“What now Adam?”
“I have only just been retained. I will work for Donald Haze as stipulated. There have been no charges brought upon him yet. For now, I will work as a private investigator until I might have to defend him, then I will work as his lawyer. Time will be of great value to solve this case. I am truly baffled. Anyone could have killed Gritty.”
“And who are you leaning towards?”
“That’s a stupid question.”
“I’ve been with you long enough to know you are thinking in a definite direction. I promise not to sway you. Tell me where you are at with all of this.”
“To be perfectly honest, I am thinking perhaps Lexus. I hate to feel this way but she seemed to have been used the most, even right up until the end. She gave up her life for that bastard.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“She covered for him, let him have his little sexual escapades, birthed his child and held his hand throughout his mental outbreaks. She loved him unconditionally, only to have him disappoint her. I am sure that when she found out about his money, it made her want to kill him. I know that I would have!”
“Why then are you so calm. You love her. She is your best buddy.”
“She was! Lexus has the power of making everyone feel special, as if they are the only one in the world, her world that is. She did the same to me. I thought that we had no secrets but boy was I mistaking. I was just one of her many conquests, nothing more. At first it hurt me but what do I care? I have a great life and hers is falling apart.”
“Why so cold? How can you turn her away like that?”
“I guess Doctor Marie Desjardin taught me well.”
“You are capable of love. You love me, don’t you?”
“Yes, because you are not a woman. I have never been let down by a man.”
The look that came over Richard’s face was one of confusion. I felt bad about bringing up my mother but that is how I felt. I thought that it was about time to change the subject to a lighter discussion.
“Sweetheart, you haven’t told me how the office is coming along.” Now this is the Richard that I love. His eyes went from dimness to brightness. He reached for his briefcase when suddenly there was a loud pounding on the door. Whoever it was managed to enter the building without being buzzed in. I opened the door to a face red with anger.
* * * *
He pushed me aside and headed for the middle of the room. “Marc, what’s wrong?”
“How dare you? You know that this is a homicide case and I hear that you have been questioning people. Why?” He banged his hand on the table and almost shattered the glass vase.
“Fuck, calm down Marc. I have every right to question whoever I want.”
“In what capacity. Your client is dead. You have no right.”
“I have been hired by Donald Haze, Gritty’s father. I was going to drop by and see you tomorrow.” Marc suddenly changed his composure. He let out a huge breath as he sat down and looked in my direction for answers.
“Donald Haze hired you. That’s great but you are an integral part of our police operation. You are still working with us, aren’t you?”
“Of course. I really was going to call you tomorrow. He just hired me.”
“We went to speak with Lexus and Forth. They said that they gave all their information to you. You can see me being pissed, can’t you?”
“I know the judicial process, all levels of provincial and federal. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to hide this from the courts. I want Gritty’s murderer found. I will report all my findings to the Ministere de la Justice of Quebec, then they will subpoena me to testify. I’ve been there before. I know what to do. Man, give me some credit!”
“When can I expect your report?”
“I’ll have it for you tomorrow.”
“When you come in we can compare notes. There are a few other details that came up and maybe they will be of help to you.”
“Something new?”
“It might help with your line of questioning. Maybe you already know… we have to definitely review our notes together.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
Marc left me in a ponderous state. What could he have possibly uncovered that I didn’t? I couldn’t wait to meet up with Marc. I no sooner prepared for the night when the phone rang. “Hey, did you forget something?” My body went limp. I dropped the phone and reached for Richard. I thought I would lose consciousness.
“What the hell is wrong?”
I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth. My tongue seemed to block all sounds. I felt it was a bad dream and I kept shaking myself wanting to wake up. Finally, I was able to speak. “It’s Lexus. They found her body in the alley in back of her place. Her throat was slit. I have to go.”
“No you don’t. There is nothing that you can do for her. Wait until Marc gets more information. Oh my God Adam, I am so very sorry. I know how much you loved her.”
I knew I would have to wait. By the time the homicide squad finished their investigation, it could take hours. I couldn’t believe it. Lexus was dead and I doubted her all along. I should have paid more attention to what she was saying.
Lexus…
Chapter Nineteen
The next morning Richard went with me to the precinct. Marc was there bright and early. He ushered me into his office. “I’m sorry man. I didn’t know her but I knew how much she meant to you. Can I get you a coffee?”
“Sure. What happened? Did you find out who did this to her?” I asked impatiently.
“No, but I can tell you it was someone really upset with her. We assume that the cause of death was her throat being slit, but there were numerous lacerations on her body. It looked like she put up quite a struggle.” The thought of Lexus having to defend herself in that way made me sick. She was a free spirit, kind beyond words. Who could have done this to her?
“Did they check her home and see if anything was missing? Maybe an intruder or someone wanting money. She took in all the low lives of the area. We welcome drugged up and mean spirited bums was the sign she displayed on her door.”
“Are you serious? She had a sign like that.”
“No, she should have though; that is the people that she attracted. Did you talk to anyone there? What about Peter? Where is he?”
“I thought he was staying at the home dealing with unresolved issues.”
“He was for a time but he started staying more and more with Lex. She agreed to let the workers do their evaluations at home. She would do anything to have Peter come home again. I think he was staying four out of seven days a week with Lex. Perhaps it wasn’t her day. And thankfully it wasn’t! How could we explain that to him? She was all that he had.”
“But he did not know that she was his mother. At least that is what I have been informed,” said Marc in a puzzled tone.
“You are right. He thought that he was a worker in the house, that’s all. Lexus always said he knew. I can only think that the Dissociative Identity Disorder fogged out his memory. I’m not sure.”
“Really Adam, do you think that perhaps he sensed some sort of familiarity with her? It is almost impossible not to know your own mother, to turn her off and on like that?”
“He has Dissociative Identity Disorder. I feel he had gone off somewhere deep within his mind. He is living a life completely different from the real world around him. This is a tool for survival.”
“Why would he need a tool to survive? What happened?”
“Lexus mentioned to me that Gritty assaulted him, both physically and mentally. With Dissociative Identity Disorder, he was able to pretend he was someone else and turn off the abuse. He obviously turned off Lexus as being his mother. He was just a worker, doing his job for her. Maybe he did at times know she was his mother. I cannot get into his sick mind.”
“If you would let me use your phone I will call Daryl House and see if he is there.”
“Call, but better still, why don’t you make an appointment to visit him. I’ll go with you and perhaps he might know something.”
“Not if he were in the house!”
“We don’t know yet, just call!”
He handed me the phone and I was put through to the director’s office immediately. I identified myself and she seemed to know who I was. I guess that Lexus must have mentioned me as some kind of back up if she were not available. I made the necessary appointment for later on in the day, the sooner the better.
* * * *
The smell was the first thing that I noticed. A mixture of urine and man funk with a slight mix of body odor were thrown into the blend. Oddly enough there was hair on the floor, enough to be concerned. Maybe they had pets, but looking closer it was human hair. “What the hell?” was all I could say, as I looked over towards Marc for a clue.
He seemed oblivious to the whole situation, stepping over the human decay with not a care in the world. “You should see some of the crime scenes that I have witnessed. This is the Ritz compared to them.”
“This is supposed to be a nurturing place. What’s with the hair?”
I looked up as she answered. “They pull their hair out; simple as that! We sweep it at the end of the day. If you go further down the hall you will see body excrements as well. We are not strongly funded, and the cleaning crew does not live on-site. The murderers in prison are better cared for than the mentally challenged. The cleaners come in at the end of the day. Does that answer your question? Oh, and my name is Jennifer Quaid.”
Talk about being put in my place! “I’m Adam Garwood and this is Marc Girard. He is in charge of homicide at the Montreal precinct. I’m sorry Ms. Quaid about my ignorant remarks.”
She was beautiful. I imagined what she would look like, away from this environment, with her black bun set free and her hair falling out of its confines. She had oversized green glasses sitting on the edge of her nose. Her toned body gave her away though. No matter how she wanted to fool us with her stern attire and persona; she was one very sexy lady. “No need to apologize; I just wanted to clear up a few things. Our job here is to help our patients, not be janitors. Now what can I do for you gentlemen? You mentioned Peter! Such a sweet boy!”
“His mother was murdered. They found her body in the alley where she lives.”
“Oh no!” She put her hand up to her face as if to shield her from the unsettling news.
“How do you think we should handle this? Who should inform him?” I asked.
She composed herself enough to answer. “Leave that to us. We have trained personnel who can handle that situation with the utmost care.”
“When was he allowed to visit his mother last? I believe that he goes home four out of seven days. Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. If you want to wait a moment, I’ll get that information for you.”
She got up to leave and her perfume lingered. What was a beautiful woman like that doing working in a place like this? I knew that was a cruel assumption on my part, but I just did not get it. And from the slow stare Marc was giving her exit, I knew he was thinking exactly the same thing. She returned with a paper in her hand.
“I printed this out for you. I hope it helps. Yesterday was his last visit this week. They usually clock in when they are returned but not last night. I know that the receptionist left early due to a family crisis. I am sorry; his time of return was not written down.”
“The one night that we really need the information for! Do you have cameras at the entrance?
“Yes we do. I can get you the footage from yesterday if that will help?”
“It definitely would help. Do you have a digital timer attached to it as well?”
“Yes we do.”
“What is the soonest that you can have that for us?”
“I’ll have it for you first thing in the morning. I’m sorry about all of this?”
“No harm done. I’m sure that we’ll have enough evidence with the camera.”
I got up to go and realized that there were patients in the yard. He was there. He was sitting quietly under the old oak. They all looked like wax figurines. Very little movement; and when you did see a bit of a stir, it was a jerky interpretation of normality. I wanted to talk with him.
“Would it be okay if we went into the yard and talked to Peter? He is sitting alone and I would like to observe him for a few minutes.”
“Absolutely not. You might frighten him. He does not know you.”
“Quite the contrary. I was a good friend of his mother’s. I was constantly at the home and Peter talked to me on a regular basis.”
“How can I be sure you are telling me the truth and not perhaps taking advantage of a situation to question him? You are a detective, aren’t you?”
“I think Ms. Quaid that you watch too many Sam Spade detective reruns. We are not deceitful nor do we tell lies to get what we want. That is portrayed only in fictional characters. What do I have to prove in order to see Peter?”
“Well,” she said rather embarrassed. “Tell me something about him. Something that only I might know.”
“He constantly mentions a skiing accident, a delusion of reality that he believes in.”
“Follow me,” she said. “I am sorry but we have to protect our patients. They are gullible to the whims of others. They are lost souls searching in a world that is extraneous to them.”
“I understand completely.”
Upon approaching Peter his face lit up with recognition. He got up from his seat and awkwardly hugged me. I told him to remain seated and I would sit with him for a moment. Marc sat obtrusively on the seat near us. Peter did not seem aware of him or did not care that he was there. “How have you been?” I asked.
He looked down at his hands which seemed to be holding a shining object. He kept twirling it through his fingers. It might have been a gold ring or small piece of jewelry. It was the object of his attention. He looked up and said, “My leg is giving me a problem. You know that I was in a skiing accident. Went right into a tree. My leg will never work again.” The same story was repeated each time that I talked to Peter. I sat a while longer hoping that perhaps he might say something or do something that would give me a hint of what happened at Lexus’ yesterday. Perhaps there was nothing to say.
“Did you go home yesterday? Did you see Lexus?”
“No, I didn’t go yesterday. I went today.” Impossible I thought, but knew that his sense of reality and time were not in line with the real world. I would not make an issue of his statement.
“I have to go in now. I am hungry.” He could not wait to leave as he exited with a faster pace than I had ever seen before. He either did not like my line of questioning or he was truly hungry.
Marc and I remained silent on the way back to the precinct. I knew that tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough. When we entered his office, there was a parcel on Marc’s desk. He looked at me and said, “This is what they found on her body. You can go if you want Adam. It might be too hard for you.”
“No, I would prefer to stay.” I braced myself as he started to open the brown envelope. He pulled out her watch, all too familiar to me. I remember thinking how masculine it was hanging from her delicate wrist. She loved it and when asked about its size, she said that it reminded her of her father’s big watch. I knew not to continue my line of questioning when I saw the hurt in her eyes. I felt that one day she might tell me but now realized that one day would never come. I held back my tears as Marc continued.
He pulled out a broken chain. Where was her pendant?
Then I remembered Peter playing with something shiny.
Chapter Twenty
Her face suddenly appeared with that wonderful smile of hers. I wish that we had come to terms with my feelings of abandonment by her before she died. I missed the Lexus that I thought I knew… not the one that kept things from me. But then again, I did not have a right to expect to know her innermost thoughts. We were best friends, not family. You think that you know someone and then something happens to make you realize that you are strangers, at least with your emotions. No one really knows another person completely. Many times I would drop off and share a coffee and bring her up to date about my life. She was the mother that I never had. I looked down to see that my shirt was drenched. The tears were flowing and my heart was heavy for my friend. I will miss her but mostly miss us.
* * * *
First stop was the precinct. Marc was waiting for me with an extra coffee in hand. “How are you doing Adam? It must be hard for you. I know how you felt about Lexus.”
“It’s killing me. I know that I cannot stop what has already happened but I want to bring justice and a form of peace to her memory. I want whoever did this to her to pay and pay greatly.”
“Don’t forget we still have an open case with Gritty. I can only hope that these two deaths are linked in some way. It will be easier to get answers if they are.”
“Of course they are connected! It’s too much of a coincidence not to be.”
Gritty Page 17