PALINDROME

by Lawrence Kelter

  Evelyn rolled her eyes and turned for the door. “Amateur,” she muttered.

  “I don’t want to be sedated,” I said.

  Rosen was already purging the syringe. “This will just take the edge off.” He turned to look me in the eyes before administering the drug. “It’s just a precaution.” He didn’t ask, but his expression implied that he was looking for an acknowledgement. I nodded.

  He began to undo the restraints as soon as he set the syringe down on the end table. He helped me up and led me to the bathroom. “Do you feel like you might faint?”

  “I’ll be okay.”

  “All right, be careful in there. I’ll be waiting out here when you’re done.”

  Oh God, what a relief. I lingered in the bathroom a few minutes. I washed my face and rinsed my mouth, which was as dry as paste. When I came out, Rosen was dumping my lunch in the waste pail. He pulled out the plastic liner bag and sealed it with a knot. “I poured you a cup of water and asked Nurse Ratched to bring you your dinner,” he chuckled and then pointed to a chair. “Sit down, okay?”

  The Valium was already taking effect—the chair seemed like a good idea. I guess I was a little unsteady as I made my way to the chair. Rosen reached out, took my hand, and assisted me. “Feeling all right?” he asked.

  “A little woozy.”

  “It won’t get any worse than that.” He handed me the cup of water. “You’re dehydrated. Drink.”

  “What am I doing here?”

  Rosen looked at me without speaking. He seemed to be preparing his response. He pulled up another chair and sat down facing me. “Your attorney asked me to admit you. He said that you were extremely agitated, and that you had been sedated. He asked me to sign a PEC and have you admitted for forty-eight-hours observation.”

  My attorney? I mulled the words but never said it. I wasn’t sure what was going on or to whom I should be speaking. “What’s a PEC?”

  “A Physician’s Emergency Certificate. It was for your personal safety.”

  “And that’s how I ended up in a psychiatric hospital?”

  Rosen seemed uncomfortable. “Forty-eight-hours observation,” he repeated. “Your attorney was worried that you might harm yourself.”

  “I asked for my brother. I gave his name and phone number to the hospital administrator, but I never heard back from her.”

  Rosen looked at his watch. “I’m sure she’s gone by now. I’ll ask someone to check when we’re done.”

  I was afraid. The killer had a reason for keeping me alive, just as he’d had a reason for killing Keith Cooper and Shawn. He had a reason for putting me in a mental hospital. It was all so confusing, and the Valium wasn’t helping my ability to concentrate. What did he want with me? Did Rosen know about the murders? I couldn’t believe that he did. “I want to be released. There’s no reason for me to be here.”

  “And you will be, just as soon as we determine that you’re not going to harm yourself or anyone else.”

  “Harm myself? I’ve never harmed anyone in my life.”

  The door creaked behind us. I just assumed it was Evelyn returning with my dinner. I saw Rosen looking at the door. His expression expressed alarm. I followed his gaze as a torrent of fear racked my body. The man who had murdered Keith and Shawn walked though the door. He gave me a warm smile. “Up and around, are we?” he said. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to introduce myself to you last night. My name is Thomas Sparks.”

  Thirty: Sparks

  “That’s not exactly true, is it?” Sparks said. He was carrying my dinner tray. He walked into the room and placed it on the bed. He turned to Rosen. “If you’re done here, I’ll take over.”

  The Valium wasn’t strong enough to keep my heart from racing. Thomas Sparks came close. He gave me a warm and friendly smile, but the message in his eyes was frightening. I broke out in a cold sweat.

  “We didn’t finish talking,” I said, suggesting that Rosen and I needed more time together.

  “That’s all right, he can come back.” He turned to Rosen. “You can come back in ten minutes, can’t you, Sam?”

  Rosen looked at Sparks unhappily. He didn’t seem like the kind of man who was accustomed to being dismissed. “I’ll go get a cup of coffee.” He left the room.

  Sparks turned to face me. He pulled back his suit jacket exposing the butt of his gun. “Like my new gun?” he said. “I know you’re sedated, but just in case you get any ideas . . .” He covered his jacket again and sat down in the chair that Rosen had just vacated. “What you said is not true. You’re a dangerous woman.”

  Sparks had a menacing expression on his face as he reached in his pocket and took out his iPhone. “I think you’ll find this video interesting.” I was frightened to death but insanely curious at the same time. What was he going to show me? It had to be the video that Cooper had mentioned in my condo. He touched the screen a few times and then turned the iPhone so that I could see it. A video began to play. I recognized the scene immediately. The TV was on, and Vincent was starting to get undressed. The camera was positioned at the far end of the room. I saw him look up after a moment, and then Ax walked past the camera. Ax had his back to the camera as Vincent stood and looked at him. Vincent’s expression suggested surprise. The camera didn’t pick up Ax’s muscular arms and shoulders. All you could see was his hand shooting forward and Vincent’s head smashing against the wall. In the next instant the audio and video equipment tumbled off of the wall unit and the small screen filled with snow. Sparks turned the iPhone away from me. “Vincent had a hidden camera, kinky son of a bitch. And you are one strong goddamn girl. You split his head open with one shot. I’m impressed.”

  I didn’t know what to say; he had me dead to rights. He just didn’t know that it was Ax in the video and not me. “Why didn’t you have me arrested?”

  “Have you arrested? What an utter waste of talent. I need someone to replace the two lummoxes I shot last night. Who’s more capable than you? I have a big job, and you’re going to handle it for me.”

  “Why did you kill them?”

  “One was a junkie and the other one was a moron; you need more of an explanation than that?”

  “That’s not a reason for killing someone.”

  “Who are you, the Dalai Lama? One of those guys dropped GHB in your cocktail so that his friend could bang you like an eight-ball corner shot. You mean to tell me you have compassion for those two?”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “I’m crazy? No, Sweetheart, you’re crazy, and you’re dangerous. Just last week you were admitted to the emergency room for self-administering an injection of lidocaine to your head. Does that sound like something a normal person would do?”

  “That was an accident.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re a murderer. Now for reasons only you and I know, I can’t turn you over to the police, but I can put a bullet in your head just like I did with the two dummies last night. So, I hope you’ll be smart enough to cooperate.”

  “That was self-defense. You know that I was about to be raped.”

  “Too bad you didn’t tell the authorities when you had the chance. Oh, that’s right, you split the guy’s head open and left his body to rot. You turned the air conditioner down to zero so that the body wouldn’t smell.” Sparks brought his face to within an inch of mine. He spoke in a slow, controlled, and menacing whisper. “I’m a dangerous sonofabitch. So make up your mind and make it up now, or your next bedroom will be the cold earth.”

  “I don’t know what you want.” Maybe it was the Valium, but I didn’t cry. I can’t say that I didn’t want to, but the tears just wouldn’t come forward.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Sparks said. “You’re mine, understand? You’ll do anything I want.”

  A moment or two passed in silence. Sparks had me up against the wall, and he knew it. My only thought was to protect Ax so that he didn’t fall prey to this monster as well. My mind began to race. Where was Ax? Had the hospital admin
istrator called him? Did he know I was here? I couldn’t imagine the thoughts that entered his head when he came home last night and saw the two bodies on the floor. I hoped he had taken off and run. I hoped he was looking out for himself.

  It was too late for me.

  Sparks finally spoke, interrupting the panicked thoughts that were running through my head. “I’ll take your silence for a yes.”

  Thirty-one: Feeling Groovy

  Gabi was buzzing down Motor Parkway in her smart car with a grin so wide it filled the entire windshield. Enough is enough, she thought. She was on her way to Lexa’s place to patch things up and let bygones be bygones as it were.

  The separation had been a bitter pill for Gabi to swallow, so bitter in fact that Gabi had lost nine pounds. Like her BFF, her appetite had been conspicuously absent. The rift with Lexa was driving Gabi crazy. She tugged at the waistband of her jeans and decided that her pants were definitely the loosest they had ever been. Her smile grew still wider.

  She had come to terms with her anger. Although she was not happy with Lexa’s actions, she understood that hers was only one opinion. She had made Lexa all too aware of her point of view and had driven a wedge between them. The fightin’s over, girl, she mused.

  She was singing “Just Dance” as she turned onto Lexa’s block.

  She pulled up in front of Lexa’s condo and turned off the engine. One more tug on her waistband followed by a sip of diet soda, and she was ready for action. She had purchased a greeting card at Target. A hound dog with a sad face was pictured on the front cover. It read, “I miss you so much that I made you a present.” The inner fold read, “It’s in the yard.” Gabi chuckled and then uncapped her pen. She inscribed it with teal-colored ink, “Miss ya, Girl.” She signed it, “Gab!,” inverting the i as the singer Pink does, so that the i became an exclamation point. A big smiley heart completed the salutation.

  She exhaled a deep breath and then got out of the car. She marched up to the front door and slipped the card underneath it. As she did, the door latch released, and the door swung open. She seemed surprised that the door was unlocked. “Lexa? Are you home, girl?” She peeked through the opening and saw that the immediate room was empty. She called more loudly, “Lexa, it’s me, Gabi. Can I come in?” She waited a moment hoping that Lexa would answer. “You home, girl? Can I come in?” Another moment of silence passed before she got up the nerve to open the door. “I’m coming in, okay?” She opened the door and was immediately hit with the stench of foul air. “What the hell?” The smell was so strong it forced her to retreat briefly. Ah crap, what’s going on here?

  “Oh hell, I’m coming in.” Gabi took a deep breath, held it, and charged into the condo. She had a full head of steam going that took her all the way to the living room. “Oh dear God!” The shock hit her nervous system before she had time to process the heinous scene in front of her. She began to shake uncontrollably, and then she retched. She covered her eyes to blot the ghastly scene out of her mind. Gabi began to pant. “I can’t breathe,” she said in a panic. “I can’t breathe.” She turned and ran to the door without looking back. She was still shielding her eyes when she heard a man’s voice.

  “What’s going on in here?”

  She was too petrified to meet his gaze. She continued to shield her eyes from him with her hand and was too frightened to speak. The man standing in front of her looked imposing.

  “I said what’s going on here? Are you a friend of Lexa’s?”

  The stranger’s voice was insistent but not intimidating. She noticed that he was holding a grocery store bouquet of flowers in his hand. She finally looked up at him. “Who, who are you?” she asked. She slowly wiped the vomit off her lips.

  “My name is Randolph, but Lexa calls me Batman.”

  “Oh, thank God. Lexa talks about you.” She filled her lungs with fresh air. “I thought you were here to kill me too. Call the police. Please, please, call the police.”

  “Slow down. What’s going on here? What is that awful stink?”

  Gabi was on the verge of a meltdown. She pointed behind her into the condo. The stranger capped his nose and mouth and moved past her.

  “Oh Lord, dear Lord!” He was only inside for a moment before he ran out. “Damn, I’ve seen some messed up shit, but Jesus.”

  Gabi started to cry. “Where’s Lexa? Where’s my Lexa?”

  Batman put his arm around her. “She could be all right; there’s only them two boys in there. We’ve got to hope for the best.”

  Gabi buried her face against his shoulder. “I’m so scared. I’m so scared for her.”

  “I’m scared for her too.” Batman sighed. “You got a phone? Like you said, we’d better call the police.”

  Thirty-two: Gossip

  The Hauppauge Homestead was a relatively quiet community. Most of the homeowners had moved in about a dozen years ago when the community was first built. Most of them were retirees who were downsizing and hoping to cut back on their expenses. The community had a quiet and easy flow to it. The streets were lined with pear trees and the traffic was light. It was rare that you would ever see more than three or four neighbors congregating at any one time.

  Today was different.

  The street was filled with onlookers. The members of the community were out in force. The arrival of several police vehicles had sparked their curiosity.

  “Whose house is that?” one of the neighbors asked.

  A second neighbor standing close by responded. “Do you remember, Sue?”

  “Sue?”

  “Yeah, Sue, remember? She was on the social committee.”

  “Oh, that Sue? She passed away, didn’t she?”

  “Yeah, last year. I think her family inherited the place.”

  “So many police, it looks like big trouble. I wonder what happened.”

  A police officer was cordoning off the property. He was unrolling yellow police barrier tape around the pear trees.

  “Look, look what’s going on.”

  The number of onlookers was growing quickly. They were lined up along the perimeter, trying to get a better view of the police activity.

  Gabi and Batman were back in the same place they had first bumped into each other. They were huddled just outside the condo entranceway, where they were answering questions for a Suffolk County police detective.

  Detective Peter Sampson pulled out his notepad. Batman was tall. Sampson had to look up so that he could make eye contact with him. “Your full name, please.”

  “Randolph Johnson,” Batman replied.

  “And your address?”

  Batman paused momentarily and then pointed at his limousine.

  “What are you pointing at?” Sampson asked.

  “My car, Detective.”

  “That’s where you live? You’re homeless?”

  “That’s it, Detective, and that’s all she wrote.”

  “You sleep in your car?”

  Batman chuckled. “Only when I have to. I have plenty of friends and family who put me up, but I’ve got no address if that’s what you’re looking for.”

  “So what were you doing here today, Mr. Johnson?”

  Batman was still holding onto the inexpensive grocery store bouquet. He lifted his hand and showed it to Sampson. “I was bringing these to my friend, Lexa.”

  Sampson checked his pad. “Lexa’s the homeowner?”

  Batman and Gabi both nodded at the same time. “It’s short for Alexandra,” Gabi said.

  “Do you have a relationship with her, Mr. Johnson?”

  “We’re just friends. Lexa and I aren’t romantic, nothing like that. She’s got a kind heart. She makes dinner for her friend sometimes and puts gas in my car too. I was just stopping by to say thanks.”

  “I see,” Sampson said. He turned to Gabi. “And your name, Ma’am?”

  Gabi was still as white as a ghost. “Gabrielle Andersen.”

  “And why were you here, Gabrielle?”

  “I was coming b
y to make up with Lexa.”

  “Make up for what?” Sampson asked.

  “We had a fight.” Gabi’s eyes dropped to the floor. The greeting card she had slipped under the door was still lying just within the entranceway. It had been stepped on by the police entering the condo and was now filthy with footprints. She picked up the card and stared at it. Tears began to drizzle down her cheek.

  “Are you all right, Ma’am?”

  Gabi’s mouth opened, but she had difficulty speaking. “I never had a fight with her before.”

  “What was the fight about?” Sampson asked.

  Gabi stared at Sampson while she searched for the answer. “Lexa was almost raped. I got mad when she dropped the charges.”

  Sampson’s eyebrows rose. “She was involved in an attempted rape?”

  Gabi frowned, and then she began to cry. She nodded and then wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “Are you familiar with her alleged rapist?” Sampson said.

  Gabi’s chin began to quiver. “Oh my God.” Her hand went to her mouth. It sounded as if she was going to throw up again.

  “Could one of the two victims inside be the man who was accused of the attempted rape?” Sampson inched closer to Gabi, despite the fact that she looked like she was about to be sick.

  “I don’t know,” Gabi said as she wept.

  “What was the guy’s name?” Sampson said, pressing for vital information.

  Gabi was crying hysterically.

  Batman put his arm around her. “Detective, could you give her a minute?”

  Sampson silenced him by raising his opened hand. “Gabrielle, I don’t like pushing you like this, but please try to remember; what was the man’s name? It could be very important.”

  Gabi pried her face off Batman’s shoulder. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her nose was running. “Keith,” she said. “He’s a bartender at the Sud’s Shack. His name is Keith.”