Sarah Woods Mystery Series (Volume 6) Read online

  A pained smile creased his face as he waved a casual hand around. “Hey, it's not the country club, but I'm still alive. It's not easy making friends in a place like this. At least, not the friends I want to have.”

  “I can't imagine what you must be going through.”

  “I'm just happy you came. Honestly, I didn't think you would.”

  I couldn’t take my eyes off him so I just stared like an idiot. I didn’t know what to say. Finally I muttered, “This is weird, isn't it? There is so much we need to talk about concerning your case, but part of me just wants to hear about your life. Sammy hasn’t gotten the chance to tell me much.”

  I could see the tears starting to form in his eyes and I figured it was time to get down to business since we had limited time. “Look,” I said. “You asked for my help and I'm here. We really should focus on your present situation. Sammy gave me a little background on your case but I'd like to hear the bullet points from you.”

  He blinked, as if he'd forgotten all about the fact that he was in prison for murder. “You're right. We should focus on that. What do you want to know?”

  “I want to hear your version of the events that happened that day. Don't leave anything out.” I held up my phone to indicate that I'd be recording the conversation.

  He nodded and cleared his throat. “Sunday morning I got up early to go to the gym. Rachel was in bed when I left. She liked to sleep in on the weekends. Anyway, I’m sure I locked the door on my way out. I’m pretty good about doing that. When I got back, the door was unlocked. I thought it was weird. When I got inside, I had a bad feeling. There was this strange smell in the air and it was eerily quiet. Usually, Rachel is up by the time I get back from the gym so I called up to her several times. No reply. As I headed up the stairs, I noticed this red stuff on the runner, looked like blood. I ran up to the bedroom, walked in, and couldn’t believe what I saw. Blood everywhere. All over the bed, on the floor, spattered on the wall. And … Rachel was gone.”

  Andrew closed his eyes and swallowed hard. When he opened them again, he coughed into his fist and continued. “I didn’t know what to do. I ran all over the house searching for her, shouting her name. Finally I just called 911 in tears. The cops took me in to the station and questioned me for hours while they searched my property for a weapon. They took my car into evidence. They went all around the neighborhood looking for witnesses.”

  “Did they suspect you right away?”

  “I think so, but they asked the usual questions. Did Rachel have any enemies? I said no but, there was one person who could have done this, Pablo Catalino, one of her patients. He’d been obsessed with her for months and she’d seen him drive by our house several times in the weeks prior to her death. As it turned out, Pablo had an alibi for that morning. He was already in police custody for robbing a convenient store on the other side of town.”

  “Does he have a criminal record?”

  “Yes. A long one. Rape, assault... you name it.”

  I hesitated to ask my next question. “They didn’t find any semen near the bed?”

  Andrew squirmed. “No. The police didn’t find any of his DNA at the house. Not a single strand of hair. My lawyer looked into the possibility that Pablo had a friend kill her, but that theory turned into a dead end.”

  “What kind of strategy did your defense attorney come up with? From what I can tell, he didn’t introduce any other suspects.”

  “Because there were no other suspects. Although he tried implicating the neighbor, Neal Gammond, the same one who had called 911 a few weeks before all this shit happened. Neal told the dispatcher that I was always raising my voice. That I was a controlling bastard. I mean, the guy barely knows me.”

  “How well did Neal know Rachel? Were they friendly?”

  “Yeah, I guess. Rachel was friendly to everyone.”

  “You think he killed her,” I said. “And tried to frame you?”

  “We’d considered that, but he had no motive to kill her. At least none that my lawyer could find.”

  “Maybe he was obsessed with her, just like Pablo.”

  “I don’t think so. Neal is openly gay.”

  “Oh.”

  “Anyway, there are no witnesses who saw anyone go in or out of the house that morning, except me.”

  “Is there anyone else in Rachel’s life that might’ve wanted her dead? An old boyfriend? One of her other patients?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Tell me about Rachel’s family. Are her parent’s alive? Does she have siblings?”

  “Her parents are gone but she has a brother. Michael was sixteen when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He’s the reason that Rachel decided to become a psychiatrist. She wanted to help him and people who suffered from similar conditions.”

  “Where does Michael live?”

  Andrew bowed his head. “I’m not really sure, to be honest. Last I heard, he was homeless, living on the streets in downtown Hartford.”

  “Jeesh, that’s awful. How long has he been homeless?”

  “Off and on for ten years. He lived with me and Rachel a few times last year, but it never worked out.”

  Noting that our time was running out, I had to get back on track. “Just curious, why didn’t you testify on the witness stand during trial?”

  Andrew shook his head, somberly. “My attorney advised me against it because it was a risky move. Now, I wish I had. Maybe they would’ve believed me.”

  “Had Rachel been upset with anyone? Had she been acting differently in the weeks prior to her death?”

  “Well, she was mostly stressed out with work and writing the book.”

  “She was writing a book?”

  “It’s a project that she’d been working on for the past year and a half. She and two of her colleagues had developed a new behavioral therapy that effectively treats depression without the need for anti-psychotic drugs. She’d tested the therapy on hundreds of willing patients with a 90 percent favorable outcome. The book they were writing was more or less a manual for other doctors to implement in their own practices. Unfortunately, the two other colleagues involved in the project died within a few months of each other, so she was trying to get this manual published on her own.”

  “How did her colleagues die?” I asked.

  “The older guy, Dr. Spealman had a heart attack, the younger one, Dr. Linzer was in a car accident.”

  “So, the three doctors who developed this holistic therapy for depression all happened to die right before the book was supposed to be published? Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

  Andrew gave a half-shrug. “The deaths don’t seem to be related. My lawyer already checked into that and couldn’t find a connection.”

  “So what happens to the research now? Will her book still get published?”

  “I’m not sure,” he said. “You should call Rachel’s friend, Roger Shefke. He’s the one who owns the small press company that was going to publish it. You can probably look him up online.”

  “Thanks, I’ll do that.”

  The guard informed us that we only had a minute left.

  There were still so many questions I needed to ask. “Is anyone staying at your house?”

  “No,” he said. “Why? Do you want to go there to have a look around?”

  “Yes. How can I get a key to get inside?”

  “Actually, there’s a spare key under a fake rock to the left of the back door. You have to go around the garage to get there.”

  “Great. I'd also like to speak with your attorney. Will that be a problem?”

  “His name is Jeffrey Patterson and his office is located in downtown Hartford. If you call and explain who you are, I’m sure he’ll accommodate you with whatever you need.”

  “Once Carter and I read the entire case file, I'll let you know what my decision is.”

  “Sarah?” He leaned in closer to the glass as if he wanted to reach out and touch me. “I'm sorry. This is not the way I wan
ted us to meet. I should’ve written to you long before now. I guess I was afraid you’d reject me, like our mother did.”

  The sincerity in his eyes was almost too much to bear. I decided to let him off the hook. “There's no point in lamenting something we can't change. Let's focus on getting you out of here and then we can figure out the rest, okay?”

  He breathed out a sigh of relief. “Hey, if you need anything, you know where to find me.”

  “Try to be patient,” I said. “I can’t promise anything, and I don’t want to get your hopes up.”

  “No matter what you decide,” Andrew said, eyes boring into mine. “I really appreciate this.”

  I glumly returned the phone to the wall and offered Andrew an encouraging smile.

  He placed his hand on the window between us and mouthed the words, thank you.

  Chapter 5

  After my visit with Andrew, I played the recording for Carter while we drove through town looking for a place to have lunch.

  I hadn't said much about Andrew specifically, as I was still trying to form an opinion. My heart told me he was innocent, but my head wasn’t on board.

  Carter didn't push me for details, but I knew he was curious to know my thoughts.

  “He sounds sincere on the recording, doesn't he?” I asked. “Does he sound like a murderer to you?”

  “He sounds desperate,” Carter said. “I guess I’d be desperate if I were in his shoes.”

  “What do you think about Rachel’s two colleagues who died before her? I mean, what are the chances of that happening?”

  “Pretty slim,” he said. “But I agree with Andrew; if the other two doctors were murdered, I’d say the deaths were connected for sure.”

  “First things first, we have to call Jeffrey Patterson, Andrew's attorney, and arrange to pick up the case file. With any luck, maybe he'll be willing to talk to us.”

  Carter pulled into an Appleby's just as I was dialing the attorney's number. The secretary informed me that her boss was in court until 1:00, but he would have time to meet with me at 2:00. That would give us enough time to drive to Hartford and find his office.

  “If we end up taking the case,” I said. “We'll have to stay here in Connecticut and find a hotel. Who knows for how long? It could be many weeks.”

  He shrugged, with a hint of a smile on his face. “No problem. We'll use my AARP discount.”

  His attempt to make me laugh worked. It had been a running joke between us because Carter has refused to join what he calls the old person's club. At the tender age of fifty-six, Carter was anything but an old man, and I often reminded him of that. “Good. Sammy will be paying our expenses, and I don't want to gouge him. We’ll find the cheapest place we can.”

  * * *

  The attorney Jeffrey Patterson looked like an ex-football player. Around six-feet-five with broad shoulders and thick neck, he was an intimidating figure in a dark navy suit. His salt and pepper hair was thick, and so were his eyebrows.

  After introductions had been made, he invited Carter and me to have a seat in his office.

  “Thanks for meeting with us on short notice,” I said. “Andrew McCarthy’s biological father hired us to look into the case.”

  Patterson smiled easily, a hint of amusement playing on his lips. He was probably wondering why two private eyes from New Hampshire thought they were smarter than he was.

  He leaned back, regarding us with fascination. “You want the case file?”

  “Yes. Andrew said it wouldn’t be a problem. I know it might be an inconvenience, but we’d really appreciate...”

  He waved his hand as if to say, this wasn’t an imposition at all. “I’ll have my secretary make copies for you. They should be ready for you to pick up tomorrow morning.”

  “Really?” I hadn’t expected him to be so accommodating. “Thank you. That would be very helpful.”

  Patterson shifted in his seat, as if he were about to get to his feet, but stopped cold when Carter asked the question.

  “Just curious, why didn’t you let Andrew testify on the stand during the trial?”

  He eased back into his chair and tilted his head. He interlaced his hand over his lap. “There was a chance he would’ve reacted negatively during the prosecutor’s cross examination.”

  Carter scratched his head in confusion. “You mean, you thought he’d lose his temper?”

  “Sure,” Patterson said. “It happens all the time. We couldn’t take that chance. It’s a common defense strategy.”

  “Do you believe Andrew is innocent?” I asked.

  Patterson hesitated, then cleared his throat. “Yes. I believe he’s innocent. Which is why I plan to file an appeal.”

  “But unless some new evidence comes forward,” I said. “The judge won’t grant an appeal. Right?”

  Patterson smiled again and nodded. “That’s right.”

  “So, what kind of progress have you made?”

  His jaw clenched as he glanced at his watch. “I’d like to discuss that with you, but I have another meeting in a few minutes. After you’ve had a chance to read the case file, I propose that we get together, and I can address your concerns at that point.”

  Man, this guy was slick. He would’ve made an excellent politician. “Okay,” I said. “Thanks again for seeing us.”

  Back in the Buick, Carter gave me an uneasy look. “That guy just fed us a bunch of bullshit; you realize that, right?”

  “You don’t think he has any intention of working on Andrew’s case?”

  “Of course not. Andrew is in jail and probably out of money because he gave it all to his lawyer. I’m sure Patterson has other cases to worry about. He’s probably glad to give us the case file, so we’ll do all the work for him.”

  Carter had a good point. “So, what you’re saying is, we’re on our own?”

  “I won’t lie, Sarah. This is going to be a challenge. And, no matter what you read in that file, I know you. You won’t turn Andrew away. So, let’s just drive home, pack our things and head straight back to Hartford. We’ll find a motel room and set up shop for the duration.”

  I squeezed Carter’s hand. “I love that you know me so well. Thanks for agreeing to do this.”

  “I hope you don’t end up disappointed, Sarah. Prepare yourself for the fact that Andrew might be playing us.”

  It was almost five o’clock by the time we got back to Bridgeport and Sammy was waiting on Carter’s porch, looking nervous and tired.

  “How is Andrew?” Sammy asked, his voice laced with concern as he followed us into the house.

  There was no point in worrying him, so I tried to remain optimistic. “He seemed happy to see me. It was a bittersweet moment, I guess.”

  Carter said to him, “If you don’t mind coming by to check on the house every few days, I’d appreciate it. We might be gone for a few weeks or longer.”

  Sammy’s eyes grew wide with hope. “So that means you’re taking the case?”

  “Yes,” I said; “but don’t get your hopes up.”

  Sammy grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Thank you so much for doing this. I'll try not to call and bug you every day.”

  “I’ll keep you posted on our progress,” I said. “But please be patient.”

  He reached into the back pocket of his trousers and handed me a check for five thousand dollars. “The first installment,” he said. “I know you don't want to take my money, Sarah, but I'm not as poor as you might think. I have money put away for occasions like this.” When I didn’t take the check, he folded and stuffed it into my shirt pocket.

  I knew Sammy would be offended if I tried to return the check, so I didn’t. “Maybe we’ll get a lucky break. Hopefully, we won’t have to use the entire five grand.”

  “There will be expenses,” he said. “Not to mention the risk. Promise me that you and Carter will be careful.”

  “We always are,” I said. “Try not to worry, okay?”

  Sammy nodded and straightened his shoul
ders as if to demonstrate his solidity. “Are you heading back to Hartford tonight?”

  “Yes. Just as soon as we get packed.”

  “Well, then.” He leaned over to kiss my cheek. “I’ll let you get to it, my dear.”

  After he left, I joined Carter out in the garage. He’d made a list of items to bring, new devices he’d ordered recently from his favorite online store: Spies Like Us. The list included: hidden surveillance cameras, recording devices, two stun guns, a poison detection kit, a bug detector and locator, burner phones, night vision goggles, a “bionic ear” for eavesdropping, and other spy gadgets that he’d yet to explain to me. “I’m pretty sure you could open your own spy store,” I teased him. “Is all this stuff really necessary? I mean, a poison detection kit? Really?”

  “Always best to be prepared.” Then, with a straight face he said, “By the way, I already called and booked us a room at the Four Season’s resort in Hartford. Sammy won’t mind, will he?”

  My response was a sarcastic chuckle. “I sure hope AARP gave you a huge discount.”

  Chapter 6

  When I woke up the next morning in a strange bed, it took me a few seconds to remember where I was.

  As it turned out, the Lincoln Motel in downtown Hartford that Carter booked wasn’t half bad. We had a king sized bed, a mini-fridge and a balcony with a killer view of a parking lot.

  Patterson’s law office was conveniently located three blocks from our motel and, since the temperature hovered in the sixties, we proceeded on foot.

  Once we had the case file, we decided to get breakfast at the diner across the street. While sipping coffee, Carter and I skimmed through the file page by page, jotting down notes as we went.

  “Andrew told me that he was sure he’d locked the front door when he left his house the morning Rachel was killed,” I said. “When he got home from the gym, he said the door was unlocked. In the police report, it says the front door lock had not been tampered with.”

  Carter looked up from his reading. “Which means that the killer probably had a spare key.”