Murder at the Clinic: A Midwest Cozy Mystery Read online

  Five minutes later Sol opened the door to Cheers Bar & Saloon and walked into the dark and smoky establishment. Although there was a county no smoking ordinance for places where food and beverages were served, it was obvious no one paid any attention to it at Cheers. He stood just inside the door for a moment while his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, and his nose adjusted to the smell of smoke. He saw Ronny Jones seated on a barstool at the far side of the horseshoe shaped bar. By a lucky stroke of fate, the barstool next to him was empty. Sol hurried over to it and sat down, nodding to Ronny as he did so.

  “What can I get for you, handsome?” the well-endowed bottle-blond barmaid with the low cut white T-shirt asked as she bent forward and wiped down the area in front of him, leaving very little to the imagination.

  “I’ll take whatever the favorite is on tap,” Sol said.

  A moment later she placed a frosted mug filled with beer in front of him. He reached out to get it and deliberately spilled a little on the counter in front of Ronny. “Sorry, man. Durned thing jes’ kinda slipped outta my hand fer a moment like it had a mind of its own. Lemme buy ya’ one as an apology.” He took a couple of cocktail napkins from the stack next to the tip jar and blotted the beer up.

  “No, that’s not necessary,” Ronny Jones said. “I’m fine.”

  “Nothin’ doin’. I insist. My bad. Miss, could you bring my friend here a beer? I kinda made a mess.”

  A moment later she placed a beer in front of Ronny. He turned to Sol and said, “Thanks, but you didn’t have to do that.”

  “Yeah, well at the end of the day ya’ don’t need things like that happenin’ to ya’. Most days at work are bad enough on their own.”

  “You can say that again. I work across the street, and it seems they just give me more and more to do.”

  “Yeah, that’s gotta be tough. Seems like the guys who do it right get twice as much work, and the slackers jes’ keep on slackin’. That the way it is fer you?” Sol asked in a solicitous manner.

  “Yeah, there’s a guy in the cubicle next to mine that’s always so busy hitting on the ladies he can’t seem to make time for work, so I end up doing his job and mine.”

  “Man, that’s rough. Is the guy married?”

  “He was until yesterday. Word on the street is that his wife got fed up with all his affairs and decided to end her life. Can’t blame her. I’m sure living with someone who never met a temptation he could resist wasn’t easy for her. I met her once, and she seemed very nice. Always wondered why he even bothered to get married. After all he’d tried it a couple of times before and wasn’t able to make the marriages work. Think he would have learned his lesson. Told me the other day he was having a torrid affair with a woman who had been president of the Paralegal Association. Guess he thought that would impress me.”

  “I feel for you, man. Has the guy got any kids?”

  “Not that I know of, and I suppose that’s a blessing. Having a horndog for a dad wouldn’t be easy.”

  “Man, I haven’t heard that term for a long time. Kinda remember that means all the guy thinks about is sex.”

  “That’s a perfect description for Matt Hendrick. I can’t tell you how many times when I’ve been trying to complete a project Romeo is having phone sex with some woman. Believe me, makes it pretty hard to concentrate.”

  “Does his boss know about it?”

  “His boss is a woman. Need I say more?”

  “Okay, I got the picture.” He looked at his watch. “Enjoyed the jaw time. Good luck to ya’. Gotta get home, or I might have some female problems of my own. See ya’ around.” He took a twenty out of his pocket and said to the barmaid, “Keep the change.”

  CHAPTER 19

  When Kat spoke with Blaine’s secretary, Carly Mason, earlier in the day, they agreed to meet at noon at a restaurant called Olives and Herbs which was only a block from the civic center complex where Blaine’s office was located.

  The trendy restaurant specialized in Mediterranean food, and from the number of people who patronized it, ethnic food was alive and well in the small university town. As Kat walked along the sidewalk on her way to the door of the restaurant, she saw Carly already seated at a window table and waved to her. A few minutes later Kat hugged her and sat down across from her.

  Blaine had often told her that even though Carly was a red-haired beauty that turned heads wherever she went, she was the best administrative assistant he’d ever had. She oversaw his department and made sure it ran smoothly so he could give his full attention to representing the state in prosecuting criminal offenses. It was a win-win situation for both of them. She loved her job, and in a very short time he’d gained a reputation as one of the best district attorneys in the state.

  “Kat, before we talk about anything else, I just have to tell you how happy I am for you and Blaine. I swear, that man glows whenever your name is mentioned. When’s the wedding? I’m assuming I’ll be invited.”

  “You are definitely on the short list, Carly. Of course you’ll be invited. We haven’t set a date yet, because I’ve got a little problem on my hands that I want to take care of first.”

  “Blaine told me this morning about what happened at the acupuncture clinic while you were there. How bizarre! What a shame you have to even deal with this at a time when all you should be thinking about are your wedding plans.”

  “Believe me, I wish it hadn’t happened, but it did. What I need to do now is clear my name and Dr. Green’s. I also intend to find out who killed her, if it turns out she was murdered. Even if our names are cleared, if the murderer isn’t found, there will always be a dark cloud hanging over our heads, plus, I don’t want Blaine’s reputation to be tarnished because of his relationship with me. Fiancée or wife, if there’s even a hint of my somehow being involved in Sandy Hendrick’s death, it could only hurt him. Do you understand?”

  “I do, and I definitely have some thoughts on this, but I think we better order. Even though I’m with the wife-to-be of my boss, if I’m late getting back from lunch, that might not look too good in the eyes of the rest of the department’s employees. Let’s take a minute to look at the menu and order, although I eat here often enough that I already know what I’m going to have.”

  “What do you recommend?” Kat asked.

  “I love the orange balsamic lamb chops. I think I’ll have a salad with a simple olive oil and vinaigrette dressing as well. That will be more than enough for me.”

  “Sounds wonderful.”

  “Ladies, are you ready to order?” the handsome dark-haired waiter asked. They gave him their orders. “While you’re waiting for your order to come up, please try this toasted pita bread and a little of the lemon garlic olive oil. It’s one of our restaurant’s specialties. I’ll be back in a few minutes with your orders.”

  Kat broke off a piece of the pita bread and dipped it in the olive oil. “This is fabulous and how very simple. I think I could easily make this at home.”

  “You’re right. You can easily make it at home, but if you eat too much of it I don’t advise buying your wedding outfit now, because I can assure you you’ll gain a few pounds, and your dress won’t fit when it’s time for your wedding.”

  “You’re right. I guess I better start thinking in that vein.”

  “Believe me, I speak from experience. I’m still weaning myself from this stuff,” Carly said as she took a piece of the pita bread. “Now let’s talk about Dina. What do you want to know about her?”

  She was interrupted by the waiter’s assistant who served them their salads. “That looks like about the freshest salad I’ve seen in a long time,” Kat said, “and there’s nothing I like more.”

  While Carly and Kat enjoyed their salads, Kat spent the next few minutes telling her about Mitzi’s background, how she’d made a mid-life change and how thrilled she was to be marrying Dr. Rex Brown. She also told Carly who she had identified as possible suspects in the death of Sandy Hendrick, if it was determined she’d been m
urdered.

  “So, what I’d like to know from you is whether or not Dina ever said anything about Mitzi, if she ever discussed the fact that Dr. Brown had broken their engagement, and pretty much whatever else you know about her.”

  “Dina works as the senior paralegal in a very large law firm,” Carly said, “and her specialty is medical malpractice. From what I hear, she’s very good. I was a paralegal before I became Blaine’s administrative assistant, and that’s how I met her,” Carly said.

  “Ladies, enjoy your lunch,” the handsome waiter said as he put their lamb chop entrees in front of each of them and drizzled them with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They were quiet for a few moments while they ate, and then Carly said, “See why I can’t get past the lamb chops?”

  “Yes, they’re absolutely wonderful, and they don’t look that difficult to make. I’ll do a search on the Internet and see if I can come up with a recipe that looks like it would work. I bet Blaine would like it.”

  “I won’t take that bet, because I know he does,” Carly said. “We’ve eaten here several times when we needed to get out of the office to discuss certain things. It’s one of his favorite dishes.

  “Anyway, back to Dina. She was the president of the Paralegal Association. Since a lot of legal work involves doctors, and that’s her specialty, she thought it would be a good idea to have a one-day seminar for doctors and paralegals to discuss ways they could help each other. She and Dr. Brown were both speakers at the event, and that’s how they met. That was about a year and a half ago.

  “I’m not surprised he noticed her, because she’s a beautiful woman and very intelligent, but trust me, he’s no slouch. Even though he’s older, he’s not only attractive, but from what I hear he’s one of the wealthiest doctors in town, and he’s never been married. If you’re single that’s a huge plus, because it means he won’t be bringing any baggage with him, so to speak. At least not any children.”

  “I don’t know if I agree with you about the baggage,” Kat said. “Seems to me the older you get the more natural baggage you have. It’s just becomes kind of inherent at a certain point.”

  “Yes, I suppose you’re probably right. From what I understand they began seeing each other and became engaged about a year ago. Everything was going well until he fell in love with Dr. Green. I was sitting at Dina’s table at our monthly dinner meeting a couple of months ago, and she was furious. She said he’d broken the engagement, but refused to tell her who the woman was he’d fallen in love with. Dina said if she ever found out who it was, she’d do everything she could to make the woman’s life as miserable as her life had become.”

  “Wow! That’s pretty strong language.”

  “Not only that. Dina said she hated her more than she’d hated anyone in her life, and she’d kill her if she knew who it was.”

  Kat put her fork down and looked at Carly. “Are you sure she said that?”

  “Yes. When Blaine told me about the death in Dr. Green’s office, my first thought was of Dina. I’m sure she’s found out through the grapevine that Dr. Brown and Dr. Green are getting married. Dina’s not a warm fuzzy person, and she’s made a lot of enemies. Someone who doesn’t care for Dina was probably more than happy to tell her who the lucky woman is that’s going to marry her ex-fiancé.”

  Carly continued, “The one thing I can’t figure out is how she could possibly murder Mrs. Hendrick. I mean, from what Blaine told me, it looks like the woman died from poison, so how would Dina be able to murder her? She would have had to put the poison in something the dead woman ate or drank before she went to the clinic or did something to her while she was at the clinic, and both of those scenarios seem unlikely.”

  “I’m as much in the dark as you are, but hate can sure be a powerful motive. Let me mull it over for a while,” Kat said as she looked at her watch. “You need to get back to work. Neither one of us wants to get in trouble with Blaine. I was planning on taking care of the check anyway, so why don’t you go back to the office? Thanks so much for telling me all of this, and as soon as we set a date for the wedding, I’ll make sure Blaine tells you, so you can put it on your calendar.”

  “I’ll not only put it on my calendar, I’ll circle it in red with happiness for two of my favorite people.”

  “Aww, Carly, that’s so sweet of you. Go. Talk to you later.” She nodded at the waiter to bring the check as Carly walked past the window heading back to work.

  CHAPTER 20

  Kat had turned her phone off during her lunch with Carly, and when she got in her car she checked her messages. Mitzi had left a message asking her to call as soon as she could.

  “This is Kat Denham. May I please speak to Dr. Green?”

  “Certainly, just a moment.”

  “Kat, I’m so glad you called. Where are you?”

  “I’m in a parking lot a block from the civic center complex. What’s up?”

  “Any chance you could come by the clinic? I’ve got a couple of things I’d like to talk to you about.”

  “Sure, I’m on my way.”

  A few minutes later she pulled into the clinic’s parking lot and walked towards the clinic’s office. “Hi, Rochelle. Dr. Green asked me to stop by. Is she in her office?”

  “Yes, this is Dr. Nguyen’s day for patients, so she usually does paperwork on the off days. She’s expecting you.”

  Kat walked down the hall to Mitzi’s office and knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” Mitzi said. When Kat opened the door, Mitzi walked over and gave her a hug. “Thank you so much for coming.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I just had a long conversation with Rex, and he’s really concerned for my safety. It seems one of the paralegals who knows Dina called him and told him Dina had told her she’d found out about me. What’s worrying him is he wonders if she’s behind Sandy Hendrick’s death.”

  “How could she be?”

  “The paralegal told Rex that Dina told her she’d found a way to get back at me. She said if she couldn’t have Rex, she’d make sure he’d never marry me, because if he did, it would ruin his reputation and his practice. He thought that sounded pretty ominous and wonders if it has something to do with Sandy Hendrick’s death, although I don’t see how that could be.”

  “It concerns me, too. I just had lunch with Blaine’s administrative assistant, Carly, and she pretty much told me the same thing. We still don’t know if Sandy was deliberately poisoned, but if she was, how could Dina have poisoned Sandy and gotten her to die in your office? You’re a doctor. Is there some way that could happen?”

  “I suppose if she had taken or secretly been given too many high blood pressure pills, it could result in her death. If she voluntarily took too many, that sounds more like suicide, and Dina wouldn’t have had anything to do with that, unless she’d given her a reason to commit suicide. Maybe she was having an affair with Sandy’s husband and ground up pills and put them in the coffee pot. I don’t know. I suppose if she was absolutely intent on poisoning Sandy, there are a number of ways she could have done it. Maybe that’s how she was going to get back at me,” Mitzi said.

  “The two options you just described result in either murder or suicide, but Dina wouldn’t be actively doing anything to get back at you if it was suicide. However, if she was having an affair with Sandy’s husband, as you suggested, perhaps he told her Sandy was receiving acupuncture treatments from you, and so she decided she could get back at you and ultimately Rex, by casting a cloud of suspicion over you. If that’s true, she was probably hoping Rex would call off the wedding. Then again, maybe her affair with him was a coincidence and nothing like that happened.”

  “That’s a little too convenient for me, Kat. Can you think of anything else?”

  “Not really, but I do think we need to take a long look at exactly what happens here in the clinic. I know what you do during an acupuncture session, but what about the supplies and the equipment? You said the police took your elec
trode machine and checked it for fingerprints. Did they check it to see if the calibrations were properly set? If they were too high, could that result in death by electrical shock?”

  “In answer to your question, I don’t know of a case where it has resulted in death, but I suppose it would be possible, although I think I would have noticed it when I turned it on, and I also think the patient would be very uncomfortable. The thing is, Dina would have had to get into the treatment room where Sandy was going to receive her treatment and reset the calibrations. The only people who have keys to the clinic are me, Dr. Nguyen, and Rochelle. And anyway, I don’t see what that has to do with poison.”

  “I don’t either,” Kat said. “What about your needles? And don’t you swab the part of the patient’s body that’s going to be treated with an antibacterial solution? Could someone have poisoned your needles or the antibacterial solution?”

  “The needles come in sealed packages. No one could tamper with them, and I’ve been using the same supplier ever since I became a doctor. As far as the antibacterial solution, yes, I suppose a poison could have been introduced into it, but think about this. The antibacterial solution is topical. In other words, it’s applied on the exterior of the body, not inside the patient’s body. What leads me to believe it was something she ingested is that the detective was extremely interested in Sandy’s medications, which tells me the coroner found something in her body, probably in her blood, and not on her exterior body parts. Does that make sense?”

  “Yes, and I agree with everything you’ve said, which takes us back to Sandy having ingested the poison prior to coming here, but was it secretly given to her, or did she deliberately take it? I have no idea how we’d ever find the answer to something like that.”

  “I agree,” Mitzi said. “Kat, I know I may be getting too emotional over this whole thing, but I’m going to be honest with you. You know how drab my past life was. I mean the biggest thing in it was going to the country club for lunch or dinner a couple of times a month. For the first time in my life, I’m really happy, and I’m so afraid if the cause of her death isn’t solved soon, Rex will decide there’s too much of a scandal surrounding me, and break off our engagement. I know he’s done it once before, and I’m worried he could do it again.”