BODY IN THE BOX a gripping crime thriller full of twists
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“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he’s a killer. I grew up around here. I know the people of this city, and I’m telling you, Henry Riley isn’t the right profile for this crime.”
“I suppose you know everything?” Rebecca shot back.
Dino didn’t speak to her until Terry stepped back into the room.
“Where’s Henry?” Rebecca asked him.
“Puking in the toilet. I had to call the janitor. Henry didn’t make it to the bowl in time.”
“I’m sorry you had to deal with that. But you’re nicer than I am so it’s probably better you were there,” Dino said.
“Yeah, right,” Terry said.
“Is he going to the hospital or what?” Dino said.
“I told him he should, but he insisted he was fine and that he be allowed to go back to the halfway house. What do you guys think?”
“If that’s what he wants, send him home,” Rebecca said. “He’s no use to us if he can’t talk.”
Terry waited for Dino’s response, and when Dino nodded in agreement he said, “With this Russian lead and Henry Riley’s illness, I believe there’s not much more Henry can do for us at the moment.”
“I agree,” Rebecca said, standing up from her chair. “We know where he is, and can call him in again when we need to.”
“I’ll let him know he’s free for now.”
Dino smiled at Rebecca apologetically. He stretched his arms high in the air. “Do you guys feel like getting lunch?”
“Sure,” Terry said.
Rebecca shook her head at Dino. “I don’t get you, Cooper.”
Chapter Eight
Tulia checked the gauge to see if she had enough gas to get to Pierre’s and back. She laughed at herself. Pierre’s was only a few blocks away. She should walk, she knew, but she was afraid a nosy neighbor or one of Terry’s loquacious cop acquaintances would spot her. Terry’s father lived close by also. Although she figured she didn’t have to worry about him, since he and Terry rarely talked anymore.
She wore the beige slacks and the white blouse she had picked up from the drycleaner’s earlier. She’d added a string of pearls to complete the outfit. She’d dug out the cream-colored lambswool coat that had been a birthday present from Andrew many years ago. Terry hadn’t liked it when Andrew had given her the fine coat at the small birthday gathering at their home shortly before she’d graduated with her accountancy degree. But she knew Andrew had liked the way her eyes lit up when she took it carefully out of the gift box and tried it on, twirling around the living room, saying she felt like a queen.
After parking near the post office in Greenwood, Tulia checked her lipstick in the rearview mirror and opened her mouth wide to see her teeth. They looked fine. She got out of the car.
It felt even colder out now than when she had left the house. She let out a long sigh before entering the restaurant and repeated to herself three times, softly, “You’re going to have a good time.”
Andrew was waiting for her at a table in the middle of the bistro. He was wearing a black suit, a white shirt, and a red tie. His dark hair was slicked back. He smiled and waved in her direction.
Tulia walked toward Andrew, brushing past the hostess.
“Excuse me, ma’am, do you have a reservation?”
Andrew rose from his seat and came to Tulia’s rescue. “The lady’s with me,” he said.
“Andrew, you didn’t have to do that.”
He smiled at her. “It’s so good to see you, Tulia. My God, you look beautiful.”
“Thanks. You look well yourself,” she said.
The hostess took Tulia’s coat.
Andrew grinned. “I try my best. Shall we sit down?”
“Yes, please.”
He tenderly took her hand and escorted her to the table. “I ordered red wine. I know how much you hate white. You haven’t changed, right?”
“Yes, I do.” She smiled slightly at him as he pulled out her chair for her.
“Let me have a look at you. Tulia Jackson. Still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I remember when you first walked into that classroom. I was just a kid then and you took my breath away. My very own Mrs. Robinson.”
Tulia blushed and glanced down at her hands. “Andrew, I’m married.”
“I know, and that’s as far as I’m going to take it. Unless of course, you want me to keep on going, because I have plenty to admire.”
Tulia chuckled. “You never change, do you?”
“I admire beauty,” he said with a boyish smile that Tulia found irresistible.
“You know, that’s nice for a change. Terry can be so unromantic at times.”
“I always thought you two were happy.”
Tulia shrugged. “I mean, back in the day he was very romantic, when we first got married. But now it’s like he’s too tired to notice me.”
“He does work a stressful job.”
Tulia was surprised he was defending Terry — she’d thought they didn’t like each other. She sighed. “He does.”
Andrew reached across the table and touched her hand. “It was like that with Cheryl and me before we, you know, so I’m sorry to hear that.”
Tulia moved her hand away from his. “Before you got divorced?” She stared into his brown eyes. “Do you think it’s the same with Terry and me? Sometimes I wonder if he’s seeing someone else.”
Andrew leaned in and held her hand again. “I know that Cheryl and I weren’t having affairs when we treated each other that way. But who knows with Terry, I was never on his wavelength.”
“I know, but—”
“I’m here for you, if you need to talk. Any time.”
Tulia nodded but couldn’t bring herself to thank him. Why did she get the feeling that Andrew wasn’t being honest with her — that he had a hidden agenda?
“Now, enough of this sad business. Are you ready to experience this great food?” Andrew dramatically shifting the mood.
Tulia opened her menu.
Andrew looked up and smiled at her. “You still have the coat.”
Tulia tilted her head, realizing he meant the coat she’d arrived in. She felt a need to explain why she had kept it for all those years. “Yes. It’s so warm. It’s perfect for this time of the year.”
“Tulia, you don’t have to be embarrassed,” Andrew said. “Remember the wallet you got me?”
She nodded.
He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a fine brown leather wallet. “I still have it.”
Tulia smiled and reached out to stroke the soft material. It felt warm from being so close to Andrew’s body. “I can’t believe it still looks so good,” she said. “It feels good too.”
“I take good care of it.” He carefully tucked it back into his suit jacket pocket.
Andrew insisted they have a three-course meal. They talked about Jimmy for a while, and their jobs. When the waiter dropped off the check, which Andrew picked up, he gazed across at Tulia. She was mesmerized by his large brown eyes.
He reached out to brush away a strand of hair that had fallen into her eyes. “Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
Her body quivered at the feeling of his strong fingers touching her skin.
“I’m not sure,” she said, pulling away. Then, “Which restaurant?”
“My apartment?”
She hesitated for a moment. So, that was what he wanted from her. He wanted to sleep with her. What else could he have wanted? She’d never been to any apartment of his before, so why now of all times? But maybe that was what she wanted also. She whispered, “All right.”
“I have to take my mother to an appointment, and then drop her off at my sister’s again, but I should be back around five. That gives me plenty of time to prepare dinner and get ready. Six thirty? Is that all right with you?”
Tulia smiled, still looking into his warm eyes. “Yes, that sounds fine. I’ll have to think of something to tell Jimmy. I’m sure Terry won’t even notice.”
Chapter Nine
Dino guessed her age to be around forty, but she was one of those people whose face didn’t seem to have been affected by time or stress, and she could have been much older than that.
She sat in the chair beside his desk. They had agreed that he would have a chat with her first, and then Rebecca and Terry would join him halfway through.
Natalia Dubinina fidgeted with her purse and didn’t remove her coat despite Dino’s urging. She looked proud in the way she sat, her posture straight, her body composed, and her gaze focused on his face. She said she was from Moscow, and Dino was surprised when she spoke with almost no trace of an accent.
“How long will this take? I have dentist appointment in two hours,” she said.
Dino thought how he’d like to tell her that she might need to cancel that appointment if he felt the need to arrest her on suspicion of kidnapping and maybe murder. He kept that thought to himself, though.
“We’ll try not to waste your time, Ms. Dubinina,” he said.
He didn’t acknowledge her when she corrected him on the pronunciation of her name. She finally removed her down jacket and draped it carefully over the chair she was sitting in.
“You said on the phone that you want to ask me about Alexei Fedotov,” she said.
“Yes. We think we might have found one of his patients that he operated on. A boy named Lev Ilyin. He’s dead.”
The women’s gaze drifted mechanically from Dino’s face to the large clock hanging on the station wall.
“Ms. Dubinina?”
“What?” Her gaze drifted toward him again. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about something.”
“You were thinking about Lev Ilyin?”
She didn’t reply.
“You worked for Alexei Fedotov,” Dino stated.
“I did.”
“His real surname is Dmitriev. Did you know that?”
Natalia shrugged and then shook her head. “He paid me well.”
“Yeah, and he was also operating a chop shop for humans.”
Natalia watched him closely and her eyes darkened. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, don’t bullshit me. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Fedotov, or whatever the hell his name is, practiced out of some community center and killed many of his patients because he was off his meds when he operated.”
“That is all lies,” Natalia said, rising. “Who told you this?”
“I can’t say.”
“Orlov?”
“Sorry, I can’t tell you.”
“It must be him. He’s lying and is looking for revenge. He’s trying to get Alexei in trouble. He hates Alexei because years ago Alexei was sleeping with his wife. Alexei cheated on Orlov’s sister with Orlov’s wife. Orlov would do anything to ruin Alexei’s reputation. Orlov stayed with his wife but he never forgave either of them. Don’t you see? Outside of his marriage, Alexei was a decent man. It is those people who are crooks. They almost never paid him, did you know that? They asked him to work out of the community center. They refused to go to the hospital when he ordered them to. He was forced to operate on them in that place or else they would have died, do you understand? He risked himself for them. And look what that has gotten him. They turned their backs on him then, and they still do now.”
“What about Lev Ilyin?” Dino asked. “We were told he was hit by a car and then operated on by Alexei. Were you present when this happened?”
Natalia let out a deep sigh and then sat down again. “Yes, I remember that boy. Such a sweet child. He wasn’t hit by a car. His parents — you’ve met them?”
Dino shook his head.
“Let me tell you about them. They had five children when I last saw them, including young Lev, and the wife was pregnant again. Lev and his siblings were smart. They learned English easily. The father, Danil, was a devil of a man who drank when he wasn’t working, which was most of the time. Lev’s mother, I can’t remember her name, she was not much better. Those poor children. That was the closest I ever came to calling the police on my own countrymen. And we as a people do not betray our own. You say Lev was hit by a car?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said.”
Natalia shook her head. “No. He was not hit by a car. His mother must have told Orlov that, but she lied. When his mother brought him to us she was crying, muttering how her drunk husband had beaten the child. Lev was very ill. Alexei insisted that he drive the boy to a real hospital, but she grabbed the child and left before he got Lev into his car. She insisted they would take care of it and they didn’t need Alexei’s help. They were probably afraid the police would arrest them for child abuse if they went to the hospital. Alexei was very worried about Lev. When Alexei went to the Ilyins’ home to check on the child, Lev was not there. His parents refused to acknowledge he had ever existed. But still, Alexei persisted. He went to their home every day, demanding to know what had happened to that boy. And do you know what they did in return? They said he was only asking because he was crazy. They said the police wouldn’t believe him or me. It ruined Alexei. After that, he never practiced medicine again.”
“Why didn’t you call the police?”
“I wish I had.”
Dino frowned. “How do I know you aren’t covering for Alexei?”
Natalia shrugged. “You don’t. But I have no reason to.”
“Except that Lev’s death could get you into trouble too.”
“Would I have told you that much if I was worried about getting into trouble? I admitted to working in an illegal clinic. But I did so because I want to help Lev.”
Dino stared at her for a moment. “As I told you over the phone, we found the body of a young boy that we think could be Lev Ilyin. If I take you over to the city morgue, do you think you can identify him?”
Natalia glanced at the clock and nodded slowly.
“It means you’ll probably have to miss your appointment.”
“That is fine. I will go with you. I feel so terrible about what happened to that poor child. Why so many years later?”
“I don’t know. Wait here for a second, please. Don’t go anywhere.”
Dino stood up from behind his desk and went to the back of the station where he found Terry sitting at a desk, jotting down tips that came through the hotline.
“Got anything good?”
“Not really. A lot of crank calls,” Terry said.
“There are many nuts in Newark, apparently,” Rebecca said, approaching them. “But probably not that many more than anywhere else.”
Dino smiled. “I’m going to drive Ms. Dubinina over to the city morgue to see if she can ID the kid,” he told them. “Our conversation got really interesting. Apparently, Alexei Fedotov never operated on Lev Ilyin. And the Ilyin kid wasn’t hit by a car — his father beat him.”
Terry and Rebecca shook their heads.
“Why did Orlov think he was hit by a car?” Rebecca said.
“Ms. Dubinina thinks the child’s mother told him that. And there’s some bad blood between Orlov and Fedotov.”
“So Lev didn’t just vanish?”
“Maybe. I’m thinking his parents might’ve had something to do with his disappearance. But it doesn’t make sense because he was last seen two years ago, right? And we just found him last week. Why would his parents keep him in hiding, and then just decide to dump him last week? And who the hell performed the operation?”
“This is never going to end, is it?” Terry said.
“It will. But I have a feeling it’s going to keep getting more interesting.”
* * *
Natalia Dubinina sat in the passenger seat of the Crown Victoria with her hands in her lap. She replied monosyllabically to his questions and he gave up trying to make small talk. They rode the last few miles to the city morgue in silence.
The ME was done with the b
ody, which was being held at the morgue until it was either claimed or buried in the graveyard of the unnamed, as the police called it. Dino hoped that wouldn’t happen this time around. He was determined to put a name to this boy.
He managed to find a parking space out front. Before he had a chance to open the passenger door for Natalia, she had jumped out of the car. He wanted to be sure she wouldn’t try to run. But she waited for him and then walked with him. She appeared reluctant to go inside. Dino didn’t blame her. It was a fairly creepy place.
She peered around a corner at a side entrance. She looked at Dino for the first time in a while and asked, “What’s in there?”
“That’s a separate entrance, where they take the—”
“Don’t even tell me, I think I already know. I’m a nurse, but I never got used to certain things.”
She reached out to grab Dino’s arm once they had entered through the large double doors, and he awkwardly allowed her to do so. A sharp odor filled his nostrils and made him feel dizzy. He couldn’t tell whether it was a combination of bleach and formaldehyde barely masked by a couple of sprays of Lysol, but it had a bizarre sweet undercurrent that smelled like lemon meringue pie. The odor caused his head to throb, but he attempted to remain stoic for Natalia’s sake. He glanced over at her and she gripped his arm more tightly.
“I’m scared,” she whispered unexpectedly.
“You’re a nurse. You’ve never seen a dead person before?” he said gently.
“I have, yes, but never a child.”
“It’ll be . . .” Dino paused. He had been about to tell her “It’ll be all right,” but he’d stopped himself because he didn’t want to make a promise. “You’ll do well,” he said instead.
They reached the front desk where Dino showed his badge to the bored young man behind the counter who had been staring at a computer screen. The guy had bad skin and shaggy hair.
Dino cleared his throat when the guy didn’t acknowledge them. “I’m a homicide detective with the Newark police. I called your office a little while ago. I brought a witness along with me to see if she can ID case number zero zero two one.”
The guy nodded and typed on the keyboard. He never looked up at Dino. “He’s on the basement level. The elevator’s straight down that way.” He gestured to the hallway.