Irrefutable

by Dale Roberts

  “Shit.” Samuels said out loud. She couldn’t see. It was nearly time for Levine to leave. She had to reposition herself so she wouldn’t miss him. She started her car and backed from the parking space. She made her way to the outer drive that encircled the facility. She saw a small auxiliary lot nearer the doctor’s lot but it didn’t offer the cover of the main lot. Turning right, she slowly drove past the ambulance entrance. She could see Dr. Levine standing at the ambulance doors, holding a gym bag. He was talking to someone but was obviously ready to leave. She moved past the doors and turned back onto the main drive. She could see in her mirror as he ran through the rain to his car, a black Mercedes E-class. She watched as he exited the lot and drove toward the rear entrance. She followed at a distance. “Where are you going doctor?’ she said out loud.

  He made his way through town toward the north-east side. He turned left on Maple Run then right on Palmetto Court. She watched as he pulled into a driveway on the left near the cul-de-sac at the end of the street. She didn’t dare drive past, she would be spotted. She turned around in a driveway and made her way back to Maple Run. She turned left and drove a block, to the first opportunity to turn around. She drove back toward Palmetto and parked fifty yards from the intersection. From here, she would be able to see if he went anywhere. She turned off the ignition and waited as the rain continued to fall.

  _________

  The rapping on the window startled Samuels. She was blinded as the flashlight beam hit her eyes. “Roll down your window.” the officer was saying.

  “Oh shit.” She said to herself, as she opened the window a couple of inches.

  “Sleeping in a vehicle on a city street is against the law.” the officer said. “Could I see some identification please?”

  Samuels removed her badge from her waist band and showed it to the officer, along with her department I.D. “I’m on a stakeout.” She told him. “I must have fallen asleep.”

  “Who are you watching out here?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say.” She looked at her watch, two-forty AM. She had been asleep for a while. “I’m sure my subject has gone to bed so I’ll be moving on.”

  “You know, you might want to try some coffee or something next time, Officer Samuels.” He said as he returned her badge and I.D. “You have a good morning.”

  She had only three and a half hours until she needed to be back. She drove to the nearest convenience store for a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll then returned to Palmetto and parked at the far end of the cul-de-sac and waited.

  _________

  Alex sipped his coffee while he stared at the computer screen. On the Polk County public records page, he found the link for family court records. He typed: Levine, Jacob M. and his date of birth. The results were listed in two categories; Civil and Criminal. He searched the civil records and found the court documents for three marriage licenses and three divorce decrees.

  The first License filed 18 June, 1989 and divorce decree filed 26 April, 1991. The second license filed 17 August, 1991 and divorce decree filed 8 March, 1993. The third license filed 14 September, 1994 and divorce decree filed 16 April 1998. He scanned the documents looking for the distribution of assets. The third marriage had resulted in one daughter, who was awarded to the mother. There were documents attached, including a record of arrest and subsequent dismissal of charges alleging sexual misconduct with his daughter. The dates coincided with the arrest record he found on his previous search. Alex wrote down the names of all three ex-wives and daughter.

  “Merry Christmas.” Samuels said as she placed a small drinking glass on his desk. It contained what appeared to be a small amount of orange juice in the bottom.

  “Happy New Year.” Alex said. “What’s this?”

  “This is what you’ve been wishing for.”

  “A leftover drop of OJ?”

  “DNA.” she said. “I followed him home last night like you said. This morning he goes to a little café for breakfast.” Samuels slid the chair from her desk and turned it backwards in front of Alex. She sat facing him with her arms folded across the back. “I’m a little hungry, so I follow him inside. I sat at the counter and ordered a plate, so I would blend in. He ate his breakfast and left a tip on the table along with this glass. After he paid his check and left, I retrieved it.” Samuels let out a laugh, “I had to argue with the waitress but I won. I figure if he left it on the table it’s fair game. Now we don’t need a warrant to get his DNA.”

  “I could kiss you.” Alex smiled

  “You’re not my type.” She said, returning the smile.

  “You might actually make a detective someday.” he said, “You just have to learn how to stay awake when you’re watching a suspect.”

  “Hey Sleepy, how are the other dwarves?” one of the detectives joked as he walked by.

  “Shit,” Samuels blushed, “news travels fast.”

  “Anyway, good job Samuels. Let’s get it to forensics.”

  Alex carried the glass to the forensics lab with Samuels following closely behind. “Sean, I have a rush.” He said across the room. “See if you can pull a DNA profile and a set of prints from this.”

  “What is it?” Sean asked.

  “It’s from my prime suspect in the rapes cases. I need to see if it’s a match for the DNA from the victims.”

  “Okay, prints I can have in a couple of hours if there’s a match in IAFIS. DNA will be a couple of days.”

  “Great.” Alex turned to leave. “What are you doing for lunch?” he asked Samuels as he returned to his desk.

  “I’m meeting a friend. Why?”

  “I was gonna treat you, but if you have plans, maybe some other time.”

  “I appreciate it. Maybe tomorrow.” she said.

  “Sure. I’ve actually got a lot to do today anyway. I need to find Levine’s daughter. I’ve got a few questions for her.”

  “Do you need any help?”

  “No. I’m fine. You go ahead and meet your friend.”

  _________

  Samuels parked in the street in front of the Village Herald offices. She looked around the parking lot and went inside. “I’m here to see Samantha Stone.” she said to the receptionist. “She’s expecting me.”

  “One moment, I’ll let her know you’re here.” The receptionist dialed Samantha’s extension. “Ms. Stone, you have a visitor in the lobby.”

  Samuels looked around the tastefully decorated lobby. She studied a case that contained framed articles from the past, along with industry recognitions of some of the reporters who had graced the pages of the Herald in its heyday.

  “Hopefully, I’ll have a plaque in there someday.” Samantha said as she looked over Samuels’ shoulder.

  “Hey baby,” Samuels turned and greeted her lover with a kiss

  Chapter Sixteen

  His sleep was interrupted by his cell phone. He probed at the night stand, searching blindly for his phone. “Mendez.” He looked at the glowing red numbers of the alarm clock. It was twelve forty. Alex had only been asleep for an hour. “I’ll be there in fifteen.” Alex washed his face and got dressed. He looked in on Carmen who was sleeping soundly. He wrote a short note telling her where he had gone then headed for the hospital.

  A female uniformed officer greeted Alex as he approached the door to the exam room. “The nurse said it looks like the same assailant.” she said.

  “Does she remember anything?”

  “She’s pretty groggy. She remembers leaving her office after work around nine-thirty and was pushed to the ground from behind before she got to her car.” the officer explained. “Next thing she knew, she was naked and lost. A woman found her sitting on the side of the road out by the old marina. She called us.”

  “The marina seems to be a favorite dumping ground.” Alex said. “So no description or any details?”

  “That’s all she could tell us.”

  Janet came from the exam room. “Hey detective. Looks like number three, I’m afrai
d. She’s definitely got something on board. She’s pretty out of it.

  “That’s what I hear.” He handed Janet the evidence kit along with a small, sealed plastic cup. “I need a urine sample this time.”

  “Sure thing.” she said. “So, I hear there may be a connection to a car dealership. Are they really related?”

  “Where did you hear that?”

  “On the radio. I heard your press conference.”

  “I told them that we had no evidence of a connection but I guess it doesn’t matter what they are told. They report what they want.”

  “So is it true?”

  Alex took a deep breath. “Not a word. Okay?”

  “Hey, my lips are sealed.” Janet said.

  “The first two victims’ names were on a list of files stolen from the dealership’s computer. We’ve collected DNA samples from most of the male employees, but we don’t have any results yet. It’ll take a while to run all of them.”

  “So, that’s how he’s choosing his victims?”

  “It’s just a theory were working on. I do have another idea or two, but I can’t go into that right now.”

  Janet looked down at the counter top. “Well, my patient should be ready. I’ll be out in a little while.” She knocked on the exam room door then disappeared inside.

  Alex turned toward the officer, “Do you have her info?”

  “Her name is Tracy Blackwell. She is co-owner of Prestige Financial, a mortgage brokerage here in town.”

  “Do you have her address?”

  “Let’s see, she lives at twenty four twelve Cypress Court. I believe that’s in The Cove.”

  “That’s interesting,” Alex said. “Not only have all the victims lived in The Cove, but they are all connected to the real estate business. We have a real estate attorney, and real estate broker and a mortgage broker.”

  “You think someone has a bone to pick over a house?”

  “It may be nothing, but it’s an awfully interesting coincidence. I’ll bet she just bought a new car too, probably a Mercedes or Lexus.”

  “I wonder if her name is on that list you were talking about.” the officer said.

  “I’ll be surprised if she isn’t. Where is her office?”

  “On Montague, next to the First State Bank.”

  “A bank huh? Do the parking lots connect?” Alex said, his heart suddenly beating faster.

  “I’m not sure. Why?”

  “Because if it is, there may be security cameras covering the lot. There’s a chance that the whole thing was captured on video.”

  Alex walked outside and dialed his phone. “This is detective Mendez. I need Sean Miller’s phone number, he works in the lab.” He wrote the number on the small notepad he kept in his pocket. “Thanks.” He hung up and dialed the number. “Sean, Hey, sorry to wake you, this is Mendez. I’ve got a question. Can you analyze video from a security camera?”

  “It depends. Inside or outside?”

  “Outside a bank.”

  “We can watch it, but typically, the outside cameras are pretty low resolution. If it needs to be enhanced for detail we’ll have to send it out. Why?” Sean said.

  “We’ve got a third victim, but I think we may have caught the attack on a bank security camera. I’m going when they open and see if anything was recorded. I’ll let you know if there’s anything to look at.”

  Janet interviewed the woman, asking the routine questions about current sexual partners, medical history and life style. After which she took photographs to document the injuries to her face and hands and any other visual evidence. Janet then opened the evidence kit and did a quick inventory of the items. “Okay Ms. Blackwell, I’m going to start the exam now. I’ll tell you everything I’m going to do before I do it. Okay?”

  “Yes, alright.”

  Janet arranged the swabs and began the procedure. She took the blood tube from her pocket, opened the top and poured a small amount of cloudy liquid onto the pad that was under the patient. After performing the other swabs, Janet took a fresh swab and rolled the tip in the liquid she had poured from the tube. She placed the swab into the protective cover and sealed it. “All finished.” She said.

  “That wasn’t so bad.” Ms. Blackwell said.

  Janet gave her a set of paper scrubs to wear until she could replace them with her own clothes, she wished her well.

  Alex had long since finished his coffee when Janet emerged from the room. “Except for the names, it’s like the identical case all three times. This guy’s nothing if not consistent.” She handed him the closed evidence kit and chain-of-custody form.

  “Did you get urine?”

  “I had to cath her, but I got it. The doc wanted a sample sent too.”

  “Who’s the doc on tonight?” Alex asked.

  “Dr. Meade. She’s from out of town, filling in for Parker. She seems pretty sharp.”

  “Why’d she want the urine?”

  “Just like the others, this lady can’t remember anything, so she ordered a urine drug screen.”

  “When will the results come back?”

  “An hour or so, but I can’t tell you what they are. It’s part of the patient’s medical record.”

  “Yeah, I know, HIPPA.” He said. “So, are you finished with her?”

  “I’m finished. You can talk to her now.”

  “Okay. I just have a few questions. Are you working or just here on call?”

  “I’m just on call tonight. Why?” she said.

  “I wondered if we could sit down and talk for a few minutes, after I see the victim.”

  “Sure, I suppose.”

  “Good. Just give me five minutes. I’ll be right back.”

  Alex entered the room and introduced himself. He asked her the routine questions and filled in the information he needed for his report. He assured her that they would find her attacker, wished her well and excused himself.

  Janet was waiting for him when he exited the room. “So what did you want to talk about?I already have a boyfriend you know.” She said smiling.

  “Let’s walk down and get some coffee.”

  “Sure. You know, too much caffeine can cause an irregular heartbeat.” she told him, as they walked toward the cafeteria.

  “On the contrary,” he said “Sometimes I think it’s the only thing that keeps mine beating at all.”

  Janet smiled. “What’s on your mind detective?”

  “How much do you know about Dr. Levine?”

  Janet stopped and looked at Alex. “More than I’d like. Why?”

  “I’m just curious. Would you say he’s a good doctor?”

  “I guess he’s competent, if that’s what you mean.”

  “What about his personality? Is he appropriate, you know, in his interactions with people?”

  “He has a good bedside manner. I mean, he’s good with his patients.”

  “What about the staff? Does he get along with the people he works with?”

  “Well, personally, I find him irritating. He’s way is too open about his personal life.”

  Alex tried to hide a snicker. Pot and Kettle, he thought. “Open about what?”

  “He makes sure everyone knows about his divorces. It’s like he’s looking for sympathy or something. Kinda creepy if you ask me. Why the sudden interest in him?”

  Alex opened the door to the cafeteria and motioned for Janet to go first. He looked to be sure no one else was in the room. “I came up here to talk to him the other day, just to follow up on one of the victims. I asked about a urine drug screen on one. He said he hadn’t ordered one. When I asked why, he became very defensive.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He asked who the hell I was to question how he practiced medicine. All I wanted to know was, if he suspected a possible drug being used, why hadn’t he tried to find out what it was.”

  “And you think he might be trying to hide something?”

  “I don’t know.” Alex said as he poured a cup of
coffee. “It just sent up a red flag. You know? I mean if you forgot, just say you forgot. But he made this big scene. I think he’s unstable.”

  “We’ve all thought that for a long time.” Janet said. “He gets so mad when we call him Cliff Clavin. We’re just teasing him, but he has no sense of humor at all.”

  “How is he with computers?” Alex asked.

  Janet looked at him. “Oh my God, he’s a suspect?”

  “Shhh, not so loud.” Alex cautioned. “We got a criminal profile from a forensic psychiatrist. Let’s just say there are some interesting similarities.”

  “Like what?” Janet covered her mouth and looked around to make sure no one heard.

  “Well, according to Dr. Reynolds…”Alex said

  “Elizabeth Reynolds?”

  “Yes, you know her?”

  “Yeah, she’s my shrink. You know, I have some issues from my past.”

  “Right, anyway, she thinks our suspect has, how’d she put it, difficulty establishing or maintaining personal relationships, and may over compensate by being too open or talkative around the opposite sex.”

  “Yep. That’s him. What else?”

  “She thinks he’s been divorced several times and feels the need to strike out at women who he sees the same as those who hurt him. And he never takes the blame for failed relationships. It’s always the other persons fault.”

  “Son of a bitch.” She said. “Sorry, son of a gun. Now that you mention it, he’s always messing with some new electronic gadget. And the other day, when it was on the news about the files being stolen from that car dealer, he was talking about how it wouldn’t be that hard to do. All you needed was some spy bug to send to the other computer and have it send you back information or something like that.”

  “Well, I don’t want anyone to know we’re looking at him, especially him. And it may be nothing, I mean, I don’t have any evidence at all that would tie him to any of these cases, but I’ve got to look at all the possibilities.”

  Janet stared straight ahead, “Wow.” She sipped her coffee.