by Ian Fox
Anita kept staring at Dr. Lawson. She had to admit to herself that she liked the way he looked. He had thick black hair and dark eyes. Twice he noticed her staring at him.
After the operation Dr. Lawson congratulated Dr. Duncan in front of everyone for a well-executed operation and invited them all for coffee. “There’s no rush, is there? We can surely take time off for a coffee?”
Two nurses apologized because they had to stay with the patient, but the others agreed.
Later on, when Dr. Lawson chatted about his previous hospital post, Anita Carter had to admit to herself that he was a very intelligent man who had achieved a lot in his life. She was no longer thinking about Jerry, who was right next to her. If he can’t stand up for himself, it’s his problem. I’m not going to fight for his career forever.
She assessed Henry Lawson from head to toe. He must do some kind of sport. For a moment her eyes lingered on his backside.
“And you, Dr. Carter? You haven’t said a word the whole time. The director said quite a few nice things about you.”
“Oh, nothing, nothing really. I’m glad that you’ve joined us.”
“I’m glad, too. I can’t tell you how much,” Dr. Lawson added.
During the conversation, Jerry Duncan pretended everything was OK. Henry Lawson was getting on his nerves, but it would be extremely stupid of him to pick a fight with him on the first day. He was much more worried about Anita because he knew she was going to be really angry that evening.
He asked himself several times if his career was really so important. Lately, he’d been tense operating alone. Maybe that’s why he reached for chocolate every day. He had lost his sense of peace. When he mentioned it to Anita once, she snapped at him that he’d get used to it. “Now everything depends on you. If you decide to save a patient, he’ll live. If not, he won’t,” she said tersely. Jerry was bewildered by her cold-heartedness.
Dr. Lawson said to him, “We should probably get going, isn’t that right, Dr. Duncan? You’ve got quite a lot to show me and I wouldn’t want to keep you.”
Jerry nodded, pushed his chair back, and without looking at Anita, walked toward the exit.
Chapter 77
_______________________
Simon woke up and jumped out of bed as if he’d been catapulted. He paced around the house for some time, making sure he’d not left anything that could make the police suspicious of him. He was shaking from head to toe. He formulated his plan: When the police come, I’ll be able to tell them the truth. Christine will confirm that she was with me that night. They will apologize to me at work and take me back. Everything will return to how it was.
He wanted to talk to Christine. Running to the phone, he called to tell her everything was OK.
A friendly female voice announced that she was not available at the moment.
“Damn! She had to turn off her phone at this moment. I’ll call her later.”
He drank some beer and went to lie down on the sofa, in front of the television. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his breathing. He tried to calm his inner turmoil.
Murderer, he heard. You killed a man.
He punched the seat cushion. I did it for Christine. And for those Carlo killed. I had to do it.
He thought about the police and the annoying questions they’d ask him. I’m totally calm, he repeated to himself. I’m totally calm. I’m totally calm ….
Then the thought that they could test him with a lie detector came to mind. Again, his heart started racing. No, no, that won’t happen. They won’t even suspect me. Why would I kill Carlo Vucci?
Chapter 78
_______________________
“You should be pleased, not sulking,” Steven said to Sandra.
“I’m fine, don’t be difficult. The only thing that bothers me is the way Richard said it.”
As they were approaching the crime scene, Steven slowed down. “Ah, you know him. He’s like that. He’ll never change.”
“Maybe not, but he still gets on my nerves.”
Steven parked the vehicle on the side of the road. The wooded path they were following was rough. About thirty yards in, the agents reached the yellow police tape surrounding a limo. Six policemen were standing there, talking.
“What have you figured out, guys?” Sandra Grant asked. “We’re in charge of the case.”
One officer said, “Looks like it was an accident. Something must have happened to Mr. Vucci while he was driving home. Maybe his heart stopped or something like that. He drove into the forest. We’ve checked him over and he’s not bleeding anywhere and there’s no bullet wound.”
Steven West asked, “How did you find him?”
The same uniformed officer replied, “A woman noticed a car in the woods. She found it a bit suspicious, so she called the police.”
“I see,” Sandra said. “So, he’s been dead for a few hours, or he might even have been here since last night?”
“The corpse is in a rigid state, so we suspect he drove into the woods yesterday evening or even before that.”
“Did anyone call the police station to say that he was missing? Maybe his wife, kids, parents?” Sandra asked.
“No, no one,” the policeman said.
Sandra touched her chin. She found it odd, since she’d seen him at the zoo the day before. “OK. We’ll search the area, a radius of a hundred yards. Whatever you find, please call out. Agent West and I will examine the body, just in case. Then he should be taken to the morgue, where he’ll be examined by the pathologist.”
The policeman gave an obliging nod and ordered the others to start searching.
Three hours later, the two agents were on their way to see Carlo Vucci’s wife.
“I find it odd that Carlo was driving home alone,” Sandra commented. “Some of the people I talked to said that he always had two guys with him. I saw them myself at the zoo.”
Steven, who was driving, shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t want company. You always question everything, Sandra. Anyway, we’ll find out from his wife.”
“Pretty impressive,” Steven said as Sandra rang the front doorbell. He was looking around, admiring the stately façade.
A tall servant opened the door. “Yes?”
Sandra told him that they were police officers and wanted to talk to Mrs. Vucci.
Christine was at the door before she’d even finished. “The police? What happened? My husband? Is he OK?”
Both agents slowly shook their heads.
Sandra said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Vucci, but your husband is dead.”
The butler let out a loud sigh, whereas Christine Vucci’s face remained motionless. She silently stared at the agent.
After a few moments she said, “My husband, dead? What happened?”
“We found him this morning in his car. All the evidence points to him having had a heart attack or something similar.”
“It must have happened yesterday evening,” Steven explained.
“That’s odd. My husband was very healthy. … Thank you, Harold,” she said, turning to the butler, who was still standing frozen on the spot. “Please bring us some coffee, tea, and cookies.”
They made their way into the reception room. Her face remained without emotion all the time they walked.
Only when they’d sat down did she ask, “When did you find him?”
“About four hours ago,” Steven replied.
“I see.”
“We’d like to ask you some questions,” Sandra said. “If you think you’re up to it, of course?”
It took Christine a few seconds to reply. “Yes, yes, of course I’ll manage.”
“Didn’t you miss your husband yesterday evening?” Sandra asked directly.
“Our relationship wasn’t based on mutual consultation. He never told me when he’d be back or where he was going. Sometimes he was gone for quite a few days at a time. There would be no point in calling the police each time, would there?” she said.
Sandra cr
ossed her legs. “Earlier, you said that your husband was very healthy. So he didn’t have any heart problems?”
“No.”
“Did he have any other illness?”
“No. I don’t understand how ….” Her facial expression became sharp, perhaps even sad for a moment.
Steven thought she was going to cry.
“Your husband is a well-known person. As far as we know, he always had a security guard with him. Does the fact that he was alone not seem strange to you?” Sandra said.
Christine adjusted her hair behind her ears. “Sometimes in the evenings, on his way home, he would be alone,” she said.
“I see.”
With trembling hands, the butler set a tray with coffee, tea, and a small assortment of cookies on the coffee table. They paused in their conversation. After pouring the beverages, the butler bowed slightly to Christine and left the room.
Steven asked, “What did Mr. Vucci do?”
Christine looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“I thought … we know your husband is well-known. We also know he owned a company, but what is it involved in?”
“Oh, right. Real estate. You have to understand I never poked my nose in his business affairs. You’ll have to find out for yourselves.”
Sandra intervened. “Let’s say your husband didn’t have an accident. Do you know of anyone he didn’t get along with?”
Christine smiled briefly. “My husband had quite a few enemies, but …”
She went to get a tissue. Again, Steven thought that she was going to start crying, but instead she wiped her nose.
“I never interfered in his business,” she repeated, “so in relation to that, I can’t be of much help to you. He didn’t get along with a lot of people. Many times they called, angrily demanding my husband, but I’m afraid I don’t know their names. I never saw them either.”
“OK.” Sandra thanked her and gave her a card. “If you think of anything, please give me a call. We won’t disturb you anymore. There’s no point drawing conclusions before the pathologist has examined him. Then we will investigate if necessary.”
Again, Christine blew her nose. Raising her voice she said, “Harold, would you please see these two officers to the door.” She turned to Sandra and in a composed, soft tone, said, “Absolutely. If I remember anything, I’ll give you a call. I can’t understand that my husband is …”
Steven had to look at her again, not able to resist her alluring beauty.
She’s very cold, Sandra thought while saying good-bye.
Chapter 79
_______________________
Dr. Patterson’s doorbell rang a little after four in the afternoon. Simon was in the backyard, washing his car, scrubbing off all traces of the dirt from the woods. Earlier, he had heard on the radio that Carlo Vucci was dead, and a feeling of relief had come over him. They’d said Vucci most probably had a heart attack and drove into the woods because of it.
Mrs. Edna Weiss, who was polishing the living room floor, opened the front door. Seeing who it was, she let out a hushed cry and hurried into the yard to alert Dr. Patterson.
“The police are at the door!” she said quietly. “What shall I tell them?”
“You won’t tell them anything. They’ve probably come for me. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” His lips were pressed together in a careless smile.
As he’d suspected, they were there to arrest him. Standing on the front doorstep were Steven West and three uniformed officers. West explained to him that he was under arrest, that he had a right to a lawyer, and that everything he said could be used against him in court.
“Yes, yes, spare me the details, please,” Simon said. “I’ve seen all this on television. I’ll come with you.”
Edna Weiss put both hands to her cheeks and stared at the policemen with a frightened look on her face.
Dr. Patterson said to Agent West, “Just let me do one thing.”
Steven West gestured to the officers to wait.
Dr. Patterson looked for his cell phone and called Christine. The answering machine picked up and he decided not to leave a voicemail message. Mmm, strange. I’ll call her again from the police station.
While one of the officers handcuffed him, Simon turned to Edna, who was almost whimpering. “Don’t you worry, Edna. Finish the cleaning, your money is in the drawer. I’ll be back in two hours.”
Shakily, she nodded and replied, “Be brave, Dr. Patterson.”
He winked at her. “Good-bye, Edna. I’ll be right back.”
When she continued with the cleaning, she didn’t know why she couldn’t shake off the feeling that Dr. Patterson would not be back in two hours.
Chapter 80
_______________________
John Melton was standing by the window, hiding behind the curtain. “Maria,” he called out, “come here quick!”
“What’s wrong? Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“Oh, come here, for God’s sake. The police are here to arrest Patterson.”
Maria dropped the cloth she was cleaning the kitchen shelves with and ran to the window. “Poor Simon, they’ve arrested him again.”
Her husband turned to her angrily. “Are you nuts? How can you say poor Simon? He killed Helen, for God’s sake!”
Maria shook her head. “He couldn’t do something like that.”
“That’s what you think, but I say he finished her off. She got on his nerves so much that he couldn’t go on.”
“You’re exaggerating, John. Simon isn’t like that.”
“You’re so naïve. There’s no point in talking to you. The police know what they’re doing.”
Maria chose to say nothing more. She watched Simon get in the patrol car and watched as it drove off.
Resuming her cleaning, her thoughts turned to her neighbor. Simon didn’t kill her, I’m sure of that. He’ll be out soon.
She got hot from her work, so she stopped for a while and watched her husband. He’s become so cranky. He’s really starting to grate on my nerves.
Chapter 81
_______________________
“How could you be so stupid as to introduce your future boss to everybody?” Anita Carter asked when she and Jerry were having dinner.
“What else could I do? Dr. Horras asked me to. Would you have refused?”
“I wouldn’t have let him make a fool of me. I’d tell him! What does he expect? Throughout Simon’s absence you’ve been doing his job and that’s the way he thanks you.”
“We’ll manage. If that’s what Dr. Horras decided, there’s no point in opposing him.”
“Listen to me, Jerry. If you intend always to give in so easily and let others walk all over you, then don’t expect any changes. If you don’t learn to stand up for yourself, you’ll get nowhere.”
Jerry decided not to argue. Even though she had really hurt him, he preferred to keep silent.
“Why don’t you say something? Does it seem normal to you what they’ve done?”
“What can I say? I guess they know what they’re doing.”
She picked up her plate of food and put it in the fridge. “If I talk to you for another minute, I’ll go crazy. How can you be so indifferent to everything?”
He was looking at her and it all seemed genuinely funny to him. “What should I do? Do you want me to shout and moan? Would that make it better?”
“I don’t know if it would make it better. But I know it would be the normal thing to do. I’ve never seen a person as unperturbed as you. However, I don’t want to argue. I’ll have a bath and read a magazine.”
He lifted his hand, wanting to ask her to wait because he didn’t want to argue either. He changed his mind. There was no point, anyway.
Chapter 82
_______________________
When the police had gone, Christine relaxed. Inside, she was bubbling over with happiness, but on the outside she had to look miserable. She couldn’t believe that Simon had really killed
him.
The butler stood at the door. “Would you like anything else, madam?”
His voice made her jump. “How dare you walk in here without being called!”
“I only wanted to ask you if you needed anything. I didn’t mean to startle you.” There was a hint of cynicism in his voice.
“No, I don’t need anything.”
The butler turned and was about to close the door.
“And anyway, Harold, I don’t think I shall need your services any longer.”
“Are you saying I can have the afternoon off?”
She threw the handkerchief with which she had wiped her nose onto the table. “No, I won’t need you anymore. Today or ever.”
“I don’t understand. How—”
“You’re fired.”
“But Mr. Vucci …”
“Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear what the police said? Mr. Vucci is dead. And that terminates your contract.”
He gave her an angry look and slammed the door.
She was happy to be rid of him. The butler had always gotten on her nerves. From now on, everything will be different. From now on, things will be as I want them to be.
Chapter 83
_______________________
As they were driving to the police station, Simon kept smiling. He knew they’d have to release him. Then I’ll demand a public apology. His thoughts kept turning to Christine. After a while, he came out of his reverie and looked out the car window.
“Listen,” he said, “where are you taking me? Aren’t we going to the police station?”
“Not this time,” Steven said. “On account of the weight of evidence we have against you, we decided to take you straight to prison, where you can await trial.”
“No!” Simon shouted. “You have no proof. I didn’t kill my wife. And this time I have a witness who’ll confirm it.”