by C. C. Harris
‘What happened to the doctor?’ I asked.
‘A vagrant saved your life. He shot the doctor, who was pronounced dead before he left the alleyway. I wanted the monster to have his day in court and the world to see his face and his heinous crimes. I’d hoped to hear the guilty verdict and know he’d slowly rot in a cell. I suppose the alleyway was a fitting place for him to die.’ Sarah gave a deep sigh.
I held Sarah’s hand. ‘Thanks for checking up on me.’
‘You scared the living daylights out of me, Curtis. When you went missing, I felt physically sick.’
‘I’m here now. No harm done. I’m the lucky one unlike some of the doctor’s victims.’ I looked down with a sinking feeling. ‘Do you have any other information?’
‘A courier driver who transported the victims from the psychologist to the pastor in Vegas is spilling the beans about the whole operation, hoping for a lighter sentence. It was his wife who called the police about his criminal activity. Initially, she thought he was having an affair and hired a private investigator. The investigator discovered her husband had different identities. She knew nothing about her husband’s secret life. He’d told her he was working for the Secret Service to protect the President!’
‘What about the missing clients?’ I asked Sarah, bracing myself for the worst possible news.
‘Sadly, we found a young boy’s body in a walk-in freezer at the back of the pastor’s House of Therapy. He’s currently John Doe but hopefully, we’ll be able to identify him soon. There is a blessing amongst all this evil. Sean Young, who was abducted on 5th Avenue, was rescued by the killer’s wife, Magda. There was also a young girl found in the basement garage gagged and bound. I’m betting there are more victims out there. We’re doing another search of Lake Mead and scouring the land at the back of the Therapy House and at his residential address.’
‘So, the doctor wasn’t the only killer,’ I said. Jesus.
‘The doctor was getting big money from the pastor for the deliveries. There’s something else. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I thought it would be better coming from me than reading it in the Daily News.’ Sarah paused.
‘This is not sounding good,’ I said.
‘There was another victim, Brandy Johnson, the one who was found dead in her hospital room. According to the toxicology report, there was a high level of heroin in her bloodstream that caused her system to shut down. Although we can’t prove he injected her, we managed to get surveillance footage from a parking lot adjacent to the hospital that showed the doctor entering the hospital minutes before she died. His cell’s ping history also placed him a few blocks from her home.’
Sarah edged closer to me.
‘You’re badly injured Curtis. That means hugging could be harmful.’
‘My pain has pretty well stopped now you’re here,’ I said.
‘You’re good with words, Curtis. A real Casanova.’
‘Yep, that’s me alright. There is one thing.’
‘And what’s that,’ Sarah asked.
‘Well. You see.’
‘Spit it out Curtis. What is it?’
‘I missed you and really want to spend time with you.’
Sarah leaned forward and stroked my face. ‘I’d love to spend all day with you. We’ll have to wait,’ she whispered. ‘I don’t want you to relapse with pleasure,’ she grinned.
‘I’ll wait. It won’t be easy, but I’ll definitely wait.’
Sarah gently rested her head on my shoulder. ‘You better wait for me or else...’
‘Or else what?’ I asked.
‘Or else I’ll have you arrested. It’ll be a house arrest. You will be confined to my place,’ Sarah laughed.
‘That sounds fine with me, Lieutenant. I promise I won’t resist.’
There was a light tap on the door. Sarah bolted upright and straightened her hair. James entered the room.
‘Hi Curtis. Good to see you’re back.’
‘Yeah, I’m back. This time I’m staying away from the bad guys.’ Damn it. I wasn’t happy to see James.
Sarah’s cell rang. She looked overly anxious. ‘Hi Mick, what’s the latest? Ok…mm…just email me the report and I’ll call you when I get back to the office.’ As Sarah placed her cell in her jacket pocket, her demeanor changed. There was a concerned silence.
‘Is everything ok?’ I asked.
‘It’s Courtney.’
I could tell it was bad news. I had been hoping she wasn’t the skeleton in my dream. The skeleton on the train who’d begged for my help and I’d done nothing, even when I’d found her ring in the basement.
‘What about Courtney?’
‘I’m sorry, Curtis, they found her body at Lake Mead not far from where the commissioner’s niece was found. I’m waiting on the autopsy results.’
‘If only I’d warned her. Surely, I could have said something! I was meant to find that ring and I blew it.’
‘Would she have listened, Curtis?’ James asked. ‘She didn’t even know you, so why would she have trusted a stranger? Clients can be emotionally vulnerable and develop an attachment to their therapist.’
‘Surely I could have helped in some way.’
‘It’s normal to want to rescue her, Curtis, but she might have gone into denial anyway,’ James responded. ‘Do you really think she’d have believed the only person in the world who cared for her was planning to abduct her? Courtney had no one. The psychologist knew she was easy picking. They all were. If she’d known the truth, she might have ended her life. You didn’t kill her, Curtis. Ellison did.’
What he said made sense, but I still felt bad. She had slipped under the radar and now she was dead.
‘You’re right, but it’s still sad to think she had no one,’ I responded.
James continued, ‘He had advertisements on YMCA noticeboards in the poorer parts of New York offering free counseling that’s in a safe place. Right from the start, he portrayed himself as the good guy who cared. He would have known her self-esteem was fragile. A client can crave validation. He would have provided that and made her feel good.’
Sarah received another call. ‘Yes…ok…great, thanks.’ She sounded relieved. ‘Janis Lang is awake and talking. We’d found her unconscious and tied up in another room at the back of the pastor’s Therapy House. Her stepbrother has already been told the news and he cried with relief. Janis had a tough life. She has cutting scars on her wrist and her father suicided off the Brooklyn Bridge. Her mom told us she hoped her daughter was dead. I can’t wait to give the sociopathic mom the good news her daughter is going to be ok.’
‘Sounds like you guys got there just in time,’ I stated.
‘Yeah,’ James responded. ‘The evil predator is in a cage where he belongs. It’s a relief to know you’re in one-piece Curtis but unfortunately, I must go. I have an appointment in half an hour.’ He looked at Sarah. ‘Did you want to join me later for a bite to eat?’
I felt a pang of jealousy. Please say no, Sarah.
‘Unfortunately, I’ve got to get back to the office for a debrief with the chief.’
I was relieved. I couldn’t stand the thought of them eating together. James gave Sarah a smile before he left the room. Maybe I was reading too much into it.
My past relations had been with clingy women. Their demands had been suffocating. They’d text me a hundred times a day just because I’d fucked them. Then they called me a cold-hearted son of a bitch because I didn’t want to see them again. They just didn’t get it.
How I felt about Sarah was the absolute opposite. I wanted to be with her every second of every moment.
FORTY-EIGHT
World View
Once James left the room, Sarah sat back on the bed. ‘You know, you don’t have to go through this on your own, Curtis. Anytime you need to talk…’
‘Thanks. I’ll hold you to that. You seem to know a lot about this stuff. The police force must be an eye-opener.’
‘Yeah, it can be.’
‘Are you ok?’ I asked.
‘I hate hospitals. My sister had anorexia, so I don’t have good memories.’
‘No wonder. How is she now?’
Sarah looked away before replying. ‘She perceived any help as criticism and thought people were constantly judging her. She wouldn’t talk about it, especially to a doctor or a therapist. She denied she had a problem. If anyone bullied her on Facebook, she couldn’t walk away and shrug it off. She’d help out friends when they had problems, but she couldn’t help herself.’
‘Do you think that started it?’
‘I really don’t know. I remember her punishing herself for days if she didn’t get top marks at school. I couldn’t understand her stress when I was happy with my passes.’
‘What about your parents?’ I asked.
‘They kept asking why. They couldn’t get answers. I’ve never seen them in so much pain. Some nights I could hear my mom crying herself to sleep. My father was angry and refused to visit her in hospital. He called her a spoilt attention seeker. I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He just didn’t know how to cope. In the end, she passed away.’
‘I’m so sorry, Sarah.’
‘Don’t apologize. I chose to tell you. It’s normally something I keep to myself. I think the hardest thing was finding her diary after the funeral. I found it in a shoe box under her bed. She called it her self-hate diary. She’d written how much she’d hated herself and deserved to die. She said her starvation was a punishment for being alive. I can’t believe how differently we viewed our lives. Now I believe stress is in the eye of the beholder.’
I realized there was more to Sarah than just being a tough cop. She had let me into her private world. We both leaned forward and kissed. A bomb could have hit the building without me knowing.
Sarah pulled back. ‘We’d better stop before the bed catches alight.’
It was then my nurse entered the room.
‘Hi Curtis, how are you feeling?’ she asked.
‘I couldn’t feel better. When do I get out of here?’
‘You need a few more days to recover. I’ll give you some privacy and I’ll come back to check your sutures.’
As the nurse left the room, Sarah gave me one last kiss. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be waiting for you. Make sure you get plenty of rest, you’ll need your energy.’ She winked.
FORTY-NINE
Guilt
I was discharged three days later. The world seemed a beautiful place despite returning to my roach palace. I was consumed by thoughts of Sarah. Love does feel amazing, I thought.
Sitting on my kitchen table was a bucket with a bottle of champagne and a note: Darling Curtis, the commissioner has paid a month’s rent in advance and he’s willing to pay for any other accommodation if you wish to move. He also wants to meet the hero of New York. BTW the champagne is from me, not him, haha, love Sarah.
Life couldn’t be sweeter, I thought.
That afternoon I met Sarah at the Central Park Precinct. During all my time in New York, I’d had no idea that a precinct existed in Central Park. Our greeting was different this time. We walked into each other’s arms. It felt so natural.
‘Why on earth are you at this precinct of all places?’
‘We received information about the Vegas pastor here so I’m just checking the paperwork and catching up with some old colleagues. What’s up. I know you well enough now Curtis, that you’re not here just for a friendly visit. What’s on your mind?’
‘I want to find out some information about a soldier called Sam Davis. She was my drill sergeant at Fort Jackson. I’d like to see her.’
‘I found out you had a stint at Fort Jackson. It was unavoidable if we were going to find you,’ Sarah said.
It made me a little paranoid to think Sarah knew my army history.
‘Just wait here, Curtis, I’ll have to check in with a colleague. I’ll see what I can find out about this drill sergeant.’
Waiting was not my forte. I downed a cup of watery coffee and paced up and down the waiting room. Minutes seemed like hours.
At last, Sarah returned.
‘Sorry Curtis, finding out about this sergeant took a while.’
‘What have you got?’
‘Sam Davis is not in the land of the living,’ Sarah answered.
‘What do you mean, not in the land of the living?’
‘Exactly that. She now resides in the Fort Jackson Cemetery. She was killed in action three years ago while on a routine mission in Afghanistan. Her platoon was ambushed. Her K-9 military dog was also killed. Apparently, her dog was buried with her.’
I couldn’t speak. I felt my eyes sting as I held back the tears. I needed to escape, to run somewhere so no one would see me.
‘Is everything ok, Curtis?’
‘I’m all good. Sorry, I’ve got to go but I’ll call you. I promise.’ I had to get out of the building. I couldn’t believe my drill sergeant was dead. I wanted to tell her I was sorry. I wanted to thank her for saving my life.
I ended up at the other end of Central Park. I yelled out, ‘How could you be dead! You’re not supposed to be dead! You’re supposed to be here! Why the fuck did you get yourself killed?’
Shivering, I squatted down and hid my head in my hands.
‘Lookie here, it’s our dog rescuer being a cry-baby. A real pussy. Hello, Mr Hero man of the neighborhood, having a little cry, are we?’
FIFTY
Vindication
They came out of nowhere. Jesus, what the hell was I going to do now. It was the street gang from Brooklyn. Why were they in Central Park?
‘Aww, the sissy wanker has been crying.’
I wasn’t going to let some teenage thugs take me out after what I’d been through. Just focus and relax.
‘I’ve had a shit day man, just go on your way and no harm will be done.’
The taller boy of the group moved forward. ‘You live our lives for one day then you’ll know what a fuckin’ shit day is,’ he snarled.
Instead of helping, my words had fueled their anger. They looked hungry for violence.
‘Take my wallet, take anything you want.’
They mocked me again. ‘We want more than a fuckin’ wallet; we want some fun.’
‘I have other money; I can take you to an ATM.’
‘Shut the fuck up and get your hands away from your body.’
The smallest boy looked willing. ‘Hey bro, we can get some cash tonight and have some fun another time with this dumb-ass. There’s no food at home, bro. Mom would be happy with us.’
‘You better not fuck with us or we’ll whack you, you got it? Take your jacket off and turn around, we don’t want a piece pulled on us again.’ They frisked me expertly.
I was their prize catch. There was no one in sight. They had the perfect opportunity to do whatever they wanted. But their desperate need for money was going to be my salvation. I’d be dead if I couldn’t divert them. I had to get out of Central Park and onto a busy street.
‘You’ve been through some bad stuff. You’re all bandaged up. What is it, Mr Office Man? I say you’re running from someone. Maybe you’re like us,’ the boy laughed.
The tallest of the three fumbled through my jacket and pulled out my wallet. He tossed it at me.
‘Get your card out now.’
I slipped out the bank card. There was no more than twenty dollars in the account.
‘Walk ahead and don’t look behind. If you run, we’ll finish you!’
I nodded. Jesus, if I can get away from serial killers, surely, I can get away from these fuckwits.
They followed closely behind. I was relieved to hear the traffic and the sound of hooves and carriages as we exited Central Park.
Once the ATM was in sight, the leader flashed his knife. ‘Get your cash out. We’ll be watching.’
They stood partially hidden from sight on a street corner. I stood in line with one person in front. I took a deep breath. This was it. I coun
ted as if I was about to discharge a missile 5…4…3…2…1...run! I bolted across a busy intersection, weaving in and out of traffic. I was smacked by one vehicle so hard that I tumbled several times across the road. The vehicle screeched to a halt. vehicle horns honked all around. I scrambled to my feet and charged off again. If my wounds had opened, I wasn’t feeling it.
As I glanced behind, I saw a five domino-effect pileup of vehicles and the boys trying to cross between the wreckage. It held them off for only a few seconds. I couldn’t believe how quickly they were onto me.
‘Where the fuck has he gone! Look down there, he can’t be far.’
I squeezed behind a dumpster, but not before knocking over a bottle. It gave a tinkling sound as it rolled. Oh fuck! I just managed to grab the tip of the bottle with my fingers. Whenever I tried to be quiet I created the loudest noise? I might as well have blown a fuckin’ trumpet.
I heard footsteps rushing towards me. ‘I found our man!’ screamed one of the gang. ‘Get the fuck out from there, little cry-baby.’
I stepped out, concealing the bottle. As one of the boys moved forward, I smashed the top of the bottle against the dumpster and sunk its jagged edge into his thigh. I wasn’t going to kill street trash and end up in the pen, but I thought a good jab would do the trick.
‘Got you! You fuckwit,’ I yelled.
The boy screamed. ‘He’s stabbed me! He’s stabbed me!’
The other two boys moved in. ‘Let’s get this pussy once and for all.’
The sound of vehicle tires screeched to a halt.
‘Freeze! Police!’
Two of the boys took off, while one lay wailing in his blood.
‘Place the bottle on the ground! We don’t want to hurt you, just put the bottle down.’
I bent down and placed the bloodied bottle on its edge.
‘Kick the bottle to us and no one else gets hurt.’
I managed to give it a side boot.
‘Put your hands on the back of your head. Lie face down! Face down! Keep your hands on your head!’
