Anticipation

by Terri Breneman

  Paul had apologized about the assignment sheet and explained that David had expressed an interest in white-collar crime. He told her that he had been so swamped this past week that he literally assigned the cases by just going down the list of attorneys, without 189

  regard to their experience. Each new case was delegated to the next name on the list. He had apologized again and promised to rectify the situation. After he had left, Anne noticed that, in fact, the assignments did follow the alphabetical list of attorneys and that by some coincidence, the women had been given the minor cases. Still, Paul just didn’t seem to be himself. He’d seemed distracted, or something.

  David Wellington III had arrived next. He was skittish, but she wrote that off to being a fairly new attorney summoned to the boss’s office. She explained to him that she was removing him from the embezzlement case but would allow him to second chair with Elizabeth. This would give him the exposure and experience that would enable him to possibly do the next one alone. He seemed slightly annoyed but mostly distracted. When Anne had asked him how things were going otherwise, he grinned broadly and announced that everything was fine. To Anne, this seemed way out of character.

  After talking to these two, she was ready to confide in someone about the unusual behavior. When Sam walked in her office, her first instinct was to talk to him. That thought quickly disappeared when he sat down. His eyes looked a little glassy and he didn’t seem to be focused. Anne wondered briefly if he was drunk. She quickly explained the situation about Peter, and Sam merely nodded. After she finished, Sam rose to leave and announced that he would take care of it immediately. At the last minute he turned to her and smiled. For a moment she saw a glimpse of the old Sam, but then it was gone.

  By the time Frank left, Anne was fairly well convinced that everyone was having major attitude problems or she had lost her mind. Frank had displayed his usual arrogance, but it seemed to have a sharper edge than normal. He also looked like he had a few too many cups of coffee. Anne noticed his hands were a little shaky.

  She was still trying to digest all this when Dorothy knocked and entered.

  “I’m getting ready to head home,” Dorothy said. “Is there anything else you need tonight?”

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  “No, but thanks,” Anne said, still troubled. She must have had a disconcerted look on her face because Dorothy walked over to one of the chairs and sat down.

  “What’s wrong, Anne?” she asked.

  Anne looked up and smiled. She trusted Dorothy and knew she could read people like a book. “This might sound nuts,” she began,

  “but did you notice anything different about the people I talked to this afternoon?”

  “Different in what way?” Dorothy asked.

  “I’m not really sure. It just seemed like everyone was, well, not themselves . . . or something.”

  Dorothy nodded her head slowly. “Do you really want my opinion?”

  “Please,” Anne implored. “I have a bad feeling and I’m not sure if it’s something I’m missing here, or if it’s just me and I’m losing my mind.”

  “Well,” Dorothy said as she made herself a little more comfortable. “I’ve been at that desk for many years now. And I’ve watched folks come and go. Some decent and some a little underhanded, if you ask me. But I will say that all the people here now seem to be pretty good at their jobs.”

  Anne just looked at her. This was not what she had in mind when she asked for her opinion.

  Dorothy gave her a soothing smile. “Now, as to the people you saw today, let’s see. Frank is Frank. He reminds me of the men who worked here twenty-five years ago, but not quite as polite. He has that good ol’ boy mentality. He’s been a little more short-tempered the last few weeks. Sam? Very personable. I like him. He seems to care. He was very much on edge today. When he came in this afternoon he looked frustrated. Very frustrated. Who else? Oh, that David boy. He’s not right. He’s like a lost puppy who refuses to admit that he doesn’t know up from down. I’m sure he’s good on the legal side of things, but that boy has no social skills. And then there’s Paul. Well, he and I go back many years. He has always been very kind to me . . . and very professional. He always seems to do the right thing, and I understand he’s one of the best in the 191

  courtroom. I have no reason for this, but I don’t like him. Never have. Today was no different.” She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. She smiled, mostly to herself it seemed, as if she appreciated Anne’s asking. “It’s not you, Anne,” she concluded. “I think there’s a lot of stress in the office the last few weeks and everyone seems to express it in different ways. You just happened to get a large dose of it today.”

  “Thanks, Dorothy,” Anne said. “I was beginning to wonder. I thought maybe I was overreacting. I really appreciate your candor.”

  Dorothy was clearly pleased. She again asked if there was anything she could do for Anne, who just shook her head.

  “Have a really good evening, Dorothy. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Anne remained at her desk and stared at her notes. Dorothy was probably right. Everyone had been tense these past couple weeks. She smiled. She remembered when she was in law school.

  During finals everyone was incredibly stressed. Some of the students would eat junk food all day and carry their books from one fast food place to another. Others would be camped out at the library from morning to night. Still others found that cleaning everything in sight worked for them. They always had the cleanest apartments during finals. For Anne, lifting weights was her stress reliever. She realized that she had been doing an extra set every morning for the past few weeks. That must be what’s going on, she thought. Everyone was dealing with the situation in different ways.

  Satisfied that she had a handle on the situation, she decided to finish up some work. If she could get one more pile out of the way, she would feel much better. She glanced at her watch. It was 5:45.

  She called Bill and told him she would be working late. He sounded worried, but she promised to call him when she left the office. She also reminded him that she had an escort home.

  “Just be extra careful, honey,” he said.

  “I will. It won’t be too long. Only an hour or so. I just want to get this out of the way.”

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  After hanging up from Bill, Anne paged the officer assigned to her in the afternoons. He called back immediately.

  “Johnny?” she asked. “This is Anne Mulhoney. I’m going to work in my office for another hour or so. Go ahead and do whatever you need to do. I’ve got your pager number, so I’ll beep you when I’m ready to go.”

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  CHAPTER 20

  Toni glanced at her watch. It was after 5:30 and she knew Boggs would appear any minute now. She’d only seen her briefly twice in the hall today. She had been in a hurry both times, so they merely smiled at each other.

  Toni packed up her briefcase and straightened her desk. She was anxious to get out of the office today. The stress level seemed to have risen as the day progressed and her visit from Betty kept popping up in her mind. Her paranoia skyrocketed every time she thought about it. As if to confirm that fact, she nearly jumped out of her chair at the sound of Boggs’s voice.

  “Oh, my God,” she said. “You scared the shit out of me.” Boggs was immediately apologetic. “I’m sorry. I should have knocked. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, just paranoid. Sorry. I hope you’re ready to hit the road, because I can’t wait to get out of here and out of these damn pantyhose.”

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  Boggs grinned. “Absolutely.” She went a little closer. “And I’d love to get you out of those pantyhose.” Toni smiled. “Be patient. Okay, I’m ready. I just have to drop this report off at Anne’s office and then we can head out.” Even though Anne had told her not to worry about the report, she felt good completing it.

  The man was so excited he could hardly contain himself. This was better than he had ever hoped for. He’d hea
rd Anne’s conversation with Dorothy and her two phone calls. He could hardly believe his luck.

  He had been hiding in his secret place. It was a former men’s bathroom located right next to Anne’s office. It had two doors, one on an outside hallway and the other in Anne’s office. Apparently, one of the previous prosecutors had ordered it locked because not only could the bathroom patrons hear him, he could clearly hear them. Most people weren’t even aware that it was there, and there was no longer a sign on the outer door. The door inside Anne’s office was partly obscured by a coatrack. He had found the locked door one weekend months ago when he was in the office.

  Intrigued, he located a key from one of the old janitors. He quickly realized the potential of this hideaway. After hearing Anne’s plans for the evening, he hurried back to his office.

  Once in his office he made a showing of preparing to leave for home. He said good night to almost everyone he saw and carried his coat on his arm. Just before he reached the elevators, he turned and entered the stairwell, as was his normal custom. He never did like riding the elevators, especially if there were other people inside. He stood just inside the stairway and listened. When he heard the elevator door close he proceeded up two flights of stairs.

  He knew that floor would be deserted this time of night. He quickly walked to the back set of stairs and went down to his floor.

  The back stairway was located only a few feet from his office.

  He was ready. The thought was almost too much for him and 195

  he again willed himself to calm down. He took a deep breath. He still had plenty of time. He checked his pocket and felt the cold, hard steel of his knife. It was well oiled. It was razor sharp. But still, he had to check. He knew that his ability to double-check details was one of the reasons he was great. He slowly pulled the knife from his pocket. He could feel himself salivate and he ran his tongue over his lips. The knife caught the light from above and glistened. He tingled with excitement. Then with a practiced hand he sprung the knife open. Perfect. Slowly and with loving care he returned it to his pocket.

  He went over the details one more time in his head. The voices were helping him now as he envisioned the entire thing. There would be some deviations in this one, but still it would be an act of perfection. He would not be able to retrieve pretty panties for this one, so he would have to use what she had on. He also realized he wouldn’t have to wear gloves. He had been in her office only hours ago, so his prints would naturally be there.

  He continued to play out the scene in his mind, becoming more excited as the moment approached. He had decided on the ruse to use for this one. He would ask her if he could borrow a few dollars, saying that he forgot his wallet. She would, of course, agree and go over to her filing cabinet. Everyone knew that Anne kept her purse in the filing cabinet. Once her back was to him, he would be able to fulfill his destiny. He would then put on his coat and calmly leave. He never got any blood on himself. He was taller than his victims and always attacked from behind. After the quick slash, he’d watch as the blood spurted from their neck away from him before they fell to the ground. But even if he did get blood on him this time, his coat would cover it. He knew there would be no one at his house when he got home. Perfect. He would be able to relive the moment over and over. Life was good.

  He peeked out his office door before going to Anne’s office.

  There was no one in sight and he expected to see no one. If trouble somehow arose, he would be able to utilize his secret place. He had unlocked the inner door earlier. He knocked lightly on Anne’s door and entered.

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  Anne looked up from her desk as if mildly surprised to see him again.

  “What are you still doing here?” she asked. “Working late?” He nodded. Then he smiled. “Just a little. I wanted to clear up a few things.” His hand was inside his pocket. The feel of the cold metal made him giddy. His heart was pounding. He tried to compose himself, but heard his voice crack slightly when he spoke.

  “Actually, I have a huge favor to ask of you,” he said, convincingly to his ear. “I was wondering if I could borrow a few dollars. I left my wallet at home. It would really get me out of a jam.” Anne smiled. She always did like a problem that could easily be fixed, he thought. She rose from her desk and crossed the office. As she opened the file drawer and pulled out her purse, he was behind her. He pulled the knife from his pocket and flipped it open. This was as perfect as he knew it would be. In a flash the knife was on her throat. Then he thought he heard voices in the hall. The sound stopped his movement for just a moment. Anne turned her head slightly before the knife made contact. He’d begun to move away as the knife sliced through her skin. People were coming.

  After he let her fall to the floor, he heard the voices again, this time louder. He looked down at Anne and realized that he would not be able to finish. At least not right now. He panicked for only a split second then scurried to the door behind the coatrack and slipped inside. The door had just softly clicked shut when he heard a knock on Anne’s door. Then he heard the door open and Boggs yell for Toni to call 911.

  There was no time to spare. He unlocked the outer door of the bathroom and quietly let himself out, relocking the door behind him. He reached the stairwell without seeing anyone and descended to the parking garage. He was two blocks away in his car when he saw the ambulance. He pulled off to the side of the road, just like everyone else. Then he smiled so wide it made his face hurt. They were too late. The great one had struck again.

  Even though he was unable to complete the lesson for Anne, just the fact that he performed it in her office, inside the Metro building, while she’d had bodyguards assigned, was enough to make 197

  him proud. Very proud. He went home, happy and content. He couldn’t wait for the call informing him of Anne’s horrible death.

  Back at Metro, Boggs was kneeling next to Anne’s body, apply-ing pressure to the wound as best she could without cutting off her air supply. Anne was barely alive.

  Joe, one of the Metro guards carrying a first-aid kit, rushed in with Toni on his heels. Since Toni had called 911, the cops were everywhere.

  The guard pulled a large bandage from his first-aid pack and said to Boggs, “Here. Put this on the wound. It’ll cover a bigger area.”

  Boggs complied. It seemed like a lot of blood was lost in that brief moment that she released her hand.

  Joe felt for a pulse. “She’s still with us.” Boggs looked to the door, anxious for the medics to arrive. She knew every minute was crucial. She looked at Toni. “Lean down and put your ear near her mouth and nose. Her breathing is so shallow, it’ll be hard to tell if she quits.” Toni leaned down as she was told. “She’s barely breathing.” The medics finally appeared. Joe, Boggs and Toni moved away, watching as the crew went to work in a frantic effort to save Anne’s life. In no time, an IV was in place and they were wheeling her out of the office. They just stared.

  “Now all we can do is say a few prayers,” Joe whispered.

  Boggs nodded and looked down at her hands, covered in wet blood. Joe wiped off as much as he could with some paper towels, for which Boggs was grateful.

  By now the police had taken over and the crime scene unit had arrived. Boggs noticed it was the number one team and she shivered inside. This was the same team who’d worked all the other Crown murders. She closed her eyes for a moment and prayed Anne wouldn’t be number five.

  “Let’s go out in the hall,” Toni said, looking a little pale.

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  Patty was there blocking off the office with crime scene tape.

  “Are you okay?”

  They nodded.

  “Do you want me to have one of the guys drive you home?” she asked.

  Boggs took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “No,” she answered. “I think I’m okay to drive. It’ll just take a little while for me to recover.”

  “You look like you’re both in a bit of a shock,” Patty said softly.

 
“Is Vicky still working the night shift?” When Boggs nodded, she offered to call Vicky at home and fill her in on the situation.

  Vicky insisted on coming by Metro to drive them home. Patty seemed geared up for an argument, but Boggs only shrugged.

  What could she say? She was too drained to argue. Patty left Toni and Boggs sitting in the outer office while she finished her work.

  After containing the area, Patty returned to Toni and Boggs.

  “I need to take initial statements from you,” she said and sat down at Dorothy’s desk. “You first, Boggs.” Toni went into the hall and Patty pulled a chair next to the desk.

  Boggs sighed as she sat down. “I didn’t see a thing, Patty. I can’t believe this. I didn’t see anyone. We were walking down the hall, just talking, and I thought I heard something fall. Then I just headed to her office. No one came out. There was no one in there but her. I can’t believe this.”

  Patty wrote down what Boggs said then put her arm around her. “It’s okay, Boggs. Let me talk to Toni for a second.” Boggs went to get Toni. Her color had improved but she was still in shock. While she gave her statement, Boggs took a long drink from the water fountain.

  Vicky arrived at Metro within 20 minutes. She looked like she had just gotten out of the shower and thrown on some old clothes.

  Boggs was never so grateful to see someone. Vicky spoke to Patty for a few minutes then herded Toni and Boggs to her car. The drive to Toni’s apartment was quiet.

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  By the time they got there, Boggs had pulled herself together.

  She and Vicky did a sweep of the apartment and sighed in relief when no one was found.

  “Toni, go upstairs and put on some comfy clothes,” Vicky instructed. “Boggs, you need to change, too. And you might want to wash up a little,” she said after eyeing her hands.

  Both Boggs and Toni complied. By the time they returned to the living room, Vicky had fed Mr. Rupert and poured three glasses of iced tea. Everyone sat on the couch, including Mr.

  Rupert, who yowled.