Syd Parker - The Killing Ground

“Dangerous enough to kill?” Rebecca sat up quickly. They had interviewed him before and had not found a reason to suspect him, but the new information was painting him in a completely different light.

“Perhaps. He was volatile, but the day the board let him go, he was furious.”

“Did he threaten the board? What about you? As the interim Director and the person responsible for getting him fired, he had to be particularly resentful towards you.”

Meghan chuckled. “I won’t say he didn’t threaten me once or twice, but I dismissed it as idle threats made by a desperate man.”

“And you’ve had no trouble since then?”

Meghan shook her head. “None. I haven’t heard from him since.”

“So you wouldn’t know where we can find Dr. Stein, do you?”

“I’m sorry. That I don’t know. You might try calling our attorney. As part of the deal we made with him, he was required to provide us with a forwarding address, in case we were sued by any of the clients that were treated by him.”

“And have you been contacted by any?”

“Thankfully, no. I can’t imagine the backlash a scandal like that would have on this business.”

“If you hear from him, I’d appreciate it if you let us know immediately.”

“Of course.” Meghan stood up, a clear signal that she was putting an end to this interview.

Jordan’s mind was working overtime. Suddenly, it seemed as though they had hit on something. “Was Dr. Stein married?”

“No, divorced actually.” Meghan leaned back again. “Dr. Stein’s wife left him for another man. He confided in me that it was their inability to conceive that had driven them apart. He never remarried. Instead, he buried himself in his work here, and in the end, I think it drove him mad.”

A knowing look passed between Rebecca and Jordan. Was it that simple? Had the murderer been under their noses the whole time? Was it as easy as tracking him down?

Rebecca stood up, thanked Meghan for her time and shut off the recorder. She picked up a frame off the desk and smiled at the young faces in it. “Yours?”

“No.” Meghan’s face clouded over then she smiled just as quickly. “My nieces. This means I get to spoil them rotten.”

“They are adorable.” Rebecca put the frame back down and started for the door then stopped. “One more thing. Does Dr. Stein have any connection to Richard Hudson? Would he have any reason to go after him?”

Meghan walked around the desk and stopped in front of them. Her carefully schooled features showed no recognition. “Not that I know of. Mr. Hudson was a client here?”

“Yes.” Rebecca was surprised that she didn’t realize that. Given the extensive time that each client received, at least according to Richard Hudson, that alone should have at least warranted her remembering his name. “His wife was one of the women who was murdered.”

“Oh.” Meghan tried to look surprised. “I guess I didn’t make the connection.”

“Odd.” Rebecca added to herself. “Mr. Hudson led us to believe that the reason he chose Helping Hands, despite the cost, was the personal service. He actually came here with his ex-wife as well. He mentioned the in-house counseling, as well. I would have thought as exclusive as the clinic is, you would make it a priority to know your clients.”

Meghan reddened slightly. “I’m sure you can understand we maintain a large client base. I can’t possibly get to know each one on a personal level.”

“No, I suppose not.” Rebecca opened the door. “If you don’t mind, we’ll come back and interview everyone again. I’d like to see if anyone else knew of a reason that Richard Hudson might have been a target, and get more information on Dr. Stein.”

“Certainly.” Meghan shut the door behind them and hit her fist into her palm. “No, I suppose not.” Detective Foxx’s words rang in her ears. What did that uppity detective know anyway? She was suddenly furious. She couldn’t risk the negative publicity it would bring to the clinic if the word got out that its former Director was involved in the killings. “Fuck!”

She yanked open the bathroom door and rolled her old Ever flex sparring partner into her office. She pulled gloves on and cinched them tightly. When her first punch landed, she felt her anger start to subside. Twenty minutes later, she sank to the floor exhausted. “Oh, Dr. Stein, still managing to fuck this place over, aren’t you?”

Rebecca unlocked the doors to her sedan and glared at Jordan over the hood.

“What?” Jordan’s irritation at the morning’s turn of events was still boiling just beneath the surface.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” There was no mistaking the warning in Rebecca’s tone. “Something that will jeopardize my investigation?”

“No.” Jordan pulled her eyes away, flinching under Rebecca’s penetrating gaze. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she might have heard Matt snort underneath his breath. She resisted the urge to tell him to fuck off. She was in no mood to put up with his shit, especially after this morning, and running into Meghan was not helping any.

Rebecca didn’t let it drop. “I saw the bullshit look that she was giving you. What I don’t want is some past indiscretion to give me any problems.”

“I told you, there is nothing to worry about.” Jordan’s tone was hard. It wouldn’t matter anyway. Meghan ran the clinic and there was no guarantee the killings were tied to that anyway.

Rick cupped her elbow in his palm and shot Jordan a smile. “Listen, Agent Gray, don’t pay her any attention. She gets this way anytime we work a big case. Day after it’s over, you’ll be best friends again.”

Jordan snorted loudly. The likelihood of that happening was about as possible as her getting eaten by a shark in the middle of Lake Michigan. She caught Rick’s wink, and knew without a doubt, he knew about their relationship outside of the case. She felt her cheeks color and dropped her eyes, unable to keep his gaze.

“Maybe this will make you feel better.” Rick leaned against the car and crossed his arms over his chests, his face breaking into a knowing grin. “Agent Riley here managed to make friends with our receptionist, and I don’t think it had anything to do with his dimples.”

“Whatever, Rick.” Matt protested. “I saw you making eyes at her. I don’t think she even realized I was alive.”

Rick waved his hand in the air, dismissing the idea. “Found out she’s a little coo-coo.” He made circles in the air near his ear with his forefinger. “Lady is nutso to have a baby, and let’s just say the new director Dr. Mercer, isn’t so high on her list of people she likes.”

Rebecca’s gaze narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Guess she and the former director, Dr. Stein, had an arrangement. She and her husband weren’t able to get pregnant and couldn’t afford to go through in vitro, so the good old doctor said he would help her out at no charge, but he was fired before they could do the procedure.”

“So, how does that help us?” Rebecca asked impatiently.

Rick sighed loudly as if completely annoyed that she couldn’t put two and two together. “How it helps us is that when she approached Dr. Mercer for the same favor, she pretty much kicked her out on her ass. Even threatened to can her if she brought it up again.”

Rebecca circled her finger in the air, a sign for him to explain what she was missing.

“Ruth Dawson is privy to almost everything that happens in that place, and with a little encouragement, I think she may open up about what goes on behind closed doors.”

Realization dawned on Rebecca. In a business like that, it paid to keep your mouth shut. She wouldn’t be at all surprised if the interviews from the previous investigation were full of half-truths and cover-ups. Ruth Dawson may prove to be invaluable, if they could get her to open up. “Nice work, Jonesy. I think we need to talk to her again.”