Illusive Witness

by S. Y. Thompson

  The only thing she could do was call security. This was their job, not that it would do any good. The thief was long gone and no doubt all security would do was file a report. She glanced up at the corner of the room and saw the security camera. Maybe she could do something after all. Security wouldn’t be in a hurry considering it was already too late to do anything, but Jordan knew that the crime had just occurred. If she was fast enough, she just might be able to catch the culprit.

  After calling security and leaving the scene in their capable hands, she headed to the basement. In this particular hospital, the camera operations were set up on the lower level. The Board of Trustees had insisted on it, citing that their elite clientele would be put off upon seeing a locked doorway with the word “Security” emblazoned on it.

  Jordan knew the security officers on site, but few of them well. The only one she shared any kind of friendly relationship with was Ozzie Blaine, who was as round as he was jovial. As large as he was, it was difficult to picture him doing much more than eating chocolate donuts and pouring down gallons of highly sugared coffee. In his case, appearances were deceiving. The man was also six feet, four inches tall and she had seen him hold down highly combative junkies that were convinced he was a flesh-eating troll intent on devouring them with extreme prejudice.

  He was also a highly honorable man that Jordan was sure believed in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. He believed in good and evil and was decidedly on the side of good. For that reason, she knew she could ask for his help.

  “Morning, Doctor Pierce.” Ozzie greeted her while wiping at the powdered sugar clinging tenaciously to his mustache. “What are you doing down here in this hole?”

  “Hi, Ozzie. I wish that I were here under better circumstances, but there was a break in on the first floor. The medications cabinet in room one-eighteen was broken into and I was wondering if I could see the security footage.”

  He frowned. “You better believe it, Doc. If someone broke in during my watch, I want to know about it.”

  Break-ins and criminal activity were a rare occurrence at Mount Sinai. Although the hospital utilized security tapes, they didn’t have a cadre of officers to view the monitors around the clock. It was possible no one witnessed the theft, but the cameras would still record everything. No one had bothered to check them before because it seemed like an open and shut case against Trisha Flanagan.

  “When did this happen?” Ozzie reached for the monitor controls for the room in question.

  “Just about fifteen or twenty minutes ago.”

  Ozzie punched the rewind button on the camera. “A fresh tape is inserted at the beginning of each shift so it won’t take long to rewind. You can see the time indicator here on the bottom. I’ll back it up twenty-five minutes just to cover our bases.”

  Both of them watched the empty room for a few minutes until Ozzie became bored. “Why don’t we fast forward until we see someone come into the room?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he suited actions to words. In only a few seconds, there was movement on the screen.

  “Stop,” Jordan said.

  Ozzie pushed the play button and they watched as a candy striper walked into the room and grabbed a wheeled cart. She left quickly and never went near the narcotics in the corner. Jordan let out a breath in disappointment, but continued watching the screen. Just as she was beginning to give up, a man entered the room. He was tall, judging from the image on the screen, and dark haired. Other than that, Jordan could discern nothing else about him although he seemed familiar. Of particular note was the fact that he studiously avoided the camera. He kept his back to the camera or his head turned away toward the window.

  The man walked straight over to the cabinet, withdrawing a set of keys as he went. The lock turned under his key in less than a second, and Jordan guessed it was something he did regularly. If he were one of the doctors then it very well could be, if not for his suspicious behavior. He didn’t check the labels looking for anything in particular, just swept the contents from the shelves into the deep pockets of his lab coat.

  He was very efficient, emptying the cabinet in a few seconds. When he was finished, he didn’t bother to re-lock the door. He simply turned away and left the room as quickly as possible. At no time did Jordan see his face, but just as he exited the left side of the screen, she saw something else.

  “Stop there.” Jordan took an involuntary step toward the camera.

  “What is it?” Ozzie asked loudly in his excitement.

  The man was still a mystery, but Jordan was almost sure she knew who he was. Her biggest clue was revealed by what she saw through the same window where she had almost been blinded earlier. The parking lot was visible through the open blinds and sitting dead center in the frame outlined by the window was a red Ferrari Testarossa.

  There was only one person, one doctor, she knew who drove such a vehicle and that was Mark Fuller. Unfortunately, she couldn’t go to the police or even afford to mention her suspicions to poor Ozzie. Doctor Fuller had every right to park in the parking lot and even to remove drugs from the narcotics cabinet. He worked at the hospital. Jordan was sure that he could come up with some reason for having been in the medication room should she choose to confront him about it. All of her evidence was circumstantial and driven by crude instinct.

  Still, the film did give her enough to talk to the Hospital Review Board about Trisha Flanagan. If she could convince them that there was some question about Trisha’s guilt, perhaps they could talk her into reconsidering her decision to resign. Of course, she’d still remain on suspension until the matter was resolved. That would be a lot more preferable to dismissing her out of hand and tarnishing her career or allowing her to quit.

  “It’s too bad we couldn’t see his face. Of course we’ll have to give the police a copy of this tape, but do you mind if I borrow it for a while first? I promise to return it.”

  “I don’t know, Doc. It’s one thing to show you the footage, but that’s evidence and I could lose my job.”

  Jordan knew he was right, but wasn’t prepared to give up yet. “Just give me until the end of the shift. I promise I’ll have it back to you by then. I could make a copy, but I don’t have time and the police will want the original.”

  “All right, but if I don’t hear from you by five o’clock, I’m going to track you down.”

  “I understand.”

  Ozzie ejected the tape and Jordan walked out with a grim expression on her face. Things were looking up, she thought, but now she had to find concrete evidence. All along, she had suspected Fuller to be guilty of something, but taking drugs and framing an innocent young woman was low even for him. Now that she had the tape, Jordan intended to find out what he was up to and prove Trisha Flanagan’s innocence.

  Jordan wanted to review the tape again in privacy. She hoped that she could spot something she hadn’t the first time, something that would lead to definitive proof of the thief’s identity.

  RUTH DIDN’T REALIZE how deeply engrossed in the story she had become until her cell phone rang. The unexpected sound made her look around in momentary confusion before her distracted mind was able to identify the source. She kept the thumb of her left hand inside the book to mark her place as she reached for the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t answer.”

  The soft, slightly amused voice sent shivers of pleasure down Ruth’s spine while a huge grin spread across her face. “Well, it’s really not my fault. I found this amazing book at your cabin and I just can’t put it down. The characters have incredible depth and believability. I can especially relate to the one named Caroline.”

  A pause at the other end was the only response. Ruth had just begun to believe that she had lost the connection when Jordan finally responded. “What can I say? I prefer to read stories that pertain to my own circumstances...or orientation if you prefer.”

  Jordan sounded amused rather than embarrassed and Ruth smiled in res
ponse. “You don’t need to justify anything to me, I understand. I guess my life must be pretty sheltered because I never realized there was this type of fiction out there.”

  “I’m glad you like the book. I promise to show you how to find other reading material, but we’ll check into that later. How does that sound?”

  “Wonderful idea, but later is probably a wise idea. I’d rather focus on spending some quality time with my favorite doctor.”

  “I’m looking forward to that as well. Listen, I’m actually calling with some news.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  “Your ears aren’t even big. I should know, I’ve looked inside them often enough. Seriously though, this morning someone broke into the narcotics cabinet on my floor.”

  “And that’s good news?”

  “In my defense, I said I had news. I’m not so sure it’s good, at least not in itself. There’s good and bad. The good is that after reviewing the security footage, it casts serious doubt on Trisha Flanagan’s guilt and a certain amount of credence to the theory that she was set up.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Ruth replied before she put together the rest of what Jordan had said. “Who did you say reviewed the footage?”

  “I did. Actually, the chief of security and I reviewed it together.”

  “What did you see?”

  “Nothing concrete, but the film showed a man with a key emptying the cabinet. He looked a lot like Mark Fuller, but he never faced the camera directly so my evidence is more instinct than hard fact.”

  “So you’re playing junior detective?” Ruth teased.

  “I guess you could say that. To be honest I like the sound of that. Do you think I missed my calling?”

  Ruth thought about the question for a second before she answered. “I think maybe you did. Still, Jordan, a lot of men in the United States look like Doctor Fuller. What are you going to tell the police? A tall man with dark hair stole drugs from the hospital? Don’t get me wrong, I think you’re terrific but you’ve never liked Doctor Fuller. Even before I was released from the hospital, I sensed that you distrusted him.”

  “Do you think I’ve allowed my personal feelings about the man to cloud my judgment?”

  Ruth didn’t believe Jordan was being defensive when she asked the question. She was a fair person and honestly wanted to know if Ruth though she was being out of line by accusing him.

  “Not at all. You’ve known him for a long time, a few years from what I understand. Subconsciously you would know his movements, his body language, and would probably recognize him from behind if he wore a monkey suit complete with a hand-crank and a little hat. I believe you, but you’re going to have to come up with some real proof for the police. Just don’t confront him directly, all right?”

  “Please don’t worry. My part in this affair is complete. I’ve reported what I know and now it’s for security, the police and the hospital administrators to investigate from here.”

  “Good, I’d hate to think you were so busy following him around that you wouldn’t come home.” Ruth deliberately segued into her favorite topic. She could hear the smile in Jordan’s voice when she responded.

  “As I told you, I have to work tomorrow, but I was thinking of leaving here at noon and coming out to the island. I don’t have any patients to see in the afternoon so I wouldn’t be too negligent. I’d have to leave early Tuesday though to pull my last shift, but I’d have a few days off after that.”

  “That would be lovely. Maybe we could have a picnic on the beach and enjoy the fresh air. I found the most wonderful spot today that I think would be perfect.”

  “You’ve been exploring,” Jordan accused gently.

  “Guilty as charged.”

  Unexpectedly Jordan blurted out, “Ruth, do me a favor? Be careful. It still bothers me that someone tried to run you off the highway. I’m worried it may have something to do with what happened a few months ago.”

  “Now it’s my turn to reassure you. That was an isolated incident. It could have happened to anyone. For argument’s sake, if someone was really out to get me they could have been hiding on the ferry, watching me. Even if I did miss someone lurking in the shadows, I would have noticed if they had followed me to the marina or even to the island. I’m perfectly safe.”

  “All right, you have a point. Maybe I’m just being paranoid with all the weird stuff going on around here. I’d better get back to work before my patients start threatening to sue me for malpractice.”

  “That would never happen, but I’ll let you go anyway. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. What time do you think you’ll be at Jessup Bay?”

  “I plan to leave here by twelve thirty at the latest. That’ll put me in time for the two forty-five ferry with time to spare. I should reach Jessup Bay by three.”

  Ruth thought that would work out well for the surprise she was already planning. “Call me if you get held up?”

  “I promise.”

  A few moments later, they ended the call and Ruth knew it was going to be a long night. She knew that when she did dream, Jordan would have the starring role. She looked up at the wall clock and realized it was already quite late. Ruth checked her page number and then placed the novel on the coffee table. It was time for bed. Her eyes burned from reading so long and she didn’t want to be worn out when Jordan arrived tomorrow.

  Ruth climbed the stairs and prepared for bed. For a moment, she debated sleeping in the guest room or slipping into Jordan’s bed. In the end, she decided sleeping in Jordan’s room would be too presumptuous at this stage. The sheets in the spare room were cool and soft on her skin. Ruth settled down and tried to relax.

  She thought she would sleep like a baby, but the night was anything but restful. Ruth was very comfortable on the thick mattress and between the soft sheets. She had fallen asleep quickly enough, but disjointed nightmare images and half-heard voices awakened her within forty-five minutes of drifting off. The image of her Jaguar going through the guardrail and into the ocean was still holding center court in her mind when Ruth realized she was sitting straight up in bed with her heart pounding.

  “It’s just a dream,” she uttered aloud to hear her own voice. Although a little shaky, it helped center her. Ruth repeated the phrase again because it made her feel better.

  After taking a deep breath, she threw back the covers and walked to the bathroom. She drew a palm over her sweaty brow and grimaced at the cold, wet sensation. She rinsed the sweat from her face and blotted it dry with a guest towel, drawing comfort from the slightly scratchy terrycloth. She replaced the towel over the bar and ran cold water from the tap into a Dixie cup.

  The nightmare had faded and the shaking in her limbs subsided. Ruth went back into the bedroom determined to get some restful sleep when a sound near the window caught her attention. She froze in place and pressed against the wall. There was something furtive about the noise. It wasn’t loud, more like a soft scraping, or light scratching. As much as Ruth had been through in the last year, she had learned to trust her instincts and in this case they were telling her that she wasn’t alone.

  Silently, she berated herself. How stupid could she have been? She had traveled to an almost deserted island with a maniacal killer still on the loose. The police had never found Karl’s attacker.

  Her nightmare of the Jaguar going over the rail flashed through her mind again. That hadn’t happened in reality, but Ruth knew that if assaulted here, face-to-face, the outcome would certainly be quite different. There were three other cabins on the island, but they were much too far away to hear a lone, frightened woman call for help.

  The sound came again from near the window. Ruth held her breath and slowly inched toward the noise. The house was locked but that didn’t mean anything. If someone wanted in, they could simply pick a lock or break a window. Was that happening here? She stepped up to the window frame and slowly, carefully leaned around the edge to see what was happening. The sound repeated and with it came a slight movem
ent that caught her eye.

  When she identified the source of the sound, Ruth let her breath out on a laugh. It was just the breeze causing the frond of a palm tree to move and scrape against the glass.

  “Absolutely ridiculous. Talk about paranoid.”

  Ruth slid back into bed, realizing she really was safe. No one had followed her to the island and no one was after her anymore. Karl had been the original target for some unknown reason. She just had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There hadn’t been any other incidents for months, until the car chase on the Coast Highway. Examined in that light, the entire episode began to look less sinister.

  Yes, surely that was it. She had responded to the other driver the same way she had reacted to the old man in the cemetery. The events had been frightening without context and completely unrelated. Ruth felt reassured that no one was out to get her. She snuggled back under the covers and tried to find a comfortable spot. Her mind was still too active to allow her to sleep, but she remained in bed knowing she needed to rest if nothing else.

  Eventually she dozed off but sleep was light during which she tossed and turned frequently, waking often. When the sky began to brighten with the coming dawn, Ruth was already awake and planning for a full day.

  Ruth spent the morning getting the feel for the Marlin. She brought a light lunch with her to the boat. She wore a black one-piece swimsuit beneath her shorts and tank top and carried the novel she had started the night before. When she began her excursion, Ruth had donned a long-sleeved, cotton shirt to ward off the early morning chill, while ankle socks and deck shoes completed her wardrobe.

  She had deliberately left the cane behind, pleased with the fact that she had only a slight limp. Ruth started with a short walk on the beach to limber up before setting out for the yacht. After sailing for a while, she took a swim in the cove that she had discovered the day before. It would be the perfect place for a picnic with Jordan.

  Ruth was aware of a need to keep an eye on the time since she wanted to surprise Jordan by picking her up at the ferry. She just hoped Jordan didn’t expect her to cook anything.