by Karen Rose
Trask looked away, rubbing her temple. ‘You’ll hear it when you start investigating, so I might as well tell you myself. I was supposed to meet him for dinner one night. He . . . ah . . . wanted to take our relationship to the next level. He’d been asking, but low key. Actually he’d been kind of patient. A really nice guy.’ She said the last sarcastically.
‘I take it that he wasn’t,’ JD said and she flicked an embarrassed glance his way.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I was leaving my apartment when this woman ran up to me and slapped me right across the face. Hard. Called me a whore and a home-wrecker and husband-stealer and several names that my neighbors whispered about for months.’
‘That would have been Mrs Russell Bennett,’ Stevie said. ‘Brandi.’
‘No, this was the first Mrs Bennett,’ Trask corrected. ‘This was five years ago. He’s been divorced and married again since then. But her slapping me was how I found out he was married. She’d been following him, had seen him kiss me good night in front of his condo after dinner the night before, and followed me home.’
JD pushed ‘kiss me good night’ and its resulting mental picture to one side of his mind. Focus. ‘But she didn’t slap you until the next night,’ he said. ‘Why did she wait?’
‘I think she was too hurt and maybe too stunned the night she found out he was cheating on her. The night she slapped me, she was very drunk.’
‘So I take it she didn’t live at the apartment,’ Stevie said.
‘No. They had two places, which I also didn’t know before. One in the city and one way out in the burbs, which I found out after I’d calmed her down. I told her that I didn’t know he was married, swore to her. Maybe I looked so shocked that she believed me, I don’t know. She was too drunk to drive, so I called her a cab.’
‘That was kind,’ JD murmured. ‘Considering she’d hit you. Hard.’
Trask shrugged uncomfortably. ‘She was hurting.’
‘As were you,’ Stevie said kindly and Trask shrugged again.
‘I was more mad than hurt.’ She sighed. ‘Which was the problem. I went to the condo. I’d met Russ there after work a few times. We’d grab dinner in the neighborhood. Herrigan saw me coming and got this panicked look. The next thing I know Russ is coming out of his building with yet another woman on his arm.’
JD winced. ‘He was not a wise man.’
‘You have no idea. The other other woman was my best friend, Gwyn. She didn’t know about me, either. Or, as it turned out, the existing Mrs Bennett.’
JD shook his head, confused. ‘Wait. You’re best friends, but you didn’t tell each other about who you were dating?’
‘We weren’t best friends then. We had been, when we were kids. We went to the same elementary school. We grew apart, because . . . life just happened. We actually became friends again because of that night. Gwyn’s no dummy. She saw me standing there totally pissed off, saw Herrigan panicking and put it together. Russ tried to schmooze his way out of it, but we wouldn’t let him. When I said I’d met Mrs Bennett, Gwyn lost it.’ She hesitated. ‘Because she had taken it to the next level with him.’
JD winced again. ‘Ouch.’
‘Which was what Russ said next, because Gwyn slapped him.’ Trask stopped, a frown furrowing her brow. ‘But then he hit her back, really hard. With his fist. Knocked her down on the pavement. Bloodied her lip, called her a whore. I hadn’t expected that.’
‘Hell of a guy,’ Stevie murmured. ‘Made friends all over the damn place.’
Trask’s eyes had dropped back to her folded hands. ‘What did you do?’ JD asked.
‘Nothing for a second. I was too shocked.’ She met his eyes and he could see her apprehension. ‘But then he reached down to hit her again. I think he’d forgotten that he was standing on a busy street. I put myself between him and Gwyn. He got in my face and I was really mad, so I got right back in his. I don’t get mad often,’ she said. ‘But I was that night. He pulled a fist like he would hit me and I let him have it, right in the nose.’
JD felt the urge to high-five her, but restrained himself. ‘And?’
‘I broke his nose,’ she said unapologetically. ‘Blood was gushing. Gwyn was crying. Russ was cursing, I was yelling at Herrigan to call 911. People were gathering, some with their camera phones out. It was a zoo.’ She glanced at Mulhauser.
The older man shrugged. ‘You’ve told them this much, Lucy. You might as well.’
‘True. I told Russ that if he ever lifted a hand to me or any other woman again that I’d make him sorry he was born. Then I said that he was lucky somebody hadn’t killed him before now. It was stupid, and I really didn’t say I’d kill him, but then . . .’
‘He shows up in your back yard, dead, sorry he was ever born,’ Stevie finished.
‘Exactly,’ Trask said. ‘When you told me his name, I had Ruby Gomez put his body away. I was done with the cut, but was still looking at slides. Dr Mulhauser will go over my findings and corroborate everything.’
‘Lucy did not do this,’ Mulhauser said firmly.
JD’s gut knew that was true, that she’d had nothing to do with this, but he had to ask. ‘Where were you two weeks ago? Exactly?’
‘In LA,’ she answered. ‘I flew out Sunday morning and stayed in the conference hotel all week. The following week I guest-lectured at UCLA. When did Herrigan say that he’d last seen Russ Bennett?’
JD and Stevie shared a quick look and Stevie gave a little nod.
‘Sunday afternoon,’ JD said and watched Lucy Trask’s shoulders sag in relief.
‘I was in the air by then and I never left LA. I imagine the airline and the hotel can confirm that, as can attendees at the conference and the class I taught. Lots of people saw me, every day. I can get you fifty names, easily.’
‘That’s good,’ Stevie said. ‘That should be an easy alibi to verify.’
‘Your altercation with Dr Bennett happened five years ago,’ JD said. ‘Have you seen him since?’
‘Once, at a party, two years ago. That’s how I knew he’d been divorced since that night. The second Mrs Bennett was about twelve, I think,’ she said grumpily.
‘Lucy,’ Mulhauser cautioned softly.
‘Well, she was young. Maybe twenty. Large . . . attributes. The Mrs Bennett who slapped me was older than Russ. She’d had so much plastic surgery, trying to keep herself looking young,’ she said bitterly, ‘for a husband who cheated on her anyway. I hear Russ and the new wife were separated. I hadn’t seen him in two years. Until today.’
‘Why do you think he was left for you to find, Dr Trask?’ JD asked softly and she looked up, the same troubled look in her eyes that she’d worn that morning.
‘I don’t know,’ she said, softly. ‘I just don’t know. He was not a nice man, but I can’t see anyone angry enough to do that to him. This was brutal and inhuman. I can’t see anyone dressing him like Mr Pugh. That was brutal, too. To me.’
‘Who knew that you knew Bennett?’ Stevie asked.
‘Gwyn, of course. I told her boss, who’s a defense attorney, and I told Dr Mulhauser. Mr Herrigan knew. And anyone who was standing outside Russ’s condo that evening. I don’t know who Russ told. Or who the first Mrs Bennett told.’
JD frowned. ‘Why did you tell a defense attorney?’
‘Same reason she told me,’ Mulhauser answered. ‘Because Bennett filed an assault complaint. The asshole knew it wouldn’t stick, but he just wanted to fuck with her career. Sorry,’ he added belatedly, while Trask patted his hand.
‘Did anyone else here at the morgue know about the two of you?’ Stevie asked. ‘Anyone who would also have known that you were out of the office?’
‘Nobody besides Dr Mulhauser knew. I think everyone here would be surprised to find I’d worked up enough gumption to date anyone, much less hit them.’ Again she met JD’s eyes, this time with a spark of defiance. ‘Because I’m typically very boring.’
‘Boring’ was not the word JD would have chosen. Lucy
Trask fascinated him. That she’d feel the need to warn him away fascinated him more. ‘What’s your friend Gwyn’s last name?’ he asked and watched the defiant spark in her eyes flash hot.
‘She’s not involved,’ she said, her jaw gone taut. ‘She was with her mother that weekend. They went shopping. I’m sure they’ll have receipts. But I know you have to talk to her. Her name is Gwyn Weaver. She works for Thomas Thorne.’
‘He’s the defense attorney?’ JD wrote it down, wincing on the inside. The one time he’d testified against a defendant repped by Thorne had not been fun. He didn’t relish tangling with the man again on any level. ‘Did you tell your friend about Bennett today?’
Some of her ire dissipated. ‘I wanted to, but I didn’t. I called her, but changed my mind before I said anything. I don’t want her to look suspicious.’ And it had cost her, he could see. She returned her gaze to lock with his. ‘Because she is not involved.’
‘I heard you the first time,’ JD said mildly. ‘Do you know what the killer used to cut out the vic’s heart?’
She blinked, startled by the topic change. ‘A Sawzall. Probably.’
It made sense. The power saw boasted the ability to cut through almost anything and was readily available at most hardware stores. ‘Why do you think so?’ he asked.
‘From a visual inspection of the abrasions on the remaining bone. The blade size and serration is right and it has the power to do the job. Even the cordless models can cut through bone. With more time I could have given you a better description of make and model. I’m sure one of the other MEs still can.’
‘How do you know it has the power to do the job?’ Stevie asked.
‘Trauma doctors use it in the field. For amputations. When necessary.’
JD had known that. He’d seen it done, in the field. But there was something in the way she’d said it – a restless discomfort – that piqued his curiosity. ‘Have you used it in the field?’ he asked and watched her eyes flicker.
She looked away. ‘Yes.’
Mulhauser stared at her, surprised. ‘When was this, Lucy?’
‘After I finished my first residency. I was in Mexico and there was a car accident ahead of us. A little girl’s leg had been crushed and she was bleeding out. The Sawzall was the only device that would have allowed me to free her in time.’ She swallowed hard, the memory clearly a painful one. ‘So your killer could easily have used one to cut through bone and sinew. Any other questions?’
‘Did the little girl live?’ JD asked softly and her lips twisted bitterly, surprising him.
‘Yes. Any other questions?’
Tons. But he’d save them for another time. ‘How did you meet Russ Bennett?’
‘He wrecked my Big Wheel,’ she said flatly.
JD wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. ‘Your big wheel? What wheel?’
‘You know, that big tricycle thing that kids ride. You must have had one.’
‘No,’ JD said, ‘I actually didn’t.’ That wasn’t the kind of childhood he’d had. ‘How did Bennett wreck your Big Wheel?’
‘I was four and his family had just moved in next door. A few days after they moved in, I was riding my Big Wheel down the hill in front of our house and the wheel came loose. I crashed into a parked car and broke my arm. One of the other kids heard him laughing and bragging about loosening the bolt.’
‘How old was he?’ JD asked, wondering why at four years old she’d been allowed to ride unsupervised in the street to begin with.
‘Only seven. My dad marched over to his parents and told them what happened. Mr and Mrs Bennett grounded Russ even though he always insisted he hadn’t done it, that the other kid had lied. Then later I found my favorite Barbie hanging by a rope from the swing set in our back yard. Again he was punished. After that he left me alone.’
Hell of a guy, JD thought. That Russell Bennett would use his fists on a woman made sense. He’d been violent from childhood. It looked like the man had pushed the wrong person too far this time.
‘So you were neighbors?’ Stevie asked.
‘Yes. If possible, I’d like to go with you when you notify his parents. If this is indeed Russ.’
‘We’d have to get that approved through our captain,’ Stevie said. ‘Lucy, I’m a little confused. If this guy was a jerk, why did you go out with him five years ago?’
‘Time passed,’ she said lightly. ‘People can change. I wanted to believe he had.’
‘Who contacted who?’ Stevie asked.
‘He looked me up when I moved to Baltimore for this job. I didn’t want to see him, but he kept asking me out. One day I came home and found a box wrapped in gold paper on my doorstep. It was a Barbie – Doctor Barbie, actually.’
‘Nice touch,’ Stevie said dryly, and Trask’s lips curved self-deprecatingly.
‘Wasn’t it? I agreed to go out once and thought he was nicer than I remembered, so I kept seeing him. I thought he was nice until his wife came up and slapped me.’ She pulled her vibrating cell phone from her pocket. ‘It’s my attorney. Will I need him?’
‘If your alibi checks out, no,’ Stevie said, and Trask put the phone on the table without answering it.
‘When will you check it?’ Mulhauser asked. ‘Because until you do, I’m down one medical examiner.’ He shot Trask an awkward look. ‘I can’t have you touching anything new until you’re cleared. I’m sorry.’
‘I know,’ she murmured. ‘It’s okay, Craig. I expected this.’
‘I’ll start making calls as soon as we leave here,’ Stevie promised, then lifted a shoulder. ‘Besides, we still have to positively ID this victim, Lucy. If it’s not Russ Bennett, none of this is relevant.’
Mulhauser frowned. ‘Unless there’s a scar or some other identifying feature on the remains, we’ll need to use DNA. The dental records will be unusable.’
‘Are there any scars on the body that pre-dated this attack?’ JD asked.
‘Yes,’ Trask said. ‘There is scarring from an old burn on the left hand, and the right forearm shows some remodeling. It was broken within the last five to seven years. He also has a mole on his right shoulder blade. Perhaps you can ask one of his wives about this before asking his parents. If Russ really is on vacation, I’d hate to upset them for nothing. Mrs Bennett had a heart attack a few months ago.’
The affection in her voice was unmistakable. She’d obviously kept up with the Bennetts, despite her issues with Russell. ‘Where do the Bennetts live?’ he asked.
‘Same place they’ve lived for thirty years. Anderson Ferry, on the Choptank River. It’s a ninety-minute drive if there’s no Bay Bridge traffic.’
Which meant that Anderson Ferry, Maryland, was where Lucy Trask had been raised. Which explained the hint of Southern in her speech. He’d met residents of Maryland’s Eastern Shore who spoke with an unexpected twang. JD wondered if her family still lived there, but before he could ask, she opened a folder of autopsy photos.
‘Here’s one of the shoulder blade mole,’ she said, sorting the photos. ‘And one of the scar from the burn. Neither of these pictures shows any of the assault injuries.’ She looked up, her expression grim. ‘And believe me, that wasn’t easy to do.’
Stevie took the two photos. ‘Thanks, Lucy. We’ll start with the old and new Mrs Bennetts to find out if Russell had any of these marks before we go to the parents.’
‘I have the first wife’s address,’ Trask offered.
JD’s brows went up. ‘You two keep in touch?’
‘More like a one-way thing. She sent flowers after I broke his nose and I get a Christmas card every year.’ Trask found the address in her phone and wrote it down. ‘She kept the house and the kids. She’s kept in touch with Russ’s folks so the kids can have a relationship with their grandparents. The Bennetts like her.’ She handed the paper to JD, careful not to touch him. ‘They’re good people and this is going to tear them up. Please don’t forget to ask your captain if I can be there when you notify them.’
> JD held her gaze and for a moment saw the flicker of awareness he’d seen before. It was quickly extinguished, her eyes going cool. But he’d seen it.
‘I won’t forget,’ he said quietly. ‘I promise. But you have to promise something too.’
He reached across the table, brushing her fingers briefly as he took the autopsy folder she still held, not missing the subtle twitch of her hand or the quick intake of her breath at the contact. Within the folder he found the photo of the ‘I’ burned into the victim’s back and turned it so she could see it.
‘This is a threat, Lucy,’ he said softly. ‘You were set up to find this man’s body, whoever he is. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make that happen. You didn’t do the murder, but you’re connected. Until we find out how, you stick with people you know.’
Her cool control snapped, emotion churning in her eyes. He saw the awareness return, but also saw fear and anger. That was good. She needed to be afraid. Just not of me. Still, he got the feeling she was afraid of him and he didn’t know why.
‘I get it,’ she said roughly. ‘No dark alleys.’
‘Or running before dawn,’ he added. ‘Promise me, Dr Trask.’
She nodded once, her eyes not leaving his. ‘I promise.’
He handed her one of his cards. ‘Both Stevie’s and my cell numbers are on the back. Call us if you need us.’
She took the card gingerly, again avoiding his fingers. ‘I will. Thank you.’
‘Then we’ll get to work,’ Stevie said. ‘We’ll be in touch.’
Lucy watched them leave, her heart pounding wildly. Stevie had patted her shoulder comfortingly as she’d pushed away from the table, but Fitzpatrick hadn’t touched her again. He hadn’t needed to. Her hand still tingled from that brief brush of their fingers. Her cheeks still burned from that last long look he’d leveled before he’d closed the conference room door on his way out.
Fitzpatrick was very interested. Her ‘boring’ warning had had the opposite effect, only intensifying his not-so-subtle study of her face as he’d sat across the table. I don’t want him to be interested.
But of course she did. Goddamn me. She gritted her teeth. Won’t you ever learn?