do find myself in an embarrassing position that requires your discreet assistance. I had an urgent and unexpected meeting come up and had to leave town suddenly. Please have my clothes and personal items packed into the two suitcases that you will find in our room. My passport is in the hotel safe. Please retrieve it and place it in one of the zippered pockets of my luggage. You can leave them with the Bell Captain and I will send someone around to pick them up shortly. You have my pre-signed American Express card on file so please close out the bill and add an additional $1,000 for yourself. That should cover all of the trouble we have caused you and express our gratitude for your assistance. Is that satisfactory Mr. Jackson?”
“Yes sir Mr. Rodriguez, that will be very satisfactory. I will attend to it personally.
“Thank you Mr. Jackson, and remember, this is to remain between just the two of us. If anyone comes asking for me, tell them that I’ve checked out but that I plan to return next week. Please reserve the penthouse suite G for me again for next Friday. I’ll be staying for four days.”
“Yes, I understand and you can count on me anytime Mr. Rodriguez.”
With that Rudy disconnected the call feeling reassured that he was one stop ahead of the their next likely move. He knew he should call the police and inform them that he had moved out of the hotel but he decided that could wait until he got back to the city. Besides, he was not sure if he should trust them. The fewer people that knew his whereabouts, the better.
When Rudy reached Centreville he had the gas station attendant fill the Lincoln with gasoline and check the oil. Anxious to get back on the road, he ordered a cheese steak sub and a black coffee to go.
The four hour drive to New York City was uneventful. After the first hour he started to let himself relax. He kept a keen eye on the rearview mirror, making sure that no suspicious looking vehicles were following him. After the second hour, the drive settled into an ordinary routine. By the third hour boredom began to take over. He tried Pamela on the cell phone. Again, no answer. The weekend traffic into the city was very heavy. By the time Rudy could see the familiar skyline, traffic was at a standstill.
Rudy turned on the car radio and was surprised to learn that it was tuned to the local Spanish station. The two big men speak Spanish, he thought. The commentator was reporting the up-to-the minute events of the day’s city news for his Spanish listeners. Two drug related street corner shootings, a high-rise apartment fire where ten people suffered burns and smoke inhalation and the big story of the day, a commuter train derailment. Over 200 people had been seriously injured and over 30 people had been killed. The 8:30 A.M. westside commuter express had jumped the tracks and slammed into a concrete bridge abutment.
The city’s emergency crews were extended beyond their abilities to cope with the catastrophe. He switched off the radio and picked up the cell phone and called New York General Hospital. “Please connect me with Doctor Bean,” Rudy said.
“I’m sorry but she has not signed in yet” was the reply.
“I’m looking for Doctor Pamela Bean,” Rudy repeated. “Yes sir, she’s the only Doctor Bean on staff.”
“Perhaps you can tell me what time she was supposed to check in?” “One moment sir...she’s scheduled for the 1:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. shift and the 9:00 P.M. to 5:00 A.M. shift.”
“Thank you,” he said as he disconnected the call and looked at his watch, 9:45 P.M. She has missed two check in times. That didn’t seem like the dedicated young doctor he’d met the night before, he thought.
She had turned him down for a dinner date for tonight because of her prior commitment to work a double shift. What could be keeping her? He feared for her safety now. He decided to go directly to the hospital to see for himself if she was there. After an hour and a half of stop and go, bumper to bumper traffic, Rudy arrived at the hospital parking garage. He picked up the cell phone and the gun and shoved them into his dirty, ripped, trousers and pulled on the dark grey suit jacket that he had found across the front seat of the car. The jacket must have belonged to the smaller of the two men, but it still was much too big for him and it hung past his hands. He had rolled the sleeves up when he wore it in Centreville and while it was obvious to him that it looked ridiculous, it covered the dirty, bloody shirt he was wearing
He locked the car and made his way to the hospital’s main entrance. A young woman in mint green scrubs with round, yellow smiley faces on them asked him if she could help him. “Yes, I need to find a washroom,” Rudy replied.
“Down the hall on the right,” she said and motioned her head in the direction to his left. She made no reaction to how he was dressed and made him feel a little less conspicuous.
Rudy walked to the mens’ washroom and noticed the hospital seemed to be very quiet. The night before the place had been a flurry of commotion and activity. Logically Saturday night would be their busiest time, he thought, as he filled the washbasin with warm water. He removed the jacket and his soiled shirt. Using wet paper towels, he did the best he could to remove the dust and perspiration from his chest and arms. The bandage on his left shoulder was bloody and in need of replacement. He knew Pamela would change the dressing once he found her. He splashed the soothing water onto his face and ran his wet hands through his oily hair. Under the circumstances, that was the best he could do to make himself more presentable. He desperately needed a shave and a very hot shower. He put the stained shirt and oversized jacket back on and headed to the Emergency Admissions Desk. He asked the nurse on duty if Doctor Pamela Bean was available. The striking young black woman smiled at him from behind her desk and said that Doctor Bean had not signed in for her shift. For a moment he just stood there in silence. “Where the Christ is everyone? I’ve been looking for her all day.” Rudy blurted out.
The young woman’s smile waned and her eyes widened. “I don’t know sir,” she said sheepishly. “I’m new here, this is my first week.” He turned way from her without saying a word and walked out of the hospital and into the warm night air. Rudy had an uneasy feeling. The thought that he might be the cause of harm coming to Pamela was starting to haunt him. What should he do next?
A cab pulled to the curb along side of him and opened the rear door Rudy aimlessly climbed into the backseat. “Where to?” The driver asked in a heavy New Yorker accent.
“Park Avenue, Central Park main entrance,” Rudy said without knowing why. The cab ride only took a new minutes. Rudy handed the driver a ten dollar bill and jumped out of the cab. He crossed Park Avenue and climbed the front stoop of Pamela’s brownstone. Anxiously he rang the doorbell and knocked on the oak door at the same time. No one answered. After a few minutes Rudy decided to go to the rear of the house and try there. The back porch light was off, but he was able to see from the light coming through the kitchen window. Cautiously he made his way up the stairs along the porch wall to the door. The curtain was parted and it was easy to see inside. The room was in disarray as if a struggle had taken place. What appeared to be blood was smeared over the sink and faucet. Now his heart was pounding and he was desperate to get inside. Rudy tried the doorknob but it was locked. He took the pistol from his waistband and used the grip as a hammer to break the glass, then reached through the broken pane and unlocked the door. Slowly stepping inside, Rudy moved through the kitchen into the front room and foyer. He paused every two or three steps listening for any sounds. After he was convinced no one was moving inside, he went about searching the rest of the house.
A trail of blood drops lead through the foyer and up the main staircase. He followed the blood trail to the second floor master bedroom. Holding his breathe, he slowly pushed the door open with the tip of the pistol and surveyed the disrupted room. Finding no one, he had a moment of relief. An overturned vanity chair lay atop the blade of a large bloody knife. He stood the chair upright and picked up the knife by the back side of its serrated
