Movie Night Murder

by Leslie Langtry

  She knows his signature? She hadn't lived here or worked with him long enough to know that!

  "It looks like my signature," Rex admitted. "But I never filled this out, let alone signed it and delivered it."

  Dr. Body blushed and looked amazing doing it. I totally hated her.

  "I'm so sorry. I thought this was legit!" Her eyes looked like they were going to well up at any moment.

  Riley put his hand on her arm. I did not like that.

  "Who's 'they'? You said 'they' came to pick her up. What did they look like?" he asked calmly.

  Maybe he thought someone else from the CIA made off with Evelyn. I relaxed just a little. If this was the case, then it was all over. Riley could go back home, Rex could forget it all ever happened, and Dr. Body could meet with a terrible, disfiguring accident that would require her to move back to San Francisco. And then the department could hire a fat, ugly man to be the new medical examiner. Crisis averted.

  "It was a man and woman. Both in their early twenties. Said they were the deceased's children. They had the correct paperwork," Soo Jin said.

  She went on to describe two people who looked like millions of other people. Nothing had stood out to her. She'd make a terrible detective, I thought with an inappropriate amount of glee.

  Most people would be flustered or at least feel bad about something like this. And I believed Dr. Body did. But she looked even more beautiful under these circumstances. Like a damsel in distress. I waited for these two men to light into her—like they have to me many, many times.

  Riley soothed, "You did your job. No reason to be concerned."

  Huh?

  Rex agreed. "It's all right. I'll take it from here. Don't worry about it."

  This time, my jaw dropped open. And remained open until we left the medical examiner's office. Then, I exploded.

  "Are you two for real? She handed the body over to two strangers, and you guys are okay with that?"

  Riley looked at me curiously. "It wasn't her fault, Wrath."

  Rex nodded. "She did her job. And the paperwork looked legit. What do you want from the woman?"

  Oh right. I was the jerk. How the hell did that happen?

  "Dr. Body," Riley said, then blushed a little. Really? "Said they were average everything. Average height, brown hair, and so nondescript she didn't remember distinguishing features or eye color."

  I snapped my fingers. "Dr. Body did it! She killed Evelyn! It's the perfect cover—moving to small town Iowa after San Francisco! Who does that?"

  The men ignored me, and I was reduced to following them. Rex stepped up to the information desk and flashed his badge.

  "Detective Rex Ferguson," he said with a grin to a tight-lipped woman. "I need to speak to your head of security. Can you page him for me?"

  The woman nodded and picked up a phone.

  "The hospital has security cameras," I said as I realized what was happening.

  Rex nodded. "Yes they do. Even in the morgue."

  A short, elderly man in a black security uniform rounded the corner and walked up to Rex.

  "I'm Ted Dooley," the older man said. "You must be Rex?" He grinned in a very friendly way. I liked him. His hair and mustache were snowy white, and his blue eyes twinkled. They really twinkled. This guy could be a ringer for Santa.

  "Yes." Rex seemed a little taken aback. "I'm Detective Ferguson."

  The man looked flustered. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't be so informal. I'd just heard all about you from my son."

  "Your son?" Rex asked.

  Mr. Dooley nodded. "Kevin. He's one of your officers."

  Kevin the moron? Kevin had parents? Nice parents? I did not see that coming.

  "Oh, yes." Rex smiled. "He's a good policeman."

  Ted Dooley beamed and shook his head. "You didn't come here to talk about my boy, did you?"

  "No, I didn't," Rex agreed. "We had an incident with the medical examiner. I'd like to see any security footage you might have from this morning."

  Ted smiled. "Of course. This way." He turned and walked down a long hallway.

  At the end of the hall was a glass door that said Security. We entered, and each of us stopped to stare. For a small hospital security department, they had a very up-to-date office. The latest computers and tablets filled every desk. A huge screen overhead monitored at least a dozen security cameras. The floor was carpeted, and the walls were painted a cheery yellow.

  An aroma of fresh coffee filled the air, and a woman in a suit brought her boss a cup. She asked if we needed anything, but only Riley asked for coffee. Ted Dooley ushered us into his office. I thought Rex was going to have a heart attack.

  Dooley's office was three times the size of Rex's. It had floor to ceiling windows and real paneled wood walls. The desk looked like something out of an office supply catalog for millionaires. The man motioned, and we took our seats in three extremely comfortable and newly upholstered chairs.

  "Mavis?" Dooley punched a button on his desk. "Can you send me the footage from this morning?" He told her he wanted the tape from each and every camera.

  The security chief barely sat back before Mavis appeared. It was the woman in the suit from earlier. She handed Dooley a flash drive and hit a button on the wall behind him.

  A large screen unfolded from the ceiling behind us. We turned our chairs around to see a screen split into four, smaller screens. People came and went under the watchful eye of the cameras.

  "Whatever you're looking for," Dooley said, "it'll be here."

  We sat in silence as we watched. I was pretty sure Rex and Riley were flummoxed by the advanced technology here. I hadn't seen offices at Langley this richly appointed. We sat in silence, staring at the four parts of the big screen.

  "No one can get in or out without being picked up by at least three or four cameras," Dooley proclaimed proudly behind us.

  Apparently, it had been a slow day for the hospital, because there were very few people on the screen. That was good because it would be easier to identify our body-snatchers. A time stamp in the lower, right hand corner of each frame showed what time the footage was captured. We made it all the way through to the time it currently was, without seeing a couple—any man and woman together.

  "Did you find what you're looking for?" Dooley asked behind us.

  Rex swiveled in his chair. "Are you sure that's everything? We're looking for a man and woman in their twenties."

  Ted Dooley frowned. "That's everything. I don't see how anyone could've come and gone without the camera noticing it."

  "No one in this footage matches what we were told by Dr. Body," Rex said.

  Riley and I didn't say anything. This was Rex's show, and we weren't going to intrude. But secretly, I felt the thrill of hope that maybe Dr. Body had lied to us. Maybe she took Evelyn! Then, she'd have to be arrested…oh no…

  "Let's run it again," The security chief finally said.

  So, we turned back to face the screen and watched again. But no matter how hard we looked, we never saw a couple who matched Soo Jin's description.

  "Maybe they came separately?" Dooley asked.

  I spoke up, "There isn't any footage of the body being wheeled out of here. Shouldn't that be on the tape?"

  "Oh, wait a minute." Dooley punched a few keys on a keyboard on his desk.

  This time, an image of one of the parking lots came up.

  "You didn't tell me they were picking up a body. The morgue has a separate entrance for the funeral homes to drive up to."

  Sure enough, a dark van came into view and backed up right under the camera. We couldn't see the rear doors, so we couldn't see if a body was loaded into it.

  "No one got out of the cab," I said. "Do you think they did it all through the back of the van?"

  After a few seconds, the van pulled away. There was no license plate, no markings at all on the van. It drove straight until it was out of sight.

  "Whoever they were—" Dooley frowned. "—they were smart enough to avoi
d our cameras."

  "Which means they'd done some reconnaissance to see where all the security cameras were," Rex said.

  These two, whoever they were, were pros.

  "This wasn't done by family members," Riley said.

  I nodded. "This was done by professionals."

  We thanked Ted Dooley and made our way outside to the car. None of us spoke—we were all trying to process what we'd seen…or hadn't seen. The drive back to the police station was almost equally quiet, except for Rex calling the station and putting an APB out on the van.

  "Who do you think grabbed the body?" Riley finally broke the silence.

  Rex rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Do you think the Agency sent someone?"

  "Not a chance." Riley scowled. "They sent me. And even then they demanded I keep a low profile. No, this isn't CIA."

  "Feds?" I asked hopefully. But I knew the FBI wouldn't get involved.

  "You said that Evelyn…or Vanessa that is, had gone rogue. Could it be another country that took her?"

  Riley shrugged. "There's no way of knowing at this point."

  "Ugh," I groaned. "More terrorists." That was all I needed.

  CHAPTER NINE

  We sat in the car, each thinking our own thoughts. It didn't help. On the one hand, this whole case was out of Rex's hands. On the other hand, someone bad was scooping up bodies in our little town. I didn't like bad guys here. This was my home.

  Rex opened the car door, and we followed his lead, stepping out into the sunshine.

  "I'm going in to call the airport," he said. "You two head over there and look for something suspicious."

  I nodded. Riley and I got back into the car and hit the airport in ten minutes. I loved our little airport. It was small and homey but still had five airlines using it. Now it just seemed like terrorist central. Someone should have a discussion with them about the "no fly" list.

  "You go to baggage handling, and see if anyone's checked a coffin," I said to Riley. "Your security clearance should get you through."

  Riley agreed. "What are you going to do?"

  "I'll walk around, see if anyone stands out," I said.

  This was my training kicking in. I was pretty good at noticing things. If anyone looked out of place or spoke in a foreign language, I'd spot them. Besides, I spoke four languages myself, including Russian and Japanese. I entered the lobby and headed straight for the sitting area.

  It was packed. That was weird considering it was almost noon. Most commuters flew early in the morning or late afternoon. I scanned the airline departures screen. There were three flights leaving in a few minutes. One was to Chicago, one to St. Louis, and one to Minneapolis. The Chicago flight must be it. O'Hare was the biggest international hub. You could fly out of there to Europe or Mexico.

  I started walking around the seating area, trying to blend in. Unfortunately, all I had was my purse. I didn't look like a traveler. So, I acted like I was there to pick someone up. For ten minutes, I worked my way around the area, pausing to check my watch or purse, in order to eavesdrop. There were three couples flying who matched Dr. Body's description.

  I sat down near the first couple. The woman was studying something on her phone, and the man was leaning back, eyes closed. He was far too relaxed to be the bad guy. These two didn't seem likely, and I was running out of time. Still, I took a discreet photo of them with my phone before moving on.

  The next couple was a few rows over. I stood behind them, pretending to look for something in my purse, while taking more pics on my phone. In this case, the woman was constantly scanning the room, while the man was reading a novel. Half the couple seemed to be a likely candidate, but the other wasn't. In my experience, when the heat is on, people act nervous. This guy didn't have a care in the world.

  The last couple was leaning up against a wall. They were locked in a very quiet conversation. I walked over and then bent down to tie my shoelace. I couldn't hear them well enough to decide what they were saying. Was this them?

  I stood up and walked over to the opposite wall, leaning back against it, and while pretending to scrutinize my phone, took pictures of this last couple. It if was anyone, it was these two. Now, I just had to wait for Riley.

  "Wrath," Riley said softly as he appeared next to me. "No one has checked a coffin or even anything as big as a coffin."

  "Deal breaker?" I murmured.

  "I think so. This is a dead end. Unless they stashed the body—which is highly unlikely since they went to such an effort to steal it—the people we're looking for aren't here." Riley put his hand on my back and we made our way to the parking lot.

  "Rex?" I'd dialed him as soon as we got to the car. "Nothing here. Any news?"

  "Nothing." Rex sounded frustrated.

  I could understand that. "Do you want us to come to your office?"

  "No. Head home. I'll stop over in an hour or so after I make some more calls." He hung up.

  Riley and I stewed in our own thoughts as we drove back to my house. Who would have commandeered Evelyn's body? Was it someone she'd worked for? Someone who hated her? The possibilities were endless. Would we ever have an answer? I wasn't so sure.

  Technically speaking, Rex could turn this over to the Iowa State Police. Or better yet, let the CIA handle it and send Riley packing. And while I liked that idea, I knew I'd want to know what had happened. It would be virtually impossible for me to wait on the sidelines for news that was too classified for me.

  Whoever killed Evelyn also knew something about me. Enough to frame me in that fax to the Agency. That was disturbing. Even worse, they'd involved my troop by chucking her body at the church. Who were this mysterious man and woman? And how did they know me…or at least, something about me? A little thought crept out of the gloom inside my head.

  "What if I was an assignment? What if Evelyn had been assigned to accompany me to DC?" I asked.

  Riley thought about this. "It's possible. You could've been the target."

  "And the body snatchers could be the ones who assigned her to shadow me."

  "I like that idea even less," Riley said. "Because that means it's not over."

  Great. He was never leaving now.

  "Or…maybe she was hanging with me to hide out? What better cover than to hide with a bunch of kid tourists?"

  Riley nodded. "I guess that's possible too."

  Possible. I didn't like that word anymore. I wanted definitive answers on this. I wanted to know…everything! Why was that so hard? I considered these two options—one, that I'd been a target, and two, that Evelyn was hiding out.

  "In both scenarios," Riley said, "someone is gunning for you."

  He was right. I wished he wasn't. Why couldn't I just have a normal life with my lively Girl Scout troop and pink cat?

  My cell rang.

  "Rex?" I asked once I saw the caller ID.

  "We found the van," he said. "It's parked at the high school."

  "On our way!" I said before hanging up.

  Riley and I made good time there. The van was the only vehicle in the lot. At least there wasn't any school today. We joined Rex at his car. Kevin was on alert, and by that I mean eating his way through a bag of cheese puffs while staring at his phone. How in hell could he be Ted Dooley's son?

  "Did you check it out?" I asked.

  Rex nodded. "No drivers and worse, no body."

  I slumped. "Maybe it isn't the right car?"

  "It's the right one," Rex said, holding out a baggie containing a rectangular piece of paper attached to string. "I found the toe tag."

  I took the baggie from him. Evelyn Trout was printed on it.

  "Fingerprints?" Riley asked when I handed the baggie to him.

  Rex shook his head. "I don't know. I've got a team coming to process the van. We should know soon."

  "Any witnesses?" I asked.

  The high school was on the edge of town, surrounded by cornfields. Across the street was the 4-H complex where we held county fairs. On the next block wa
s the school administration building.

  "I don't know who we would ask," Rex said. "I sent Kevin to scout the fairgrounds for anyone, but he didn't find anything."

  I glanced at Kevin, who was now smearing bright orange cheese dust across the front of his uniform. I doubt if Kevin could find his own head with both hands and a mirror.

  "They must've met up with someone," I said as I walked around the van. "Whoever it was picked them and the body up here. Then they probably just took that road out of town."

  Rex was talking to Kevin, who was listening while opening a bag of chips. He nodded and walked to his black and white. We watched as he drove off.

  "There's a farm down the road," Rex said. "Belongs to Herbert Bailey."

  I frowned. "How do I know that name?"

  Rex shrugged. "It's an old farm. The same family has lived there for maybe one hundred years."

  "Ah. Now I know who you're talking about. The Baileys had about a dozen kids. There was one in every grade."

  In my grade was Seamus Bailey. He'd been an all-star everything. Nice guy.

  "You think the Baileys might've seen something?" I asked.

  "It never hurts to ask. It's still nice out. Farmers are always outside working this time of year," Rex said.

  "Yes, but the Baileys are Irish Catholic. Working on a Sunday isn't something they would normally do," I replied.

  Still, it was definitely worth a shot. At least it couldn't hurt.

  Rex gave us the details of finding the van. Someone had called it in anonymously. I guess a strange, black conversion van in the middle of a high school parking lot on a weekend would seem pretty creepy.

  Kevin's black-and-white pulled up, followed by a brand new blue pickup truck. The man who got out looked familiar. Probably my age, sun tanned with short, curly red hair. Yup. That's what the Baileys had looked like. All of them had red hair.

  "Detective." The man shook Rex's hand. Kevin went back to eating. "My name is Seamus Bailey. The officer said you had some questions for me?"

  Rex glared at Kevin. He was supposed to interview anyone he found at the farm, not bring them in. I wasn't surprised at all.