Charles double clicked on the picture and another file opened. This had a smaller picture of the girl in the upper right hand corner. The remainder of the screen was filled with data.
Name: Kimi Thomas
Mother: Alicia Thomas
Birth date: August 6, 2000
Father: Unknown
Date missing: June 25, 2013
Next of kin: Sally Cloud, Aunt
Identifying marks: Two-inch crescent scar on right hip, evidence of broken medial malleolus of the left tibia, evidence of an appendectomy.
Notes: Kimi Thomas disappeared on June 25, 2013, but was not reported missing until two weeks later. Her aunt filed the report. The whereabouts of her mother, Alicia Thomas, is unknown.
“I’m afraid this is something we run into too often. The girls who disappear often had tough times at home and are on the streets to avoid the unpleasantness of their domestic situations. They’re easy prey.”
Someone knocked on his door, and Charles called for him to come in. The person requested to look up Jason’s record handed Charles a sheet of paper. Charles scanned it for a few seconds.
“It looks like our Mr. Leder is not our most upright citizen. He has a long record of petty crime in Thunder Bay. He is, or should I say was, a mechanic at a local repair shop up to eighteen months ago. He fell off our radar after that. His crimes range from petty theft to assault on his aged grandfather to fifth-degree sexual assault of a juvenile. For that crime, all he had to do was pay a fine, because he had no prior history of sex crimes. It says here he pleaded for leniency on the grounds he was intoxicated and thought the girl he fondled was his girlfriend.”
“How in the world did he get through customs with that record? Deidre inquired.
“That’s a question that needs to be answered. I suppose we could chalk it up to an administrative error, or worse, to a corrupt system. Either way, it’s inexcusable he was allowed passage from our country to yours, or vice versa. Perhaps Mr. Leder walked that fine line between misdemeanors and more serious charges and never raised a flag when he applied for a passport. We may never know the answer.” He shook his head in disgust.
“Is there any chance I can speak with Kimi’s aunt, Sally Cloud? I want to be back in Two Harbors tonight, and if I leave Thunder Bay by eight o’clock, I’ll be okay.”
Charles reached for his phone. “I had one of my staff look up her number. I’ll give her a call. If she cooperates, I think we can have you on your way much sooner than eight.” He dialed a number, and Deidre listened to his conversation, trying to fill in what Aunt Sally was saying on the other end by the chief’s response. Finally, he hung up.
“She says we can come to her place, but we can’t stay long. Said her husband will be home soon, and he’s usually drunk. She advised us not to be there when he arrives.”
Deidre followed Charles from his office to the underground garage and climbed into his vehicle. When they were outside on the street, she was dismayed to see how heavily it was snowing. They maneuvered the side roads until they came to a rundown bungalow.
“This is where Sally lives and where Kimi spent most of her time. Let me initiate the conversation.”
Deidre stood slightly behind him as he knocked on the door. It was opened by a much younger woman than Deidre had expected.
“I’m Charles Freeman, Chief of Police of NAN. I called earlier. Are you Sally Cloud?”
The woman nodded, pushing a hank of hair that drooped over her left eye into place on top of her head. “Come in,” she said softly, never making eye contact. “So you’re here about Kimi. Is she all right?”
“She’s safe,” Charles responded. “She’s getting treatment in a hospital in Duluth, Minnesota.”
“Oh,” was all Sally said.
“This is Deidre Johnson with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. She’s assisting the Lake County Sheriff on Kimi’s behalf. Actually, she saved her life. Will you answer some questions for her?”
Sally nodded and looked at the floor. Deidre cleared her throat. “I’m terribly sorry to have to bother you, but Kimi might still be in a great deal of danger. Thank you for speaking with me.”
“Poor kid. She hasn’t had much chance at all. Her mother was pretty wild and got pregnant by lord knows who. Then she kept using drugs after Kimi was born. I more or less raised her. She stayed with me when her mother was off on her highs. Finally, Alicia took off, and I haven’t seen her for two years. I took Kimi in, but this house is no place to raise a kid. She spent more time on the street than she did here.” Sally turned her head as if she wanted to hide her face.
“You said she’d been gone two weeks before you reported her missing. Can I ask why you waited so long?”
“This was her pattern. At first I’d report her missing right away, but they’d always find her at a friend’s house or some other place she was staying. After a while, I quit bothering the police. This time, when she didn’t come home after two weeks, I thought something must be wrong. The police never found her.” Sally turned away from them again.
“Sally, can you tell me if Kimi had any friends who might know what happened?”
“All I know is she said she had a boyfriend who, according to her, treated her very well. She wouldn’t tell me his name, so I can’t help you there. All she said was that he was interested in the woods and had a canoe. Sometimes they’d go to a lake and paddle around. Now you’d better leave. My husband’ll be home soon, and he wouldn’t like it if he knew I was talking to you.”
Deidre and Charles thanked Sally for her time, knowing that staying longer would cause her trouble.
She and Charles discussed the situation. “Did you notice that Sally never once asked when Kimi was being released from the hospital? I don’t think she’ll have any place to go when and if she recovers.”
Deidre had picked up on that issue as well. “I don’t think Sally wants her to come back. After seeing what we saw, I don’t think I do either. She’s probably safer where she is than back here.”
The two rode in silence for several blocks. “I was just thinking,” Deidre said, “Anna and Kimi came from vastly different homes. Anna’s parents were caring and involved in her life, perhaps a little too much so. But we really don’t know. Teenagers rebel against what they see as controlling parents, even if the parents are really quite grounded. On the other hand, Kimi was left to raise herself. Yet, they both ended up in the same situation. Except for a few seconds, she would have been dead too.” After a pause, Deidre added, “Sometimes there are no answers.” This was more to herself than her companion.
Charles pulled into the parking lot, and Deidre got out. She leaned back into his SUV. “Thanks so much for all you’re doing to help. I guess this is a battle we both want to win.” With that she backed out, shut the car door, and walked to her vehicle.
Not until she pulled onto the street did it dawn on her that it had quit snowing. On the way back to Two Harbors on Highway 61, she remained vigilant, not wanting another close encounter with a deer. It was just before eight when she parked her SUV behind Inga’s.
She let Pete out of his kennel and ruffled his ears. “Sorry, boy. I know the days must be long for you, but nothing lasts forever. We’ll get through this and back to our cabin soon.” And to herself she added, “I hope.”
Chapter 18
I’m back,” Deidre greeted Jill as she entered the office. She hadn’t had breakfast or even a cup of coffee yet.
“Hi , Boss Lady. Looks like you had a long night. Anything good come from your meeting yesterday?”
“Jane Doe has a name. Kimi Thomas. She’s pretty much an orphan with nowhere to turn for help. I spoke with her aunt who appears to be in an abusive relationship herself, certainly not a situation I’d want to release the girl back to. We’re getting a few pieces to this picture,
but so far none of them are fitting together. It’s going to take some time, but they will. Anything new for me today?”
“It’s on your desk. You have an appointment with Dr. Bilka, the pediatrician who’s treating . . . what did you say her name is, Kimi? That’s at ten. Then at eleven-thirty, you’ll be meeting with Dr. Selenka, her psychiatrist. Oh, I didn’t have time to put this down. The phone was ringing when I came in this morning. Gerald Colter wants you to call him as soon as you have an opportunity. He sounded quite disturbed.”
“Colter,” Deidre stiffened at the name. “What does he want from me, to rub my face in his legal technicalities some more? That smug SOB can walk off the end of the breakwater as far as I’m concerned.”
“Calm down, Boss Lady. This isn’t the Gerald Colter you’re thinking of. This is Gerald Colter, III, his son. He said you’d remember him. Do you?”
Deidre sat down, and let her vitriol ebb away. “I had a run-in with him a few years ago. The head of the Drug and Gang Task Force of the area and I executed a search warrant at an address in Two Harbors. Gerald was there, stoned. He had a mouth as smart as his dad’s, the sarcastic little punk. Anyway, when we took him home, his father raised the roof, not with him, but with us for accusing his son of being a junkie. That was the incident that caused Colter, II, to begin a recall petition that forced me from office. Yeah, you might say I remember Gerald Colter, III. He wanted me to call him?”
“His number is on this sticky-note. Do you need it on better paper?”
Deidre shook her head and stuffed it in her pocket. “I’d better be heading for Duluth if I’m going to make my first appointment. Take care of the shop.”
On the way, she speed-dialed Ben on her phone. “Hey,” she said when he answered, knowing he had caller ID. “I’m on my way to your town. Would you mind if I stopped to see the girls later today? I’ll cook, if it’s okay with you.”
“A home cooked meal? Are you kidding? That’d be great. What are we having?” Then he added, “Of course it’ll be good to see you again. After Thanksgiving with my mother, I wondered if you’d ever call back.”
Deidre laughed. “It’ll take more than your mother to keep me from my two favorite kids. See you after work.”
She parked across the street from the hospital and walked to the entrance. The city crew had draped garlands from the light poles, and they hung motionless in the cold, early-winter air. The lobby was decorated for the holiday season: a Christmas tree in the center of the foyer, its colored lights flashing in time to a carol being played, a pile of faux presents piled at its base, and a six-foot wreath on the wall.
Christmas had never meant much to Deidre. Most of her memories of the season were of her drunken stepfather knocking over their tree or passing out on the floor. Her mother tried as best she could to be festive, but there never was money to buy gifts, and their Christmas meal was usually nothing special.
When John, her fiancé, was alive, she had gotten a taste of what a joyful time of year December could be, but that had been taken from her when he was gunned down.
She hoped for Megan’s and Maren’s sake she could recapture some of the joy.
Dr. Bilka had asked that they meet in a conference room in the hospital, and Deidre stopped at the information desk to ask directions. The volunteer pointed her to an elevator at the end of the hall and instructed her as to the floor and room number. She was about to enter the room when a woman in a white coat bustled down the hall.
“Hello. I’m Jan Bilka. Are you Deidre?” Before Deidre could answer, the pediatrician opened the door and indicated for her to go in. “Please have a seat. I’ve just finished rounds and don’t have to be to my office for an hour, so we have some time to talk. Do you have any specific questions for me?”
Deidre realized the doctor hadn’t even checked to see if she was Deidre or if she had any credentials. She reached in her pocket for her ID. “I thought you’d like to verify that I’m with the BCA before we started,” and she held out her tag.
The doctor blushed, embarrassed that she had been in such a rush to get started that she had broken protocol.
Deidre continued. “First, I believe we have a name for your patient. Did you find any marks on her that can be used for identification purposes?”
Doctor Bilka booted up a small laptop computer she carried. “What exactly are you looking for?” she asked. “I have her medical record here.”
“If she is who I believe she is, the girl should have a two-inch crescent-shaped scar on her right hip. She should also have a scar from an appendectomy. You might not have the last marker. When she was a young child, she broke her left ankle quite badly. Her missing persons’ information said it was the left medial malleolus of her tibia.”
“That one I remember,” said Dr. Bilka. “Because of the condition of her feet when she was admitted, I ordered x-rays. I remember her previously broken ankle because it is not too common for a break to occur to the medial malleolus. Most frequently it’s the fibula that breaks. Let me check her record for the others. Yes, she has a scar similar to what you described. And, yes, she had an appendectomy. All three markers coincide with what you said would be there. What’s her name?”
“Kimi Thomas. She’s of Cree Indian descent and is from Thunder Bay, Ontario. She’s been missing since late June. She’s only thirteen years old.”
“My God! I knew she was young, but I didn’t suspect quite that young. She’s experienced a great deal of trauma, more than you can imagine and more than I’ve ever seen in a child. Who did this to her?”
“That’s what we have to find out. So far we’re not making much progress, but many cases begin like that. It’s like a snowball, starting with a small core and gaining mass as it rolls along, but we’re not going to rest until we find the person or persons responsible.”
Dr. Bilka went on to explain what Kimi had suffered, and Deidre could only listen with revulsion. Finally she asked, “Will she recover?”
“Physically yes. Emotionally, probably not. And when I say physically, she will heal, but her not-fully-developed reproductive system has been severely traumatized. How that will affect her as an adult is impossible to say, but we can make a pretty accurate assumption.”
Dr. Bilka looked at her watch. “I’m sorry to cut our meeting off at this point, but I really must go. I’m late for office hours as it is. Thank you so much for seeing me. Please, catch whoever did this. I want to see what the animal looks like.”
*****
Deidre drove to Doctor Selenka’s office. She parked across from the Medical Arts Building and rode the elevator to the fifteenth floor. At the end of the hall was an office with a sign, Dr. William Selenka, M.D., Psychiatry. Other than his receptionist, the office was empty, and Deidre was relieved to think he would not be rushing to get to his next patient.
“You must be Deidre Johnson. Dr. Selenka’s waiting for you. He’s cleared a block of time. Do you have proper identification?”
Deidre presented her card with her photo attached.
“Please, come this way.” The receptionist led her down a hall to the doctor’s inner office.
Doctor Selenka was an older gentleman. He had a full head of gray hair and a sad but kindly look in his eyes. When he spoke his voice was soothing.
“Have a seat, Deidre. Is it okay if I call you Deidre? And, please, call me Bill. I hate formalities.” Immediately, Deidre felt comfortable with him.
“What can I do to help you?” he asked.
“First, I’m quite certain I know the girl’s name,” Deidre began. “DNA results will be the final confirmation, but everything else points to a girl missing in Thunder Bay, Kimi Thomas. She’s been missing since the end of June.”
Doctor Selenka, Bill, showed surprise by raising his eyebrows. “So, you have a name. That may be one of the keys to opening h
er mind.
“So far she has shown no sign of responding to the nurses, except for the male nurses. When they enter her room, she flies into a panic. We’ve had to restrict her care to only females. As for myself, she tolerates my presence, barely, but she simply turns me off. She will make no eye contact whatsoever.”
“May I ask what psychiatric treatment she’s receiving? I won’t understand it in medical terms, so just give me the layman’s overview.”
“Under these circumstances, I think I can share with you. We have her on a mild sedative to take the edge off her anxiety. I also started her on an antidepressant. At night we give her Ambien to help her sleep. Other than that, we’re trying to get her to take nourishment, although her appetite is very poor. Her pediatrician, who by the way is one of the best with abuse cases, says her physical healing is progressing nicely. Have you spoken with her?” Deidre told him about her meeting with Doctor Bilka. “Good, then you know about her physical condition. But the mental and the physical are so entwined, it’s sometimes impossible to separate the two. I believe, of course, I’m a psychiatrist,” he chuckled, “that her mind must be healed first. Her body will follow. I think you’re one person whose presence might allow her to begin to crawl out of her pit. As I said, I have set aside a block of time today to speak with you. Will you be willing to come with me and see the girl, Kimi is it? That’s an unusual name. Any significance to it?”
“Kimi is Cree. I’m sure it has a meaning, but I don’t know what.”
Bill nodded, and escorted Deidre out of his office. “I can drive. I have a reserved parking spot in the hospital ramp. Doctor’s privilege.” He chuckled again, and Deidre knew she liked him.
They passed through security, and he softly knocked on her door. “This is Doctor Selenka. We’re going to come in now.” He slowly opened the door to Kimi’s room, enough so he and Deidre could slip inside. He silently closed the door behind them.
A River Through Two Harbors Page 15