Dialogues
Page 6
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything that comes to mind about her.”
“She liked cashews.”
“Go on.”
“Every afternoon around three, she would take out a little Ziploc bag filled with salted cashews. Whole ones. She never bought the pieces.”
“She told you that?”
“No, I asked her.”
“I see. What else can you tell me about her?”
“She’s single, but she’s been dating some guy named Mike who seems like a real creep. She still lives with her mother. Like me. She told me her mother caught her, uh, pleasuring herself one day. Marcy said she had never been more embarrassed in her life. It took her a week before she could even look her mother in the face again.”
“How did this incident come up in the conversation?”
“Oh, you know … girl talk. We were sitting in the office one afternoon and there was nobody else around and she told me.”
“Go on.”
“More about Marcy? Well, I know she collected PEZ dispensers. She has a pretty big collection. She was also in a Flash Crowd.”
“What’s a Flash Crowd, please?”
“It’s this weird new hobby—people in a certain area, like a city, or a town, or a campus, sign up to be in a Flash Crowd. And then what happens is they get e-mailed instructions that they have to follow. It’s strange.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, Marcy told me about one event she was in. She got an e-mail that told her to show up at the Crystal Mall on the second floor in front of the Sharper Image store at two o’clock on a Sunday afternoon. When everyone was there, they had to wait to hear a Carpenters song played on the Muzak sound system in the mall. As soon as they heard it, they all had to face the Sharper Image store and play their cell phone’s ring tones for two minutes. Then everybody had to split. I think she said the song was ‘Rainy Days and Mondays.’”
“So that’s a Flash Crowd.”
“Actually that’s a Flash Crowd event. Marcy was in a Flash Crowd.”
“I see. So Marcy was a joiner. What else do you remember about her?”
“She painted her toenails different colors.”
“Excuse me?”
“Each toe was painted a different color.”
“All right. Anything else?”
“She always said she wanted to be cremated. She was afraid of being buried. She didn’t like enclosed spaces.”
“I see. Anything else?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t want to talk anymore.”
8
Dr. Baraku Bexley
Dr. Gwyneth June
“Hi, Gwyn.”
“Bex, you old dog! How are you?”
“Well, I got up this morning, so I’m counting today as a winner.”
“No argument there. You’re here for the animal-shelter case?”
“Yes.”
“Tough one.”
“Yes. Are they all still here?”
“Yeah. Although the families are raising a ruckus and want the bodies released.”
“How much longer can you keep them?”
“Well, I’m required to keep them until all the medical/legal autopsies are done and all interested parties—that would be you, and Brawley, and maybe the Good Humor man at this stage—have determined there is no need for retention.”
“And where are you now?”
“The autopsies are completed. I’ll probably have to release them to the funeral homes tomorrow.”
“Okay, then let’s get this over with.”
“Do you want my report first or do you want to see the bodies first?”
“Your report.”
“Before we start, can I ask you something?”
“Gwyn—”
“Oh, come on, Bex. Who’s here?”
“You know I can’t—”
“Have I ever betrayed you? You know I would fall on the sword before I let you get into trouble for anything you told me.”
“You’re embarrassing me.”
“Am I lying?”
“Oh, all right. Go ahead. Ask your question.”
“Why’d she do it?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you think?”
“It’s complicated.…”
“Is she crazy?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out. I can’t say with certainty that she was insane at the time of the crimes. That’s for a jury to decide. But whether or not it even gets to a jury is essentially up to me.”
“What’s she like?”
“Sorry, Gwyn, that’s enough.”
“Oh, okay. Spoilsport. The report?”
“The report.”
“The full house?”
“No, just the pertinents.”
“Six bodies. Three female. Three male. All were found in an animal-shelter gas chamber. Death was due to inhalation of toxic gases and suffocation. Mostly carbon monoxide.”
“And suffocation? As a separate determinant for cause of death?”
“Well, it’s a little tricky.”
“How so?”
“By the time the gas started flowing, they were all already near death from suffocation.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll get to that in a minute.”
“All right. Any marks on the bodies?”
“Puncture wound on the back of the neck. Some scrapes and bruises. Probably from being dragged into the chamber. I understand the killer—sorry, the alleged killer—is small?”
“Yeah. She’s a tiny thing.”
“Well, then, she’s pretty goddamned strong for someone so petite.”
“Toxicology results?”
“Routine stuff for the most part—acetaminophen, ibuprofen, an antibiotic, some THC residue from the pot smokers of the bunch, some low blood-alcohol levels. However …”
“Yes?”
“All six victims also showed a high level of pancuronium bromide in their blood.”
“Pavulon?”
“Yes.”
“She paralyzed them to get them into the chamber.”
“Seems so.”
“Jesus.”
“And they were conscious too. Remember your med-school pharmacology classes, Bex? Pavulon: trade name for the muscle relaxant pancuronium bromide. Pavulon produces complete paralysis but with no alteration of consciousness.”
“Yes, that’s right. Jesus. So, they were all suffocating and near death even before she dragged them into the chamber. Jesus.”
“You already called Him, Bex, and it doesn’t look like He’s a-comin’.”
“Where was the injection site?”
“Back of the neck.”
“She snuck up on them.”
“Seems so.”
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, but I doubt that this has anything to do with the case.”
“Go on.”
“One of the guys was HIV positive but didn’t know it.”
“How could you tell?”
“No therapeutic antiviral drugs in his blood.”
“He could have known but not acted on it.…”
“I suppose. But it’s all moot now. Although I did have to use biohazard precautions when working on him. So will the embalmer.”
“Can I see the bodies?”
“Sure. Follow me.”
9
Dane Lyman, AM Live
District Attorney Brawley Loren
“Welcome back to AM Live. I am here with District Attorney Brawley Loren, the chief prosecutor in the notorious Waterbridge Animal Shelter multiple-murder case. Good morning, D.A. Loren.”
“Good morning, Dane. Happy to be here.”
“So, D.A. Loren, what can you tell us about Tory Troy and the animal-shelter case?”
“Well, as you know, I cannot reveal details of an ongoing investigation, but I can tell you that
a vigorous prosecution of Ms. Troy will proceed as planned and that we are confident of a conviction on all counts.”
“Is it true that she is undergoing a psychiatric examination?”
“Yes, that’s true. That information has been in the papers.”
“What can you tell us about that?”
“The examination is being conducted by a psychiatrist named Baka … Baraku Bexley, but that’s all I know.”
“What specifically is the purpose of his examination, Counselor?”
“Dr. Bexley has been charged with determining if Ms. Troy is fit to stand trial.”
“What do you think? Is there a chance that she won’t have to stand trial?”
“There is the possibility that Dr. Bexley may find her mentally unfit to stand trial. If that happens, I will go to the judge and request a second examination. I can tell you this, Dane. If I have anything to do with it, this young lady is going to be judged by a jury of her peers.”
“Speaking of Ms. Troy, what can you tell us about her?”
“She’s single, twenty-eight, lives with her mother. She had been working at the animal shelter about a year when the crimes occurred.”
“Can you talk about the crimes she’s charged with?”
“She is charged with murdering her six coworkers by gassing them to death in the chamber the animal shelter uses for euthanizing unwanted animals.”
“That is horrible, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. And that is why we are working diligently to bring her to justice.”
“Well, she hasn’t been convicted yet, Counselor. She has only been charged, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“We’re out of time, but I’d like to thank you for filling us in on this terrible crime.”
“You’re welcome. Thanks for having me.”
“When we return, Kathy is in the kitchen with Chef Lorenzo. We’ll be right back.”
10
Tory Troy
Dr. Baraku Bexley
“Can we get back to talking about your coworkers? Do you feel up to it now?”
“I’m fine.”
“Good. Let’s talk about Philip.”
“Philip worked in the front.”
“Go on.”
“He was clerical.”
“Meaning?”
“He filled out paperwork and kept records.”
“What was he like?”
“Very religious.”
“How so?”
“He went to Mass every morning.”
“Really? Every morning?”
“Yes. St. Rose’s.”
“How did his spirituality make you feel?”
“I didn’t say he was spiritual, I said he was religious.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Spiritual people always try to do the right thing. Religious people are hypocrites.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because the most bigoted, mean-spirited, racist, homophobic, sexist, misogynistic, cruel people I know are all devout churchgoers.”
“That’s something of a blanket generalization, Tory, isn’t it?”
“Not really. I know people who wouldn’t miss Sunday Mass but think nothing of telling ‘nigger’ jokes—sorry, Doc—or buying stolen merchandise, or cheating on their taxes. Or beating their wives. Or feeling up their daughters. They think that by going to church they can do anything else they want with no penalty.”
“What made you come to this conclusion about Philip?”
“One day Jake sent us to Home Depot to get some duct tape and a few other things. When we checked out, Philip gave the cashier a twenty, but the girl gave him change for a fifty. And he knew it immediately too. He just pocketed the money and walked out of the store. When we were in the car he said, ‘I just made a quick thirty bucks.’ He wasn’t even ashamed about it.”
“What did you say?”
“I asked him if he knew that the cashier would have to make up the money out of her own pocket. When he said, ‘So?’ I knew that he was no good. I kept my distance from Pastor Phil from that day on.”
“Did you say anything to Jake?”
“No, but I went back to Home Depot that night after work and gave the manager thirty dollars of my own money.”
“Do you consider yourself a spiritual person?”
“I suppose so.”
“Do you have any religious beliefs?”
“I don’t belong to a church, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Do you adhere to a moral code?”
“Yes.”
“Does your moral code allow killing?”
“I see where you’re going with this, Doc.”
“And where is that?”
“What do you want to talk about next?”
“Very well. Let’s move on to Teresa.”
“Skank.”
“Meaning?”
“Pig.”
“She was fat?”
“No, not fat like a pig. She was a slut.”
“How so?”
“Dr. Bexley. Do I really need to explain to you what a slut is?”
“Humor me, please.”
“Well, she dated a lot and she had sex with every guy she went out with. Every guy. In fact, I think she had a reputation as being an easy score, because she would get phone calls from guys she had never met, asking her out. They’d call her at the animal shelter. It was pretty easy to figure out that guys who had scored with her had told their friends. And she never said no.”
“How do you know that she had sex with all her dates?”
“She told me. And she did everything too. She seemed to be proud of being able to do things like deep throat and take on two guys at once. Like I said—slut.”
“How did you get along with Teresa?”
“We were fine. She talked and I listened.”
“Did she ever sexualize your relationship?”
“I think she was bi-curious. A couple of times I could tell she was flirting. And once she changed in front of me and seemed to spend a little more time topless than she needed to.”
“Did you ever respond?”
“No. I wasn’t interested. I’m straight.”
“Do you recall when you injected Teresa?”
“Yes. She was second.”
“Can you tell me how that happened?”
“She happened to be sitting alone at the front desk with her back to me when I entered the room with the syringe. After I injected Jake, Teresa was next only because she was the first person I ran into. It could have just as easily been Marcy or Philip or even Renaldo. My only goal was to get them all immobilized as quickly as possible.”
“Did you say anything to Teresa before you injected her with the paralyzing agent?”
“No. I just quietly walked up behind her and poked her.”
“What happened next?”
“Her head flew up and she sat straight up in her chair. Then she fell over onto the floor and lay there staring up at me.”
“Then what did you do?”
“I went looking for Marcy.”
“Where did you find her?”
“In the bathroom.”
“Did you go in?”
“Yes. The bathroom had one stall and a urinal. Marcy was standing in front of the mirror, so I said hello and made like I was going into the stall. She said hi and kept touching up her lipstick. As I passed by her, I reached up and poked her in the back of the neck with the syringe. She fell down almost immediately.”
“What did you do after paralyzing Marcy?”
“I went looking for Renaldo.”
“And where did you find him?”
“Out on the back dock.”
“What was he doing there?”
“Smoking a joint.”
“He smoked marijuana during working hours?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“What happened next?”
“I asked him if he could co
me inside and help me move a heavy box of supplies. He said sure and got up. When he headed for the back door and was in front of me, I jabbed him in the back of the neck.”
“The autopsy report for Renaldo states that he had a large bruise on his forehead.”
“Yeah, after I poked him, he collapsed and fell forward and hit his head on the heavy steel track of the overhead door.”
“What did you do next?”
“I dragged him inside.”
“So now you had Jake, Teresa, Marcy, and Renaldo incapacitated.”
“Yep.”
“What about Ann?”
“That was a real stroke of luck. Ann happened to be off that day, but she came in to pick up her paycheck right after I had dragged everyone into the gas chamber. She was easy. She came into the back looking for someone because the front office was empty. She was calling out, ‘Hello? Hello?’ and all I had to do was hide in a doorway and then jab her as she passed by.”
“You didn’t tell me anything about Ann.”
“Not much to tell. She was married, had three kids, and worked part-time at the shelter. I think her husband was an architect, or maybe a teacher of some sort.”
“There’s quite a difference between those two professions.”
“I know, but I never really paid all that much attention to her when she talked about her family. Her brother could have been the architect, now that I think about it.”
“So you took care of Ann and dragged her into the chamber?”
“Yes.”
“All that was left was … Philip?”
“Yeah. Father Phil.”
“Tell me about what happened with Philip.”
“While I was immobilizing everyone else, Phil was downstairs in the basement. The animal shelter is in an old house. The city negotiated a cheap rent from the landlord and then paid to convert it into a shelter. The house had a basement. We kept supplies and boxes of files down there.”
“What was Philip doing in the basement?”
“I have no idea. He could have been jerking off for all I know. Although knowing Phil, he would probably consider that a mortal sin and completely abstain. So I’d say he was probably either inventorying supplies or looking through the records for something. Or goofing off.”
“Go on.”
“I waited for him to come upstairs. The way the house is designed, the door to the basement opens into the front office. I just stood off to the side and waited until he was in the room and then—pop.”
“What happened after you jabbed him with the syringe?”