Jaswinder continued past and out of sight of the restaurant windows. Did she dare go back and look again? She was sure she hadn't been seen. She decided to leave well enough alone. What more did she hope to see? Carl was working there and seemed to enjoy the work more than the dental lab work. That wasn't a crime, though. She stopped to think about how best to get back to her car since she didn't want to walk in front of the restaurant window again. Should she walk around the block? Jaswinder looked down the street: dark and uninviting. It might even be unsafe. Maybe if she crossed the street where she was and walked back towards her car on the other side of the street. There were parked cars and the entire area wasn't that well lit. Surely, Carl wouldn't see her from inside the restaurant.
Having made up her mind she looked left and right and walked/half jogged across the street. She kept her eyes straight ahead and pulled the hood as far forward as it would go, just in case Carl looked up. As she walked between two parked cars she saw there were two men sitting in the front seat; they both looked at her as she walked in front of their car. Jaswinder kept going and walked as fast as she could back to her car.
* * *
There was a note by Jaswinder's computer next morning - Mind Your Own Business. Underlined twice. Must be from Carl. She was sure she hadn't left anything out of place in his lab. How had he found out? It couldn't be from the restaurant. He hadn't seen her walk on the street; that wasn't possible.
A little later Carl came out to pick up a lab delivery left at the front by SDL Laboratories. He glowered at her but said nothing. The clinic was busy as they worked at making up cancelled appointments. The cleaning crew had done a good job yesterday; everything looked clean and tidy again and the wastebaskets were empty. They wouldn't have noticed that her wastebasket was already empty or if they had, they wouldn't care. She wondered if they knew about the murder.
Later that morning when Cheryl came out to get one of her patients she held back a bit as her patient walked on ahead and complained to Jaswinder about working in her office next to Operatory four. "It gives me the creeps." .
"Dr. Parker said he is going to have the entire op sterilized once police give him okay, Cheryl. Do you want me to ask when? The cleaners came yesterday evening and took care of the rest of the clinic." Jaswinder made herself smile at Cheryl who shrugged. Had she been in Operatory four with Viktor Plinsky?
Jaswinder made herself look down at some insurance forms in front of her as Cheryl walked by but she focussed her peripheral vision in the hygienist’s direction. Would Cheryl look in the direction of the wastebasket that now sat slightly under the front counter? Yes. Cheryl’s eyes moved that way, but not her head. Jaswinder felt a chill.
"Won't be soon enough for me." Cheryl continued, heading after her patient.
Jaswinder sat frozen behind the desk. Had she imagined that glance? Why had Cheryl made an issue about Operatory four? She wasn't using it; nobody was. Try to think logically, Jas, she told herself. Maybe she was trying to give a reason for quitting if that was what she was planning. Cheryl wouldn't want to stick around while the investigation continued but she'd need a reason to leave. Or maybe your imagination is running away with you, Jas. But, maybe it wouldn't hurt to make some friendly overtures. Otherwise it would be difficult to find out anything more. On the one hand, losing your fiancé would be enough to make anyone, well, she wasn't sad, exactly, maybe mad? Yes, that was it: mad at the world. The cruel world that had taken away her love. Or was that fate?
Jaswinder tried to think what she would feel like if Jovan died. Would it matter how he died, from a terrible disease, or an accident or what if someone shot him? Cheryl's fiancé had been shot, hadn't he? By some gang member, even though he hadn't been a member of the gang. She tried to recall the explanation Marnie had given her. She wouldn't ask Cheryl about it; that would be insensitive and if she was the murderer it would alert her to Jaswinder's suspicion. Maybe she should talk to Detective Osborne about it? He could probably find out for her about the gang. Oh, forget about it, Jaswinder, she told herself. You're going to drive yourself bananas. Better get going on the insurance billing from yesterday.
Dr. Parker stopped by Reception a half hour later. "Detective Osborne is coming by in the afternoon so just send him down to my office."
Why would he want to see Dr. Parker again? Surely he doesn't suspect him. Jaswinder felt herself getting annoyed. He shouldn't come in the middle of a workday when we're trying to get things back to normal. I hope Dr. Parker tells him that. He could hardly have missed getting any information down since he had both a tape recorder and a notebook. He really was a pain.
Sure enough the detective came in, like he owned the place, just after three o'clock. What right did he have to turn all their lives upside down? She didn't return his small smile; just told him to go right down. "You know the way, right?" Jaswinder hoped she didn't sound too sarcastic.
After about ten minutes Dr. Parker came out and told Jaswinder that the Detective would like to ask her a few more questions. "He's waiting for you in my office. I'll ask Alice to cover the front and I'll manage on my own while you're in there with him."
Again?
Jaswinder sat down in the side chair and studied Detective Osborne who looked like he had made himself comfortable in Dr. Parker's chair, having pushed aside the assorted notes and bills on the desk. Was it true that police ate a lot of donuts? He definitely had a few donuts around his middle. She decided to say nothing. I'm so tired of this, she thought.
Detective Osborne looked at her briefly, took out his notebook and turned to a new page. "Just a few more questions, Jaswinder. You all right with that?"
She nodded at him but decided to give him a taste of his own medicine and didn’t smile.
"So, was this patient, Mr. Plinsky a referral?"
He'd already asked her that. "No, he must have found our telephone number somewhere."
"Where would that be?"
Why was he asking her that? Shouldn't he be asking Dr. Parker where he advertised or put notices about his practice?
"I really couldn't say. Dr. Parker might be listed with the College of Dentists as accepting new patients."
"Oh." He paged back through his notebook.
"How well do you know Carl?"
He had asked her that too, last time. Maybe she could turn the tables on him.
"Have you found out anything new about the case? I'm sure everyone here would like to know, to reassure us. One person has already quit. Dr. Parker probably told you that." Jaswinder knew she was taking a chance.
"I can tell you that everyone that was here on that day, as well as their family and friends and other connections, is being investigated.” No smile from him with this remark.
"I hope you're looking into that protester, Jim Buckle, who was marching around outside. He has a vendetta against the clinic. I'm sure I told you that he barged in saying he wanted to use the washroom, just before, you know, but then he must have gone past Operatory four because Mrs. Harrington said she saw him leave by the back door." Maybe she was being a bit rude but he shouldn't keep coming here during working hours. It was disruptive. Now Alice would find out for sure about the murder and she might leave today. It was all very well for him to come here, ask questions, and then leave all of them to try to fix things.
"Mrs. Harrington said that? I thought you told me she had fainted in the front chairs and was taken away by an ambulance. When did she tell you that?"
Jaswinder looked down at her feet. Me and my big mouth. "When I returned her dog to her Saturday night. The dog isn't a suspect, I presume." She couldn't keep the resentment out of her retort.
Detective Osborne put his pen down. "Look, I know this is stressful for a young girl like you, especially considering you've just started working here." He held up his hand. "Yes, I know that because Dr. Parker told me."
Jaswinder took a deep breath and released it. Young girl, indeed.
"The more we know about everything a
nd everybody the sooner this matter will be concluded. We don't want to see any more violence or deaths and we have no idea what the motivation was. I will tell you that Viktor Plinsky has connections in Russia and the information we have is that he was involved somehow with some of the Russian criminal business organizations. Although it can be difficult for us to get accurate information, let's just say we have strong suspicions that they are involved in some anti-social activities like drug and people smuggling."
Jaswinder couldn't hide her surprise. A mobster!
"I'm telling you this so you have an idea what we are dealing with. I'm hoping you will be completely frank and open with me. These are dangerous people. On the surface they can appear normal, refined and courteous, but if they perceive someone as a threat, they're ruthless. If there is something you know, however small and inconsequential you think it might be, please let me know."
Suddenly Jaswinder didn't know what to think. "I noticed you didn't tell us that Mr. Plinsky died from an overdose of sedation gas."
The Detective raised his eyebrows. "We haven't got the autopsy report yet. How do you figure that?"
He actually didn't know? "I know the sedation machine was in the room with Mr. Plinsky and that he had the mask on his face. You must have seen that yourself."
"Did you?"
"No, I didn't but the person who first discovered him saw it. Didn't she tell you that? I mean Mrs. Harrington."
"I didn't talk to her so I'll have to go over the interview notes. I was told that she wasn't very coherent in the ambulance or in the hospital. You must have done more than just return the dog."
"She invited us in. That dog means a lot to her; she appreciated that we had looked after him."
"We?"
"My boyfriend and I. I suppose you know all about him, too?"
Detective Osborne studied her appraisingly for a long moment.
"Jaswinder, you were seen at the . . . "He looked down at his notes. " . . . at the Restaurant Chatya last night. May I ask what you were doing there?"
The two men in the car. At least they weren't Russian mobsters or something.
"I wasn't in a restaurant last night. I went to the library."
"Is the library near this restaurant?"
"I'm sure this is something you already know, but I didn't know, until recently. Carl is from Chechnya. They were at war with Russia for a long time. Carl's brother was killed by Russian snipers." She sat back and looked at the Detective's inscrutable face. He must practice that look.
Detective Osborne said nothing as though he was waiting for her to continue.
"I . . . he works some evenings at the restaurant. It's a Chechen Restaurant. I just wanted . . . to see."
"So, you've decided that Carl is the guilty party?"
Was he? "No, I just thought I would go see for myself. Does Carl know you're watching him?"
The detective didn't answer. "Did Carl tell you he was from Chechnya?"
"I'm sure he must have when I started working here and we were introduced." Okay, Jaswinder, that's an outright lie. Be careful. But it's not like it would be illegal for her to be in Carl's lab. She had put deliveries in there a couple of times when Carl was away. "He was dentist back there but he has to take more training to qualify here. That's expensive. That's probably why he's working at the restaurant in the evenings. Must be tiring to do both."
Detective Osborne leaned back after making a note in his book. "That's all for now. You can go back to work." He was curt, almost. She must have annoyed him. Was that her goal? He could have thanked her for the information she gave him. Instead, Detective Osborne walked past her at reception and out the door, without even a look in her direction.
Chapter 12
That evening, Jovan phoned her. He told Jaswinder that he had been talking to his father about Chechnya. "See, Jas, I'm trying to help you solve this problem at your work."
"Thanks, Jovan."
"My Dad told me that Russia and Chechnya had been at war."
"Yeah, I heard something about that, too."
"Maybe this Plinsky had been in the Russian army and was the one who killed Carl's brother."
"Yes, that could be." No point telling Jovan that she had already thought of that. "I appreciate your help, Jovan."
"Do you think I'm right?"
"Well . . . Viktor Plinsky does sound like a Russian name, don’t you think?" Why didn't she tell him what Detective Osborne had told her?
"Do you hear that clicking on your end of the line, Jaswinder?"
What clicking? "I don't think so."
"Ha! I thought for a moment someone was tapping your phone. Just joking!"
That's no joke. "I'd better go, Jovan, my mom's calling me."
Jaswinder ran downstairs, almost knocking over her mother. "Were you calling me, Mom?" Of course, she wasn't.
"No, Jazzy. Why?"
"Is that you, Jaswinder? Are you expecting someone?"
"No, Dad, it's kind of late."
"There's a man in a grey car across the street under the streetlight and he's been there all evening. Every time I look out, he's looking over here."
"I don't know anything about that."
"Oh, Parminder, what does that mean? Do you think it's to do with that murder at Jaswinder's work?"
"I'm going to have a look."
"Oh, no, Dad, don't."
"You think I'm afraid? You forget I served in the army in India when I was young." Her father opened the front door and strode down the stairs, without even putting his coat on. Jas and her mother rushed out onto their front porch and watched him cross the street and head towards the grey car. Jas looked at the license plate automatically, LCF was the first part but before she saw the rest, the grey car suddenly turned on both its engines and its high beam lights.
As Jas and her mother watched in horror the car twisted out from its parking spot and accelerated down the street. Her father threw himself against the car that was parked in front. Jas ran out to the street in her socks.
"Jazzy, don't! Stay here!" Her mother called out. By now her brother and sister were at the front door and Ranjot stretched out both her harms to hold them back.
Jaswinder reached her father in seconds. "Dad, are you okay? You shouldn't have gone out. I . . . thought it might have been the police, watching our house, but I don't think they would have driven off like that. At least I hope not."
Her father straightened up and looked down the street. The car was long gone but some neighbours were looking out their window. "This is getting to be a serious business, Jaswinder. How do these criminals know where you live?"
"I don't know, Dad. Let's go in and I'll call the Detective. Maybe he will say it was a police officer."
"Well, if it was, I don't know how they dare give out speeding tickets if they drive like that." They were both shivering as they walked back inside.
Jaswinder hurried upstairs and found the business card in her purse. It would probably be an answering service like the clinic used in its off hours.
"Detective Osborne."
Jas hadn't expected him to answer the telephone. That guy must work long hours. "Hello, this is Jaswinder Pandher." Would he know who she was? He must have a lot of other cases; that black book of his was stuffed with notes.
"Hi, what's up?"
"So, it wasn't one of your officers that just about drove over my father?" It would almost have been better if it had been, then she could have made a speech about careless driving. Who was it then?
"You're at home, now." He probably had call display and knew that.
"That's right."
"Was your father near your home or somewhere else?"
"It was just on the street outside our house. So you're telling me you haven't had a plain clothes police officer sitting in a car across the street from our house since late this afternoon?"
He didn't answer her question. "I'm going to send an officer over to take a statement from your father and whoever else
was present. He'll be in uniform and should be there in about twenty minutes. All right?"
"Okay."
"If you notice something like this again, it would be best if you call me right away. Next time your father or someone else in your family, might not be so lucky." He hung up without saying goodbye.
Two officers came in a marked police car within fifteen minutes. The neighbours must really be enjoying this, Jaswinder thought as she let the policemen in. They seemed to be briefed on everything about the murder at the dental clinic. Thank goodness she wouldn't have to go into all the details, in front of her parents; they'd never let her go back to work.
Operatory of Death: A Jaswinder Mystery Page 8