“He came to the apartment one afternoon. Just showed up. I had never in my life seen him before. He said he was from the University and that he needed my help. The part about the vacation was true. He gave me some cash for the trip. Two thousand dollars. When I got back I was to call him and he would meet with me. Your men picked me up when I came back so he came to the hotel and we met in the restaurant downstairs. He wanted me to get a gun but I refused. I told him I had a stun gun and I would never buy a gun. I was afraid of them. He didn’t like it much but after talking he decided to settle for the stun gun. He said that when I delivered the stun gun, he would pay me fifty thousand dollars. He met me at the laundry room in the hotel and I slipped it into his basket and he placed the envelope in mine. I never saw him again,” she said.
“What is the phone number?” Logan asked.
“It was on a little slip of paper. After I called I was to toss it away,” she replied
“Did you?”
“Yes, I did,” she said.
“What did he look like?”
“Tall, one of those silly little beards, big hands. I remember that. Some kind of ring on his left hand. Like the ones you get when you graduate. He had on some sunglasses with a little doohickey on them. Sort of light brown hair. I think it was a wig. It was kind of strange looking,” Marcia told him.
“Age?”
“It was kind of hard to tell. Not real old. Maybe fifty or sixty.”
“You’re sure he said he was from the University?”
“That’s what he said. His grammar was real good. He used big words. I had to ask him what they meant,”
“Why do you think it was a wig he had on?”
“Women can spot them a mile away. It wasn’t cheap one at that,” she said.
“The beard, what is a silly little one exactly?”
“I don’t know what they are called. Just hair on their chin that is kind of pointed and runs into a mustache.”
“A goatee?” he asked.
“Yeah. That’s it. A goatee. It was probably fake too. It was a slightly different color from his hair and eyebrows.”
“You mentioned the sunglasses. What do you mean by a doohickey on them?”
“I don’t know what you call it. A logo or design. Something like that,” she said.
“What kind of design?
“I don’t know. Just a design of some kind.”
He handed her a pen and paper.
“Draw it.”
She made a little sketch and handed it to him.
“What did you do with the money?”
“It’s in my suitcase. I ripped a hole in the lining and stuffed it in there. I didn’t know what else to do with it. I tried to stuff it in the hole where the stun gun was but it was too big. Fifty grand is a big stack of bills,” she said.
“We are going to need that,” Logan said.
“Why? It’s mine. I earned it,” she said.
“Sorry, it was money earned in the commission of a crime. We are going to confiscate it for two reasons. To see if we can find out where the bills came from and to see if any finger prints can be lifted,” Logan told her.
Logan knew it was next to impossible to lift prints from the bills but he didn’t say that to her.
“Then will I get it back?”
“That will not be my call. That will be up to the judicial system to decide,” Logan said.
“That isn’t fair. That totally sucks,” she said, folding her arms tightly across her chest.
“Like Scar said, ‘life’s not fair’,” Logan replied.
“Who’s Scar?” she asked.
“Never mind. I’m going to have you brought to the station. We are going to show you some pictures. I want you to look them over and if you identify the person, you are to indicate it. Have your lawyer there if you like,” he said.
“I don’t have a lawyer,” she said.
“Yes you do. Malcolm and Stine. They sprung you at the station.”
“They dropped me as soon as Andy was killed. Told me to take a hike,” she said
Logan shook his head, “Alright. I’ll have a court official there to verify your findings and legal counsel to represent you,” Logan told her.
“Will I be free then?”
“Let’s just take it one step at a time. You will certainly be closer,” he assured her.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Truth. What was truth? Why were there always so many versions of the truth? She was going to be in jail for some time, how long could well depend on her helping solve this case. If what she had just told him was indeed the truth, maybe she wouldn’t be in too long. If not, she was going to be there for some time. When he got back to the station, everyone was sitting around just shooting the breeze.
“So how did it go?” Jonas asked.
“I got some things from her. She gave me a story but I don’t know how much is true yet. She is being transferred here for a picture line up. If we get a hit, we will have a real line up just to make sure.”
“Gee. Sounds like you got more than just a few things. Is she involved?” Bull asked.
“Involved, yes. How much, I don’t know yet. Her story sounds possible but something about her still bothers me.”
“How is she involved?”
Logan spent the next twenty minutes telling them about his visit with Marcia Burton.
“Not bad. Guess that’s why you have a gold shield,” Randy said.
“Hey, let’s all go get a big ole steak and baked potato. Since Logan did all the work today, I’ll buy his, the rest of you clowns are on your own,” Bull said.
He was coming to grips with why Logan had not taken her at face value. It was a lesson he had just learned the hard way. They settled on the Lucas Steakhouse. It was one of the best in the city with fat, juicy steaks, big baked potatoes and a shrimp cocktail like no other. Logan even broke down and had a beer for the occasion, something very rare for him.
After diner, Logan went home and tried to get some sleep but his mind kept replaying his conversation with Marcia. Something she had said was trying to push its way through the fog to the front of his brain. Finally, he drifted to sleep. Then the dream of Nam came again and he was up changing clothes at 4:00 a.m.
* * *
Logan finally gave up trying to sleep and got dressed, ate a bowl of shredded wheat and headed to the station. When he got there, a message was on his desk. Terry Ryan was improving and was awake from time to time. He wrote a quick note to the Captain and one for the other men before heading to the hospital.
Traffic was light so he made it in thirty-five minutes instead of the usual hour. The sun was just coming up when he pulled into the parking lot, the doctor was not on duty yet but the nurse told him about Ryan's change in condition.
“He is in and out. Just for very short periods. He can’t speak or hold a pen. His system is still not functioning like it should. The doctor was very positive about his progress,” she told him.
“Can he understand when someone talks to him?”
“He seems to. At least that is the doctor’s impression. He can’t answer but it seems to register when someone talks to him. His daughter was talking to him and you could see he was trying to focus on what she was telling him,” the nurse said.
“Can I see him now?”
“It would be better if you waited. The doctor will be here in less than an hour,” she said.
“All right, I’ll wait over here,” he said, pointing to a seating area, “Will you come get me when the doctor arrives?”
“I’ll have someone come get you. I get off in thirty minutes,” she informed him
“Thanks,” Logan said and headed over to sit down.
Like always, the magazines were at least a year old. He hated waiting in a hospital. Too many bad memories with the exception of when his daughter was born.
He looked around. It was typical hospital furniture and uninspiring framed prints on the walls. He could hear a kid
screaming someplace down the hall. It appeared that he or she was none too happy about getting a shot. Logan could relate to that, he didn’t much care for them either.
Twenty minutes later, a nurse who looked like she was a Russian weight lifter from the Olympics, came and got him and took him to the attending doctor.
“Detective Logan. You want to see Dr. Ryan, I understand.”
“Sure. He can help us apprehend whoever did this to him,” Logan said.
“I understand, but you realize he can’t talk or communicate in any capacity yet?”
“Can we try at least?”
“If he is awake. If he is not, you are going to have to wait until he wakes up on his own. I do not want to do anything that would set back his progress.”
“Neither do I. He is the only one who can fill in the missing blanks,” Logan assured him.
“Unless his neurological system is too damaged,” the doctor said, making a notation on the electronic pad.
“Well, we won’t know until we try,” Logan said as they stepped into the room.
He was surprised to see Mrs. Jackson sleeping on two chairs that had been pulled together. She was startled awake as they came in the room.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you,” Logan stammered.
“It’s fine. I was just napping,” she said, trying to fix her hair with her hands.
“How are you holding up? Where are the kids?” Logan asked.
“The girls are at my mom’s house. She is watching them for me at nights. I feed them, tuck them into bed and them come here,” she said.
“You look tired. You need a good night’s sleep,” Logan said.
“Thanks. You say the nicest things,” she said laughing.
Logan blushed, “Sorry. I didn’t mean that like it sounded.”
“Yes you did, and it’s okay. You’re right; I do need a good night’s sleep. I just hate to leave Terry alone in case he wakes up,” she said.
While this was going on, the doctor was checking Ryan’s vital signs and making notations on his electronic data board.
“Terry, Detective Logan is here. Are you awake?” the doctor asked in a whisper.
Terry’s eyes fluttered a few times then slowly opened.
“Good. Mrs. Jackson,” he said, turning to her, “Shall we?”
It was apparent they had worked out a method of communication. She wrapped her hand around Ryan’s index finger.
“He moves it once for yes, twice for no and three times if he doesn’t know. That’s about all we can do at present,” the Doctor told Logan.
“That’s great,” Logan said. He was expecting much less.
“Just remember to phrase your questions so he can answer yes or no,” the Doctor warned.
“Will do.”
“Terry, are you feeling up to answering some of the detective’s questions?” he asked.
He moved his finger once.
“Yes,” Robin said.
“If you get tired, just stop. Yes?”
“Yes,” came the reply.
“All right Detective. You can ask him questions but if I feel he is getting tired or stressed, I will stop the proceedings. Understand?”
“Sure. I’ll be as brief as possible,” Logan said.
“Then you can proceed.”
“Dr. Ryan, did you see who attacked you?”
“Yes”
“A man?”
“Yes”
“From the University?”
“Yes.”
“Dr. Keller?”
“No.”
“But you did recognize him.”
“Yes.”
“Did he have a goatee?”
“No.”
“Glasses?”
“Yes.”
“Was he in a disguise?”
“No.”
“If I brought in pictures of all the faculty and staff, could you pick them out?”
Robin didn’t say anything for a few seconds, then “Yes.”
An alarm suddenly went off and the Doctor scurried over to the heart monitor and silenced the alarm.
“That’s it. Everyone out. Sorry, Mrs. Jackson, you too. Nurse,” he yelled through the door, “Please, out now,” he said, starting to check Terry’s vital signs.
Logan and Robin stepped out of the room and into the bright hall. Nurses were rushing in and out of the room.
“I hope this didn’t do him any harm,” Logan said, more to himself than Robin.
“This has happened a time or two. That’s why I stay at night. The night staff is nice but they don’t check in near enough for me,” she said.
“How long have you known Dr. Ryan?”
“Actually, I just met him. Our daughters are the same age and are best friends. Somehow we never got around to meeting until the day he was attacked. It’s kind of ironic in a sick sort of way,” she said.
“Life is like that sometimes,” Logan said trying to see what was going on in the room.
The Doctor was barking out orders and had a very worried look on his face.
“Did this help much?”
“Oh yes. We know for sure he saw who attacked him. We know he is from the University and we know he wears glasses. And we eliminated a suspect. All of that helps to some degree,” Logan told her.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t get more. I want to see whoever did this get caught,” she said.
“They will.”
“It looks like it is going to be a long time before we get back in to see Terry. Would you like me to call you when all of this has passed?” Robin asked.
“Wow. That would be great. I would really appreciate that, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“None at all. Just jot your number down,” she said.
Logan took a card from his wallet and handed it to her.
“My office number, cell number and my home number are on there. Call at any time and I’ll get here as quickly as possible,” Logan said.
“Even at night?”
“Sure. I get called half the nights anyway. I’m used to it,” he said.
“Some life,” Robin said.
“You become accustomed to it. It just goes with the territory,” Logan said.
He said goodbye and looked in the room once more before going down the hall and out into the bright, warn sunlight. It was unseasonably warm and Logan rolled down the windows in the car. It was a pleasant ride back to the station.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
“Got your note. How did it go?” the Captain asked when Logan came up the stairs.
“Not bad. I got some things but he had another attack and they had to get us out of the room,” Logan said.
“Is he going to be alright?”
“I think so. Mrs. Jackson said he had done this a couple of times before. She didn’t seem too alarmed and I took that to be a good sign.”
The Captain didn’t bother to ask who Mrs. Jackson was.
“So what do you know new?”
“Not all I had hoped for but it did confirm we are going on the right track,” Logan said.
He was just about to bring the Captain up to speed when Randy and Jonas came bounding up the stairs.
“Hang on Captain. I might as well tell everyone at once.”
“Just call me when you’re ready.”
Logan got another Diet Coke and waited until everyone was present before he started. Bull and Jonas were eating Danish rolls but Logan decided he needed to start watching his weight a little more. Especially after all the donut comments. He went and got the Captain so he could join them for the briefing. They were all crowded around Logan’s desk.
“Ryan is still hanging in there but he is far from out of the woods. I did get to talk to him in a roundabout way. He confirmed that the attempt made on him was someone from the University. We also eliminated Dr. Keller. I also know the person had on glasses. I was just about to try to ask more when his heart started acting up and the Doctor ran us out.”
; “But we still don’t know who for sure?” Jonas said.
“Correct.”
“Is this person related to the other murders?”
“I don’t know but I have a strong suspicion they are,” Logan said.
“This eliminates Marcia Brown I guess,” Bull said.
“To a degree. She is still an accessory. She may also help us ID the guy when she gets here this afternoon.
“But she said he wore a disguise, do you think she can pick him out?” Jonas asked.
“What we need is a picture of every male professor at the University. I don’t know if they publish such a thing but we need to find out. We can have both Marcia and Ryan look at the pictures and see if they can recognize anyone,” Logan said.
“Where do we get such a thing?” Bull asked.
“Good question. Why don’t you go to work on that? See who can get us a picture of all of the faculty and staff at the University. The more recent the photographs the better.”
“Do I need to clear it with the lawyers first?”
“I don’t see why. We aren’t talking to the faculty so I don’t see any reason for them to get involved,” Logan said.
“Just checking. You know how they are,” Bull said.
Logan ignored the comment.
“Randy, I would like for you to talk to Marcia when she gets here. She seems to be more open with you. I think she has had enough of me for a while,” Logan said.
“Sure. What time is she coming?”
“I think around 2:00 or 3:00 p.m., from what I gathered,” Logan told him.
“Good. I’ll be ready. I’ll need the photographs as soon as possible,” he said to Bull.
“I’ll get on it as soon as we break up here.”
“Captain. Do you have any questions?”
“Just one comment. When we catch this guy, I want to make sure it is by the book. I don’t want to give them any loopholes because we overlooked something. Check the address on the search warrant when it is issued and make sure we only look where we are supposed to. I don’t want any over exuberant police work here,” he warned.
It wasn’t for Logan, he already knew the rules, but it was the first time for Randy, Bull, and Jonas and he was covering all the bases.
BLONDE DECEPTION - The Logan Files Page 19