The Diagnosis is Murder (A Dr. Valorian Mystery Book 1)

by Steven Gossington

  That educated guess was validated as Judkins bent down and retrieved a seat cushion from under his desk. He offered the cushion to Alec. “For my special guests.”

  Alec sat on the fluffy cushion and felt an immediate improvement. “Thanks.”

  “Want some coffee?”

  Alec shook his head no.

  Judkins sat back down in his squeaky armchair. “So, what’s up? You on a case?”

  “Yeah. Remember the surgeon that died in front of the WXYZ lounge ten days ago?”

  Judkins rubbed his chin. “Seem to recall something about that. I don’t think the ME has contacted us.”

  “The autopsy didn’t suggest foul play. But some special drug tests are still pending.”

  “So, you think he overdosed? Suicide, or maybe murder?”

  “The ER doc that pronounced him dead was suspicious from the beginning. His pupils were all wrong. She’s convinced he was poisoned—murdered.”

  Judkins paused. “Pupils, eh? Hardly what I’d call substantial evidence. Got anything else?”

  “Maybe the drug test will be positive.” Alec moved forward to the edge of his chair. “I know it’s weak, but I think this ER doc is on to something. The surgeon had a few enemies. We’ve worked up a list of credible suspects.”

  “Everyone’s got enemies.” Judkins put his hands flat on the desk. “Look, I can tell you’re worried that something’s not right about this surgeon’s death. I respect that, because I know you. Right now, I’m up to my ears in homicides. Sometimes, I think the majority of people in this city are secretly plotting to do away with somebody else.” Judkins chuckled. “Hell, maybe we should look at murder as a form of population control.”

  Alec sighed. “I know you’re busy. That’s why I haven’t bothered you earlier about it.”

  “Tell you what. If that drug test is positive, let me know and I’ll look into it.”

  “Fair enough.” Alec stood and pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. “There’s something else. I found this inside my apartment.”

  Judkins read the note aloud, “I’ll finish you off soon, but first I’ll have some fun.” He raised his eyebrows at Alec. “Think it’s your guy? The guy that killed your family?”

  Alec nodded.

  “What’s he up to?” Judkins said.

  “I’m not sure, but I’ll bet he’ll hurt someone before he comes after me. That’s his MO—he likes violence.”

  Judkins stood. “I’ll alert everyone.”

  They shook hands. “I appreciate that,” Alec said.

  “Want one of our guys watching your place?”

  “No. I can take care of myself.”

  “I know.”

  Alec turned to leave.

  “I’ve been meaning to call you to play golf sometime,” Judkins said. “My wife gave me a new driver last Christmas. She wants me to relax more.”

  “Sure thing. Anyway, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you again, soon.” Alec walked toward the door.

  “Because we’re friends, you know I won’t give up until we get him,” Judkins said.

  Alec stopped, and the face of his family’s killer appeared before him. He nodded at Judkins and left the office.

  Chapter 21

  At her house that afternoon, Laura suited up for a jog. Cosmo barked at her more than usual.

  “What’s wrong, buddy?” She rubbed his head. “Everything’s okay. You know what I’m about to do.” He seemed to settle down.

  After her stretch routine, she trotted onto the street that led east to the path next to the Potomac River. Several blocks passed by, and her stride was regular and synchronized with her breathing. She knew the route well and was able to avoid any obstacles or irregularities in her path that might cause injury to a runner. She thought about rewarding herself with a tasty dinner at one of her favorite restaurants. Maybe a zesty tomato bisque followed by chicken grilled in herbs and olive oil? And I can follow that with a chocolate gelato, or berries and cheesecake. Crisp air coursed in and out of her lungs, and her breathing and footfalls were the only sounds. She was the sole object in motion, except for the occasional swaying of tree branches in the gentle breeze. No honking cars, no barking dogs, no—

  Something hard as a brick smacked against her ribs. No time to react. Wheezing air exploded from her lungs, and she crashed down to the ground and slid along the grass with a heavy, sweaty man on top of her. They came to rest behind some bushes with the man holding a knife to her neck. Laura kept her arms and legs motionless and tried to catch her breath, the cold edge of the knife blade stinging her skin.

  “Don’t move, and don’t say nothin’.” He wore sunglasses behind a dark ski mask.

  God, please help me. Laura focused high above the ski mask and the bushes, on far-off scattered wispy clouds, one after another, as the man wrenched at her jogging sweatpants. She tried to control her breathing, but her chest was heaving faster and faster.

  Voices, at first faint, then louder, interrupted the outer stillness. Several people walked and laughed nearby, and when Laura sensed they were not far away, she groaned.

  “Shut up,” the man hissed. His knife blade pressed against a taut muscle in her neck as the laughing and footsteps stopped.

  “Did you hear something?” someone said.

  “Behind those bushes, I think.”

  As her attacker turned his head, the knife moved away from her neck.

  “Help,” Laura yelled. “Help.”

  She heard footsteps approaching, and the man in the ski mask bent down and growled in her ear, “This ain’t over.” He jumped up and bolted away.

  Three young adults, two men and a woman, burst through the bushes and spotted Laura. “Are you okay?” one of them asked, helping Laura to her feet as she pulled up her sweats.

  Laura’s chest shuddered as she tried to slow her breathing. “Yes . . . thanks to you.” She adjusted her clothing and, with the help of the young woman, brushed off dirt and grass from her body. “He might’ve . . . killed me.”

  “We saw someone running away,” the woman said. “Did you know that guy?”

  Laura shook her head and took a few deep breaths. “I don’t think so . . . He had on a ski mask. He attacked me.” Laura crossed her arms as a shiver passed over her. “I’ll report this to the police.”

  The woman reached into her purse. “Here’s my card, if the police need a witness report.”

  “I appreciate that.” Laura felt a wave of nausea.

  “We can walk with you for a while, until you’re safe,” one of the men said.

  “Maybe for a few blocks? I live near here.”

  “Sure.”

  Back at her street, Laura’s jitters had subsided. “Thanks. I’m good now.” As her rescuers waved and walked away, Laura yelled after them, “The world sure could use more good folks like you.”

  As she opened her front door, the attacker’s last words—‘this ain’t over’—were ringing in her ears. She had a sickening feeling she might know who he was. After calling information, she was connected to the police department, and her report, with as many details as she could remember, was filed as an “assault—assailant unknown.” She was told that the police would be on the alert for someone with his description.

  In the shower, Laura spotted a faint bruise forming over her right lower rib cage. “I’ll be sore tomorrow.” The assault replayed in her mind, not as the entire incident from the jarring tackle to those last ominous words, but in short, jagged, random segments.

  She ran her fingers through her hair and plopped down at her computer to search for local self-defense classes. After a few minutes, she pointed at the screen. A class was starting up tomorrow evening.

  Laura’s doorbell chimed at 5:00 p.m. Alec had on a dark blue sports coat and beige slacks with no tie.

  “I’m ready.” Laura stepped out and locked up the house. She wore a black pants suit. “Is this outfit okay?”

  Alec nodded. “Great choice, consideri
ng our plans for the sting tonight.”

  “Thank you, my dear Sherlock Holmes.”

  Alec cocked his head. “Are you worried about something?”

  Laura sighed. “I started my jog this afternoon, and a man attacked me.”

  Alec stopped. “What? You were assaulted?”

  Laura filled him in on the details.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  “Just painful ribs—and, I’m sure, nightmarish memories. At least, the ribs will heal.”

  Alec put his hands on his hips and cursed under his breath. “Damn, I wonder . . .”

  Laura touched his shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ll be on the lookout next time.”

  Alec stared off into the distance.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Alec shook his head. “I need to tell you something.”

  Laura waited.

  “That bastard that killed my family?”

  “I remember.”

  “He’s in town—he’s after me.”

  “Oh, Alec.” Laura’s eyes widened. “The police will get him, right?”

  “One of us will.”

  “Shouldn’t you be in hiding?”

  Alec paused. “No, he won’t just sneak up behind me, or ambush me somewhere. He likes to play games—cat and mouse.”

  “So, he’ll challenge you to a game?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You think he might’ve attacked me?”

  “Maybe. I’ll let the police know, and I’m sticking close to you.”

  Laura smiled. “Good.”

  “Are you still up for this tonight?”

  She clenched her fists. “More than ever now.”

  They drove off in Alec’s car. “I found out a few interesting things today,” he said. “First, a PI that I know told me that Mrs. Preswick hired him three weeks ago to tail her husband.”

  “Aha, she wasn’t so unconcerned about Roderick’s affairs after all. What did he find out?”

  “He followed Dr. Preswick several times to bars and lounges, including WXYZ, where the good doctor would hook up with Tina Landry. Apparently, Ms. Landry was his only recent affair.”

  “So, Mrs. Preswick knew about Tina.”

  “Yep.”

  “Just because I’m curious, what made the PI tell you this? Isn’t that privileged information?”

  “Usually is, but he’d heard about Dr. Preswick’s death and found out that I’m working on it. He wanted to do what was right.” He leaned toward Laura. “Or maybe it was because he owed me a favor.”

  Laura laughed. “Now we get to the real reason. It seems that a lot of people owe you favors.”

  “It’s my way of networking.”

  They drove through traffic for a while.

  Laura turned to him. “Speaking of Tina Landry, the bartender at the WXYZ told me that another nurse helped Tina with CPR on Dr. Preswick. That might be another lead.”

  “Maybe.”

  “You said you found out a few things today. What else?”

  “The lab guy—Detmeyer—has a spotted past. As you know, his recent wife—his second—died in surgery after a single car accident. He sued Dr. Preswick and lost. But get this, his first wife also died in a single car accident.”

  “Interesting. You think maybe he’s knocking off his wives somehow?”

  “Could be.”

  “How about Max Flowers?”

  “I couldn’t find any court papers; nothing’s been filed. Maybe Preswick hadn’t got around to it. He was a busy man.”

  “There could be other investors.”

  “I thought of that. Don’t worry, I’m not giving up on Mr. Flowers.”

  “I discovered something else,” Laura said. “A homeless man I know pointed at my photo of Blake Sutcliff. He said Blake offered to sell him drugs.”

  “Blake selling drugs. Is this a homeless person you treat in the ER?”

  “No, just someone I help out from time to time, near where I live,” Laura said. “By the way, where are we going?”

  “Eventually to a park east of Union Station, but, dinner first. I made reservations. I hope that’s all right.”

  “It sure is. I’m hungry.”

  Alec parked and showed her into Ozio Restaurant and Lounge near Dupont Circle. Just inside the entrance, Laura noticed a faint cigar scent. Although she didn’t mind the odor of pipes, cigars were too strong. A slight queasiness grew in her midsection, but she didn’t let on to Alec about it. “I guess cigar smoking is allowed here?” she said.

  “In certain areas.”

  “Do you smoke cigars?”

  “I’ve smoked a few in my life, but I’ve never inhaled.” He noticed Laura’s drawn face and whispered to the hostess, asking for seats away from the cigar scent. They were led to a table in a corner several turns removed from the entrance.

  “This area should be okay,” the hostess said. “There’s good ventilation in here.”

  Laura breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down.

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t know you were sensitive,” Alec said. “Want to go somewhere else?”

  “No, but thanks for offering. I’m good now.”

  Alec ordered filet mignon and Laura salmon. They decided that drinks weren’t a good idea. Muddled minds and slowed reflexes might be detrimental.

  “Did your informant contact all the suspects?” Laura said.

  “Yes.”

  “What did he tell them?”

  “He told each one that he knows they bought designer drugs from a dealer, the same drugs used to kill Dr. Preswick. He’ll keep quiet for a price. He said he’d be at the park for the payoff at 9:00 tonight.”

  “Hopefully, only one murderer will show up,” Laura said. That idea struck them both as humorous.

  After coffee, they returned to the car and Alec drove to Massachusetts Avenue, which led them southeast past Union Station toward the park. He stopped the car two blocks away in the shadows and retrieved a camera with a zoom lens from his trunk. “My informant has a mike and recorder on him.”

  “Where will he be?”

  “Not far from the statue in the center of the park.”

  Clouds blanketed the evening sky, and the air felt muggy. Laura strolled down the street a short distance away from the park to get a glimpse through the trees of the U.S. Capitol building.

  Alec ambled up behind her. “We’ve got a while to wait. Let’s find somewhere comfortable to set up, somewhere hidden from the main walkways.” Alec chose a group of bushes along the perimeter of the small park, and they sat down behind branches in the soft grass on a blanket he’d brought. Although it was dark, they had an acceptable view of the front of the statue.

  Laura leaned toward him. “Are you going to contact your guy?”

  “Not now.”

  “I don’t see anyone around.”

  “He’s hidden. Don’t worry, he’s out there.”

  “Isn’t it too dark for decent pictures?”

  “I’ll run up close and use a flash.”

  Forty-five minutes passed. Laura played games in her mind, placing each of her suspects as the murderer. She decided that she disliked Detmeyer and Sutcliff the most. Either one would do for a satisfying solution.

  A man in a jogging suit and shoes walked near the statue. He stopped on the sidewalk, not far from Alec and Laura, studying his cell phone. Putting the phone to his ear, he began yelling and waving his arm. After a few sputtering expletives, he wheeled off the sidewalk and walked straight at Laura. She held her breath, as she heard fragments of his angry conversation with someone—probably a significant other—about money, until he reached the edge of the bushes.

  “What the hell?” he said, staring at Laura, who covered her mouth with her hand.

  Alec’s head popped out of a bush. “Move along, buddy.”

  “Whoa,” the man said, stumbling back and almost falling over. “What are you—weirdos?” He broke into a run, not stopping as he passed by the statue.

 
“Know that guy?” Alec said to Laura.

  “I’ve never seen him before.”

  Twenty minutes more ticked by. Another person walked near the statue, zigzagging, but Laura didn’t think he was intoxicated. It seemed more as if he were looking the ground over in different spots. He was overdressed. A coat wasn’t required tonight, but the man wore a heavy, frayed coat and a woolen ski cap. His face was unshaven and his beard long and unkempt. It was too dark to distinguish much more. Laura figured he could be a homeless person, of a type she often saw in her ER. He walked in a random pattern near the statue, and after a few minutes, he stumbled away.

  “What was the killer instructed to do?” Laura said.

  “Walk up to the front of the statue and stand there.”

  They waited until 11:00 p.m. Laura’s lower back began to hurt, her body hinting for the upright position again. No one else came close to the statue.

  “Let’s go.” Alec stood and stretched his arms. “The trap didn’t work.”

  “Do you think we might’ve been spotted?”

  “I didn’t see anyone, but we may’ve been outsmarted, or the killer suspected a trap and didn’t show up. Wait here. I’ll send my man home.” Alec walked a ways into the shadows and told his informant the sting was a bust. He returned to Laura, and they walked to his car.

  She winced at the pain in her ribs as she stepped into the seat. Both were quiet during the drive to Laura’s house.

  Alec touched her shoulder as she opened the passenger door. “I should stay with you.”

  Laura sighed and nodded. “I’ll sure feel safer with you here. I have a guest bedroom.”

  “Good, although any couch would do.”

  Laura was quiet as they passed through her front door.

  “Don’t get discouraged,” Alec said. “Sometimes, you hit dead ends.”

  “Nothing can discourage me. I’m in this to the end.” She looked up at him. “Thanks for not thinking me delusional.”