His sapphire gaze flickered to the mound of cookies cooling on the counter behind her. “Things not going so well for you, huh?”
She laughed. “Trust me, this is nothing. When the counters and table are overflowing with breads, cookies, and rosettes, then you should be worried.”
He chuckled, and that deep masculine rumble did all sorts of tingly things to her insides.
“Good to know.”
He tasted the soup and the husky moan that chortled in his throat made her shift in her seat, the ache in her core sparking into gnawing need. Thankfully, Sawyer was too distracted to notice her discomfort.
“This is really amazing. You’re going to spoil me. When this is over, I might not let you go,” he teased.
It was a glib comment, but why didn’t that thought bother her as much as it should? “Please, you’ll probably be so sick of me you’ll drop me off at the curb and never look back.”
He studied her a moment, maybe weighing his response. Her breath caught in her throat under the scrutiny of his stare. “I’m not so sure about that. More likely it’ll be the other way around and you’ll be the one not looking back.”
Sawyer obviously didn’t know her if he thought she could ever do that. Which drove home the point that he didn’t really know her. He might be getting to know Dr. Emma Rhodes, but the soul of Evangeline Larson burned brightly inside of her, and so did the shame and guilt that had been her constant companions for the last eight-years.
Could someone who spent their life pursuing justice and protecting the innocent fall in love with someone like her? Sawyer’s world was black or white, guilty or innocent. She’d lived in a world of gray for so many years she’d become colorblind.
Chapter 18
Sawyer posted Emma’s picture on the murder board and took a step back, arms crossed over his chest as he attempted to objectively study the faces staring back at him. Seeing the woman he cared for among the dead made his gut churn with a gnawing intensity. Hunter was right. He was too close to this case. But Sawyer couldn’t stop now. He was too invested to give up, and too attached to Emma to let her go.
Below her picture, he began listing the similarities she had with the other victims—tall, thin, dark hair, green eyes. Other than the lab girl working at the hospital, the only common thread he could find was their looks. This meant one of two things, either Sawyer was missing the connection, or the killer was taking women based solely on their appearance, which would alter his profile.
Going back to the first victim’s file, Sawyer reread the coroner’s report. He’d been over them multiple times, but with each new victim he started back at the beginning. This case was like a fucked up version of Where’s Waldo? The answers were here—somewhere—just waiting to be found.
POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION REPORT
AUTOPSY NO: 04A-09490
NAME: Karen Spears
DOB: 04/10/85
AGE: 30
SEX: F
HEIGHT: 1.64m
WEIGHT: approx. 65 Kg
When found, the victim had developed early signs of rigor mortis, thereby leading investigators to place the time of death between 11pm and 3am on the evening of November 25th.
The chest revealed a knife wound, which had punctured the right lung, causing the lung to collapse and moderate hemorrhaging into the chest cavity. This injury resulted in a tension pneumothorax as evidence by tracheal deviation. The pressure in the chest cavity caused the lungs to compress the heart in which cardiac arrest ensued.
Extensive third degree burns to over 90% of her body are noted, but due to the lack of soot in the nasal cavity, trachea, and lungs, it is concluded the victim died of her injuries before burning.
The victim was officially pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. The death certificate was signed by Dr. Harvey Sparrow at Ramsey Hospital where the body arrived DOA at 9:00 am.
Toxicology Screen
Positive for Ketamine
FINAL DIAGNOSIS:
Cardiac arrest due to:
A. Cardiac Tamponade secondary to tension pneumothorax.
B. Puncture to right lung.
Sawyer flipped to the second page to take a closer look at the full toxicology report and read through the list of lab work. He noted there were two different date and times marked on the tests—CBC, comp panel, lipase on 11/25, and Toxicology report on 11/26.
These labs were posted to the victim’s chart the day she disappeared. That couldn’t be right. Had the wrong date been keyed into the computer when the lab sample had been collected? Sawyer picked up his cell and called the medical examiner.
“Harv, it’s Sawyer. Say, I’m going through Karen Spears’ coroner’s report and I see two different dates on the blood work. Why is that?”
“Huh… Give me a minute and let me get logged into my computer.” Several seconds of silence passed and then he was back on the line. “All right, I’m up. What’s her name and date of birth again?”
“Karen Spears. Four-ten-eighty-five.”
“Here it is.” There was another pause of silence on the other end. “Okay, there are two different dates on the lab results because it looks like she was seen in the emergency department on the twenty-fifth for abdominal pain. These labs must have accidentally printed out with the toxicology report.”
Sawyer’s pulse quickened. His instincts were ringing like the bells of Notre Dame. He couldn’t believe he missed this before. “The twenty-fifth? That’s the day she went missing. Who was her doctor?”
“Dr. Blake Weston.”
No fucking way. On the murder board, beneath Karen’s name, he added Ramsey Hospital. Parking ramp? Blake Weston?
“While you’ve got your computer up, can you take a look at Holly Madison for me? DOB seven-two-eighty-eight. Any recent ER visits for her?”
Sawyer wasn’t sure if he hoped Harvey would tell him yes or no. He needed a break in the case but not this one. It was hitting too close to Emma. He got his answer a moment later when Harvey cursed. “You’re not going to believe this.”
Oh, he bet he would.
“Holly was seen in the emergency department December second, the same day she went missing.”
“And her doctor?”
“Weston.”
“Son of a bitch.” Sawyer sharpied Ramsey Hospital, parking ramp, and Blake Weston beneath Holly’s name. Under Emma’s, he added parking ramp and Blake Weston. “Thanks, Harv. I owe you a beer.”
“You owe me more than one, but who’s counting. I hope it helps.”
“It does. Thanks.”
He disconnected the call and checked the time on his cell. If he left now, he had just enough time to swing by the emergency department on his way to the security meeting.
* * *
Sawyer followed the security guard as he led him through the emergency department and pointed to the doctors’ work area. It was a long shot that Weston would be there, but if not, he’d pull his address and stop by his place when he finished with the security meeting. Sawyer knocked before entering and got lucky when Blake Weston glanced up from his desk.
He briefly locked eyes with Sawyer then turned back to his computer. “Dr. Rhodes isn’t here,” he told him gruffly and resumed his dictation.
Sawyer closed the door and took a seat next to Weston. “It’s not Dr. Rhodes I’m here to see.”
Weston’s brow rose in surprise. Setting down his dictation device, the doctor crossed his arms over his chest and swiveled his chair to face Sawyer. “If you’re here to talk to me, then you’re wasting your time. I have nothing to say to you.”
“I disagree.” Sawyer opened the side of his coat and flashed the doctor his badge. “I’m here to ask you some questions.” He wasn’t fucking around, and Weston would do well to heed his unspoken warning. He didn’t believe for a second that Weston had coincidentally crossed paths with Emma in that ramp the other night.
The doctor exhaled an exaggerated sigh and glanced at his watch as if he had somew
here else to be. “Is this going to take long?”
“That depends on you. It’ll take longer if we have to go down to the station.” Sawyer crossed his arms over his chest, mirroring Weston’s pose, and waited him out.
After a moment, he nodded in acquiescence.
“How did you know Dr. Rhodes was in that ramp the night her SUV wouldn’t start?”
The muscle ticked in the doctor’s jaw as he ground his molars. This was a man used to giving demands and asking questions—not answering them. “She always parks in that ramp.”
Sawyer held his stare, bold and assessing. “Wrong answer. Try again. And take heed, Dr. Weston, I don’t like being lied to. Why were you in that ramp at three a.m.? And better yet, why were you still there when your shift ended over an hour earlier?”
“Why is it any of your business?” he challenged. “I’m the Assistant Medical Director of the Emergency Department. I can be here anytime I want, and I don’t owe you any explanation. No crime was committed, and I’ve done nothing wrong. If you ask me, you’re abusing your authority by questioning me for your own personal gain.”
“I’m questioning you because I’m in the middle of an investigation of three dead women and have every reason to believe that Dr. Rhodes has become the next target. So, if you care about her half as much as you appear to, I suggest you tell me what the hell you were doing there and convince me you’re not the guy I’m looking for.”
He carefully watched Weston’s reaction. The doctor seemed genuinely surprised to learn that Emma was in danger, yet there were enough shadows in his eyes to convince Sawyer he was hiding something.
“Well?” He was the master of awkward silence and wielded it like a weapon. If he stared at someone long enough and waited them out, more times than not, they’d eventually crack and say something useful.
“Do you honestly think I would hurt her, or anyone else? I’m a doctor, for crissake.” He showed the right amount of offense to such an accusation, yet still failed to explain to Sawyer what he was doing in that parking ramp.
“You say that as if your profession somehow exonerates you. Let me tell you, you wouldn’t be the first doctor I’ve arrested. I’m going to ask you one last time. How did you know where Dr. Rhodes was? And what were you doing in that parking ramp?”
Despite Weston’s accusations, this had nothing to do with Sawyer’s personal feelings for Emma, or any latent jealousy he may possess. Weston notched his chin and gave Sawyer a defiant glare. “You’re right. I was following her.”
Anger swept through Sawyer like a wildfire at Weston’s admission. It took all his considerable control not to shoot out of his chair and strangle the bastard.
“To apologize,” he quickly added. “We’d had an argument earlier in the shift. I felt bad about the way we left things and wanted to apologize. I waited for her shift to end and tried to catch her before she left but I missed her. When I caught up with her, she was in her car and it wouldn’t start. I offered to help and found the loose connection. Then you showed up.”
His tone was full of derision, making no attempt to disguise how he felt about Sawyer. If he was guilty of a crime, one would think he’d try harder not to piss off the detective questioning him. Blake obviously had a thing for Emma. Had she at one time reciprocated those feelings? Despite the jealousy burning through his veins like acid, he needed answers.
“Have you ever been romantically involved with Dr. Rhodes?”
Defiance flared in the man’s eyes, and the smirk he gave Sawyer made him want to punch the guy right in the throat. “I’m not answering that. I already explained to you what I was doing in the parking ramp.”
“Did you know a woman named Amanda Kennedy?” He watched Blake closely for any sign of recognition.
“I knew of her, but I did not know her personally. It’s very sad and unfortunate what happened to her.”
“Yes. It is. And what of Karen Spears and Holly Madison?”
“Never heard of them.”
“That’s funny, considering you treated them both in the ER. Their dates of service are the same dates of their disappearance.”
The doctor paled. From guilt or shock, Sawyer couldn’t tell.
“I see twenty to thirty patients a day, Detective Gerrard. I cannot possibly remember them all. Unless you’re going to arrest me for a coincidence, get out of my ER. This conversation is over. I will not sit here and defend myself to you when I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Only through death can one truly experience life.” Sawyer quoted the note that had been staked to his back tire, carefully watching Blake’s reaction. The doctor met his stare, stone-cold eyes locking on his.
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“It’s poetry.”
“It’s ridiculous.”
“I take it you’re not a fan then. You recognize this?” Sawyer pulled a photo from his pocket and laid it on the table in front of Weston. Would the doctor claim the knife? He studied it a moment. Maybe he needed a little help jogging his memory. “You should, your prints are all over it.”
Weston shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, that’s my knife. It’s been missing for the last month. Where’d you find it?”
“In my back tire. Along with this note.” He set the next picture down beside the first.
Weston exhaled a curse and scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Listen, I’ll admit I’m not your biggest fan, but I didn’t do this, and I would never do anything to hurt Emma. I—”
The doctor stopped himself short of his confession.
“You what?” Sawyer pressed. He was so close. “Now’s the time to come clean because the next stop is the station. This is your one shot to convince me you’re innocent, because I’m not going to lie, it’s not looking so good for you.”
Blake exhaled a sigh and scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Look, I love her, all right? I’ve been in love with her for years, but I knew she’d never do anything about it because of our work situation. But that’s about to change now. She’s almost done with her residency. I’ve been waiting—patiently—and now that she’s almost finished, you show up and… You’re getting in the way of that. You’re taking her away from me.”
“You can’t lose what doesn’t belong to you. Look, I’m going to be straight with you, Weston. You’ve got motive, and you’ve got the means. I need a list of alibis for these following dates.” Sawyer gave him the prepared list of dates and times. “Here’s my card. You’ve got twenty-four hours to get this to me or I’m bringing you in. Bottom line, you either killed these women, or someone wants me to think you did.”
Chapter 19
Sawyer checked his watch as he headed for the security office. Shit, he was late. After his conversation with Weston, he wasn’t sure whether he was relieved or disappointed. As neat and tidy as this arrest would be, his gut was telling him the guy was innocent. He’d come clean about his feelings for Emma, and he wouldn’t have done that if he’d killed those women.
Whether Weston realized it or not, he’d given Sawyer a motive that made him look guilty as hell. A killer as competent as the one he was after wouldn’t have done that. Sawyer had been a cop long enough to know that when all the pieces fit together too perfectly, dig deeper. Something wasn’t right.
Would someone meticulous enough to destroy DNA evidence by burning his victims really be so careless to leave his prints on the knife he’d staked in Sawyer’s tire? No, he wouldn’t. But if Weston was telling the truth and he’d lost the knife, or if it’d been stolen from his locker… Whoever was doing this was playing him.
The meeting had already started by the time Sawyer got to the office. He quietly slipped into the back, observing the officers filling the staff lounge.
“Check your schedules. I’m putting two more security officers on each shift. The employees are being encouraged to ask for an escort to their vehicles, especially if they’re unable to leave in groups. I want a log kept of e
very employee and every patient you’re walking out. I want you guys patrolling the ramps during all shift changes. We’re working on getting more cameras installed in the ramps, but that project is going to take a few weeks. I don’t want anyone thinking our hospital—our parking ramps—aren’t safe. So, keep sharp, be available, and be present. Report anything, and I mean anything, that strikes you as suspicious. Detective Gerrard, do you have anything you’d like to add?”
All heads craned around to focus on him. Did he have anything to add? He absolutely did. Problem was, he had to be careful about the information he shared in an ongoing investigation. But these guys were the last line of defense between the public and a killer. The threat was very real, and they needed to understand that.
Sawyer stood, making his way to the front of the room filled with thirty or so security officers. “I want to thank Mr. Lombard for inviting me to your meeting. Many of you have met my partner, Cade Peterson. He’s been here working with you since Amanda Kennedy was abducted. I want to assure you that we’re doing everything in our power to catch whoever is doing this, but that’s also going to take some help from you.
“I understand that when you signed into this meeting, you also signed a confidentiality clause not to repeat anything that is discussed here. I expect you to honor that agreement, and in return, I will do my best to answer questions you have, as long as they will not compromise the integrity of this case. I’d like to start by telling you that I believe all three of these victims were taken from the parking ramps of this hospital. This has yet to be proven, but that is why your diligence and dedication to patrolling these ramps is so imperative.”
As he spoke, Sawyer took an assessing gaze of his audience and came to the consensus that he wasn’t overly impressed. Were he the killer, not many of these guys would give him pause if they crossed paths in a dark alley—or a parking ramp. Yeah, he was definitely picking Emma up from now on.
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