Murder at the Clinic: A Midwest Cozy Mystery Page 8

  “Well, if someone wanted to get to Mitzi and thoroughly discredit her, what better way to do it than have a patient die while Mitzi was treating her with acupuncture?”

  “Yes, I suppose that’s true, but if poison killed her, how could Mitzi poison her?”

  “I don’t have an answer for that, but what about who would want to harm Mitzi? Any thoughts on that?”

  “There may be some professional colleagues that are jealous of her, but she never mentioned any to me. There’s Rex’s ex-fiancée, Dina. I told you I’m going to find out about her at lunch. Evidently Blaine’s secretary knows her well. I’ll let you know what she has to say about her. The other person is the one I also mentioned to you, Dr. Nguyen. Those are the only two I ever heard her say anything about. Afraid I’ve got nothing more to add.”

  “All right. What about you?”

  “What do you mean, what about me?” she asked.

  “Do you have any enemies? Is there anyone who would want to see you charged with murder?”

  “That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. First of all, who would even know I’d be at the clinic at the same time Sandy Hendrick was there? My daughter and Blaine were the only two people who knew I was going there, and since Blaine gave me an engagement ring yesterday, I don’t think he’d want me charged with murder, and I sure don’t see my daughter, Lacie, doing anything like that.

  “We’re very close, plus she’s in the middle of final exams. Since I’ve already been outed as being Sexy Cissy, the author of steamy romance novels, the only enemies I might have had are out of luck on exposing me, because I’ve already been exposed. Afraid I’m a dead-end.”

  “Okay. You may not be the target here, but what’s concerning me now is that people will know you were there when the woman died. If she was murdered, and certainly that is a very strong possibility now, there’s a good chance someone might not want to see you involved any further in this. I think you need to be very careful until this case is solved.”

  “Nick, you and Blaine, along with Lacie, have already given me the Rudy lecture, so you don’t need to repeat it, if that’s where you’re going. I promised all of you that Rudy would be with me at all times. Okay?”

  “Yes, you did make that promise, but out of an abundance of caution, I just want to make sure you understand the seriousness of the situation. I’ll probably call you tonight and update you with what I find out this afternoon. You said Blaine’s coming over for dinner, right?”

  “That I did. As a matter of fact, I need to bake some trout and chill it. It’s warm out, so I thought a nice cold trout and cucumber salad with some rolls and gazpacho would be perfect.”

  “If that’s an invitation, I accept,” Nick said laughing.

  “Don’t think your wife and daughter would be very happy about that, but since we’re going to be in-laws, I would like to get to know them better. Once this little issue is solved, I’ll make a point of having all of you over for dinner.”

  “Don’t think Sandy Hendrick would refer to her death as this little issue,” he said.

  “You’re absolutely right. Once this horrific possible murder has been solved. Does that sound better?”

  “Much, and if Detective Shafer pays you another visit, I think it would be best not to use the little issue words.”

  “I won’t. Promise. Talk to you tonight, and Nick, thanks for doing this.”

  “What’s family for?” he asked as he ended the call.

  CHAPTER 16

  “Good morning. You’ve reached the acupuncture clinic. How may I direct your call?” the voice asked. Nick assumed he was speaking with Rochelle Salazar.

  “I’d like to speak with Dr. Green, if she’s available. You can tell her Nick Evans is calling.”

  “One moment, please.”

  The telephone line was quiet for a few moments and then a voice said, “This is Dr. Green, and I understand that your brother and Kat Denham are getting married. Congratulations on your new sister-in-law. She’s a wonderful woman. I called Kat back late last night to apologize for being so emotional earlier in the evening, and she told me Blaine had proposed, and she’d accepted. I’m really happy for her.”

  “And I’m just as happy for Blaine. I agree with you. She’s a wonderful woman, but I have to clear your name and hers so both of you can get married without any dark clouds hanging over your upcoming weddings. If you have a few minutes, I’d like to talk to you. I’m hoping you can answer some questions for me.”

  “As a matter of fact, you called at a perfect time. I’m in between patients. What would you like to know?”

  “First of all, has Detective Shafer talked to you today?”

  “Yes, he called and told me his expert had finished with my computer and wanted to know if he should bring it by the office or take it to my home after I get off work. He said his expert had also finished examining my electrode machine. I told him to bring them both to my office and asked him if he’d put the computer in my car for me. I know how to hook it up, so it seemed easier that way. Rex is coming over tonight after we go out to dinner, and he can carry it in. It’s pretty unwieldy for me. The detective asked if I’d carve a little time out for him, since he had some questions for me. I told him to come at ten, which he did.”

  “What did he say about your computer and the electrode machine?”

  “He said they’d dusted them for fingerprints and found some, but they couldn’t get a match, and he said they could have been anyone’s from the janitor to a patient. I told him I was pretty sure they’d find mine, Rochelle’s, and Dr. Nguyen’s prints on the electrode machine and the box of sterile needles. Evidently they didn’t find anything worrisome on the computer, which I think is good news. He said I’d visited a lot of sites regarding news and updates about acupuncture, but that would be perfectly normal behavior for a person who is an acupuncturist.”

  “What else did he want to know?”

  “He wanted me to tell him as much as I could about Sandy’s depression, and he questioned me extensively about the patient’s medical history sheet Sandy had filled out when she came to the clinic for her first visit. He read it thoroughly and photocopied it.

  “I told him everything I knew about her depression. I said that from the way she’d acted recently I thought there was a good chance she was extremely depressed, and although she had some back issues and other miscellaneous aches and pains, the main thing I’d been concentrating on for the last few weeks was her depression.”

  “Did you feel you were making progress?” Nick asked.

  “When someone has had a number of bouts with depression, they usually don’t snap out of it immediately. It can take a long time, and the progress can be measured more in inches than feet, if you know what I mean.”

  “I understand. Did he ask you anything else?”

  “Yes. He was very interested in the medications she was taking. She’d listed two when she’d filled out the information sheet. One was a hormone replacement drug she’d been taking for years, and the other one was for high blood pressure. I guess it ran in her family, and she’d had it all her life. She mentioned she’d taken antidepressants in the past, but didn’t like the way they made her feel, and that’s why she had come to me. She wanted to try a different type of treatment for her depression. The detective was particularly interested in the high blood pressure medication.”

  “Do you have any idea why?”

  Mitzi was quiet for a few minutes. “You know, something just occurred to me from several years ago when I was in school. I remember reading that an overdose of high blood pressure medication can result in death. Do you think that could be why he was so interested in it?”

  “I have no idea, but let’s go a step further with this, and I’m sure it’s probably occurred to the detective. If she was severely depressed and suspected her husband was having an affair, could she have deliberately overdosed on the medicine and committed suicide? Do you think she was suicidal?”


  “That thought never occurred to me. I suppose it’s possible, but surely the toxicology report would show that, wouldn’t it?” Mitzi asked.

  “The only thing the toxicology report will show is what she had in her system, not who put it there.”

  “So what you’re saying is she could have committed suicide by deliberately taking an overdose, or she could have died from accidentally taking too much of the medication.”

  “Yes, but Dr. Green, you’re leaving one thing out.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Someone could have mashed those pills and put them into her food or drink, and she could have died from ingesting them. In other words, under that scenario, someone murdered her.”

  “How can it be determined whether she committed suicide or was murdered?” Mitzi asked.

  “That’s why police departments have detectives. Their job is to figure it all out. I got a call from one of my people who’s gathering information on Matt Hendrick. He told me a woman parked in the driveway of the Hendrick’s house and took a pail of cleaning supplies into the house about an hour ago. Looks like she’s the cleaning lady. I’m hoping he can talk to her, and maybe we can find something out. The one advantage I have over the police and the detectives is I can devote all my manpower to one case. The police don’t have that luxury.”

  “Well, I sure hope you and your people find out enough to clear me.”

  “Dr. Green, you aren’t the only one who wants to see this solved immediately. My future sister-in-law is just as concerned as you are and with some reason.”

  “Kat? Why would she be concerned, other than for me? The only thing she did was be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “I take it she didn’t tell you about her computer and the book she was getting ready to write.”

  “No, not a thing. Maybe she didn’t want me to worry any more than I am.”

  He spent the next few minutes filling Mitzi in on why Kat had been looking at certain web sites on her computer dealing with murder and acupuncture and what she planned to write.

  “She never told me anything about that.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Nick said. “I imagine she didn’t want you to worry any more than you already were. That’s why I put an urgent call out to my staff late last night. This case takes precedence over the others we have in the office.”

  “Thanks, Nick. I’m glad you did. What will you do now?”

  “I want to do some research on Dr. Nguyen. My people are watching Matt Hedrick and his house. I just talked to Kat, and she’s having lunch with Blaine’s secretary who knows Rex’s ex-fiancée. I’m hoping she can find something out about her. I think that’s pretty much it for now. Kat or I will let you know what we find out. If something occurs to you or you find out anything new, I’d appreciate if you’d do the same for me.”

  “Absolutely, consider it done, and thanks for the call. I feel better knowing you’re helping.”

  CHAPTER 17

  “Matt, it’s me.”

  “I told you never to call me here. What’s wrong with you?” he asked in a hushed voice, hoping the engineer in the cubicle next to his wasn’t listening. Matt had suspected for a long time that Ronny Jones was living vicariously through Matt’s conversations with his lady friends.

  Given the fact that his wife died yesterday, he didn’t think it would be a good idea to sound like he was being amorous on the telephone. After all, the funeral arrangements for Sandy hadn’t even been finalized. He knew people expected him to act like he was trying to shoulder his way through his grief. What they didn’t know was he felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.

  “Look, I can’t talk now. Whatever it is it will have to wait until tonight. I’ll come by your house after work.” He lowered his voice even further. “Remember, I’m a sucker for pink satin.” He ended the call and stood up. Just as he’d suspected, Ronny was sitting as close as he could get to the partition that separated their cubicles. Matt sat down as quietly as he could, smiling at the thought of the upcoming after work liaison and pink satin.

  *****

  “Excuse me, you speak English?” the paunchy man with the thinning comb over hair asked the young dark-haired Latina woman who was locking the front door to Matt Hendrick’s house.

  “Un poquito,” the short woman with the thick torso answered.

  “Well, a little bit’s good enough for me,” Sol Alpert said. “Un poquito, a little bit, jes’ might be enough for me to give ya’ this.” He pulled a twenty-dollar bill from his pocket. “Lady, all ya’ need to do to make this yours is answer a few questions fer me. Think ya’ can do that?”

  “Si, senor, I think so,” she said in a heavy Spanish accent.

  “Do ya’ mind if we get in yer’ car and talk? It’s mighty hot standin’ out here in the sun.”

  “Si,” she said as she walked to her car and opened the trunk, putting a pail with the cleaning supplies in it. She walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door, motioning for him to get in on the passenger side.

  “Promise ya’ this’ll only take a minute. Ya’ understann my English?” he asked.

  “Si.”

  “All right. Got a few questions I wanna ask ya’. Take yer’ time. First, did Senora Hendrick take any medicine?”

  The woman nodded.

  “How many medicines?” Sol asked.

  She held up two fingers.

  “Ya’ know why she was takin’ ‘em?”

  “Si. She had the how you say it? High blood pressure. The other was for the woman thing.”

  “All right. Where’d she keep the pills? They in medicine bottles?”

  A car drove past the driveway, and a look of fear crossed the woman’s face. “Senor, I no think I should be talking to you. Por favor, leave the car.”

  “Jes’ a couple more questions, and then I will. Were the pills in bottles?”

  “No, she put them in her own pretty bottles.”

  Sol made a mental note that there was no way to know where the decedent had been in her pill cycles, since there was no pill bottle date to show when she’d last renewed her prescriptions. He knew Nick had amazing resources for finding out that kind of information, but Sol was a little skeptical as to whether or not even Nick could get that kind of refill information.

  “Ya’ like Senor Hendrick?”

  A broad smile lit up her dark brown face. “Si. So nice. Sometimes he give me extra money. He says I’m good, and he wished I could live in the house and clean for him every day, but I no think Mrs. Hendrick would like that.”

  “Why is that?”

  She giggled. “One day he tell me how pretty I am and give me a kiss. She walk in. She no like it and told me to finish cleaning and leave. She yell at him. Senor Hendrick, he wonderful man.”

  Sol handed her the twenty-dollar bill and opened the door of the car. He turned to her and said, “Gracias, Senorita. Appreciate yer’ time.”

  So he gave her extra money for cleanin’ the house. Right. My guess is the extra money he gave her was for more than just cleanin’ the house, Sol thought as he walked down a block to where his car was parked. Nick’s gonna have a field day with this info. Better call him right away.

  CHAPTER 18

  “Nick, it’s Sol. Jes’ had me a little a talk with the Hendrick’s cleanin’ lady. Here’s what she tol’ me.” He recounted his conversation with her. “Got anything else fer me today?”

  “You did well, Sol. Put the twenty on your expense account. I’ll reimburse you. That was good thinking. Any thoughts about Matt Hendrick giving her money?”

  “Yeah, but they ain’t the kind that are very purty. I’d say he was payin’ her for more than cleanin’, if you get my drift,” he said, snickering into the phone.

  “Okay, Sol, I get the picture. I’ve been playing around with my computer, and I was able to hack into the Swarthout Engineering firm’s main frame computer. The engineers’ offices are like cubicles. Thin
k it might be worthwhile for you to talk to the man whose cubicle is right next to Matt Hendrick’s. His name is Ronny Jones. Did a little research on him, and he seems to have a fondness for the bar across the street from Swarthout Engineering, a joint called Cheers Bar & Saloon.”

  “That ain’t too original, boss. Seems like there’s one of ‘em in every town.”

  “Yeah, I know. I was thinking you could meet him when he walks out the door after work today and tell him you’re a private investigator and would like to talk to him. Offer to buy him a beer at Cheers. From the information I got, he goes there most nights after work. As a matter of fact, if he’s headed that way, you could just wait until he’s in there and then buy him a beer and introduce yourself. You decide what’s best. I trust your judgment.”

  “Thanks, that’s all well and good, boss, but don’t have a clue what this Ronny dude looks like.”

  “I’m sending a photo of him to your cell phone right now. Got it?”

  “Yeah. With that ponytail the dude kinda looks like some hippy dippy guy.”

  “Could be, but that’s not what’s important, Sol. What’s important is what you can get him to tell you about Matt Hendrick.”

  “I’m all over it, boss. Thinkin’ might be a purty large expense account this month if he’s at the bar every night.”

  “Let him drink all he wants, but I sure don’t want you to get pulled over by the police for a DUI and have a drunk driving arrest tied to me. Got it?”

  “Boss, yer’ hurtin’ my feelings. Course I’d never do nothin’ like that. Ya’ know me.”

  “Exactly,” Nick said drily. “Call me after you talk to him.”

  *****

  Sol watched the entrance of Swarthout Engineering as the workers left the building for the parking lot, finished with another day of work. He’d decided earlier it must be a fairly small firm, since the parking lot was only large enough for about a hundred cars. He spotted the man Nick had sent him a picture of and waited for a moment to see if he was headed towards the parking lot or Cheers. Evidently Ronny Jones was thirsty, because the bar across the street won.