictured the possible scenarios. Levine could have returned and she’d been taken, or she could be on the phone with a friend. He couldn’t help but think the worst.

Traffic was getting heavier. He flipped a switch and the red and blue strobes began to flash in the grill and above the visors. The traffic light turned red in front of him. He hit the button on the siren a few times, creating several short yelps. Traffic parted and he accelerated through the intersection. As he approached his street he turned off the strobes. He could see no cars in front of his house. He pulled up, left the car running and the driver’s door open. He drew his weapon and ran to the front door. It was locked. He knocked. He was ready to kick it in when Carmen unlocked and opened the door.

“Are you okay?” He said as he entered the house with his gun in front of him, walking toward the kitchen then the bedrooms.

“Dad, I’m fine. What are you doing?”

“I tried to call you but could only get your voice mail.” He said as he placed his weapon back in the holster on his belt.

“I was talking to Janet. What’s going on?” she asked.

“The tag number you gave me came back to Dr. Levine.”

“Who?”

“The ER doctor.” Alex said, through heavy breath. “The one you saw when you hurt your ankle. I brought him in to answer a few questions today. He wasn’t happy.”

“Questions about what?”

“Sit down for a minute.” he told her. “I don’t want to scare you but you need to be aware. I had some questions about the rape cases I’m working on.”

The color drained from Carmen’s face as she stared at her father in disbelief. “Are you telling me you think he rapes people?”

“He fits the profile and…”

“And you piss him off while I’m home alone?”

“Carmen, sweetheart…”

“Is that what you’re telling me?” she was crying now, afraid, trembling.

“I didn’t know he would respond this way.” Alex tried to comfort her. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Right, like you didn’t let anything happen to Mom.” Carmen ran to her room and slammed the door behind her.

Alex stared silently toward her door. He was relieved that she was safe, but at the same time, the sharp edge of her words, cut him to his very core. He sat on the edge of the couch and wiped a tear from his eye.

“She didn’t mean that.” Allyson said, standing beside him, looking toward Carmen’s room. “You do know that, Right? She’s just upset.”

“I know. I do my best to protect her.”

“I know you do. You would never let anything happen to her.”

“I would die first.”