Back Track

by Jason Dean

  ‘Sounds familiar.’

  She smiled. ‘Doesn’t it. And that was all I could get out of him. But I thought I had enough to take back to my captain and get the case reopened. Which was probably a mistake, in hindsight.’

  ‘He didn’t take it too well, huh?’

  Vallejo sighed. ‘Accused me of wasting everybody’s time and obsessing over something that was dead and buried. We had a heated argument about it and I ended up slugging him.’

  Bishop raised an eyebrow. ‘You punched out your captain?’

  ‘Right on the jaw. He got a beautiful purple bruise out of it. I got a one-hundred-and-twenty-day suspension, effective immediately.’ She shrugged. ‘What can I say? Sometimes, my impulses get the better of me. But the upside was that I had time to do some travelling. I drove out to Arizona the next day and started checking out the hospitals for similar ambulances.’

  ‘Arizona’s a pretty big state.’

  ‘Don’t I know it. I started at the north-east corner and kind of worked my way across, then down. After three weeks without any luck I ended up here in Saracen. I’d just crossed the town’s medical centre off my list when I decided to stop for lunch at Tod’s Café. So I sit in a booth and this waitress with Selina on her nameplate walks up and hands me a menu. And right then, it was like all the air in my lungs had just gone.’

  ‘Yeah, you mentioned there were similarities between the two women.’

  Vallejo shook her head. ‘You don’t get it, Bishop. I swear to God, I thought I was actually looking at Sam.’

  THIRTY-FIVE

  Bishop stared at her. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘I’m telling you, Bishop, I thought I’d found Samantha Mathison in this little diner in the middle of nowhere. It was like a scene out of The Twilight Zone.’

  ‘But it wasn’t her,’ he said. ‘It couldn’t have been.’

  ‘Of course it wasn’t. But the eyes and some of her facial characteristics threw me for a moment there. It was only when she asked if I was all right that it kind of broke the spell. Selina’s voice was much softer than Sam’s. And then I started noticing all the other differences between them. For a start, Selina’s nose was much shorter and she had a wider forehead, plus her shoulders were smaller than Sam’s. Also, Sam wasn’t as fair-haired as Selina. I could go on, but still . . .’

  ‘You mention any of this to Selina?’

  Vallejo ran her fingers through her hair. ‘Well, I told her I knew somebody who looked a lot like her and she just smiled. That was another thing that was different. Selina’s smile didn’t feel natural. Almost like she’d forgotten how to do it, you know what I mean?’

  ‘Yes. So what happened then?’

  ‘Well, she was pretty busy so I just ordered something and let her go. I gave her a good tip when I left and then drove off. But when I got back on route 60, I spotted this motel and took a room for the night. Seeing Selina there gave me a faint connection to Samantha and I wanted to prolong it for a little while longer. It felt like an omen or something.’

  ‘That’s understandable.’

  Vallejo smiled. ‘I guess I just wanted to speak to her again, even if it was just to hear her voice. So I napped for a few hours, watched some TV, then went back in the evening. But her shift had ended so I knew I wouldn’t see her until the next morning.’

  ‘You remember what day this was?’

  ‘Sure. May 15.’

  Bishop nodded. ‘Selina was snatched that night.’

  ‘Yeah, I guess she must have been. She wasn’t there the next day. I just figured she was off sick, and that it was another sign that I should move on, so that’s what I did.’

  ‘But Garrick’s less than fifty miles away. You telling me it took you four weeks to get from here to there?’

  ‘Hey, give me a break, huh?’ Vallejo got up off the bed, stretched, then came over and sat in the chair opposite. ‘Life doesn’t always go the way you planned, okay? One reason I remember the date so well is because on the 17th I was called back to Corvallis. The department’s public affairs division decided my case was to be reviewed. They actually wanted to extend my suspension to six months, which meant I had to go and fight my corner and be on call any time the bastards wanted to interview me. That was a whole three weeks before I could get back on Sam’s trail.’

  ‘Okay. So when did you make the discovery at Garrick Medical Center?’

  ‘Two days ago. After I spotted one of their ambulances, I came back here, got a room and tried to think about what to do next. It’s not as easy for me as it is for you, Bishop. I’m kind of between a rock and a hard place. I’m still a cop, so I can’t just do what I please. But I’m also suspended, which means I only have limited resources available to me.’

  ‘I assume you used one of those resources to find out who I was.’

  She smiled. ‘A cop buddy of mine simply traced the registration to a local rental company and got your name from them. Piece of cake. So, yeah, the last two days I’d go over to Tod’s for lunch, partly to think through my strategy and partly in the hope Selina might reappear. But she never did and I wasn’t about to ask after her. And then you show up in the booth opposite and do the asking for me. I found that pretty interesting, the fact that she’d gone missing just after I saw her.’

  ‘I can imagine. So then you decided to follow me.’

  ‘Wouldn’t you, in my position? After all, you practically fell in my lap. But I knew I’d made the right decision when you made for the Garrick hospital. I parked up in the next lot and waited to see what you’d do.’

  Bishop remembered seeing a Ford pull in and realized that had probably been Vallejo. ‘How much did you see?’ he asked.

  ‘Well, about an hour after you went in the back, I saw a man come out and get into your Impala. Then he got out again. He was holding something that looked like a cell phone and walking around the car, watching the screen. Then he disappeared from view for a few seconds before getting back in the car.’

  Bishop said, ‘He found your GPS tracker.’

  ‘That’s right. I just wish I knew how he did it. Those things are hard to detect. Anyway, not long after, I saw this large van pull out from a nearby space. Then the Impala pulled out and followed close behind. That’s when I knew something was rotten in Denmark. It was a good bet you were in the back of that van, and I knew they’d be even more alert now that they’d found the tracker. And I was right.’

  ‘Where did they lose you?’

  Vallejo drank from her glass. ‘Somewhere on the 60 between Aguila and Wenden. Again, I don’t know how. I had to keep my distance, and they must have waited until the right moment then just poured on the speed and left me for dust.’

  Bishop turned to the window, made a gap in the drapes and looked out into the empty forecourt. ‘Unlikely. I’ve seen you drive. They probably just pulled in somewhere and waited for a few cars to pass by before moving out again. That’s what I’d do.’

  ‘Yeah, you could be right. But all I could do was keep going and hope they’d taken you back to Saracen. I drove around the streets for hours and finally lucked out when I spotted that black smoke in the distance. You know the rest.’ She finished her wine and said, ‘Okay, Bishop. Now why don’t you tell me how you got into this mess?’

  Bishop turned from the window, finished his own drink and realized how shattered he felt. But Vallejo had been a good sport so far, answering all his questions without complaint. She deserved the same respect. So he summarized the events in Louisville over five weeks before, covering the faked death. Selina’s relocation here and her subsequent disappearance.

  ‘Jeez, Bishop,’ she said. ‘You do this kind of thing often?’

  He shrugged. ‘Selina was a special case, that’s all.’ Then he went over the events of today, going over everything Andrea, Gloria and Hewitt had told him earlier.

  ‘Hewitt?’ she said. ‘That was the mechanic at the garage?’

  ‘Yeah. Unfortunately, he’s still th
ere.’

  Vallejo gave him a look. ‘Explain that, please.’

  ‘After I came to, I stumbled over Hewitt’s body. His neck was broken.’

  ‘Shit. And you didn’t feel that was worth mentioning before now?’

  ‘I hadn’t got to that part yet. Besides, we can’t do anything for him now. But it explains what my pals were doing for those missing hours while you were searching for us. No doubt staking out Hewitt’s place until they could grab him without witnesses, and then setting the fire with both of us inside.’

  Vallejo slowly nodded and said, ‘But how did they find out Hewitt was talking to you in the first place? I only knew about it from following you.’

  Bishop yawned. He couldn’t help it. Then he said, ‘They probably paid someone to keep an eye on him for a while since he was one of the few people with a connection to Selina. Along with instructions to call a number if anybody came around asking questions. That’s probably how they anticipated my visit to the hospital.’

  ‘Maybe,’ she said. ‘But there’s something else. Your pals parked your car right in front of the garage’s customer entrance, which means the police are going to want to talk to you fairly soon.’

  ‘They’ll have to find me first,’ he said. ‘You want to hear the rest?’

  Vallejo sighed. ‘In for a dime, in for a dollar. Go ahead, I’m listening.’

  So Bishop continued with his summary. He told her about the names he’d found on the nurses’ computer, followed by his encounter with the bandaged patient in room 4–29 and her two beefy guardians.

  Vallejo said, ‘You think this Eastman woman could have been Selina?’

  ‘It’s possible. Another few seconds and I would have known for sure.’ He told her about the acid welts on Selina’s upper arms and said, ‘All I know is two women are snatched. Both physically similar. And that hospital’s involved somehow. I just don’t know how deep it goes. And I don’t know why.’

  She frowned. ‘Some kind of plastic surgery scam, maybe. There has to be a reason why Eastman’s face was covered in bandages. But it still doesn’t make any sense. Selina and Samantha are both beautiful woman, so why change something that doesn’t need changing?’

  ‘It could be they wanted to make them more alike.’

  Vallejo looked at him. ‘That’s a very good point. But why?’

  Bishop stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I don’t know. I’m just thinking out loud. Let’s sleep on it. We’ve got an early start ahead of us.’

  ‘We going back to the hospital?’

  ‘First thing,’ he said. ‘We’re going to find out who Mary Eastman really is.’

  THIRTY-SIX

  Vallejo drove them past the Garrick town limits sign at 09.17 the next morning. It was another clear, sunny day and already hot enough to justify the air conditioning. Before leaving Saracen, they’d also made a brief detour to Heritage. Once Bishop felt confident nobody was watching the place, he’d entered No. 40 and changed into some fresh clothes.

  He had been tempted to go and retrieve the hard drive, too, but he figured there’d still be police in the area. Besides, it was safe enough where it was for the time being.

  As they drove down Garrick’s main street, Vallejo glanced at Bishop and asked, ‘You given any thought to how we’re going to get in this time?’

  Bishop emerged from his thoughts and said, ‘Yeah. Through the front door. Visiting hours started at nine.’

  Vallejo made a face. ‘You think that’s wise?’

  ‘Maybe not, but I don’t think I can use the same trick twice. Anyway, I know where I’m going this time. And they’re less likely to try anything during daylight hours.’

  ‘That’s assuming the whole hospital isn’t somehow in on this.’

  Bishop looked sideways at her. ‘That’s conspiracy talk, Vallejo. And I don’t see how it could work anyway. With that many people working there, word would get out. It always does. No, I think for the most part the hospital’s staffed by professionals who are just doing their job. Although somebody at the top has to be aware of what’s going on in room 4–29. And maybe a few other rooms, too.’

  They both lapsed back into silence. Less than five minutes later, they entered the medical centre’s main car park. Vallejo found a space not far from the main entrance and parked.

  She turned to Bishop. ‘You might still get recognized, you know.’

  He reached down and opened the glove compartment. Inside was a pair of lightly tinted sunglasses and a generic baseball cap he’d bought earlier. He put them on and said, ‘That should do it. Besides, only a few people actually saw me last night.’ He turned to her and said, ‘There is one other thing.’

  She reached for her seat belt. ‘What’s that?’

  ‘You’re not coming.’

  She paused and looked at him, her face a mask. ‘Is that right? I assume you got a real good reason, because I’m really looking forward to hearing it.’

  ‘I’ve got two. Look, I said they probably won’t try anything, but I can’t be sure. And if something goes wrong, I’d rest a lot easier knowing you’re out here as back-up.’

  Vallejo leaned her head back against the rest and stared at something in the distance. ‘That’s strike one,’ she said. ‘I hope the second reason’s more convincing.’

  Bishop smiled despite himself. She reminded him of a couple of female Marines he’d served with in another life. They couldn’t be intimidated, either. But then he’d never had any use for toadies and sycophants. Not for as long as he could remember. Strength of character was all that mattered to Bishop. Besides, a little friction in these kinds of situations often worked wonders.

  ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘If Mary Eastman is Selina under a different name, I’m goint to try and bring her out with me.’

  ‘What, just walk right out with her over your shoulder?’

  ‘I’m hoping I can be a little more subtle than that, but I may have to improvise. And to do that I need to know I can call you on my cell and you’ll be waiting outside with the engine running. We might need to move fast and I know you can drive.’

  Vallejo just stared at him. After a few moments, she said, ‘You never actually told me why you’re doing all this, Bishop. Are you in love with Selina or what?’

  He snorted. ‘Why? Are you in love with Samantha?’

  She paused, frowning. ‘I don’t know. But she is important to me.’

  ‘Exactly. You don’t have to love somebody to care about them. Look, I simply removed Selina from a very bad situation and set her up here so she could start again. But somebody came along and decided to reverse all that before she got the chance. Some people might be able to say “screw it” and walk away, but I can’t. You might as well ask me to juggle elephants.’

  ‘You still feel responsible for her.’

  Bishop shrugged. Talking about this kind of thing always made him uncomfortable. And if he’d avoided going into any detail with Jenna about his feelings for Laurette and Selina, he sure wasn’t going to start now. Instead, he said, ‘I’m just a guy who always finishes what he starts, that’s all. So are you with me on this, or not?’

  She puffed out her cheeks. ‘You are so going to get me into trouble, Bishop. Honest to God, you are.’

  ‘You’re already in trouble, so what’s a little more?’ He opened the door and got out. He was about to close it when he turned back. ‘Were you ever in the service, Vallejo?’

  She frowned again, smiling a little. ‘No, but my dad was in the Marines. Why?’

  ‘Just curious.’ He nodded to her and said, ‘Stick around. I’ll be in touch.’

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  Bishop pushed through the glass double doors and saw that the only way in was through a metal detector just in front of the reception area. He walked over and the sullen, overweight security guard on the other side of the counter handed him a plastic tray. Bishop placed his keys on it and stepped through. No alarms went off. The guard handed him back his keys
and waved him on like she had better things to do.

  He walked over to the long, curved, chest-high reception desk straight ahead. Seated behind it were three women of varying ages. The one on the right was in conversation with a male nurse. The receptionist in the middle was talking on the phone as she worked on her computer. The one on the left was writing something with her head down.

  Bishop walked up to this one and said, ‘Hi.’

  The woman looked up and gave him a toothy smile. ‘Good morning, can I help you?’

  ‘I’m here to visit my aunt, Colleen Marin.’

  ‘Just one moment, please.’ She turned to her computer and started tapping her fingers on the keyboard. Bishop just hoped this Colleen was old enough to have a nephew in his mid to late thirties or he’d have some awkward explaining to do.

  After a few seconds she said, ‘That’s room 4–19.’ She stood up and pushed a ledger across the counter. ‘If you could just sign in here. And I need your first name for your ID.’

  Bishop gave it to her and took a pen and scribbled something illegible in the space provided. As the receptionist printed out a card, he watched her neighbour finish her call, then pick up the phone again. She pressed a number and started speaking, and Bishop could hear her words amplified over the hospital PA system: ‘Paging Dr Blue. Will Dr Blue please go to ICU room 1–32 immediately? That’s ICU, room 1–32, for Dr Blue. Thank you.’

  Bishop remembered the hospital codes he’d seen on the back of Al Williamson’s ID. ‘Dr Blue’ meant a patient was suffering a cardiac arrest. The codes were obviously used so as to not alarm the visitors or other patients.

  ‘Here you go.’

  Bishop looked down and the receptionist handed him a plastic pouch with a clip. There was a card in front with James in large type, then 4–19 and a bar code at the bottom.

  ‘If you can wear this while you’re here,’ she said, ‘and hand it back when you leave. You’ll find the elevators just through these doors to your right.’