Jeanine hesitated, but Ryan insisted the woman could be trusted. “We’re at my aunt’s cabin. In the Catskills. Can you jot down the address? You should be able to find us on Google Maps.”
Gem took the information from Jeanine, including her phone number. Her final words were, “Don’t go anywhere. Help is coming.”
Jeanine hung up the phone. There was nothing more she could do. Her family’s fate was in the hands of Gem Michaels.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
The sun was setting as Kelly leaned against a bench at the wharf. She’d been sitting there for at least an hour, unable to make any decisions. Not knowing exactly what to do after she had taken a cab from SFO into the city. Stevie T was going to need food. First things first.
She called Eric on his cell phone. His shift was over by now and she crossed her fingers he would pick up. He did.
“Eric. It’s me. Kelly,” she said, pitching her voice low in case of eavesdroppers.
“Jesus, Doc! Where the hell are you? The cops were at the hospital asking all sorts of questions. What is going on?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t.”
“Okay. Listen, calm down and talk to me,” he said.
“I can’t. There is something really terrible happening. I probably shouldn’t have called you, but I don’t know who else to trust.”
“You can trust me.”
“I know,” she said. “But I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Kelly, you aren’t making any sense.”
“Where are you?” she asked.
“I’m home. Just got here.”
“I need a favor.”
“Sure. Anything,” he replied.
“Can you go to my place and feed my cat? There is an extra key hidden in the back yard under a gardenia plant I have in a Mexican-style pot. It’s blue and green and yellow.” She knew she sounded off her rocker. “But be careful. I don’t know if anyone is watching my house.”
“Kelly, I would do anything for you, but I have to say you aren’t making any sense. Tell me what’s going on and maybe I can help.”
She sighed. He was right. She did need help. “We both know Jake was in trouble. I think those same people are after me now.” Her stomach sank as she said the words. She knew she should just hang up the phone and pray everything worked out. But she needed more than blind faith to survive.
“Oh hell.
Where are you?”
She didn’t say anything for a few seconds.
“Doc?
Kelly? Are you there?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I’m just worried about your safety.”
Eric chuckled. “I can take care of myself. I have a black belt in Aikido. I’m not worried about anyone hurting me.”
“Yeah, well, do you own a gun?”
“I actually do. I was attacked in college once, and trust me, Doc, that won’t be happening again in my life time.”
“Please take it with you when you go to my house.”
“Okay, but will you tell me where you are and what’s going on?”
She closed her eyes and blurted out the story. “I had some specialty labs done on Baby S. Turns out she has traces of Ketamine and a drug used to sterilize mares in her system. The only way the drugs got there is through her mother.”
“Okay…Mares? As in horses?”
“Exactly.
It sounds crazy, I know, but I think someone murdered Lupe Salazar and Jake knew who the killer was. I think Naomi Williams and Desiree Jones were also murdered. You said you saw Jake get into a limo last week. We both agree it was strange Dr. Pearson took off on vacation after the death of Desiree Jones and her infant. And then there was Naomi Williams. This is all connected. Mark my words.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Eric said. “But, Doc, there was another case today. No one could find you and there were people asking. A lot of them are worried.”
“Oh my God.
Did the mother…did the baby?”
“They died, Kelly. I’m sorry. Things are not good. What happened to you?”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe this but I swear it’s true. Today I was crossing the street and some man came up to me with a story about his twin babies needing a good doctor. Then he pulled out a gun and tried to drag me into a car. But I got away.”
“Oh my God.
What about the police? Why didn’t you go to them?”
She sighed heavily. “Because…because…I’m not sure I can trust the police. I told the detective handling Jake’s case about my theories, that maybe there was a new street drug out there. In less than forty-eight hours after telling him, I was nearly abducted.”
Eric let out a low whistle. “You think he’s a dirty cop?”
Tears stung her eyes. “I don’t know. I really don’t. And right now, I don’t know where to go or what to do. I questioned Brightman and he was an ass about it. I think he knows more than he let on.”
“Well, I doubt anyone is going to get much information out of him any time soon.”
“What?!
Why?”
“He turned in his resignation today. Rumor has it he bought himself a villa in the Cayman Islands and ran off with one of the ER nurses. Left his wife. His kids. He’s gone.”
“Holy shit!”
“I know, it’s crazy, but that’s the word on the street.”
“Oh my God, Eric.
I know we get paid well but how in the hell could Brightman afford a Caribbean villa?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“He knows something. I question him and then he takes off…”
“I can snoop around over here,” he said. “See what I can find out.”
“No. This is dangerous.”
“I want to help. I’ll feed Stevie T and see what I can learn about Brightman’s sudden departure. Is there anything else?”
The lump in the back of Kelly’s throat left her speechless for a moment. “Just please be careful.”
“Always.
But what about you? Where are you going? Where are you staying?”
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t think you should use your credit cards. Do you have cash?”
“A little,” she said. “About a hundred bucks.”
“Not enough. Where are you?”
She hesitated. “I’m in S.F.”
“Okay.” He paused for a moment. “Listen, I have a friend there in the Castro district. Julio Velasquez.”
“Oh no, Eric.
I’ve already involved you enough.”
“No. Trust me on this. I was in Iraq in the 90’s with this guy and we well we were together for some time. Anyway, he was Special Ops. He has some connections. Julio can take care of himself and protect you as well. I’ll give you his address. Write it down and ditch your cell. Toss it into the bay if you have to.”
“Wait…do you think this call is being traced? Oh no! What if they come after you?”
“I promise I’ll be fine. I am worried about you, though, and better to be safe than sorry. Julio will get you a new phone.” He proceeded to give her the address of his friend’s place. “I will get a hold of him. Let him know the situation. Go there. Go now and I will do everything I can to help out over here. I’ll bring Stevie T to my place.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything. Give Julio my love. He is good people. You can trust him.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Be careful, Doc.”
“You too,” she whispered as she shut off the phone.
She watched as the sun dipped down over the bay, its golden rays hitting the water. Kelly stood up and tossed her phone into the bay as far as she could. It was literally out of her hands now. Eric would have to do the detective work, and she would go to a stranger’s house and hope for the best.
She took the cable car to Powell and Market, then walked several blocks to the Castro. When she arrived at the colorful Victorian duplex, she walked up the front stairs to the entry way and hesitated before knocking. Images of the past week flashed through her mind. Abruptly deciding she couldn’t continue to involve Eric and this total stranger in her troubles, she turned to leave. As she descended the stairs, the door opened behind her. On the landing stood a well-built, strong-looking man. He appeared to be in his mid-forties. He held a trash bag in one hand.
“Kelly?”
She thought for a second before identifying herself.
“Dr. Morales? Right?”
“Yes.”
“Please come in. I’m Julio Velasquez. You’re safe here.”
Obediently, she walked up the steps. Although she knew it was foolish to trust someone this quickly, she also realized if she didn’t, it would only be a matter of time before she wound up dead. “Thank you for taking me in. You’ve saved my life.”
He set the trash bag down on the landing. She looked at it, and then down at the trashcans at the bottom of the stairs.
He waved a hand. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll take it down in the morning. Now please, come in,” he held out a hand and guided her up to his second floor apartment.
Julio’s place was immaculately clean, with modern Latin decor. The scent of garlic and other familiar spices filled the air. “I thought you might be hungry,” he remarked.
Kelly suddenly realized how awful she must’ve appeared. She hadn’t seen herself in a mirror for hours. Any makeup she’d applied that morning would have disappeared. But Julio didn’t seem to mind her appearance at all, and he insisted she sit down so he could bring her a plate of food.
Julio gestured to a yellow futon, “Please, have a seat.”
He sat down across from her. “Listen, Eric tells me something horrible happened to you. I think maybe if you talk about it, I can help. I’m not sure what Eric told you about me, but I have some connections in high places and maybe together we can solve this thing. Or at least get some answers.” He got up and went into the kitchen, returning seconds later with a bowl of black bean soup and a thick slice of bread. Julio went back into the kitchen and came out with a glass of sangria. “My mother’s recipes.”
“Thank you. It smells and looks delicious.” Kelly took a sip of the sangria. “This is great. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything and really, your offer to help me is, well…it’s overwhelming.”
“No need to thank me. Anyone who is such a dear friend of Eric’s is okay in my book.”
“Thank you.”
Julio sat down across from her. “I was in special ops for over twelve years and then I was injured by a street thug while home on leave. I’d had a few drinks and wasn’t at the top of my game. Guy and a few of his buddies jumped me and stuck a knife in my back. I wound up getting the best of them, but they punctured a lung, and I was discharged honorably, but still…”
“That must have been difficult.”
He shrugged. “I use my skills now in other ways. I spent some time working for the government. But now I work in the private sector.”
“Doing what, if I may ask?”
He smiled wryly. “I’m a bouncer at a local club in town, but I also help out people in need from time to time. I, um, well let’s say I do some security detail and protect those who need protecting.”
Kelly smiled back. “I think I might qualify. And Eric, you’ve known him for a long time?”
“We used to date. Thankfully it ended on good terms. I think my line of work bothered him and then he moved to L.A., and, well, the long-distance thing didn’t work out. But I would do anything for him. Now you. What’s your story? Eric gave me some info…but I need details in order to help you out.” He ran his hand through his short dark hair.
Kelly started with Lupe’s death and went from there. Julio listened intently.
“A new designer drug,” He rubbed his clean-shaven chin thoughtfully. “That has merit. Create a date rape drug with a euphoric effect but one that also causes women to abort or prevents pregnancy. Perverts would love that.”
She frowned slightly. “Okay, but if that’s the case, why does a women need to be addicted? Why not design it like a roofie? You know, for one-time use.”
“Maybe that’s all it was. You said Lupe Salazar claimed she didn’t use. Maybe someone just gave it to her one time.”
“The other girls, too?
Remember the two other cases. And, when I spoke with Eric earlier, he said there was another case today. On top of that, one of the doctors who oversaw one of the cases is now on an extended vacation, and the other has apparently resigned and left the country. Eric says the rumor is that doctor—Brightman—purchased a villa in the Cayman Islands and ran off with one of the nurses. So, two docs involved with these cases are MIA. And then there’s Jake’s murder.”
Julio didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “Let’s talk about the pathologist, your friend, Jake. Suppose he was ready to go public with what he knew. Publicity would slow cash flow for the bad guys.”
“I don’t think so. I think he was too afraid to go public. He was too afraid to even tell me what was going on. I am the reason he was killed.”
He frowned thoughtfully. “His office was bugged.”
Kelly’s eyes widened. “Of course! I didn’t even think about that but it makes sense.”
“Obviously your friend was being watched carefully. There are definitely others tied into this who work at the hospital and it sounds like the police are involved as well.”
She swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded. “When I questioned Dr. Brightman, he blew me off…like I was some sort of idiot. Now he’s gone.”
“So let’s think. Who has the necessary cash flow to keep people quiet? The mafia, maybe. But they aren’t as strong as they once were, at least not out here. There are offshoots of various gangs and the Mexican drug cartel, but they tend to use more heavy-handed tactics. In my opinion, this thing has cover-up written all over it. As in government cover up.”
“What?!”
Kelly was having a hard time following Julio’s rational.
“I know. I sound paranoid and ridiculous. But trust me, our government is so huge…there are things going on, bad things, our government either has no clue about or wishes to sweep under the rug.”
“Do you mean like a conspiracy?”
Julio nodded solemnly.
Kelly shifted uncomfortably. She wasn’t sure where he was headed with this rhetoric, or how she felt about it. It definitely made her uneasy. “But why? What are they covering up? If it is the government, what are they trying to hide?”
“We answer that question and we solve the puzzle. I think we start by locating these two doctors who have gone AWOL.”
“I’m still trying to figure out why anyone would do this,” Kelly took another deep drink of the sangria. “Who benefits to gain from killing mothers and babies?”