by Kay Wyont
Sanchez finally pulled his eyes away from the monitor. “How? I just got the video myself.”
“Susan played one of those slideshows from Hell for us back at the clinic.”
“Who was being filmed?”
Randy shook his head. “We didn’t watch a recorded session. We saw one of the films Higgins showed to his clients. It was numbered ‘7’ which corresponds with his notebook annotation on Saul Young. That tracks, because it was full of drugs, drug dealers, a VIA bus, and innocent little kids. It seems Higgins numbered the reels according to which client he showed them to. That should come in handy at the trial.” Randy leaned closer to the computer screen. “Yep, that’s Rick all right. I’m surprised Higgins filmed the sessions. For the most part, he’s not very technology oriented. He’s definitely old school. Even wrote down his password so he wouldn’t forget it.”
“I heard you found it. Good job. That sped things up. But back to the film. Did you watch the whole thing?”
“No. Only part of it. I don’t think any of us could watch the whole thing without ending up in the loony bin,” Randy replied.
“Speaking of loonies, show Chief Sanchez the picture,” Frank said, grinning.
“You do, and I’ll never speak to you again,” Danny warned.
The chief looked back and forth between the officers. “What picture?”
“Sorry, Danny.” Randy pulled out his phone, found the incriminating photo, and handed it over. “The cat’s out of the bag. Here you go, Chief.”
Sanchez burst out laughing. “I didn’t know you were into that S&M stuff, Beckman.”
“Not funny, Chief.”
“So how did you end up like this?”
“Susan. She used me as a test subject to see how it felt in the chair. If I’d have known what she was going to do, I wouldn’t have been so cooperative. That’ll teach me.”
“How did it feel?” Chief Sanchez handed the phone back to Randy.
“Horrible is a good way to describe it. I couldn’t watch the film, but I couldn’t turn away. I was trapped. I chickened out and closed my eyes.”
“We think Higgins gave them LSD, then strapped them down and started the film once they were too out of it to protest. Otherwise, there’s no way they’d let him do that.” Randy smirked at Danny. “What kind of person would just sit there and allow themselves to be strapped in like that?”
Danny grumbled something unintelligible.
Chief Sanchez gave him a pat on the back. “Thanks for being the guinea pig, Danny. At least we know how it feels. And, we have a good picture for our bulletin board.”
“Et tu, Chief?” Danny narrowed his eyes. “I’ve already threatened to shoot all three of them if they post it, so I’ll extend the same warning to you, too. Just because you’re my boss doesn’t mean I won’t take you out!”
“Oooh, I’m so scared.” Chief Sanchez threw up his hands in mock fear. “I guess we better not put it up there, Randy. I want to retire one day, not get shot at my desk. Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. The film you saw probably was used on Saul, and it looks like Higgins used Caldwell’s family against him. Dr. Higgins said Caldwell didn’t really want to go to the clinic, but his parents wanted him to. That’s a far cry from child abuse, but it’s not a giant leap to over-controlling parents running your life, and Caldwell took out a group of what might be parents and grandparents. Nothing else makes sense. We’ll probably find something similar on the others, too.”
“What I can’t understand is why they didn’t find any drugs in Rick’s system or in Carter’s. If they used LSD, why didn’t it show?” Frank asked.
“It only stays in your system about five hours,” the chief said. “To find it in their blood, they’d have to commit the crime immediately following their treatment. The drugs would wear off, but my guess is, the LSD was only used to make the brainwashing and hypnosis more effective. Whatever post-hypnotic suggestion he planted would linger in the subconscious, waiting for the trigger.”
“So Saul was the only one to go right out and commit his crime?”
“That’s about right. If I remember correctly, Saul was driving the evening shift when he crashed the bus. If he went from the clinic to the job, there would be traces of it in his system.”
“Do we have enough to charge Dr. Higgins?”
“Yes. They sent the DA this video, too, and that’s good enough for him. He called as soon as he watched it. I also told him Carter was a client. It may be jumping the gun, but the DA is dropping all charges against Carter and Caldwell.”
It was good news, but Randy was still surprised. “So soon? Don’t we need a conviction on Higgins first?”
“Not according to him. He’s pretty spun up about the whole thing. Even if we can’t convict Higgins, he wants Carter out of jail. It’s a bold move. If it all goes south, it could mean the end of his career, and I told him so, but he was adamant about setting things straight. After your report, he’s afraid the kid may try to commit suicide like Rick. They’ve expedited his release. He should be out later today.”
“Lloyd might even get his spaghetti dinner tonight. He’ll be glad,” Danny said. “I wonder what Higgins used against him?”
“You said he’s pretty religious. Higgins probably turned that ‘your body is the temple of the Lord’ thing against him. Just a guess.”
Randy shook his head in disgust. “You’re probably right, Chief. Lloyd ran his car into a bakery. That would track.”
Sanchez nodded. “They’re running through the films and videos very quickly, so it’ll all come out soon enough. They want Higgins off the street and put away for a long, long time.”
“If he’s lucky, you mean,” Danny growled. “He shouldn’t have messed with Texas. He’ll probably be facing the death penalty.”
“And it couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.” Randy looked back at the chief. “You know Higgins was already plotting how to get out of the drug charge when we took him into custody. When are we going to give him the bad news that his goose is cooked?”
“I think we have enough to get the ball rolling. Just make sure his lawyer’s here, because I heard he won’t talk without him,” the chief said.
“Yeah, he lawyered up on us, too. You don’t want to do the interview, Chief?”
“No. I got that out of my system on our last serial killer. This one’s on you. Be sure you watch the interview, Frank. It’s a good learning experience for someone who wants to become a detective someday.”
“Yes, sir,” Frank replied..
“How’s the degree going? Are you close to finishing it?”
“Yes, sir. I should finish next semester. By then, I’ll be about six months from the five-year mark on patrol.”
Sanchez crossed his arms, looking intently at the young officer. “Detective slots are highly competitive. You may not get selected right away.”
“That’s okay. I’ll just apply again. And again after that. No matter how long it takes. But, I will get there.” Frank’s words were confident, but his nervous swallow gave away the concern the chief’s words sowed.
“I like your tenacity, and these two jokesters,” he nodded toward Randy and Danny, “have vouched for you, too. If I could, I’d promote you right now, but that’s not how the system works. You just finish that degree and get all your studying done. I want to see you as a detective, not pounding a beat. You’ll have my full support.”
“Yes, sir,” Frank said, grinning. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Go do your thing, Monroe. I may join Frank on the back side of the window, but I want to go through a few more of these files. I know I don’t have to tell you, Randy, but be careful. You’re not dealing with a run-of-the-mill criminal. Higgins is sharp, but I happen to think you’re sharper. This interview ought to be interesting.”
SEVENTEEN
The three men stared at Dr. Higgins through the two-way glass.
“He doesn’t look very concerned,” Frank said.
Danny grunted. “That’s because he doesn’t know what we know. He’s probably figured out a plausible explanation for the drugs being in his clinic, so he thinks he’s in good shape.”
Randy studied the doctor. Higgins leaned back in his chair, handcuffed wrists resting on the table, and his foot swinging idly as he smiled at his attorney. You look like you don’t have a care in the world. What are you thinking?
Frank took a step closer to the glass. “I wish we could turn on the microphone, so we could hear what he’s saying.”
“That would be nice, but if he’s talking to his lawyer, we can’t eavesdrop.” Danny came up beside Frank and clapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, since you’re still in school, maybe you should take a course in lip reading. That could really come in handy.”
Keeping his eyes trained on the interview room, Frank chuckled. “Only you would come up with something like that, Danny.”
“Not true. I’d bet money that Gloria would think of the same idea. She’s probably already a lip-reading master, since she always seems to be one step ahead of us.”
“That she is,” Randy said. “Remember, we can’t let her name slip out in front of Higgins. Regardless what the DA may think, there’s always the chance he’ll get off, and then we’d have to put her in witness protection. She’d never forgive us, but there’s no doubt in my mind he’d try to kill her. I’m not even positive she’ll be safe with him behind bars.”
Danny glanced back at Randy. “As she would say, give me a little credit. I know how dangerous that would be.”
“I wanted to reinforce it for all of us, not just you. I’m paranoid. Besides, you were in that chair, so God only knows what that did to you.”
“Unless Susan managed to get some LSD into me, I’ll be fine. Come on, let’s get this over with. I want to see this jerk squirm.”
“All right, then. Let’s have at it.” Randy led the way.
When they entered the room, the lawyer stood up and extended his hand. “Good afternoon, gentlemen. I’m Warren Wynn, Dr. Higgins’ lawyer. I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“Mr. Wynn. I’m Randy Monroe, and that’s Danny Beckman.” Randy shook the proffered hand. He seems awfully cordial. What’s that all about?
“Please, call me Warren.” He shook Danny’s hand, too, then sat back down and looked eagerly across the table at the detectives. “I just moved to San Antonio a few months ago. I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of me as time goes on.”
Randy decided to play along. “Welcome to our town, Warren. It’s a great place to live.”
“So I’ve heard. That’s one of the reasons my wife wanted to move here. We visited a few years ago and fell in love with San Antonio.”
“Where’d you move from?”
“Biloxi, Mississippi. That’s where Roland and I met.” Wynn indicated Higgins with a wave of his hand. “I suppose you could blame him for us being here, because it was during a visit to him that we first came to your beautiful town.”
Higgins scowled. “Can we cut the chitchat and get down to business? I’d really like to make bail and get out of here. I have a business to run, you know.”
“Now, Roland, there’s always time for pleasantries among gentlemen. That’s how we do things here in the South. We’ll have you out of here in no time.” Turning to Randy he asked, “Isn’t that right, detective Monroe? After all, this is just a big misunderstanding.”
So that’s his game, Randy thought. Be nice to the cops and pretend it’s all a big misunderstanding. He’s not too bright. “If we thought it was a misunderstanding, Mister Wynn, we wouldn’t have arrested your client. Dr. Higgins, I believe you’ve been read your rights. Is that correct?”
At Randy’s return to formality, Wynn’s demeanor flipped. “I’ll answer that, Detective Monroe. He has. That’s why I’m here. You won’t be able to trick him into incriminating himself on my watch. So, go ahead. Ask away.”
Randy steeled himself against any reaction to Wynn’s ridiculous switch to the tough-lawyer approach. “Dr. Higgins, how long have you had the weight-loss clinic?”
“I opened about eight months ago. Business is really starting to pick up.”
“Really? You have a lot of records for someone who hasn’t been open long.”
“Like I said, business is picking up. I think word of mouth is getting around about our successful techniques.”
Randy gave an understanding nod. “Oh, you mean like the pictures in your office?”
“Those are some of the best success stories I’ve ever seen,” Higgins declared.
“Like this one?” Randy opened a folder and slid the yellow muumuu photograph across the table.
“I’m very proud of that one.” Dr. Higgins sat back with a self-satisfied smirk. “She worked very hard to lose that weight. She looks great, don’t you think?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Quite the transformation. I can see why she’s proud of herself. So proud, in fact, that she did a lot of bragging on Facebook about how she lost the weight. I guess gastric bypass surgery really does work, huh?”
Dr. Higgins was momentarily taken aback but recovered quickly. “Well, you can’t really blame someone for resorting to surgery if they’re not able to lose it fast enough on our program, can you?”
“No, I suppose not,” Randy agreed, opening the folder again. He spread seven more photographs on the table in front of the doctor, but Higgins kept his face neutral. He’s good. He anticipated that. “Did all these people have surgery, too, Dr. Higgins? They’re also on your wall of fame.”
“Well, you got me, detective,” Dr. Higgins said with a laugh. “I’ll admit I found the pictures and put them up on the wall. I don’t believe that’s a crime, is it?”
“It’s false advertising if you claim to help people lose weight, when in fact you had nothing to do with their weight loss,” Randy patiently explained.
Higgins nodded. “I completely agree. That’s exactly why I never actually told any of my clients I was responsible for that weight loss. These were merely on my wall for motivational purposes. If they assumed anything different, well, that’s on them.”
“Whether my client stretched the truth or not is irrelevant,” Wynn said. “It’s only false advertising if you can prove he used it as a sales tool. Besides which, what possible connection does that have to a possession of illegal drugs charge, which I believe is why he’s under arrest? Would you please get to the point?”
Randy shooed the lawyer away like an annoying little mosquito. “Ah, but lying to the police is against the law. Dr. Higgins, you just said the pictures are some of your best success stories.”
“No, Detective Monroe, I said, ‘Those are some of the best success stories I’ve seen.’ I never said they were my success stories, and I have seen them, ergo, I never lied.”
Randy allowed himself a quick fantasy of slapping the doctor right in his pompous face before glancing at Danny.
Danny took his cue. “Dr. Higgins, when we visited the first time, you told us you didn’t use drugs in your clinic. Is that correct?”
“Absolutely. You don’t need to put foreign substances in your body to lose weight. You just need to change your eating habits, which is what I teach my clients. I thought I’d explained that to you.”
“If you don’t use drugs, then why did we find LSD in your clinic?”
“I’m sure I don’t know. Perhaps you planted it?”
Danny didn’t blink. “If you don’t use LSD for your clients, does that mean it was your personal stash?”
The doctor sighed. “I repeat, I don’t know how it got there. It wasn’t mine, and it certainly wasn’t used in my clinic. I fail to see how anyone could think LSD would be beneficial for someone wanting to lose weight. That would just be swapping one bad habit for another.”
“How did it get in your supply closet?”
“It seems you have a listening problem. I have no idea. Perhaps the previous tenant left them. Quite frankly,
I’ve never used those wipes. I always just assumed the containers held what the label stated. I don’t regularly check for LSD in cleaning supplies.”
“How do you know that’s where we found the LSD, Dr. Higgins?” Randy took secret pleasure in the doctor’s squirm of discomfort.
“I’m not stupid. You said supply closet, and nothing else in there could have hidden them.”
“Them? What makes you think we found more than one?”
Mr. Wynn intervened. “Semantics, detective. Let’s not turn this interview into some sort of English test. Move it along, please.”
“Happy to oblige.” Randy smiled at the lawyer, but his expression turned to stone as he slid his gaze to Higgins. “Don’t you find it a little strange that so many of your clients have died, Dr. Higgins?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Perhaps some may have died, but my filing cabinet is full of client records. When you’re dealing with that many people, a certain number of deaths is to be expected. That’s easily explained by the law of averages.”
“What would happen if we checked each one of those records?” Danny asked. “Are you telling us we’d find that every one of them was a client of yours? Or are those fake records, like the pictures on your wall?”
“It wouldn’t make any difference if they were, detective,” Wynn said. “That’s no more illegal than the pictures. And, I fail to see what any of this has to do with my client’s drug charge. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”
Randy kept the pressure on. “Dr. Higgins, the reality is, an atypical number of your clients have died...and under rather unusual circumstances. Of the two who aren’t dead, one is in jail and one is in the hospital under more unusual circumstances. How do you explain that?”
The lawyer didn’t give his client a chance to answer. “He doesn’t have to explain that, detective. He can’t control what his clients do.”
Randy rounded on Wynn. “I don’t know how they do it in Mississippi, but in Texas, we expect answers from the suspect, not the lawyer. You can shut up and let him answer, or you can leave. Your choice.”
