Kay Scarpet - Cruel And Unusual Part 37

aThe first order of business is refreshment. Surely you havenat eaten,a he said.

I regretfully told him I had.

aThen youall simply have to eat again."

aBut I couldnat."

aI will prove you wrong within the hour. The fare is very light. Grouper grilled in b.u.t.ter and Key Lime juice with a generous sprinkling of fresh ground pepper. And we have seven-grain bread I make from scratch that youall never forget as long as you live. Letas see. Oh, yes. Marinated slaw and Mexican beer."

He said all this as he popped the caps off two bottle of Doe Equis. Jennifer Deightonas former husband had to be close to eighty years old, his face as ruined by the sun as cracked mud, but the blue eyes set in it were as vital as a young manas. He smiled a lot as he talked, and was beef jerky lean. His hair reminded me of white tennis ball fuzz.

aHow did you come to live here?" I asked, looking around at mounted fish on the walls and rugged furnis.h.i.+ngs.

aA couple of years ago I decided to retire and fish, so I worked out a deal with the Pink Sh.e.l.l. Iad run their bait shop if theyad let me rent one of the cottages at a reasonable rate."

aWhat was your profession before you refined?"

aSame as it is now."

He smiled. aI practice holistic medicine, and you never really retire from that any more than you retire from religion. The difference is, now I work with people I want to work with, and I no long have an office in town."

aYour definition of holistic medicine?"

aI treat the whole persons plain and simple. The point is to get people in balance."

He looked appraisingly at me, set his beer down, and carne over to the captainas chair where I sat, aWould you mind standing up?"

I was in a mood to be agreeable.

aNow hold out one of your arms. I donat care which one, but hold it straight out so itas parallel to the floor. Thatas fine. Now Iam going to ask you a question and then as you answer Iam going to try to push your arm down while you resist. Do you view yourself as the family hero?"

aNo."

My arm instantly yielded to his pressure and lowered like a drawbridge.

aWell, you do view yourself as the family hero. That tells me youare pretty d.a.m.n hard on yourself and have been from the word go. All right. Now letas put your arm up again and Iam going to ask you another question. Are you good at what you do?"

aYes."

aIam pus.h.i.+ng down as hard as I can and your arm is steel. So you are good at what you do."

He returned to the couch and I sat back down.

aI must admit that my medical teaching makes me somewhat skeptical,a I said with a smile.

aWell, it shouldnat, because the principles are no different from what you deal with every day. Bottom line? The body doesnat lie. No matter what you tell yourself, your energy level responds to what is actually true. If your head says you arenat the family hero or you love yourself when thatas not how you feel, your energy gets weak. Is this making any sense?"

aYes."

aOne of the reasons Jenny came down here once or twice a year was so I could balance her. And when she was here last, around Thanksgiving, she was so out of whack I had to work with her several hours everyday."

"Did she tell you what was wrong?"

aA lot of things were wrong. Shead just moved and didnat like her neighbors, especially the ones across the street."

aThe Clarys,a I said.

aI suppose that was the name. The woman was a busybody and the man was a flirt until he had a stroke. Plus, Jennyas horoscope readings had gotten out of hand and were wearing her out."

aWhat was your opinion of this business she ran?"

aJenny had a gift but she was spreading it too thin."

aWould you label her a psychic?"

aNope. I wouldnat label Jenny - wouldnat even begin to try. She was into a lot of things:a I suddenly remembered the blank sheet of paper anch.o.r.ed by the crystal on her bed and asked Travers if he might know what that meant, or if it meant anything.

aIt meant she was concentrating."

aConcentrating?"

I puzzled. aOn what?a aWhen Jenny wanted to meditate, she would get a white sheet of paper and put a crystal on top of it. Then she would sit very still and slowly turn the crystal around and around, watching light from the facets move on the paper. That did for her what staring at the water does for me."

aWas anything else bothering her when she came to see you, Mr. Travers?"

aCall me Willie. Yea, and you know what Iam about to say. She was upset about this convict who was waiting to be executed a Ronnie Waddell. Jenny and Ronnie had been writing to each other for many years and she just couldnat deal with the thought of him being put to death.a aDo you know if Waddell ever revealed anything to her that could have placed her in jeopardy?"

aWell, he gave her something that did."

I reached for my beer without taking my eyes off him.

aWhen she came down here at Thanksgiving, she brought all of the letters he had written and anything else he had sent her over the years. She wanted me to keep them down here for her."

"Why?"

aSo they would be safe."

aShe was worried about somebody trying to get them from her?"

aAll I know is, she was spooked. She told me that during the first week of this past November, Waddell called her collect and said he was ready to die and didnat want to fight it anymore. Apparently, he was convinced nothing could save him, and he asked her to go to the farm in Suffolk and get his belongings from his mother. He said he wanted Jenny to have them, and not to worry, that his mother would understand."

aWhat were those belongings?" I asked.

aJust one thing."

He got up. aIam not real sure of the significance - and Iam not sure I want to be sure. So Iam going to turn it over to you, Dr. Scarpetta. You can take it on back to Virginia. Share it with the police. Do with it what you want."

aWhy are you suddenly being helpful?" I asked. aWhy not weeks ago?a'

an.o.body bothered to come see me,a he said loudly from another room. aI told you when you called I donat deal with people over the phone."

When he returned, he set a black Hartmann briefcase at my feet. The bra.s.s lock had been pried open and the leather was scarred: aFact is, youad be doing me a big favor to get this out of my life,a Willie Travers said, and I could tell he mean it. aThe very thought of it makes my energy bad."

The scores of letters Ronnie Waddell had written Jennifer Deighton from death row were neatly bundled in rubber bands and sorted chronologically. I skimmed through few in my hotel roam that night, because their importance all but disappeared in the light of other items I found.

Inside the briefcase were legal pads filled with handwritten notes that made little sense, for they referred to cases and dilemmas of the Commonwealth from more than ten years ago. There were pens and pencils, a map of Virginia, a tin of Sucrets throat lozenges, a Vickas inhaler, and a tube of Chapstick. Still in its yellow box was an EpiPen, a 3 milligram epinephrine auto-injector routinely kept by people fatally allergic to bee stings or some foods. The prescription label was typed with the patientas name, the date, and the information that the EpiPen was one of five refills. Clearly, Waddell had stolen the briefcase from Robyn Naismithas house on the fateful morning he murdered her. It may be that he had no idea who it belonged to until he carried it off and broke the lock. Waddell discovered he had savaged a local celebrity whose lover Joe Norring, was then the attorney general of Virginia.

"Waddell never had a chance,a I said. aNot that he necessarily deserved clemency in light of the severity of his crime. But from the moment he was arrested, Norring was a worried man. He knew he had left his briefcase at Robynas house, and he knew it had not been recovered by the police."

Why he had left his briefcase at Robynas house was not clear, unless head simply forgotten it on a night that neither of them could know was her last.

aI canat even begin to imagine Norringas reaction when he heard,a I said.

Wesley glanced at me over the arm of his gla.s.ses as he continued perusing paperwork. aI donat think we can imagine it. It was bad enough he had to worry about the world discovering he was having an affair, but his connection with Robyn would have instantly made him the, prime suspect in her murder."

aIn a way,a Marino said, ahe was lucky as h.e.l.l Waddell took the briefcase."

aIam sure in his mind he was unlucky either way he looked at it,a I said. aIf the briefcase had turned up at the scene, he was in trouble. If the briefcase was stolen, as it was, then Norring had to worry about it turning up somewhere:a Marino got the coffeepot and refilled everyonea's cup. aSomebody must have done something to ensure Waddellas silence."

aMaybe."

Wesley reached for the cream. aThen again; maybe Waddell never opened his mouth. My guess is he feared from the beginning that what he had stumbled upon only made matters worse for him. The briefcase could be used as a weapon, but who would it destroy? Norring or Waddell? Was Waddell going to trust the system enough to badmouth the AG? Was he going to trust the system enough years later to badmouth the governor - the only man who could spare his life?"

aSo Waddell remained silent, knowing that his mother would protect what he had hidden on the farm until he was ready for someone else to have it,a I said.

aNorring had ten d.a.m.n years to find his briefcase;a Marino said. aWhy did he wait so long to start looking?"

a1 suspect Norring has had Waddell watched from, the beginning,a Wesley said, aand that this surveillance was stepped up considerably over the past few months. The closer Waddell got to the execution, the less he had to lose, and the more likely he was to start talking. Itas possible someone was monitoring his phone conversation when he called Jennifer Deighton in November. And itas possible that when word got to Norring, he panicked."

aHe should have,a Marino said. aI personally searched through all of Waddellas belongings when we was working the case. The guy had next to nothing, and if anything belonging to him was back on the farm, we never found it."

aAnd Norring would have known that,a I said.

ah.e.l.l, yes,a Marino said. aBut heas going to know, thereas something strange about belongings from the farm being given to this friend of Waddells. Norring starts seeing that d.a.m.n briefcase in his nightmares again, and to make matters worse, he canat have someone just barge into Jennifer Deightonas house while Waddellas still alive. If something happens to her, thereas no telling what Waddell will do. And the worst possibility would be if he started singing to Grueman."

aBenton,a I said, awould you happen to know why Norring was carrying epinephrine? What is he allergic to?"

"Apparently, to sh.e.l.lfish. Apparently, he keeps EpiPens all over the place."

While they continued to talk,, I checked the lasagna in the oven and opened a bottle of Kendall Jackson. The case against Norring would take a very long time, if it could be proven at all, and I thought I understood, to a degree, how Waddell must have felt It wasnat until close to eleven P.M. that I called Nicholas Grueman at home.

aIam finished in. Virginia,a I said. aAs long as Norring is in office, heall make sure I wonat be. Theyave taken my life, G.o.dd.a.m.n it, but Iam not giving them my soul. I plan to take the Fifth every time."

"You will certainly be indicted."

aConsidering the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds Iam up against, I think thatas a certainty anyway."

aMy, my, Dr. Scarpetta. Have you forgotten the b.a.s.t.a.r.d representing you? I donat know where you spent your weekend, but I spent mine in London."

I felt the blood drain from my face.

aNow, thereas no guaranteeing that we can slide this around Patterson,a said this man I used to think I hated, abut Iam going to move heaven and earth to get Charlie Hale on the stand."

14 January 20 was as windy as March but much colder, and the sun was blinding. as I drove east on Broad Street toward the John Marshall courthouse.

aNow I will tell you something else you already know,a Nicholas Grueman said. aThe press is going to be churning up the water like bluefish on a feeding frenzy. You fly too low, you lose a leg. Weall walk side by side, eyes cast down, and donat turn and look at anyone no matter who it is or what he says."

aWeare not going to find a parking place,a I said, turning left on 9th. aI knew this would happen."

aSlow down. That good woman right there on the side is doing something. Wonderful. Sheas leaving, if she can ever get the wheels turned enough.

A horn blared behind me.

I glanced at my watch then turned to Grueman like an athlete awaiting last-minute instruction from the coach. He wore a long navy blue cashmere coat and black leather gloves, his silver-topped cane leaning against seat and a battle-scarred briefcase in his lap.

aNow remember,a he said. aYour fried Mr. Patterson decides whoas going in and who isnat, so weave got to depend on the jurors to intervene, and thatas going to be up to you. Youave got to connect with them, Kay. Youave got to make friends with ten or eleven strangers the instant you walk into that room. No matter what they want to chat with you about, donat put up a wall. Be accessible."

"I understand,a I said.

aWeare going for broke. A deal?"

aA deal."

aGood luck, Doctor."

He smiled and patted my arm.

Inside the courthouse, we were stopped by a deputy with a scanner. He went through my pocketbook and briefcase as he had a hundred times before when I had come to testify as an expert witness. But this time he said nothing to me and avoided my eyes. Gruemanas cane set off the scanner, and he was the paragon of patience and courtesy as he explained that the silver top and tip would not come off, and that there truly was nothing concealed inside the dark wood shaft.

aWhat does he think I have here, a blowgun?" he remarked as we boarded the elevator.

The instant the doors opened on the third floor, reporters descended with the predicted predatory vigor. My counselor moved quickly for a man with gout, his strides punctuated by taps of his cane. I felt surprisingly detached and out of focus until we were inside the nearly deserted courtroom, where Benton Wesley sat in a corner with a slight young man I knew was Charlie Hale. The right side of his face was a road map of fine pink scars. When he stood and self-consciously slipped his right hand into his jacket pocket, I saw that he was missing several fingers. Dressed in an ill-fitting somber suit and tie, he glanced around while I preoccupied myself with the mechanics of being seated and sorting through my briefcase. I could not speak to him, and the three men had the presence of mind to pretend they did not notice that I was upset.

aLetas talk for a minute about what they have,a Grueman said. aI believe we can count on Jason Story testifying, and Officer Lucero. And, of course, Marino. I donat know who else Patterson will include in this Star Chamber proceeding of his."

aFor the record,a Wesley said, looking at me, aI have spoken to Patterson. Iave told him he doesnat have a case and Iall testify to that at the triala "Weare a.s.suming there will be no trial,a Grueman said. aAnd when you go in, I want you to make sure the jurors know that you talked to Patterson and told him he has no case but he insisted on going forward. Whenever he asks a question and you respond by addressing an issue that you have already addressed with him in private, I want you to say so. aAs I told you in your office or aAs I clearly stated when we spoke whenever it was; et cetera, et cetera."

aIt is implant that the jurors know that you are not only an FBI special agent, but that you are the chief of the Behavioral Science Unit at Quantico, the purpose of which is to a.n.a.lyze violent crime and develop psychological profiles of the perpetrators. You may wish to state that Dr. Scarpetta in no way, shape, or form fits the profile of the perpetrator of the crime in question; and in fact, that you find the thought absurd. It is also important that you impress upon the jurors that you were Mark Jamesas mentor and closest friend. Volunteer whatever you can because you can rest a.s.sured that Patterson isnat going to ask. Make it dear to the jurors that Charlie Hale is them."

aWhat if they do not request me?" Charlie Hale asked.

aThen our hands are tied,a Grueman replied. aAs I explained when we talked in London, this is the prosecutoras show. Dr. Scarpetta has no right to present any evidence so we have to get at least one of the jurors to invite us in through the back door."

"Thatas quite something,a Hale said.

aYou have the copies of the deposit slip and the fees you have paid?"

"Yes, sir.