Ogrodnik Interior 2.0c (25 page)

Rivka said nothing.

“Very well. I will do the talking. What do you think of my domicile? Humble, to be sure, but I try to make it comfortable.”

For the first time, Rivka looked around the room. It was wide and broad, with high ceilings like you might find in a small warehouse or storage room. The room was originally meant for industrial purposes, but the interior was anything but. Flowers and plants filled every corner in tiered cascades, and the walls were decked with shelves of plants, many of which overran their containment and flowed across the walls like you’d expect to see on an Ivy League university building. In the left center of the room was a magnificent desert arrangement replete with boulders and cacti, and in the center, a pair of palm trees that were easily a dozen feet in height.

The room was devoid of most normal, everyday technologies. There was no evidence of a television or any other visible electronic paraphernalia. She heard the whooshing sound of two ceiling fans overhead, and as she looked up at them, she became aware of background music coming from an unknown source. It was a subtle, classical piano piece that she’d heard before but did not know by name.

From what she could see, all the living was done in this room. There were two doors on the far side that were likely a bedroom and a bathroom. The couch faced across a coffee table to the huge armchair that Ogrodnik was sitting in, and past his chair was a table and chair used for meals. Beside the table was an old fridge with a Frigidaire logo written in chromed script that brought back memories from her childhood. The only other piece of furniture among the greenery was a tall bookcase storing an assortment of tattered hardcovers and paperbacks. She noticed a hardcover copy of the Iliad opened face down on the coffee table.

“Not what you’d expect? It serves my needs, and I find it quite comfortable here. I’ll be almost sorry to leave it behind.”

“You’re leaving?” Rivka bit. Now that she was regaining her wits, she realized that her best chance to get out of this was to get him talking and stall.

“I’ve secured transport that leaves early Monday morning. A few well-placed bribes get me passage where there will be no need to go through customs, which is paramount to my travel plans.”

“What do want from me?”

“Oh, I think you know, Ms. Goldstein,“ he said looking at her.

“No? Perhaps then I should explain myself. I don’t want you harboring any false hopes about your future. “

“I guess by now you know who I am, or at least strongly suspect. It is true; I am the monster they called the Stungun Killer. Or, as you articulated so well on national television, the “perversion of humanity” that I am. I can’t disagree with that statement. What I’ve done is reprehensible. I did it for my self-gratification, an indulgence, with no regard for those whose lives were affected. I know what I am, and I’m quite comfortable with it.”

Rivka had a look somewhere between loathing and revulsion, and Ogrodnik picked up on it. He paused before continuing sensing that Rivka had a question coming. He was right.

“Why did you kill Rhonda Carling?” Rivka asked, referring to Stungun’s first murder.

Ogrodnik looked at her quizzically, calculating the meaning behind her pointed question.

“Ahh. I am impressed, my little cyclamen. You’ve ascertained the motive behind the last eight victims. You are shrewder than I thought. Tell me, was it you who saw through my ruse or that modest excuse for a man you call a partner?”

“A bit of both, I guess. That’s what partners do.”

“Yes, I see. Tell me, where is your partner now?”

Rivka said nothing.

“Perhaps I can help you out with that question,” he offered. “My sources tell me he is shacked up in a countryside Auberge with some doe-eyed doxy. He has nothing more on his mind than when his next bout of titillation will occur. I’m afraid you are yesterday’s news to him, my dear.”

Rivka tried not to let her disappointment show. It was entirely possible that Elliot was doing exactly what Ogrodnik said, but up to that point, she still held out hope that he had reconsidered his recent decision and was back in pursuit.

“Whatever,” said Rivka feigning indifference. “So why’d you kill her? You screwed up, didn’t you?”

“I like to think I am cerebral enough to overcome the base impulses that rule the thoughts of men, but even I was not immune to the incessant caterwauling of that loathsome bitch,” Ogrodnik spoke, and Rivka could see that he was replaying that day in his mind.

“I was contracted to landscape the grounds at Eco-Sys, and she would sometimes come out while I was onsite to ask me to tend to their personal gardens. I was not interested in taking on residential work and told her so on every occasion, but she thought if she jiggled her implants enough I’d succumb to her wants. You see, my gift to the world is my gardening, and I’m rather well known in the exclusive world of horticulture for my way with flora and fauna. It would be considered a coup for anyone trying to impress to have Ogrodnik as their gardener,” he said with more than a little pride.

“The final straw came when she followed me here to confront me and threatened to have me fired if I did not attend to her gardens. I flippantly said, 'go ahead, fire me. Then I won’t have to put up with your embarrassing efforts to seduce me anymore.' Then she flew into one of her petulant hissy fits.

“So she rejected you?”

“No, no, you don’t understand. I have been rejected my entire life. I expect no less, especially by someone as vapid and daft as Rhonda Carling. No, it was the moment she overturned my greenhouse shelves that decided her fate. The sight of an entire season of orchids, roses, and crocuses lying on the floor pushed me up to the brink of self-control and ultimately, over the edge. I’ll not forget the look on her face when she realized she’d passed the tipping point with me. The same look of alarm and fright you might see on a child’s face when he understands he’s just pushed his father too far. I gave her a backhand across the mouth, bent her over the downed bench and demeaned her in the worst ways I was capable of. It was only after I had snapped her neck that I took the time to hatch my scheme. I used my Stungun after the act to help establish a pattern and then drove her out past the Olympic stadium and dumped the body. The rest of the victims, as you know, were subterfuge.”

Although Rivka already knew of his plan, hearing it from his own mouth without a shred of remorse sickened her.

“Are you curious how I found and killed my targets without getting caught? I’m sure you are. Have you noticed my pet dog, Inesco?” he said as he pointed toward the desert display.

Rivka had not noticed the dog lying on the floor behind the cacti arrangement. It was a furry little thing. She didn’t know the breed, but it looked like a Shih Tzu. She wondered why the dog had not made an effort to greet them when they came in.

“Inesco is not a real dog, of course, but a well-crafted and realistic looking plaything. Who cannot resist coming to the rescue of a puppy, lying on the ground in an alley, within sight of a passerby? That, accompanied by the timely playback of a recording of a whimpering pup, is enough to melt the heart of even the sternest passerby. The unsuspecting Samaritans don’t take notice of the old pickup truck that the pup is lying beside, nor do they pause to peer into a darkened corner of the building beside. As they bend down to attend to the faux pup, I come up behind them from a place of concealment and apply the Taser. Within thirty seconds the target is bound, gagged, and stuffed into the holding box on my pickup. Within a minute, I am on my way back here, where the act is consummated.”

“What made you stop?”

“Nothing made me stop. The thrill of the hunt and chase was no longer there for me. What I looked forward to were your weekly press huddles. That fool Amyot would parade you up in front of the cameras whenever there was no good news to tell, which was always. And you, chaste and immaculate, an unsullied breath of fresh air trying in vain to satisfy the masses. I was starting to enjoy your press conferences Ms. Goldstein. It was you who made me continue. I planned on stopping after six. My plan had been executed and the intended results achieved. That’s when I started feeling for you. A pure blade of truth among your seamy peers, passionate, honest and dedicated. I continued with my work just so I could watch you in front of the cameras.”

“Bullshit! You sick bastard. Do not try to include me in your perverted fantasies. “

“It is true, Ms. Goldstein,” he said quietly.

“Tell me, Ms. Goldstein, why did you leave the force? What made you walk away from your career after the Stungun case?”

Rivka said nothing and just looked at him.

“I’ve heard rumors. Rumors about a disagreement you had with Amyot; about how he dressed you down in front of your peers. About how he belittled your capabilities, slurred your religion and your sexual orientation. That angered me, Ms. Goldstein, angered me mightily, but I did not act. I needed to disappear for a while. I could not afford to draw additional attention to myself when the entire city was already looking for me. The death of the leading detective would surely bring resources from across the globe to help in the case. No, I did nothing. I waited, and now that wait is over.”

“What are you planning?” Rivka asked.

“Alas, I’m afraid I’ve run out of time for answering questions. Not to worry, though. We have another day to socialize. I have some arrangements to make and tasks to complete. I’ve prepared a room for you while I’m otherwise occupied.” The big man then lifted Rivka up with a single arm around her waist and carried her to a door on the far side of the room. Opening the door revealed a 6 X 10 room that was likely a storage room at some point. Inside, Rivka saw a mattress, a bucket, and a low table with a pot of water with a straw sticking out.

“It’s not as cozy as I’d like to give you,
but I need to curtail your movement while I’m busy, and this is the only place I have. “

“Biovonix International. How may I help you?”

“Hello, I need to talk to Dr. Banik.”

“I’m afraid Dr. Banik is not taking calls at this time. May I take a message?”

“Tell him it’s Elliot Forsman. He’ll speak to me.”

“One moment.”

Elliot waited for a moment and heard the line switch.

“Alex Banik speaking.”

“Banik, this is Elliot Forsman.”

“What do you want, Mr. Forsman?”

“I want my partner, Banik. Where is she?”

“I assure you I know nothing of the whereabouts of Ms. Goldstein.”

“Look, Banik, I know everything. I know you ordered the deaths of my wife, and my father. I know you have cops in your back pocket, and I know all about your bloodhound Yilmaz and his crew.”

Banik said nothing.

“We’re coming after you, Banik. We’re coming to burn your house down and take you and your gang down with it.”

“I am a businessman and a scientist, nothing more. What is it you want from me, Mr. Forsman?”

“I’ll offer you the same as your bloodhound put in front of me. Give me my partner, and we’ll back off and let the cards fall where they may. The wheels are already in motion to bring down Biovonix. That can’t be stopped. But I’ll back off on the confrontation that is imminent, and you can save some lives in the process.”

“As I’ve told you already, I have no knowledge on the whereabouts of Ms. Goldstein.”

“Ogrodnik has her, and he works for you.”

“Ogrodnik does not work for me. The tenuous relationship we once had is no longer in place. Whatever Ogrodnik has done has nothing to do with me.”

“Tell me how to find him.”

“I don’t know how. Our arrangement was one-sided. He gave me a number to use when I needed him. He broke off our relationship last week and disposed of that particular phone. I am unable to contact him.”

“I don’t believe you, so buckle up, Banik. We’re coming in to take you down.”

“Yves. It’s Elliot Forsman”

“Elliot, what can I do for you today?”

“We need to meet, Yves. Right now.”

“Does this have something to do with your visit to see the chief earlier this week?”

“Yes. But I can’t talk on the phone. Can you meet me at Chalet BBQ on Sherbrooke? It’s important and imperative you don’t tell anyone, ANYONE, you’re meeting with me.”

“You’ve got me intrigued now. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

Yves slipped into the booth at the back of the restaurant alongside Elliot.

“Thanks for coming. Did you tell anyone you were meeting with me?”

“Did you ask me not to tell anyone?” Yves said slightly annoyed. “The answer is no. Why all the cloak and dagger? What kind of trouble are you in?”

“Let me start at the beginning.”

“As you know, Rivka and I started looking into Dad’s death and found the murderer, a man by the name of Paul Kulas. We put a tail on him, and Kulas allegedly killed the tail. That’s when Chief Doyle got involved and called us in. He booted us off the case and gave it to Durocher and Duval. In their subsequent investigation, they found Kulas dead with a gun in his hand and a hole in his mouth. There was also material in the house that suggested Kulas was carrying a grudge against my father and provided an explanation as to why he was killed. Everything was wrapped up neat and tidy. You probably know all of that already.”

“I do.”

“Here’s what you don’t know,“ Elliot said leaning forward onto the table to keep his voice down.

“It was all bullshit, a total setup. The entire suicide was staged and orchestrated by the head of a pharmaceutical company and his security team. And they did it with the aid of the police.“

Yves turned his head sideways and stuck his face further into Elliot’s space. “Do you have proof of any of this?” Yves whispered harshly.

“I have enough to convince you, but before we get into those details, there’s more to the story.”