The Runaway Reporter (A Police Procedural Mystery Series of Crime and Suspense, Hyder Ali #3)

by Thomas Fincham

  If she was uncomfortable, she wasn’t showing it.

  Dr. Herb Lafferty came out and said, “Oh, the happy couple.”

  Lafferty was in his sixties, bald, and he walked with a limp. It was a skydiving accident that had damaged his left leg to the point where it was never the same.

  “How’s he been treating you?” Lafferty asked Lopez.

  “Good, but he’s still a work in progress,” she said, glancing over at Nolan.

  “Be gentle but firm,” Lafferty said. “You don’t want to push too hard, but you also don’t want to give him too much leeway.”

  Nolan looked at both of them, astonished. “I’m right here, you know.”

  “And sometimes make him feel like he’s in command,” Lafferty said. “It’ll keep his self-esteem and confidence up.”

  “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind, Herb,” she said with a smile.

  Nolan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Can we talk about the victims, please?”

  “We’ll talk in detail later,” Lafferty said to Lopez.

  When Lafferty had moved away, Nolan leaned in and whispered, “When did he become Herb?”

  “Ever since we started going on coffee breaks.”

  Nolan was shocked. “I hope you don’t talk about me?”

  “What else do we have in common but you?”

  Lafferty waved them over. He was holding a file in his hand. “Do you guys want to see the bodies?”

  Before Lopez could say yes, Nolan said, “No, I saw enough dead bodies at the scene.”

  Lafferty shrugged. “The death of the first victim, Irma Ronston, was immediate, and caused by a puncture in her heart. Bernard Haddon died from massive blood loss, which was caused by multiple lacerations over his upper body. Rudy Ross Jr. died of a single stab wound to the neck.”

  “Did he commit suicide?” Nolan asked.

  Lafferty was already aware that Rudy was the suspect, so this was a logical question, considering it was he who had committed the other murders.

  “At the beginning, I thought so too, but the way the knife was thrust in the neck—from down up—it gave the indication that someone else pushed it in. If someone did want to commit suicide, it would be so much easier to make a slice across the neck, thus cutting the main artery, or even insert it from the side into the neck, and this would sever the esophagus.”

  “But we found Rudy’s hand on the weapon, and also, the forensics report only showed his fingerprints on it,” Nolan said.

  “I’m going out on a limb here, but I think the other victim, Brendan Haddon, may have wrapped his hand over Rudy’s hand while he was still gripping the weapon, and then pushed it into Rudy’s body. It would explain why Rudy was still holding the weapon when you found him. Plus, Brendon was the one who had made the 9-1-1 call, which meant he had to have killed Rudy first in order to make it to the telephone.”

  Lopez nodded.

  Nolan then asked, “Is it possible that drugs might have played a role in what happened?”

  “I read that article in the morning paper too,” Lafferty said. “It's a great article on drug reactions and their side effects, but I’ve never seen or heard a drug that could make someone commit murder.” He picked up a toxicology report. “Once we found out all three victims were part of a drug study, it was our duty to look into it further. They all showed signs of elevated serotonin, which, as you know, is a mood booster, but nothing that would make someone do this horrible crime.”

  Nolan nodded.

  “We went a step further and contacted Devon Pharma to get the ingredients of the drugs the victims had been taking.” Lafferty continued. “Naturally, they relented, which was understandable. They wouldn’t want their research getting into the hands of their competitors. But after a bit of hand wrangling and some assurances, they sent us the list, and I can tell you, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.”

  “Then what’s so special about it?” Lopez asked.

  “It’s not in the ingredients,” Lafferty said. “It’s the way it is administered.” Lafferty then went on to explain how the tiny needles in the patch released the drug whenever the victim required it. Nolan had already heard the explanation from Dr. St. Claire during his visit to Devon Pharma, so he tuned it out. Lafferty finished by saying, “This is the future of drug delivery.”

  “Thanks, Herb.” Lopez said. “We really appreciate your input on this.”

  “No problem, Marina,” he replied. “I’m glad I could help. And call me if this one gives you a hard time.” He jerked his thumb in Nolan’s direction.

  FORTY-NINE

  Nolan and Lopez return to the division and found Pascale waiting for them.

  “Sergeant Halton wants to meet you guys,” Pascale.

  “Do you know why?” Lopez asked.

  “I think he wants an update on the case,” he replied.

  “So, can we conclusively say the perpetrator of the murders on Riverfield Street was the captain’s son?” Halton asked when Lopez, Nolan, and Pascale were present.

  Lopez had a feeling Halton wanted to release this info as soon as possible. He wanted to wrap this case up under his captaincy, and if this reflected negatively on Captain Ross, then so be it.

  She knew he never asked for this. It was thrust upon him and he was going to make the best of it. He would show the citizens of Franklin, the board of police, and even the police union that his number one priority was and would always be that justice was served.

  Halton was going to prove he could lead a department, and that he was ready to be captain himself.

  Lopez didn’t blame him. There was not a single person out there, including herself, who didn’t aspire toward rising in rank; but there was one person, however, who had always put loyalty above everything else: Tom Nolan.

  Nolan would never use someone else’s misfortune as a step toward his success. It was wrong, and it would make him feel unworthy of the promotion. Maybe that was what attracted him to Lopez. He was like a twenty-first century knight, who put honor and duty before anything else. In Nolan’s case, he was also belligerent, crude, and a drunk.

  “We’ll have the evidence soon,” she said, knowing Nolan had the forensics report.

  “Why don’t we have it now?” Halton demanded. “What are we waiting for?”

  “Even if we did have it,” Nolan said. “I don’t think it would be a good idea to release this information.”

  Halton glared at him. “And why not?”

  “It could undermine our investigation. Right now we don’t have a motive.”

  “Yes, we don’t know what provoked the murders.” Lopez interjected. “All three were good friends, their families confirmed this, but we could find nothing that would explain why it happened.”

  “I don’t care,” Halton said. “We don’t need motive in this case. The captain’s son is dead. This will not go to trial. What we need to do is show the public that we got the person who committed this act, even if he is no longer alive to atone for his crimes. This way we can close the case and also provide closure to the victims’ families.” Halton then turned to Pascale. “What do you think?”

  “We already know what he thinks,” Nolan interrupted.

  “You do, huh?” Pascale said, twirling the toothpick in his mouth.

  “Yeah, you agree with the Sergeant.”

  “Actually, I don’t.”

  “What?” Halton said. Even Nolan and Lopez were surprised by Pascale’s response.

  “While I want nothing better than to close this case, I still think we should not rush through this until we know exactly what happened that night.” Pascale explained. “The victims’ families would want to know that, and also, I believe the Captain would want to know too.”

  Halton’s face looked like it was going to implode. He gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll give you three days and not a day more to wrap it up. Now get out!”

  Outside, Nolan said to Pascale, “I wasn’t expecting you would support u
s.”

  “I’m not as bad as you think I am. Plus, the longer this case goes, the longer I’ll be your superior.”

  Nolan grinned. “Now that’s the Angelo Pascale I know.”

  FIFTY

  Hyder returned home to find his mom in the living room reading the Quran.

  “Assalamu alaikum,” he said.

  “Wa alaikum assalam, Beta,” she said. “Once I complete this verse, I’ll prepare something for Iftar.”

  Hyder felt guilty for what he was about to tell her. After Akbar got married and left, she was even more alone at home. He was too young to remember what Ramadan was like when his father was alive. It must have been a great time at the Ali home, he always thought. This was why now he always made sure to open his fast with her. It was something he enjoyed sharing with her. But not today.

  “Ammi,” he slowly said. “I’m actually going out with Lester tonight for dinner.”

  “You’ll open your fast there?” she asked.

  He nodded, knowing how much she looked forward to their time together.

  She smiled. “Don’t worry, Beta. I’ll go to the masjid (mosque). I’ll read namaz and open the fast there. Plus, it’ll be nice to catch up with the ladies there.” She said.

  His mom always knew how to make the best of a bad situation.

  He hugged and kissed her.

  FIFTY-ONE

  The menu was in Italian, so Nolan let Lopez order for him. He wore a dress shirt, dress pants, and a sports jacket. Lopez wore a long red dress, a pearl necklace around her neck, and red lipstick.

  Sitting across from them were Lopez’s sister, Angela, and her boyfriend, Enrico Rodriguez. Angela was as beautiful as her older sister, maybe even more so. She had olive skin, green eyes, and smooth black hair.

  Nolan now understood why one magazine had chosen her as the breakthrough actress of the year. Her performance in a local stage production had made her a talent agent’s dream. She was stunning, but versatile. She played a role which moved through several generations.

  Enrico had dark skin, curly hair, and a square-jaw. He looked every bit a jock. It also helped that he was a sportscaster.

  Normally, Nolan would have looked at him with envy. He knew very little about sports, which meant he could not hold a conversation with the likes of Enrico, but today he was in a cheery mood.

  He knew it was the patch on his shoulder that was doing the trick. He wasn’t sure what to make of this morning's article on drugs and their side effects. Right now, though, he didn’t care.

  Angela teased Nolan about his intentions towards her sister. He allayed all her fears and more.

  Lopez questioned Enrico about their relationship, but he too responded flawlessly.

  In the end, both sisters were satisfied with their sibling’s choice of a partner.

  The night was filled with laughter, food, and lots of drinking. Nolan, of course, did not indulge. He didn’t need to. He was having too good a time to care.

  He found Lopez’s younger sister to be very sweet. He could see why Lopez was both proud and protective of her. Even though Lopez was many years older than Angela, they had that connection only sisters could describe.

  Enrico was not only charming, he also genuinely cared about Angela, which was a good thing in Nolan’s books. If he could find a single fault in Enrico, it was that he was too good looking. But he was happy for her.

  The dinner ended with Lopez and Nolan leaving the restaurant hand in hand.

  Night had fallen and the moon was out in full, creating a magical atmosphere.

  Lopez put her head on Nolan’s shoulder and smiled.

  He was smiling too.

  When they had made it down a block, she stopped and said, “Thank you.”

  “For what?” he asked.

  “For a wonderful evening and…” she stopped.

  “And what?”

  “And for behaving yourself.”

  He grinned. “I was a good boy.”

  She grinned back. “You were a very good boy, indeed.”

  They kissed.

  FIFTY-TWO

  They were seated in a burger and fries joint, with Hyder staring at the person across from him. He couldn’t help it. She had beautiful black skin with perfect white teeth. She was tall, slim, with high cheek bones and long smooth hair. In short, she looked like a supermodel.

  What Hyder couldn’t understand was what Celeste Chimu was doing with Lester. He was the exact opposite of her. He was shorter than her, much fatter than her, and he wasn’t as attractive as her. If they walked down the street together, no one would guess they were a couple.

  Hyder had already opened his fast, but he was having a hard time eating his meal. There were so many questions swirling in his head. He asked if she was legally in the US. This was a blunt question, but he felt he had to ask. Lester was his best friend, and the last thing he wanted was for someone to use him for purposes other than true romance. Luckily, she wasn’t offended. Her family had immigrated to the United States from Cameroon when she was a little girl. Her father was a physician and her mother a paralegal. She was studying computer programming at Franklin University.

  She then took the opportunity to tease him about the fact that he thought she was a man. Hyder conceded that he did, only because he wanted Lester to be careful and not get hurt. He was glad she proved him wrong.

  Lester, meanwhile, grinned from ear to ear. On normal occasions, he would have only focused on the meal before him, but tonight he focused on her.

  Hyder couldn’t blame him. She was striking and smart.

  She prodded Hyder about his love life. He shrugged and said he wasn’t in a relationship. She then told him she knew many Muslim girls. Maybe she could hook him up with one of them. They’d be perfect for him.

  Seeing where this was going, Hyder quickly turned the conversation back to their relationship. Too many people had offered to introduce him to girls, but Hyder knew he was not ready to settle down. In Islam, niyyat (intentions) were vital to everything a person did. Hyder knew he was not interested in marriage or starting a family. So when his intentions weren’t toward marriage, why put himself in a position that would not only hurt him but also hurt the other person as well? It was better to not jump in until he was fully ready.

  The discussion then turned to movies, video games, and even comic books. Hyder could see why Celeste enjoyed Lester’s company. They had more in common than he thought.

  When they left the fast food restaurant, Hyder leaned over and whispered in Lester’s ear, “I’m happy for you. She’s a keeper.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that, bro.”

  FIFTY-THREE

  Nolan purchased a copy of the Daily Times and entered a diner. He ordered breakfast: eggs, hash browns, toast, and black coffee.

  He was feeling good this morning. Last night had turned out better than he had expected. He was glad things were great between him and Lopez.

  He rubbed the spot where the patch was still attached to his skin. He had thought about taking it off, but quickly decided against it when he found his mood hadn’t changed from the previous night.

  What’s the harm of keeping it on for a few more days? He thought. It was having a positive effect on him, after all.

  He contemplated calling Dr. St. Claire and thanking her for sending it. Maybe he could ask her to include him in the next phase of the study. That way he could have the drug for twelve months.

  A smile crossed his face as he thought of that.

  Then another thought popped in his head, instantly souring his mood. Was he using the drug to replace alcohol? He shook his head. He wouldn’t let negative thoughts creep in and destroy what he was feeling.

  He flipped through the newspaper.

  The headline was about the merger between Leitner Technologies and Devon Pharma, which was now put on hold indefinitely. Leitner Technologies did not want to be part of the negative publicity Devon Pharma was embroiled in with the murders at Rive
rfield Street. Even though Devon Pharma had categorically denied their drug had anything to do with what had transpired, they could not shake the connection. It seemed the public was willing to blame someone, and Devon Pharma was an easy mark.

  In light of this, Leitner Technologies’’ board had decided to pursue other investments. This would put a strain on the trial process of Devon’s marque drug. They were already hemorrhaging money, and unless they found a buyer soon, they would be forced into bankruptcy, which would mean death for the new drug.

  Nolan slammed the newspaper down. He regretted reading it.

  Why stop making a miracle drug when it is going to help millions of people? He wondered.

  This day wasn’t starting off well. He hoped it ended better.

  FIFTY-FOUR

  Hyder was working behind his laptop when he received a call. It was Veronica, and she wanted to see him ASAP.

  When Hyder entered her office, he was surprised to find Felix was also there.

  “What’s going on?” he said, confused.

  Veronica replied, “Tell him what you told me.”

  Felix coughed. “I went to the police department and did some digging of my own. I found someone who was willing to talk, anonymously, of course, and they mentioned that they had heard a rumor in the department, and this rumor involved Captain Rudy Ross’s son.”

  “What about him?” Hyder interjected. “We already know he’s a victim.”

  “He’s not only a victim. He’s also a suspect.”

  Hyder’s mouth dropped. “Are you saying he killed those two other people?”

  “That’s what my source said.”

  Hyder was shocked. “Maybe that was why they weren’t willing to reveal the names to the media. They knew once we knew the names we would ask more questions.”