Chapter Two
"And in other Noon News, Imperial executive, Constance Wells was killed this morning outside Solid Bodies gym on 83rd. Ted Smart is on the scene. Ted?"
Neil woke up when he heard the anchorwoman say Solid Bodies. But she said the wrong name. He hadn't killed Constance Wells, he had killed Cynthia Parker. What the hell was going on? He flung his feet to the floor, sitting up to watch the reporter on location.
"Thanks Susan. This morning at about 8:30, Imperial executive Constance Wells was drug from outside the front of her gym, Solid Bodies, into this alley." The reporter turned slightly and pointed across the street where Neil could see yellow police tape, and a large crowd that had gathered. "Where her assailant slammed her head against the brick wall, leaving her to bleed to death. Constance's purse was undisturbed, and it does not appear that she was sexually assaulted. Police are looking for a motive."
The television screen cut back to the anchorwoman, "Ted, has the victims family been reached for comment?"
The field reporter reappeared on the screen. His hand cupped his ear, listening to the question. "Susan, we don't know a lot right now. According to employees of the health club, Constance's sister, Cynthia, was in the gym when the body was found."
Sister? Her sister? Neil jumped off the couch, his mind reeling. He still couldn't understand. He'd taken the picture with him, she'd been the right woman, he was sure of that. Maybe she'd taken her sisters purse, maybe they'd id'd the wrong woman. When he turned his attention back to the television, a black and white photo was on the screen. It was Cynthia's picture. How could they have gotten that wrong? He started to pace the floor again, pulling at his hair.
"Susan, we do have some footage shot just as we arrived on the scene." The alley appeared again on the screen, but there was no police tape up yet. A smaller crowd was being held back by uniformed policemen. Two cops, Neil guessed they were cops, were escorting a woman out of the alley. The small blonde female cop had her arm around the woman, supporting her. The other cop, a man, walked a step behind them, his hand on the woman's shoulder, almost guiding her. The woman in between them looked like Cynthia. Neil couldn't understand. How could two women look so much alike, even if they were sisters?
" . . . being led back to the gym by Detectives Robert Goren and Alexandra Eames, of the NYPD Major Case Squad. Cynthia Parker, sister of the deceased, is the wife of Charles Parker, president of the Ronan Company."
"Ted, Mrs. Parker bears a striking resemblance to Constance." The anchorwoman noted. Neil stopped pacing and kneeled down in front of the TV set.
"Yes, Susan. Cynthia Parker and Constance Wells were twins. We'll have more for the five o'clock report. Back to you Susan."
"Twins?" Neil began to pace again, but instead of pulling on his hair, he butted his fist against his forehead. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. What do I do now?" He thought of calling Charles, "No. No. It's better if Charles doesn't know I messed up." Neil said to himself. "If I do Cynthia, then Charles will never know I did it wrong the first time." Still pacing, he thought long and hard about to do it.
*****
Cynthia Parker sat on a couch in the gym manager's office. A white cotton towel pressed against her eyes, her entire body heaving with each sob. Alex Eames sat next to her, one hand on Cynthia's back, offering a little comfort. Bobby pulled up a chair facing Cynthia, their knees almost touching.
"Mrs. Parker, we're very sorry for your loss, but we do need to ask you a few questions, if you're up to it." The sooner she talked to them, the sooner they could get started. "Please." He pressed his hand against her arm. The sobs died down, she took a few deep breaths, and raised her head from the towel.
"Ok." She said looking from Goren to Eames. Her voice was small, tired.
"Was your sister married?" Alex asked.
"No. She was single."
"Boyfriend?"
"No. She broke up with the last one a few weeks ago. She'd been spending all her time at work or at home." She very nearly started to cry again, but was able to breathe away the tears.
"How was that, the break up?" Alex asked, and could tell from Cynthia's face she didn't understand the question, so Alex elaborated. "Did her boyfriend take the break up well? Could he have maybe wanted to harm her?"
"Oh." Cynthia paused, thinking. "No. The break up was mutual; they just didn't have anything in common anymore. No." She shook her head, "I don't think Frank would want to hurt Connie."
"Frank?" Alex asked, her pen poised above her notebook.
"Yes. Frank Chambers."
"Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt her?" Bobby asked.
Cynthia shook her head again, "No. There's no one, everyone liked her." Bobby and Alex exchanged a look that said 'somebody didn't'.
"Did she talk much about the office? Was there someone there who might benefit from her not being there?" Not using the word 'dead' with family members had become second nature to Eames.
"She didn't talk much about the office. I wouldn't really know. You could try her secretary, Melissa. Or her boss may be able to help." The tears began again, slipping off her cheeks as she continued to speak. "Connie only came here this morning to show me what she'd bought our cousin for his birthday next week. She said she had to come today, she was putting it in the mail this afternoon." The tears started to come harder. "It had to be this morning." her sentence trailed off, taken over by sobs.
*****
"So she was followed to the gym?" Capitan Deakins asked from behind his desk.
Bobby waved a hand out to his side and shrugged. "Maybe."
"It doesn't feel random." Alex said. "She wasn't sexually assaulted, her purse had over a hundred bucks in it, and it wasn't touched. If feels like she was singled out."
"We're checking on her life insurance, and we're on our way to her office to talk to her secretary and boss." Bobby told Deakins, as he stood and headed for the door.
"You're going to check with the ex-boyfriend, too." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah" Alex said on her way out the door.
*****
Neil had gone back to they gym. He waited inside a coffee shop across the street. Sitting with his back to the window, he was able to watch the outside of the gym in the mirror in front of him. Half an hour and two cups of coffee later, he watched as Cynthia left the gym, flanked by the two cops he'd seen her with on tv. The three of them stopped on the sidewalk for a moment, the two cops looked concerned, the male cop waved an arm, pointing at a black SUV, but Cynthia kept shaking her head. Neil stood up hastily, tossing some money down on the counter. He stood by the door, and when the cops walked away from Cynthia, Neil left the coffee shop at a walking-jog, dodged a couple of cabs as he crossed the street. His path led him right in front of the SUV as it pulled out into traffic, forcing Alex to slam on the brakes. She hit the horn, one short blast, and Neil, who had stopped right in front of the SUV, turned, looked Alex straight in the eye, and raised his middle finger at her.
*****
Neil had to fight back his natural stride. Cynthia wasn't walking very fast, and if he walked at his normal pace, he'd pass her. He kept himself about 20 steps behind her. Close enough to see her, far enough back where she wouldn't get worried if she happened to notice. He had no idea what he was going to do. All he knew was that he didn't want her to get home; he had to keep an eye out for opportunity.
That opportunity came about three blocks from her apartment. A thunderstorm had opened up, forcing people to run for the nearest indoors. Suddenly Neil found himself alone with Cynthia on the street. Reassuming his natural pace, he caught up with her in a moment. He grabbed her from behind, by the upper arms, just below the shoulders. Using her surprise, and his momentum, he steered her into the next doorway.
"And in other Noon News, Imperial executive, Constance Wells was killed this morning outside Solid Bodies gym on 83rd. Ted Smart is on the scene. Ted?"
Neil woke up when he heard the anchorwoman say Solid Bodies. But she said the wrong name. He hadn't killed Constance Wells, he had killed Cynthia Parker. What the hell was going on? He flung his feet to the floor, sitting up to watch the reporter on location.
"Thanks Susan. This morning at about 8:30, Imperial executive Constance Wells was drug from outside the front of her gym, Solid Bodies, into this alley." The reporter turned slightly and pointed across the street where Neil could see yellow police tape, and a large crowd that had gathered. "Where her assailant slammed her head against the brick wall, leaving her to bleed to death. Constance's purse was undisturbed, and it does not appear that she was sexually assaulted. Police are looking for a motive."
The television screen cut back to the anchorwoman, "Ted, has the victims family been reached for comment?"
The field reporter reappeared on the screen. His hand cupped his ear, listening to the question. "Susan, we don't know a lot right now. According to employees of the health club, Constance's sister, Cynthia, was in the gym when the body was found."
Sister? Her sister? Neil jumped off the couch, his mind reeling. He still couldn't understand. He'd taken the picture with him, she'd been the right woman, he was sure of that. Maybe she'd taken her sisters purse, maybe they'd id'd the wrong woman. When he turned his attention back to the television, a black and white photo was on the screen. It was Cynthia's picture. How could they have gotten that wrong? He started to pace the floor again, pulling at his hair.
"Susan, we do have some footage shot just as we arrived on the scene." The alley appeared again on the screen, but there was no police tape up yet. A smaller crowd was being held back by uniformed policemen. Two cops, Neil guessed they were cops, were escorting a woman out of the alley. The small blonde female cop had her arm around the woman, supporting her. The other cop, a man, walked a step behind them, his hand on the woman's shoulder, almost guiding her. The woman in between them looked like Cynthia. Neil couldn't understand. How could two women look so much alike, even if they were sisters?
" . . . being led back to the gym by Detectives Robert Goren and Alexandra Eames, of the NYPD Major Case Squad. Cynthia Parker, sister of the deceased, is the wife of Charles Parker, president of the Ronan Company."
"Ted, Mrs. Parker bears a striking resemblance to Constance." The anchorwoman noted. Neil stopped pacing and kneeled down in front of the TV set.
"Yes, Susan. Cynthia Parker and Constance Wells were twins. We'll have more for the five o'clock report. Back to you Susan."
"Twins?" Neil began to pace again, but instead of pulling on his hair, he butted his fist against his forehead. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. What do I do now?" He thought of calling Charles, "No. No. It's better if Charles doesn't know I messed up." Neil said to himself. "If I do Cynthia, then Charles will never know I did it wrong the first time." Still pacing, he thought long and hard about to do it.
*****
Cynthia Parker sat on a couch in the gym manager's office. A white cotton towel pressed against her eyes, her entire body heaving with each sob. Alex Eames sat next to her, one hand on Cynthia's back, offering a little comfort. Bobby pulled up a chair facing Cynthia, their knees almost touching.
"Mrs. Parker, we're very sorry for your loss, but we do need to ask you a few questions, if you're up to it." The sooner she talked to them, the sooner they could get started. "Please." He pressed his hand against her arm. The sobs died down, she took a few deep breaths, and raised her head from the towel.
"Ok." She said looking from Goren to Eames. Her voice was small, tired.
"Was your sister married?" Alex asked.
"No. She was single."
"Boyfriend?"
"No. She broke up with the last one a few weeks ago. She'd been spending all her time at work or at home." She very nearly started to cry again, but was able to breathe away the tears.
"How was that, the break up?" Alex asked, and could tell from Cynthia's face she didn't understand the question, so Alex elaborated. "Did her boyfriend take the break up well? Could he have maybe wanted to harm her?"
"Oh." Cynthia paused, thinking. "No. The break up was mutual; they just didn't have anything in common anymore. No." She shook her head, "I don't think Frank would want to hurt Connie."
"Frank?" Alex asked, her pen poised above her notebook.
"Yes. Frank Chambers."
"Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt her?" Bobby asked.
Cynthia shook her head again, "No. There's no one, everyone liked her." Bobby and Alex exchanged a look that said 'somebody didn't'.
"Did she talk much about the office? Was there someone there who might benefit from her not being there?" Not using the word 'dead' with family members had become second nature to Eames.
"She didn't talk much about the office. I wouldn't really know. You could try her secretary, Melissa. Or her boss may be able to help." The tears began again, slipping off her cheeks as she continued to speak. "Connie only came here this morning to show me what she'd bought our cousin for his birthday next week. She said she had to come today, she was putting it in the mail this afternoon." The tears started to come harder. "It had to be this morning." her sentence trailed off, taken over by sobs.
*****
"So she was followed to the gym?" Capitan Deakins asked from behind his desk.
Bobby waved a hand out to his side and shrugged. "Maybe."
"It doesn't feel random." Alex said. "She wasn't sexually assaulted, her purse had over a hundred bucks in it, and it wasn't touched. If feels like she was singled out."
"We're checking on her life insurance, and we're on our way to her office to talk to her secretary and boss." Bobby told Deakins, as he stood and headed for the door.
"You're going to check with the ex-boyfriend, too." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah" Alex said on her way out the door.
*****
Neil had gone back to they gym. He waited inside a coffee shop across the street. Sitting with his back to the window, he was able to watch the outside of the gym in the mirror in front of him. Half an hour and two cups of coffee later, he watched as Cynthia left the gym, flanked by the two cops he'd seen her with on tv. The three of them stopped on the sidewalk for a moment, the two cops looked concerned, the male cop waved an arm, pointing at a black SUV, but Cynthia kept shaking her head. Neil stood up hastily, tossing some money down on the counter. He stood by the door, and when the cops walked away from Cynthia, Neil left the coffee shop at a walking-jog, dodged a couple of cabs as he crossed the street. His path led him right in front of the SUV as it pulled out into traffic, forcing Alex to slam on the brakes. She hit the horn, one short blast, and Neil, who had stopped right in front of the SUV, turned, looked Alex straight in the eye, and raised his middle finger at her.
*****
Neil had to fight back his natural stride. Cynthia wasn't walking very fast, and if he walked at his normal pace, he'd pass her. He kept himself about 20 steps behind her. Close enough to see her, far enough back where she wouldn't get worried if she happened to notice. He had no idea what he was going to do. All he knew was that he didn't want her to get home; he had to keep an eye out for opportunity.
That opportunity came about three blocks from her apartment. A thunderstorm had opened up, forcing people to run for the nearest indoors. Suddenly Neil found himself alone with Cynthia on the street. Reassuming his natural pace, he caught up with her in a moment. He grabbed her from behind, by the upper arms, just below the shoulders. Using her surprise, and his momentum, he steered her into the next doorway.