by Dale Roberts
“I just wish you could find something to make you smile again. You’re too damn serious.” Carmen frowned as she looked out her window.
“Watch your language young lady.”
“I just think you need to get a life outside of your job. Maybe you’d be less stressed all the time.” Carmen said. “I just want you to be happy.”
At least she was speaking now. Maybe the weekend wouldn’t be a total loss after all.
Chapter Five
The new forensics lab was outfitted with the latest state-of-the-art equipment. Turnaround time for a DNA profile was now twenty-four to thirty-six hours. This morning, Alex got the call.
“Mendez.” Alex answered the phone.
“This is Sean in forensics. I’ve processed this assault kit. We have DNA from semen. I ran it through the state data base but didn’t find a match.”
“What about the needle cap?”
“It was a pretty small sample. Our lab isn’t equipped for detailed chemical analysis. I didn’t want to waste it and not be able to identify it so I sent it to Miami. The only drawback is that outside work is not their priority. It could take a while, probably a couple of weeks.
“Thanks, keep me posted.” He hung up the phone. Staring at nothing, he twisted the wedding ring that had long since worn a groove around his finger. In eighteen years, he had never taken it off.
“So what did they find?” Kathy Samuels asked.
“Semen.”
“Do you have an ID?”
“If they had an ID, do you think I would just be sitting here?”
Samuels was new to the squad. She wasn’t familiar with forensics or investigative techniques. Alex hadn’t taken much initiative to get to know her. He didn’t need to. She was all too eager to share her path to the squad. She had worked patrol for 5 years when she was involved in a shooting, killing a young man. She had been through the required counseling and had finally earned her shot in violent crimes. She still sees the department’s therapist occasionally. For the last two years, she’d looked forward to hanging up her uniform for plain clothes. Now, she was finally working toward her detective badge. This was all divulged on their first introduction.
Her masculine appearance had stirred rumors through the squad. At first, most of the guys weren’t comfortable with a woman in their midst. They didn’t like the idea of having to walk on eggshells. The Violent Crimes Unit was after all, a man’s world. But, as they became used to her presence, she was more like just one of the guys, at least as far as her sexuality was concerned.
Much to his chagrin, Alex had been designated as her mentor. At times, he felt like he was stuck in some cliché, low budget movie about an old detective and a rookie cop. The only difference was he wasn’t retiring in a week.
“Mendez!” Lt. Phelps called from his office door.
“Right here.” Alex shouted back, without getting up. “What does he want?”
“School nurse called. Your girl sprained her ankle, may need an x-ray.”
“Great.” Alex groaned, sliding his hands down either side of his face.
“Want me to go with you?” Samuels asked.
“No, I think I can handle it.”
Alex welcomed the break, but hated that it was at Carmen’s expense. Samuels was well intentioned, but the intensity of her enthusiasm to learn began to grate on him. He was in no mood to explain, in detail, every thought process that had become second nature to him. He grabbed his blazer from the back of his chair and hurried out the door before she could follow.
_________
Rachel sat in front of the desk of Raymond Greer, the general manager of Cypress Village Lexus/Mercedes Benz. As a deputy District Attorney, Rachel had a team of investigators, but she was a hands-on kind of woman. “When did you first learn of the compromise?”
“Our finance manager noticed it on Thursday. That’s when he called you.” Greer said. “We’ve never had anything like this happen before.” He stood from his chair and moved to sit on the edge of his desk. “We just installed new security software in our network.” He obviously had a better view of Rachel from here. He scanned up and down her body as he spoke. His eyes came to rest on her exposed lower legs. His not so subtle grin signaled his approval.
Rachel was an attractive woman. Her brown, shoulder length hair, gracefully framed the striking features of her face. Her high, slightly prominent cheekbones, inherited from her grandfather, a pure Seminole Indian, gave her an exotic look. But, even this angelic face couldn’t keep Greer’s attention.
“Mr. Greer, I’m up here.” Rachel said, snapping her fingers.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he looked up, “but, you’re just an eyeful. Most of the ladies we see in here are, well…plastic, if you know what I mean.”
“Thank you.” Rachel casually pulled the top of her blazer closed. “I need to see personnel files. I need to know if anyone has any special computer skills.”
“As far as I’m aware, we don’t have anyone with that kind of knowledge,” Greer said, “We had the security programs installed by a tech company.”
“What’s the name of the company?”
“I.T.S. Solutions, I believe, out of Tampa.”
“And when was that?” Rachel took notes in a spiral notebook.
“Six weeks, maybe a couple of months ago.”
“Do you have a work order or invoice? I’ll need a copy.”
“I’m sure we do, I’ll get one of the secretaries to find it.”
“Is everyone here?” Rachel said, signaling that she was ready to begin the interviews.
“I asked everyone to be here at eight, so they should be.”
The two of them made their way to the break room where the employees were waiting.
The room was filled with chatter. Members of the sales staff were gathered around the three small tables, in their own clique, discussing the possible meaning of this meeting. The service staff was mostly standing along the counter that spanned the far side of the room, some working on their second cup of coffee. A whistle came from somewhere among the sales staff as Rachel entered. The division of the classes struck her as obvious, but with the blatant sexist behavior from the sales staff, she couldn’t be sure which was the higher.
“Okay, let’s get started,” Greer addressed the room, “I’m sure most of you are curious to find out what this meeting’s about. It has come to our attention that there’s been a security breech in our computer files. Evidently, a hacker may have gained access to some files of a financial nature on a few of our clients.”
“Eighty four of them, to be exact.” She wouldn’t allow Greer to downplay the significance.
Rachel watched the room for a reaction, a sign that someone was suddenly nervous, a fidget, a cough. She watched for any subtle indication of who she should interview first.
“So, as a matter of procedure, the District Attorney’s office will be conducting an official investigation. This is Deputy DA Rachel Summers. She’ll be interviewing everyone individually. I’ve assured her of our complete cooperation. So, gentlemen,” He grinned at the group of salesman, “Let’s be on our best behavior.”
Rachel half expected him to slap her on the ass.
“Isn’t this a violation of some kind of civil right?” asked a man leaning on the far end of the counter, “I mean here we are, a captive audience, in our place of employment, being forced to answer questions about a crime. Aren’t we going to be read our rights?”
There was muffled laughter from some of the sales staff.
Rachel now had her first target. “Miranda warnings are applicable only if you are under arrest. This is a simply a preliminary interview designed to give us a direction in which to focus our investigation. One of the first things I look for is anyone who becomes suddenly nervous.”
“Guilty.” The word came disguised in a cough, from the back of the room, followed by more laughter.
“What is your name?” Rachel asked.
“Michael.” the man said after a short pause. “Michael Dupree.”
“Well, Mr. Dupree, I’d be more than happy to read you your rights, if that’s what you’d prefer.”
More laughter filled the room.
“This is a serious matter,” Greer said, “I suggest ya’ll treat it that way.”
The room became silent.
“The files in question contain confidential financial information on some very prominent public figures.” Rachel walked across the front of the room toward the far wall. “To them, I assure you, this is no laughing matter.” She scanned the room again. “Now, we could make the initial assumption that the motive would be identity theft. But, why would someone break into the computer system of a car dealership, rather than say, a bank? My guess would be that in a bank there would be far too many files to weed through, looking for that handful that would make it worth the effort. Whereas a dealership, such as this, that sells luxury cars with six figure price tags, would have a concentrated and far more lucrative pool of potential victims.”
Rachel walked slowly back and forth across the front of the room as she spoke, scanning the room, to be sure everyone was following. “But, my intuition tells me that there is something far more sinister than just identity theft at work here. A large number of these files are on some very powerful people. Whoever is responsible for this is no fool. It would be a huge risk, crossing these people just to steal their credit card numbers. This individual, or individuals, is looking for something, something for which they are willing to risk a great deal to find.”
“So, what would be the payoff?” one of the salesmen asked.
“That,” Rachel replied, “is precisely what we’re here to find out. So let’s get started. The interviews will be conducted in private, in Mr. Greer’s office. Mr. Dupree, since you threw up the first red flag, why don’t we start with you?”
_________
Chapter Six
The waiting area for the emergency room was better appointed than some hotel lobbies that Carmen had seen. In the corners, were Roman style columns that appeared to hold up the sky, even though it was just a painted ceiling. Around the edges of the ceiling were ledges, with ivy growing lush and green. Soft backlighting behind the plants, created a warm, relaxed atmosphere.
Alex filled out the registration paperwork and returned it to the window. He and Carmen sat in silence for several minutes. He, in a soft leather seat and her in a wheelchair with her right foot elevated. A small child was flirting with her over the back of a seat. Carmen gave a small wink and adjusted the ice pack that was sitting on her ankle.
“I’m sorry I got so upset the other night.” she said finally.
“You had every right. I’m sorry I had to leave. I hated to miss it. I hope you know that. ”
“I know.”
“So, how was Rachel? Did she make you feel better?
“Rachel is awesome dad. She’s like an older, wiser best friend, ya know? I can talk to her, in a way I can’t with anyone else. She gets me.”
“Well, I’m glad she was there for you. I need to be there for you more. I promise I’m going to try harder.”
“It’s okay dad. Don’t worry about it.”
“Carmen Mendez.” A nurse called from the open door next to the registration window.
Alex pushed Carmen into the triage room. The nurse took Carmen’s vital signs and performed a quick assessment of her ankle. She led Alex to a small exam room to wait then wheeled Carmen to radiology.
The room was small but nicely appointed. There was a large flat screen television mounted on the wall and a comfortable chair. Alex studied a poster that stressed the importance of childhood immunizations.
“Hi detective.” said a familiar voice. Janet stood in the door. “What brings you here?”
“My daughter hurt her ankle at school. She’s in radiology now.”
“I’m sorry. Is she okay?” Janet made herself at home, having a seat on the end of the exam table.
“I’m sure it’s just a sprain.”
“I hope so. So how did her prom go?”
“Okay. She called a friend to be with her while she waited for her date.”
“That’s good. At least she didn’t have to wait alone.”
“Here you go.” the technician said, as he rolled Carmen’s wheelchair into the room.
Alex was glad to see her. He felt strangely claustrophobic in the small room with Janet.
“Hi there Carmen, I’m Janet. I’ll be your nurse.” She extended her hand. “So, tell me what happened.”
Carmen told her how she rolled her foot off the side of the bag as she slid into second base.
“Let’s have a look.” Janet removed the ice pack and examined the swollen ankle. She felt the top of her foot and squeezed her toes.
“Why do you do that?” Carmen asked.
“I’m just checking the circulation. Making sure the pink comes back. See how your toe turns white when I squeeze?”
“Yea.”
“It should pink back up within three seconds, and it does, so that’s good. It’s called capillary refill. ”
“Cool.”
“Does it hurt to put weight on it?
“Oh Yea,” Carmen’s eyes widened to add emphasis, “and it’s throbbing now.”
“Hello, I’m Dr. Levine.” the man said matter-of-factly as he entered the room.
“Hi.” Carmen greeted.
Great, this clown. How did we get this lucky? Alex looked at Janet. He wondered if he had said it out loud, but quickly relaxed when she didn’t react.
“I looked at your films. There is no fracture. Looks like it’s just a sprain.” He repeated the exam that Janet had done. “Let’s wrap it and get some crutches.” He told Janet. “I’ll get your discharge orders done. Are you allergic to any medications?”
“None.” Alex said.
“I’ll write a prescription for an anti-inflammatory.” The doctor said, leaving the room.
“Wow, that was brief.” Alex laughed.
“He’s not too talkative today.” Janet said. “I think he’s having ex-wife problems. He just went through an ugly divorce and she’s taking him back to court for more money. He just doesn’t have very good luck with women. He’s been married twice and both ended badly.” Janet leaned forward and whispered, “I think he was arrested for child molestation during the first divorce.”
Alex and Carmen just looked at each other.
“How tall are you sweetie?” Janet stood.
“Five foot four.”
“I’ll get your supplies and be right back.” she said, leaving the room.
“Well, I guess no softball for a while.” Carmen groaned.
“At least it’s not broken. Be thankful for that.” Alex said.
A long period of silence passed. Alex began to realize just how little they had in common. How had they lost touch? They were home together every night. But, now that he thought about it, they hardly ever spoke, other than small talk. Actually, he seldom even saw her. She spent most of her time, in the solitude of her bedroom, reading or talking on the phone. He had become nothing more than the family manager.
“So, have you talked to her today?” Carmen asked with a smile
“Talked to who?”
“Rachel.”
“Why would I?”
“I don’t know, just hoping I guess.”
“Why are you so determined to get us together?”
“I saw how she looked at you the other day at the game. You make a really cute couple. She completes you.” Carmen said with a big smile.
“Oh, she does, does she?” Alex gave her a sideways look.
Alex’s phone rang as Janet entered the room. “Excuse me, I need to take this.” he said as he left the room.
“Some people live by the sword. My dad lives by the phone.” Carmen laughed.
“He told me about having to miss your prom night. He really did feel bad.”
“I kno
w. It’s just that he has to go so often. I’m practically raising myself.”
“We work together, you know.” Janet said. “We’ve actually become quite close.”
“Really, how’s that? He’s never mentioned you.”
“He hasn’t? That hurt’s my feelings.”
“How do you work together?”
“I do the exams on women who have been raped, and I give the evidence to your dad. I was here the other night when he had to leave you.” Janet wrapped the Ace around Carmen’s ankle. “You’re lucky you know, to have a father that loves you.”
“I guess.” Carmen shrugged.
“I wish my dad had been like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“My dad was a monster. He abused me all the time.”
“What, like he beat you?”
“I wish that’s all it was, but no, my dad raped me on a regular basis for years.”
“Shit.” Carmen said.
“And when I tried to tell my mother, she would just call me a liar. I think she was in denial.” Janet stopped wrapping and stared into space. “Doesn’t matter, she should have protected me. Sometimes it was like she wasn’t even there.”
“I know all about that. My mom died two years ago. It’s been rough on us, especially my dad. He’s had to raise me by himself. He had to keep up with me and his job.”
“I’m sorry,” Janet said, “How did she die? Your dad doesn’t share much.”
“She was murdered.”
“That’s enough Carmen.” Alex said in a stern voice as he entered the room.
“I’m sorry,” Janet said, “it was my fault.” She quickly gave Carmen instructions on crutch use and left the room.
“Our family business is just that, family business.” Alex scolded.
“I’m sorry dad. We were just talking. Did you know her dad used to rape her?”
Alex’s eyes widened as he furrowed his brow. “Yes, I knew. She tells everyone, like it’s anybody’s business. Some things should be kept to yourself. I can’t believe she told you though. She just met you.”
“I guess it is kinda creepy.”