Ellard rose and left the room without another word.
Vanessa also stood. “Tough spot to be in.”
Jason tucked away his pad. The general ire reflected by Ellard bothered him. “Seems pretty angry, doesn’t he?”
She shrugged. “He’s under alot of stress. Everyone handles things differently.”
“Oh, look who’s the rational one all of a sudden.”
“Hey, are you saying I’m normally irrational?”
“We need to get back to the waiting room.” Jason slipped out the door.
“Hey, I asked you a question.”
He kept going.
Chapter 2
When they arrived back at the waiting room, they found Colton Ellard had emerged from his mother’s room and was sitting close to Destiny. Evidently, Dale had gone back in to be with his wife. Jason had asked Colton to follow them back to the conference room.
Colton had obliged, and unlike his father, seemed comfortable with talking.
Jason and Vanessa sat across the table from the young man, who appeared to be in his late twenties. He had black hair, brown eyes, and boyish good looks. His tan matched and even exceeded his father’s. The red board shorts and bright yellow t-shirt sporting a surfer emblem spoke to a love of the water, or at least, of casual dress.
Jason looked directly at Colton, and found the young man readily met his gaze. “I know this is a tough time for you, and we’re sorry to have to do this, but we have to ask some difficult questions.”
“Destiny told me you were detectives, but she didn’t know why you were here.”
“Under Texas law, anytime someone dies from unknown causes, an investigation is automatically triggered.”
“My mom isn’t dead.”
Jason exchanged glances with Vanessa. It seemed improbable that Colton didn’t know the seriousness of his mother’s condition. “Colton…”
“My friends call me Colt.”
“Okay…”
“I’m sure my dad used Colton. Both Mom and Dad do, but I’m Colt to most everyone else.”
“Right. Anyway Colt, let’s just say that your mother’s condition is serious enough that an inquiry has begun, even if it seems premature.”
He shrugged. “Okay.”
“You live with your parents, correct?”
“I do now. I was going to UT Austin up until a few months ago.”
University of Texas at Austin, was Jason’s alma mater. “I went to Austin. You taking a break?”
“Nah, I dropped out. Just wasn’t feelin’ it.”
“Do you work?”
“I do some computer work for Mom and Dad at the practice.”
“What does that involve?”
“Mostly PC maintenance, networking, advertising. I keep a webpage going for them.”
“Were you there today?”
“Yes. Up until about eleven.”
“Did your mother seem okay to you?”
“Yeah. Normal, you know.”
“You say you left around eleven?”
“That’s right. Some friends invited me to hang with them on their boat out at Canyon Lake.”
“What time did you get home from the lake?”
“I didn’t. Dad reached me while I was still there. I came directly to the hospital.”
Vanessa took out her notepad and pen, laid them on the table, and slid them across to Colton. “Those friends you were with. Write down their info for me.”
Colton stared at her for a second, then shrugged and made some notes. He pushed the pad back. “Are we about done? I’d like to get back to the waiting room.”
Jason nodded. “Of course. One last thing—how would you describe your parents’ relationship?”
Colton leaned back in his chair and scrunched his forehead. “You make it sound like you’re looking for a suspect or something.”
Jason tried to smile. “I know it sounds that way Colt, and it’s not fun for us either, but that’s the nature of things like this.”
Colton crossed his arms and scowled. “Things like this?”
Jason’s smile hadn’t worked. “Investigations.”
“I thought you said this was just an inquiry. Now it’s an investigation?”
Jason made a mental note not to underestimate the young man again—Colt was no dummy. “Fair enough. Investigation or inquiry, we have to ask.”
Colton hesitated. “My folks have a good relationship. At least, as far as I can tell. They have their issues like anyone, but…”
“Like what?”
“Money. Isn’t that what most married couples fight about?”
Jason shrugged. “It seems so.”
Nothing else seemed pressing right then. Jason pushed back his chair. “Thanks for talking with us, Colt. We’ll let you get back to your family.”
The young man stood and left.
Jason glanced at Vanessa. “What do you think?”
“He seemed pretty open. You think he doesn’t know his mom is brain dead?”
“He’s got to, but hey, maybe he just doesn’t want to face it. I couldn’t blame him for holding out hope.”
“Fair enough. We still have the daughter to speak with.”
“Yeah, but she’s not here. The receptionist?”
Vanessa nodded. “She was the last one to see Janet Ellis before she got sick.”
“Let’s go see if she’s talkative.”
A tap on the doorframe startled them both. Standing at the open door was Destiny. “Colt said you might want to talk to me.”
Jason exchanged a surprised glance with Vanessa, then stood. “Actually, we do. You mind sitting down with us?”
“No, of course not.”
She came in and took the seat just vacated by the younger Ellard. She sat perfectly erect, her hands in her lap and her blonde hair falling in front of her shoulders. The contrast with Colt couldn’t be starker. Destiny looked as though she would rather have been with Indiana Jones in a snake pit than with the two detectives.
Vanessa took the lead. “We won’t keep you long, Destiny. By the way, what is your last name?”
“Carter.”
“And you’ve been working with the Ellards for six years, is that right?”
“Yeah, almost seven.” A smile brightened her face. “They’re such great people, especially Janet…” The smile evaporated. “Mrs. Ellard has been so kind to me. She gave me the job right out of high school, and welcomed me into their home.”
“So you stayed with them?”
“Off and on. My home wasn’t the best…”
Vanessa chose not to pry. Instead, she switched gears. “Tell me about today, starting with when you got to work.”
“Well, it was just a normal day, except that Mr. Ellard was out of the office, but even that isn’t all that unusual. Also, it was Colt’s day to work.”
Vanessa’s lip curled downward. “His day?”
“Yeah, Colt only works one day a week, mostly to keep his father happy.”
Jason made a note. The father/son relationship just became very interesting. Obviously, there was more to the story.
Vanessa leaned back. “But Colt told us he left at eleven.”
“He did. Again, not unusual.”
“Okay, so you said this was a normal day—describe normal.”
“We had three morning appointments, one of which was cancelled. Mrs. Ellard took lunch at around eleven thirty. Her first afternoon appointment was at one, but she didn’t feel well.”
“What time did she mention not feeling well?”
Destiny stared at the clock over the door, as if rewinding time in her head. “Twelve-thirty, I’d say.”
“When did she go home?”
“Almost immediately.”
Jason looked up from his notetaking. “Do you know what she had for lunch?”
“The same as ever. A protein shake and a banana.”
“This shake, was it in a can?”
Destiny shook her he
ad. “She always brings it premixed from home. One of those plastic shakers. She adds milk from the fridge to make it.”
This was definitely one of those good news/bad news situations. If Janet Ellard was poisoned, it could be from through the milk at work, and narrow the number of people with opportunity considerably. But if it was through the shake from home, the number of folks who could have been involved would increase exponentially. “Does she buy prepackaged protein mix?”
“I don’t think so. I believe she makes it custom with powders and vitamins. She’s kinda of a health nut that way.”
While Jason made some notes, Vanessa finished with the timeline. “So after Mrs. Ellard left, you called her appointments?”
“Yes. All rescheduled, but one was aggravated. I wanted to call Janet and let her know, but I couldn’t get hold of her.”
“When was the first time you tried to reach her?”
“Around two, I believe.”
“And there was no answer?”
“Right. I left a voicemail, but she never called back. I figured she might be sleeping, but by four-thirty, I was starting to worry she might be really ill.”
“She would usually call you back?”
“Always.”
“That’s when you called Mr. Ellard?”
“Yes.”
Sensing that Vanessa was preparing to wrap it up, Jason interjected. “Destiny, can you give us the names and numbers of the patients Mrs. Ellard saw this morning?”
Concern flashed across her face. “Uh…I’m not sure. I should probably ask Doctor Ellard.”
Jason dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. “It’s okay. I know you’re worried about privacy laws and such. I’ll speak with Mr. Ellard myself. We appreciate your help. If we have more questions, we’ll be in touch.”
For the first time, the young lady’s shoulders sagged as she let some of her tension loose. She managed a weak smile, then slipped out into the hallway.
Jason closed his notepad. “I want to find out more about the relationship between Colt and Dale Ellard.”
Vanessa sighed. “I agree, but questioning both again right now would be unkind. They need some time to grapple with what’s going on.”
*******
When they returned to the waiting room, Jason and Vanessa found Colt and Destiny were gone.. They sat down and waited. Dale Ellard, hunched over at the opposite end of the room engrossed in a call, his phone to his ear and a hand over his eyes.
Every so often, his lips would move, but Jason couldn’t make out what was being said. He glanced at the wall clock. 7:30.
Vanessa had already mentioned Stumpy’s twice. His stomach was rumbling as well. “We’ll leave as soon as we can find out about the daughter.”
“Okay.”
The phone came away from Ellard’s ear, but he made no effort to get up and his hand remained over his eyes.
Vanessa nudged Jason. “He’s done.”
Jason nodded and rose to his feet. After slowly crossing the room, Jason leaned over and touched the man’ shoulder. “Sir…I’m sorry to bother you again, but…”
Ellard sighed and removed his hand, revealing moist eyes and red cheeks. “Yes?”
“Your daughter, Natasha…”
Ellard looked down at the phone. “That was her.”
“When will she get into town?”
“She expects it will be after eleven.”
“We’ll want to talk to her tomorrow.”
“I’m sure that will be fine. I’ll have her call you.”
Vanessa came up next to Jason. “We have one other thing we need. According to Destiny, your wife saw two patients this morning before going home. Can you get me their information?”
He stared at Vanessa. “I can’t tell you anything about them.”
“I understand. We just need their names and how to reach them.”
Ellard’s gaze moved to the doorway. Vanessa glanced back to see Colt and Destiny returning.
Ellard waited for them to join the group. “Who were Janet’s patients this morning?”
“Shawna Johnson and Damon Stern.”
Vanessa had her pad out and made the note.
Ellard began typing on his phone. Jason waited, surprised the doctor seemed to have the information on his mobile device.
Colt evidently noticed Jason’s reaction. “That’s one of the things I did for my parents. I gave them access to patient contact information through a web-portal at the office.”
Jason arched his eyebrows. “I see.”
Ellard looked up. “Shawna Johnson’s number is five-five-five-four-six-two-nine.”
Vanessa wrote it down while Ellard returned to checking his phone. Jason turned to Destiny. “Was there anything unusual about their visits this morning?”
Destiny shook her head. “Not at all.”
“How long have they been patients?”
Ellard’s head popped up. “That’s off limits. Anything relative to their treatment is protected.”
Jason nodded. “I understand. Didn’t mean to cross the line. How about a generic question? Can you think of any reason either of these people might want to do your wife harm?”
Ellard considered the question, then shook his head. “Neither patient was trouble, at least Janet never mentioned a problem with Shawna or Damon.” He looked back down at his phone. “Damon Stern’s number is five-four-five, twenty-seven hundred.”
Vanessa jotted it down and closed her book. “Thank you.”
Jason stepped back from the group. “We’ll let you be now. I know it’s been a long day.”
Ellard nodded but didn’t speak.
Vanessa and Jason headed out to the Challenger. Once in the car, Vanessa put it through its paces on the way to Stumpy’s while Jason took her notepad and called the first number given them by Doctor Ellard. It rang three times before someone answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi. Is this Shawna Johnson?”
“Yes. Who’s this?”
“My name is Detective Strong and I’m with San Antonio PD.”
“I’m sorry, Detective, but I don’t want to donate—”
Jason looked at Vanessa and smiled. “No, ma’am, I’m not asking for donations.”
Vanessa laughed.
“How can I help you then, Detective?”
“My partner and I would like to speak with you about your appointment with Doctor Ellard today.”
There followed a distinct pause. “What about my appointment?”
“It’s nothing of a personal nature, I promise. We are looking into some events that occurred this afternoon involving Doctor Ellard.”
“What events? Is she okay?”
“I can’t say more until we meet.”
“Very well. You have my phone number, do you also have my address?”
“No, ma’am, I do not.”
She fed the information to him as he scribbled it onto Vanessa’s pad. “When is convenient?”
“I’m going to pick up my kids at nine. Will it take long?”
“Probably not.”
“Then you’ll need to come now or wait until tomorrow when I get off work.”
Jason glanced at Vanessa, who was regarding him with suspicion. He stared back out the windshield. “We’re on our way.”
He hung up.
Vanessa stared at him. “I hope you were just confirming a table at Stumpy’s.”
He avoided her eyes. “Afraid not. We need to go directly to Miss Johnson’s.”
“But I’m starving!”
Jason had experienced Vanessa’s “starving”. It usually meant she hadn’t eaten in two hours. Nevertheless, he was hungry too. “We can whip through McDonald’s.”
“You trying to get out of buying my dinner?”
“Nope.”
She groaned. “I’ll wait. Where does she live?”
He showed her the address. “It’s in Park Village.”
“Lucky for you, that’s not too
far from Stumpy’s.”
Jason placed the next call, this one to Damon Stern. It rang multiple times before a machine picked up. This is Damon. Can’t talk now. Leave a message.
Jason waited dutifully for the beep, then left his name and number, but nothing else. Vanessa turned down Shawna Johnson’s street as he hung up. She parked by the curb in front of a small bungalow. They got out, went up three steps to a covered porch, and rang the doorbell next to a screen door. The wood front door sat open to allow the evening breeze through the house.
A woman in her early thirties with curly black hair soon appeared. “You’re the detectives?”
Jason and Vanessa both showed their badges. “Yes, ma’am.”
“It’s a nice evening. You want to talk out here or do you need to come in?”
Jason glanced at the comfortable-looking wicker patio set. “Out here is fine.”
The dark-skinned woman nodded and pushed through the door. “Please, take a seat.”
When all three were comfortable, Jason took out his pad. “Miss Johnson, we’re—”
“Call me Shawna.”
Jason nodded. “Shawna, I’m afraid we have some troubling news.”
“What sort of news?”
“Doctor Janet Ellard has become very ill.”
Large brown eyes went from Jason to Vanessa then back to Jason. “How ill?”
“It appears she won’t make it.”
“What?” Tears welled up quickly. “She’s dying?”
“Yes. She’s on life support at this time, but the doctors don’t give her much chance to survive.”
“How? Why? I don’t understand. She seemed fine this morning.”
Vanessa scooted forward in her chair. “That’s what we’re here to ask you. Did anything seem out of the norm during your visit this morning?”
The woman’s eyes flared. “No! Nothing. She was her usual bubbly, healthy self. I don’t get it. What made her sick?”
“At this time the doctor’s don’t know.”
“Then why are you asking questions?”
“It’s normal in event of an unexplained illness.”
Shawna crossed her arms. “An unexplained death, you mean?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“So…you’re here to find out if I killed her?” Her incredulous tone was impossible to miss.
Jason found the leap to murder troubling. “That is not how we look at it, Miss Johnson.”
A TWISTED MIND (Clean Suspense) (Detective Jason Strong Book 21) Page 3
