Imperious

by C. M. Sutter

  Chapter 41

  I jotted down notes as I ate my grilled chicken wrap.

  Amber scooted closer to me. “What are you doing?”

  “Making sure I don’t forget anything. My mind is usually too full to store everything I’m thinking of.” I took another bite and glanced at her. “It really helps.”

  “I’ll try it. So what did you write?”

  I ran down the list with my index finger. “To check everything in Becca’s apartment, not just her food. There could be a clue to that Mike’s identity somewhere in plain sight.”

  Amber nodded. “Good idea. What else?”

  “To call Jodi Prentice again and ask more questions about Mike. Also, I want to review the list of people Clayton and Billings talked to at UWWC and have a look at all the classes both girls took. We need to have another conversation with Jennifer Tenley too.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she wasn’t asked if she knew anyone named Mike. If Daphne knew other Mikes, then we have to track them down and have a chat with them. This case is going to get a lot harder to solve after Friday when classes end and everyone goes about their summer activities. In other words, we have to give everything we’ve done one more look to make sure nothing was missed.”

  We were back in the bull pen by twelve fifteen. Jack exited his office and told Clayton and Billings to head out. We still had to wait for the Morbecks to show up with Becca’s extra apartment key.

  Amber straightened her desk while we waited. “Why didn’t we just track down the apartment manager for the key? We could have been going through it already.”

  “Jack said something about him being out of town.”

  “Then the owner?”

  I shrugged. “Don’t know. I guess Jack thought this was the fastest way to get inside, plus he said he wanted to tell the Morbecks of Lena’s findings.”

  My ears perked when I heard Jack’s phone ring on the other side of his closed door. Seconds later, he walked out.

  “The Morbecks are here. I’ll get the key right away, and you two can leave. Here’s the address.” He gave us a concerned look as he handed the slip of paper to Amber. “Be thorough.”

  I tipped my head. “We will, Boss.”

  With the key safely tucked in my pocket, I left with Amber and reached the eight-unit brick apartment complex in Kewaskum fifteen minutes later. It had one central parking lot and no garages. I imagined it being a real pain in the winter.

  “Which unit is hers?” Amber pulled into the parking lot and stopped.

  I pointed to the far right. “Park over there by the side driveway. It’s number four, so I guess it’s an end unit.”

  Once parked, we exited the cruiser and walked to the door. I jiggled the knob.

  Amber gave me an eyebrow raise. “Why did you do that?”

  “If anyone is inside, that jiggle was their only warning.” I slid the key into the slot and turned it, then I pushed the door inward.

  We entered the living room of what appeared to be an efficiency apartment. It looked smaller than the one I’d had above the hardware store on Main Street, and it took only a second to view the entire unit. The living room opened to the closet-sized kitchen on the right, and the only bedroom was straight ahead. The single bath and a storage closet were at the end of a five-foot-long hallway.

  Amber took in the apartment. “Damn, this place is tiny. We’ll be done in a half hour.”

  I looked around. “Remember, we’re searching for anything that could be a clue, not just tainted food.”

  Amber took a seat on the couch as she slipped on her gloves. “How do you want to do this?”

  “Let’s work together, that way the chances of missing something will be far less. We’ll start in the bedroom and work our way out. Check everything, top to bottom and left to right.” I stretched the gloves over my hands. “Okay, let’s dig in.”

  We stripped the bed, shook the sheets, and removed the pillows from the cases. We pulled the mattress and box springs off the bed, looked under it, then put those items back in place.

  I walked to the dresser. “Help me scoot this out.”

  Amber took one side, and I took the other. We lifted it and moved the dresser three feet forward. The only thing below it were the impressions of the feet in the carpet. We pushed it back and began going through each drawer.

  “Hey, this seems off.” Amber held up a lacy purple bra with matching panties.

  “Off how?”

  “This entire drawer is full of lingerie. I thought Becca didn’t have a love interest other than sports. Where are the sports bras?”

  I grinned. “Maybe she just liked girly stuff or she had a boyfriend some time back. Nobody throws out their lingerie just because the boyfriend is out of the picture. Check a different drawer.”

  “I guess you’re right.” Amber pulled open the next drawer. “Here it is—all sports bras and panties.”

  We continued on and found nothing in her bedroom that raised any red flags. We moved to the bathroom. I lowered the lid and took a seat on the toilet as I rummaged through the three-drawer vanity. Amber opened the medicine cabinet above the sink. “Humph, I thought Becca didn’t take any medicine.”

  I stood. “What did you find?”

  She turned the pill tray toward us. “What the—”

  I cut her off when I saw the individual pills encased in the plastic-and-foil tray. “Birth control pills? Now that is interesting. When was it filled?”

  Amber checked the date and the number of refills left. “It was just filled last month by Dr. Manthei.”

  “That’s my doctor.” I reached in my pants pocket and took out my phone and list. I snapped a picture of the prescription information then retrieved a pen from my purse that sat on the coffee table. I added to my list a note to call Dr. Manthei as soon as we left the apartment.

  We finished in the bathroom and found nothing else of importance.

  “I’ll get started on the kitchen. Why don’t you clear that storage closet since there isn’t enough room for both of us to work in the hallway?”

  “Sure thing.” Amber hit the wall switch and brightened the area before she began clearing each shelf.

  I entered the galley kitchen and counted the cabinets—only four along with a pantry behind a folding door.

  This won’t take long, then I’ll have that chat with the doctor and Jodi Prentice. There’s a chance Jodi knew Becca was on the pill, but why, if Becca didn’t have a love interest?

  Minutes later, Amber appeared from the hallway. “There’s nothing important in the closet, just towels and clean sheets.” She looked around. “I’ll take the pantry. That’s usually where canned goods are, anyway.”

  We went through every drawer, cabinet, and pantry shelf. Nothing that was labeled had an expired date.

  “Okay, so that’s clear. Let’s check the fridge and garbage can.” I pulled open the refrigerator door and was surprised to see how empty it was. “Damn, she must have starved herself to save money.”

  Lined up side by side in the refrigerator door rack were a jar of kalamata olives, a plastic bottle of brown mustard, two ketchup packets from a fast-food restaurant, and a pint of sour cream. The shelf in front of me held a bag of apples and a container with leftover macaroni and cheese inside. The shelf below that held three cans of soda and two cheese sticks. I pulled open the freezer and found an eight-pack of burritos, three of them missing, and a tray of ice cubes. I took a seat at the corner table and gave Lena’s original assessment some thought. She had said Becca’s stomach contents were from breakfast—a bowl of cereal.

  I turned to Amber. “Is there an open box of cereal in the pantry?”

  “Yep, some type of almond cranberry stuff, and it looks good. Why?”

  “Because there isn’t any milk in the fridge, and Lena said Becca had cereal for breakfast the morning she died.”

  “Maybe she ate it like granola.”

  “Humph—maybe. I’m going to start
on the garbage can.” I pulled out the trash can from beneath the sink and carried it to my chair. I hated that part of my job and had gone through people’s trash more times than I cared to remember. “Something is wrong.”

  Amber took a seat in the only other chair and stared at the contents I was digging through. “It looks like trash to me.”

  “Exactly, but there isn’t an empty milk jug in here.”

  “Okay, what do you have?”

  “There’s a couple of coffee filters with grounds inside, two tissues, a few crumpled pieces of paper, and a bag from Pizza Pie.” I saw a receipt stapled to the outside of the bag, tore it off, and handed it to Amber. “Check the date on this.”

  “It’s from Monday evening, and she ordered a carryout calzone.”

  “And she died Tuesday morning. Check those balled-up pieces of paper. See what they are.”

  Amber opened each piece of paper and flattened them on the table. “One is a grocery store receipt for milk, cereal, ramen noodles, facial tissue, a jug of water, and a pint of three-bean salad.”

  “What’s the date?”

  Amber looked at the bottom of the receipt. “Last Saturday.”

  “And that was five days ago, yet there aren’t any empty containers for those items in the trash can. They sure as hell aren’t in the refrigerator either—that thing is almost empty.” I grabbed the apartment keys and stood. “Come on. Let’s bang on a few doors. There are three vehicles in the lot, so somebody must be home. We need to find out when the garbage is picked up here.”

  We took the sidewalk to the other end of the building, where two of the three cars were parked. Amber rapped on the door of apartment one, and we waited, but nobody answered. We moved on to apartment number two. I knocked and heard footsteps getting closer.

  “Good, somebody is home.” I made sure my badge attached to the lanyard around my neck was clearly visible. Amber did the same just as the door opened.

  An elderly woman stood in front of us. “May I help you?”

  “Yes, ma’am. We’re detectives from the sheriff’s office.” I wiggled my badge so she would take note of it. “We’re wondering if you know when the garbage is picked up here.”

  “Well, sure. That big truck comes early in the morning and makes all kinds of racket. It wakes me up every time. I mean it isn’t even daylight—”

  I had to interrupt or we’d be standing there all day. “Ma’am, we only need to know what day of the week that is.”

  “Oh. It gets picked up on Fridays.”

  “And there’s only one pick up a week?” Amber asked.

  “Yes, thank God. I swear, if—”

  I tipped my head and smiled. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Amber and I headed back to Becca’s apartment. Inside, sitting in the kitchen and looking at the contents of the garbage can, we knew that items were missing.

  “The groceries were purchased on Saturday, the day after the trash pickup, yet there isn’t an empty water jug, a milk jug, or a deli salad container in the trash. What the hell, Amber?”

  “We need to tell Jack about this discovery, but we can’t do it while the Morbecks are there. Those people are under enough stress already.”

  “Let’s lock up this place. Forensics may have to go through it even more closely than we did. I have a bad feeling that the poison that killed Becca didn’t come from expired food. Let’s head to Dr. Manthei’s office and see what she’s willing to tell us. I’ll make the call to Jodi while you drive.”

  Chapter 42

  My call to Jodi Prentice went unanswered, so I left a message saying I needed her to call me as soon as possible. Amber turned in to the doctor’s office parking lot just as I hung up.

  Inside, the receptionist saw me and flipped through the pages of the appointment book. “Kate, I don’t believe you’re scheduled to see the doctor today.”

  With the waiting room empty, I didn’t feel the need to whisper. “Linda, I have to speak with Dr. Manthei. It’s official business.”

  “Okay, give me a second. She’s with a patient now, but I’ll find out how much longer it’ll be.”

  “Appreciate it.”

  Amber and I sat in the waiting room—and waited. I pulled my phone from my purse and texted Jack. “Are the Morbecks still with you?” I didn’t get a response, which in essence was the answer I needed. He was still with them. I grabbed a magazine and mindlessly flipped the pages. What we had, or hadn’t, found in Becca’s apartment weighed heavily on my mind.

  “Kate? Can I help you with something?”

  I looked up to see Dr. Manthei at the door to the hallway. I placed the magazine on the coffee table and stood. “May we?”

  She motioned for us to follow her, I presumed to her office. Inside, she closed the door and offered us seats. “What is this about, Kate?”

  “We’re here on sheriff’s office business, and I was hoping you could help us.”

  “Sure, if I can.”

  I opened my picture gallery and showed her Becca’s birth control pill prescription. “You’ve heard about her death, haven’t you?”

  “I have, and it’s so sad, but why do you have a picture of her prescription? I assume you know about doctor-patient confidentiality, right?”

  I slipped my phone back in my purse. “Dr. Manthei, there isn’t confidentiality anymore—she’s dead. Becca didn’t have a boyfriend, yet this prescription was just filled last month. We need to know how long she has been on the pill and if it was medically necessary or strictly for birth control reasons.”

  She let out a sigh of what I took as apprehension and logged on to her computer. “Becca was very healthy and didn’t have problems with her monthly cycle or any reproductive issues.” She tapped the computer keys. “I’m pulling up her chart now.” She scrolled through a few pages. “Here it is. Becca started using birth control pills two months ago.”

  I glanced at Amber. “And before that?”

  Dr. Manthei shrugged. “No idea. That was the first time she asked for a prescription. Becca had only been my patient since last fall.”

  “How was that bill paid? Did it go through her parents’ insurance?”

  “No. She asked for a three-month prescription and paid with her own credit card.”

  “Had she mentioned being in a relationship?” Amber asked. “You know, anything to the effect of ‘My boyfriend Mike and I have become intimate and I need birth control.’ Something like that?”

  “No, but now that I think back, she almost seemed embarrassed to ask for it, and she didn’t mention a boyfriend at all.”

  We stood, shook the doctor’s hand, and walked to the door. “Thank you for the information. It’s been very helpful. We’ll show ourselves out.”

  My phone rang as we crossed the parking lot. Jodi was returning my call. “Hello, Jodi, I’m so glad you got back to me.” Amber clicked the fob, and I climbed into the passenger seat and fastened my belt. “I’m putting you on Speakerphone, and my partner, Detective Amber Monroe, is with me. We need more information about Becca.”

  “What can I tell you that I haven’t already, Detective?”

  “I need to know more about Mike, the guy who had a thing for Becca.”

  “Becca said two sentences about him. That’s it. He was a creep, and she couldn’t wait until school was over so she wouldn’t have to see him again until fall.”

  “Meaning he was a freshman too?” Amber wrote while I talked.

  “I didn’t read anything into it. I’m just telling you what she said.”

  “Did she mention his last name? Please, think hard about it.”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  I thought she answered too quickly, but I let it go since I wanted to keep her talking. “Did Becca mention being intimate with him?”

  “God no!”

  “How about anyone else?”

  “Becca didn’t have a boyfriend, and she would have told me if she did.”

  I let out an audible breath. “You
’re sure?”

  “One hundred percent sure. We talked on the phone almost every night.”

  A thought popped into my mind. “Did you talk on Monday night?”

  “Yes, I’m pretty sure we did.”

  “And did she say what she was up to?”

  “Only that she was studying. She ordered carryout and was cramming for her chemistry exam.”

  “And her disposition was how?”

  “Normal I guess, other than the studying part. We joked around, talked smack, and then she said she had to go. That was the last time I spoke to her.”

  “Did she seem sick, like she was in pain?”

  “No, not at all. Just busy.”

  “Okay, thank you, Jodi. I really appreciate your help.” I clicked off the call and rolled my eyes at Amber. “The more we work this case, the more confused I become.”

  Chapter 43

  It was midafternoon by the time we entered the bull pen. I saw Jack sitting in his office alone, and Clayton and Billings busied themselves at their desks. The scene appeared calm.

  “By the looks of it, I assume you didn’t find anything at Vince’s apartment.”

  Billings cracked his neck then gave it a rub. “And you assumed right. Jack already cut him loose.”

  “Damn it,” Amber said. “Good thing we have tons of information. We just don’t know where to go with it.”

  Jack walked out of his office and leaned against the doorframe. “Yeah, let’s hear it.”

  “The Morbecks are gone, right? They aren’t in the lunchroom or anything?”

  “They’re downstairs getting a crash course in botulism from Lena. They aren’t coming back up, if that’s what you’re asking. What did you two find out?”

  I took my seat, and Jack perched himself on the edge of my desk. “To put it simply, somebody has been in Becca’s apartment.”

  “Hold that thought.” Jack walked into his office, and I saw him pick up his phone. He talked for several minutes, hung up, then returned to the bull pen, this time choosing to take a seat on my guest chair. “Just checking to make sure the Morbecks haven’t been in the apartment since Becca’s death. They said they haven’t stepped foot in there. It’s too soon and too painful. So, what’s going on, and why do you think somebody has been in her apartment?”