BLOODY BELL

by Jeremy Waldron

  Erin’s eyebrows shot to the top of her head.

  “Did you get the message I sent yet?” Susan asked.

  I pulled the phone away from my ear and glanced to the screen. “I did. Give me a minute to look at it.”

  “Make sure to take a look at the headline,” Susan called out as I pulled the phone away from my ear.

  The link Susan sent was to the Journal of the American Medical Association. A second later, an image popped up on my screen. I pinched my fingers and zoomed in as Erin leaned her shoulder into mine.

  “Is that who I think it is?” Erin’s words floated into my ear.

  “That’s Dr. Glenn Wu,” I said.

  She looked me in the eye. “Was that the man you saw last night?”

  I bit my lip and murmured, “I don’t know.”

  “Send me the link,” Erin said, retreating back to her side of the car.

  I quickly forwarded the link, took a look at the headline, and brought the phone back to my ear. “Good work,” I said.

  “You can thank Benjamin when this is all over. But Dr. Wu’s there in the picture and he’s part of the group who called themselves the Guardian Angels.”

  Once again, all signs pointed at one man and it didn’t make me feel any better about what we were about to walk into. I stared at the front entrance of the Mile High Health Clinic, feeling my palms go damp. A part of me hoped that this was it—our last stop—and we could finally connect Wu to the referrals sending women to Your Guardian Angel Women’s Health Clinic. But that still didn’t answer how the women got pregnant with his babies.

  I ended my call with Susan, promising to keep her in the loop, and found Erin still staring at her phone. We both knew we were close to solving this case, but we also weren’t ignorant to the fact that this was the time when things almost always got dangerous.

  “Stay close and keep an eye out for anything unexpected,” I warned Erin just before we both swung our doors open and entered the clinic with our heads held high.

  “Do you have an appointment?” the woman working the desk asked.

  I took in the décor—a picture of the city and a bubbling fish tank—noting the closed thick wood door leading to the back that vaguely reminded me of what I saw last night. Security cameras were in nearly every corner of the ceiling and we were most certainly being watched.

  We identified ourselves and the woman grew defensive.

  “We’re not opposed to reporters, but you will need to schedule an appointment.”

  It was clear she didn’t like surprise visits. “The story we’re working isn’t about the clinic,” I assured her, “but a woman who was found dead the other night.” Kate.

  The woman apologized half-heartedly. “It’s not uncommon for us to receive bad publicity, and threats are made against us on a weekly basis. As you can see from our security, there are many who don’t agree with what we do here.”

  “We don’t have an opinion either way,” Erin said.

  “Then what can I do for you?”

  I took a step forward. “We’re looking into a possible connection between MHHC and a facility that goes by the name Your Guardian Angel Women’s Health Clinic.”

  “I’m sorry, I’ve never heard of it.”

  “How about a Dr. Cherub? Ever heard of him?” Erin asked.

  “Maybe he works here?” I added.

  “No. Again, that’s a name I’ve never heard before,” the woman answered without hesitation and I believed her. “But I see what you just did there.” She pointed her finger at us and smiled—Dr. Angel. The woman was clever, if not helpful. “You said this had something to do with a woman who was found dead?” She paused and watched me nod. “Was she a patient of the women’s clinic you mentioned?”

  “Actually, we were told that someone who worked here maybe referred her to the women’s health clinic—offering money and medical treatment.”

  The woman tipped her head to the side and acted surprised. “No one here would do that without the director’s approval.”

  “Could we get a list of who is on your staff?” I asked, thinking of how Kate’s father thought a doctor here convinced her not to have an abortion.

  “A detective called the other day asking similar questions. Like I told him,” the woman finally stood and placed her hands firmly on her desk as she tipped forward on her toes, “you’ll have to make your requests through our attorney.”

  A man wearing a collared shirt and slacks emerged from the back. He approached the desk and picked up a couple of charts. I kept an eye on him, wondering if he could be the infamous Dr. Cherub we were after. The stethoscope around his neck certainly made me think it was possible. Suddenly, he looked me directly in the eye and I felt my heart stop. His face was familiar. I knew him. But where had I seen him before?

  “Here is the card to our director.” The woman pushed a business card toward me. “She’ll be in at eleven if you would like to wait. If not, I suggest you call and make an appointment.”

  I snatched the card off the desk and left the office in a hurry. I didn’t want to forget the face I’d just seen. Back in Erin’s car, I pulled up the link Susan sent and the image of Dr. Wu’s group of guardian angels. I scrolled across the many faces before landing on the man from inside.

  “There,” I said. “That’s him.”

  “Who?”

  “The doctor we just saw.”

  Erin leaned closer. “What’s it say his name is?”

  “Dr. James Andrews.” We shared a knowing look. “What if they’re in on this together?”

  “You mean, like Andrews is recruiting the girls here and sending them to Dr. Wu’s clinic?”

  “That’s exactly what I mean.” I turned my focus back to the image. “There is no denying they don’t already know each other.”

  Erin swallowed hard. “Was he the one you saw last night?”

  I wasn’t sure. “It might have been.”

  Then my phone blew up when King called. I answered and told him where I was. “Dr. Cherub isn’t a made-up name, Sam.”

  My ears perked. “Do you know who it is?”

  “Not who it is. But who they are. Wu had a research team who called themselves the Guardian Angels and they gave themselves the nickname Dr. Cherub.” I snapped my neck to Erin. Susan had already told us the first piece of the puzzle, but King just connected another important link. “It’s his original team of scientists. Each of them calling each other Dr. Cherub, members of the Guardian Angels.”

  “But why not call each other by their real names?”

  “Maybe to hide their true identities.” King explained how he learned all this, how Dr. Wu had an alibi that still needed to be checked out for the night the Browns were killed but seemed nervous enough to still be hiding something. My head was spinning so fast, I was forced to close my eyes to find my balance.

  “Did you at least follow him?” I asked King, hoping Dr. Wu could lead us to Tracey.

  King’s gravel voice came through the line. “No. But we know where he’s heading.”

  My head snapped up. “You know where he’s going?”

  “Said he had a meeting at Presbyterian St. Luke’s. We have no reason to believe he’s lying.”

  Everything stopped.

  “King. Oh, shit. No, no, no.” I motioned for Erin to start the car. She put the car in reverse and pointed the tires south after I told her where to go. “King, don’t you see what’s happening?” I told Erin to punch the gas. “He’s going after Cameron.”

  Chapter Sixty

  Heather Garret tugged on her clothes and released a deep, heavy sigh when checking the time on her phone again. Her black coffee was getting cold and she was beginning to doubt the nurse, Carly Jo, who promised to meet with her would show at all.

  Stretching her neck, Heather glanced over her shoulder and let her eyes bounce around Starbucks, looking for a woman who could potentially be Carly.

  A man with thick glasses had his attention glued to hi
s laptop computer. The woman next to him stared into her phone, completely oblivious to what was happening around her. It seemed everyone was plugged into their electronic devices. No one looked like they were waiting for someone to arrive.

  Heather had messaged Carly over fifteen minutes ago and still hadn’t heard back. She turned her attention back to her phone, giving Carly another five minutes before calling it a dud, and pulled up her sister’s blog, Real Crime News, to help pass the time.

  Heather was still thinking about the conversation with her mother last night and how both of them were concerned about Samantha’s job growing increasingly more dangerous in a polarized world when suddenly her eyes stopped on her sister’s last blog post.

  Heather checked the time stamp in the upper right-hand corner.

  “You published this this morning. Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered to herself, but was intrigued to continue reading.

  Heather felt her heart race the further she read into Samantha’s story arguing for Tyler Lopez’s innocence. It was nothing short of convincing and Heather knew Samantha was hot on the trail of who was actually responsible. Heather wanted to help.

  Giving up on Carly Jo, she pushed her arm through the strap of her purse, dropped her feet to the floor, and weaved her way to the exit when suddenly a woman stepped inside.

  Heather hit the brakes and paused to question whether or not the woman she was staring at, and who looked like she’d had quite the morning, could actually be Carly.

  The woman removed her sunglasses and locked eyes with Heather. A flash of recognition sparked between them.

  “Carly?” Heather asked.

  The woman’s eyes brightened. “Heather.”

  Heather smiled and nodded, wishing she had waited only a minute longer so she wouldn’t look like the fool who was about to walk out on the meeting she’d requested.

  “Sorry I’m late.” Carly folded up her sunglasses and stuffed them into her purse. “My one-year-old has been sleeping like a newborn.”

  “That’s okay. I was just about to step outside for some fresh air.” Heather played it cool. “Do you have a boy or girl?”

  “Girl.” Carly smiled, stepping in line at the counter.

  Heather offered to pay for their drinks and Carly happily accepted. Soon they found themselves sitting at the same table she had been waiting at and, over mocha lattes, Carly summed up her nursing experience.

  “So, what makes you want to become a nurse?” Carly settled in, taking off her jacket.

  Her hair was still wet from her morning shower and Heather felt a little guilty for taking up her time on what was obviously her day off. “I’ve been working an office job for the last five years on the east coast and now I want to make a switch and start working with people—more specifically, I’d like to work with babies.”

  “Do you have any of your own?”

  Heather cast her gaze to the table and shook her head.

  “Honey, enjoy your sleep while you still have it.” The women shared a laugh. “But the east coast to Denver? That’s a big move.”

  “My sister and her teenage son live here and I’d like to be closer to them.”

  “I can understand that. I moved from Ohio three years ago. Denver is a great place. I mean, look at this sunshine.” Carly extended her arms and soaked in the bright warm light.

  “I’ve always liked it here,” Heather admitted as she wrapped her lips around her coffee. “Did you have any trouble finding a job?”

  “In this market? Are you kidding? Talk about a career with job security.” Carly sipped her coffee. “I assume by your email you wanted to get a feel for the intensity of the program.”

  Heather nodded and Carly jumped in head first explaining the class load, how the first year was much harder than the second, but all worth it. “Many of the students in the program are in a similar position as yourself. I’m sure you’ll fit in no problem.”

  Carly clearly had a passion for nursing and was an intelligent young woman. Heather liked listening to her speak and got sucked into the stories from Carly’s clinical hours. The field of nursing sounded like the exact type of adventure Heather was looking for and couldn’t wait to get started. But there was something Heather wanted to hear more of, something Carly seemed to have forgotten. “Tell me more about what your job is like now.”

  Carly cast her gaze to her fingers ironing up and down her cup. “I am lucky to have what I have.” She swept her eyes up to Heather. “Don’t take this the wrong way, because I love what I do, but my work isn’t what I imagined it would be.”

  “What do you mean? I thought you liked what you did?”

  “I do. And I certainly wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it’s a lot harder than I ever imagined it would be.” Carly paused as if needing a moment to collect her thoughts. “And I’m not talking physically hard. It can be emotionally draining some days.” Carly went on to explain how she would cry herself home, only to pull herself together to appear strong in front of her family.

  “I guess I never really thought of that,” Heather murmured.

  Carly shrugged. “It’s not always like that. There are good days and bad, but the clinic I work at is a bit different than those I experienced during my clinical hours.”

  “Really? How so?”

  “For starters, we’re more like a research facility with one doctor at the helm.” Heather asked what kind of research and Carly said, “We monitor the pregnancy of a select few first-time mothers.”

  Heather felt her brow twist when seeing the sad look fall over Carly’s face.

  “In just this last week, I’ve witnessed more births than I ever imagined I would.”

  “Sounds like you found yourself a great place to work.”

  “Yeah. I guess so,” Carly whispered into the table. “It’s an experience builder but, like you,” Carly fixed her eyes on Heather’s, “I would also like to get into maternity care at a hospital someday.” Heather smiled. “But I can’t complain. It pays my bills and, as my boss says, he’ll never let me leave.”

  Heather finished her coffee and perked up. “Would it be possible to give me a tour? I’d love to see it firsthand.”

  Carly looked at her sideways and grinned. “I’m afraid not. Not without prior authorization—which I did not ask for considering the kind of week we’ve been having.”

  Heather’s shoulders sagged. She wanted as much information as possible. Without knowing where Carly worked, she wasn’t sure she’d get a firsthand view now.

  “Sorry,” Carly said taking a call, “it might be my boss. He does this sometimes.”

  Only a moment into Carly’s call, Heather watched her entire expression change. Not wanting it to seem like she was eavesdropping into Carly’s private conversation, Heather peered out the window and strained one ear toward Carly’s phone. If it was Carly’s boss who was calling, Heather was interested in hearing what kind of man she worked for.

  “Look, creep. I never called you. Not from this phone. Not from any phone.” Heather could feel Carly’s blood pressure rise. “What did you say your girlfriend’s name was? Uh-huh. Cameron Dee. Well I don’t know a fucking Cameron Dee.” Carly slammed the phone down and apologized to Heather.

  A sudden rush of adrenaline spiked Heather’s veins as Carly locked eyes with her. “Did I hear you say Cameron Dee?”

  “Yeah.” Carly’s brows knitted. “You know her?”

  Heather lunged forward. “Have you not paid attention to the news?”

  “The news is depressing.” Carly swiped at her bangs and slurped her drink. “Why has she been on it?”

  Heather remembered the conversation she’d overheard the other night around Sam’s dining room table and wanted to strangle Carly for being so dense. “That’s the woman whose boyfriend allegedly cut her baby out of her womb. Her face is all over the news and the police are still looking for the man who they say did it.”

  “Jesus.” Carly’s face went pale. “Do you th
ink that could have been him?”

  Heather could feel her sister breathing down her neck as if standing over her shoulder. “Was Cameron a mother at your clinic?”

  “We don’t know the names of our patients. It’s against policy.”

  “You don’t know their names? What kind of clinic are you working at?”

  “Your Guardian Angel Women’s Health Clinic.” Carly clicked her eyelids a couple of times and had an oblivious look on her face that told Heather she was clueless to the manhunt underway.

  Heather dove her hand into her jacket pocket and pulled up a photo of Cameron on her cell phone. “This is Cameron.”

  Carly stared and covered her mouth with a trembling hand. “Oh my god.”

  “You know her?” The words left Heather’s mouth in a breathless gasp.

  Carly nodded, saying, “What have we done?”

  Heather couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. Lunging forward, she stole Carly’s phone off the table and hit redial.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” Carly reached for her phone, but was too late.

  Standing firmly on both feet, Heather held the phone to her ear and listened to it ring. To Carly, she said, “The man who just called was probably Tyler Lopez calling to ask you who was responsible for nearly murdering his girlfriend.”

  When a man answered, Heather didn’t even greet him. “I know who set you up. And I know where to find him.”

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Erin’s heavy foot kept the pedal floored as she sped through traffic. My heart was in my throat and I kept thinking there was no way in hell we would get to the hospital in time.

  “God, I hope Campbell is still there,” I kept saying to myself, surprised by my own wishes to support the one cop who clearly had it out for me. I kept wondering how far King was and who would get to Cameron first.

  Erin drove with both hands on the wheel, and I had my right hand securely clamped to the chicken handle above my head, helping Erin keep an eye on any unexpected obstacles coming for us. As she raced, she casually turned to me and said, “There is something I still don’t understand.” I barely had time to look. “Say our theory is right and Dr. Andrews is sending referrals to Wu’s sham clinic, how are they implanting their designer embryos into these women?”