Heartless: a Derek Cole Mystery Suspense Thriller (Derek Cole Suspense Thriller Book 1)

by T Patrick Phelps

  “May I assume that this one here,” Ralph said, pointing to the third body, “is the aforementioned owner of this place?”

  “Actually, no. According to his driver’s license and car registration, his name is Doctor Peter Adams. Lives outside of Chicago.”

  “And who owns this place?”

  “Doctor William Straus. Location, unknown, but his car was spotted tearing down Route 8 around the time we figure these murders happened.”

  “We put out an APB on him yet?

  “That’s more for your department to handle, chief.”

  “I suppose. Starting to like that Straus doctor for this whole scene.”

  “That’s not what your officers are saying,” Germane said.

  “I’ll deal with that later. Tell me, cause of death of this here Doctor Peter Adams.”

  “Cause of death was sharp blow to the skull with a blunt instrument. Maybe a sledge hammer. He didn’t die right away. I guess that the doctors here have been working together for years. I think that...”

  “I don’t want to interrupt but please don’t say anything more about what you may think. If I have everyone yapping at me what they all think, then I’ll never get to ask the questions I need to ask. Thank you. Please wait out in the hall with the others and tell whoever done all the fingerprints to come on in.”

  Germane Tamorssi left without questioning Ralph and instructed Officer Mark Grace to go see the chief.

  “Yes, sir,” Mark said. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Did you do the fingerprinting in here?”

  “Yes, sir. I did. Found only four sets. Two of the sets belonged to the two doctors here and two other sets from people who aren’t here. The fingerprints are everywhere in both rooms. One thing that is interesting is that the only sets of fingerprints in the bedroom over there,” Mark said as he motioned towards the adjoining room, “are those that probably came from the killer. And I don’t know if you checked out the bedroom yet, but the someone who lived in there was someone that the doctors didn’t want to let out.”

  Ralph, surprised that he hadn’t noticed the two-inch thick rope lying stretched across the length of the room’s floor, said “Now what the hell do we have here?”

  “We figured it out, chief,” Mark Grace said. “See, the rope attaches to that hook on the bedroom door.” He walked over to the large, steel door that separated the living room where the bodies were found from what appeared to be a bedroom. He expected that his chief would follow him to the door but instead Ralph stood staring at the rope, following it until the rope disappeared into the ceiling.

  “I’m listening. Keep talking,” Ralph said to Mark.

  “Well, that rope attaches to this metal hook on this door. The rope runs across the room, into the ceiling then comes back out in the hallway outside. You probably missed it, but there’s a ratcheting contraption in the hallway. The rope runs into the ratchet. We haven’t tested yet, but it looks like once the rope is hooked to this door, the ratchet system pulls the rope tight and makes this door impossible to open. Pretty ingenious.”

  “Sounds like whoever was living in that there bedroom was someone that these good doctors wanted to contain.”

  “That’s why we all think...”

  “Thank you, officer,” Mark said, stopping Mark Grace mid-sentence.”

  Ralph inspected every inch of the rope and system and wondered why it was made. He was sure that whoever lived in the bedroom was a suspect, but couldn’t imagine why the doctors would have a prisoner living there. And he wondered where the doctor who owned this lodge was and what may have happened to him.

  “The doctors were both psychologists,” Mark added. “Maybe the person who lived in the rooms here was a violent patient.”

  “A violent patient who escaped, it looks to me. Did you send those prints to a lab somewhere?”

  “Yes, sir. Results aren’t in yet.”

  “Thank you, officer. Tell me, who saw the lodge owner tearing down Route 8?”

  “Adam Patterson and his wife. They’re yearlys. Live over on South Shore road. And the owners name is Doctor William Straus, in case you forgot.”

  “Did the yearlys mention if Doctor William Straus was alone or if he had company in his car?”

  “They said he was alone but couldn’t be sure. He was moving at a pretty good clip.”

  “Anyone try to find out if Doctor William Straus has a cell phone we could call?”

  “Not that I know of, chief. Want me to do some digging?”

  “Dig away,” Ralph said, finally removing his gaze off the rope and into Mark’s eyes. “Nice job in here, officer. Now, do me another two favors, would you?”

  “Anything, chief.”

  “While you’re digging for Doctor William Straus’s cell number, find out what kind of car he drives and send in whoever inspected the rest of the house.”

  For the next two hours, Ralph interviewed every person in the cabin. Ralph learned that several things had been taken from the cabin, including the contents of a wall safe, food, clothes, and some medical equipment. When he was done talking to everyone individually, he left the room where the bodies were, told the coroner to inspect the bodies for any other clues, and then assembled his team in the great room of the cabin. He pulled himself to his full five foot seven frame, wrenched his pants up and over his girthy beer belly, and waited for everyone to quiet down.

  “Gentlemen, what we have here is a murder. Three murders, all most likely perpetrated by the same person. We can assume that the suspect is the person who lived in that prison-like room. We can assume that the doctors were afraid of him for some reason, and we can assume that they were trying to fix whatever was wrong with the person who lived in that room. We can also assume that the other victim, Roger Fay, was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Basically, we can assume a hell of a lot until we find out what the hell was going on in this place.

  “Now, I know none of you have ever seen a murder scene before. And I am sure that some of you may be nervous as hell about your role in this investigation. I have done this before. Trust me. I know y’all think that I am crazy, but I’m tasking you to trust me. I am only as crazy as I need to be. No more, and no less.

  “This cabin is now our headquarters. I like to be close to my work when doing something like this investigation. We cannot forget that we have a whole lot of other people who live in this town who are going to be scared out of their right minds once they hear about these murders. Don’t forget that your job is to protect and to serve.

  “Yes, this investigation is going to take up a lot of man-hours, but you cannot neglect your other duties. In order that the other duties don’t get neglected, I am going to ask that officer Mark Grace and I do all the full-time work on this case. Y’all others will be doing some things now and then, but mostly you are going to keep on doing your jobs.

  “We will catch this bastard, or if there is more than one, these bastards. I promise you and your families that. I need y’all to keep this quiet for as long as you can. The last thing we need is some type of panic going on. Everyone understand?”

  All agreed with Ralph and their roles in the murder investigation.

  “Thank you. Now, before y’all leave here, I need two deputies to do a little legwork for me. I need one to go to every house on this street and see if anyone saw anything. Other than that, everyone is free to get their asses back to work. Thank you. And remember, quiet on all this for as long as possible. If the press...Y’all do have a press up here, right?”

  “Yes Chief. We even have a paper.”

  “Good. Well the press is probably outside this cabin already. Tell them that we are investigating a murder and that you have no further information. That’s all.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  “How did you find out about the murders and that your twin brother was the prime suspect?”

  “I got a call, well, actually, my parents got a call from a Ralph Fox. He’s the chief of poli
ce in the town where the murders happened,” Thomas responded.

  “And up until that call, neither you nor your parents had any idea that your brother, their son didn’t die in the hospital on the day you two were born?”

  “It was quite a surprise. Pissed my dad off, I can tell you that much.”

  “I’d imagine,” Derek said. Derek stood up, stretched his back and motioned towards path that led from the nearest parking lot to where he and Thomas were talking. “And these doctors, Rinaldo, Mix, Adams, and Zudak, have you or your parents had a chat with them yet?

  “One of them, Zudak, called my parent’s house last night. They had left already, but I heard the message. Said he wanted to explain everything to them. He left his cell number and said that he won’t be staying in one place for too long until the killer is captured.”

  “And the others?”

  “No. I haven’t spoken with them. Neither have my parents, as far as I know. As soon as we were told about Alex and that he was suspected in the murders, we figured we better protect ourselves. Honestly, it took a lot of persuasion on my part to get my parents to get out of town.

  “Before they left and once I told them that I was staying put, my dad suggested that I talk to my uncle, his brother, about contacting you. So that’s what I did.”

  “Did they try to convince you to join them?”

  “Of course, but they agreed that I should work with you to get answers.”

  Derek began moving towards the path to the parking lot and gestured with his head that Thomas should follow.

  “I want to visit with these doctors first. Not that I doubt your story, but I need to confirm things with the people who were there. Any idea where they might be located?”

  Thomas thought. “Actually, I do. After I called you and arranged this meeting, I did some searches. Mark Rinaldo retired from Saint Stevens over three years ago but still lives in the area. Stanley Mix got married to a nurse who cared for Alexander while he was in Hilburn. They live outside of Rochester, New York. I don’t know anything about Lucietta or Straus. And I already told you about Zudak.”

  “You have addresses?”

  “I do. Thought you might need them.”

  Thomas handed Derek a folded up sheet of paper that he retrieved from the front pocket of his neatly pressed gabardines.

  “But you haven’t contacted them at all?”

  “Nope. Not sure if I could contain my anger if I did.”

  “Good,” Derek said, as he quickened his pace towards his car. “I’m going to pay a visit to Rinaldo, hoping that he’s at home. Then, I’ll give Zudak a call. Depending on how my calls go, I think I’ll head out to Piseco Lake and check out the crime scene.”

  “Why would you go out there?” Thomas asked. “Alexander isn’t there anymore. He’s probably either in Chicago or is heading this way.”

  The look of concern was clear on Thomas’s face.

  “You may be right, but if I am going to track his movements, I have to start where he started moving. I’ll keep in touch but you need to get somewhere safe. Do you have a place?”

  “Yes. I can go to . .”

  “Don’t tell me where you’re going. Trust me, I don’t need to know. All I need to know is that I can get in touch with you on your cell phone and that wherever you are headed is safe and that you’ll stay put. Understood?”

  “Understood.”

  As they reached the parking lot, Thomas stopped in his tracks and said, “What will you do if you find Alexander?”

  “I don’t think that far ahead. You just get your ass to wherever it is that you are going, and stay there until I tell you otherwise.”

  “Okay. And will you give Mark Rinaldo a message for me?”

  “Depends on the message,” Derek said.

  “Tell him that no matter what happens to my brother, that he hasn’t heard or seen the last of the O’Connells.”

  “Sounds like a threat.”

  “No threat. Just a promise that he will pay for the lies he told. Him and that whole team of his. My father is already in contact with his lawyer. That asshole Rinaldo and the entire team will be behind bars the second this whole mess is cleaned up.”

  “Behind bars may be the safest place for them if we don’t stop your brother,” Derek said. “And, by the way, did that Ralph Fox say anything else when he spoke with your parents?”

  “Just that they found a list in what they believe was Alex’s bedroom.”

  “And what was on that list?”

  “Names. Rinaldo, Mix, Zudak, Adams, Lucietta, Straus, Curtis, my parents, and me. Two of the names had been crossed out in what looked like blood. Adams and Curtis, two of the three killed so far.”

  “No one else made the list?”

  “I haven’t seen the list. Like I said, my parents had the talk with the cop, and they told me everything. At least it seemed like they told me everything.”

  Derek opened his car door then paused in thought.

  “You mentioned that there were three murders. Adams and Curtis. Who was the third victim?”

  “Don’t know. My parents told me that Fox said the other victim was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Do you know if Ralph Fox contacted the other doctors yet?”

  “I have no idea. He just told my parents that he suspected that Alexander is my brother, that he killed three people, that he had a list of names, and that my parents and I were on the list.”

  “I don’t understand why your parents made the list. Is there any way that they knew about Alexander and were part of the doctor’s plan?”

  “No way. No way in the world,” Thomas said. “You should have seen their faces when they were telling me what Fox told them. That Alexander didn’t die on the operating table at Saint Stevens but was wanted for a triple murder.”

  “Why do you think Alexander added your parents to the that list?”

  “I have no idea. They weren’t involved at all and are as much of victims as Alexander. You know that my parents, especially my mom, visits the cemetery every week since Alexander died? Or at least, since they were told he died.”

  “But I’m sure your parents were part of at least the decision to do the surgery that cut Alexander off from your heart? I’m not a doctor, but I have to believe that your parents had a voice in the decision.”

  “Sure, but they have nothing to do with those bastards did after Alexander and I were separated.”

  “How much did Fox tell you about what the doctors did?”

  “My parents spent at least forty-five minutes on the phone with him. I never spoke with the guy. My parents filled me in with as much information as they could get from the talk with Fox. We still have way more questions than answers at this point.”

  “Humor me, please, and tell me as many of the details of the conversation with your parents.”

  “Fox told my parents that there was a strong possibility that their son Alexander did not die like the doctors at Saint Stevens said he had. He said that he was reading a lot of notes that went back to 1992 and had a lot of questions for all of the doctors.”

  “And did he say what those notes contained?”

  “He said that he didn’t know what to make of most of them. He said that it sounds like something ‘fishy’ happened, and he didn’t know what to believe yet. But, he was pretty certain that my brother was not dead. Too many notes referencing the doctors at Saint Stevens and my parents to not think Alexander was still alive.”

  “Before your parents left,” Derek said, “you’re sure they didn’t contact any of the doctors from Saint Stevens?”

  “The only calls I know they made were to my dad’s lawyer and to the airline.”

  “When did their flight leave?” Derek questioned.

  “About two hours before I met you here. They should land in another hour. Since I highly doubt Alexander, or whoever is behind these murders, will be able to find them, I don’t think it’s dangerous that you kn
ow where they are.”

  “You never know, so please don’t tell me where they are staying. I know they’re in the Bahamas, but I don’t need to know exactly where. It’s a big ocean down there and lots of places to be.”