Page 84 of Heart of a Hero

Benji’s brows dipped, and it suddenly struck Karen how the situation must look through his eyes. Right now, her house was filled with children, and it probably seemed very exciting for an only child. Casting her gaze around at the large gathering, she leaned against the counter, and the realization hit her—it was very exciting.

Mark stood, and while the others began talking again, he walked over to Karen and nudged her behind the counter to where the platter of brownies was waiting. She licked her lips as he neared. “That was… um… unexpected,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” he said, leaning past her to reach for the brownies. With his lips near her ear, he added, “You’re not all moving to my house… for now. But later?” He grabbed the platter and grinned as he walked over to the table, leaving her staring at his back.

35

“My boyfriend gave me the ring.”

Brad and Elizabeth questioned Sharon Bundy, and Mark watched on the camera. He studied her record previously and knew that the pretty blonde was twenty-six years old and had been an occupational therapist in the county for ESHH for a year. When Brad and Elizabeth went to the office to interview her, they recognized the ring on Sharon’s finger as one reported missing from the burglaries.

Now, the ring was sealed in an evidence bag and lying on the table between Sharon and the detectives.

“Ms. Bundy,” Elizabeth began. “I’d like you to take a look at this picture.” She pulled a photograph out of a file and slid it over the tabletop, placing it next to Sharon’s bagged ring. The photograph came from an insurance claim from one of the patients.

“This ring,” Elizabeth said, tapping her forefinger on the photograph, “was stolen from one of the ESHH patients.” She then tapped the evidence bag. “You say this ring was given to you by your boyfriend. And your boyfriend is Miles Markowitz, a man who works with you at the ESHH.”

“We’d like you to look at the photograph and your ring carefully,” Brad said.

Sharon leaned forward, and as her eyes gazed between the two items on the table, her shoulders slumped, and her bravado fled. Her forearms rested on the table, and she squeezed her fingers together. “I don’t understand.”

“Do you recall when he gave you the ring?”

“Of course I do. It was on the fifteenth of last month. I know because I wanted to remember that day. He said it wasn’t an engagement ring or, rather, not necessarily. He called it a promise ring. A promise that he wanted to be with me and that we’d get married sometime. I laughed and said that was what an engagement ring was for. He said he didn’t make enough money for us to start planning a wedding, yet he wanted to make sure he gave me something that showed how serious he was about me.”

By now, her voice was shaky, and not only was her confidence disappearing but from the tight-lipped expression, she realized the man she hoped to marry had likely given her a stolen ring.

A sound barked out from her, a combination of incredulous laughter and part sob. She lifted one hand and pressed her fingers against her lips as though to hold back any other sounds from being emitted. But tears welled up in her eyes, and as she blinked, they slowly slipped down her cheeks. Shaking her head, she muttered, “I can’t believe it. It’s like a bad dream.”

“Ms. Bundy,” Brad continued. “We know that each of you has access to the medical files that come in on your group cases. If a patient comes in and doesn’t need occupational therapy, you still have access to their information. Is that correct?”

It took a moment for Sharon to drag her attention from staring at the ring on the table up to Brad’s face. It took several more seconds for her to process his question. Then she nodded. “Yes. When the records come to our group, we meet, and Karenlooks at what the doctors recommended. Then after she makes a home visit, the final determination is made, but that can change.”

“How so?”

Again, it took a long moment for her to process his question. The hand that had been pressed against her lips earlier now rubbed her forehead. “The doctor might recommend occupational therapy when a patient leaves rehab, but when Karen evaluates, the patient may no longer want occupational therapy. Or it wasn’t specifically recommended by a doctor, but it’s determined necessary, and once Karen gets the approval, then I can go in.”

“It’s possible that even though Miles wasn’t working with this patient, he could have had access to their address and would’ve had access to the other therapist's schedules.”

“Yes.” She nodded. By now, her shoulders were straightening as she pinned Brad and Elizabeth with a hard stare. Sucking in a deep breath through her nose, she let it out slowly, then said, “I don’t know how he got this ring. I don’t know anything about the burglary besides what I’ve read in the newspapers and what was discussed around the office. But Miles spends the night with me. So, if these burglaries occurred at night, he’s been with me. And without seeming rude, I can tell you he’s been with me, in my home, in my bed.”

Before the detectives could ask another question, Mark watched as John entered the interview room and handed Brad a piece of paper. Then John left and slipped into the room where Mark was watching everything on the monitor.

“We got a new development this morning,” John said.

Before he had a chance to explain, Brad looked at Sharon. “Does Miles have any relatives here on the Eastern Shore?”

Sharon jerked at the sudden change of questioning. “No, not that he’s ever said.”

“Have you ever heard the name Alan Solstein?”

Sharon’s brow lowered, and she slowly shook her head. “Never.”

“What do you know about his family?”

“I’ve never met any of his family. He said that his parents died a few years ago, and he was an only child. He grew up in Delaware, but since he doesn’t have any living relatives, we never went there.”

As Elizabeth and Brad finished their interview with Sharon, Mark turned his attention to John.

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