Murders & Romance, page 25
“That’s no surprise. Chicks don’t like the Vegas wedding route for some reason.”
“I’ve noticed that. Can’t imagine what turns them off about it.”
“I’ll tell you what turns them off about a Vegas wedding.”
Isaac and Pete both turned to see Gavin Hayes standing at their desks.
“What’s that, Lieu?”
“It’s not special enough. Women want their weddings to be special, and Vegas doesn’t feel special enough for them. Especially if she’s never been married before.”
Isaac pointed a finger at him.
“Now that makes sense. How do you know this stuff?”
“Well, I was married before, remember? I think every engaged man tries the Vegas weekend suggestion at least once during the wedding planning stage. I take it Sidney hated the idea?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“Well, not that your wedding woes aren’t important, but what’s going on in your mutilated college boys case? Got an update for me?”
Isaac and Pete glanced at each other.
“I’d like to say yes, but that’d be a flat out lie, sir. We’ve interviewed the family members and close associates of all three victims, not to mention the family of the young lady the three were accused of raping back in high school. None of it brought us any closer to a suspect.”
“You don’t have anyone of interest? After all that?”
“No, sir. Not yet.”
“How sure are you that these deaths are related to that old rape case?”
“Seeing as the killings were centered on those three men, and no one else is dead…”
“And the rape is the one thing all three boys had in common…” Pete interjected.
“We’re reasonably sure,” Isaac finished.
“Well, something’s not adding up, Sgt. I’d hate to tell you to start over and interview all those people again, but…”
“Don’t worry, Lieu. You know me. I’ll always find a new angle to explore. Even if I have to use my unconventional means to find it.”
“That’s good, because it seems we may need your unconventional means on this one.”
He gave Isaac a pointed look and then headed back to his office.
Isaac sighed and glanced at Pete.
“Is it time to touch the vics?”
Isaac rocked back in his chair and didn’t answer. He didn’t want to resort to touching the victims, not yet. He knew that eventually the time would come when he would have to use his abilities in that way again. But not now. This case didn’t warrant it. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.
There had to be something they were overlooking. Someone they were overlooking. They just hadn’t looked in the right place yet.
The right place.
He pointed a finger at Pete.
“What was it I asked you to make note of about the institution?”
Pete picked up his cellphone and checked his notes.
“That we need to go back there and ask about Amber’s regular visitors.”
“Right. Let’s do that. In fact, while we’re there let’s talk to every member of that staff that has regular contact with Amber.”
“You think one of them could be our killer?”
“I’m just trying to find a new angle to explore.”
“Let’s go.”
They got up and headed out.
Luckily, the traffic was just hitting that sweet spot between the morning rush and the lunch rush where things calmed down and moved at a nice normal pace for a couple of hours. He loved it when things weren’t bumper-to-bumper.
They made it to the Lakewood Mental Institution in record time. Inside at the front desk, Isaac flashed his badge at the same receptionist from the other day.
“Detective Sgt. Ike Taylor, this is my partner, Detective Pete Vega.”
“Yes, I remember. What can I do for you today, Detectives?”
“Well, we’ll be needing a number of things actually. First, we’d like a list of everyone who has visited with Amber Camden in the last six months.”
“Oh. I’m not sure if that information is restricted.”
“It’s a matter of public record, ma’am, not part of Amber’s medical file. It’s not restricted information, and I will come back here with a court order if I have to.”
“Yes, sir.” The receptionist’s cheeks pinked up like she’d been slapped. “What else do you need?”
“We’re going to need to speak with anyone on staff who had regular contact with Amber Camden. Everyone who’s involved in taking care of her on a daily basis.”
“I’m going to need to consult with Josephine Turner for that. She handles the schedule and staff rotations, so she’d have that information.”
“Do what you gotta do.”
He fixed her with a steady stare, making it clear that they were not leaving until they got what they had come for. The girl picked up the phone and spoke softly into it. He couldn’t hear what was said, but watched her float a few nervous glances up his way.
Two minutes later, the same stocky corn-fed woman from their last visit came around the corner wearing a frustrated scowl.
“Detectives? You’ve come back?”
“Nurse Turner, sorry to bother you again.”
“Not at all. Lindsey is going to make a copy of Amber’s visitors log for you.” She motioned to the receptionist. “I understand you wish to speak with any staff who helped take care of Amber?”
“That’s right.”
“May I ask why?”
“We’re investigating a triple homicide. The CPD believes in leaving no stone unturned when it comes to murder.”
“Of course. Well, that’s quite a few people over the course of her time here. We are talking years, after all. How far back would you like me to go?”
“Let’s say the last six months.”
“Very well. I can set you up in the boardroom if you like. You can conduct your interviews in there.”
“That would be great. Thank you.”
She led them down the hall to a small room where the long, polished table and chairs dominated the space.
“We have our staff meetings in here, so you should be comfortable. And it should give you ample privacy for your interviews. I’ll send in the first in a few moments. Would you like the others in fifteen minute intervals?”
“Just send in the first. We’ll let you know when we’re done and ready for the next.”
“Very good.”
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
Josephine only gave a curt nod. Then she turned and left the room.
“There is something about that woman that I can’t put my finger on.” Pete stared at the door she’d just disappeared through. “But I feel like she’s hiding something.”
Isaac looked at Pete and grinned.
“Your instincts are getting better all the time, young padawan.”
Pete rolled his eyes at the term.
“Oh, so now you’re the Jedi master?”
“That’s right.”
“Bullshit.”
“Well, one of us has been a detective for over nine years, while the other is still a little wet behind the ears. I think that makes me the Jedi master and you the padawan.”
“Whatever. You’re such a nerd.”
“Sticks and stones, Pete.”
“Grow up.”
Isaac huffed out a breath. “This coming from the same guy who teased me about whistling an hour ago?”
“The difference is that my teasing was funny. Yours is just awkward.”
“I am a very funny guy.”
“No, you’re not.”
“You’re just jealous because you don’t have my Jedi skills.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure I’d want your Jedi skills, Ike.”
Pete looked at him, and Isaac knew they weren’t talking about Jedi mind tricks. He sighed and glanced over at the door before looking Pete in the eyes again.
“No. You would not.”
Pete nodded and a moment passed between them.
“So… you think there’s something fishy about Nurse Ratched too?”
“I do. She’s been very accommodating since we met her, but there is something. It’s in her tone of voice, the weight of her stare. Something about her just feels… off somehow. Almost like she’s trying too hard to be helpful. Maybe so that we won’t suspect her of anything.”
“She is a big, healthy girl.”
“Yes, she is. Although I’m not sure she’d possess the upper body strength to string up victim number one to that tree. Not by herself anyway.”
“Now there’s an angle we haven’t really discussed.”
“More than one person?”
“Yeah. I mean you mentioned Amber’s brothers possibly knowing who our killer is, but what about the possibility that they were actually in on it?”
“I think the possibility that the killer had help is more than good. I mean, think about it… victim number one was tied, spread eagled to a wide tree trunk. Hiroshi says the autopsy suggests that the victim was incapacitated by a blow to the head before he was strung up and killed. Now how much effort would it take for one person to handle all that dead weight? They’d have to subdue him, transport him, and then string him to that tree.”
“That’s a whole lot of work for just one person.”
“Yes, it is. Not saying it couldn’t be done, but… it’d sure be a hell of a lot easier with a second set of hands and muscle power, now wouldn’t it?”
Pete nodded just as someone knocked on the open door. They turned to see a male orderly standing in the doorway.
The man was of average height and build, and looked as though he were perturbed to have been summoned.
“I was told to come speak to the detectives in the boardroom.”
“Yes, sir. That’s us.” Isaac motioned for him to come in further. “I’m Detective Sgt. Ike Taylor. This is Detective Pete Vega. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”
The man stepped into the room, clearly guarded. Pete motioned for the man to sit at the head of the table.
“Your name, sir?”
“My name is Randy Luden. What’s this about?”
Isaac and Pete each took seats on either side of him.
“Mr. Luden, we’re investigating the murders of three men. Bobby Cook, Craig Wentworth, and Michael Rivers. Do you know any of them?”
Randy Luden shook his head.
“No. I don’t think so. Did they work here or something? Is that why you’re questioning us?”
“We’ll ask the questions, if you don’t mind. We understand you’ve had a hand in taking care of Amber Camden during her stay here. Is that right?”
“Amber Camden? Yeah, that’s right. I help get her out of bed and into her wheelchair. Stuff like that.”
“How long have you worked here, Mr. Luden?”
“Going on five years now, I guess.”
“So, you were here already when Amber Camden first came to stay here?”
“I suppose so.”
Isaac nodded. “And during that time, have you ever known Amber to speak?”
“No, sir. Amber never says nothing.”
“Does Amber ever get up and move around on her own?”
“No, sir. One of us always has to get her up and into her wheelchair or her bed. I mean, she can move and walk on her own. She just don’t want to no more.”
“She doesn’t want to?”
“No, sir. I heard her doctor say once that she’s just lost the will to do for herself. It’s like that old saying, you know? All the lights is on, but ain’t nobody home. It’s like Amber just ain’t home no more, and don’t nobody know if she’ll ever come back.”
Isaac nodded. It was way more information on Amber’s medical condition than they would likely get from anyone besides her doctor.”
“Mr. Luden, do you know how Amber came to be here?”
“Well, sure. Everybody here knows the story. Sad, sorry business, that was. Those boys got off scot free after what they done. It weren’t right.”
“No.” Isaac studied Randy Luden for a moment, assessing whether or not he might possess the upper body strength to pull off this heinous triple murder. “No, it wasn’t right. Mr. Luden, are you aware that those very same boys, young men now, were all recently murdered?”
He hesitated for a fraction of a beat.
“Well, yes, sir. I may have heard tale about that around here lately.”
“And what is that tale exactly? What are people saying about it around here?”
“Just that it was karma coming back to bite those boys where it hurts, is all. You won’t find no sympathy for ’em around here. No, sir.”
Isaac looked him in the eyes.
“So, you think they got what they deserved?”
“Alls I know is that if something like that happened to someone I loved, I’d want ’em dead. Wouldn’t you, Detective?”
Isaac stared Randy Luden in the eyes.
“I suppose I would.”
Randy Luden nodded in agreement.
“You wouldn’t happen to know who set that karma in motion, would you Mr. Luden?”
“No, sir.”
“Would you tell me if you did?”
Randy appeared to think about that for a moment.
“No, sir, I don’t think I would.”
Isaac glanced at Pete, who raised his eyebrows in response.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Luden. Please tell Nurse Turner we’re ready for the next one.”
They watched the man leave, and Pete rapped his knuckles on the tabletop.
“You believe he doesn’t know anything?”
“I do.” Isaac looked at him. “You don’t?”
“I don’t know. I mean, he didn’t seem like he had any special attachment to Amber or anything.”
“No, he didn’t. I get the feeling Randy Luden’s a man who comes to work, does his job, and goes home. He pays attention to the work gossip, but he’s not really a part of any of the hospital cliques. He knows what’s going on, but for the most part he stays out of the office politics.”
“Let me ask you something, Ike — padawan to Jedi master.”
Pete grinned, but Isaac could see the seriousness in his eyes.
“What?”
“All that you just said about Randy Luden…”
“Yeah?”
“Was all of that police work, or was there a certain amount of psychic Jedi mind tricks involved?”
Isaac put a quick stop to the curl of his lips and looked down at the table.
Part of his job as the senior detective was to teach his new partner everything he knew. And as the new sergeant of the homicide division, he felt like that obligation was now doubled. So he owed it to Pete to be honest. He looked his partner in the eyes.
“Pete, I’d be lying if I said the psychic thing didn’t play any part in me doing my job. It does. Every single day. Sometimes in small ways, sometimes in much bigger ways. It’s inevitable because I can’t turn it off. But honestly, that was mostly just watching and listening. The body language, the small tells that alert you when someone’s not being truthful, the voice inflection. All things you can and will pick up over time.”
“You make it look so easy.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“That’s how it was meant.”
“You gotta remember, I’ve been a detective for almost ten years now. I didn’t start out knowing everything. Hell, I still don’t know everything.”
“Yeah, well you…”
“Excuse me?”
They looked up to see a young woman, roughly in her late twenties or early thirties, standing in the doorway. She was short and pleasant looking with her starched white scrubs and blue cardigan. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail tied with a red ribbon. She even wore one of those old-fashioned nurses’ caps on her head. She looked as though tiny woodland creatures helped her get dressed in the mornings, like Snow White. If Snow White were a nurse in a mental ward.
“Hello. I was told to come speak with the detectives in the boardroom. I’m Freya Altman.”
“Come in, please.”
Isaac stood and motioned her to the seat Randy Luden had vacated. She took her seat and folded her hands in her lap.
“Is this about what happened to those three young men? The ones from the colleges?”
“As a matter of fact, it is.” Isaac took his seat and looked at her. “I’m Detective Sgt. Taylor; this is Detective Vega. What do you know about those three young men, Ms. Altman?”
“Only what they’re saying around here. That those are the three young men who hurt Amber Camden, and what they did to her sent her here.”
“So you didn’t know about that until the three men were murdered?”
“Well, I knew that something traumatic had happened to her, and I’d heard whispers and rumors ever since she came here, but I’d never gotten the full story until this week.”
“I see. And you take care of Amber often?”
“Oh, everyday just about. Well, during the daytime hours anyway. My shift is over at four.”
“So you’re usually working when Amber gets visitors, correct?”
“Yes. Oh, and she’s got a great support system. Her mother comes about twice each month. Her father too. And on her birthday, her whole family comes together with a cake and balloons. It’s so sweet. If only the poor girl would respond to them.”
“She never responds? Not to any of them?”
“No. So sad.”
“Ms. Altman, have you ever seen or heard Amber respond to anyone?”
She shook her head, but then stopped, and Isaac could see her thinking.
“Ms. Altman?”
“There was this one time…” Her voice trailed off, like she was trying to remember the details, or maybe just questioning what she’d witnessed.
“What happened?”
“I was walking by her room… you know, on my regular rounds to give out afternoon meds?”
“Yes.”
“It was the strangest thing. I heard someone talking, so I stuck my head in her room.”
She paused again, sparking Isaac’s impatience.
“And?”
“Well, her friend Danny was visiting. And he gave me the strangest look when I walked in. Almost worried like. I asked him if they were having a nice visit… you know, just being polite. And he joked that the conversation was a bit one-sided.”
“I’ve noticed that. Can’t imagine what turns them off about it.”
“I’ll tell you what turns them off about a Vegas wedding.”
Isaac and Pete both turned to see Gavin Hayes standing at their desks.
“What’s that, Lieu?”
“It’s not special enough. Women want their weddings to be special, and Vegas doesn’t feel special enough for them. Especially if she’s never been married before.”
Isaac pointed a finger at him.
“Now that makes sense. How do you know this stuff?”
“Well, I was married before, remember? I think every engaged man tries the Vegas weekend suggestion at least once during the wedding planning stage. I take it Sidney hated the idea?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“Well, not that your wedding woes aren’t important, but what’s going on in your mutilated college boys case? Got an update for me?”
Isaac and Pete glanced at each other.
“I’d like to say yes, but that’d be a flat out lie, sir. We’ve interviewed the family members and close associates of all three victims, not to mention the family of the young lady the three were accused of raping back in high school. None of it brought us any closer to a suspect.”
“You don’t have anyone of interest? After all that?”
“No, sir. Not yet.”
“How sure are you that these deaths are related to that old rape case?”
“Seeing as the killings were centered on those three men, and no one else is dead…”
“And the rape is the one thing all three boys had in common…” Pete interjected.
“We’re reasonably sure,” Isaac finished.
“Well, something’s not adding up, Sgt. I’d hate to tell you to start over and interview all those people again, but…”
“Don’t worry, Lieu. You know me. I’ll always find a new angle to explore. Even if I have to use my unconventional means to find it.”
“That’s good, because it seems we may need your unconventional means on this one.”
He gave Isaac a pointed look and then headed back to his office.
Isaac sighed and glanced at Pete.
“Is it time to touch the vics?”
Isaac rocked back in his chair and didn’t answer. He didn’t want to resort to touching the victims, not yet. He knew that eventually the time would come when he would have to use his abilities in that way again. But not now. This case didn’t warrant it. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.
There had to be something they were overlooking. Someone they were overlooking. They just hadn’t looked in the right place yet.
The right place.
He pointed a finger at Pete.
“What was it I asked you to make note of about the institution?”
Pete picked up his cellphone and checked his notes.
“That we need to go back there and ask about Amber’s regular visitors.”
“Right. Let’s do that. In fact, while we’re there let’s talk to every member of that staff that has regular contact with Amber.”
“You think one of them could be our killer?”
“I’m just trying to find a new angle to explore.”
“Let’s go.”
They got up and headed out.
Luckily, the traffic was just hitting that sweet spot between the morning rush and the lunch rush where things calmed down and moved at a nice normal pace for a couple of hours. He loved it when things weren’t bumper-to-bumper.
They made it to the Lakewood Mental Institution in record time. Inside at the front desk, Isaac flashed his badge at the same receptionist from the other day.
“Detective Sgt. Ike Taylor, this is my partner, Detective Pete Vega.”
“Yes, I remember. What can I do for you today, Detectives?”
“Well, we’ll be needing a number of things actually. First, we’d like a list of everyone who has visited with Amber Camden in the last six months.”
“Oh. I’m not sure if that information is restricted.”
“It’s a matter of public record, ma’am, not part of Amber’s medical file. It’s not restricted information, and I will come back here with a court order if I have to.”
“Yes, sir.” The receptionist’s cheeks pinked up like she’d been slapped. “What else do you need?”
“We’re going to need to speak with anyone on staff who had regular contact with Amber Camden. Everyone who’s involved in taking care of her on a daily basis.”
“I’m going to need to consult with Josephine Turner for that. She handles the schedule and staff rotations, so she’d have that information.”
“Do what you gotta do.”
He fixed her with a steady stare, making it clear that they were not leaving until they got what they had come for. The girl picked up the phone and spoke softly into it. He couldn’t hear what was said, but watched her float a few nervous glances up his way.
Two minutes later, the same stocky corn-fed woman from their last visit came around the corner wearing a frustrated scowl.
“Detectives? You’ve come back?”
“Nurse Turner, sorry to bother you again.”
“Not at all. Lindsey is going to make a copy of Amber’s visitors log for you.” She motioned to the receptionist. “I understand you wish to speak with any staff who helped take care of Amber?”
“That’s right.”
“May I ask why?”
“We’re investigating a triple homicide. The CPD believes in leaving no stone unturned when it comes to murder.”
“Of course. Well, that’s quite a few people over the course of her time here. We are talking years, after all. How far back would you like me to go?”
“Let’s say the last six months.”
“Very well. I can set you up in the boardroom if you like. You can conduct your interviews in there.”
“That would be great. Thank you.”
She led them down the hall to a small room where the long, polished table and chairs dominated the space.
“We have our staff meetings in here, so you should be comfortable. And it should give you ample privacy for your interviews. I’ll send in the first in a few moments. Would you like the others in fifteen minute intervals?”
“Just send in the first. We’ll let you know when we’re done and ready for the next.”
“Very good.”
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
Josephine only gave a curt nod. Then she turned and left the room.
“There is something about that woman that I can’t put my finger on.” Pete stared at the door she’d just disappeared through. “But I feel like she’s hiding something.”
Isaac looked at Pete and grinned.
“Your instincts are getting better all the time, young padawan.”
Pete rolled his eyes at the term.
“Oh, so now you’re the Jedi master?”
“That’s right.”
“Bullshit.”
“Well, one of us has been a detective for over nine years, while the other is still a little wet behind the ears. I think that makes me the Jedi master and you the padawan.”
“Whatever. You’re such a nerd.”
“Sticks and stones, Pete.”
“Grow up.”
Isaac huffed out a breath. “This coming from the same guy who teased me about whistling an hour ago?”
“The difference is that my teasing was funny. Yours is just awkward.”
“I am a very funny guy.”
“No, you’re not.”
“You’re just jealous because you don’t have my Jedi skills.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure I’d want your Jedi skills, Ike.”
Pete looked at him, and Isaac knew they weren’t talking about Jedi mind tricks. He sighed and glanced over at the door before looking Pete in the eyes again.
“No. You would not.”
Pete nodded and a moment passed between them.
“So… you think there’s something fishy about Nurse Ratched too?”
“I do. She’s been very accommodating since we met her, but there is something. It’s in her tone of voice, the weight of her stare. Something about her just feels… off somehow. Almost like she’s trying too hard to be helpful. Maybe so that we won’t suspect her of anything.”
“She is a big, healthy girl.”
“Yes, she is. Although I’m not sure she’d possess the upper body strength to string up victim number one to that tree. Not by herself anyway.”
“Now there’s an angle we haven’t really discussed.”
“More than one person?”
“Yeah. I mean you mentioned Amber’s brothers possibly knowing who our killer is, but what about the possibility that they were actually in on it?”
“I think the possibility that the killer had help is more than good. I mean, think about it… victim number one was tied, spread eagled to a wide tree trunk. Hiroshi says the autopsy suggests that the victim was incapacitated by a blow to the head before he was strung up and killed. Now how much effort would it take for one person to handle all that dead weight? They’d have to subdue him, transport him, and then string him to that tree.”
“That’s a whole lot of work for just one person.”
“Yes, it is. Not saying it couldn’t be done, but… it’d sure be a hell of a lot easier with a second set of hands and muscle power, now wouldn’t it?”
Pete nodded just as someone knocked on the open door. They turned to see a male orderly standing in the doorway.
The man was of average height and build, and looked as though he were perturbed to have been summoned.
“I was told to come speak to the detectives in the boardroom.”
“Yes, sir. That’s us.” Isaac motioned for him to come in further. “I’m Detective Sgt. Ike Taylor. This is Detective Pete Vega. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”
The man stepped into the room, clearly guarded. Pete motioned for the man to sit at the head of the table.
“Your name, sir?”
“My name is Randy Luden. What’s this about?”
Isaac and Pete each took seats on either side of him.
“Mr. Luden, we’re investigating the murders of three men. Bobby Cook, Craig Wentworth, and Michael Rivers. Do you know any of them?”
Randy Luden shook his head.
“No. I don’t think so. Did they work here or something? Is that why you’re questioning us?”
“We’ll ask the questions, if you don’t mind. We understand you’ve had a hand in taking care of Amber Camden during her stay here. Is that right?”
“Amber Camden? Yeah, that’s right. I help get her out of bed and into her wheelchair. Stuff like that.”
“How long have you worked here, Mr. Luden?”
“Going on five years now, I guess.”
“So, you were here already when Amber Camden first came to stay here?”
“I suppose so.”
Isaac nodded. “And during that time, have you ever known Amber to speak?”
“No, sir. Amber never says nothing.”
“Does Amber ever get up and move around on her own?”
“No, sir. One of us always has to get her up and into her wheelchair or her bed. I mean, she can move and walk on her own. She just don’t want to no more.”
“She doesn’t want to?”
“No, sir. I heard her doctor say once that she’s just lost the will to do for herself. It’s like that old saying, you know? All the lights is on, but ain’t nobody home. It’s like Amber just ain’t home no more, and don’t nobody know if she’ll ever come back.”
Isaac nodded. It was way more information on Amber’s medical condition than they would likely get from anyone besides her doctor.”
“Mr. Luden, do you know how Amber came to be here?”
“Well, sure. Everybody here knows the story. Sad, sorry business, that was. Those boys got off scot free after what they done. It weren’t right.”
“No.” Isaac studied Randy Luden for a moment, assessing whether or not he might possess the upper body strength to pull off this heinous triple murder. “No, it wasn’t right. Mr. Luden, are you aware that those very same boys, young men now, were all recently murdered?”
He hesitated for a fraction of a beat.
“Well, yes, sir. I may have heard tale about that around here lately.”
“And what is that tale exactly? What are people saying about it around here?”
“Just that it was karma coming back to bite those boys where it hurts, is all. You won’t find no sympathy for ’em around here. No, sir.”
Isaac looked him in the eyes.
“So, you think they got what they deserved?”
“Alls I know is that if something like that happened to someone I loved, I’d want ’em dead. Wouldn’t you, Detective?”
Isaac stared Randy Luden in the eyes.
“I suppose I would.”
Randy Luden nodded in agreement.
“You wouldn’t happen to know who set that karma in motion, would you Mr. Luden?”
“No, sir.”
“Would you tell me if you did?”
Randy appeared to think about that for a moment.
“No, sir, I don’t think I would.”
Isaac glanced at Pete, who raised his eyebrows in response.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Luden. Please tell Nurse Turner we’re ready for the next one.”
They watched the man leave, and Pete rapped his knuckles on the tabletop.
“You believe he doesn’t know anything?”
“I do.” Isaac looked at him. “You don’t?”
“I don’t know. I mean, he didn’t seem like he had any special attachment to Amber or anything.”
“No, he didn’t. I get the feeling Randy Luden’s a man who comes to work, does his job, and goes home. He pays attention to the work gossip, but he’s not really a part of any of the hospital cliques. He knows what’s going on, but for the most part he stays out of the office politics.”
“Let me ask you something, Ike — padawan to Jedi master.”
Pete grinned, but Isaac could see the seriousness in his eyes.
“What?”
“All that you just said about Randy Luden…”
“Yeah?”
“Was all of that police work, or was there a certain amount of psychic Jedi mind tricks involved?”
Isaac put a quick stop to the curl of his lips and looked down at the table.
Part of his job as the senior detective was to teach his new partner everything he knew. And as the new sergeant of the homicide division, he felt like that obligation was now doubled. So he owed it to Pete to be honest. He looked his partner in the eyes.
“Pete, I’d be lying if I said the psychic thing didn’t play any part in me doing my job. It does. Every single day. Sometimes in small ways, sometimes in much bigger ways. It’s inevitable because I can’t turn it off. But honestly, that was mostly just watching and listening. The body language, the small tells that alert you when someone’s not being truthful, the voice inflection. All things you can and will pick up over time.”
“You make it look so easy.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“That’s how it was meant.”
“You gotta remember, I’ve been a detective for almost ten years now. I didn’t start out knowing everything. Hell, I still don’t know everything.”
“Yeah, well you…”
“Excuse me?”
They looked up to see a young woman, roughly in her late twenties or early thirties, standing in the doorway. She was short and pleasant looking with her starched white scrubs and blue cardigan. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail tied with a red ribbon. She even wore one of those old-fashioned nurses’ caps on her head. She looked as though tiny woodland creatures helped her get dressed in the mornings, like Snow White. If Snow White were a nurse in a mental ward.
“Hello. I was told to come speak with the detectives in the boardroom. I’m Freya Altman.”
“Come in, please.”
Isaac stood and motioned her to the seat Randy Luden had vacated. She took her seat and folded her hands in her lap.
“Is this about what happened to those three young men? The ones from the colleges?”
“As a matter of fact, it is.” Isaac took his seat and looked at her. “I’m Detective Sgt. Taylor; this is Detective Vega. What do you know about those three young men, Ms. Altman?”
“Only what they’re saying around here. That those are the three young men who hurt Amber Camden, and what they did to her sent her here.”
“So you didn’t know about that until the three men were murdered?”
“Well, I knew that something traumatic had happened to her, and I’d heard whispers and rumors ever since she came here, but I’d never gotten the full story until this week.”
“I see. And you take care of Amber often?”
“Oh, everyday just about. Well, during the daytime hours anyway. My shift is over at four.”
“So you’re usually working when Amber gets visitors, correct?”
“Yes. Oh, and she’s got a great support system. Her mother comes about twice each month. Her father too. And on her birthday, her whole family comes together with a cake and balloons. It’s so sweet. If only the poor girl would respond to them.”
“She never responds? Not to any of them?”
“No. So sad.”
“Ms. Altman, have you ever seen or heard Amber respond to anyone?”
She shook her head, but then stopped, and Isaac could see her thinking.
“Ms. Altman?”
“There was this one time…” Her voice trailed off, like she was trying to remember the details, or maybe just questioning what she’d witnessed.
“What happened?”
“I was walking by her room… you know, on my regular rounds to give out afternoon meds?”
“Yes.”
“It was the strangest thing. I heard someone talking, so I stuck my head in her room.”
She paused again, sparking Isaac’s impatience.
“And?”
“Well, her friend Danny was visiting. And he gave me the strangest look when I walked in. Almost worried like. I asked him if they were having a nice visit… you know, just being polite. And he joked that the conversation was a bit one-sided.”
