BLOODY BELL

by Jeremy Waldron

  “May I?” King pointed to the cushioned seat across from Dr. Wu’s desk.

  Dr. Wu extended his hand and nodded before sitting himself. “Please.”

  King sat and crossed one ankle over his opposite knee while Alvarez roamed the walls behind. King stared at Dr. Wu and watched him nervously keep one eye on what Alvarez was doing while keeping the other firmly locked on King. The detective kept it purposely quiet to really make Dr. Wu feel on edge. It seemed to do the trick. The doctor finally squirmed in his seat and asked, “So, what did you want to ask me?”

  King’s fingers stopped drumming. “We’re investigating the homicide of Keith and Pam Brown.”

  “Homicide?” Dr. Wu’s eyes flashed as he glanced quickly at Alvarez. King stared and watched the doctor press the tips of his fingers together while his eyebrows knitted.

  “You know them, don’t you?” King asked, hearing his partner pull a book off the shelf.

  “I do. I was told they had been found dead, but didn’t realize they had been murdered.”

  King stared, looking for signs of guilt. Dr. Wu’s color never flushed, though King felt the doctor was struggling with keeping his gaze steady.

  “With their deaths conveniently timed the day before your trial was to begin, you naturally became a person of interest.” King kept his gaze forward but felt Alvarez turn and hover over his left shoulder.

  Dr. Wu immediately gave an alibi for the night the Browns were found murdered. King jotted it down and promised to check it out after. Then Wu continued. “We should have never allowed it to go to trial.”

  “Then why did it get that far?”

  “Neither party could agree on a settlement.” Wu shook his head. “Not surprising, since it all began because Brown said I broke our original contract.”

  “And did you?”

  “There was a difference in professional opinions.” His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “Keith was an early investor in my company, Phanes Biotechnology, and I can tell you that I didn’t do anything that any of my colleagues would have done differently.”

  King glanced to the doctor’s diplomas and certificates on the walls. “What is it exactly your company does, Dr. Wu?”

  Wu’s spine straightened as he brought his elbows to the table. Perking up, he said, “We study the possibility of CRISPR gene editing.” Excitement flashed in his eyes.

  “And yet, you’re here at a fertility clinic,” Alvarez said, looking around the room.

  “Yes,” Wu said in a confident voice. “Ground zero for much of my work. It’s been an incredible partnership between Phanes and NDRM.”

  “I’d say so, seeing as they gave you the corner office.”

  “Yes,” Dr. Wu agreed.

  Over the next several minutes, King asked when the partnership began, what his current work was like, and if the Browns’ lawsuit against him slowed him down. Dr. Wu answered every question he was asked and ended by saying, “I really am pressed on time, Detectives.”

  “Tommy Patterson,” King said, getting the air to stop. “The son of Tony and Kristi Patterson. Ring a bell?”

  Dr. Wu’s eyes blinked as if stunned by what he assumed was coming next.

  “No?” King raised his eyebrows. “Well, maybe this will jog your memory.” He brought both boots to the floor and tipped his broad shoulders forward. “Tommy Patterson’s mother believes the embryo your team implanted inside her womb contained another man’s sperm—”

  “Perhaps the doctor’s sperm,” Alvarez said for added emphasis.

  “And, you know what I think?” King said. “I think maybe Mrs. Patterson is right.”

  Dr. Wu wiped his mouth. He was frozen to his chair as he cast his gaze to his desk. That’s when King noticed something hiding behind a framed photo. A silver angel paperweight.

  “I’m sorry,” Dr. Wu said, “but I thought you were here investigating the Browns’ deaths?”

  King hooked his pinchers over the photo and took the metal angel into his hands. “We are.” He grinned. “But now that we’re here,” he looked to the angel, “I’m thinking NDRM—and maybe even you—” he swept his eyes up to the doctor’s and held his gaze, “might have connections to other open cases our department is currently investigating.”

  “This is a witch hunt,” Dr. Wu snapped. “How dare you come into my place of work and accuse me of doing something for which I most certainly did not do.”

  “Does the name Kate Wilson sound familiar, Dr. Wu?” Alvarez asked.

  Dr. Wu shifted his weight around. King watched his knuckles go white when he latched his fingers together on top of his desk.

  “Or how about Cameron Dee?”

  Sweat glistened on Wu’s upper lip. “I’ve seen the news. I’m sorry for what happened to those women, but I don’t see how Kate’s death or Cameron’s assault have anything to do with me.”

  “But they were patients of yours, correct?”

  Dr. Wu’s fists went back beneath his desk. His face went so red King was certain a vein would explode any second. “You know I can’t share patient information without a warrant.”

  Alvarez chuckled. “Hear that, Detective? Dr. Wu thinks that we haven’t spoken to the judge already.”

  “What my partner is saying,” King applied the pressure, “is it would be easier for both of us if you would cooperate and answer our questions fully.”

  Dr. Wu’s eyes hooded as he glared from beneath his sunken brow.

  “Or we could take you down to the station and finish our conversation there.” Alvarez jiggled his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. “Whichever you prefer, Doctor.”

  King lifted himself out of his chair and placed the paperweight back where he’d found it. “Let’s talk about your alibi. You said you were meeting with colleagues over dinner the night before the conference in Boulder.”

  “That’s right. I was the keynote. Would you like a quick overview of what I presented?” The doctor’s tone sharpened and King caught a hint of sarcasm. “Or should I just wait to receive a subpoena for that, too?”

  “That depends,” King said, falling back into his chair. “Does it have to do with modifying a woman’s embryos?”

  “It certainly does,” Wu said proudly, freely sharing what his speech was about. “It’s my work. It’s what I do.”

  King’s eyes drifted around the room as Wu summed up how the recent biotech conference in Boulder brought together the region’s top doctors and scientists with a long list of wealthy donors.

  “Wealthy donors.” King flicked his gaze back to Wu. “That’s interesting.”

  “Not really, Detective. Our research is expensive and, without donations or investments, modern medicine wouldn’t be what it is today.”

  “Was that also who you had dinner with?”

  “Some, yes.”

  “So, help me understand something.” Alvarez took one hand out of his pocket and rubbed his brow. “You parted ways with your original investor, Keith Brown, and he just so happens to get knocked within hours of you being in Boulder pitching your sales speech at new fat wallets to make up for what you lost. Is that what I’m hearing?”

  “What are you suggesting? That I planned this?” Wu chortled. “I had nothing to do with Keith’s death. You can ask anyone who was with me that night. They’ll tell you I wasn’t anywhere near Congress Park.”

  “It just seems…what’s the word?” King tapped his forefinger to his forehead.

  “Convenient,” Alvarez said.

  King snapped his fingers. “Convenient.”

  Wu tucked his chin into his chest and shook his head.

  “Not only that, but the Browns’ daughter, Tracey, also vanished that same night.” King stared intently into Wu’s brown eyes. “Did you know the Browns had a daughter, Dr. Wu?”

  “I think he did.” Alvarez cast his gaze down to King. “And I’m also willing to bet that he knew she was pregnant.”

  The doctor’s eyes darkened. �
��This conversation is over.”

  “I thought you might say that. Because this is how I see it.” King scooted to the edge of his chair. Tipping closer to Dr. Wu, he wanted to make sure he saw the seriousness swirling in his eyes. “You were inside the Browns’ house the night you killed them. Tracey came home and saw that it was you, and you took her, knowing that she would recognize you.”

  “This is ludicrous.” The doctor fumed. “You can’t prove any of this.” Dr. Wu stood and spoke animatedly. “My research benefits everyone, and here you are, nailing me to the cross all because of what? You don’t approve of the science I preach? Is that it? You’re no different than everyone else who has fought me on this—blocked the science that is giving life to people who otherwise wouldn’t have it.”

  King stood and rolled his shoulders back, satisfied that he had cracked his suspect. “Let’s just hope that we don’t connect those other women back to you or any other organization you’re affiliated with, Doctor.” King paused and stared. “But now you understand why it is we’re here and what we’re after.”

  Dr. Wu put his hands on his hips and breathed heavily. “If you’re not going to arrest me, I really do need to be going.”

  “We’re not arresting you today, but it’s a good idea to let us know if you plan to leave town.”

  Dr. Wu snagged his coat off the back of his chair and gathered his things as he headed to the door.

  Before he could get too far, King said, “Just one more thing.”

  Dr. Wu hit the brakes, turned his head, and raised a single brow.

  “Do you know a Dr. Cherub?”

  “Is this some kind of joke?” Wu squinted his beady eyes. “You men disgust me.”

  King tipped his head back. “Do I look like I’m laughing?”

  “Yes, I know a Dr. Cherub. In fact, I know many.” Dr. Wu paused. “That was the nickname we gave the group of original scientists who developed our revolutionary technology.”

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  It was after nine by the time Erin arrived at the house to pick me up. I jumped into the front seat of her car and we hit the road. With everything that was on my mind, I hoped the Mile High Health Clinic would provide some clues to just who this Dr. Cherub really was. I’d left a message with King but hadn’t heard back.

  “I saw your letter to Tyler.” Erin pulled down her visor and flicked a quick glance in my direction.

  “You don’t think it was too direct, do you?”

  “I understand what you’re trying to do, Sam,” her eyes were back on the road, “but I’m not sure that King or the department will like what you did.”

  “What’s new?” I shielded the sun’s glare with my hand, tapping my foot on the floor in an attempt to rid my body of its nerves.

  “Sounds like a lot.” We locked eyes. “Do you really know who is behind this?”

  I pushed my spine straight, suddenly realizing I hadn’t told Erin about my date with King. “Shit. I should have called,” I apologized.

  “I could see it in your tired eyes.” Erin smiled. “Did you find the website? Is that what makes you believe you know who is behind this? Because I didn’t have any luck.”

  “No, it’s not that,” I said, diving into the conversation I’d had with King.

  Erin kept her questions for the very end. I told her about the civil trial that the Browns had against the founder of Phanes Biotechnologies and how it was scheduled to begin the day after they were found dead. “But here is where it really takes a turn,” I said. “Dr. Glenn Wu parted ways with the Browns about the time Tommy Patterson was conceived.”

  Erin was shocked speechless. She kept the wheels straight as she processed everything I just unloaded on her. I gave her time to think before I said, “Now I’m wondering if Dr. Wu is the doctor we’re trying to connect to MHHC.”

  “Sam, if this Dr. Wu happens to also be the Dr. Cherub we’re looking for, and he happens to read your plea to Tyler, we might lose him before ever proving he’s the one who killed Kate, injured Cameron, and who might still have Tracey.”

  I felt my breath catch in my throat. Erin had a point. It had been something I had thought about myself, but I needed to also convince Tyler that I knew he was innocent of Cameron’s injuries.

  “I just want to see Tyler come in so we can hear his side of the story,” I said. “Maybe he saw something that has him fearing for his own life. But let’s also not forget that if Cameron called him the night she gave birth, Tyler will have a record of that number on his phone.”

  Erin bounced in her seat with the same amount of energy packed into a double espresso. I, too, was feeling anxious, though I kept my lid on the excitement rushing through my veins, not wanting to get too far ahead of myself.

  As the wheels bumped along, I kept squeezing my hand into a tight fist and letting it pop open with the force of a spring trap. If I had this wrong and something happened to Tracey, I didn’t know how I would be able to ever forgive myself.

  “There is something else you need to know.” I rolled my neck toward Erin. “Last night, after my dinner with King, I went to the address Cameron told us about.”

  “The Guardian Angels clinic?”

  My head nodded slowly.

  Erin’s expression pinched and she stared at me long enough for me to fear she might rear-end the car in front of us.

  “Shit, Samantha.” Erin smacked the steering wheel and turned her eyes back on me. “You went without me?”

  “I had no choice. Not after everything King told me.”

  “Why didn’t you bring King?”

  “I had to see if it actually existed first, and he has parameters to work within that I don’t.”

  Erin’s blonde bangs swished across her forehead and she shook her head at me. “Well, what did you find?”

  I paraphrased my encounter, telling her the name on the door and the guardian angel painting inside. I heard her gasp when I mentioned how someone arrived when I was snooping around back. “I saw him, Erin.”

  The color in Erin’s face drained.

  “His face was blocked by a shadow, but we were staring at each other.” I rubbed my arms as if feeling the same creepy prickles that fell over me last night. “He knows who I am.”

  “This is worse than I thought.” Erin ran a hand over her head. “Your letter doesn’t mean jack now that he knows your face.”

  Erin apologized. She was heated from everything I’d just shared. “You’re right,” I said. “It was stupid. But it was him, Erin. I know it.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  My eyes lit up. “I called Cameron’s phone, and I swear it was inside his office. I saw him turn his head as if hearing it ring.”

  “My god.” Erin reached for her coffee and wrapped her lips around the rim, taking a big swig. “Well, thank God you told me this before we barged into the clinic riding on our high horse. Now at least I know where we stand.”

  A wave of pain moved across my chest. I could feel my heart knocking and I realized just how much danger I might actually be in. I sat there with tingling limbs, quietly thinking about the white BMW and the security cameras I was sure captured my face.

  What else did he learn about me? He certainly knew my car, maybe even knew the license plate number. But what was someone doing there that late at night if it wasn’t our suspect? It didn’t make sense. Not the secrecy, nor the fact that no one could find their website.

  Erin pulled into the Mile High Health Clinic parking lot and I was about to step out of the car when suddenly my cell phone’s ring sliced through the silent air. It was Susan.

  “Hey, girlfriend,” I answered.

  “Sam, Benjamin figured it out.” She sounded frantic. “I’ve been calling to try to tell you.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back,” I said, thinking how I forgot to turn my phone back on last night. “What do you mean, Benjamin figured it out?”

  “Sam, he knows the person you’re looking for. You know,
the one who only wants babies.”

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  I felt my heart stall in my chest. Susan’s words fired fast into my ear. I was stunned by Benjamin’s theory. The story was nearly identical to my own, the only difference being Benjamin actually had proof to support his argument.

  “I’m sending it over to you now,” Susan said.

  The line rustled as I stared at Erin, relaying the message in a whispery tone while keeping one ear with Susan.

  “Don’t tell Benjamin I told you this. I don’t know if he knows what he stumbled upon. He was only trying to learn more about what Dr. Wu is doing. But it makes sense, right?”

  “Completely,” I said, knowing Benjamin just confirmed the theory I’d originally considered too far-fetched to believe.

  I doubted myself when I shouldn’t have, and now we were at least a day behind whatever our perp had planned next. Anger boiled up inside of me. What happened to Cameron was unforgiveable. I felt a surge of power shoot through my fingers when I thought about how I could redeem all of this by simply saving Tracey from this creep’s experiment. Not only was Dr. Wu a founder of the designer baby idea but, according to Benjamin, he was pitching his idea once again to the public with hopes of restarting it.

  “Oh, I’m so happy you agree with me.” Susan sighed. “I stayed awake all night doing research on my computer, thinking I was crazy.”

  “You’re not crazy.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. “Benjamin was right to have his hesitations.”

  “He doesn’t know about your investigation.”

  “He doesn’t need to.”

  “But he knew, Sam. Knew before any of us that something wasn’t right about Dr. Wu.”

  “He has a good instinct,” I said. “You’re lucky to have him.”

  I lifted my head and swept my gaze over to Erin. Covering the mic with one hand, I whispered, “Phanes Biotechnology. That’s what this is about. Benjamin thinks Dr. Wu might be creating designer babies.”