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Authors: David Bishop
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forget our open house Friday. I need you here no later than six.”
“We’re going to do that?”
“I told you to get back to me the next morning after we went to Sarah’s. You didn’t, so I kept moving it forward. Friday. Six. Be here.”
Mary Lou Sanchez looked to be about five-seven and not a pound more than a hundred and ten, with short black hair fashioned in a boyish cut. She hopped to her feet.
“Hello, Mary Lou,” Jack said. “Welcome to MI.” After a brief chat, they left Mary Lou at the receptionist desk and headed back toward their case room. Nora stopped off at the kitchen and picked up two cans of ginger ale. She closed the door and slid one can across the table.
Jack popped the top, took a drink, and told Nora about the unexpected visit from Agnes Fuller. As he finished, he heard Chief Mandrake’s voice and headed up front to find him realigning a crooked chair in the lobby.
“Hi, Chief. I hope you’re planning to come to our open house on Friday.”
“Wouldn’t miss it. I just came by to take Mary Lou home after her first day. I’m sure she’s told you she has a big test Monday morning, so she won’t be able to attend.”
“I’ve got to pound the books,” Mary Lou said, with a shrug. “I wish I could come, from what Nora’s told me it’ll be a blast.”
“We’ll miss you,” Jack said, “but of course we understand.”
The chief stepped closer. “Have you identified the stranger in the dumpster?”
“We’re not trying. We have no client or case involving him. Naturally, we’re curious. Have your guys found anything?”
The chief shook his head while helping his goddaughter with her coat. “The victim has no fingerprints on file with us. We’re waiting for an answer from the FBI fingerprint center. I’ll have Sergeant Suggs call you as soon as we hear. Of course, that will be confidential.”
Jack waved off the comment. “Anything you ever discuss with us will be confidential unless you tell us it is not.” Then Jack turned to Mary Lou. “Good first day. I understand you are coming in for a few hours Monday afternoon, after your test. I’ll see you then. Good luck on your exam.”
Jack locked the front door and rejoined Nora in the case room. She started talking before he sat down. “Here’s a spreadsheet of Dr. Andujar’s appointments for the past year.” She pushed it into the table space between them. “His laptop referred to his patients only by file numbers.”
“Wasn’t there a legend matching the patients’ names with those numbers?”
“Negative. And don’t forget our open house Friday night.”
“You’ve already reminded me, several times.”
“But you haven’t responded. I need you here by six.”
“I won’t forget our open house.”
Nora smiled, “by six.”
“Yes, by six, Friday. Satisfied? Now let’s get back to work. Maybe Agnes Fuller knows the codes. I’ll call her after Drummy debugs her house.”
Nora answered the ringing phone and held it out. “It’s Max.”
“My team’s not fully assembled,” Max said into Jack’s ear, “but I’ve activated the stakeout. Donny Andujar came out once about an hour ago to walk an older, sophisticated-looking man to his car. I didn’t recognize him, but I got a picture.”
The rest of Jack and Nora’s week was filled with gathering copies of the police reports and the medical examiner’s autopsy protocol, digging through Chris’s laptop, contacting the people in his address book, and speaking to the Andujars’ neighbors in Arlington and in the apartment building they had rented in DC. All necessary steps. All wasted time. They also came up with a few new ideas.
Chapter 12
Jack arrived at MI’s open house promptly at six to see Nora in a clingy blue dress brought to life by the blossoms and narrows of her body. To the extent a woman’s appearance was currency, Nora’s scoop-necked dress flashed a healthy portion of her bankroll.
“It’s midnight azure,” she
“We’re going to do that?”
“I told you to get back to me the next morning after we went to Sarah’s. You didn’t, so I kept moving it forward. Friday. Six. Be here.”
Mary Lou Sanchez looked to be about five-seven and not a pound more than a hundred and ten, with short black hair fashioned in a boyish cut. She hopped to her feet.
“Hello, Mary Lou,” Jack said. “Welcome to MI.” After a brief chat, they left Mary Lou at the receptionist desk and headed back toward their case room. Nora stopped off at the kitchen and picked up two cans of ginger ale. She closed the door and slid one can across the table.
Jack popped the top, took a drink, and told Nora about the unexpected visit from Agnes Fuller. As he finished, he heard Chief Mandrake’s voice and headed up front to find him realigning a crooked chair in the lobby.
“Hi, Chief. I hope you’re planning to come to our open house on Friday.”
“Wouldn’t miss it. I just came by to take Mary Lou home after her first day. I’m sure she’s told you she has a big test Monday morning, so she won’t be able to attend.”
“I’ve got to pound the books,” Mary Lou said, with a shrug. “I wish I could come, from what Nora’s told me it’ll be a blast.”
“We’ll miss you,” Jack said, “but of course we understand.”
The chief stepped closer. “Have you identified the stranger in the dumpster?”
“We’re not trying. We have no client or case involving him. Naturally, we’re curious. Have your guys found anything?”
The chief shook his head while helping his goddaughter with her coat. “The victim has no fingerprints on file with us. We’re waiting for an answer from the FBI fingerprint center. I’ll have Sergeant Suggs call you as soon as we hear. Of course, that will be confidential.”
Jack waved off the comment. “Anything you ever discuss with us will be confidential unless you tell us it is not.” Then Jack turned to Mary Lou. “Good first day. I understand you are coming in for a few hours Monday afternoon, after your test. I’ll see you then. Good luck on your exam.”
Jack locked the front door and rejoined Nora in the case room. She started talking before he sat down. “Here’s a spreadsheet of Dr. Andujar’s appointments for the past year.” She pushed it into the table space between them. “His laptop referred to his patients only by file numbers.”
“Wasn’t there a legend matching the patients’ names with those numbers?”
“Negative. And don’t forget our open house Friday night.”
“You’ve already reminded me, several times.”
“But you haven’t responded. I need you here by six.”
“I won’t forget our open house.”
Nora smiled, “by six.”
“Yes, by six, Friday. Satisfied? Now let’s get back to work. Maybe Agnes Fuller knows the codes. I’ll call her after Drummy debugs her house.”
Nora answered the ringing phone and held it out. “It’s Max.”
“My team’s not fully assembled,” Max said into Jack’s ear, “but I’ve activated the stakeout. Donny Andujar came out once about an hour ago to walk an older, sophisticated-looking man to his car. I didn’t recognize him, but I got a picture.”
The rest of Jack and Nora’s week was filled with gathering copies of the police reports and the medical examiner’s autopsy protocol, digging through Chris’s laptop, contacting the people in his address book, and speaking to the Andujars’ neighbors in Arlington and in the apartment building they had rented in DC. All necessary steps. All wasted time. They also came up with a few new ideas.
Chapter 12
Jack arrived at MI’s open house promptly at six to see Nora in a clingy blue dress brought to life by the blossoms and narrows of her body. To the extent a woman’s appearance was currency, Nora’s scoop-necked dress flashed a healthy portion of her bankroll.
“It’s midnight azure,” she
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