My My Little Prince

by Rod Lacy Rod Lacy

  “Oh,” she frowned and tugged nervously at the top button of her blouse. “That’s Dr. Campbell.”

  “Yes, yes … ‘Dr. Campbell’. He may be working here; or maybe he was working here. Perhaps you know him? He is my friend and I have some sad news for him.”

  She looked away nervously and said, “He has not been here for almost a week. Do you have business with him?”

  “Oh, well yes I do. As I said, he is a friend of mine and I was hoping to meet him here because I have some news for him about his family.”

  She told him that he had gone with Dr. Pierre to Port-Au-Prince to help Dr. Pierre find his family. “They have not returned yet,” she finished.

  “I hope they are ok,” Frank told her, watching her closely.

  “Oh, I'm sure they are ... at least we hope so. Dr. Pierre is a pretty smart guy.” she continued.

  Frank asked her, “Is there anyone here that may know where they might be staying? I know the area is terrible, since the earthquake and all. I just thought that there may be relatives there or a specific hotel they are staying at.”

  “I'm sorry, I’m not sure. All I know is that they left pretty much right after the earthquake. Let’s see, that was Friday wasn’t it? So they probably left Saturday morning and we have not heard anything since then. You might want to speak with Nurse Nadia. She spent most of the time with the two doctors. She may be able to help you.”

  “Thanks, how do I find her?”

  “She is in her office. I will see if she will see you.”

  She had to use the eraser end of a pencil to dial because of her ridiculously long fingernails. Frank marveled at these and imagined her tickling his cock with them. He grinned. She pushed a few buttons on the phone and a loud squeal erupted. She quickly slammed the phone receiver down and the squeal stopped. Frank heard a voice on speaker say, “Yes?”

  “Nurse Nadia, can you hear me?”

  “Barely,” the voice said.

  “There is a man out front here that wants some information about Dr. Campbell and Dr. Pierre.”

  The voice returned, mixed with a loud squeal and said, “What? There is a what? A salesman that wants what?”

  “No, there is a man here that is a friend of Dr. Campbell’s and ...”

  The voice came back and Frank heard, “Oh, a friend of Dr. Campbell’s; please send him right in Christina … wait a minute, on second thought, tell him to please wait. I will come out in a few minutes. I'm trying to call Dr. Pierre now, but all the land lines are still down and he is not answering his cell.”

  Christina looked up and said, “these old phones need to be thrown in the garbage. I personally think it is easier to just walk over to the door fifteen feet away and knock; but she is the boss.” She was in flirt mode.

  Frank grinned back at her, “Um, excuse me, but I was wondering if you could tell me how long Dr. Campbell has worked here?”

  Nurse Nadia’s door opened and she stepped out into the hall. Overhearing the question she said, “Not long, he just started a research program here through the PSYCHIATRIST UNITED WAY. Why don’t you come in and have a seat,” she said as she held the door for him.

  She followed as he walked in and motioned for him to sit in an old worn out chair in front of a huge old metal desk. “Please, sit, uh, Mr …

  “Frank, you can call me Frank.” Frank sat and continued, “I am looking for my friend, Dr. Campbell.”

  “Okay, that much I gathered.” She replied.

  Frank said, “May I show you a photo of my friend so you can tell me if I have the correct person? I showed it to your receptionist and she said it was him. But after all, Campbell is a common name in the US and I would hate to come all this way and find out that I am finding the wrong Dr. Campbell.”

  Frank held up the photo. “Oh, yes, that is him. He is so handsome and such a nice person. Everyone here; all the females especially, loved seeing him. You know we all wondered why he wanted to work here and how such a nice, kind, and loving person could stay single all these years too.

  “Oops, I’m sorry, that is probably more information than you wanted, right. You know? … well of course you do ... you are his friend ... you know that he has opportunities all over the world to work and do his research. It was amazing that he wanted to research here.

  Anyway, he’s gone for now. He graciously went with Dr. Pierre to Haiti to help find Dr. Pierre’s family after the earthquake there.”

  Frank nodded. “What was he doing here? I’m just being curious. We have been friends for years and I have always been amazed at his ability to help.”

  “He was working with our psychiatric and trauma patients doing research with head traumas and emotional problems. He had one patient that he had spent more time with than most. It is a shame though; the young lady that he prided himself died just minutes before he left with Dr. Pierre. It was very strange. She had a ruptured blood vessel in her frontal sinus that caused a hematoma in her brain. It looked like it was traumatically induced, but there is no way she would have been subjected to any trauma. The report says she hit herself in the nose in a way as to force the cartilage up into the cavity. She could barely open her eyes; how she could do that is a mystery. They are saying she hay have fallen out of the bed.

  She stifled a sob and had to get it out. “Her name was Maria. She was a nice girl, but with a lot of problems. Dr. Campbell always spent more time with her than with any of the others. He told us that she was making good progress.

  “He asked that we not talk to her without him being in the room because he did not want us to bring up the wrong memories of the past. He feared that it might upset her and cause a setback. Dr. Pierre told us that we were fortunate to have Dr. Campbell and that we should respect his research and allow him to do as he wanted.”

  Frank listened very intently and as she paused he asked, “Do you know what the research was?”

  “Well not exactly. As I said, something about post traumatic effects of sub-dural hematomas and hyper amounts of medications.

  “I do know that Maria was taking lots of meds and that the doctor seemed to think she was improving - although, I must admit, I did not see much improvement.”

  “Subdural hematomas?” Frank asked.

  “You know, head injuries where the blood pools and causes brain damage,” she answered.

  “Oh,” Frank said, “so this young lady had brain damage.”

  “Yes. All the patients here have some sort of brain damage. Most, like her, had emotional problems too.”

  “Did she die from a complication due to the initial head-injury?”

  “No, that is the funny thing.” Her face reddened and she covered her mouth with a delicate hand. “Oh! Please excuse me! You know what I meant … of course nothing is funny about someone dying. As I said before, It was the day the doctors left. Dr. Campbell told one of the nurses to give her her meds at the normal time. When she went into the room to give the meds, Maria was sleeping and was hard to wake up. The nurse force fed the meds and it wasn’t much later when she died. It looked as if she overdosed at first, but the nurse had given her the same amount she always took. The final report shows a traumatic hematoma if the frontal region.”

  Franks asked, “Was an autopsy done or any lab work or just a quick exam?”

  She smiled sadly and shook her head, “Oh no, we don't have the money for anything like an autopsy.”

  “Do you think anyone else could have given her any meds before the nurse or come by just after?”

  “No, the only person to see her that day was Dr. Campbell. He saw her twice that day before he left to go home and get ready to leave for Haiti.”

  “That’s sad; it’s just too bad. Does Dr. Campbell know of her death?”

  “I doubt it, he has not returned since she died, and, well, you know, the phones … ”

  Nurse Nadia continued, “Actually, I am beginning to get worried about Dr. Campbell and Dr. Pierre. They went to Port-Au-Prince right after th
e earthquake to see if they could help Dr. Pierre’s family. They live there as missionaries and Dr. Pierre had not heard from them since the earthquake.” She balled up a small fist and held it to her quivering lip. And now, I have not heard from either of them since they crossed into Haiti. And that is not like Dr. Pierre. We have worked together for years and he knows what a worry-wart I am. I do wish he would call. So Mister ... er, Frank …

  He smiled and nodded encouragement.

  “Well Frank, how else can I help you?”

  “Please listen to what I have to tell you. It is not nice. Maybe you should sit down.

  First, I must tell you that your friend, Dr. Campbell is not so nice, and he is not a dedicated worker.”

  “But he spent hours with our patients and especially with Maria ... ” she cried.

  “Yes, you told me about Maria. Overdose and trauma, correct?”

  “Yes; that was so sad and quick. Poor Dr. Campbell will be so upset when he hears about her death. He really took a personal interest with her. He personally gave her all her exams, tests, meds and counseling. But that is research, you know, … all you can do is make the study and watch.”

  “Have you seen documentation; charts or anything else that might show that he was actually doing research and not here for some other reason?”

  She hesitated, “Well, no, now that you mention it ... ” Her eyes widened. “Just what are you getting at sir?”

  “I thought as much,” Frank said motioning again for her to sit back down. “Nurse Nadia, please listen to what I am about to tell you, but first I need to ask you a few questions.”

  She wrung her hands and paced, but pulled out her desk chair and sat. “OK. Yes; I suppose I must. What do you want to know about?” She chewed a thumb.

  “Well for starters, did you verify the credentials of ‘Dr. Campbell’?”

  She didn’t like the way he said the name. “Well, yes, I mean, kinda; … well actually we are still waiting for them. Dr. Campbell assured me that the delay was because his superiors in the PUW are in the midst of a corporate move. He told me that the files have all been archived and until the move is finished; from New York to New Jersey you know; the files are buried and that it would be impossible to retrieve them.

  “Oh!” she said as reality dawned on her. A look of dread passed over her face and her eyes widened even more. “He said that the minute he heard things were back to normal he would get them. And you know, we are always so busy here, and … and I just … ” She pumped her fists in her lap, disgusted with herself. “How could I …?” She sat up. “I remember he said something about how the nonprofit tax structure was better in New Jersey than it is in New York … and that the move could take a couple more months … Oh it seemed so legitimate!” Her stomach roiled with the thought that she may have been duped.

  Frank shook his head sadly and said, “So can I assume that you did not see any real credentials?”

  She looked more than worried now and sighed resignedly, “Well not the originals, … but notarized copies?” She tried to cling to a morsel of hope, but it faded fast.

  “Yeah? Notarized by whom?” Frank responded and looked at her, truly distressed for her. He thought, “God, people just don’t ever know how evil this world can be.”

  Nurse Nadia looked up slowly at Frank and admitted, “I’m not sure.” She was shaking her head and chewing on her thumb in earnest now. “Mister… I mean Frank, I thought Dr. Campbell was a friend of yours. You sound more like a cop than a frien.”d … ”

  “Nurse Nadia, I want to tell you something that you should know. I'm not really Dr. Campbell’s friend. As a matter of fact I have not even met him. I'm actually a private investigator. I have been hired by a gentleman in Florida. We have reason to believe that Dr. Campbell killed my employer´s wife and fled down here to change his identity.”

  “Oh Dios mio,” Nurse Nadia practically squeaked as she crossed herself. “That can't be; … please don’t let that be! That is impossible!”

  Frank waited for her to compose herself and then pursued further, “I know that you did not see any of his research papers but did you ever see any of his notes, records or any prior writing … anything that might help me get a lead on him?”

  “Not exactly. I mean he flashed a few articles in front of me; read a little from them and told me of his prior research.”

  “So you never actually verified anything.”

  Nurse Nadia was very upset now and had a hard time talking, “Well, yes, no, … I tried, but it is so hard here, you know? I, uh, oh God! No, I did not! I just trusted … Oh my God, oh my God, what have I done? He would come in and tell me that he spoke with his superiors and that he was informed that the move of the corporate office was nearing completion and that he would soon have all the papers I needed; and he seemed so …”

  “Nurse Nadia, please get hold of yourself. You couldn’t help it! He is a professional at this kind of thing. A con artist! He knows how to use and manipulate people. Believe me, you were no match for him!

  “Now, please tell me about Dr. Pierre. Would you have any photos of him?”

  “That’s his portrait over there on the wall.” Frank’s heart traded places with his stomach. The resemblance was uncanny.

  He heard her say, “He has been here for years and he is my good friend. He is originally from New York. He came here from Haiti. He had lived there with his parents for years. They are … were missionaries there.” Her eyes welled with tears and one rolled down her cheek and fell on her clenched arm. They lived in Port-Au-Prince.

  “That’s where they went … He and Dr. Campbell went there to see if Dr. Pierre could find his family. I get confused over who lives in New York and who lives in Haiti. They come and go, but his parents live there most of the time. They are getting older now so they do not go to New York as often.”

  Frank listened. When she stopped talking he was looking at her. He said nothing for a few heartbeats. With a sad look he told her. “Nurse Nadia, I am convinced that Dr. Campbell is a cold-blooded killer. Without knowing the young girl that he supposedly was studying here, I would bet he killed her. He killed my boss's wife and has probably killed Dr. Pierre. Have you heard anything? Anything at all from Dr. Pierre?”

  “NO!” she exclaimed, the panic rising. “No, nothing.”

  “Have you tried to contact him”?

  “Yes, many times.”

  “When did you last hear from him?”

  “Right before they entered Port-Au-Prince.” She looked at her desk calendar. “Yes, here it is, let’s see, that horrible earthquake was January 12th. I remember it perfectly because that was a Friday. That’s the day we get our pharmaceutical delivery. I was checking it in when a nurse came running in and told me. He said it was terrible and so we turned on the TV and it was just incredible.

  She got hold of herself and returned to her calendar. “So Dr. Pierre and Dr. … er, Campbell … ” She looked up questioningly. “They left early on Saturday … and today is the eighteenth so … ”

  Frank rubbed his chin. “So, about six days ago or so.” He shook his head and tut-tutted. “And then basically, you lost contact?”

  “Well, yes ... I mean the phones and … ”

  Frank leaned over the desk and said calmly, “From what I hear, many cell phones do work there. Even on CNN they show the Haitians using cells.”

  “Yes I know, I wondered about that … but it was spotty wasn’t it?” She rocked back and forth, her nails chewed to the quick now.

  “I hate to bring you bad news, I really do, but I would not expect to see Dr. Pierre again.” Her body shook as she broke down. He rose and came around the desk and patted her on her shoulder. She leaned into him.

  She was stunned and crying hard, sobbing uncontrollably now, “I-I-I don’t know what to sa-a-y. I’m in shock.” She stopped rocking for a second, thinking hard. “Do you have any proof he killed these other people?”

  “No, but I will. I have been fo
llowing him since he killed my boss’s wife in Florida and I can tell you that he has many names and many faces.”

  Her eyes widened with a new thought and she sucked a breath of air, “What will you do when you meet up with him?”

  “I’m not sure, but it will not be pretty.” He paused for a second, maybe trying to convince himself. “Please, can you get me the names of Dr. Pierre's family, their address or any information I can use? I guess I'm going to Port-Au-Prince. I’d like to search his office too if I may.”

  “Why yes; but of course. But can I see your passport first?” He chuckled; she was not one to repeat mistakes he could see.

  “Good idea,” he concurred.

  She looked it over and then scanned a copy of it into her computer; even going so far as to email it to some unknown soul. She nodded an affirmation to herself as she handed it back. “If you will wait out front I will give all the information I have to my secretary and she will bring it to you.”

  “Thanks, I’ll …”

  She interrupted him, remembering something else. “Oh, you’re welcome ... I mean ... oh, I don't know what I mean.” She was obviously disgusted with herself again. “Frank, uh, before you go, this may be of interest to you. I was told that Dr. Pierre's house was broken into the other day and his computer and many personal items and such were taken. Do you think … ?”