Lethal Incision

by Dobi Cross

Zora entered the church. It was a small Catholic church on the outskirts of town. She’d passed the steepled church building a time or two before, so it had been relatively easy to find. A large crucifix on the wall was the first thing she saw as she oriented herself to the church’s interior layout.

  Rows of pews extended on either side from the front of the church to the back where she stood. The church’s dark stained glass windows muted the light that streamed into the church’s interior and masked its gothic architecture. The space seemed empty save for a few people sitting on the front pew on the left. A lectern stood on a raised platform in front of the large crucifix and faced the rest of the sanctuary. On its right, a closed white casket rested on a table.

  Zora slipped into one of the pews in the back and watched the service. Wearing a cream-colored top and tan skirt, she blended easily into the background. An elderly priest ministered to an old woman who sat next to a boy of about fourteen years. A middle-aged couple dressed in matching grey suits sat with them. Probably relatives or family friends of the grey-haired lady.

  Zora couldn’t see the bouncer guy anywhere. If he was truly Jasmine’s brother, he would have been here. While she mused about it, someone slipped in beside her and she started. She turned to see who it was and her eyes widened. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.

  “What are you doing here?” Dave asked pointedly, ignoring the question.

  “This was the patient I was telling you about, Jane Doe.”

  “You mean …”

  “Yes, the one with the missing kidney that disappeared.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I planned to after I found out a bit more from attending this funeral. But I didn’t know you were in charge of this investigation,” Zora retorted.

  “So, what have you learned?”

  Zora looked ahead to see the priest praying for the family. “At the ER, there was a man who claimed to be her brother. He abandoned her there and disappeared. I figured if he was the brother, he would be here at the funeral. But he is not. Shouldn’t that be a given if they were that closely related?”

  Dave stayed quiet for a moment. “Can you still remember what he looked like?”

  “I suppose so.”

  Dave chuckled. “You still have your way with words. A simple yes would have worked. Why don’t you come with me to the station and I’ll ask our forensic artist to sketch out this guy? He might already be in our system.”

  “No.”

  “What do you mean, no?” he said, his octave a little louder than necessary. The priest looked in their direction.

  “Ssh, you are disturbing the funeral!”

  “Okay, okay.” Dave lowered his voice to a whisper. “Why not?”

  “I’m allergic to the police station.”

  Dave burst out in laughter. The priest looked up and gave them a stern look. Dave gave him an apologetic smile in return. Zora ducked her head. This Dave was going to be the death of her.

  “What does that even mean?” he whispered. Zora stayed silent and looked ahead. “Okay. Would a cafe near the station work?”

  “That’s fine.”

  Dave looked at her in silence for a few seconds. “I’ll call the guy and set it up.”

  “Yes, that looks like the guy. That’s all I can remember.” She leaned back on the chair and folded her arms across her chest. She was happy she’d been able to recall most of his features, and the sketch seemed a close likeness to the man she had seen.

  “I’ll run it through the system and get back to you, Dave,” the sketch artist said. He stood up as he put his tablet back into his bag.

  “Thank you. Let me know as soon as you find out,” Dave responded. The sketch artist nodded, picked his bag, and left the cafe.

  Zora looked around the room. The smell of coffee and cinnamon hung heavy in the air. The cafe looked like it had seen better days; its wallpaper was old, tired, and worn in some spots. The table Zora sat at had scratches all over its top, and some of the chairs were mismatched. But the coffee and pastries had been surprisingly good. The place was empty save for a few customers, one who was reading a newspaper and the other working from his laptop. Neither seemed to pay any attention to her.

  “You did good,” Dave said.

  “It’s not a big deal. Doctors have strong powers of observation. It’s what makes us good at what we do.” Zora took a sip of her coffee and looked out of the window. She could see the police station across the street. The place gave her the heebie-jeebies and brought back memories she didn’t want to remember. Zora shuddered and fiddled with the pendant around her neck.

  She turned back to Dave. “Do you have any updates on Christina’s whereabouts?” she asked.

  “I should hear back from forensics tomorrow,” Dave responded. “We are still trying to track down the SICU nurse. It turns out she went on a cruise, but we are not sure which. Hopefully, we’ll find out more soon.”

  “Did I tell you that my locker was tossed, and Jasmine’s operative report disappeared?”

  Dave leaned forward, his brows furrowed in a frown. “Who knew about the report?”

  “Only everyone on the Ad hoc committee which probably meant the whole hospital leadership.”

  “So that’s gone. It’s alright though. We’ll find more evidence.”

  “Nope, we are good. They don’t know I saved a copy of the report on the cloud. And the attending secured his too.”

  “That’s my girl!” Dave realized what he had said and his face heated up. “Sorry.”

  Zora chuckled. “No worries. I’ll make sure it stays safe there till we need it.”

  She felt eyes on her back and she turned around. She caught the man with the newspaper duck his head. Had he been watching her? She stared at him, but he kept his eyes peeled on the paper in front of him. Or maybe she was just being paranoid after her experience with the hospital gossip.

  “What is it?” Dave turned his head to see what she was looking at.

  “I don’t know. It’s probably nothing.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Zora looked at Dave. “Yes.” She finished her drink. “I think I should get going. Let me know if you find out anything about the case..” She downed her remaining coffee and got up.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll handle everything. And Zora?”

  “Hmmm?” Zora looked down at Dave.

  “It will be okay. We’ll find Christina,” Dave said in a calming voice.

  Zora exhaled. “Thank you.” She gave him a small smile.

  Dave returned her smile but said nothing.

  Zora picked up her bag from the chair next to where she’d sat and left for home.

  Zora sank into her sofa and dropped her bag beside her. Sunlight streamed in from the open curtains. She was tired, but it had been a productive day. She’d been scared when Dave sat next to her at the church. For a minute, she had been afraid that it might have been someone from whoever was behind everything. It wouldn’t have been above them to watch and see if anyone unusual would show up. Dave had no idea how relieved she had been to see him. No criminal in his right mind would have tried to approach her with a detective around. And they would have known Dave was one. He had the look.

  Zora propped her legs on the coffee table. The traffic on her way back had been horrendous—a triple car accident had completely blocked the roads—so the trip had taken several hours instead of minutes. She leaned back on the sofa. She couldn’t wait to take a soak in the bathtub. It would help in washing away the ickiness she’d felt from being close to the police station. Zora pulled off the head tie holding her ponytail together and ran her hand through her hair.

  Her phone rang at that moment. Who could it be? Her pulse quickened. Maybe it was news about Christina. Zora opened her bag and pulled out her phone. She frowned when she saw the number on the screen. Stewart. Why was he calling her? She wasn’t really in the mood to speak with anyone from the hospital. Be nice, Zora. He helped you
look for Christina, she thought. Zora pressed the green button. “This is Dr. Smyth.”

  “Zora, it’s Stewart. I heard about what happened—the suspension, I mean. Are you okay?”

  Zora shifted on the couch. “I’’m good.”

  “Well, I wanted you to know that I believe you. And I’ve told our colleagues that you did nothing wrong. There must be something going on. I’ll keep digging around here to see what I can find.”

  She crossed and uncrossed her legs. “You don’t have to. I wouldn’t want you to put yourself in harm’s way.”

  “It’s no problem. I’ll be very discreet.”

  “In that case, thank you. That would be helpful.”

  “It’s nothing. Have you found your roommate Christina?”

  Zora felt a stab of pain in her chest. There’d been no progress on Christina’s whereabouts. With each passing day, the chance of finding Christina alive was getting slimmer. “Not yet.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find her soon.”

  She let out a small sigh. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll call you later if I hear anything.”

  “Thanks. Bye.” The call disconnected from the other end of the line.

  Zora tossed her phone on the couch and leaned back. One more person who believed her. Truth be told, she’d been hurt by how folks at the hospital—people she had worked closely with for over four years—had easily believed the lies about her. Only Brian had reached out to find out how she was doing. And now Stewart. She wouldn’t forget his act of kindness.

  Her phone buzzed again. Zora turned her head to look at the screen. It was a number she didn’t know. Was it about Christina? She sat up and pressed the answer button. “This is Zora,” she said.

  “Zora, it’s me, Dave.”

  Zora leaned forward.“Is something wrong? Is it news about Christina?”

  “No, it’s not. It’s about Jasmine. The case has just been ruled a suicide.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Fifteen minutes later, Dave sat across Zora at a local gourmet coffee shop near her house. He nursed a cup of coffee that Zora had ordered on his behalf as soon as she’d arrived. The cafe’s cool vibe— with its simple mint green and chocolate brown decor, the smell of freshly ground coffee mixed with fresh homemade bread, the comfortable chairs set in nooks, and the large windows that filled the space with natural light—did nothing for her today.

  “What happened?” Zora asked.

  Dave rubbed the back of his neck. “First things first. I heard back from the sketch artist. It turns out our guy is Vadim Pavlishchev, aka Thunder, one of the top members of an Eastern European crime group, suspected to be involved in racketeering, prostitution, murder, you name it. But they’ve never been caught and have always managed to slip through the dragnet. The only reason we have his details is because he is a suspect in another case. We are dealing with some very bad guys here, Zora.”

  Zora fingered her pendant and digested the information. This was beyond the scope of what she’d thought. Organized crime was a very different world than the one she lived in. She shivered. “But what would Jasmine have in common with him? She was a decent girl going to college. I can’t imagine how their paths would have crossed. And she’s not of East European descent.”

  Dave rested his elbows on the table. “That’s what I can’t figure out. Anyway, I took the information to the chief. Imagine my shock when he told me that the case had been ruled a suicide and ordered me to close it. When I protested, he advised me to let it go. That there was pressure from above to close the case. And there was no evidence of foul play—a suicide note was even found in her pocket, which the handwriting experts have confirmed to be hers. In his words, “hearsay from a random witness is not enough to keep this case open.”

  Zora’s nostrils flared. She was not a random witness and the police chief had no right to ridicule her. This was yet another reason why she disliked the police. “So have you closed the case?”

  Dave’s hands played with the coffee mug. “I had no choice. I still plan to investigate informally. But I feel uneasy about you poking your head into this case. These guys are a mean bunch, and I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you. Something tells me we might end up rattling the hornet’s nest. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  Heat radiated through Zora’s chest at Dave’s words. She appreciated his words, more than he would ever know. But this was her fight and she wasn’t backing down, no matter how scary everything now seemed.

  She lifted her cup of coffee to her lips and took a sip. There was nothing wrong with the coffee as far as she could tell, but for some reason it tasted flat today. She laid the cup back on the table and leaned back on her chair. “Thanks for looking out for me, but I have to do this. I need to get my life back, and it seems to be tied to this case.”

  Dave sighed. “I had a feeling you might say that.” He pulled an object from his pocket and held it out to her. It was a small black nondescript phone. “This is an unregistered number. I’ll only call you on this line and vice versa. Since this case might be connected from the top, there is a possibility that we are being watched, and your line may have been tapped. I’ll prefer to err on the side of caution and make sure you stay safe. On the other hand, Christina’s case is still officially open, so I’ll continue to pursue down leads on that front.”

  “Thanks.” Zora took the phone and dropped it into her bag.

  “So what are you planning to do next?” Dave asked.

  “Since I’ve been suspended and have all these free time on my hands, I’m going to continue to work my hospital connections to see if there’s anyone who knows exactly where Nurse Keller travelled to. I’m sure she must have interacted with Christina, since they had both assured me they’d be able to watch over Jasmine that morning. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”

  “Okay. I’ll continue to work it from my end as well,” Dave said. “We might have found a way to crack Dr. Graham,” The mere mention of Graham’s name brought bile to Zora’s mouth. “I’ll let you know once it’s done.”

  “Sounds good.” Zora finished off her coffee.

  Dave looked at his watch. “I have to go. Why don’t I drop you off?”

  Zora waved him away. “It’s only a five-minute walk. I’m fine. Go.”

  “Be careful, alright?” he said softly as his eyes searched Zora’s face. Her skin tingled and her stomach fluttered at the sound of his voice.

  “Yes, I will,” she replied with a smile.

  Dave squeezed her shoulder as he walked past, and then he left.

  Zora leaned back, and the smile disappeared from her face. Truth be told, she was a little scared since she was treading on unchartered territory. The cartel business was not really her thing. But Zora was going to charge ahead like she always did.

  Because Christina needed her. And Zora wanted her life back.

  She had never run from a challenge, and she wasn’t planning to start now.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Drake’s eyes flickered open at the incessant ringing that pounded his head like a jackhammer. He hadn’t even known when he’d fallen asleep in his home office. It had been a long night, and he had just finished a remote forty-eight hour working session with the Collmark strategy team. They had planned and executed trading strategies that would shore up Collmark’s funds. The team had made significant progress, and Drake had given them some time off to go home and freshen up before they started all over again. He’d planned to take care of some urgent administrative work. But he’d been too exhausted, and had fallen asleep at his desk instead.

  The phone kept ringing. It had to be Monkey. Maybe he’d gotten the information Drake wanted. Drake had given him strict instructions to only call when he had important news to deliver.

  He raised his head and opened the desk drawer to pick up the black burner phone. Drake pressed the right button and held the phone against his ear.

  “I have news about Zora and the detect
ive,” the source wasted no time in saying. “They met again at a coffee shop today. I couldn’t hear what they were saying from where I sat, but it was obvious they have a relationship that went beyond friendship.”

  Drake’s throat went dry, and his vision clouded. He gripped the familiar paperweight on his desk. Zora belonged to him. She had no right thinking about another guy.

  “Are you sure?” Drake asked.

  “Positive. What would you like me to do?”

  “Take care of her. Make sure it’s so clean that its hard to figure out what happened. We don’t want the detective tracing it back to us.”

  “Will do.” The line went dead.

  Drake dropped the phone back in the desk drawer. He examined the paperweight in his hand. It was a beautiful piece of work, and he had enjoyed admiring it every morning. Such a shame. He threw it across the room, and it hit the opposite wall before smashing into pieces.

  Since Zora had crossed the line, she had to pay the price. He would miss her. But there was nothing to be done about that.

  She was better off dead than dallying with another man.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  The man took a final look over the surgical tools displayed on the instrument table. He had everything he needed. His lips twitched as he touched each instrument with his gloved hand, knowing he was going to use it to deliver what he’d promised, be it life or death.

  The metal doors slid open and Erik walked in. The man’s eyes narrowed. He hated interruptions when he was going through this important ritual. Erik was lucky that the man had just finished, otherwise he would have been punished. He didn’t tolerate disobedience from the people that worked for him. The most important lesson his father had taught him. “What is it?” the man asked.

  “I’m sorry, boss, it’s Monkey. Mr. Pierce has given him the order to kill Dr. Smyth. He wants to know what you want him to do.”

  The man frowned. “Why?”

  “Monkey says Mr. Pierce found out Detective Dave and Dr. Smyth had something going on between them.”