PALINDROME

by Lawrence Kelter

  Raindrops began to fall on his windshield. He still had not heard back from dispatch. He could see the road surface grow slick from the rain.

  “I have a unit for you, Detective. It’s heading east on Montauk Highway. ETA two minutes.”

  “Great.” Sampson knew the area. Mecox road was a fairly quiet strip of road. The chances of catching her would change for the worse if she made it to Montauk Highway. Montauk Highway was the business district and had numerous tributary roads branching from it. She would have several escape options if she made it that far, far too many for the Bridgehampton Police Department to cover. The white sedan was just visible ahead of him.

  ~~~

  “You’re going too fast,” Ax said. “The road’s slick. You’ll lose control.”

  “We killed a man. Correction, we each killed a man. If I stop, we’ll go to jail for a long time.”

  “And you think we’ll be able to outrun the police? We’re better off on foot. We can change into anyone and blend into the crowd. Pull over, and we’ll make a run for it.”

  “Pull over where? They’re just a few blocks behind us.”

  “I’m telling you, it’s our best bet.”

  Ax was right. He was always right. “Okay, but not here. Montauk Highway is just a few blocks up. There’s dozens of stores on it. I’ll swing a turn up there—we’ll ditch the car and make a run for it.”

  Ax took his eyes off the road and turned to me. “This will work,” he said. “Don’t worry.”

  ~~~

  Sampson pushed the accelerator further, way beyond his comfort zone. “C’mon, baby, c’mon—the roads are slick. Slow down.” He hit the steering wheel repeatedly. He grew exasperated as he tried to narrow the distance between him and the Buick sedan. He was finally closing in on the Buick when he heard the backup unit’s siren approaching ahead of him. All right, they’re here, finally. “Slow down, Honey, slow down.” Sampson was just three blocks behind the Buick and was pulling closer.

  “Slow down, Honey, slow down,” he repeated. He could see the lights on the police cruiser’s roof rack. The cruiser was moving in fast. He heard the screech of tires and could see the police cruiser as it skid to a halt, turning sideways and blocking the road. We’ve got her.

  Sampson watched the Buick waiting for it to slow down. “God, she’s going too fast.” Sampson had already slowed down himself, anticipating that the chase was coming to an end. He was looking directly at the Buick when he heard the sound of its screeching tires. The Buick veered sharply. Sampson gasped as he watched the car slide on the wet pavement. The Buick made an enormous thud as it careened off a broad oak tree, bounced off, and flipped over.

  Sampson raced over to the crash. The uniformed policeman was already out of his cruiser. He was on his knees looking into the overturned Buick when Sampson approached. He got down alongside of him and looked in with him. An unconscious woman was belted into her seat and was hanging upside down. The airbag had deployed, but the front windshield was smashed. The driver’s face was covered with blood. Sampson tried to open the door, but it was caught in the car’s crushed frame and would not budge. The policeman pulled out his radio. “Dispatch, this is Officer Kent. We have an overturned vehicle on Mecox Road south of Montauk Highway. The driver is trapped in the car and looks to be unconscious. I need a rescue unit and an ambulance.”

  The dispatcher’s voice crackled over Kent’s radio, “I’m on it, Officer Kent. Any passengers?”

  Kent double-checked the passenger compartment before he replied. “No passengers,” he said, “just the driver.”

  Forty-eight: The Palindrome

  Peter Sampson looked up at the wall clock in the hospital waiting room. It was 7:00 p.m. Lexa Ameleon had gone into surgery directly from the emergency room. By his watch, she had been under the knife for the better part of three hours. He walked over to the receptionist and asked if there was an update on her condition, but there was no new information other than a reminder that the cafeteria on the lower level was still open if he wanted something to eat.

  “You look like a lost soul.” Sampson turned around to see Lieutenant Janik standing behind him. “Long day, huh?”

  “Hi, Lieutenant, thanks for coming.”

  “How is she doing?”

  “She’s got facial lacerations, a stomach wound, contusions, a broken leg, and a punctured lung.” He shrugged. “They’ve been patching her up for hours.”

  “Have you had anything to eat?

  “Eat? No, I was afraid I’d miss something.”

  “Come with me. I’ve been in this hospital before, and they make a chicken a la king to die for.” He stopped by the reception counter and showed the receptionist his badge. “I’m Lieutenant Janik with the Suffolk County Police Department. Detective Sampson and I will be in the cafeteria. I need to be notified the second there’s an update on Alexandra Ameleon’s condition. Can you assist me with that?”

  “Absolutely, Lieutenant, I’ll come and get you myself.” She glanced over at Sampson with a sympathetic smile. “Put some food in that poor man’s stomach. We have patients that look better than he does.”

  Janik smiled. “Thank you. We won’t be long.”

  Sampson and Janik took the elevator down to the lower level. They picked up serving trays and got on the service line.

  Janik read the menu, which was posted on the wall. “There’s no chicken a la king tonight, Peter. I misled you.”

  “What’s the special?”

  “Vegetable lasagna.”

  “Vegetable lasagna? What’s wrong with regular lasagna? A little meat and cheese never killed anyone.”

  Janik gave Sampson a playful pat on the belly. “A healthy choice never killed anyone either.”

  “Screw that. My wife gives me one indulgence day a week. I’ve been going hog wild on fast food all day. I go back on salad and carrots in the morning. I need some comfort food.”

  Janik checked the menu again. “They’ve got you covered, beef stroganoff.”

  “That’ll do.”

  They found a quiet table away from the cashier’s counter and sat down. Sampson had the food in his mouth instantly.

  “Feeling better?”

  Sampson nodded while he chewed. He looked down at his plate. “Not much of a portion.”

  “First off, congratulations on finding Sparks. I say he looks good as the shooter in the double homicide.”

  “Oh, he looks real good. Too bad he’s dead. I would’ve loved to see him squirm a little.”

  “Guys like that don’t squirm, Peter. At least he saved the taxpayers the cost of a trial.

  “What killed him?”

  “At first glance, it looks like he had a heart attack. We’ll know more tomorrow.”

  “I guess he was some bad-ass drug dealer who wanted to make a move on this guy Hernitos. I’m guessing that he took Lexa down to the Sag Harbor Marina for that purpose. The DEA was there to keep an eye on Hernitos. I don’t know how she fits into his scheme.”

  “We’ll know as soon as she comes around. What about this other attorney, Bolan? What’s his deal?”

  “He said that he’s her friend and that he bumped into her on the ship. He said she was agitated, and he drove her down to the beach to give her a chance to calm down.”

  “You buy his story?”

  “Yeah, I don’t know . . . maybe. I’ve got more loose ends than I can tie up in one day.”

  “Speaking of loose ends some additional information came in while you were in the field.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well first off the powder they found in that Chinese canister was Haldol.”

  “Haldol? Is that something new on the street?”

  “No, it’s an antipsychotic.”

  “And she had a canister of it? How did she get that much?”

  “There’s only one way, Peter. She must have emptied out capsules every day for as long as it took to fill it up. She has a history of multiple personality disorde
r. According to her medical history, she has a minimum of three distinct personalities.”

  “Oh, that’s a shame, a pretty young girl like that. Sparks took advantage of her. I’m sure he knew about her medical history.”

  “She must have been getting worse. She was in the ER at Stony Brook University Medical Center last week. Apparently, she gave herself an injection of local anesthetic. It could be a symptom that she had an episode of delirium. She must be high-functioning, though, because she holds down a job as a dental assistant and is working on her bachelor’s degree.”

  Sampson smiled. “So you think one of them goes to school while the other one goes to work? I mean two can cover more ground than one.”

  “That’s not funny.” Janik laughed in spite of himself. “Maybe the third one cleans the house.”

  Sampson laughed so hard that a noodle flew out of his mouth. “I’m sorry, it’s been a long day.” He looked up and saw the receptionist rushing toward their table.

  “She’s out of surgery, detectives. She’ll be taken to the intensive care unit as soon as she comes out of recovery. The surgeon said she did okay.”

  “Thank you,” Janik said.

  “You’re welcome.” She turned and walked back toward the elevators.

  “You know you don’t have to wait, Peter. She’s not going anywhere.”

  “Na, I’m going to stick around a while. I told my wife not to wait up.”

  “Put in all the hours you like. I’m giving you carte blanche on overtime.”

  “Thanks, boss, I appreciate it.”

  “You did a hell of a job today, Detective, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a commendation in it for you.”

  Sampson scraped the last morsel of food off his plate. “Thanks, but right now I’d settle for some pecan pie.”

  ~~~

  Sampson grabbed a newspaper and settled in while he waited for Lexa Ameleon to be brought to the ICU. He saw a shadow over his newspaper and looked up.

  “Can I wait with you?” Bolan said.

  “Sure, if you don’t mind me pumping you for information.”

  Bolan sat down next to Sampson. “They told me the surgery went well. I’m very relieved.”

  Sampson closed his newspaper. “I guess you’re dating her?”

  Bolan smiled conceding guilt. “Yes, but not for very long.”

  “How long?”

  “I met Allie a couple of weeks ago. She was involved in a case with one of my clients.”

  “Allie? Everyone calls her Lexa.”

  “I only know her as Allie, short for Alexandra. That was the name on the legal settlement I prepared. The check was made out to Alexandra Ameleon.”

  Does he know about her condition? Which one is he dating? Sampson mused. “I guess either name is short for Alexandra.”

  Bolan nodded.

  “Are you at liberty to discuss the case?”

  “Attorney-client privilege, Detective, you understand.”

  “Was the defendant Keith Cooper?”

  “Yes.” Bolan said. He seemed agitated. “Was he the reason for all this? A restraining order was filed. He was supposed to stay away from her.”

  “Well, he didn’t. You can make full disclosure now because your client is dead. You remember the double homicide I mentioned when I met you this afternoon?”

  Bolan’s head slumped. “Attorneys are despised for defending unsavory people. You try to give a person a second chance, and they squander it.”

  Sampson saw revelation on Bolan’s face. “What’s up?”

  “Tomaso was the one who asked me to defend Keith Cooper.”

  “He was an attorney; why didn’t he handle it himself?”

  “He wasn’t involved with criminal work. He was a tax attorney.”

  “You mentioned a legal settlement. Cooper was arrested on sexual assault. She accepted a monetary settlement and the DA dropped the criminal charges?”

  “Yes.”

  “How much?”

  “Fifty thousand dollars.”

  “That’s a lot of cash. Cooper had that kind of change?”

  “Tomaso prepared the check. It was an attorney’s check drawn on the firm’s account.”

  “Maybe it was Sparks who put up the money. In the two days I’ve known about him, I found out that he was involved with a physician who was running a pill mill. He may also be responsible for the murders of two young men, Keith Cooper and a heroin addict. I believe he may have been conspiring to murder this Hernitos character, presumably to usurp control of his narcotics syndicate.”

  “Hernitos is involved with drugs?”

  “Really, you didn’t know?”

  Bolan shook his head.

  “You really aren’t a typical attorney.”

  The hospital receptionist was hustling back toward Sampson. “She’s been moved to ICU, Detective, but she’s sleeping again.”

  “Will they let me see her?”

  “Maybe for a minute or two. You’ll have to check with the ICU nurse.”

  “Thank you.” Sampson turned to Bolan. “Let’s go see our girl.”

  ~~~

  Sampson and Bolan walked quietly into the room. Sampson looked at Lexa. He had never seen her up close before. “The poor thing, she got banged up pretty bad. She’s lucky to be alive.”

  Bolan was studying her face. He wiped a tear from his eye. “I hardly recognize her.”

  “I imagine it will be a while before all the swelling goes down. Her face hit the windshield.”

  Bolan cringed, and then he gently stroked her cheek. “She’s a very sweet girl, Detective. She didn’t deserve this.”

  “I’m sure she didn’t.”

  One of the intensive care nurses was a young man with dark hair. “You’ll have to go now, gentlemen. We have some work to do, and the patient will need privacy. I’m sure she’ll be awake in the morning. Why don’t you come back then? ICU has visiting hours from eight until nine thirty in the morning.”

  “Understood,” Sampson said. “Thank you.”

  Bolan bent over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. Another tear formed and slipped before he could wipe it away.

  Sampson took his arm. “C’mon,” he said compassionately. “Let the man work.”

  The nurse waited until the two men were gone before surrounding the bed with the privacy curtain. The dressing on the patient’s stomach wound required changing. He moved aside her blanket and hospital gown, exposing a small tattoo. It was a red outlined figure of an Oriental warrior. The palindrome LEXA-AXEL ran across it.

  The nurse changed the dressing and then readjusted the patient’s hospital gown and blanket. He peeked out through the opening in the privacy curtain to make sure that they were alone. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “It’s time to wake up, Lexa. It’s your brother, it’s Ax.”

  Lexa and Ax will return in

  Palindrome Book Two: Rise of the Warrior