“No shit! Well isn’t that an interesting development?” said Lake. “Good job Manning. Good job.”
Allen was surprised by the rare praise from Lake.
“Thanks. So, I think I’ll head over to the hospital to have a little chat with Delamater.”
“I’d like to hear what Delamater has to say myself,” Clayton said as she grabbed her suit jacket from the back of the leather chair at her desk. “Let’s jump in together, Allen.”
“Let’s hope he’s still alive when we get there.”
Clayton chuckled, “No kidding. We don’t need one more dead guy on our hands.”
Emerson watched as the two strolled out of the station like old buddies. Clayton twirling her keys on her finger, sly smile on her face and a strut in her step. What the hell is with the sudden camaraderie between Allen and my girl? My girl? Wait. What the hell is the matter with me? Stay focused, Lake. There is enough going on without getting jealous.
When they arrived at the medical center, Allen approached the front desk. “Hello, Miss. My name is Officer Manning, and this is Detective Clayton. How’s your day going so far?”
“Pretty good. Thank you for asking, Officer.”
Nice touch, Clayton thought to herself.
“What can I do for you?”
“We need to interview a patient that was brought in. John Delamater. Would it be possible to find out his condition and if he is healthy enough to speak with us?”
“No problem. Let me see what I can do.” She started clicking away on her keyboard. “Ok, I see he is in serious, but stable condition. Let me call the nurses station on that floor to see if he is well enough to speak with you.”
Clayton could not believe how helpful she was being. Big difference from the last time she was there with Lake. Obviously, Allen’s approach was much better. Guess it’s true. You do catch more flies with honey.
“Okay officers, you can go right up. It’s room 8130. Take the elevators just down the hall to the 8th Floor.”
“Thank you very much.” Allen gave her a warm little smile. It made her day.
As they walked to the elevators, Clayton whispered, “Nice going, Officer,” and gave him a fist-bump.
Mr. Delamater was awake, but groggy, when they entered the room. Clayton explained who they were and asked if he was able to answer a few questions. “We will make this as short as possible.”
Allen started. “Sir, you own a piece of land in the park preserve along with a cabin, is that correct?”
“Yes, it was left to me by my grandmother.”
“Did you or anyone else live in the cabin? It doesn’t appear to have been occupied for some time. It’s pretty run down.”
“I used to rent the cabin to vacationers from time to time. It was a quiet retreat for people. I never advertised it though. It was all word of mouth. I figured it was a good way to make some extra cash under the table so I wouldn’t have to pay taxes. I know I’m probably in trouble for that, but none of that matter’s anymore.”
“Why is that, Mr. Delamater?” Clayton asked puzzled.
“Because I’m dying and I know it.”
Clayton and Allen gave each other a look then Allen continued the questioning.
“Do you remember anything about the vacationers that used to rent the cabin?”
“My memory isn’t what it used to be, but I do remember one family in particular that stayed there. They were a bit peculiar.”
“How so?” Clayton inquired.
“It wasn’t for a vacation. The father specifically said he wanted to teach his children what it was like to have fewer things in life. How to manage with just a well and an outhouse. He said it would be a good learning experience for them and didn’t care that the cabin was in rough shape. He thought it would make them appreciate the comforts of their own home more.”
“Did he say how many of them would be staying in the cabin?”
“There were six of them all together, including him and his wife.” Allen and Clayton exchanged glances both thinking the same thing. Six family members. Six graves.
“Oh wait, no, that’s not right. There were seven. I remember he said that one of his children would be joining them after he was released from the hospital. That always stuck with me. Who would leave their child behind at a hospital if they were sick? It wasn’t really any of my business, though. If I was getting paid, I didn’t ask too many questions.”
“Do you remember his name? Do you have any records you may have kept on your renters?”
“No paperwork. It was all cash under the table. Why are you asking me all these questions?”
“It’s part of a case we’re working on. Anything you can remember would be very helpful.”
John’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, does this have something to do with those bodies at the Bradford?”
“We’re not sure,” Reese said. “Just trying to pursue all possibilities. But anything you can remember would be very helpful. The name of your renter would be a key piece of information in our investigation.”
“Oh my, let me think. Oh no!”
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Alarms from machines behind John’s bed began sounding. A nurse rushed in.
“I’m very sorry, you’ll need to leave. Mr. Delamater is getting agitated and it’s time for his evening medication. You can come back in the morning.”
“We understand. Mr. Delamater, we just need the renter’s name and then we’ll leave you to rest.” Neither Clayton nor Allen wanted to leave. They needed that name.
“I…I. I’m trying to…”
“Officers, please!” the nurse interjected. “You really need to go. You can speak to him in the morning.”
“Of course. Thank you, Mr. Delamater. Get some rest and we’ll see you tomorrow.” Clayton patted John’s ankle through the waffled hospital blanket and then ushered Allen out of the room.
Once back in the car, Allen sighed “We were so close to getting the name. It must be the family. The numbers seem to match up anyway.”
“I know, but even if he does remember, it doesn’t mean it will be accurate. It was a handshake deal. The father could’ve lied.”
“That’s true, but we can at least run it through the system. I mean a family that size just doesn’t go missing with no report of it, do they? Fingers crossed Mr. Delamater survives the night.”
“Fingers and toes!”
Chapter 39
M.E. Sara Hunter decided to do a little research of her own. She ran a computer search for missing families of six in the state of South Dakota. Nothing appeared on her screen.
Detectives Lake and Clayton were on their way to the lab when they saw Sara at her office desk.
“Any luck on the bodies? Who they might be?” asked Reese.
“Nothing so far, Detective. I was just trying to research missing families of six on my own, but nothing is coming up. How can a family that large fall off the map of South Dakota and no one reports it?”
“I know what you mean,” Reese replied, “but we’ve expanded the search to missing persons across the entire country. And new information has us looking for a family of seven.”
“Sara, we’ll check back with you later. Reese, let’s go. We have work to do.”
Once out of earshot, he grabbed Reese by the elbow and dragged her face to face with him.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Why am I just hearing about this seventh family member now? You made me look like a fool in front of Sara.”
His face was beet red and he was resisting an overwhelming urge to punch the wall.
“Oh, for God sake, Detective! Don’t get your panties in a knot. I was going to tell you what happened as soon as I finished the report on John Delamater’s statement. At least what we have so far. He is not doing so well. Our interview got cut sh
ort because his blood pressure or something was setting off the machines. The nurse made us leave, but we’ll be headed back there in the morning.”
“So, what you’re saying, is he didn’t have the names?”
“No, I’m saying he physically couldn’t talk anymore. I’m not a fucking doctor. I don’t know what happened to him.”
“I’m sorry.”
It was something he never said. He let go of her arm and just stared at her face for a second, not knowing what to do next. For some reason, he wanted to hold her close, but stopped himself almost immediately. She backed away, turned around and started toward her office. Emerson followed.
“Maybe we start re-interviewing some of the people we’ve already talked to,” Lake suggested. “With this new information about the seventh family member, maybe we can pick up a new lead.”
“That’s a great idea. First up, the so-called grieving widow of Sergeant Martin Kelsey.”
At that moment, Clayton received a text message.
“Aw fuck!” Clayton muttered.
“What’s wrong?”
“Delamater’s dead. He had a massive stroke.”
Chapter 40
Being the daughter of a farmer in upstate New York, she made a promise to herself to never milk another cow. Farm life was not what she thought of as a profit-making endeavor. Having dated many of the locals, she knew that none of them would make enough money for her to be the princess she always thought herself to be. Every chance she got she would steal a few dollars out of the metal box her parents used to set aside money for needed household items. She certainly knew how to save for a rainy day, or in her case, a way to fund her departure from the farm. Plus, the money she had hoarded away all those years would give her a good start elsewhere.
She packed what she could carry in a small old suitcase she found in the attic, a brown paper bag and a lavender crocheted purse that her mother made for her to attend church with on Sundays. Walking for about three hours, she began to think this wasn’t such a good idea without a vehicle. She sat down on a few boulders alongside the road. She grabbed a bottle from the brown paper bag, pulled out the homemade foil stopper she had fashioned and took a long drink of water. Daddy’s old beer bottles came in handy to carry her water. She saw a car approaching and thought about standing in the road to stop it, but she didn’t have to, he stopped anyway.
“Are you okay, Miss? Do you need some help?”
“I’m just trying to get to Albany. A friend was driving me, but she became ill and had to turn back. I told her I could walk the rest of the way. I guess it’s a longer walk than I thought.”
“When you are walking, yes. But I can get you there in no time at all. Here, let me take your bags for you. My name is Martin Kelsey.”
“Teresa,” is all she gave him.
He held her arm to help her up and then held the car door for her while she slid into the seat. Now this is what I am looking for, she thought to herself. A gentleman.
“Where are you from?”
She lied. “Syracuse.” She didn’t want him to call her parents.
They began a conversation that was polite without giving up too much information. As they drove, they laughed, talked about the scenery and small-town life and gradually became more comfortable with each other.
“We are getting close to Albany. Where would you like to be dropped off?”
She couldn’t think of what to say because she hadn’t planned on getting in a car with anyone.
“I have to trust that you will understand I have no place to go. I just needed to get away for a while to figure out what I want in life.”
“You are a very beautiful woman, Teresa, I understand. Are you married?”
“No. Not yet. Maybe someday.”
Martin placed his right hand on the seat close to her thigh. “Would you like to stay the night at my place?”
She didn’t know what to do. As much as she wanted to stay with him, she didn’t know what to expect. What he would do to her. Yet, she had nowhere else to go. Without a word, she nodded yes.
They arrived at his apartment soon after. Martin helped her with her things and led her into his apartment. She thought to herself, Teresa, you are an idiot for not making a better plan.
“I will stay the night only if we are in separate rooms, Mr. Kelsey. I am a lady, you know.”
“Oh, of course. Separate rooms. But I hardly believe that as beautiful as you are, lady doesn’t fit the bill. Am I right?”
With that, she clenched her fist, unclenched it again and slapped him across the face. “Who the hell do you think you are talking to? “she yelled.
She collected her things, turned, and started for the door. Martin grabbed at his face to make sure no teeth were missing.
“Wait! I’m sorry, but I had to make sure you are really the kind of person you say you are. You could be someone just trying to rob me in my sleep. Please, let’s start over. Stay the night. Separate rooms. And I will take you anywhere you would like in the morning.”
Since she had nowhere else to go, she reluctantly agreed. For the rest of the night, Kelsey was the perfect gentleman.
The next morning, they had a light breakfast. Toast with strawberry jam. Coffee for him and tea for her. They talked about the weather and other trivial things for a while.
“Look, I’m headed to South Dakota. There’s a job waiting for me. The job I have always wanted. Sergeant in the Cromwell Police Department. I was born and raised there, but decided to spread my wings a little and came to New York for a while. Why don’t you come with me? You can either stay at my house when we arrive, or I have a hotel where you can stay. My family left it to me. What do you say?”
Wow, Teresa thought, this guy is rich. If I snag him, my chance of climbing my way into the upper class of society is at my fingertips.
Teresa Kelsey was not born into money, even though she looked the part. She fell into it by accident, so she thought anyway.
Chapter 41
The young man at the desk called Teresa’s suite to let her know she had guests.
“Mrs. Kelsey will meet you in the café.”
Detective Lake thanked the young clerk before taking a very comfortable seat by the elevator doors. He was not going to trust her.
“Thank you for coming down, Mrs. Kelsey. How are you feeling?” Reese sounded genuinely concerned for her. “May we ask you a few questions about the night your husband was murdered? We promise to make this as short as possible.”
“Please follow me. We can talk in here. The café is quiet this time of day. I’m sure no one will interrupt us. I’m in the process of getting things organized for Martin’s funeral. That is if they ever release his remains to me. Seems like that autopsy is taking forever. Do you have any idea what’s holding up the process? There is a lot of planning. He was so well liked in this community. People will expect a grand send off. Don’t you agree? I thought a military type send-off would be appropriate. He did serve our Country and continued serving as Sergeant of Cromwell. I will expect law enforcement to be there in full dress uniform.”
“Of course, Mrs. Kelsey.” Detective Lake was doing his best to be polite.
“Mrs. Kelsey, the night of your husband’s murder…I know this is difficult...can you tell us what time you found him and where you were before that? We are not accusing you of anything. We just need details of that evening. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I was here at the hotel taking care of some business that evening. Checking the books, upcoming reservations, things like that. I left the hotel around 7pm and drove to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions. You can check if you like. Mosley’s around the corner. After that, I drove home and found Martin on the floor in front of the fireplace stabbed in the chest with a ten-inch butcher knife.”
And there it was. That same statement from
the other day. Emerson could barely hold his tongue. His first instinct was to arrest her right on the spot, but knew he needed more.
“I couldn’t breathe when I called the station. Allen had a hard time understanding me. I guess I was in shock. It was only minutes before police and emergency crews arrived. Allen came in a short time later and took me out of the house and told the paramedics to take me to Cromwell Medical Center, but after I got some oxygen in me, I convinced them to take me to the hotel instead. They didn’t want to, but I can be persistent.”
No shit, thought Clayton. No shit.
Clayton took over.
“Did you hear anyone in the house at the time? See anything unusual besides your husband on the floor?”
“Not that I can remember. It’s all kind of a blur and I was frightened and felt nauseated.”
“Are you sure that’s all you can remember?” asked Emerson.
“I don’t know what else you want me to say.”
“Thank you for your time, Mrs. Kelsey. We will be in touch and if you need help with the planning for the Sergeant’s sendoff, let us know.”
Reese knew that Emerson was ready to pounce on Teresa because of the knife comment, yet she also knew they needed more proof. It was best to leave before either one of them let on about what they both already knew.
“Thank you, detectives.”
Once outside, Clayton and Lake got back in the car and almost simultaneously said, “The knife!”
“How the hell did she know it was a ten-inch blade, Reese?” Lake mused. “It was still stuck in her husband’s chest when the police arrived.”
Reese and Emerson both knew she must have had help with this, just like the recruit Sorenson had suggested. It was much too hard to move a body alone.
Chapter 42
Daniel convinced Kei Lien that she really needed to be seen by a doctor. If not at the hospital then in a doctor’s office. Daniel felt a quiet office would be best. All the activity at the hospital would agitate her even more than she was now. He convinced Detective Lake it was a much better idea. He also knew this was going to be very painful for her physically and emotionally. Detective Lake agreed and sent an officer with them. Daniel was so right. Kei Lien fought hard when asked to remove her clothing and even harder when they tried to examine her. The nurse and the doctor at the Glen Ridge Woman’s Health Center were both female so that was a plus. If you could call any of this a plus.
Now Say You're Sorry Page 8