by Mary Stone
“How exactly do you prefer your staff to handle patients?” Aiden’s voice boomed from the doorway. He stepped into the office and gave Dr. Baldwin a reassuring smile.
Autumn flashed Aiden a side-grin, but the medical director of Virginia State Hospital appeared uneasy at Agent Parrish’s sudden presence. Good.
“Forgive my intrusion.” Aiden gave the man’s hand a hearty shake. “I was just passing by and gathered a little snippet about instructing employees. I’d love to learn more about how you run this hospital, Dr. Baldwin. I imagine the job is incredibly difficult.”
Autumn admired Aiden’s ego fluffing technique. She just hoped the bit of flattery would get the man talking.
“Well, Agent,” Dr. Baldwin puffed his chest with visible pride, “the type of patients we deal with in this hospital are obviously not the common criminal, nor are they simply in need of counseling and a hug. They’re sick. Ruthless. Demented.”
“Yes,” Aiden agreed with exaggerated sympathy. “I’ve gathered that from their files. You have your plate full here.”
Philip nodded vigorously. “Exactly. The decisions I make and my protocol are based on the simple fact that I’m trying to keep my staff safe. Their personal well-being is my responsibility.”
“That is a large weight to bear. I can empathize.” Aiden was sucking up in a way Autumn had never witnessed before.
The method was nauseating, but his tactic was working.
“My conversation with Nurse Walker was necessary for her own protection and to ensure she upheld hospital policy. The patients must view the staff as the staff and nothing more. No friendships. These criminals need to have a firm, clear awareness that this hospital is not the Holiday Inn.” Philip’s mood displayed a substantial improvement when he had the stage to himself.
Autumn controlled her vehement desire to argue his opinions. Dr. Baldwin’s responsibilities as a mental healthcare provider certainly did not include forcing the patients to be as miserable as possible. Criminals or not, rehabilitation was a tunnel that needed to be well lit with guidance and care.
The people locked in these rooms were already drenched in desolate defeat, but she doubted that now was the time for an intellectual discussion on patient rights or the intrinsic nature of providers’ moral and practical duties.
Focus on the case.
“We were just discussing the lack of video cameras in the building and the benefits of audio surveillance.” Autumn smiled at Dr. Baldwin as she filled Aiden in. “Audio provides solid record without making a patient or even staff members uncomfortable the way a camera does.”
Baldwin scowled at her, his triggered fury immediate.
What are you hiding, oh great and mighty Dr. Baldwin, that makes you so sore on this subject? Murder? Evelyn’s murder? Worse?
“How about that last conversation with Nurse Walker? Surely you record what happens in your own office. I’d like you to play that recording, Doctor.” Aiden’s segue was so perfectly timed that Baldwin was reaching for his tape recorder before the SSA had finished the statement.
The medical director of Virginia State Hospital appeared to finally grasp what they were really there for. He stood with abrupt indignance and shook his head. “Agent Parrish, I’ve already respected your warrant for patient and employee files, but I would never hand over my personal recordings to the FBI without a warrant. I must respect my patients’ and staffs’ privacy.”
Autumn swallowed an exasperated laugh. Now, Dr. Baldwin was concerned with not upsetting his patients and staff? Hilarious.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like for you both to leave.” He gestured toward the door. “I have patients to care for, and quite frankly, I’ve allowed you to waste entirely too much of my time already.”
Autumn was mentally armored for battle, but Aiden simply raised a hand and gave Dr. Baldwin a pleasant nod. “Thank you for your time, Doctor. We’ll be seeing you soon.”
Following her boss’s lead, she headed toward the door, but the moment her hand touched the cool knob, she glanced over her shoulder.
Philip Baldwin stood stock-still beside his desk. His eyes were full of hatred while his hands curled into fists.
Did he want to choke her too?
She waited a beat…then two…then three before giving him a smile that held all the warmth of a Minnesota January. “I’ll speak to you again soon.”
Autumn closed the door before he could reply.
The good doctor was hiding something. Something terrible. And Autumn wouldn’t give up until she found out exactly what it was.
12
Aiden Parrish sipped his latte and tried not to stare at Agent Parker’s hair as he followed the man into the Richmond BAU conference room for their briefing on the morning’s interviews. One piece of Chris’s perfectly coifed blond helmet was sticking straight out to the right, and he obviously hadn’t yet noticed the disarray. Apparently, neither Autumn nor Mia had volunteered to tell him either.
Chris was going to kill everyone in the room when he finally reached a mirror.
“Okay.” Aiden sat at the round table and powered on his iPad. “We’re going to compare notes and figure out if we’ve narrowed down any suspects as well as work on developing a solid profile for the killer. Agent Logan, I’d like you to go first.”
Mia grabbed the manilla folder in front of her and scanned its contents. “The patients I interviewed didn’t give me much. Neither did the guards and orderlies I spoke with. They all essentially just added more accolade to Nurse Walker’s list of admirable qualities.”
Aiden had guessed as much.
“Okay…” Mia stifled a yawn. “Roy Greiner, fifty-two, presents with schizophrenia and demonomania, as well as a severe case of Capgras syndrome.”
“Demonomania? Capgras?” Chris raised a skeptical eyebrow. Aiden supposed that the man doubted the validity of any condition he wasn’t familiar with himself.
“Yep.” Mia touched a tiny hand to her pale forehead and closed her eyes for a moment. She was clearly exhausted.
And she didn’t even get the worst ones.
Agent Logan picked up her coffee cup and took a gulp. “Demonomania is a type of psychosis in which someone believes that he or she is possessed by demons. Sometimes the mania causes an unnatural fear of devils…hell…the dark stuff. That’s the type Roy has.”
“So, he’s scared of demons and hellfire.” Chris tapped his pen on the table, clearly impatient. “That’s not very original. Capgras?”
Aiden glanced at Autumn, who held a piece of her red hair out sideways, the corners of her lips twitching while the rest of her face stayed perfectly blank. He gave an infinitesimal grin, and she let the strand drop. They both returned their attention to Mia.
“Capgras syndrome, sometimes referred to as ‘imposter syndrome,’ is a condition that causes the individual to believe someone they know has been replaced by someone else. Hence the imposter part.” Mia was clearly impervious to Parker’s attitude, which was why Aiden partnered the two together.
“So, to paraphrase, he has extreme paranoia on top of insidious fears on top of endless delusions. I’m surprised he even leaves his room.” Autumn’s fascination was visible. She leaned forward, eyes glued on Mia, and Aiden guessed that she probably wished she’d solely conducted all the interviews.
“Well, he definitely does leave his room. Just yesterday, in the rec room, another patient convinced Roy that the guard was a demon, and he promptly attacked that guard. He bit half his ear off.” Mia slowly accentuated each syllable.
“Wow. He straight Mike Tyson’d the guy.” Chris spurted out a laugh. Aiden found the comment mildly amusing but remained stoic.
“Justin,” Autumn informed them, her voice somber. “Justin Black was the patient who freaked out Roy.”
Mia’s eyes widened, and Aiden experienced the gut-punch sensation he’d had for quite a while about Justin.
The kid is bad news. He’s past saving. He’s a bona fide psycho
path, and he enjoys being one. Winter will never get the ending she wants.
Chris cleared his throat with over-exaggerated volume. “Am I the only one who gets that we’ve strayed completely away from the case?”
Aiden kept his features carefully blank as he stared at the younger agent. “Cases occasionally overlap, especially at hospitals for the criminally insane. Sharing relevant information is not straying. Continue, Mia.”
She flipped through her notes. “Roy did appear to be uncomfortable speaking with me. I’m not sure he believed I was actually an FBI agent. He definitely has enough paranoia and conviction to kill an innocent person.”
“Both of which could easily be pieces of our profile considering where the murder happened.” Aiden considered the prospects. “Did he suspect that Evelyn was an imposter or some type of demon as well?”
“I asked him about her directly. He seemed to relax at the mention of her name. She’s someone he trusts is real, apparently. Roy said that Evelyn was a good nurse who ‘fought the dark world with her light every single day.’ He liked her.” Mia let out a quiet sigh.
Chris threw up his hands, a laugh that was more like a snort bursting from his mouth. “Fought the dark world?”
Autumn inhaled a long noisy breath into her nose.
Mia continued to ignore Chris. “The others were…run of the mill…for the most part. Timothy Cotter and Matthew Warren. Both violent serial rapists in their twenties who were on Evelyn’s rounds sheet that day. Either one would probably have raped and beaten Evelyn given the chance, but a non-sexual murder doesn’t fit either of their histories, unless they’ve evolved. They did both vocally appreciate her kindness.”
Chris snorted. “They appreciated her ass. You can’t actually believe they gave two shits about her ‘kindness.’ They’re rapists.”
“They’re humans,” Autumn countered with a heated snap.
Aiden took a deep breath and attempted to fight his increasing agitation.
Did I stumble into a middle school debate class?
“What’s important right now, Agents, is informing each other of this morning’s experiences, possible suspects, and possible profiles. Argue on your own time. We have a dead nurse on our hands.” Aiden shot Chris a stern stare. “Agent Parker, you may go next.”
Resentment flashed in Chris’s icy blue eyes, but he seized the chance to showboat his personal encounters with immediate eagerness. He swiped at his phone screen a few times, and iPads dinged as the group received scanned photos of his patients and their charts.
“I believe you’ll all be better able to follow along with the information right in front of you.” He shot Mia a smug side-glance, which she disregarded.
Aiden reminded himself that physically harming Chris Parker would cost him his career.
Still almost worth it…
“The first image is Avery Kingston, twenty-eight, single father of one boy. After his wife’s death six years ago, he experienced a mental break, triggering his OCD and a manifestation of compulsive sexual obsession.” Chris stopped for air, though Aiden was positive the man had more than enough—plus reserves.
Autumn and Mia inspected Avery’s photo while Aiden drained his coffee.
“Basically, he raped five nannies and paid them for their silence. But the fifth one refused the money, so he shot her in the head.” Chris shifted in his chair. “He progressed to raping any and every inmate he possibly could while in prison and was sent to Virginia State for…help, I guess. I barely mentioned Evelyn’s name and the sicko started masturbating right in front of me.”
Aiden raised his eyebrows. “Did he have a particular obsession with Evelyn?”
Chris lifted a shoulder. “Yes and no. The guard told me he’s obsessed with basically all the nurses. He masturbates nearly every time one of them leaves his room. There is the possibility that he attempted to rape her, she fought back, and he gave her a different shaft instead.” Chris looked around, clearly waiting for a laugh.
He didn’t get one.
“Is this funny, Parker?” Aiden hated to let himself be triggered, but enough was enough. “If Avery did attempt and fail at raping her, then disposing of her would certainly have been in his best immediate interest. None of which is joke-worthy.”
Unaffected. Always remain unaffected.
Before Parker could respond, Autumn redirected the conversation to the case. “There weren’t any signs of attempted sexual assault on Evelyn’s body. Her killer went straight for strangulation.”
“Obsession could still very well play a part in the motives of our unsub,” Mia mused as she stretched her arms over her head. “Strangling a human to death takes commitment. Commitment requires passion.”
Aiden jotted down some details on Mr. Kingston. “Not enough there to make Avery an official suspect, but he should stay on our radar.”
Chris rapped his knuckles on the desk, taking back the conversation. “My last patient somehow gave me even less than the sex loon, even though he’s got suspicious written all over him. Robert Mooney, thirty-eight, declared incompetent to stand trial. Shot three cops in broad daylight two years ago. Claims that killing police officers has been his assigned mission since birth.”
Mia’s head whipped up. “Since birth?”
“Yes. He was waiting to act until he ‘found the right cops.’ Shows no guilt, and says his name isn’t Robert, although he won’t say what he thinks his actual name is. Claimed to not know Evelyn, even though she was in his room the day of her death within the last half hour of her shift.” Chris held his hands up in frustration.
Aiden set his phone down. “That’s suspect, but there isn’t a lot we can do with that except to tag the denial. He appears to disbelieve many basic facts of his own existence. Claiming not to know Evelyn is more than likely a sign of his condition.”
“But get this.” Chris paused, clearly relishing the opportunity to drop a tiny bombshell. “He told the overnight nurse that Evelyn was mean to him that night. She’d called him ‘Robert,’ and apparently, she normally refrained out of respect for his feelings.”
“Tag him. That may have set him off.” Aiden wasn’t pleased to admit a possible lead when the information came out of Chris’s smug mouth, but the case wasn’t about them. “Anything else?”
Parker seemed disappointed at the lack of praise and tossed his phone on the table. “That’s it.”
Aiden turned to Autumn, who looked eager to share her notes. “Your turn.”
Autumn scanned over her pages. “I’ll try to get through this quickly. I’m sure we’re all overwhelmed.”
Chris gave her an instigative smile. “I’m absolutely fine, Dr. Trent.”
Autumn sent a sweet smile back to Chris. “Okay, Agent Parker is fine. Now that we’ve established that, I’ll go over my patients as swiftly as possible.”
Aiden noted the giant, forced yawn that Parker gave in response.
This is why you will never have my position, asshole. Why you will never be an SSA. “Unaffected” isn’t in your vocabulary.
Autumn squared her shoulders. “Murphy Tobeck, twenty-seven. Diagnosed as an acutely age-regressed psychopath. Smothered first animals and then his own brother to death but also raped and smothered five teenage girls.”
Chris whistled. “Busy boy.”
Autumn ignored the interruption. “Murphy operates with the mannerisms and developmental abilities of a four to five-year-old. He loved Evelyn. Adored her. He caught wind during the interview that something had happened to her and broke into a screaming, crying tantrum.”
Mia leaned forward. “Do you think it was remorse?”
Autumn considered the question. “I don’t think so. He lunged at me during his fit. As much as he cared about Evelyn, he still has a very violent side when triggered. And obviously, he has an abnormally strong obsession for the victim.”
As carefully controlled as Autumn was holding herself, Aiden had a hunch that she didn’t want Murphy to be a suspect.
She pitied the man.
Compassion was one of Dr. Autumn Trent’s greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses.
Aiden stood and walked to the whiteboard. “He’ll have to stay on our radar as well. Any mentally unstable killer who cares that much about a single nurse, considering there are dozens at the hospital, is somewhat suspect by default.”
Autumn’s mouth tightened, but she nodded her quiet agreement. Opening another folder, she gave a brief rundown of Gerard Helmsey’s history of abuse and forced beastiality, followed by the repeat of his childhood experience with three female victims and a meatgrinder.
Agent Parker’s jaw dropped hard while Mia covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers. The backstory itself was, of course, horrific, but Aiden experienced a private satisfaction at witnessing Parker’s unchecked jolt.
“He barely talks, and when he does speak, he says one of two phrases, which include, ‘Don’t look at me,’ or ‘Screw a goat.’ But,” Autumn smiled triumphantly, “I got a few other words out of him.”
Mia hunched over the table, fascination causing her eyes to practically glow. “Oh?”
“I asked about Evelyn, and he seemed to come alive. Slightly, at least. He confirmed that the nurse was happy the day of her murder, and he seemed to also perceive that something horrible had happened to her.” Autumn’s somber tone reflected what Aiden guessed to be a fraction of her emotion regarding Gerard.
“And?” Chris gave another dramatic yawn.
“He called her ‘friend.’ And without my mentioning the name, Gerard brought up Dr. Baldwin, calling him a ‘bad man.’ But then…he clammed back up.” Autumn tapped her pen in apparent frustration.
Aiden wondered how much more Gerard would have been able to share regardless, but he knew she believed that the interview had been cut prematurely short.
“So, Baldwin is our suspect?” Chris’s expression displayed his deep objection. “Because a goat screwing murderer mentioned his name? Or the goat screwing murderer is the suspect because he said three words about Evelyn?”