What was going to happen to us? I was starting to panic again when Celine began humming Wind Beneath My Wings, by Bette Midler. That made me smile. Instinctively I knew Celine was singing about the chief. Oh, please, God. Let the chief find us in time.
Chapter Thirty-One
Casey Dennis
We all gathered back in the conference room; police, federal agent, and security, to regroup and refocus on the situation. As everyone stopped at the counter for coffee, I pulled one of my staff to the side and had a private meeting with them. I needed their help to set the trap. Whether Celine, Michele, and Scottie’s kidnapping was tied to the serial killer or not, could be investigated later. Right now, we needed to find the three women before it was too late, and my gut was telling me that the kidnapper was sitting across from me. I needed him to continue his charade and convince him to lead us to the victims… my friends. But before I could get started on that plan, we were interrupted.
“What the hell is going on here, Dennis?” Christopher bellowed as he stormed through the door into the conference room.
“Wow, who the hell is this guy?” Bobbie whispered.
“Christopher Alexander, CEO and the man who hired me,” I whispered back.
“Why the fuck didn’t you warn me before the media showed up and made me look like an idiot?” Christopher demanded.
He’s worried about his reputation? My face flushed with anger. “Excuse me, sir, but I don’t give a shit,” I said, taking silent satisfaction at the look of shock on his face. “There’s a killer on the loose in this hospital, and I don’t have time to play subservient to you. The bastard has kidnapped three of our people, and we have to find them before he kills again. Now, fire me if you want, but stay out of my way.”
My entire team, Josh, Dorey, Barney, Robby, Lucas, Lula, Noel, Gary and Eugene, stood up and positioned themselves behind me. Some of them came in on their day off when I sent out a department-wide text alert, and now they stood with me in solidarity. It made quite an impression on the CEO.
He looked perplexed but then he relented. “Do what you need to do, Chief Dennis,” he said. “But do it quickly.”
After he left, everyone exhaled and sat back down again, mumbling among themselves.
Bobbie, who had sat down was typing a text on her cellphone, said without looking up, “Impressive group you’ve got here, Casey.”
“I think so, too. If I still have a job when this is over with, I’m giving raises to everyone.” My team had gone above and beyond what was expected from security guards. It didn’t surprise me that they weren’t more excited by my announcement considering the circumstances.
My phone beeped, and I pulled it out of my pocket. There was a text from Bobbie. So, which one do you think it is? I looked at her casually, my poker face unyielding, and shrugged.
“All right, settle down, people. Let’s look at this from a different angle. It’s circumstantial, but I think the serial killer may have changed his MO because of me. He may be related to a man I shot and killed when I was a detective in Houston, and now he’s out for revenge. That’s why he took three people I have become very fond of in a very short period of time. I believe those women are still alive and held captive somewhere very close by. So, what I need from you is ideas. Who do you know who would have a grudge against me that knows those three women?”
“I still say it could be Byron,” Josh offered.
Lula glanced at me. “The guy you fired the first day I was hired?”
Nodding, I said, “Byron Becker and his Taser.”
“Yeah, it makes sense. He’s got a grudge against the chief,” Dorey said. “Told me that he was going to make her pay for firing him.”
Becky shook her head. “So then, this isn’t connected to the serial killer?”
“I don’t know for sure if he is the serial killer or not, but like I said, if he is, when he found out I was the one who killed his father, he decided to come after me.”
“Point of fact, Chief. He’s coming after your employees and friends,” Josh clarified.
I glared at him long and hard and decided he was right, but I wasn’t going to let that upset me. Not now when there’s so much at stake. “You are correct, Josh. So, I need ideas and I need them now. If we think it’s Byron, then we know he must be hiding here in the hospital—”
“Why do we know that, Chief?” Dorey asked.
“Because he kidnapped three people within a couple of hours of each other and all three of them were here at the hospital. He’s stashed them either here on campus or someplace very close by.”
Becky’s head shot up. “I’ve got officers out searching the neighborhood, the mall across the street and everywhere in-between.”
“And we’ve searched the hospital, top to bottom,” Dorey added. “Including the parking deck and medical building.”
“But, what we haven’t done is think like Bryon would think,” I pointed out. “He’s cocky, arrogant, brazen. He knows the hospital, and he may have made a spare master key that gets him into places we hadn’t thought to look. So, think like Byron. Where would he hide those women?”
Ideas were tossed out right and left and shot down just as quickly by one or another. I watched the killer covertly as I clicked through the messages on my cellphone until I found Celine’s last message. I’m fine. Go have fun with your little detective slut and leave me alone. I could only hope that those were not the last words Celine ever said to me.
Tempers were becoming frayed, and it drew me back to the present. My team, standing in union against the CEO, were now standing in anger, shouting and cussing at each other. I had to shout over them to be heard. “Shut the hell up!” They stopped talking immediately, although they still grumbled under their breaths. “We don’t have time for this.”
“Sorry, Chief,” Dorey said. “Things got a little heated I guess, and—”
“I don’t care,” I replied sharply. “There are three people, friends and coworkers, who are right now being tortured or worse, by a crazed maniac who takes pleasure in his torture. Now think, people! What are we missing?”
“Like I was trying to tell them, Byron used to brag that he had a secret hideaway for his afternoon delight,” Josh offered.
“Well, he certainly never told me about it,” Dorey pointed out.
“Yeah, he told me that, too,” Lucas admitted. “I told him to knock it off.”
Noel raised his hand as if he had to ask permission to speak.
“What have you got, Noel?” I asked.
“He told me about a room he had fixed up in the—”
Dorey shook her head. “We searched the dungeon already.”
“It wasn’t the dungeon, Dorey,” he said. “It’s what he called the penthouse. The maintenance room on the roof that’s used to store equipment in, only he moved a mattress in there and made it his own little harem. He said I could rent it from him for a hundred bucks a pop. Said it would grow hair on my chest, the arrogant bastard.”
Like a mad woman, I jumped up and bolted from the room and up the stairs, with everyone else following close behind. “Josh, show me,” I yelled, realizing I didn’t know where I was going.
We climbed the stairs to the top floor, where Josh took out his key, unlocked the exit door and we stepped out onto the roof. The flat roof was covered in white gravel and crunched under our feet as we hurried across it to a square brick building jutting out of the roof. Reaching for my pistol, I noticed that Bobbie and Becky also pulled out their weapons, sighting them on the door as we approached.
“Is anybody in there?” I shouted. I tried the door, but it was locked. Then I heard muffled screams, coming from inside. “Josh, get this damn door open.”
He quickly unlocked it and flung the door open. I rushed in and stopped suddenly when I saw Scottie, Celine, and Michele, bound and gagged, screaming and crying. I knelt down by Michele, and she recoiled when I touched her.
“Shh, it’s okay, Michele. It’s me, Casey
. You’re safe now. No one will hurt you.”
Lula bounded up and almost knocked me out of the way to get to Michele. I moved over to Celine, who was trembling so bad I leaned over and hugged her. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you,” I whispered in her ear. Her body relaxed and she moved into my embrace, tears soaking the blindfold she wore. Even as I held Celine, I put my hand on Scottie’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Scottie, you’re safe now.
Bobbie helped Scottie as I removed the blindfold from Celine’s face. “Oh, God. I am so happy to see you,” I exclaimed when I saw her liquid green eyes staring up at me. I gingerly pulled the tape from her mouth, and she immediately leaned in and kissed me. I cupped her cheek and kissed her gently, but she was hungry for the connection and pushed inside. When I felt the fire in her tongue, I knew she was truly all right. Then she bit me on the lip.
“What took you so damn long?” she asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.
“You’re using your shrink voice again, Dr. Aponte,” I teased. “Lean forward and let me cut you lose.” I pulled out my pocket knife and cut through the ties, then I handed my knife to Lula, who did the same with Michele.
“Scottie, are you all right?” I asked, watching as the women rubbed their bruised wrists where the ties had dug into them.
“My son?”
“He’s fine,” I answered quickly. “He’s sitting up and eating. Here, let’s get you untied and back down to him.”
We cut the three women out of their leg restraints and then took them out onto the roof. Celine and Scottie clung to me, Michele to Lula, although I think that might have been mutual. Just as we were about to leave the roof and go back into the hospital, I turned to Becky, my arms still wrapped around Scottie and Celine, and said, “Arrest him. He’s your killer.”
All eyes turned to the person I was pointing at. Josh Hamilton.
“What? No.” Josh shook his head. “What are you talking about, Chief?”
Becky looked at me, and I nodded. She took out her handcuffs and approached him but Josh held up his hands, waving for her to stop.
“No, wait. This isn’t right. I didn’t do this, Chief. You know I didn’t,” Josh pleaded.
“Barney, Robby, Dorey, stay with the women,” I commanded. “The rest of you, fan out.” Lucas, Noel, Gary and Eugene took up positions on all four sides of Josh.
“Esto es loco,” Lucas mumbled, moving closer to Josh.
“Lucas, come on, man. You know I didn’t do this,” Josh reasoned, imploring his friend to agree. Lucas wouldn’t meet his eye, so Josh turned back to me. “Chief, you’ve made a huge mistake. Check your facts; you’ll see I’m innocent.”
I took another step closer, close enough to grab him, but far enough away to jump away if I had to. “The fact is that you’re a diabetic and an expert with a syringe. The same kind of syringe we found by the stairwell where you kidnapped Michele.”
“Josh?” Michele whispered, still clinging to Lula.
“It’s not true, Michele. I would never hurt you. Please, you have to believe me,” Josh begged.
“Chief, are you sure?” Dorey asked. “I mean, I’ve known Josh longer than any of you and he’s never once—”
“Yes, I’m sure. I was advised that the killer would keep his trophies, in this case, the victim’s teeth, close by. We found his stash, Dorey. We found the teeth he carried with him and...”
Noel, standing to my left, grabbed his jacket pocket and then exhaled, and I knew I had the bastard.
I pulled my gun from the back of my jeans and pointed it at Noel. “One move and I will blow out your kneecap, understand?”
“Hold up a sec, Casey,” Bobbie said. “I don’t want to get this bastard’s blood on me, not like when you shot his father.” She drew her gun again and moved beside me. “Okay, I’ve got him covered, either shoot him or cuff him, I don’t much care which.”
“That was a great job of acting, Josh,” I said. “Thanks for the assist.”
“Wait, he’s the killer, not me,” Noel protested. He was pale, nervous, clutching his jacket pocket again.
“I’m a little bit confused,” Michele said.
“You’re not alone, Michele,” Dorey agreed.
“The last thing that I remember before waking up beside Dr. Gorgeous… oh, I mean Dr. Aponte… was Byron asking me to help him. This guy —whom I never liked by the way, and you should fire him, Chief — told me that he killed Byron. Did he?
Still staring at Noel, I replied, “I don’t know, but if he was involved, we’ll find out.” My mind raced with possibilities of Byron’s involvement. I knew that he wouldn’t need a special room to have sex in. Any empty bed would have worked for him. What was his angle in helping Noel? If he helped him, that is. My gut said he didn’t. I turned my attention back to Noel. “Josh, if you could assist me one more time,” I said. “I’d like to take a look in Noel’s pockets.”
“Roger that, Chief,” Josh replied, walking behind Noel.
“Get away from me, Josh,” Noel warned. “You have no right.”
Josh grabbed Noel’s arm and bent it back, wrapping his arm around Noel’s neck. Becky tossed me her handcuffs, and I walked over to Noel and stood very close to his face. He struggled to break free of Josh’s hold, but Josh was a weightlifter and Noel was half his size in muscle. I reached in Noel’s jacket pocket and pulled out a plastic bag full of teeth. As happy as I was to catch Noel red handed, the sight of those teeth made me cringe.
“Noel Collins, you have the right to remain silent,” Becky said as she snapped the handcuffs on him. I handed her the bag of teeth and stepped back.
As soon as Noel was in cuffs, Michele rushed into Josh’s arms. “I knew it wasn’t you, Josh,” she exclaimed.
He grinned. “Yeah, I could tell.” Dorey joined them in a group hug, and the other guards gathered around, patting him on the back.
Becky radioed for backup to escort Noel out and then patted him down, pulling out a knife sheathed to his leg. We were damn lucky that he didn’t have time to wield it.
Suddenly, the door to the roof burst open and Byron stepped out with his arm around a pretty blonde radiology student who was barely of legal age. The look of panic on his face was priceless, but I had to admit that I was wrong about him. Apparently, unemployed security guards do need a special room for sex.
Balling my hands into fists, I walked over to Byron. He looked like he had been caught in church with his pants down and if he didn’t talk, I was going to enjoy putting the fear of God into him, Texas style. “Talk,” I demanded. He glanced at Noel in handcuffs and at Bobbie and Becky pointing their guns at him. He began babbling like a baby.
“I found the key to get up here in an envelope in my mailbox at home with a note attached that said I was invited to use the penthouse.”
“It said not until next week, you dumbass,” Noel yelled.
Byron was arrested as an accomplice, handcuffed and taken away with Noel.
Just as we were about to leave, Celine pulled me to the side.
“The case appears to be over and the penthouse appears to be available, can we finally…”
My mouth hung open as I looked at her incredulously.
“Lighten up, Casey. It was a joke,” she said, laughing at me. “But I must say, the lustful look on your face was priceless.”
“Oh, I think it was more of a Freudian slip, Doctor.” One that I am going to take advantage of very shortly.
Epilogue
Casey Dennis
Once Becky searched Noel’s house the evidence against him was rock solid. Noel’s torture chamber was in the basement behind a heavily padlocked door. He had painstakingly made the room soundproof, supposedly so his wife couldn’t hear the screams. When asked why he took his victims to his own house, he shrugged and said he was a cat, bringing dead things back to its master. Having met his wife, I could almost understand that. She was a beast with no remorse and Noel was terrified of her. His wife was a trash collector who wor
ked for the city which explained why Noel dumped the bodies behind the dumpsters. Unfortunately, Becky couldn’t prove that the wife was involved, so she had to let her go.
Noel seemed glad that he was arrested, perhaps so he could escape his wife. He confessed on the condition that he not be given a death sentence, and since Colorado rarely handed out the death penalty, the prosecutor gladly accepted his terms. Unfortunately, his confessions did not tie him to Bobbie’s serial killer in Texas.
Michele told me that she was having terrible nightmares. I’m not surprised, but with time and Lula’s ever hovering presence, I know she’ll be all right.
Scottie and Cody walked into my office on their way home, and I admit, I had to fight the tears welling up in my eyes. I handed him three tickets to the next Denver Broncos football game for him, his mother and me, and he jumped into my arms and kissed me on the cheek. The tears gushed out as I watched them walk out of the hospital.
Celine was also having nightmares. So, in a physiological role reversal, I played the shrink and she played the patient. It was exhilarating, demanding and fulfilling. Especially when we did it on my motorcycle traveling down I-70 at sixty miles-per-hour.
I haven’t decided yet whether to stay in my current position as chief of security at the hospital, or go back to detective work. I know I have the courage now, I’m just not ready to make the decision… yet. I have great options, from both Boulder and Houston, but this hospital still needs me, and the CEO just gave me a raise. So for now, I want to explore Colorado, and the two women who inspire me in completely different, passionate ways.
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