Sin (Sinclair O'Malley Book 1)

by J. M. LeDuc

  Sin stopped at the second to last row and sat down. She wanted to be able to see everyone as they walked in and out.

  She half-heartedly listened to Heap conduct the service and had to restrain herself when he started talking about all the prosperity that had come to the Lower Keys since his arrival. He made indirect reference to the point that it would continue as long as the people continued to tithe and put God first.

  At the end of the service, Troy stood up to leave, but Sin pulled him back down. “Let’s sit until everyone leaves,” she mumbled.

  The last people to walk down the aisle were Jeremiah Heap and his wife.

  Sin drew in a silent breath when she saw her. She felt she somehow knew her, yet she couldn’t remember ever meeting her.

  Heap stopped in front of Sin and Troy. “I’m glad to see that you accepted my invitation and came to worship the Lord,” Heap drawled.

  Sin sensed that his slime factor was ten times higher than usual.

  His wife stood by his side dressed in a very provincial manner and stared at the ground. As Heap spoke, Sin kept glancing at her.

  Her eyes are so familiar. Sin glanced at her face and did a double take, I don’t forget much, and I don’t remember ever meeting her, but there is no mistaking those eyes.

  Sin interrupted Heap in the middle of some diatribe and said, “I haven’t had the privilege of meeting your wife.” She stuck out her hand and said, “It’s nice to meet you—”

  His wife looked at Sin’s hand and then directly at her for the first time. “Maggie,” she said in a heavy Louisiana accent. “I apologize for my husband’s lack of manners.”

  Sin shook her white-gloved hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Heap. Maybe we can have a cup of coffee some time.”

  Sin watched as Maggie’s eyes sparkled, almost in a mischievous way.

  “Yes, that would be lovely,” Mrs. Heap answered. She then addressed her husband, pulling on his arm, “Come dear, we have many others to say hello to.”

  Heap puffed out his chest and flattened his white tie against his white shirt. Before leaving, he looked at Sin as if inspecting her and said, “Next time, it would be better if you wore something a little more befitting of God’s house.”

  Sin smirked. “I seem to remember Jesus welcoming everyone to his side—isn’t that right, Mrs. Heap?”

  The corner of Mrs. Heap’s mouth arched upward as she tugged her husband along before he could say another word. He followed blindly.

  Sin smirked. I know who wears the pants in that relationship.

  She and Troy spent the next couple of hours eating lunch and talking like old friends, or new lovers depending on where their relationship was headed.

  As the sun began to set, Troy pulled his truck in to the parking lot by the beach.

  “I had a great time today,” he said. “I hope it’s one of many to come.”

  Sin swallowed hard. “I hope so, too, but you know I’m still on active duty. I’m not sure when I’ll be told to pack up and rejoin my unit.”

  “Well, then we better not waste any more time.” Troy leaned over and kissed Sin on the lips.

  A guttural moan emanated from her throat as she kissed back.

  The kissing led to some high schoolish heavy petting and the windows began to steam up. Sin’s blouse was halfway unbuttoned when Troy’s police scanner buzzed an emergency signal.

  “Damn,” he mouthed as his lips were locked with hers. “I need to get that.”

  They reluctantly released their embrace and Troy depressed the talk button. “Unit sixty-two responding to the emergency signal. Over.”

  “Troy, it’s Helen. I’m sorry to bother you, but another dead girl has been found. You’re the closest to the hospital and the captain has asked for your help.”

  Troy hung his head. “I’m on my way.”

  Sin quickly buttoned her shirt as she listened to the conversation.

  “I will take you home and then head to the hospital.”

  “Bullshit, I’ll go with you.”

  “Why would you want to go to the morgue in a hospital?”

  “I’m not going to the morgue, but I need to speak to Dr. O’Rourke about my father’s medication. We can kill two birds with one stone.”

  Troy grimaced. “Under the circumstances, bad analogy.”

  “Just drive”

  CHAPTER 24

  They separated as soon as they entered the hospital. Troy went to take the statement of the person who found the body and Sin headed to Dr. O’Rourke’s office.

  Sin noticed Dr. O’Rourke’s door ajar and knocked.

  “Come in.”

  “Hey, Doc, you got a minute?” Sin asked.

  Dr. O’Rourke looked up from a pile of papers. Her eyes looked tired and older than her years. “Sure, but only if you stop with the doc nonsense and call me Deborah.”

  “Done.”

  Sin noticed the dark circles under the doctor’s eyes. “You look like you could use some caffeine, how about I treat you to some in the cafeteria?”

  She waved her hands over the pile. “I’m not a coffee drinker, but if it will give me a breather from this mess; it sounds like a good time to start.”

  Sin watched as she stood from behind her desk and stretched. Without her lab coat on, Sin couldn’t help but notice what great shape Dr. O’Rourke was in.

  “Is this the end of the week paper pile up?” Sin asked.

  “Pff, I wish. This is the end of every shift pile.”

  “I thought all hospitals were going paperless, you know, Electronic Health Records.”

  “Every time the government goes paperless, the pile gets bigger. Go figure.”

  Sin laughed. “That sounds about right.”

  Walking toward the cafeteria, every eye turned toward the pair. Conversations stopped, women looked catty, and men appeared to turn into drooling, pubescent boys.

  “You have this affect on people everywhere you go?”

  Sin looked over at Dr. O’Rourke and laughed. “It’s not me, Deb. Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately? You’re a hottie.”

  The doc noticed that she had forgotten to put on her lab coat and blushed. “Damn,” she mumbled. “Eight months of conditioning these fools to see me in a professional light just went down the drain.”

  A mischievous glint twinkled in Sin’s eyes. “Hell, if that’s all it takes to ruin your rep, let’s give them something to really talk about.”

  Dr. O’Rourke looked confused until Sin began to strut with exaggerated hip movements. She moved more like a stripper on stage than a combat hardened government agent.

  Dr. O’Rourke burst out laughing at Sin’s self-assuredness and watched all eyes hypnotically gaze as she walked down the hall. By the time they reached the coffee cart in the dining hall, the cases of whiplash had increased ten-fold.

  “That felt good to laugh,” Deborah said raising a diet coke to her lips.

  “Yeah, it did.” Sin’s expression turned sad as she blew the steam off her espresso.

  “Why the face?”

  Sin combed her hair back with her fingers and shrugged. “I guess it made me realize that I have never had a girl friend.”

  “A girlfriend?”

  Sin’s eyes opened wide. “Not a girlfriend, just a female friend. I am surrounded by men everywhere I go. The women I do meet size me up as competition and want to take me down. It’s like I’m the queen bee and they want my hive.”

  O’Rourke nodded. “I know what you mean. Being a woman in what’s considered a male dominated field is tough. Add in a position of authority and it just compounds the problem.” She fiddled with the stethoscope hanging around her neck. “Can I ask you a question?”

  Sin drank her espresso like a shot of booze. “Sure.”

  “Where do you get all your self
-confidence?” Dr. O’Rourke put her hands up as if to stop herself. “Let me rephrase that. I realize you’re a war hero and you’re beautiful, but you move and talk with an attitude that seems to be beyond even that. You command the space you’re in just by entering it. Have you always been like that?”

  Sin combed her thick, black hair with her fingers as she thought about how to answer the question. She made eye contact with the doc and leaned forward as her posture stiffened. “I don’t know if you’ve heard any gossip about me or not, but when I was a teenager I had a reputation—a bad reputation—one I didn’t deserve. I physically became a woman at a young age, and the assholes around here began telling tales—lies—about my sexual exploits. I wanted nothing more than to leave this shithole and never come back.

  “As my head matured to match my body, I decided to never let someone else’s opinion shape who I was on the inside. So,” Sin relaxed her shoulders and took a cleansing breath. “I decided to dress and act and talk in a way that made me feel comfortable, not in a way that made others comfortable.” She sat back and waved her hands from her head to her feet. “This, for good or bad, is the result of my decision.”

  Dr. O’Rourke leaned forward and squeezed Sin’s hand. “Thank you,” she smiled.

  “Boy, this shit is getting deep,” Sin said.

  Dr. O’Rourke laughed to break the tension and looked at her watch. “It’s getting late and I still have a lot of paperwork to finish. It’s not that I’m not enjoying the conversation, but was there a reason you came to see me tonight?”

  “That’s one of your qualities that I like,” Sin said. “You’re direct. Others probably think you’re a bitch, but I like it.”

  Dr. O’Rourke blushed.

  Sin leaned across the table as her expression turned serious. “I need your help.”

  O’Rourke just stared at Sin

  “Look, I’m not good at beating around the bush, so here it is. If you can’t do it or you’re uncomfortable just say so and I’ll . . .”

  “For someone who doesn’t beat around the bush, you just beat the hell out of that one. Just ask.”

  “I might need to get into the morgue and if I do, I need to do it without anyone knowing.”

  Dr. O’Rourke sat her glass down. “That was unexpected. May I ask why?”

  “You can ask, but I won’t tell you.”

  “I would like to help, but I can’t—won’t—do anything that goes against my medical ethics,” Dr. O’Rourke said. She stood up and held out her hand. “It was a pleasure to see you again, Sin, and I appreciate your candidness, but I need to get back to my ‘paperless’ office. I will see you on Tuesday when you bring Thomas in for his appointment.”

  Sin stood and took her hand. “I understand, and for what it’s worth, I hope we can be friends outside of here some day.”

  “I’d like that. Listen, I hope there are no hard feelings, but this job is the only thing I have going on in my miserable life right now.” Dr. O’Rourke closed her eyes momentarily, before continuing, “The military brass wasn’t happy when I, a civilian, was placed in a position of authority. I’m being watched like a hawk.” She shrugged, “I’m sorry.”

  Back in the lobby, Sin spotted a nurse talking to a distraught woman. The woman was crying hysterically and talking non-stop in Spanish.

  The nurse was waving her hands in front of his face, shaking her head and repeating, “No habla Spaneesh.”

  “Maybe I can help,” Sin said.

  The nurse gladly let Sin interject. She spoke in Spanish to the woman and gave her a tissue to wipe her eyes. Turning her attention to the nurse, she said, “No habla Spaneesh? That’s the best you got?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve been meaning to take a class, but I just haven’t found the time.”

  Sin rolled her eyes. “You live in South Florida—find the time.”

  The nurse huffed at Sin and stomped away. “Bitch,” she mumbled under her breath as she stormed away. Sin turned her attention back to the woman. She mentally translated her words into English while listening in Spanish.

  “My name is Alejandra and I am from Nicaragua. My daughter left home four months ago and I have never heard from her.”

  “Why did she come here?”

  “We are poor, very poor, and I wanted a better life for my daughter. My Tia was sick and needed medical help.” Tears streamed down Alejandra’s cheeks. “I had no money to care for her. These men came and said they were from a church and would get her the care she needed.”

  “And you just let them take her?”

  “They promised to help me raise the money to join her.” Her upper body jerked up and down in utter despair. “I didn’t feel as if I had a choice,” she wailed.

  I really need a filter, Sin thought, that was a shitty thing to say.

  Sin reached out and held Alejandra close. “How did you get here,” she asked.

  “I was able to sell everything I own, including my home, to raise the money for a ticket.”

  “Why are you looking in a hospital? How did you know to come to Key West?” Sin had to stop herself from asking too many questions. They were just tumbling around her brain at breakneck speed.

  Alejandra moved away from Sin and pulled a piece of paper from the pocket of her tattered dress. “This is where they told me they were bringing Tia.”

  Sin knew what it was before she even unfolded it—a brochure for The Prophet Heap Orphanage for Girls.

  “The lady there, Rosa, said they have never had any girls named Tia.” Alejandra’s rate of speech raced as she continued. “I was told to come here because some girls have been found . . .” She couldn’t finish the sentence. Her emotions short-circuited, and she fell into Sin’s arms, a puddle of despair.

  As Sin tried to calm Alejandra, she saw Troy walk in. His complexion was pale and chalky.

  She could see him try to put on a brave face as he neared. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  Sin rehashed her conversation with Alejandra.

  “I would like Alejandra to look through pictures of all the girls who have been found to see if her daughter is among them.” She raised an eyebrow. “Any idea where I might get such pictures?”

  Troy rubbed his face with the palm of his hand. “Give me a few minutes and I will see what I can do.”

  Sin kept Alejandra company until Troy came back—carrying a file in his hand.

  “The coroner had pictures of all the girls,” Troy said as he arrived.

  Sin mouthed the words, ‘thank you.’

  “Do me a favor,” she said, “and look through them and find the least offensive of each girl.”

  Alejandra anxiously viewed the photos as Troy brought Sin up to speed on the latest body.

  “Same M.O. as the others,” he said. “The forensic specialist was in the middle of his autopsy when I arrived.”

  “Your first?”

  “Nah,” he said running his hand through his hair, “just not something I ever get used to. That’s some sick shit.” He wiped the perspiration from his brow with a paper towel.

  “The autopsy?”

  “No,” he exclaimed, “the stuff the doc said happened to the girl.”

  He told Sin what she already knew from seeing the pictures back in D.C.

  Alejandra handed the photos back to Sin; her posture showing a hint of relief. She spoke in Spanish as she handed the pictures back.

  “What is she saying?” Troy asked.

  Sin looked at him incredulously. “You too,” she said. “You no speaky Spaneesh?”

  “I took it in high school, but not really.”

  Sin just mumbled under her breath. “Alejandra said Tia wasn’t one of the girls. She also said she would pray for the girls and their families.”

  “I’m glad Tia wasn’t one of the girls fished out of the water
here,” Troy said, “but that doesn’t tell us what happened to her.”

  “No it doesn’t,” Sin said. Her eyes sparkled as a thought came to her. She asked Alejandra if she had a recent picture of Tia.

  “Si.” Alejandra searched in her bag and handed Sin a photo of her daughter.

  Sin studied it. In the picture, Tia looked to be around nine years old. Even at that age, she was beautiful. “How old is Tia?” Sin asked.

  “She is fourteen,” Alejandra answered.

  The picture was old, but it would have to do, Sin thought. She handed it to Troy and asked if he could get the State Police to run it as an Amber Alert.

  “I don’t think that should be a problem,” he said taking the photo.

  “Ask the nurse over there if she will make a copy of it for you,” she said. “I’d like to have one also.”

  “Will do, but what do we do with her,” he asked, glancing at Alejandra.

  “I will call Carmelita and see if she can stay with her. I’m sure she won’t mind in view of the circumstances.”

  After Carmelita arrived, Sin said goodbye to Alejandra and told her she would do everything she could to find her daughter.

  Sin was quiet as Troy drove her home. “Earth to Sin,” he said.

  “Sorry,” she said, “it’s just been a long day—a lot to think about.”

  Troy exhaled through pursed lips. “Yeah, I know.”

  He pulled his truck into Sin’s driveway and looked at her. “You spent some time in Central America, right?”

  Sin was taken aback. “Yeah, what’s your point?”

  “No point,” he said. “I was just wondering if you ever heard of any girls being taken from their homes or going missing, that’s all.”

  Sin turned in her seat, so she was facing him. “Troy, this stuff you’re witnessing isn’t new. Girls and boys go ‘missing’ not only in Central America but from all over the world—even in our own country—all the time. Slavery didn’t end with the Emancipation Proclamation. It just shifted from Africans being bought and sold for cheap labor to these young people being bought and sold for sex.” Sin opened the door of the truck. “I’m not saying that’s what is happening here, but if it smells like a fish and tastes like a fish, it’s probably a fish.”