“What’s that?”
“Think like a criminal and think in a logical state of mind,” Lohan replied wisely.
Sam looked from him to the files and back at him again in a challenging way. He wanted him to act, not talk, and Lohan got the message loud and clear.
He reached for the files that were right in front of him and walked over to his desk. They shared an office with Sam and he would always get there after him.
“First thing we are going to do,” he said thoughtfully as he looked at the files, “…is form a plan. We might not really have to follow it but it will always help us get back to the drawing board.”
“Alright, where do we start?”
“Let us get a few of the rookies to give us a list of any other missing bodies from other morgues in the city and see if they have anything in common. That way we will be able to see if the killer has any pattern whatsoever.”
“That is a good plan,” Sam agreed as he nodded his head.
“What do you think we should do next?”
“We should try asking his family and friends if they know anyone who would want to kill her and if they know about the girl in the picture that we found on the floor the other day,” Sam said.
“Good call.”
“What is the status of the ex-husband and children?”
Sam bent his head and fixed his gaze on the floor when he remembered the lecture that Lohan had given him the day before about being emotionally attached to the case.
“They are faring well but of course devastated because of the body,” Sam replied. “Rodney said that was the first time anything like that had ever happened in the morgue.”
Lohan looked thoughtful and stared at nothing in particular as he tried to come up with a plan.
“Rodney has only worked at the morgue for about seven years,” he finally said. “Tell the rookies to do a search that goes back a decade when it comes to Rodney’s morgue.”
“O.k.” Sam got to his feet and walked over to try and get ahold of a few rookies in the office. He knew some of them got to work even earlier than him and was optimistic that he would round up a good number who wanted to impress old Mr. Lohan.
He left Lohan to his thoughts and from the look on his face, he had a lot to think about.
He walked back to the office after a few minutes and found him talking on the phone to someone. He took a seat at his desk and winced at the immediate pain he felt in his behind. He hoped that Lohan had not noticed this and tried to look busy working on his computer.
“Have you assigned them the task?” he asked.
“Yes, I have,” he replied.
“Good.”
They sat silent for a moment longer with Lohan trying to think of something while Sam waited patiently for his next instructions.
“Who cleans the morgue?” Sam asked out of the blue.
“How should I know?”
Sam almost let out a chuckle but stopped himself and went on to say, “What I mean, does Rodney clean the morgue or do they have janitors that do that?”
“That is a good question,” Lohan agreed and wondered why he did not think of it himself. “Tell you what, why don’t you go down to the morgue and ask Rodney himself about that?”
“You are not coming?”
“You can handle this kid,” Lohan encouraged. “I want to see how you think independently.”
“Alright,” Sam said excitedly and got to his feet.
“On your way back, pass by the ex husband with this,” he said and handed him the bloody photo they’d found on the floor at the crime scene.
“Now I see why you are avoiding leaving the office.You have a lot of compassion for the old man,” Sam joked and loved the priceless look that was on his face.
“Barely,” Lohan sneered. “I am sending you because you are the softie.”
Sam was just about to leave but stopped at the doorway when he remembered something.
“Should I get you lunch on my way back?”Sam asked.
“Yes please,” he answered. “Anything but chicken.”
Sam nodded slightly and left the office. He tried his best not to limp as he headed out to his car and the events from last night all came flooding back into his head. He took a seat on the driver’s seat and stared straight ahead before placing a hand on his mouth. He felt the pain sear through him again.
He remembered how he had to take a few shots before agreeing on what he wanted. He didn’t know if it was really something he wanted but couldn’t ignore the bittersweet pain that came with it. Pete, his lover had promised to be gentle; he knew it would be a painful experience but wondered why he didn’t feel that way the night before. He felt a tear escape his left eye and wondered why he was crying. He thought being with Pete was what he wanted, what his body needed, but the hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach was quite unsettling.
He wiped the tear from his eye with the back of his hand and straightened his rear view mirror as well as his side mirrors before backing out of the parking lot. He decided to make a detour before heading over to the morgue. He parked his car outside a pharmacy and prayed that he would be attended to by a female nurse as opposed to a male one.
“Good morning, how may I help you?”
Sam was not in luck.A young man on the other side of the counter stood with a sober, expectant look. He looked around and saw there was no-one at close range before deciding to say what he wanted.
“I want something for my…” he started and did not really complete the sentence before looking away.
“Is it a rush? Does it burn when you pee? Are you excreting any kind of discharge?” the young man asked calmly. He was about to list other embarrassing diseases but was interrupted by Sam.
“Actually,” he started, “I had anal sex for the first time last night.”
The young man immediately walked away and for a moment Sam thought he was disgusted by what he had just said but saw him coming back with two tubes in his hand.
“This is for the tearing that you are probably experiencing right now and this is for the next time you indulge; it should act as a lubricant.”
“Thank you,” Sam answered and walked over to the register to pay.
“These are oral tablets that will also help with the tearing,” the young man said after walking back to where Sam was and handing them to him. “I suggest you take one right away.”
“Thank you,” Sam said yet again and dug a few dollar bills from his pocket. His meds were well-packed for him and he walked back to his car to drive away.
Sam remembered about the soft pillow he had in his trunk and walked over to get it. He placed it on the driver’s seat and cautiously sat on it and tried to adjust his seat thereafter. He fixed his mirrors once more before driving out of the parking lot and heading over to the morgue. The painkiller the pharmacist had given him seemed to have an immediate kick and the pain in his behind was gone.
He looked over at his side and missed his partner Lohan though he knew he would not be able to make the detour with him in the car. He always loved doing things according to plan and had a serious mood when it came to work.
The morgue building came into view and he tried to focus all his attention on the task at hand. Now that the pain would not remind him of the night before, he would be able to concentrate more on his work. There were a few people in a somber and sad mood in the lobby who were waiting to have their loved ones’ bodies brought to them.
He showed his pass to the front desk and slowly walked over to the ground floor where he was the previous day with Lohan.
“Good morning, Rodney,” he said after he spotted him from a distance.
“Good morning,” Rodney replied. “Sam, right?”
“Right,” he answered and walked over to where Rodney was standing.
“Where is the old man today?”
“He had some office work he had to attend to,” Sam answered.
“So I am dealing with the rookie today?”
Rodney said. “Thank you, Lohan!”
Sam did not take offense at his statement as would have been expected and went on to look around before taking out his notebook and proceeding with what had brought him to the morgue.
“Do you have any leads on the breaking and entering that occurred the other day?”
“That is your job, son,” Rodney answered as he walked around the morgue picking up a few things and placing them in good order.
“A little help, Rodney, will go a long way you know,” Sam said. The irritation at the disrespect Rodney was dishing out was evident on his face and Rodney was forced to pause from his work to give him his full attention.
“Let’s make it fast, young man,” Rodney replied. “I might work among the dead but I am quite busy.”
“I will try not to take much of your time.”
He glanced down at his notepad before looking at Rodney who was giving him an impatient look.
“I only wanted to know about the janitors.”
“What about them?”
“Do they have access to this place at night?” Sam went on to ask.
“Only the night one,” Rodney replied.
“Can I have the information please if you don’t mind?”
“I don’t know who it is but I’m sure the front desk has all the information you need,” Rodney replied in a tone of finality. “Just go and flash your little badge over there and they will give you what you want.”
Rodney walked off to get on with his work; he could be heard putting his things in order as he got back to his usual mood. Sam watched him disappear and took the flight of stairs back to the top floor. He knew he would be back later on and hoped that Rodney would be more helpful then.
“My regards to your clients, Rodney,” were his last words when he left the ground floor.
He walked over to the front desk and hoped the woman who sat behind it staring at him would be more helpful.
“Good morning, ma’am,” he said as he moved closer to her with the most dazzling smile he could muster.
“Good morning,” the young lady smiled back at him and he felt a wave of relief wash over him.
“I need some information about the night janitors and I hope I will get more help from you than what I’ve gotten from downstairs,” Sam went on to say.
“Rodney?” she asked.
“Old charmer as usual,” Sam said and let out yet another dazzling but sarcastic smile.
“It’s o.k.,” she replied. “Don’t mind him, I will help you out.”
Sam could not really tell whether or not she was flirting with him but focused his mind on the information he wanted.
“We currently have two janitors working the night shift,” she went on to say as she typed on her keyboard. “Do you want the information in hard copy?”
“Yes, please,” Sam answered.
He listened to the familiar printing noise behind her and smiled as she took the piece if paper and handed it to him.
“Here you go, sir,” she said.
“Thank you.”
“Was I helpful enough?” she went on to inquire with an equally dazzling smile on her lips.
“Enough,” Sam answered. He did not know what to say next and thanked his lucky stars when someone else walked over to where he was standing and started chatting up the lady.
He turned his attention to the sheets of paper in his hands and looked through the information. One of the names stuck out more than the others and he felt a familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“Tracy Evans,” he mouthed to himself. “Where have I heard that name before?”
*****
Ryan woke up reluctantly that day and took a look at his wristwatch. His cell phone had awakened him. He jumped out of bed and rushed over to it.
“Hello,Mum,” he said.
“Hello dear, how are you holding up so far?”
“Terribly.”
Ryan let his gaze drop to the floor when he thought about the current events.
“What do the police say about the missing body?”
“They haven’t found any leads yet,” he answered. “But they are looking.”
“Do you think they’ll find anything?”
“I doubt it,” Ryan answered. “It’s not a precious artifact or jewel that is missing.”
“I understand,” his mother replied.
“How are the kids holding up?” he went on to ask. His kids had gone to stay with his mother ever since they received the news about the death of their mother.
“They are devastated,” she answered. “But they are very strong, especially Trevor.”
“I think you should keep them for one more week and see if the body turns up.”
“What will happen if it doesn’t?”
“We’ll have to hold a memorial service for her and move on,” Ryan said bitterly.
“Alright dear,” his mother replied. “I will need you to try and eat something.”
“I will, Mother,” he replied. He tried to recall the last time he’d had a decent meal.
“Say ‘hi’ to the kids for me, please,” he said. “Tell them I love them and I will call later on to check up on them.”
“I will,” she answered. “Good bye, son.”
“Goodbye,Mum.”
Ryan placed his cell phone back on the dresser table and walked back to bed. He had taken two weeks’ leave from work and did not plan on leaving the house that day. He slid in-between the bed covers and took a deep breath. He felt tired and exhausted, not to mention hungry. Things had happened so fast that he did not know what to think or feel. He played with his wedding ring that he never bothered to take off even after the divorce. He shut his eyes and all he could see was the blinding dazzling smile she always wore on her face.
He then placed his left hand on his chest and could still feel the pain he once felt when he walked in on her cheating on him with a married man on their matrimonial bed. He then placed his hand on his cheek and felt the hot slap she had given him the day he won full custody of his children. Ryan curled himself in a ball and could feel the joy they both felt when they had their daughter and were now new parents.
All these emotions seared through him and he felt all of them at once: love, bitterness, pain, hurt and anger had somehow merged into one feeling and he felt helpless.
The home telephone rang and it distracted him from the sea of different emotions for a moment. He let it ring and did not bother to pick it up, assuming it would be another estranged friend offering his condolences. He let it go straight to voicemail.
“Hello, Ryan!Please call me back. I heard what happened and I am worried about you.”
Ryan immediately recognized the voice and wanted to pick up but could not. It was Yvonne, his girlfriend of about one and a half years, trying to reach him. He made a mental note to call her back when he woke up and tried to shut his eyes again.He tried to force himself to get some sleep but the hunger he felt would not let him. He slowly got to his feet and began making his way towards the kitchen, wondering if there was anything in the fridge.
The doorbell rang just as he got downstairs and his first instinct was to ignore it. It rang a second time and he decided to answer it as he was only a few steps away.
“Good morning, Mr. Sutter,” Sam greeted him from the other side with a blank expression on his face. He had rehearsed a few expressions while in the car that he thought would be appropriate.
“Good morning,” Ryan replied. He looked over at Sam, wondering who he was.
“I am Detective Sam,” he began to introduce himself again. “Iwas here the other day with my colleague.”
Memories of the messengers of doom slowly raced back to Ryan and he looked at Sam hopeful that he had at least found news about the missing body.
“Come on in,” he said and stepped aside.
“Thank you,” Sam answered and walked in.
“Right this way.” Ryan led the way towards the kitchen and had Sam fol
low him closely behind. “I was just about to fix something to eat, do you want anything?”
“Mind if I help you with that?” Sam asked and went behind the kitchen counter almost immediately. “I’m sure you haven’t had a decent meal in a long time.”
“How could you tell?” Ryan asked.
“You look weak,” he replied before walking over to the refrigerator and looking through it. “How about if I whip you up an omelet and some coffee?”
The thought and sound of food made Ryan realize just how hungry he was and he looked over at Sam with interest. Sam began walking around the kitchen as he fixed him something to eat.
“I should start by saying,” Sam said after placing a cup of hot steaming coffee in front of Ryan, “that sadly, we have not found the body yet.”
Ryan dropped his gaze to the floor and tried to hide his disappointment before sipping on the coffee Sam had placed in front of him.
“I don’t mean to sound rude, but why are you here then?” Ryan asked after taking another sip of his coffee.
“I have a few questions I need to ask you that will help in the investigation of the case,” Sam replied. “I know it’s just too soon but currently you are the only lead we have and we need you to help us, sir.”
“You are right,” Ryan agreed. “It is a bad time but I will still help you nevertheless.”
Sam felt an inner smile form and wished he could display it but bit his tongue. He had completely taken over the kitchen and was now beating some eggs in a bowl for the omelet he had promised Ryan.
“A neighbor of Rita told us that she heard the two of you arguing about something a few weeks back. Care to tell me what the argument was about?” Sam asked.
“Rita and I fought all the time,” he began.
“What about?”
“Everything, simply everything,” Ryan replied and Sam could detect the tone of contempt in his voice.
“Can you remember the last time the two of you fought?”
“Of course,” Ryan answered. “It was about two weeks back. I thought that she was displaying very inappropriate behavior in front of my son.”
“What kind of inappropriate behavior?” Sam asked.
“She had started dating this young man who would come around whenever the kids were over at her place.”
Mystery: Missing Rita: (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Suspense Thriller Mystery) Page 4
