Proof Positive (2006) (18 page)

That's Desdemona. Don't pay her no mind. So, what I have to do to win this reward?

We' re interested in anyone who may have seen or heard anything about the murder that would help prove our client's innocence.

Okay, well, like I said, I wasn't here, but I talked to someone who seen something. He didn't tell me much, but I can tell you what he said.

Who did you talk to?

Uh-uh. I tell you that before you pay me and you don't need me no more.

Kate smiled. I'm not going to stiff you. Look, here's ten dollars for your time. If your information is good there'll be more.

Ten bucks ain't much, Hastings sniffed. The other man paid me a hell of a lot more.

What other man?

A few days ago two men come by doing what you' re doing, asking people here about the murder.

Were these men with the police?

Hastings laughed. Not likely.

Did they say who they were working for?

Nah, and I didn't ask. They was scary.

Can you describe them?

Do I get some extra money for this?

Kate handed Hastings a twenty.

One fella was big. He looked rough, like a gangster. The one did all the talking was a skinny guy. Looked like a mouse with these big teeth sticking out. And he talked like the leprechaun in those horror movies.

He was Irish?

That's what I said.

Can you tell me any more about these men? Did they tell you their names? Kate asked.

Hastings shook her head. I didn't want to be around them any more than I had to.

What did you tell these men about the killing?

That's a whole ' nother subject. You got to pay me for that.

Kate gave Hastings another twenty.

I was out by the machine for a Coke the afternoon after that man got killed, and Clarence was getting one too.

What's Clarence's last name? Kate asked, looking at her list.

Never got it. I just seen him once or twice and he say his name is Clarence. He lived with another boy named Edgar.

A Clarence Edwards and an Edgar Lewis had been living at the motel on the evening of the killing, but they'd moved out a few days later.

Okay. What happened with Clarence?

He told me he seen the guys that done it.

Clarence saw the killers?

That's what he said.

I' ve read the police reports. If we' re talking about Clarence Edwards, he didn't tell the police a thing.

Yeah, well, he wouldn' t. Clarence has been inside.

He's an ex-con?

So he says. He was sort of mysterious about it, wouldn't tell me what he done. But he had prison tats and he said he done federal time. She shrugged. He could have been lying.

Did Clarence describe the killers to you?

You gonna give me more money for this?

Let's hear what you have to say first.

Hastings hesitated. I'm being truthful here.

I believe you.

Clarence said there was two guys. One, he didn't have no good impression of just regular size but he said the other guy was really big, like a pro wrestler.

This wasn't what Kate wanted to hear. Art Prochaska was really big.

Did he say anything else about the big guy?

Hastings's features scrunched up as she concentrated. Then she broke out in a smile.

The hair, he said the big guy had short black hair.

Kate's pulse accelerated. Art Prochaska was bald. If Clarence Edwards had told the truth to Marsha Hastings, and Hastings wasn't making up everything she'd said, Kate might have gotten her first break in the case.

Kate spoke to the other residents on the list, but none of them provided additional information. Before driving home, she called Frank on her cell phone and told him what Hastings had said.

Do you think she's telling the truth?

Yes. But she's just relating what Clarence Edwards told her. He could have lied to impress her.

And Edwards is gone?

Yeah, the day after she gave his name to the two men.

From her description, the man with the brogue could be Henry Tedesco.

If it was Henry, then Martin Breach is running his own investigation.

I'm not surprised. Martin doesn't care about much, but he would do anything for Art.

What do you want me to do? Kate asked.

See if you can find Edwards.

Chapter
23.

STEVE HOOPER PARKED IN A LOT ADJACENT TO THE OREGON STATE Medical Examiner's Office; a two-story brick building that had once been a Scandinavian funeral home. At the front desk, he asked for Dr. Sally Grace, the assistant ME who was going to perform the autopsy on the woman found in the lot at Queen Anne and Hobart.

A few minutes after the receptionist buzzed her, a slender woman with frizzy black hair walked up to the front desk.

Hey, Steve, are you ready to rumble?

Hooper smiled. He liked Sally. She was smart and competent and had a great sense of humor. The detective nodded toward a corridor that led to the back of the building.

Is my date waiting?

She is. Come on back.

The detective followed Dr. Grace to the rear of the building.

When you said you wanted to come over for the autopsy, I called the lab and had them rush the tox report, Dr. Grace said while they put on blue water-impermeable gowns, masks, goggles, and heavy black rubber aprons. They found heroin.

That's what I figured when I saw the tracks. She was probably an addict or a whore looking to score.

That's a deduction I'll leave to you Sherlock Holmes types. However, I did notice something you might want to think about. You probably didn't pick up on it at the scene because it was dark and her arm was covered with blood.

The ME led the detective into the autopsy room. The naked body of the dead woman lay on one of the two stainless-steel autopsy tables that stood on either side of the room. She had been cleaned up, but there was no way to disguise the horrible assault she had suffered. Hooper, who had seen it all, grimaced when he got a good look at the corpse. Dr. Grace pointed at the needle marks on the victim's arm.

These tracks are relatively fresh and I didn't find puncture marks on any other parts of her body.

So?

I'd guess she started to use recently. I'm also not that certain about her being the type of hooker who would hang around Queen Anne. Her hands were missing but her feet were intact. The perp didn't remove her sneakers and socks. See here?

Dr. Grace, always respectful of the dead, gently lifted the victim's right foot. Hooper leaned down. He didn't get it at first. Then he frowned.

The toes, right?

That and the calluses.

Hooper studied the foot again. He was confused. She doesn't have any calluses.

Exactly, Dr. Grace said, beaming. This woman took very good care of her feet, or had someone do it for her, which would cost. Dr. Grace pointed at the dead woman's toes. You' re looking at a French pedicure. There are two types of polish on her toenails clear polish on most of the nail and off-white on the tips. The nails haven't grown much after they were polished, so the pedicure is recent.

The ME showed Hooper the soles of the victim's feet. I'm guessing that someone used a pumice stone on her heels, probably the same person who gave her the pedicure.

What are you telling me?

Dr. Grace shrugged. It's just odd. Down-and-out addicts spend their money on a fix, not a pedicure.

Maybe she wasn't down and out. Maybe she's rich and she started experimenting. She gets hooked and runs out of smack, so she goes looking for more in the wrong neighborhood.

That's a good explanation. But something else bothers me. Cutting off the hands, bashing in the face, and destroying her teeth that's something you do to conceal the victim's identity.

Hooper smiled and shook his head. Jacob Cohen hates women, really hates them. He was trying to obliterate this poor woman. If he had his way, he'd get rid of every female on the planet.

Hooper pointed at the dead woman's face. There were empty sockets where the eyes had been gouged out, fractured cheekbones could be seen where the crowbar had come down hard enough and often enough to smash through flesh, the nose was completely flattened, and the jaw was unhinged.

That's the act of a madman and Jacob Cohen is a violent lunatic.

I' ve never met the gentleman.

Hopefully, you never will. He's already served prison time for trying to rape a prostitute in the same lot.

Well, there was no rape here. The killer mutilated the victim's genitals but I found no evidence of sexual activity during my initial examination.

She was probably dead before he could try anything. I can't imagine him being turned on after he did this.

Hooper shook his head in disgust. This is an act of pure rage, Sally, and Cohen purely hates females. And don't forget, we' ve got his prints on the knife and I found him next to the body.

Like I said, I just work here. You' re the detective.

Hey, it doesn't take a detective to solve this one, but thanks for the info. I'll pass it on to the DA. If you thought of this stuff, so will the defense attorney. It doesn't pay to get caught napping.

Dr. Grace flipped on her goggles and pulled up her mask. Then she picked up an electric saw and prepared to start the autopsy.

Shall we? she asked.

Be my guest, Hooper replied.

Chapter
24.

THE JAIL GUARD LET DOUG WEAVER INTO THE CONTACT-VISIT ROOM at the Justice Center jail, then closed the door to the corridor behind him. Doug sat down and pulled out the discovery packet Kate Ross had picked up from the district attorney's office that morning. When Doug learned that Hannah Graves was handling Jacob's murder case, he asked Amanda to have Kate get the discovery, because he didn't want to see the deputy district attorney until it was absolutely necessary. Doug was certain that the next time they met, Graves would say, I told you so, or gloat silently, and he would not be able to muster a rejoinder, especially now that he'd seen the autopsy and crime scene photographs. Doug was no stranger to gruesome pictures, but the horror inflicted on the woman in the lot went beyond anything he had ever seen.

Very little in the police reports, lab reports, or autopsy report helped the defense. Detectives Hooper and Vincenzo had arrested Jacob next to the body. Two T-shirts had been found in the abandoned car where Jacob lived. The lab had matched the blood on them to the victim. There had been no sperm found on the victim, and no sign of forced sex; but two of Jacob's pubic hairs had been found in the victim's blood on the victim's thigh, and her genitals had been mutilated.

Jane Doe had been stabbed and beaten. A knife and a crowbar, both showing traces of the victim's blood, had been found next to the body. The lab had not found Jacob's fingerprints on the crowbar, but they were all over the knife. The only good news was that Jacob had not confessed. According to the detectives, he had barely spoken at all, and when he did open his mouth, he spoke Hebrew.

Doug was rereading the autopsy report when the electronic locks snapped on the door that opened into the corridor leading to the cell block. Doug looked up as two guards escorted Jacob into the room. The first time they'd met at the jail, Jacob had reminded Doug of a wild animal on high alert. This afternoon, he moved listlessly. His shoulders slumped, he dragged his feet across the floor, and he did not look at Doug.

What's wrong with him? Doug asked the guards.

I have no idea, answered one of the guards with an indifferent shrug.

He's not doped up, is he?

You have to ask the nurses.

The guards helped Jacob into the chair on the other side of the table. He slumped down on the seat as soon as they let go of his arms. His eyes were bloodshot from a lack of sleep, and there were dark circles under them. His wild, unkempt hair was the only thing that reminded Doug of the mad energy he'd grown to expect from his client.

Jacob, are you okay? Doug asked as soon as the guards left.

His client's head rose slowly until he was looking at Doug. When he spoke, he sounded frightened.

I saw him.

Saw who?

The devil.

Where? Doug asked, forcing himself to make the question sound sincere, because he was anxious to keep Jacob talking.

He's gray, like a shadow.

Where did you see the devil, Jacob?

In my lot. He smote that woman, then he flew away.

You saw someone kill the woman in your lot?

Jacob nodded. Doug pulled his pad closer and poised his pen over it.

Tell me what happened. Tell me everything you saw, he said, relieved that they had a dialogue going.

I was in the back of my car. It was very dark, so I couldn't be sure, at first. There was just something floating across the ground, like a wraith or a phantom. Then he he destroyed her. Jacob had been speaking as much to himself as to Doug, but his eyes suddenly focused on his lawyer. She must have been truly tainted to deserve such punishment. She must have been a true daughter of Sodom. He shook his head and whispered, I' ve never seen so much blood.