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Chapter Thirteen
Niko
I can’t sit hereany longer as justice simmers below the surface. Every time I feel close enough to Aislin’s killer, it’s snatched away from me. I could almost taste sweet vengeance. Captain might have ordered me home, off the case of Louis DeLucia, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to work. If I can’t investigate Aislin’s file, I’m going to look into something else that’s been on my mind.
Who broke into my basement, and does it have anything to do with the woman who was picked up not far from here the other night? My gut says it does.
I could get into a lot of shit, and by shit, I mean desk duty, but this isn’t just a job to me. This is my life. It always has been. Maybe getting into the force for personal reasons wasn’t the smartest move, but it’s hard to sit back on the sidelines when it’s affecting my life. He wants me to take a break from Aislin’s case? Fine. Done. I’ll give him that, but I’m not going to take a break from mine.
Which is exactly why I shoved my phone into my pocket, grabbed my keys, and hopped in my truck about fifteen minutes ago, heading to County General.
Tavers dropped off the report this morning on his way to work. He’d grabbed a copy last night but decided to wait until I was sober before letting me read it. Not that I was drinking last night. He didn’t know that and didn’t feel like checking in case I decided to create more of a mess that he’d have to help clean up.
I spent about an hour studying it. The night of the gunshots outside my house, the cops received a call from a concerned neighbor about a suspicious person. About a mile up the road, they located a young woman, late twenties to late thirties, barely dressed in a filthy tank top, presumed to be white at one point, and a pair of jean shorts with purple flowers on them that looked to be something a teen would wear, not a grown woman. She was also barefoot. Upon approach, she refused to speak and became combative. Two officers had to hold her down while the paramedics strapped her to a gurney to sedate her.
That’s all I have so far. My hope is to visit. See if they’ve found out any information about who she is and where she came from. If I could get her to answer some questions, it’d make my job a whole lot easier.
I trek into the old hospital for the first time since I got back to town. I didn’t spend much time in here as a kid, but the few times I did, like when Tori broke her arm in third grade, I remember being scared. The lobby was filled with drunks and junkies, and Mom held me close until it was time to leave. As I look around the off-white space, I’m pleased to see it’s nearly empty. Another sign that the town I fled has drastically changed.
When I reach the front desk, a sweet looking receptionist looks up at me with big brown eyes. “Can I help you?”
“Hi. I’m here to see the Jane Doe who was brought in the other night from Breckenridge Drive.” Before she can ask, I flash her my badge.
“Oh yes,” she replies instantly. “She’s been having a rough time, poor thing. Is that why there’s two of you?”
“Two of … who?”
“Officers.” She waved her hand in the air. “Another one showed up a few minutes ago.”
Shit. Captain must have already sent someone to question her. The receptionist’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“She’s up on the sixth-floor ward; let me find her room number for you.” Her fingers clack briskly against the keyboard. “Room 632. Do you need me to escort you?”
Her tone more than suggested she’d like to escort me, but I brushed her off. “Thank you, but I can find it. Have a nice day.”
I start toward the elevator bank, mulling over my options. I can’t exactly turn around and walk back out the door. That’d look suspicious. I could take the elevator up and back down. Buy myself a few minutes of time to say she was asleep or not up to answering questions. She is on the sixth floor, so it wouldn’t be implausible. I could also swing by the room and stay outside. Just have a peek and hope that whoever Captain sent doesn’t see or recognize me. That’s a bit risky. There’s just something in my gut that’s telling me I need to go up there. That same feeling I get during a traffic stop about to go bad. Or when I know a suspect is lying to me. I’ve been on the force for a long time, and that gut feeling has steered me right more often than not.
By the time the elevator stops, I’ve decided to walk by her room. It’s when I find her room that I’ve decided to stick around for a while. A long while. Because the man who came up here isn’t a cop at all.
He sees me when I’m halfway toward him, and his body strings tight like he wants to run. Too bad there’s nowhere for him to go. He’s pacing a few doors down from her room, and I hope like fuck he hasn’t been in there.
When I get close enough, I lower my voice so only he can hear. “Impersonating an officer is a felony,” I hiss and rest my hands on my hips so it opens my coat enough that the butt of my gun is visible. Dick move, but this fucker needs to know I’m serious.
Mr. Stewart’s eyes go wide, and he raises his hands. “I just needed to see if it was her. They didn’t give a lot of information in the report,” he squeaks.
“What report? How’d you even know they brought a woman in?”
He fumbles with his front jeans pocket and clumsily yanks out his phone. He starts pressing buttons before he thrusts it into my space. “I listen in on this app. It broadcasts police channels. I thought it might be Rebecca.”
“Mr. Stewart, with all due respect to your situation, I’m the lead detective on your case. You don’t think I would have contacted you if it were possible we found her?”
“I waited for two days! I called your office,” he cries in a harsh whisper, appearing about to break down. “You didn’t answer so I had to come see for myself.”
“I can’t update you on every person who comes through the station. It’s just not possible or legal for that matter. You’re violating all sorts of HIPAA laws just by being here. You need to leave, and if anything changes, I will contact you.”
“Please let me see her. I just need to see for myself.”
That makes me pause. “What have you been doing here if you haven’t gone in her room?”
