Provoked (14 page)

              Riley called Lynette’s number.

              “Lynette, any word yet on the other two bodies?”

              “Detective, I heard you encountered the poison. Are you okay?”

              Her concerned voice touched him. She’d become a good friend besides a colleague. He liked her more knowing she didn’t hold the one-night stand they’d had against him. She was someone he could trust. Besides she seemed to work long and crazy hours like him, and enjoyed it.

              “I’m okay. Good thing for the antidote. Can you educate me on the poison?”

              “To answer your earlier question, I’m running the tests this morning. For your quick lesson today, Detective,” she laughed and then continued.

              “Among the distinctive effects of thallium poisoning are hair loss and nerve damage; it’s been noted that people get the sensation of walking on hot coals. Hair loss generally occurs in low doses but high doses of thallium can definitely kill you. It has been known as the ‘poisoner’s poison,’ since it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. It can be put in food and drink. It could be injected or even passed on by touch, but then again who would want to use touch and kill yourself; unless it was a suicide-homicide? It is a slow-acting and painful way to die, and hidden, because its effects often show other illnesses. Thallium poisoning is harsh. Victims can suffer from hallucinations, lethargy, even convulsions and coma. The highest dose would take you quickly. It’s not the easiest to get anymore, since it hasn’t been produced in the United States since 1984. Currently, all the thallium is obtained from imports and from thallium reserves. One doesn’t have to be a scientist but would need to know how and where to obtain it.”

Her pause told him she’d finished with her quick lesson and her question.

              “Does that help sum it up quickly for you, Detective?”

              Riley had listened intensively as he drove to the precinct.

              “Thanks, Lynette. Definitely helps make me understand how it works. Call me once you get the results?”

              She agreed and Riley pressed the end button and parked. Riley signed the manuscript out of evidence before he headed to his office. He was appreciative to his lieutenant for allowing him to finish with this case and offering Kennedy a position on the team based on Riley’s referral. He hoped Kennedy would accept the transfer and become Riley’s partner for good.

              “Feeling better?”

              Kennedy walked into Riley’s office and asked how things were going. Riley nodded. Not that he’d admit to anyone if he wasn’t feeling okay. Work came first. He picked up the manuscript on his desk and let all three hundred pages drop. The thunderous sound it made sparked Kennedy’s attention and he closed the door. Riley handed him a handful of pages.

              “I want you to read this too. Two investigative minds work faster.”

              Kennedy took the papers. “What are we looking for?”

              Riley mentioned how determined Adam was to have him read it.

              “He said something about finding what we’ve missed.”

              “Your gut still thinks it’s too good to be true?”

              Kennedy had him figured out already.

“Yep, it was too easy of an arrest. Something isn’t sitting right with me.”

              Kennedy knew that statement meant the day just became longer.

              Riley hit the third chapter when the superintendent, whom he has pictured through the story so far as Adam, met this Polish gentleman with a proposition.

              “Kennedy, I think I found something.”

              There’d been only one Polish man on his mind lately. Darek Bernard.

              Riley knew it was Darek who poisoned him, but the man is yet to be found. He knew he was still around. He wanted Basia dead.

              “What did you find?”

Kennedy set the papers in his hand down and grabbed the piece of paper Riley handed him.               “You’re going to like this, Kennedy.”

Riley grinned as though he’d just won the lottery. Kennedy scanned the page, and then smiled.

              “I’d say you’re thinking what I am, this Polish character with a proposition must be the infamous, Darek Bernard.”

              Kennedy chuckled, “You were right, Briggs. Adam Crawford was too easy of an arrest. When it’s too good to be true, keep investigating. If we could only find this son-of-a-bitch! How’s Basia?”

              “She’s trying hard not to show she’s scared. The scare of the thallium at the hotel really shook her. Thank God she told 911 that she suspected thallium, or I wouldn’t be here. We have to find him, Kennedy, or she’s never going to rest. I didn’t want to leave her, but we both knew I needed to be here. The hotel incident doesn’t sit right with me either, Kennedy.”

              “What? That he chose you over her?”

              “If he’s here to kill her, why didn’t he do it last night and get the heck of the country? He must know we’re on to him.”

              Riley sat back in his chair. His hand brushed through his hair. His thoughts continuously repeated those questions.

              “It’s a game to him. He’s cocky enough to think he can do whatever he wants. He wants to torture her. If you’re dead and she’s alive then she hurts. It’s a control thing. He wants to play with her emotions. Maybe that’s the connection to the brownstone.”

              Kennedy’s eyes met Riley’s.

              Riley smiled. “That’s it, Kennedy. That’s the connection. He’s connected to the murders at the brownstone. Beth and the other two girlfriends of the dead tenants were Basia’s friends.”

              “Basia knew the murdered victims?”

              Kennedy’s surprised look reminded Riley that he hadn’t yet filled him in. He’d hoped to keep that secret of Basia’s safe, but now he knew he couldn’t.”

              Riley quickly filled him in on the abuse group Basia formed for these women.

              “One by one, Darek is eliminating any close connection to Basia to torture her.” Riley handed Kennedy more of Adam’s manuscript.

              “Keep searching for more answers. Lynette told me that thallium is hard to come by, and that you must know how and where to get it. We both know Adam isn’t the smartest kid on the block and Darek is a mountain guide. I take it neither one of them would have access to thallium. So where did they get it? I’m going back to question Adam. Call me if you find anything else I can question him about.”

              A knock on Riley’s door interrupted him.

              “Yes?”

              A detective popped his head in. “Briggs, there’s a call on line three for you. She says her name is Mrs. Clarke from the brownstone, and it’s urgent she speak with you.”

              Riley thanked the detective and looked at Kennedy.

              “Isn’t that the nice old lady we spoke to at the brownstone?”

              “She offered us cookies.” Kennedy smiled and then added, “She’s also the only tenant that Adam liked and spoke highly of”.

              “Put her on speaker, Kennedy.”

              “Good morning. Mrs. Clarke, this is Detective Riley Briggs. How can I help you?”

              “Are you the nice detective I spoke with the other evening?” The little old lady’s voice was gentle and soothing. Riley recalled Adam’s kind words of the woman.

              “Yes, it is. We met at your building. I mentioned you could call if you thought of anything else about the deaths and missing women from your building.”

              “At my age, I don’t remember everything, but I did and there’s also something out of the ordinary that happened last night.”

              She’d grasped Riley’s attention and he had to chuckle with her next comment.

              “You know some people think it’s easy to play an old lady, but I’ve learned many things over the years. I’m wiser than some may believe.”

              “What exactly did you remember that may help the case, Mrs. Clarke?”

              Riley waved his hands in the air as if it would speed up the conversation. Kennedy smiled and nodded in agreement. Riley would have loved to chat with the old lady. She seemed lonely but time was of the essence. He only hoped she had something to help him.

              “You had asked if I was close to those three women and if we ever spoke? I told you only briefly, and the odd time we’d meet in the laundry room or in passing, but you know those young people keep different hours than an old gal like me,” she giggled.

              “And you now remember something different?” Riley pried.

              “Yes. I never really thought about it before, but after a visit from the distinguished Polish gentleman late last night, I remembered his request to Adam once.”

              Riley raised an eyebrow to Kennedy and mouthed
Polish man
. Riley knew Kennedy thought the same as him. It had to be Darek.

              “Do you know the name of this Polish man, Mrs. Clarke?”

              Riley was now intrigued with her call.

              “Yes, Detective; his name is Darek.” She paused and mentioned she couldn’t now recollect his last name and had only met him once or twice. He was a friend of Adam’s.

              “And he came to see you last night, may I ask why?”

              Riley wondered why Darek involved this poor little old lady in his murderous ways.

              “He said he stopped by to check on me since he heard Adam had been arrested. He believes there must be a mistake too. Adam can’t be responsible for these deaths. He’s a kind gentle soul.”

              Riley shook his head. Kennedy nodded. Riley felt sad that Mrs. Clarke was in the dark of Adam’s selfish acts.

              “What else did Darek have to say?”

              Riley wasn’t going to be the one to tell Mrs. Clarke about Adam’s confession and tear apart her heart.

              “Not much. He didn’t stay long. I told him it was late, and I’d been on my way to bed. He brought me a specialty tea, but I had just taken my sleep medication and didn’t want caffeine mixed with it.”

              Riley looked at Kennedy and knew he had the same thought that Darek seems to be making his rounds with nightcaps for anyone involved. He still didn’t know how Mrs. Clarke was involved and why he would want to kill the nice old lady.

              “You didn’t drink the tea he brought you?” Riley enquired.

              “No, I didn’t. I poured it in the sink when I excused myself to get the milk. I added milk to the cup. You know, I didn’t want to be rude. It was a sweet gesture by him.”

              “So you drank milk from the cup that the tea came in?”

Riley’s concern grew. A trace of the poison could still be in her system.

              “Mrs. Clarke, I don’t mean to alarm you but I believe you may have been poisoned. Since you poured out the tea, you may not have ingested as much as Darek expected, but still I’m going to send paramedics to your place. Don’t panic. There’s an antidote for the poison and you will be fine.”

              “What? That nice young man poisoned me? Why?” Mrs. Clarke’s tone announced shock and despair.

              “He’s not a nice young man, Mrs. Clarke. I’m going to send an officer to stay at the building to make sure he doesn’t return. For now, I need your help.”

              Riley asked if she would keep this between them. He didn’t want Darek to find out she’d survived, for her own protection. He also wanted to make sure she didn’t contact Adam, for the time being, while he tracked down Darek.”

              Mrs. Clarke agreed. She mentioned she would do anything to help Adam. Riley then asked what the other thing she’d remembered in regard to the murdered women.

              “I brought cookies to Adam once and Darek was at his apartment. Adam mentioned that everyone in the building enjoyed my cookies. I always enjoy baking for the people I live with. It’s all I really have to offer.”

              Adam was right about one thing. Mrs. Clark was a sweet little old lady. Riley wasn’t sure where her story was leading to until her next comment.

              “I remember on my way out the door, I heard Darek tell Adam that it would be perfect to put it in Mrs. Clarke’s cookies. I thought perhaps I misunderstood, or my old ears didn’t quite hear what he’d said, so I continued down the hall with more cookies to deliver. I’m not sure if that means anything, Detective. I just remembered it odd and forgot about it until Darek came by last night. Of course I offered him my cookies with his coffee.”

              “Thank you, Mrs. Clarke. Your information is most helpful. The paramedics should be there momentarily.”

              Riley hoped nothing happened to Mrs. Clarke. She was indeed a sweet lady.