There Was a Crooked Man: A Psychological Thriller

by Katrina Morgan

  Darrow took over the conversation. “Well, now it’s been a full day. We’ll send an officer to the medical building.” He read the report. “2012 white Honda. Go on home until we check out the medical complex. Then, we’ll get your full statement, okay?” Darrow verified Jack’s address. “My partner and I will be at your house soon.”

  Jack had no option but to leave the building.

  Darrow went back into the office area, looking for Lieutenant Hopkins. Spying him filling his coffee cup with black sludge, Darrow called out, “Hey! We’ve got a missing person report.”

  Hopkins groaned, “Those things never turn out to be true.”

  Chapter 32

  Katie could see a motel employee in the back room. His chin rested on his chest, and a television droned in the background. She rang the desk bell to get his attention.

  The manager, or whoever he was, shuffled out of the backroom, and they were both surprised. He was younger than she’d expected, and she was classier looking than most of his clientele. He admired her openly, and Katie tucked her chin, mumbling about a room for a couple of days. He rattled off the nightly charge.

  Katie agreed and watched him ring up the total.

  “That comes to a whopping one-hundred-forty-eight dollars and seventy-eight cents." He gave her bare legs a quick appraisal.

  Katie didn’t want his attention and yanked out twenty-dollar bills.

  “Passing through?” He glanced at the registration. “Anne?”

  She hadn’t practiced the next lie and stammered a bit, “Annie. And no, I just got a job at the First Bank of Atlanta.” She pointed toward the bank across the street. “I need a place to stay until I find an apartment.”

  “Really?” He pulled the word out longer than its two syllables.

  Shit, Katie thought. That’s all I need is him asking me out. She frowned, trying to look unappealing.

  He pointed to his name badge. “My name’s Chad. Can I show you around?”

  Katie shook her head. “Thanks, but I wanna get settled first.

  Maybe in a couple of days, who knows?” She didn’t want to encourage but didn’t want to offend either. He might come in handy.

  Taking the room key, she headed out the door before he asked more questions. She needed to be safely tucked away before noon. There was little doubt she’d be on the news again.

  Once in the room, she stood taking in her temporary digs. The walls were dingy at best, and she could see a sag in the mattress. The kitchenette consisted of a three-foot counter with two stools tucked underneath. She opened and shut the door to the microwave twice, shaking her head. “That’s the tiniest microwave I’ve ever seen.” A mini-fridge and grimy coffee maker rounded out the appliances. Checking the cabinets, Katie found them all empty. “Great. I need to buy paper products, too.”

  She poked her head in the bathroom, noticing old white tile with grout the color of mud. A rust ring, in the bottom of the sink, was evidence of a constant drip from the faucet. Katie jumped when she caught her appearance in the mirror over the sink.

  She laughed at herself and pulled back the shower curtain, happily surprised to find the area sparkling clean. She put away her makeup, moisturizer, contact case, and other personal items and tucked the few clothes she owned into the nightstand.

  Finding a half pad of paper, Katie made a list of items to hold her through the weekend: basic food and drink, plastic ware, and paper plates. Grabbing her purse, she headed out toward the little corner grocery store. She spent another $40.63 and mentally subtracted it from the running total she had in her head.

  Jack drove home and waited for the cops, who took their sweet-ass time and didn’t show up until nine-thirty.

  Officers Darrow and Hopkins both had their hands on their hips when Jack answered the door. He assessed their tightly packed uniforms and matching stance. Jesus! They even have the same haircut.

  In turn, they looked around the enviable neighborhood and carefully tended yards. Detective Hopkins introduced himself. “I’m Lieutenant Hopkins. You remember Detective Darrow from earlier?”

  They pushed their way inside the house, noting details as fast as their eyes could scan. Spotting the security camera by the front door, Hopkins pointed and asked, “Are these in every room?”

  Jack glanced at the camera. “Yep, except for the master bedroom closet and guest room.”

  Jack’s cell phone rang, and he answered quickly. The TV station that had run the story on Katie asked if there were any updates and whether she had family nearby. Hopkins and Darrow listened to Jack’s end of the conversation.

  “No family. No updates. No calls or signs of Katie anywhere. The police are here now.”

  “We’ll rerun the story at noon,” the reporter said. “Do the police have anything to add?”

  Jack covered the receiver and asked. Darrow and Hopkins shook their heads no.

  “Not at this time. I’ve got to go.”

  Hopkins went back to his questions about the cameras. “What kind of footage do you have? Twenty-four hours at a time?”

  “No, this system runs in a seventy-two-hour loop.”

  “Can we review them?”

  “I’ve watched them three times. She didn’t do anything weird. She did exactly what she always does.”

  His wording caught their attention. “What do you mean? Do you watch her every day?” Darrow asked.

  “Well, I review the footage. Make sure things are running smoothly, no surprises.”

  “Hmm, “Hopkins frowned. “We still want to take a look. Maybe we’ll see something you missed.”

  “Fine.” Jack stood in place.

  “We need to keep moving, Jack. Let's have Office Darrow review the film while you show me the rest of the house. I’ll take notes and get your statement as we go. Sound good?”

  Jack led them to the office and loaded the software for the cameras. He stood watching the pictures intently.

  Hopkins cleared his throat. “So, you were going to show me around the house?”

  Jack walked Hopkins through each room downstairs and then headed up the stairs to the bedrooms.

  Poking his head into the guest room, Hopkins asked, “Nothing out of the ordinary?”

  “No.”

  The policeman slowed down when he and Jack entered the master bedroom, noting two cameras in the corners. Hopkins raised his eyebrows but said nothing. “And you say nothing’s missing?” He worked his way to the closet, noting Katie’s side held less clothing than Jack’s. Hopkins used his pen to move a few blouses aside.

  “Nothing. I’ve checked the dresser and emptied all the drawers. There’s not so much as a pair of underwear missing.”

  Hopkins wrote down a few things, hiding his notebook from Jack’s curious eyes. Husband is obsessive. Cameras in all rooms. Seems to know every item his wife owns. He peeked in the trash can, noting a few items, indicating it hadn’t been emptied. “Let’s see how Darrow is doing with the tapes, and we’ll head over to the medical center.”

  Jack nodded, then turned to answer his phone. Another TV station had picked up the story and wanted to ask a few questions.

  “Not now,” Jack barked. He agreed to talk later, “After we get done at the doctor’s office.”

  Hopkins rolled his eyes. “Great. Now the reporters will be there. You need to let us handle this, Jack. No more interviews. No more talking to reporters. Do you understand?”

  Hopkins jogged down the stairs and stuck his head in the office. “Anything?”

  “No,” Darrow answered, “nothing abnormal. No calls, no stuttered movements.”

  “Alright. We’ve got to go. We need to get to the medical building before the news stations.” Hopkins jerked his head toward Jack. “He just shared that little tidbit with a reporter.”

  Darrow moved away from the desk. “Great. That’s just great.”

  “Why don’t you ride with us?” Hopkins suggested.

  Jack hesitated. “Maybe I ought to drive myself
. If I get out of the back of a police car and reporters are there….”

  Darrow and Hopkins raised their eyebrows.

  “You should have considered that before telling the media where we’re heading.”

  “We’d rather you ride with us. We could use the time to finish your statement. The medical office closes at noon, right?” Darrow looked at his watch for emphasis.

  “I guess that makes sense.” Jack glanced at his watch too. It was ten after ten.

  Katie slapped together a quick sandwich and chugged milk straight from the jug. She put away the rest of the food and noting it wasn’t quite ten-thirty, decided she had enough time to buy some clothes. "One outfit isn't going to cut it. And, I need a suitcase too,” It’ll look weird to be staying at a motel without luggage. She headed out to the nearby Target she’d seen earlier.

  Chapter 33

  Jack slouched in the back of the police car, answering questions.

  “Does Katie have family nearby?”

  “No, just her Aunt Susan in Atlanta. She’s in one of those retirement places.”

  “Are the two of them close? Does Katie go see her? Call?”

  “We don’t get there often, but Katie calls her at least once a week.”

  “We’re gonna need her name, address, phone.”

  “I called her yesterday. She hasn’t heard from Katie.” Jack pulled out his phone and rattled off the requested information, while Officer Darrow added to their notes.

  “We’ll need to interview her anyway. Could Katie be staying with a girlfriend?”

  “No. She doesn’t have any close friends, just a few people she works with.”

  Officer Darrow caught Hopkins’ eye. No friends. No family. Surveillance. The less than flattering picture of Jack was growing.

  They pulled into the medical lot at ten-twenty-seven.

  “Shit,” Darrow muttered, pointing at two news vans.

  “Yep.” Hopkins turned to glare at Jack. “There they are.”

  The reporters hurried over, cameras running and audio on high. “Are you here concerning Kathryn Werner?”

  “Do you suspect foul play?”

  The two officers barreled through the group, with Jack between them, and headed straight toward the front door. They showed their badges, scaring the girl at the desk half to death.

  Hopkins flashed the picture of Katie. “Have you seen this woman?”

  Darrow interjected, “Were you working yesterday?”

  She stammered, “No. I only work on Saturday mornings. Megan was here yesterday."

  “Can you get your boss up here, please?”

  The news reporters had followed them inside. Jack slid toward a clump of fake trees near the staircase, trying to be inconspicuous.

  Hopkins stayed in reception, waiting for the supervisor, and moving the media outside.

  “I’ll go up to the doctor’s office. Come on, Jack.” Detective Darrow marched toward the elevator.

  The doctor’s assistant’s eyes grew large when she saw the police uniform. She pointed at Jack, “He was here yesterday looking for his wife. What’s going on?”

  Darrow took a brief statement, writing down Katie’s appointment time and confirming she’d never shown up or called. He noted the time Jack came in, and what questions he’d asked. Darrow repeated his actions at the lab and mammography station.

  Meanwhile, Hopkins met with the supervisor. She called in extra security guards to handle the press and loaded the surveillance tapes from the day before. Friday’s receptionist, Megan, was heading into the office to see if she could identify Katie or remember anything.

  The entire group, including Jack, hunkered around the security screens watching the film.

  “There she is!” Jack’s voice screeched as he pointed at the screen. They all watched Katie park and walk inside. Other patients came and went. A taxi pulled in and left. A community van unloaded two elderly women. Another taxi parked under the portico. It wasn’t particularly notable, but Officer Darrow wrote down the name of the taxi company. They were all watching for the bright purple sweater, long blond hair, and the big bag Katie carried. They fast-forwarded through the tape, never seeing Katie exit the building.

  Darrow rewound the tape to the taxi frame. “I can’t see the passenger.” They switched to the back entrance and picnic area used by doctors and staff. There was no sign of Katie.

  Turning to the supervisor, Hopkins asked to see all maintenance personnel. “We need access to all closets and rooms in this building.”

  Darrow and Hopkins explored all three floors to no avail, even searching the back entrance and courtyard.

  Darrow walked footpath leading between the lunch area and an employee parking lot--a natural shortcut created over time. He shook his head. “There’s nothing here. Besides,” he pointed toward the camera mounted on the corner of the building, “we would have seen her on the tape.”

  Katie bought jeans, khakis, underwear, another bra and six pairs of socks. With the weather turning cooler, she purchased a few long-sleeved shirts and a thick wool-lined jacket on sale. A pair of casual shoes went in the cart, and she bit her lip over waterproof hiking boots. She took the shoes out of their boxes, conserving space.

  She chose hygiene items, mumbling to herself about needing household accessories to complete her story. Unwilling to buy too many things, Katie chose a clock radio and an oversized coffee mug. Katie smiled at the mug featuring Maxine asking ‘My update Status? Is Alive good enough?’

  A thick blanket, a pillow, and one pillowcase were piled precariously on top of the clothes. Katie was thrilled to find a cheap suitcase and an overnight bag combo. She stuffed the smaller case under the cart and pulled the larger one behind her as she and the cart wobbled drunkenly toward the checkout area. Two cheap books, a notebook, pens, and the local newspaper were added to the cart along the way.

  She laughed with the clerk. “How am I gonna cart all of this stuff out of here?”

  “You’ve been busy!”

  “You can say that again. Let’s put the clothes in the suitcase.” Katie unzipped it and loaded the bags.

  She reluctantly handed over $258.18. Even with most of the clothes and shoes shoved inside the suitcases, the other items filled three massive store bags. Attaching the smaller suitcase to the larger one, Katie ran the bag handles through her arm to her elbow and half-jogged toward the motel.

  She spilled into her room and leaned against the door, breathing hard. She dumped the bags on the bed, automatically turning on the TV. The news would be on soon.

  There was a light knock on the door. Katie froze, then made herself look through the peephole. Chad--not Jack. She fastened the safety chain and opened the door.

  “Hey there. Do you have everything you need?” Chad asked as he peered in through the three-inch opening. “Been shopping, huh?”

  “Yeah, I’m kind of jazzed up about the new job and getting my own place.”

  “I get off at three today. Wanna get a bite to eat?”

  “Thanks, but I grabbed food while I was out. I need to go over my notes for work. So, not today, okay?”

  “Do you even have a car? I didn’t see one in the parking lot?”

  “My car’s junk. Totally unreliable.” Katie rolled her eyes dramatically. “My brother dropped me off this morning and is gonna help me find something tomorrow,” Katie lied.

  Chad left, hope still in his eyes.

  Katie locked the door and pushed a chair under the knob. She ate ravioli out of the can and watched her story unfold on the news. She was fascinated to see Jack get out of the back of the police car and walk with two policemen toward the medical building.

  Reporters yelled out a few questions, but the cops gave the standard, “No comment,” and then entered the building.

  “Breaking news” rolled across the bottom of the television screen. “Kathryn Follings Werner disappeared from Cooper Medical Center Friday morning. The police have been questioning employees and
reviewing camera tape. They had few clues until a few minutes ago.” They cut to a scene of an employee opening the locked dumpster area. Police and maintenance personnel wore gloves as they dug through the trash. There was a dramatic pause, and the camera zoomed in closer.

  “Hey! I got something!” A janitor waved a billfold in the air.

  Darrow pushed his way through the crowd, ignoring questions yelled from reporters.

  “Is that Kathryn's wallet?”

  “Do you suspect foul play?”

  Opening the wallet, Darrow pulled out the grocery cards Katie had purposely left behind. Seeing Kathryn Werner’s name, he held both arms out. “Move back! This is a crime scene.”

  Hopkins whipped out an evidence bag, and Darrow carefully dropped in the wallet. Katie’s cell phone was found a little further down in the trash, and the media went crazy.

  Katie watched open-mouthed. It was far more dramatic than she'd ever dreamed. She'd been gone less than thirty hours, and things were ramping up quickly. She needed to get out of town soon. Unfortunately, she had three important things to take care of before hitting the highway.

  Chapter 34

  Working the patrol car in between the reporters and the dumpster, Hopkins hit dispatch on his shoulder radio, “We’ve got a real missing person here. I need another officer at the medical center ASAP. Send a crime team to dust for fingerprints and secure the scene. Tell the chief I’ll call him in a little bit.”

  The janitor, who’d found the billfold, happily swayed by the dumpster, a fifteen-minute hero, hoping for more.

  Jack was shocked. He’d been sure Katie had run away. Officers Darrow and Hopkins watched his face, as confused as he was as to what had happened.

  As soon as the crime squad arrived, Darrow and Hopkins barked out orders.

  “I want this site secure. Barricades, whatever you need, but keep those reporters back.”

  “Check the car for prints and get a tow truck here to impound the car.”