Loves Redemption (35 page)

“There is
nothing
for you to be afraid of. I’m taking every precaution I can, and you’re safe. I think we may have a suspect.”

Mark didn’t want to voice out loud his gut belief that her counselor James Smith, and the

evidence room clerk J. Smith were one in the same, and both personas were connected with the
San Antonio Slayer
.

“You stay there with the guards and you’ll be fine sweetheart.”

“You think the counselor and the slayer
are connected?” Jordan asked, as soon as Mark said good-bye to Maya.

“I’d bet money on it being a real possibility.” As he spoke, Mark placed a call to the

department operator. After giving the operator his name and badge number, he requested to be transferred to the evidence room.

“Detective Halstan? It’s me Jack.” The operator identified himself.

“Hi Jack.” After the operator said his name, Mark instantly placed the retired officer, and asked for information on James Smith.

“Just a little info, if you need to reach that clerk, he’s working the late shift and should still be in the evidence room. The supervisor is having them all rotate shifts for the next week to prepare for their upcoming inspection.” The retired officer made it a point to be as

knowledgeable of each department’s business as he could. Mark was thankful for the man’s

nosiness in this instance.

“Thanks Jack I appreciate the tip, keep up the good work.”

“The counselor and the evidence clerk are one in the same. He’s in the evidence room

working late. Let’s go,” Mark told Jordan without preamble, and the two men leaped from their desks.

Lieutenant Hernandez came out of his office as they were racing out of the squad room.

“What’s going on?” He yelled, temporarily halting them in their tracks.

“We may have a suspect lieutenant. We’re on our way to question him.”

“
Him?
”

“Yeah I’ll explain later. Sir, could you have a chaser sent to Imani House. Maya is

working late and I don’t like it.” Mark requested, anxious to get to the clerk.

“Of course, you two go. I’ll take care of it,” he reassured both men.

Turning, with a pensive look on his face, Lieutenant Hernandez closed his office door

and locked it after Mark and Jordan raced from the room.

When he walked past the night dispatcher, the man looked up and asked if the lieutenant

needed him to have a car sent over to Imani House.

“No thanks Lou, I’ll take care of it. I’ll take care of everything,” he said with a broad

grin, and left the squad room.

* * * *

As he’d spoken to the lieutenant, Lou noticed a thin gold chain around his neck, with a

small jagged charm attached. He normally wouldn’t have noticed such a small thing, but it

looked out of place on him, because he had never seen him wear jewelry of any kind.

The lieutenant must have loosened his tie and forgotten about it. His collar had been

partially opened, and the small gold chain had been in clear view. Mentally shrugging his

shoulders, Lou went back to the crossword puzzle that had been giving him hell trying to solve for the better part of the last hour.

* * * *

Mark and Jordan burst into the evidence room without knocking, and startled James who

was standing before a tall, gray metal government-issue file cabinet. The look of surprise on his face was soon followed by apprehension. “What can I do for you, Detectives?”

“We have questions that need to be answered now. I suggest you call someone in to take

over for you, or we can close the evidence room down until someone arrives.” Mark barely held himself in check. He didn’t give a damn if the room was left wide open, but he gave the man the chance to come on his own recognizance.

“What … what is this concerning?” James was clearly taken aback by their presence.

“It’s concerning you and some anonymous gifts you’ve been sending Dr. Richardson.

And let’s not forget to add in a whole slew of murders over the last six months.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t sent any gifts and I definitely haven’t

killed anyone,” James said in a rush, with a distinct quiver in his voice.

Both men noted the clerk’s reaction. “Let’s go Smith,” Jordan told him as he reached

around to take the man by the arm, and lead him out from behind his counter. “‘You have the right to remain silent, anything you say, can, and will be held against you in a court of law…’”

Jordan began reciting the man’s Miranda rights to him as they led him out of the office.

* * * *

Humming lightly, Jaime Hernandez calmly put the key into the ignition and started the

vehicle, before he calmly reversed out of his reserved space. As he drove down along the

highway, he remembered that day over twenty years ago, when his schoolmate followed him as

they left detention together with his tongue swirling outside of his mouth, making his nasty comments.

“Everybody knows all about you Jaime. What--you only give it up for money? I got a

few ends for you to do what you do best.” Eric said, walking backwards, facing Jaime as he

taunted him.

“Eric, why don’t you go away? I don’t know what you’re talking about. And don’t you

have a
girlfriend
anyway?” he’d asked, trying unsuccessfully to escape Eric’s groping hand.

“Leave my girlfriend out of it you damn freak. I asked you a question. Is the only way

you’ll do it, is if you get paid?” Eric had grabbed him by the arm and pulled him tight against his chest.

“Why would you want to do anything with me anyway-Aren’t you the
big man
on

campus? Why try and get some from a ‘freak’?” Jaime remembered how his heart thumped

irregularly against his then frail chest, and he’d tried desperately to pull away from Eric, scared after he realized how isolated the two of them were in the corridor.

“What the hell you tryin’ to say? Oh, you paying for that you goddamn queer.” Eric had

pushed him to the floor, and unbuttoned his jeans. “When I’m done with you, you’ll know
when
, and
how,
to use that dumb mouth.”

With a grim smile Jaime e turned on the radio, as a hasty revision of his original plan

quickly formed in his mind.

“All good things must eventually end, and unfortunately, now is the time for this good

thing to end,” he spoke out loud, and to no one in particular.

As he hummed along to the music, he turned up the volume and sang in tune with Shania

Twain, with carefree abandon. “Man, I feel like a woman oh oh oh....” he laughed out loud,

tickling himself over
his
version of the song.

“Why did you start volunteering at Imani House? Was it to get closer to Dr. Richardson?”

Jordan asked, as soon as they shoved the clerk into the stiff metal chair in the interrogation room.

He examined the cuff of his shirt as he asked, as though they were talking about nothing more important than the weather.

“Yes it’s true I do volunteer at Imani House. But that’s not a crime the last time I

checked, Detective.” His arms were tightly crossed over his frail chest, and his upper lip drew back in a sneer when he addressed Jordan.

“No that’s not a crime, James, but what is a crime is sending threatening letters and

murder. Yeah, mother fucker. Murder’s a crime the last time I checked,” Mark nearly exploded as he stared at the little man, holding back the urge to pick his ass up and throw him across the room.

“I told you--I do
not
know what you’re talking about. I think Dr. Richardson is a

wonderful, dedicated woman, even if her taste in men does
suck
.” He insolently drew out the last word.

“We’re betting you do know what we’re talking about asshole,” Jordan countered.

As Jordan spoke, Mark had moved to stand behind the clerk, and it was then he noticed

the thin gold chain around his neck. He walked around to face James and grabbed the small

medallion that hung attached to the chain.

“What the hell is this then?” Mark didn’t want to break the small delicate chain because

he knew how much it meant to Maya, “Take it off mother fucker,” he growled, and barely

refrained from tearing it from his neck.

With shaking hands, the clerk hastily did as he was instructed and handed it to Mark. “It

was a gift, a gift from my sister,” he stuttered as Mark turned the small half-moon charm over in his hand, and read the inscription.

Mark grabbed the small clerk by his collar, and with little effort, hoisted him up, muscles bulging, as he held James inches away from his face.

“You’ve got less than two seconds to start telling me the goddamn truth, you little son-of-

a-bitch, or I will rip your ass apart,” he said between gritted teeth, enunciating each word slowly.

James quickly spoke, “It really was a gift. Okay. Okay not from my sister,” he admitted

quickly, his teeth rattling when Mark shook him once in warning. “It was from my lover.”

Jordan and Mark looked at the man and simultaneously shouted, “What goddamn lover?”

Although still afraid, the clerk stared defiantly at the two detectives, and then said a name that made both men’s eyes widen, and jaws drop in morbid disbelief, leaving a stunned, comical look on their faces, before they sprung into action.

* * * *

The hotel room was dark and quiet. The only audible sound came from the warm San

Antonio air as it wafted into the opened windows, accompanied with the natural sounds of the night.

No sound came from the man who lay still on the bed. His eyes were closed, seemingly

in sleep. He tilted his head slightly to the side, as though listening carefully, in silent communication with some unseen person.

Nicolai eyes opened wide, and a name escaped, from tightly clenched lips; Jaime

Hernandez. Picking up his cell, Nic quickly dialed, before leaping into action.

“Where’s Lieutenant Hernandez?” Mark asked the night officer.

Lou looked up from his crossword puzzle and answered, “He left around the same time

you and Detective Phillips left the squad room.”

“Shit,” in unison Mark and Jordan spoke, knowing without being told, where he was

headed, the next words coming from the night officer confirmed their fears.

“He said he was headed over to Imani House and he’d take care of everything.”

“Send back up right away to Imani House Lou, we have a dangerous situation. And

inform the officers that Lieutenant Hernandez is considered armed and dangerous,” Mark yelled out as he and Jordan ran, top speed, out of the precinct.

“Lieutenant Hernandez? Armed and dangerous? What the hell?” Lou asked their

retreating backs.

Mark picked up his cell phone with trembling fingers, and dialed Maya’s personal line at

Imani House, frantically praying she would answer the phone. He jumped inside the passenger seat as Jordan got behind the driver’s seat. He impatiently waited for Maya to pick up the phone.

When she answered in her normal voice, he almost wept with relief.

“Maya I’m not sure how much time we have, but you have got to get out of there

sweetheart. Where’s your guard?” He didn’t take the time out to greet her, fear making his voice tremble.

“My guard is right outside Dalia’s office. I’ve been working in here since we got off the

phone and I haven’t seen him, but I’m sure he’s still there. What’s going on, Mark? You’re

scaring me.”

“Maya get out of there and have the guard take you to my parent’s house. He knows the

address, now Maya,” he yelled, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Okay I am. I’m going to my door now,” she didn’t question him. A knock on her door

came within seconds of her reply.

“Maya ask who it is-- Don’t…” It was too late. Mark could hear her open the door.

“Lieutenant Hernandez what are you doing here?” Mark could hear her ask.

“Maya listen, the lieutenant is very dangerous, get out of there, baby, and go to the guard right away, Maya … Maya…” Looking down at his cell phone, he saw the call had been

disconnected.

He turned to Jordan, blinded with tears, and said in a hoarse voice, “He’s there. He’s with her.”

“Man we’ll get to her, we’ll get to her.” Jordan drove as fast as the sedan could go,

stretching his driving skills to the limit, as they sped along the San Antonio streets, frantically trying to reach Maya before it was too late.

* * * *

After pressing the end button on the wireless phone, Lieutenant Hernandez calmly

pushed Maya back into her office, and closed the door, the sound of the lock piercing, in the quiet of the room.

“Was that your
boyfriend
on the line Dr. Richardson?” His voice was pleasant as he guided her to her seat and took the chair facing her, sitting down and casually crossing his legs as though nothing were out of the ordinary.

Before he took the phone from her, Maya heard Mark say the lieutenant was dangerous.

However, had she not heard him tell her that, she would have already known. Although he

appeared calm and relaxed, his eyes were glazed, and his benign smile was eerily fixed, giving him a demonic façade.

Maya had worked with people with a variety of mental illnesses and she recognized he

was mentally unstable; a split had fractured his personality completely in half.

She also knew how intelligent he was, and although her first inclination was to calm him,

he wasn’t one of her residents. He didn’t come here for a counseling session, he had come to kill her.

Smiling at him in a negligent manner she said, “I’m not quite sure I would call him my

boyfriend, I feel a little too old to use that term, but he serves his purpose.” She gave him a conspirator’s wink.