The Diagnosis is Murder (A Dr. Valorian Mystery Book 1)
Page 15
“Did you notice anything unusual while you and he were in the lounge? Anyone that might’ve slipped something into his drink?”
Tina looked down and considered the question for a short time. “No, I can’t think of anything unusual. We had a few drinks like we always did, and then Roderick said it was time for him to go home, and he walked out.”
“I guess you two never left a place together, right?”
“No, never. I usually left first, and he’d wait a while and walk out alone.”
“The day he died, surely you or he went to the restroom at some point, or left the table for some other reason?”
“I suppose so. I don’t remember.”
“Why didn’t you go with him in the ambulance or follow him to the hospital?”
“We didn’t want our affair to be discovered by the hospital staff. He told me that would make it difficult for him. I didn’t dream he’d really die.”
Laura studied Tina’s face. She couldn’t sense any faltering of her expression, any mistake with the eyes or body language. If she was lying, it was quite a performance.
Tina backed away again. Her eyes narrowed. “Please leave now,” she said.
“One more thing. You gave mouth-to-mouth ventilations. Who was the nurse that helped you, the one that did chest compressions?”
“I don’t know. She just told me she was a nurse. I’ve never seen her before or since.”
“She didn’t tell you her name, or where she worked?”
“No.” Tina walked to the front door and opened it.
“All right, I’m leaving.” Laura stood and exited the apartment. She descended the stairs partway until the door closed. Then she climbed back to the second level, tiptoed to Tina’s front door, and placed her ear against it. She’d noticed before that the door was of light construction. Laura smiled as she heard voices and could understand most of the words. Two people were standing not far from the front door.
“That woman is convinced he was murdered,” Tina said.
“Yeah. Don’t worry. She’ll give it up soon.”
“I hope so.”
“You told me you weren’t serious about him.”
At that point, the voices faded. Tina and her visitor had moved away from the door. Laura heard only indistinct mumbling as their discussion continued, but she had recognized the man’s voice. It was Dr. Blake Sutcliff.
She thought about knocking on the door, but Blake would probably disappear again into the back of the apartment. Laura figured she might push her luck a bit too far if she forced another encounter now. She’d already succeeded in getting herself ejected by three different angry people in one day. She shook her fist in the air and hurried back to her car. I know I’m right, and I’m getting closer to the truth.
Laura hopped into the car with Alec. “Guess who’s in the apartment with Tina?”
“Somebody we know?”
“Blake Sutcliff. Only he hid in a back room when I was there. After I walked out, I heard his voice.”
Alec scratched his cheek. “If he refuses to talk, I can’t just barge in and search the place. We’ll have to surprise him, maybe as he’s walking to the apartment.”
They hatched a plan to interview Sutcliff.
Laura clapped her hands. “I can’t wait, but I sure wouldn’t want to be alone.”
“You won’t be.”
Next, Laura wanted to try out her new photos in a certain lounge, the one outside of which Roderick Preswick had collapsed. The WXYZ lounge was south of her hospital in the scenic National Harbor shopping, dining, and entertainment area on the Potomac River. Alec wound through Arlington and east along the Capital Beltway across the Potomac River into Maryland.
He parked not far from the lounge, and Laura turned to him. “Let’s go inside and order snacks for dinner, but first I want to sit alone at the bar and talk to the bartender. I’ll play the helpless female.”
“Good point. I’ll go in first and choose a table, then you can join me when you’re done.”
Laura made her way inside to a stool at the bar. She saw Alec at a table in the distance.
A male bartender stopped washing mugs and wine glasses and glanced up at Laura. “What can I get for you today?”
Laura pulled out her six photos and placed them on the counter. With her eyes wide open and head slightly bowed, she tried to project a helpless, pleading air. “Can you please help me? I’m looking for my sister. I think she’s somewhere in this area, and these are a few of her friends and associates. Have you seen any of these people in here in the last several weeks?”
He frowned and stepped back. It wasn’t the reaction Laura had hoped for. Evidently, he’d encountered his share of fake damsels in distress. She removed a 20-dollar bill from her purse and smoothed it out beside the pictures.
As soon as the bartender spotted the money, he nodded and scanned the bar area, assuring himself that no one was watching. In fact, no one was even within earshot. He began to study the photos. After fifteen seconds or so, he pointed at the picture of Tina Landry. “I’m pretty sure that girl helped with CPR on the doctor that died last week out front.” He stared a few seconds more. “Yep, I’m sure of it. She was one of them that helped. I guess we were lucky two nurses were here that night to do CPR. It didn’t help, though, did it? You hear about that?”
“I heard about it on the news. Recognize anyone else?”
He touched the photo of George Detmeyer. “He’s been in here recently, maybe in the last week or two.”
“Thanks for your help.” Laura replaced the photos in her purse, and the bartender slipped the twenty into his pocket.
“By the way, which picture was your sister?”
“None of them. She never comes into bars.”
Laura joined Alec at his table, and they ordered beef sliders and coffee. She updated Alec on her interviews.
After they cleaned their plates, Laura looked up. “Do you need to leave for work?”
Alec sighed. “No, the divorce case can wait.” He sipped his coffee and smiled at her. “You’re excited about today.”
“I feel more sure than ever about this murder.”
“We are making some progress.”
Replenished for the chase, Alec and Laura returned to Tina’s apartment complex, and they walked up to Tina’s front door. Although a light was on inside, there was no answer to Laura’s knock.
“How about let’s wait for them, if they’re out?” Laura said. “Or at least try the door later?”
“Sure—a stakeout.”
They returned to Alec’s car and moved it to a better vantage point with a clear view of Tina’s door.
“I need to organize my thoughts,” Laura said. They rehashed the events of the last nine days while watching for Tina and Blake. Laura reviewed the salient facts from her interviews in more detail and outlined her argument for murder. “When are you meeting with your policeman friend?”
“Tomorrow afternoon.”
After three hours, they’d seen no sign of Tina Landry. They had made two trips to her front door, but their knocks had gone unanswered.
“Alec, if it weren’t for you, I’d go out of my mind.” Laura adjusted her position in the seat.
“Stakeouts can be boring.”
At that moment, a car turned the corner from the main entrance and parked in the area they were observing. Tina Landry and Blake Sutcliff stepped out of the car.
“Bingo,” Laura said. They eased out of the car and followed their quarry from a distance. As the two suspects reached Tina’s front door, Laura and Alec closed in behind them.
“Dr. Sutcliff,” Laura said. “What a coincidence. You’re just the person I want to talk to.”
Blake Sutcliff whirled around with a wide-eyed look. “What the—”
“I just have a few more questions.” Laura said.
“Tina was only partially covered by a short, tight black dress that hugged her ample curves. Sutcliff wore a blue dress sh
irt and a thin red tie with white rectangles. He was of medium height, a muscular man with a prominent jaw and black hair. His broad chest stretched out the folds of his shirt.
“Questions for me?” Blake said.
Laura looked up at him and smiled. “We think Dr. Preswick may’ve been murdered. I’ve already asked Ms. Landry this question. Where were you at the time Dr. Preswick died?”
“Where was I?” Sutcliff sniffed and glared at Laura, undecided about whether to answer.
Laura met his stare without blinking.
He looked away. “Well, what time did he die?”
“Late afternoon or early evening on Monday of last week. Before 7:00.”
Blake crossed his arms. “I was probably eating dinner at a restaurant. I was feeling pretty low then about the loss of my job.”
“Were you alone?”
“Yep.”
“Any witnesses?”
“Plenty, but nobody I knew.”
“How long have you and Tina been dating?”
Blake Sutcliff rolled his eyes up.
Laura and Alec waited.
Sutcliff looked down at Alec. “Who are you?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t introduce my friend, Alec Dupree,” Laura said. “Alec, this is Tina Landry and her boyfriend, Dr. Blake Sutcliff.” Alec nodded at the two.
Sutcliff sighed and said, “Tina and I have been dating off and on for over a year.”
Laura stood up. “Well, I guess you’re on again, since your main rival is out of the way.” She looked at Tina, who lowered her head.
Sutcliff pointed his finger at Laura. Veins in his temples bulged out. “Look here, I don’t like what you’re getting at. What’re you even doing here? You’re not the police.”
Laura held her hands up in front of her. “No one is accusing you of anything.”
Sutcliff edged closer to Laura with his finger in the air. “Keep it that way.”
Alec stepped between Sutcliff and Laura, his chest against Sutcliff’s finger. “No need to get aggressive.”
Sutcliff’s face was inches from Alec’s. “Get the hell out of here, or you’ll find out how aggressive I can be.”
Laura grabbed Alec’s arm. “Let’s go. I think we’ve worn out our welcome here.”
As they approached his car, Alec turned to Laura. “We sure set him off. He looked angry.”
“Yes, more angry than surprised. It looked to me like he could barely contain himself.”
“I’m glad he did. He looks like a strong dude.”
Laura grinned. “I know you can handle yourself.”
“Sure, but I’ve never had to fight a surgeon. He might take me apart—dissect me—organ by organ.”
Laura laughed.
In the car, Alec held up the itinerary. “Next up: Max Flowers.”
Alec drove west along Lee Highway, and after a few more turns, parked on the street in front of a modest house with several illuminated windows. Laura pulled in behind him. As they walked to the front door, a cat loped a safe distance away from the sidewalk and turned to study the intruders from under a bush.
“You’ll take the lead?” Laura asked.
“No problem.”
Alec rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, the porch light switched on, and the front door was opened by a balding man in an off-white dress shirt, beige slacks, and slippers.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Max Flowers?” Alec said.
“That’s me.”
“I’m Alec, and this is Laura. We’re investigating the death of Dr. Roderick Preswick, and we understand you were in business with him.”
Max Flowers put his hands on his hips. “If you can call it that. I did all the work.” He cleared his throat, and his voice rose to a higher pitch. “Why are you investigating his death? Is anything wrong?”
“We’re just covering all the angles. He was a prominent surgeon,” Alec said.
Max snorted. “Well, he didn’t know anything about business. He actually accused me of embezzling investors’ money. It put the whole business on hold. He was an idiot.”
“Did you go to court?”
“Are you the police?”
“No, I’m a private investigator.” Alec held up his PI license. “Laura is a doctor who worked with him at the hospital.”
Max shook his head. “I haven’t heard anything about court, and nothing’s come of the charge yet. I’m not sure what happens now.”
Laura leaned toward Max. “I guess it’s a bit easier on you—now that he’s dead.”
“I’m not sad that he’s gone, if that’s what you’re implying.”
Alec whipped out a small writing pad and pen. “Would you mind telling us where you were Monday, nine days ago, in the early evening?”
“Why? You think someone knocked him off?”
“We don’t know. It’s a possibility.”
“Well, let’s see. I was probably eating dinner in a local restaurant. I usually eat out on Mondays, if I’m off work, to take advantage of happy hour. Yes, I’m sure of it. I was sitting in a restaurant on Monday evening from about 5:30 on. That’s my usual routine.”
“Which restaurant?”
“I don’t remember. Well, wait a minute. I heard about Preswick’s death the next day at work. Yes, that evening I was at Outback Steakhouse, in Arlington.”
“Where do you work?” Alec said.
“I’m a family practice nurse practitioner. I work around in different clinics. Look, if you think Preswick was murdered, it wasn’t me. No way.” Max laughed and held up quivering hands in front of him. “Do I look like I could kill someone?”
Alec scribbled on his pad and looked up. “Thank you, Mr. Flowers. Sorry to bother you.”
Max closed and locked the door. The cat was lying in the grass and followed Alec and Laura with its eyes as they walked to their cars.
“I don’t get a good feeling about that guy,” Alec said. “He seemed too nervous.”
“He’s definitely the nervous type,” Laura said. “Can we go to my place? I’d like to go over the case with you.”
“Sure.
Alec took Glebe Road southeast to Highway 1, which led them south into Old Town Alexandria and to Laura’s home. It was late, but Laura wasn’t tired. She led Alec into her living room, and Cosmo made his acquaintance, sniffing Alec’s shoes and slacks.
“Cosmo approves,” Laura said.
“Is he a good judge of character?”
“Let’s just say he and I think alike.”
“Golden Retriever?”
“You know dogs.”
“Only a few breeds.”
Alec sat forward on the couch and petted Cosmo while Laura served Pellegrino sparkling water. She added the alibis to her suspect list.
Alibis
1. Mrs. Preswick - shopping
2. Tina Landry - none (with Dr. Preswick at the lounge)
3. Dr. Matthew Kline, after his unfortunate verdict, he drank in a bar somewhere
4. Dr. Blake Sutcliff, eating at a restaurant somewhere
5. George Detmeyer, left work at 4 p.m., stopped at a grocery store, near his home? ate dinner at 7:30 p.m. at home
6. Max Flowers, in an Outback Restaurant
Alec studied the list. “I approve of adding Max as a suspect.”
“Any of the six could’ve done the killing,” Laura said. “And each of them had a motive.”
“At least nothing has pointed against murder. I’ll do some more digging into Max’s background, and what he’s been up to.”
“Let’s explore everything. Unfortunately, I haven’t found or thought of any clues.” She turned to Alec. “Surely this isn’t the proverbial perfect murder.”
Alec stared straight ahead. “I can’t believe in the perfect murder, though we all know it’s happened before.”
“I think I know what you mean. It’s inconsistent with the mission of detective work.”
They were quiet for a while, sipping their drinks.
“Good. Any other thoughts?” Laura said.
“We can try to bring the killer out somehow.”
“You mean, like set a trap?”
“That’s one way, but a trap is tricky to pull off.”
“We could gather the six suspects together and announce that Dr. Preswick had whispered the name of his murderer just before he died.” Laura shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t work. How do we get the guilty one to confess?”
“We don’t actually need a confession. Anyway, they’re difficult to extract from the guilty person, despite what TV detective shows imply. And confessions don’t always hold up in court.”
“So, we lay a trap of some kind that only the guilty person will fall for. Then at least we can identify the killer?”
“Yes.”
Laura visualized various scenarios. “It could get dangerous, right?”
“Like cornering a wild animal.”
Laura exhaled. “Okay, you can be the point man for the trap.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Any ideas about how we pull it off?”
“Let’s think on that for a while.”
***
Alec left Laura’s house after both were yawning more than talking. During his drive home along the Capital Beltway, he hummed along with music from the radio—one of the songs was ‘Ventura Highway,’ by America.
Since the deaths of his wife and son, he’d battled depression off and on, especially in the early months. He knew what was happening to him, but he couldn’t overcome that dejected state of mind. It was as if his life would grind down to a snail’s pace, like he was lugging around a heavy weight. Sometimes, it was an effort to even move at all.
In recent months, the episodes of depression were less frequent and less intense, and tonight, he wouldn’t have been able to recreate that sluggish feeling if he’d tried.
As he drove along the streets to his home, he checked his rearview mirror more than usual. A car seemed to be following him. He made several extra turns that circled his block, and the car turned and disappeared.