Cloaked in Blood (19 page)

“I understand your concern,” Young said
after a moment’s reflection.  “Let’s go ahead with the police
presence.  As you know, we’ve kept Mr. Lowe entirely secluded
from the other patients since the crimes committed her last
year.  As I said, the only people in contact with him have
been his physicians, his attorney and a clergyman.”

“Lowe is Catholic,” Johnny said. 
“Which priest has been visiting him?  Naturally, we won’t be
able to question the man, but we can –”

“He’s not a Catholic priest, Commander
Orion,” Young said.  “In fact, he’s more what you would call a
fundamentalist pastor.”

She held up one finger and lifted the phone
with her free hand.  “Lucy, it’s Kayla.  Could you get me
the name and phone number of the pastor who’s been visiting Mr.
Lowe for the past several months?  Sure. Just call me in my
office when you’ve got the information.”

Crevan squirmed in his chair and glanced at
Johnny.  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Goddammit,” Johnny snarled.  “I’d lay
every dime I own on the name of this fundamentalist pastor.”

Mrs. Young disconnected the call.  “As
I said, we’re prohibited from restricting attorney and clergy
visits.  It’s part of the patient rights.  We can
discontinue – at least on a temporary basis – telephone privileges
and access to writing materials, but only if we can show evidence
that the privileges have been abused.”

Her phone rang.  She answered with,
“Lucy?”

Johnny and Crevan both leaned forward in
anticipation.

“Thanks, Luce.  I appreciate the quick
information.”  Young hung up again.  “The pastor’s name
is Reverend Lyle Henderson.  Lucy says he’s a harmless old
man.”

“My ass,” Crevan spoke low, for Johnny’s
ears only.

Johnny had his cell phone out dialing the
moment he heard the name.  “Chris, it’s Johnny.  Crevan
and I will stay here until you send the first officer to guard the
unit where Lowe’s being held.  We got confirmation.  The
suspect has had unfettered access to Lowe for months.”

“Mrs. Young,” Crevan said, “if it would be
possible, we’d like to speak to Jerry Lowe while we wait for the
security detail to arrive.”

“You think that Reverend Henderson is a
threat to Jerry?  I simply can’t believe it!”

“Of course we don’t suspect him,” Crevan
covered smoothly.  “I’ve known Pastor Henderson for
years.  He’s taken over the preaching at my parent’s church
since their minister’s death in January.”

She relaxed.

“But at the same time, we can’t divulge the
reasons why we have concerns that this elderly man is visiting
someone like Jerry Lowe,” Crevan said.  “Spiritual rights
aside, Lowe is very dangerous, Mrs. Young.”

“Believe me, I’m completely aware of his
alleged crimes.”

Johnny jaw tensed.  “Have you been made
aware of the evidence against him, ma’am?  It’s extensive, and
quite disturbing.”

“No, and I wouldn’t want to see it,” she
said.  “It’s enough to know that he’s been charged with more
than twenty murders, Commander Orion.  I wouldn’t want any
personal bias to affect the care he receives here.”

“Would it be possible for us to see him?”
Crevan repeated his request.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen, but under strict
orders from Mr. Lowe’s attorney, no one is allowed access to him
outside Mr. West’s presence.  I’m sure you understand. 
But we do give regular updates to the court regarding his condition
and progress.”

Johnny rose and extended his hand.  “I
thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Young.  If Mr. Lowe is
eventually deemed unfit to participate in his defense, I still want
to make sure that he’s safe, that some unwitting person permitted
visitation isn’t used in some nefarious manner that might stunt his
treatment or endanger his life.”

“When should we expect this additional
security?”

Johnny glanced at his cell phone. 
“Commander Darnell just sent me a text message.  The judge
issued an order granting us special permission to guard Lowe. 
The security detail is on the way to the hospital right now. 
He should be here within thirty minutes.”

“Excellent.  And the name of the
officer?”

“Powell,” Johnny said.  “I’ll have
Chris fax a duty roster to you.  Hopefully this issue will be
resolved soon and the normal hospital security will be
sufficient.”

Half way across the parking lot, Crevan’s
cell phone rang.

“Conall.”

“It’s Devlin.  Where are you?”

“Hold on,” Crevan said.  “Johnny’s with
me.  When we get in the car, I’ll put you on speaker
phone.”

Johnny’s expression hardened.  Two days
they’d waited for something concrete from New York.  Maybe now
he’d get some answers.

“Go ahead, Dev,” Crevan said.

“I’m in Poughkeepsie, guys.  I’ve spent
the last two days talking to people in Henderson’s old
neighborhood, the schools, grocers, mailmen –”

“We get the point, Devlin.  What did
you find?” Johnny didn’t bother hiding his frustration.

“Henderson and his wife did in fact have
another daughter, only she isn’t twenty nine years old.  She’s
ten years older, and yes, her name is Melissa.  Funny thing
about it though, nobody seems to recall Suzy actually being
pregnant.”

“Interesting,” Johnny said.  “So now
we’ve got to figure out a way to get Sherman’s DNA.”

“That’ll be the easy part, Johnny,” Devlin
said.  “She’s in county lockup.  Just get her dinner
tray.  She’ll leave DNA on her cup, her utensils, you name
it.  Maya should be able to get an adequate sample for
testing.  The only problem I see is the sample for
comparison.”

Johnny clenched his fist and hammered it
against the steering wheel.

“We’ll get Helen working on that end of the
problem, Devlin.  If she can get in contact with the other
party involved, I’m certain she can convince him to submit a sample
for testing.”

“You realize the inherent problem with
that,” Dev said, “considering that the rest of the world, including
the FBI who has a vested interest in the outcome of this case, will
wonder where we got a sample of his DNA since he was allegedly
cremated a couple of months ago.”

“So maybe Helen has an old envelope with his
saliva on it,” Johnny growled.  “We’ll figure it out without
implicating my wife.  Are we clear, Devlin?”

“As a bell, sir.  I didn’t mean to
imply that we should expose the truth of the matter to the
FBI.”

Crevan sighed.  “We know, Dev. 
Things have just been a little strained around here lately. 
No surprise there.  When are you coming back?”

“I’m sticking around until tomorrow
afternoon.  I’ve got one more interview scheduled with the
high school librarian tomorrow morning.  I’d like to get my
hands on a year book with a photo of Melissa Henderson.  Might
be useful leverage, proving that Sherman is really this Henderson
woman, just as a backup plan in case we can’t get the DNA
sample.”

“Good thinking, Devlin.  Do me a favor
and text your travel itinerary to me when you’ve got it,” Johnny
said.  “And if you can bring home a year book, all the
better.”

Crevan chatted with Devlin for another few
minutes without the speaker engaged while Johnny left
Dunhaven.  Instead of returning to Beach Cliffs, he drove to
Downey. 

“Are we going to solicit Maya’s help?”
Crevan asked.

“Not until I’ve got Sherman’s dinner tray
bagged as evidence.”

“We could just get a subpoena for her
DNA.”

Johnny glanced over at his friend as they
sped across town.  “And risk Henderson finding out that we’re
onto him?  I don’t think so, Crevan.  Her meal tray is
fair game.”

“Are you concerned that Henderson is the one
providing spiritual counseling to Lowe?”

“Does the sun rise in the east? 
They’ve covered their bases, Crevan.  God only knows how much
they know about what we’re doing.  Helen’s not going anywhere
without me ever again.  Me, or you or Devlin.  I suspect
they haven’t stopped watching her since she came into town.”

“Do you think they’re figured out that
Wendell’s not only alive, but here?”

“Considering how proficient he is at
disguising himself?  I doubt it.  But I’m sure it raised
red flags if they’re aware that Helen met with a priest. 
She’s not exactly shy and retiring when it comes to expressing her
absence of faith.”

Crevan stared out the window for several
silent minutes.  Dark clouds rolled over the city, and soon,
large raindrops splattered against the windows of the car. 
The squeak of the wiper blades was the only break in the heavy
silence.

“Henderson must know Helen’s an atheist,” he
finally spoke.  “Given that he knew Wendell, he might
recognize the man regardless of a disguise.”

Johnny was well aware, plagued by the
thought that Helen’s plot to free her father from prison might yet
be exposed to people who would see her convicted for the crime she
committed.  “We’ll have to deal with it if it happens,” he
said.  “In the meantime, we need to work quickly to prove that
Henderson is the mastermind behind the human trafficking scheme,
Crevan.  I can’t shake this feeling, but I know it in my
bones.  We’re running out of time.”

Chapter 19

I depressed the button on the
intercom.  “Yes, can I help you?”

“Surprise.  Open the gate and let me
in, my dear.”

Shit.  “David, is that you?”

“I haven’t been gone
that
long,”
Levine chuckled.  “Let me in already.  It’s starting to
rain.”

I glanced toward the staircase and saw Dad
peeking down from the top.  “Stay up there, for God’s sake!” I
hissed.  “I’ll try to get rid of him.”

“Do more than try, Sprout.  If Levine
is back in town, it’s definitely not a good sign.”

I depressed the button that controlled the
gate.  “Do whatever you can to keep Danny from freaking
out.  You know he will.  He doesn’t trust David, and I
can’t say that I completely disagree with him at this point.”

In less than a minute, David was rushing
through the courtyard toward the front door.  He hugged me and
kissed my cheek.  “You’re looking a little wan, Helen. 
Is everything all right?  Has something else happened since we
last spoke?”

“No, and if I’m looking wan, that’s probably
why.  The lack of progress is starting to get to me.  Why
didn’t you call and let me know you were coming back to Darkwater
Bay, David?  Or are you here to inform me that I’m being
served a subpoena for a deposition?”

He laughed.  “Of course not.  I
told you it’s unlikely.  We’ve got plenty of evidence without
Franchetta’s testimony.  In fact, I’ve got rather good
news.  Before we get into all of that, have you got any
coffee?”

I nodded and led the way into the
kitchen.

“Where’s Johnny?”

“Working,” I said.  “Of course, we
can’t possibly share any of the details with me in my delicate
condition.”

“It’s probably for the best,” David
said.  “All of this stress can’t be good for you and the
babies.”

No, it really couldn’t be.  David’s
concern seemed genuine enough to me, which only served to irritate
me more.  Was he truly this good at feigning
sincerity? 

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it, Helen? 
Please tell me you and Johnny aren’t fighting again.”

“Everything between us is fine.”

“But not you and someone else?”

Anger bubbled barely below the
surface.  Damned emotions.  They really were getting
harder to harness behind the veneer of
I-don’t-give-a-damn
.

“Call it gut instinct, David, but I think
you’re lying to me.”

He sobered.

“I’ve felt it for months, since Rick’s
funeral to be precise.”

“Helen, we’ve talked about this –”

“And still, my instincts persist.  Why
was Joel Soule in Darkwater Bay when Sofia Datello was
abducted?”

Shock registered in his eyes.  “What
makes you think he was here?”

“Didn’t he tell you that we spoke at Metro
State University Hospital?  He was the one who informed me
that my efforts to save Danny Datello’s life were in vain.  I
know the bureau is good, David, but there’s no way that they
could’ve sent a team to Darkwater Bay in less than an hour after
learning that I shot Alfred Preston.  So what were they doing
here?  Still investigating me, perhaps?”

“You’re being paranoid.  Helen, it’s
not rocket science.  We had a vested interest in Danny
Datello.  He provided the best evidence we’ve got against
Sullivan Marcos.”

“You played dumb when I asked for
information about Alfred Preston.  Was he part of Soule’s
team?  I already know he was in on Seleeby’s witch hunt.”

“I didn’t play dumb.  I told you what I
recalled about him.”

“There are over thirteen thousand agents in
the FBI, David.  You can’t possibly know them all.”

“I never claimed to.  Where is all this
raging paranoia coming from, Helen?  I feel like suddenly I’m
the enemy here.”

“It’s coming from my gradual realization
that you’ve been lying to me for a very long time, David.”

His hands perched on his hips.  “If I
didn’t care about you, about our friendship, why would I try to
help you reconcile with your husband?  Why would I
specifically request assignment to this investigation out
here?  If I didn’t care about you more than the average victim
of a violent crime, why would I be so invested in seeing this case
closed?”

“You tell me.  What’s your
motive?  What haven’t you told me about this
investigation?  I won’t believe that you’ve been completely
forthcoming, David.  There are just too many things that don’t
add up.”

“Like Soule’s presence in Darkwater Bay when
Datello died.”

“Exactly,” I snarled.  My brain
screamed
liar!
  That dead man was two floors above us,
and the surface of David’s lies had barely been scratched.  My
gut twisted in knots with the knowledge, the surety that David was
lying to me.