The Brass Ring (21 page)

"How did you get her to agree to crash here?" Stevie inquired.

"I told her that I would feel better if she stayed here at night," CC explained slowly.

"You didn’t tell her what you suspect, did you?" Stevie asked her.

"No." CC scowled. "I don’t want to worry her. What if I’m wrong? I’d just feel a little better knowing that she isn’t alone at night."

"Regardless of what happens with this case, this guy sounds creepy," Stevie noted thoughtfully.

"I shouldn’t be late. Have fun tonight," CC offered before kissing Emma and Stevie goodbye.

CC arrived at the station earlier than usual. She made a few telephone calls and then she placed the case files out in front of her and pondered them carefully.
‘Talk to me,’
she urged silently, hoping to find some small detail that she had previously overlooked.

"Anything?" Max said as he sat down in his squeaky chair.

"Not yet." CC grimaced. "How did it go with her parents this morning?"

"They’re devastated," he said sadly. "I can’t imagine what that must be like."

"I made some calls to the hospital and set things up for tonight," CC explained as she silently agreed with her partner. "Her car is still in one of the garages. CSU is already over there. "

"They just found her car now?" Max fumed.

"They have three different parking garages," CC explained slowly. "People coming and going twenty-four hours a day. It wasn’t hard to overlook since no one knew that she was missing until yesterday. Why don’t we head out to see what CSU has dug up and then we can take a look at the video tapes from the monitors?"

"What do you want to bet that her tire iron is missing?" Max snorted.

"If it is then whoever took it would be on the video tape," CC said confidently. "After all that, why don’t we talk to some of the other employees?"

"The coworker and friends interviews - I hate those," Max snarled as they headed out towards the parking lot.

"There’s one that you’ll need to conduct without me," CC explained. "There’s this guy who worked with her. He has a thing for Dr. Jameson."

"Do tell." Max chuckled as they climbed into his car.

"He showed up on her doorstep last night," CC continued. "I had a bit of a run in with him."

"Great," Max sighed as he drove them towards the hospital. "How bad?"

"Nothing too serious," CC hedged. "Max, this guy is definitely quirky."

"So this guy just showed up at her place?" Max inquired thoughtfully.

"Yes, and from what I gather he wants to get to know Jamie better," CC continued. "When I showed up, she was telling him to get lost."

"He didn’t want to go I take it?" Max responded.

"No," CC confirmed. "He was polite enough with her. But when I stepped in, he snapped."

"Not good," Max grunted. "So we have a victim who looks a lot like Dr. Jameson. Captain Creepy is harassing her and all three of them knew one another. Tell me, Detective Calloway, do you believe in coincidences?"

"No, I don’t," CC growled as her fear grew. "What did you get from her parents about her social life?"

"According to them, she didn’t have one," Max responded flatly. "You know how it is. They lived there and she lived here."

"The landlady said she was quiet and a bit of a homebody," CC added. "With the schedule that these kids keep, it isn’t hard to believe that she didn’t have a social life."

"Which garage is it?" Max inquired as they pulled up.

"The southwest one. It should be the one around behind the hospital," CC instructed him. As they pulled up to the gate, CC noticed that there was no ticket dispenser, only a keycard slot. "Why would she park all the way back here if it’s so far from the hospital?" she questioned absently. Max shrugged as he honked his horn, flashing his badge at the attendant so they could gain entrance.

As they approached the little blue Toyota, CC noted the flat tire on the back. "What do you have for me, Niezwicki?" CC asked the lead CSU investigator.

"Not much," the older man explained, scanning his clipboard. "No signs of a struggle. There are a lot of fingerprints. No blood that we can see. Looks like she ate her meals in the car; there’s a ton of old coffee cups and fast food wrappers. Also the rear passenger tire is flat." He grunted. "And yes, we’ll check it out when we get the car back to our garage."

"Was there a tire iron?" CC inquired.

The older man scratched his chin as he scanned his notes. "Yes," he confirmed finally. "The attendant over there was on duty the night your victim disappeared. His name is Terrell."

"Thanks. Let us know what you find once you get her back to the station," CC instructed. The man simply rolled his eyes. She knew that he knew what he was doing, but there was always that sense of urgency that made her feel as if she should remind the techs.

CC and Max introduced themselves to Terrell. The skinny older African American man simply nodded. CC could see the sadness in his eyes. "Did you know Dr. Bernstein?" CC inquired carefully.

"She was nice lady," Terrell responded softly. "Not like some of the other youngsters that come and go. She’d always stop and say hello. She’d ask about my family; she even baked me cookies at Christmas time. It’s a damn shame, a nice woman like that dying so young."

"Yes, it is," Max agreed.

"Terrell, did you see her arrive the day of her last shift?" CC inquired in a soft tone.

"Yes, I did." Terrell nodded. "She was working an overnight. I try to keep track of when the young women are coming and going. It’s so dark back here."

"Why would she park way back here instead of one of the garages in front?" CC asked; the question had been nagging her.

"Staff parking," Terrell responded flatly.

"Staff parking?" CC said in confusion. "I don’t understand."

"The staff isn’t allowed to park in the main garages," Terrell explained. "They’re suppose to park back here so the patients and visitors can use the front garages to get in and out of the hospital easier. They even jack up the rates so the staff won’t sneak in there. You need to get your ticket validated if you’re a patient or a visitor. The desk even checks it on the computer to make sure that you aren’t lying."

"I have a friend that works here and she parks in the front lot," CC explained, knowing that she had seen Jamie park in the front.

"She must work the late shift," Terrell said with a smile. "There’s no one here then who will validate a ticket. The rates drop at night. It’s kind of understood that since visiting hours are over and no one is coming in for an appointment, the staff can sneak into one of the main garages. It’s against policy but everyone ignores it."

"And Sandra was working overnight and couldn’t get away with leaving her car in the main garage," CC concluded. "Is that why there isn’t a ticket dispenser?"

"Yes," Terrell confirmed. "They pay for a month’s worth of parking in advance and get a key card which can only be used in the staff parking lot."

"Did you see her the night she disappeared?" Max inquired.

"No, sir," Terrell responded flatly.

"Did you see anyone who looked out of place?" Max continued.

"No, sir." Terrell sighed heavily. "It’s pretty dull back here at night."

"This garage, is it just for doctors?" CC asked.

"No, it’s for staff," Terrell explained.

CC grimaced; the scope of their investigation had just widened enormously. "If she had car trouble, would she contact you?" CC continued as her mind processed everything.

"Oh yes," Terrell responded sadly. "I stay in the office right over there." He pointed to the little room with the glass window that looked out over the garage. "We have mechanics on call if someone breaks down."

"So if they needed a jump start or had a flat tire, they could just tell you and you would call for assistance?" CC concluded. "I see you have video monitors in there. Can you see the entire garage?"

"Yes, Miss." Terrell nodded. "They skip around from floor to floor. I must have stepped out for coffee or something."

CC’s heart broke at the forlorn expression on the older man’s face. "Terrell, this isn’t your fault," she reassured him. "We’re going to find out who did this."

They questioned the man for a short while longer and then Terrell gave them instructions on how to find the security office. They wandered the halls of the large hospital until they located it. "This place is huge." Max was huffing; the walk had strained the overweight man. "How does anyone find his or her way around?"

CC smiled at the panting man. "You know, what I find interesting is that no one stopped us as we were wandering around," she commented wryly. When they entered the security office a young man greeted them ands showed them to the director’s office. The director was a large man. CC shook her head, instantly knowing the type. He was a big fish in a little pond. She could tell by the way he adjusted his belt that he was also a cop wannabe. He sneered when he saw CC. She stepped back and allowed Max to take the lead.

They showed their badges and introduced themselves. The way he addressed Max confirmed her suspicions. "I reviewed the tapes you requested," Dietrich began as he sucked on a toothpick.
‘Oh goodie, this should be good,’
CC’s mind sneered.

"I didn’t see anything that would help you," Dietrich continued as he sucked harder on his toothpick.
‘There’s a problem,’
CC noted in anger.

"We’ll take them anyway," Max said firmly with a slight scowl.

"It’s just that . . ." The man hesitated.

"Is there a problem?" Max taunted him.

"Well, there must have been a glitch," the large man mumbled.

"What sort of glitch?" Max pressed in an irritated tone.

"The tapes periodically rewind. We don’t save all of them," Dietrich explained.

"That’s not uncommon with surveillance equipment," Max noted. "Since her car was there for awhile, there still can be something that will help us. How long of a blackout are we talking about?"

"Ninety-seven minutes," Dietrich grumbled.

"What?" CC blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Now listen hear, Sweetie," Dietrich barked at her.

That did it, CC snapped. "Listen, Sparky. Just tell us something . . ." Max chuckled as she towered over the man. ". . .just how long does the rewind normally take?"

"I don’t have to put up with this," Dietrich bellowed in response. "I think you should leave."

"Guess again," Max interrupted. "This is a homicide investigation. Now give us the tapes and answer my partner’s questions or we’ll go over your head."

"Are you threatening me?" Dietrich fumed.

"Yes," CC and Max responded in unison.

"I run a tight ship here," Dietrich defended himself.

CC groaned, thinking how absurd it was that this man was trying to defend his job. "Really? Then why is it, in this day and age, that my partner and I wandered about without proper id and were never questioned?"

"It’s the night shift. You can’t get into the hospital without going through reception," Dietrich said, defending himself.

"Let me guess. You’re not here at night." Max snorted in disgust.

"No," Dietrich conceded.

"How long does the blackout usually last?" Max repeated.

"Ten minutes," Dietrich finally confessed.

"Eight-seven minutes unaccounted for," Max grumbled. "Just enough time to flatten her tire and snatch her. Do you know why this happened? Were any of the other monitors affected?"

"No," the burly man grunted.

"How often do your men sweep that garage?" Max continued.

"Every half hour," Dietrich asserted firmly.

"Is that how often they’re supposed to or how often they actually do?" Max pressed.

"My men follow my orders," Dietrich spat out.

"But you’re not here at night," Max noted merrily.

"We’ll take the tapes," CC said as her head throbbed. "And a list of your
men
who were on duty the night of the twenty-seventh. Also we need a printout of who punched in and out of the garage during the time Sandra’s car was there."

"Do you have any idea how long a list that will be?" Dietrich groused.

"Does the fact that a young woman is dead escape you?" CC fumed. "She was probably murdered in that garage. Now you can help us find out what happened or you can see your sorry excuse for a career swirling around the bowl."

Dietrich didn’t say a word. He simply handed over the tapes and copies of the worklog. He did agree to fax over the key card information. CC and Max took the material and left the man muttering bitterly behind them.

"You’re beautiful when you’re angry," Max teased her.

"I wanted to strangle that arrogant jerk," CC growled.

"Do you think she was killed in the garage?" Max questioned.

"No." CC sighed as they made their way to the Emergency Room. "I think she was grabbed there by someone who was smart enough to know that the monitors were down."

"Terrell?" Max questioned in disbelief.

"Doesn’t fit," CC surmised. "I guess we’ll know more when we view the tapes. Now let’s go talk to her co-workers."

Throughout their interviews CC and Max discovered that Sandra Bernstein was the girl that Jamie and her parents had described. She seemed to be liked by everyone who knew her. Although Max and CC were used to that sentiment being expressed after someone had recently died, this time they seemed to be sincere.

CC and Max stopped by a vending machine and started filling it with an obscene amount of money just to get two cans of soda. "Oh goodie, there’s the guy I was telling you about," CC said as she saw Dr. Fisher enter the hospital.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

J
AMIE FOUND HERSELF laughing at Emma’s antics in the restaurant. The infant was trying to get her hands on everything while Stevie and Jamie were fighting to clear everything out of her reach. This seemed to infuriate the child who screamed until her mother gave her one of her cookies to suck on. The waitress simply doted on the little girl.