A Riverside Christmas Mystery

Chapter 9

"I think that though the clouds be dark,

That though the waves dash o'er the bark,

Yet after while the light will come,

And in calm waters safe at home

The bark will anchor."

Robert Laurence Dunbar

Jim and McCoy planned for departure to Des Moines immediately after an early breakfast. Jim gave his mother, Peter and Davy a goodbye kiss and had a quiet word with Spock on his way out the door. "We'll try not to be gone long, Spock. You mind the store, and try to keep Ma, Peter and Davy indoors if you can," he said, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling he felt at leaving the farm house. "Those men may be back to search the woods again, so just be sure Davy isn't seen."

"Jim, all will be well. Please do not worry. Nyota and I are here and we will not let down our guard."

"I know, Spock. There is no one on the planet I would trust more than you two with their welfare," Jim smiled at him. "I just can't help but worry." He grimaced at his own behavior. "It's a control issue, pure and simple, not being here. You and Bones know me better than anyone, Spock, you know it's always been one of my biggest problems."

"It is also one of the traits that makes you the exemplary commander that you are, Jim. Now go. The sooner you leave the sooner you will return to be here with your family." Spock's soothing baritone propelled Jim and McCoy out the door to the shuttle.

Spock stood at the door and watched the shuttle leave. Knowing his Captain, he was certain that Jim and McCoy would come back with at least partial knowledge of what had transpired to make Davy's mother run away. He turned to see Winona Kirk looking at him with sympathy. "I know you wanted to go with Jim, Mr. Spock. Thank you for staying with us."

"It was logical for Dr. McCoy to go instead, Dr. Kirk," he said, "but nevertheless it is true that I wished to accompany Jim."

"For that matter, so did I," said Winona smiling at the sight of his eyebrow climbing up to his bangs in surprise at her words. "Do you think you're the only one who is curious or who worries about Jim? Mothers can often rival Vulcans at self control, Mr. Spock."

Spock looked at this remarkable woman, mother of the most remarkable man he knew, and realized that most of his questions about the influences that had shaped Jim's character were answered in the guise of this small woman who stood in front of him.

"Indeed," was all he said, but as they looked at each other, they exchanged a glance of understanding.

—*—

Jim made good time to Des Moines. Shuttle traffic was light this early in the morning. He estimated they would get to the hospital by 2100 hours.

McCoy was deep in thought beside him. "Jim, what kind of ploy are we gonna' use to get information once we get there."

"I'm not sure, Bones, we'll play it by ear. I'll introduce myself as Violet's long time friend on shore leave wanting to get in touch with her. I want you to ask for a tour of the department. Look around and talk to as many people as you can. Knowing Violet, she's made some good friends among her colleagues." He looked down at himself and at Bones, they were in their Star Fleet uniforms. Jim thought he and the doctor would have more clout and verisimilitude in their uniforms than in civvies. Also, he would be more easily recognized as Captain of the Enterprise. That fact alone had helped get him into some places, (it was true that some of those places had been stranger than others) that otherwise might have been closed to him.

"Jim, I just wanna say that aside from the concerns we have about Violet and Davy, so far this has been one of the best shore leaves I've ever had. I haven't enjoyed myself so much in years. Thanks for askin' us to join you. As that 'ole movie says, 'There's no place like home' and you and your mama and Peter have made us feel like we are at home. Even the hobgoblin has loosened up a bit, and it's mighty good for him. It's been good for all of us."

"It's something I've wanted to do for a while, Bones. I've wanted my home family and my Enterprise family to get to know each other and share good times. You're all dear to me," he added with a shy glance at McCoy. "Events in San Francisco and New York didn't exactly lend themselves to enjoying ourselves and except for that trip to Niagara we didn't have time for fun." (1)

"True enough, but this time it's been different; we've had fun, eaten great food, enjoyed good conversation, slept like the dead, and I've even had time to catch up on my readin'. Can't ask for much more, except maybe a date with a pretty lady and some drinkin' time," McCoy added mischievously.

Jim glanced at him, a faint frown furrowing his brow. "Any time you want to take the shuttle and go into Riverside to look for female company and a drink, be my guest, Bones."

"Wasn't thinkin' of havin' to go all the way into town for that, Jim. Not at all," McCoy kept his eyes on the scenery and bit his lip to keep from laughing at the expression on Jim's face.

"Look there's the hospital," said Jim in some relief. The conversation was not at all to his liking. "Shuttle parking is in the back; this hospital is huge, Bones." He brought the shuttle down and parked and they walked around to the front and went in through the front entrance's huge double doors which automatically security scanned them as they went in. The lobby receptionist directed them upstairs. "Forensic Pathology is the entire 10th floor. Someone there will help you find the person you're looking for," said the young receptionist, looking a little flustered as Jim flashed her one of his most charming smiles and thanked her for her help.

"Down boy," murmured McCoy. "Save it for when we need it," he added as they stepped into the elevator.

Jim gave him an irritated look, as he opened the main door into the Forensics lab. "May I help you?" This time the receptionist was a very serious looking Andorian female. Apparently she was not susceptible to charm or smiles; she didn't respond at all to Jim's friendly smile or appeared to be impressed by his command gold.

Jim kept the pleasant smile on his face with an effort. "Yes," he said leaning in to read her name tag. "Ms. Trass, I'm looking for a friend of mine, Dr. Violet Sterling Palomino. Is she in?" he asked innocently.

"Wait here, please, I'll check. This is my first day, and I'm not familiar with the staff yet."

"Well, that explains it," said McCoy. "The girl has first day jitters, too preoccupied to pay you any attention, Captain Kirk."

"Shut up, Bones," Jim whispered, as the main door opened and a tall thin, middle aged, balding man came out.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Jordan Snyder, Deputy Chief of the department. May I help you, gentlemen?"

"I'm Captain James T. Kirk, , and this is my Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Leonard McCoy. I'm looking for Violet Sterling Palomino."

"Captain Kirk, of the Enterprise? An honor to meet you, Captain, a great honor," he said looking at Jim's well known handsome face. "You also, Dr. McCoy. This is certainly a pleasant surprise. Please come into my office, Captain, Doctor."

They followed him in to a spacious office. One wall was all windows which gave the room the feeling of light and space. It was Spartan, but comfortable in a slightly shabby way. "Please sit down, both of you. May I offer you refreshments? Coffee?"

"No thank you, Dr. Snyder. We had breakfast not long ago. We're here on our Christmas furlough and staying with my mother in Riverside. Violet and her parents were our long time neighbors before her parents' accident. Violet and I were best friends through all our school years. I just dropped by to say hello and to invite her for Christmas dinner on behalf of my mother and myself."

"I'm so sorry Captain Kirk, but Dr. Sterling is on vacation. She didn't tell you?"

"No, I haven't heard from her recently, Dr. Snyder. Enterprise has been on a long range mission, so communication has been sporadic. Do you know where she went for her vacation? Maybe I can reach her there."

"She didn't say, Captain. As a matter of fact, she commed me a few days ago to tell me that she was taking her three weeks off effective immediately, and that she wasn't coming into the office at all. It was most unlike her to leave work unfinished and not to let me know of her plans ahead of time and in person."

"That doesn't sound at all like Violet," agreed Jim. "She's one of the most considerate and conscientious people I know." He laughed softly. "It was always Violet that insisted we do our homework before doing anything else. But you were saying something about how unusual it was that she left work unfinished before she left? Did you get the impression that something was wrong, Dr. Snyder?"

Jim and McCoy watched as Snyder's demeanor changed. His lips tightened, his posture stiffened, and the friendly smile left his face. "I really couldn't say, Captain," he said stiffly. "Dr. Sterling's state of mind is none of my business. I would not presume to make unfounded assumptions about her."

"Uh oh, thought McCoy. Something's very wrong here.

"Of course, you wouldn't, Dr. Snyder," Jim said soothingly. He settled back in his chair and deliberately relaxed his posture. "You're a scientist first and foremost. I'm sure if you felt there was something unusual in her behavior it would be because of your long time associatin with her and your acute scientific observations."

Oh my God, Jim, thought McCoy. Shovel it higher and higher why don't you. McCoy watched as Jim flashed Snyder his best mega watt smile, the one that could light up a dark room and magically conjure up signed treaties from warring worlds, and watched in fascination as the deputy chief crumbled under the power of Jim's charisma. There wasn't a chance in hell that the man wouldn't spill his guts to Jim now.

Well, McCoy would help with the shoveling. He cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Snyder, but would it be possible for me to have a tour of your facilities. We do pretty well on the Enterprise, but it doesn't hold a candle to your place here."

Snyder beamed. "Certainly, Dr. McCoy. Let me get someone to show you around. He buzzed and a young man came in. "John, this is Captain James Kirk, from the Enterprise, and his CMO, Dr. Leonard McCoy. Gentlemen, this is Dr. John Abbot, one of our pathologists." The young man shook hands, looking a little dazzled at the mention of the guests' names. "John, Dr. McCoy has expressed an interest in our facility, so please show him around."

"Yes, sir. Of course. Happy to do it. Dr. McCoy, this way please." He stammered and almost tripped on the way out of the door.

McCoy threw a glance at Jim on the way out. Make this count!

Jim watched them walk out. "You were about to tell me about Violet, Dr. Snyder," he said quietly, the hazel eyes looking at Dr. Snyder were earnest and concerned.

"Ah yes, Captain. Since you're such an old friend of Dr. Sterling and your discretion above reproach, let me share with you that I have been most concerned about her, but please this is very confidential."

Jim nodded and made an encouraging noise.

"It started about 10 days ago. This is a very large department and we were very busy at the time, when Dr. Sterling happened to take a call from the Iowa State police. The police had a sudden death they were investigating and they wanted Dr. Sterling to do the forensic autopsy. Of course she agreed, we do them for the state police all the time and we usually rotate the autopsies among the staff. Since she was the one who took the call, she agreed to do it. Less than an hour later, we got a call from the Lloyds of London Insurance Company. They'd had a life insurance claim filed by the heirs of Randolph Myers Sanford. I'm sure you've heard the name. One of the wealthiest men in the quadrant. His sudden death, the amount of the pay out and the fact that he was still such a young man, only 42, alarmed them. They, too, asked Dr. Sterling to do an extensive forensic autopsy. She explained that she was already doing one for the state police, but they insisted that they needed a separate one. They would pay her as a consultant to do the second one. The heirs, cousins I believe, since he was not married nor had children, objected strongly, but the insurance company told them there would be no pay out without the proper autopsy."

"How much was the insurance pay out, Dr. Snyder?"

Snyder cleared his throat. "10 million credits." He looked at Jim. "I know, unbelievable. However, I was given to understand that Mr. Sanford was a billionaire several times over. His money is invested in his world-wide corporations and I understand his will pretty much ties up all the money in his many businesses. He employed thousands of people world-wide, and he said he wanted to ensure that his businesses and his employees would continue to function with or without him."

"Was there some doubt about the cause of death, Dr. Snyder? Why were the police brought in?"

"As I understand it, Captain, it was at the request from his board of directors. They were concerned because of his young age, the suddenness of his death, and the fact that his health was excellent according to his last physical examination which at his request, was made public to all his CFOs, his share holders, and his employees. It was certified by three separate physicians from John Hopkins. "

"What did Violet find?" asked Jim.

"That I don't know, Captain. Usually it takes two to three days for such an extensive examination of the body. We test enzymes, blood, tissue, brain, spleen, heart, lungs, bone, everything, really."

"Dr. Sterling and I briefly discussed the autopsy; she told me she was almost finished with the police report. When she turned in that report she would continue with the Lloyds of London autopsy. She put Mr. Snyder's body is stasis until then."

"And what happened?"

Dr. Snyder looked troubled. "It was the next day when I began to notice that Dr. Sterling was not behaving as usual. She is usually a very happy outgoing person, but something changed."

"In what way?" asked Jim, a knot forming in his gut. He was starting to get a very bad feeling about this.

"She would jump every time the comm beeped, she was hyper vigilant, then she asked us not to let anyone into her office, or indeed into the lab without her prior approval. I asked her if there was anything wrong. She told me she was fine, but I knew she wasn't. She was pale, she had circles under her eyes, and she didn't smile or laugh or share stories about her baby, Davy, like she's always done with us. I grew very concerned. Even after her husband died, she wasn't like that, Captain Kirk. She grieved and she was sad, but this was different." Dr. Snyder looked at Jim, his eyes deeply troubled. "Then a few mornings ago, she came in with her uniform torn, lacerations on her arms and legs, and a gash on her forehead, and she looked frightened, Captain. I could tell she was frightened. Her appearance was very alarming. I took her to the back and cleaned her lacerations and her forehead, got her another uniform and forced her to go home."

"What the hell happened, Dr. Snyder?"

"She told me she had been in a shuttle accident; that her shuttle had been side swiped, and she was thrown to the side door of the shuttle. Davy was with her, she was taking him to day care, but thank God he was fine, he was securely strapped in. Traffic police didn't catch the shuttle that side swiped her, but they're still looking."

"The very next morning, she commed me that she was not coming to work and she was taking her vacation time immediately. She said the police autopsy report and the insurance report were not complete, so if anyone asked to tell them that I knew nothing about the reports, that she was on vacation and she would get back to them when she returned. That's the last time we spoke. I'm very worried about Dr. Sterling, Captain. We don't know what to think, this behavior is most unlike her. The police and the insurance companies have both contacted me and I told them exactly what she said. As you can imagine, they were not too happy." Dr Snyder looked at Jim waiting for his response.

"I can see why you're worried, Dr. Snyder, and now so am I. As you said, this behavior is not like Violet at all."

Bones came in just then and Jim stood up. "Jim, this place is just amazin", said McCoy. His blue eyes glowed with enthusiasm. "Dr. Snyder thanks so much for letting me see everything. You must be very proud of your staff and your facility. I've gotten some great ideas to implement on the Enterprise."

Dr. Snyder beamed at Bones' high praise. "Thank you, Dr. McCoy. We are very proud of out department and of our wonderful staff. I'm only sorry Dr. Sterling is not here to hear you." He looked at Jim with somber eyes.

Jim shook his hand. "We won't take up more of your time, Dr. Snyder. Thank you for seeing us and for telling me about Violet. I now share your concern. Let me see what I can find out, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"I certainly appreciate that, Captain. I know you have many more resources available to you than I do. Please comm me anytime at any hour if I can be of any further help. means the world to many of us here," he added wistfully.

Jim and McCoy walked out of the hospital in silence. Once inside the shuttle, Jim filled Bones in on what Dr. Snyder told him. "So it has something to do with that autopsy, Bones. We have to find out more about this Randolph Myers Sanford and his heirs. Not to put to fine a point on it, but ten million credits is a great motive for murder. Did you find out anything of interest from Violet's staff, Bones?"

"Everyone I spoke to had nothing but good things to say about her, Jim. Apparently, she runs a tight ship, but she's fair and impartial, she doesn't play favorites among her staff, her door is always open and she stands behind her people. They told me she took her husband's death hard, they hadn't been married all that long, but she didn't bring her grief to work. Several people commented on how brilliant she is and how much integrity she has. I don't think her husband left her much, but this job pays well, and mentioned she had bought a small house for her and Davy."

"How did her husband die?" asked Jim.

"I didn't ask, Jim, but I think it was sudden. He was a researcher with an agricultural company I believe."

Jim steered the shuttle absently; he sat silent as ideas flashed through his head. Suddenly he said, "Bones, what if there was a murder? What if Violet found out when she did the autopsy? What if someone wants to stop her from turning in those reports?" What if those two men are the ones trying to silence her?"

"Jim, that's a lot of 'what ifs," said McCoy, protesting. "And we have no facts to back up any of those 'what ifs'."

"Yeah, but she disappeared for a reason, left Davy with Ma for a reason, and my guts tell me it's about the autopsy findings. I think we need to talk to Gavin and have him check out that Sanford guy, and those heirs. As soon as we get home, I'll comm him."

Bones looked at him with apprehension. When Jim's voice took on that staccato tone, sometimes things got scary; his crew knew that some sort of action always followed.


1 See Ring of Treason