“Should I see if it works now?” Walter asked.
“No. When I finish telling you the plans, we’ll spend some time making sure the devices are in good working order and that you know how to operate them. My staff and I tested everything shortly before I left my office, and all of the devices worked. Now to where my men and I will be.”
“You’re going to be there, too? Isn’t it going to be a little crowded?” asked Liz.
“I had two of my men go over to the office building this morning to see what they could find out. After Michelle and the doctor go into his office for the meeting, three police officers and I will enter the reception area and stand in the hallway outside the doctor’s office. In the event there’s a problem, we will be in his office in a matter of seconds. If there isn’t a problem, as soon as it’s apparent the meeting is ending we’ll move back to the outside hallway before he opens the door. So, Walter and Roger, do you feel that given what I’ve just told you, your client’s safety will be assured?”
Roger looked over at Walter. “I’m okay with it, Walter. What about you?”
Walter looked over at Michelle and said, “Michelle, what Roger and I think isn’t half as important as what you think. Do these plans sound okay to you?”
She nodded and said softly, “Yes. I’ll just be glad when this is over, and I can start spending all my time getting ready for the twins.”
“All right, if no one else has anything to add, I want to spend the remainder of the time here making sure everyone is comfortable with their equipment,” Detective Latham said.
At 4:40 he said, “I just thought of one other thing I meant to tell you. Michelle, if the doctor shows you the document he says you signed, ask if he’ll give you a copy of it. I’d like to have it examined if you can get it, but if he’s forged your signature, I doubt that he’ll give you a copy. And I did check to make sure he has a copier in his office. On the chance he’d give you a copy of it, I don’t want him walking out into the hall where we are to make a copy. Okay, everything’s working. Let’s go. My men are on their way now. See you in a little while.”
“Wait a minute,” Sean said. “I told you I have to coach a soccer game this evening, but would someone do me a favor and text me or send me an email and let me know what’s happened? I may be involved in coaching a game, but I’m also going to be thinking of what’s happening with all of you. Good luck.”
CHAPTER 31
Liz opened the door to the doctor’s reception area, and Michelle and Winston followed her in. They took a seat and Winston positioned himself between them. They’d only been sitting there a few moments when a handsome man wearing a doctor’s lab coat opened the door to the reception room.
“Hello, Dr. Throckmorton,” Michelle said. “I’d like you to meet my friend, Liz. She drove me here, and this is my dog, Winston.”
Liz and the doctor shook hands and he said, “My staff makes sure that there’s always the latest magazines here, so help yourself to them. Michelle, please come with me.”
Michelle said, “Winston, come,” as she stood up and began to follow the doctor.
“What are you doing?” he asked in confusion. “Why is that dog coming with you?”
“I’ve been so distraught over everything that’s happened, I’ve started seeing a psychiatrist, and she recommended that I get a comfort dog. I feel much more stress free and comfortable when Winston’s with me. He’s well-trained, and he won’t be a bother, I promise.”
The doctor looked skeptically at Winston and said, “I’m not a big fan of dogs, but I guess it’s okay.” The two of them, along with Winston, entered his office and as he closed the door behind him, he said, “Please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable.”
“Doctor, you mentioned that I’d signed something that indicated that when I delivered the twins and they received their inheritance, I’d owe you $500,000. I don’t remember signing something like that. I’d like to see it,” she said.
“I’m sorry, my dear, but that’s impossible,” he said smoothly. “I keep records like that in a safe deposit box at my bank, but let me assure you that you did in fact sign such a document.”
“Dr. Throckmorton, you can’t possibly expect me to pay you that kind of money without some documentation. Could you get it the next time you go to the bank? I might have signed a consent form for the procedure, but I barely remember that.”
“Ahh, Michelle. That’s true. You signed two forms, one was a consent form, and the other was the contract to pay me after the babies are born. I also keep all of my consent forms in the safe deposit box, in case there’s ever a problem over a procedure. My insurance carrier requires it.”
“Doctor, I can’t believe you expect me to pay you when you won’t even show me what I signed. I’m under enough pressure with being considered a suspect in Bernie’s death now that it’s been determined he was murdered. Believe me, the last thing I need is any more stress.”
Winston was very attuned to the agitated sound of her voice and pressed against her. Michelle reached down and began to pet him.
“You’ll be cleared when the police realize you don’t have access to Propofol. The person who killed Bernie was probably just someone he’d irritated over the years and was looking for revenge.”
“How did you know Propofol caused his death?” Michelle asked, continuing to stroke Winston. She could feel his muscles start to tense.
“I must have read it in the paper,” Dr. Throckmorton said. “Yes, I remember reading an article about how it was the same drug that killed Michael Jackson. I thought that was rather ironic.”
Michelle’s eyes narrowed. “Doctor, it was never in the paper. The police deliberately kept that fact from the public hoping that whoever did it would trip themselves up by referring to it, and you just did.”
The doctor abruptly stood up from his desk and said angrily, “Are you accusing me of being involved in Bernie Spitzer’s murder? I may have been involved, but let me tell you something. You breathe a word of it to anyone, and I’ll tell the authorities that you came to me and asked for the drug. I’ll say I didn’t want to give it to you. That’s when you told me you’d give me $500,000 if I would give you the drug and then you could get pregnant. That’s what I’ll say, and it will be a liar’s contest. Your word against mine. The word of a bimbo like you against a prominent doctor like me.
“I think we both know who people will believe. You breathe one word of this, and I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life in prison, and your babies, if you’re lucky enough to have them, in some stinking foster home and you know what’s that like.” The whole time he’d been speaking his voice had gotten louder and louder, and he was gesturing wildly with his hands and arms. His eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets and a drop of spittle was starting to run out of the corner of his mouth. He had clearly lost control of himself.
Michelle reached down and pressed her knuckle under Winston’s jaw, and in one lightning fast movement the big powerful dog had the doctor pinned flat on the floor. He stood over him growling and snarling, his open mouth only inches from Dr. Throckmorton’s face. At that moment, the door burst open and the four police officers ran into the room, guns drawn.
A moment later, Walter and Roger ran into the room, followed by Liz. Walter sat down beside Michelle and pulled her to him, whispering softly, “It’s okay, everything’s okay. The nightmare is over.”
Detective Latham turned to Roger and said, “Give the command to Winston to release the doctor.”
“Winston, stand down,” Roger said in a firm voice. Winston walked over to where Michelle was sitting and calmly sat down next to her.
“I’m sick,” the doctor said. “I’m going to throw up. I have to get to my bathroom.” He lurched over to the door in the corner of the room and walked into it, while two of the policemen stood outside next to the door.
Seconds later the sound of a gunshot came from the bathroom. One of the policemen threw the doo
r open and saw the doctor slumped over the toilet seat, a bullet hole in the side of his head. The policemen reached down to see if he could detect a pulse. There was none. The toilet tank cover was upended, exposing duct tape on the underneath side which had been used to secure the gun from view, the gun that ultimately ended his life.
Once it was determined that Dr. Throckmorton was dead, Detective Latham walked over to where Michelle and Walter were sitting and said, “Why don’t you take her home? She’s had enough stress, and I don’t want to be the one to put any more on her. I’ll need statements from both of you, but that can wait until tomorrow.” He faced Michelle directly and said, “I thank you, my department thanks you, and the city thanks you. I know this didn’t end the way any of us had anticipated, but without your help he’d be free to extort money, and who knows what else, from other women. You’re the one who really unlocked this case. Now, go home and rest. You earned it.”
EPILOGUE
DETECTIVE LATHAM: He thinks a lot about the Spitzer case and has even been a guest for dinner at Michelle and Walter’s home. They’ve formed a bond based on murder. Not a bond everyone would expect, but Mitch felt he’d lived with the case for so long, it had become a part of who he was.
When he was able to get the necessary papers from the court to open Dr. Throckmorton’s safe deposit box, he found the paper Michelle had supposedly signed. His handwriting expert told him it was a forgery and would have been thrown out of court if it had come to that. It didn’t.
Although the autopsy indicated Bernie had died from a Propofol overdose injection, he couldn’t figure out how the doctor had gained access to Bernie’s condominium and why Bernie had allowed the doctor to give him an injection. It was explained by the tapes of recorded telephone conversations the doctor had in his safe deposit box. It turned out the doctor routinely recorded confidential telephone conversations with his patients that were of a highly sensitive nature. It appeared he used those recorded conversations to augment his income by blackmailing those patients in exchange for not divulging their confidences.
But what really got the detective’s attention was a recorded telephone conversation between Bernie and the doctor on the night Bernie died. Bernie had called Dr. Throckmorton’s office to cancel his second appointment for the testosterone injections the doctor had prescribed for him in response to Bernie’s complaint that he felt tired and lethargic most of the time. Bernie told him something had come up, and he would have to reschedule his appointment. The doctor said he was going to be attending a dinner near where Bernie lived, so he would be happy to stop by on his way to the dinner and give Bernie the injection.
Bernie said that solved his problem and he’d call the doorman and instruct him to let the doctor in and use his key for the elevator. He told him he was just getting ready to go to a charity event, so he asked him to hurry. It cleared up the mystery for the detective of how a murder victim dressed in a tuxedo could die from an overdose injection of Propofol, while he was living alone in a high security condominium. As they say, the rest was history.
MICHELLE: She gave birth to Chloe and Liam Spitzer and was appointed by the court as the guardian of their financial estates until they attained the age of eighteen. She’s kept busy taking care of the twins and overseeing the one-quarter interest each of them received from Bernie’s estate. She and Walter were married immediately after the children were born in a small private ceremony in her condominium with Liz and Roger serving as the witnesses. Michelle felt she owed it to Bernie to delay the wedding until his children were born.
She also became the owner of a beautiful adult female white boxer, Pearl, who she bought from Ed James. The dog had been raised in the James home, and was wonderful with the children. She says she’s never been happier, and judging by the continuous smile on Walter’s face, marriage and step-parenting two babies definitely agrees with him.
SEAN: He continues to do a spectacular job finding out things for the firm’s lawyers that no one else is able to, but he never divulges his sources. Sean loves what he does, but insists that the best moment of his life was when the youth soccer team he coaches won the league championship. Liz decided he needs a wife, and has made finding a suitable woman for him a priority. She’s asked him to come to the spa as her guest and plans on introducing him to Gina. Who knows?
ROGER: The satellite law office he runs for his firm in Red Cedar has become extremely successful. He still has to go into San Francisco occasionally for partnership meetings at the firm, and he’s actively looking for an associate to help with the workload at the Red Cedar office. To Liz’s chagrin, he’s still one of Gertie’s most loyal lunch customers.
LIZ: The spa has never been busier and she and her manager, Bertha, are thinking about expanding it. She’s back to cooking the dinners for the spa guests who are staying in the cottages and even though Gina was very gracious to say she enjoyed doing it by herself, she definitely was glad to have Liz back.
WINSTON: He’s in his usual place, which is wherever Liz is, since his main thing in life is making sure she’s all right. Occasionally he thinks about the steak and hamburger he got when he stayed with Michelle, but Liz has loosened up a little and occasionally gives him leftover treats from the dinners she prepares for the guests. All in all, it’s a pretty good life. Of course, a little filet mignon would make it even better.
RECIPES
ULLA’S SPLIT PEA SOUP
Ingredients:
3 cups dried green split peas
8 cups water
2 cups chicken broth (Canned or made from a concentrate is fine. Homemade is best, but who has that kind of time?)
1 Vidalia or other kind of sweet onion, chopped fine
3 Italian sausages, cooked in microwave or browned on stove top (Your call whether to use hot or regular), cut into ½ inch round pieces
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. white pepper (If I’m out of it, I use black pepper.)
½ tsp. dried thyme
Directions:
Pour the water into a large pot. Add the peas and chicken stock and bring to a boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for one hour. Add the onion, sausage, salt, pepper, and thyme. Return pot to burner, cover and turn heat to medium-low. Cook until the peas become soft, approximately 45 minutes. Taste to see if more salt is needed. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!
CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD WITH DRESSING
Ingredients:
2 heads romaine lettuce (A lot of grocery stores carry prewashed and cut up romaine lettuce for Caesar salads. If you’re short on time, might want to pick one up instead of preparing the lettuce.)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (Grate your own or use the pre-grated in the refrigerator section.)
4 skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian dressing (I used bottled. It’s easier.)
1 cup croutons
Dressing Ingredients:
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. dry ground mustard
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.
Directions:
Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise, then lightly pound chicken breasts until about ½ inch thick. Cut breasts into pieces that are approximately 2” x 4”. Marinate the chicken pieces in the Italian dressing for 3 hours.
Chop or shred the romaine lettuce. If you’re not going to serve it immediately, you can store it in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.
Dressing preparation. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor with the exception of the olive oil. Pulse to blend. Add olive oil in a slow stream until the mixture is emulsified. Add salt and pepper. (This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.)
Grill the marinated chicken on a hot BBQ grill for approximate 3 – 4 minutes on each side.
Mix the romaine lettuce, croutons, and ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Add the dress
ing and toss the salad. (You may wish to use a portion of the dressing, rather than all of it. Your choice.) Divide the romaine mixture among four plates. Top with the chicken pieces and the remaining Parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy!
DARK AND LIGHT CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
7 tbsp. butter, melted
1/8 tsp. salt
Cheesecake:
40 oz. cream cheese
5 eggs (I like jumbo.)
2 egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla
1 ¾ cups sugar
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup heavy cream
4 oz. dark chocolate
6 oz. white chocolate
10-inch springform pan
Directions:
Bring eggs, cream cheese, and cream to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, and melted butter in a large bowl. Once combined, press into bottom of 10-inch springform pan and 1 inch up the sides. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack.
Using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla in a bowl. Add in the sugar, flour, and heavy cream until thoroughly incorporated. (You may have some small lumps.)
Melt the two chocolates separately in a microwave or in saucepans on the stove top. When melted, let cool for 5 minutes.
Stir 1/3 of the egg batter into the pan with the melted dark chocolate. Stir the melted white chocolate into the bowl containing the remaining egg batter.
Murder in San Francisco Page 14