Page 32 of Her Last Whisper
“Well, we didn’t print her; the South Street Psychiatric Hospital did and they sent them to us. Since there wasn’t a rush on the prints, they took their time. It looks like we received them six weeks ago.” He kept reading. “And, it looks like there were also two garments sent for processing, a bra and panties.”
“It wasn’t stated in the report.”
“No, the hospital should have sent them to us. I’ll make a call and see what the holdup was.”
“Oh, okay. Whatever it takes. That brings me to another issue.” She gestured to the evidence box. “I’d like these two pieces of Amanda Payton’s clothing examined, along with the garments from Jane Doe when you get them. I think there’s a link between them.”
“Done. I’ll make sure it’s done myself.”
“And the letter?”
“That’s a bit trickier. I will be spraying a solution called ninhydrin which will react to the amino acids in the fingertips into a purple-like color. It can take a while for any prints to appear, and there’s always the chance the sender wore gloves.”
“Thank you, John. I really appreciate you making time for this with everything else.”
“No problem. You can quit thanking me.” He looked up at her and smiled a little too long.
Katie felt herself begin to flush, so she turned to leave. “If you get a match, you know where to find me.” She quickly left the lab.
Twenty
Friday 1545 hours
After calls to both of Amanda’s cousins—Bradley Olson, and Melissa Roe—which didn’t result in any new leads as neither of them had seen her for a year, Katie tried calling Amanda’s supervisor, Dr. Kenneth Jamison. The phone rang and rang but no one picked up. She tried the hospital’s front desk and was able to obtain his work schedule; twelve-hour shifts for the next three days. Looking at the clock, Katie estimated she had time for a quick trip to the First Memorial Hospital while she waited for forensics and the autopsy report on Amanda Payton to come back. McGaven would soon be joining her to help do some of the legwork and divvy up the duties, but for now she wanted to amass as much information as possible.
The traffic was extra heavy as people hurried to leave work early to get home and start the weekend. As Katie inched her way downtown past office buildings, restaurants, and shopping malls to where the hospital was located, she realized that she hadn’t spent much time enjoying the area since she had been home from the army. Downtown gave a contrast to the more rural areas around the outskirts of the county, but it was pleasing to live somewhere with the balance of both. Pine Valley was also taking great strides to revamp, remodel, and redesign the older and rundown areas. There was a large park meandering around the downtown area, called Adirondack Plaza, where you could walk, jog, cycle, or just sit on one of the many benches and enjoy the scenery. Trees, blooming flowers and two large fountains were the main points of interest. As Katie drove past the western area of the park, she saw a group of joggers dressed in brightly colored running gear and a large group of children playing on one of the playgrounds.
Finally the traffic lessened and she was able to pass through three traffic lights, making her way toward the hospital. The low evening sun reflected off the buildings and windows making them sparkle. Ten minutes farther and she could see the huge hospital.
After parking, Katie stepped through the large automatic doors and quickly scanned the reception for signs directing her to the intensive care unit where Amanda had worked as a nurse for the past six years. She caught the elevator to the third floor and made a beeline to the main desk area where there were two nurses on duty.
“I’m Detective Katie Scott from the sheriff’s office here to see Dr. Jamison. Would he be available?” She didn’t think she needed to flash her police badge at this point.
The bored-looking nurse with the name tag identifying her as Ruth, RN, didn’t look up from her paperwork. “He’s here. Not sure where at the moment. Do you want me to page him?”
“That would be great. Thank you.”
Katie moved to an area out of the way and waited. She could have taken a seat, but she wanted to assess the place and watch the employees go about their work. It was busy for a Friday afternoon and the stifling air made Katie feel uncomfortable, reminding her of the psychiatric ward she’d been in just that morning.
Over the intercom she heard,“Dr. Jamison, please come to the front nurses’ station 10-43.”Then again, “Dr. Jamison, please come to the front nurses’ station 10-43.”
After fifteen minutes, it appeared Dr. Jamison was too busy in the chaos all around her to answer her call. She knew that a 10-43 was a request for information and not a medical emergency. So she walked back to the nurse station and asked, “I don’t want to take up your time, but did you know someone who worked here—Amanda Payton?”
For the first time, Ruth looked up from her work and stared Katie in the eye. “Of course. What do you want to know? I heard she was killed—such awful, awful news,” she said, suddenly warm.
“Yes. She quit. Do you know anything about that?” Katie asked.
“Well, I wasn’t surprised.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look,” she said, “I didn’t have anything against her, but she was one of those types that always had some kind of catastrophe in her personal life. She quit without any notice and we were already shorthanded here.” The nurse took a deep breath. “If you want to know more about her, try Marco Ellis, he’s an intern downstairs.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that,” said Katie, recognizing the name from Hamilton’s list of contacts.
“All the way to the basement,” the nurse called after her as she made her way to the elevator.
Katie rodedown in the crowded elevator listening to two young nurses complaining about their patients. No one paid any attention to her and it struck Katie how many people could enter and exit the hospital on a daily basis. In a place like this it would be easy for someone to blend in without anyone ever noticing.
