“You’re smart to get all this food and crap out of here. I wouldn’t want to chance it since something was clearly tampered with,” Ben said. “I’ll take it out and come back for your bag, okay?”
“No!” Todd said louder than necessary. “I will take care of it. I mean I need to go through everything. Just get her somewhere safe.”
“Okay. Hey Todd, thanks, man. I really appreciate your help.”
“He’s not trying to help me,” I said. “He’s trying to help himself.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Todd jumped to his own defense. “I’m trying to stop a criminal. It’s what I do. It’s not personal. It’s business.”
“Exactly,” I said, rolling my eyes. What did he think I meant?
“Let’s go, Aubrey.” Ben said. Regardless of the way I felt about Todd, he was a cop and he was just doing his job. I was ready and willing to leave him to it. Ben put his hand on the small of my back, ushering me toward the door, but not before Todd could further piss me off.
“Bailey, I’m going to need to know where you’ve been, where you’ll be, and probably need to get some samples from you to rule you out as a suspect.”
“Suck my dick, Morris,” Ben spat, slamming the door behind us. It was vulgar and unlike him, but it was an appropriate sentiment. He stopped in the hall and dropped my bag at his feet as he faced me. “Aubrey, I need to know before I take another step… Do you think I did this?”
“No. I mean I did. I thought you took advantage of me when I was drunk and that we had sex, but with everything I know now, I don’t. I don’t even think you’re capable of something so heinous. I’m sorry that I accused you.”
He leaned down and kissed me, right there in the hallway. He just brushed his lips against mine so softly it was as if I’d been kissed by a butterfly. Then he picked up my bag and took off as though it had never happened. “We’re walking, Drake.”
“Yeah,” I said, licking my lips. A kiss from Ben. Albeit completely inappropriate under the circumstances, I welcomed it.
Chapter 13
Ben didn’t say much as he drove me toward the hotel. He did put his hand on mine. It wasn’t so much intimate as it was reassuring.
“Ben,” I broke the silence.
“Hmm?”
“Do you know the name Jamie Phillips?”
He pulled his hand from mine, putting it on the steering wheel. “Where did you hear that name?”
“Todd. He asked me if I knew her.”
“He thinks The Village Rapist is involved in what happened at your apartment?”
“I don’t know,” I lied. “He asked me if I knew her. Who is she?”
He rubbed his forehead. “Jamie was the first victim. Morris seems to think that all the other victims tie back to Jamie somehow. He asks every victim about her, if they know her, if they’ve heard of her. He just can’t seem to get past the theory. Why would he think The Village Rapist is connected to what happened in your apartment?”
“I don’t know.” I lied again. I couldn’t help but notice the way he kept repeating, “what happened in your apartment,” instead of saying the word rape.
He pulled the car over suddenly. It was such an unexpected move that I grabbed the console for fear that I would be slung from my seat.
“You’re not telling me the whole truth, Drake.”
“Excuse me?”
“You may have Todd fooled, but not me. I see what you’ve been doing.”
“What?” I asked nervously. There was no way he could know about my detective work.
“I know you pulled Larissa Dean’s chart after you came in on your off day to handle her case. I know you let things get personal. When Fowler sent me to look after you, he told me that you’d asked him about his family’s construction business. You’ve been checking up on the victims, haven’t you?”
I sat in silence, looking at my hands which were lying in my lap. After a moment, I looked up at him. “Wait, Fowler sent you to check on me?”
“Of course he did. He knew we’d been working together. He knew you didn’t know anyone in town. Everyone is concerned about you, Aubrey. I know you’re new, but we’re like a family up there.”
“But you said you weren’t close with your co-workers.”
He rolled his eyes. “I said I wasn’t social with them, but we all spend a lot of time together at work. We may not hang out, but we’re still a team. We still care about each other. Even though you’re new, you stuck it out through some really tough first shifts. Everyone is glad to have you on board.”
Although his words were kind, I felt stuck. “Fowler let you leave work to come check on me. Don’t you find that odd?”
“No, I don’t. If anything is odd, it’s your behavior.”
“Me?”
“You were drugged, and only God knows what happened… You don’t even seem upset.”
“Would you rather I fall apart? Scream, cry and pull my hair out? Lose it and take a bunch of pills like Larissa?” I yelled.
“Yes! At least it would be a normal response. You haven’t shed a tear since you told me about it at work. Wait, how did you know about Larissa Dean overdosing?”
I let my head fall back. “I went to her house, okay? Are you happy? You have me all figured out. I got personal with the victims. I know I shouldn’t have, but—”
“But it put you at the top of the rapist’s hit list. No wonder Todd thinks it’s him.”
“So you’re saying it’s my fault?”
“No, I didn’t mean—”
“Just stop, okay? This is none of your business anyway. You aren’t my boyfriend. You’re barely my friend.” I spat the venomous words, regretting them as soon as I said them. “Just take me back to my apartment so I can get my car.”
He nodded curtly and did as I’d asked.
When we pulled up next to my car, Ben got out to help me with my bag. I snatched it from him. I wasn’t the type of girl who needed to be babied. I was sorry that was what he needed, but I wasn’t up for it. I’d enjoyed his company, but not his unsolicited judgments or advice. I didn’t need that shit.
“No matter how angry you are with the male species right now, I hope you filed a police report, and I hope you’ll be careful.”
“Just because there was a condom in the toilet doesn’t mean I was raped, Ben. You said that. I never said that. I don’t know what happened.” I didn’t even believe what I was saying, but I slung my bag into the car and turned my back on him anyway.
“If thinking that makes you feel better then—” he said, but I closed the car door before he could finish the thought.
As I hit the gas, leaving Ben standing there, I saw a piece of paper flapping on my windshield. I slammed on the brakes, rolled down the window, and grabbed it, tossing it onto the seat, figuring it was a parking ticket. Of course! The day wouldn’t be complete without a parking ticket!
The sun was coming up, and I was exhausted, but I had to do one thing before I went to The Westin. I had to check out some of the places on the map that I’d lifted from Morris’ pocket that night we went out. They were all public places in the heart of the city. I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew it meant something.
The first couple of places were just boutiques and weren’t open. When I came to the coffee shop, I decided I could use a cup of joe, so I parked and went inside.
I ordered a plain coffee. The young, probably fresh out of high school barista looked at me like I was off my rocker. “Plain? Just plain coffee?” she asked.
I sat down at the counter and stared at the map, trying to figure out which places were what. I had only the map with dots, not the guide to show me what was what.
When the barista set my coffee down, she stopped in her tracks. “Where did you get that?”
“What?” I asked, confused.
“That map. Where did you get it?”
“Oh. Um, I found it. Do you know who it belongs to? It was in a wallet. I thought if I could
track the person down using this map, I could get it back to them.” I spouted off the lie. I was surprised at how easily the lies were coming these days.
“No,” she said quickly. “Nope.” She was lying too. I decided to change my story.
“Miss, please. Listen, I’m a doctor. I got this map off of a patient—”
“Is he dead?”
“What? No. Why would you say that?”
“I’m sorry. What were you saying?” she asked, trying to pretend she hadn’t let that slip.
“So, you do know who it belongs to?”
She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Fine. Yes, I’ve seen it. It belongs to this guy who comes in here about once a week. He’s a creep, okay? He’s been looking for one of our former employees for a year. It’s really weird. We keep telling him that she’s long gone; we haven’t heard from her, but he doesn’t believe us. He just keeps coming back. All of those dots,” she said pointing to the map, “are places where Jamie either worked, stayed, shopped, or just frequented. It’s weird.”
“Jamie,” I whispered. “The guy, is he a cop?”
“I don’t think so. I think he’s just a stalker.”
Maybe Todd was right. Maybe Jamie was the key to all of this. Maybe Todd had found this map, and it was the key to cracking the whole case. He’d mentioned its importance.
“How long has it been since he was here?” I asked, knowing I’d had the map for a week and didn’t know how long Todd had had it before that.
“Yesterday. But he didn’t have the map. He just came by. I’m sure he has that thing memorized by now.”
“Hmm. Well, what does he look like?”
“He’s good looking. He’s kind of short for a guy, though. He has dirty blond hair. He calls me ‘little miss,’ which gives me the willies.” I just stopped listening after that. It was Todd. Todd was the creeper.
“Why do you think he’s looking for her? Do you know where she is?”
“I really don’t know where she is. She just didn’t show up for work one day and never came back. I went to her apartment to look for her, but she’d moved. You know her parents had moved out west after the whole rape thing, so we figured she moved out there with them.”
“She just talked about her attack openly?”
“Yeah, at first. Right up until her parents bounced. Then she up and quit. Like I said, I figured she split to be with her folks. There wasn’t anything left for her here.”
I grabbed my coffee and stood up, leaving some cash on the counter. “Thanks.”
“I think he’s The Village Rapist. All the girls who work here do.”
I shook my head. “You shouldn’t go saying things like that about people if you don’t know the facts. That could really mess someone’s life up. That’s not something to gossip about.”
The young girl just whipped her ponytail around toward me in response. People didn’t realize, though. A rumor like that could ruin Todd’s career. Even though it may have looked creepy to them, he was just following his only lead on a case that just wouldn’t let up. He was doing his best.
As I walked out, I decided to take Ben’s advice and file a report. It was the right thing to do. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I had a good idea, and if Todd thought this was The Village Rapist’s work, then I needed to help get this man off the streets as soon as possible. Even if that meant I didn’t get to serve his justice. Every second I waited was another opportunity for him to rape someone else.
I was a doctor, not a detective. Besides, hadn’t this little adventure cost me enough?
Chapter 14
I abandoned my search and drove straight to the police station. I walked right in with my exhausted head held high.
“I need to talk to the detective in charge of The Village rapes, please,” I told the uniformed officer at the desk.
“Regarding?” he asked.
“Um, The Village rapes.” I was annoyed and way too tired to deal with any attitude.
“Could you be more specific?”
I looked at all of the people standing around in the lobby and then back at the officer. “No.”
“Fine,” he said. He grabbed the phone and held it with his shoulder. “You can have a seat, ma’am. He will be with you shortly.”
I turned around to do just that, but then I heard him address a Detective Planter.
“Hey, who is that?”
“Look, lady, you said you wanted the detective handling The Village rapes. I called him. Now have a seat.”
“No, Detective Morris. I need to talk to him.”
“Who?”
“Detective Todd Morris,” I repeated.
“Oh, ah, let’s get you on back here to the detective’s office.”
“Okay, thanks. I wasn’t sure if he would be in the office. He seems so busy…” I was ushered into an office where a large black man with a shaved head awaited me. “Who are you?”
“Detective Planter. I’m handling The Village rape cases.”
“No. There’s been a mix-up. Todd Morris is the one I need to talk to. He said there were several detectives working the case, but that The Village was his territory.”
“It was. Right up until he was fired several months ago.”
“What?” It felt like someone had jerked my legs out from underneath me, so I dropped down into the chair.
“Todd Morris no longer works with the police department. Last I checked, he was working security somewhere.”
“I don’t understand. This has to be a mistake.”
“No, ma’am. Let’s just say he got too involved in his work.”
“But he was just taking statements at the hospital this morning.”
He pulled out a tape recorder and laid it between us. “Could you state your name for the record?”
I sat there, dazed. “Aubrey Drake. Doctor Aubrey Drake.”
“You came here to make a report but then disclosed that Todd Morris, a former detective with Atlanta Police Department, was posing as a detective to obtain statements. Is that correct?”
“I have to go,” I said, standing up and basically running out of there with this new detective calling after me.
My hands shook as I put the key in the ignition of my car. Todd had lied. It was obvious that it was Jamie he’d become obsessed with. He’d been fired for getting personal. Hadn’t I done the same thing by going to The Village? I needed to talk to him. I needed to hear his explanation, because at this point, it seemed as though he himself could be the prime suspect.
I dropped the keys, and when I leaned down to get them, I saw that there was writing on the paper I had pulled from my windshield. It wasn’t a parking ticket at all. It read: You were the best I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to have you over and over. – Yours
I dropped the note in disgust as tears sprang to my eyes. Todd couldn’t have written this, right? He was inside my apartment looking for clues. He’d still been inside when Ben and I left.
I picked up my phone and dialed Ben. It went to voicemail. “Ben, it’s Aubrey. Look, I’m really sorry about what I said, but I need to talk to you. Todd isn’t who he says he is,” I said to the voicemail and then hung up.
My next call was to Todd. He picked up on the first ring. I decided to play it cool. “Hey, can you meet me somewhere? I think I remember some details that I didn’t remember earlier.”
“Ah, I’m kind of busy.”
“That’s cool. I can go to your office—”
“No. Meet me at your place.”
“I’m downtown. Could you meet me at the Westin Café?”
“I’m still at your place, and I think I know who attacked you. Come back over here. I have to show you something. Your boy, Ben, isn’t as innocent as he seems,” he said then hung up without waiting for an answer.
He was trying to bait me. It worked. Ben’s story had seemed plausible. I didn’t want to believe he would hurt me, but he was the one who’d been there when I passed out. But Todd was a liar. I
checked the chamber of my little gun, to make sure it was loaded, then slipped it in the pocket of my scrubs. If Todd was dangerous, I had my bases covered. If Todd was the bad guy I’d been searching for, he was giving me exactly what I’d wanted.
I steadied my hands as I slipped the key into the ignition and turned it over. I guess I was about to find out who was the villain and who was the hero.
Chapter 15
I was nervous as I pulled back up to my building. It was the middle of the day. I remembered how strong I’d been when I’d served justice in Lou-Lou’s case. I could be that strong again, doing the same for all of those women…and myself. If Todd wasn’t involved, he’d better give me every lead he had, and a very good explanation for his deceit. No more playing around.
I called my dad and told him to call and check up on me in an hour…just in case. He asked if I was okay. I told him I thought so, but I just needed him to check on me. He agreed.
When I walked into my apartment, I didn’t see anyone, but the place was clean. Too clean.
“Todd?”
“I’m here,” he said, coming out of the bathroom. He walked through the bedroom and out into the living room where I was standing.
“Why is it so clean in here?”
“Ben.”
“What about him?”
“He came back after you left. He said you’d sent him to clean the place. I didn’t think much of it, but then I realized he was probably washing away evidence.”
“Hmm? What time was that?” I tested. I knew I had to be careful about what I believed coming from ole Todd. Chances were, if his lips were moving, he was lying.
“I don’t know. About a half-hour after you left. It didn’t even seem like he would’ve had enough time to get you to The Westin and back.”
That timetable fit.
“Look, Aubrey, I know you want to believe that Ben is a really nice guy. His ex-girlfriend, Gia, felt the same way. But the fact of the matter is, he was here when the crime was committed. He was here.”
Do No Harm (Dr. Aubrey Drake #1) Page 9
