Chapter 4
Mark woke with a start, momentarily disoriented. Slowly his bedroom came into focus and he became aware of the pounding surf through his open window. Rising from the bed, he walked slowly down the hall and pushed on the partially opened door of the guest bedroom. Instead of seeing his daughter asleep, the bed was neatly made and the flower he had put in the vase in anticipation of her visit bloomed brightly on the bedside table.
Taking a shuddering breath, Mark shut the door firmly. He had hoped, no prayed, that he had just awoke from a very realistic nightmare. Instead, he realized, he was waking up to the nightmare. He really had seen Carol lying in the morgue last night. He vaguely remembered Steve handing him two pills and a glass of water before everything went black.
The thought of his son increased Mark's sense of urgency. Where was Steve, he wondered? As he passed through the living room, he found Jesse asleep on the sofa. Mark went downstairs and entered Steve's apartment. It was dark and quiet, and at first he thought Steve was gone, but when he peeked into the bedroom he was relieved to see him asleep. The blanket was on the floor and the sheet was twisted around his legs, a silent testimony to the restless night he must've had. Mark started to back out of the room when he was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to be near his remaining child. Easing onto the bed, he settled himself against the headboard and watched Steve sleep.
*************
Jesse stirred and peered at his watch through half closed eyes. Although the house was still quiet, he knew the sedative he gave Mark and Steve would be wearing off soon. He figured he better get some coffee into his system so he'd be better equipped to help his friends cope.
While the coffee brewed, Jesse flipped on the television. The local morning news had just started and with a sinking heart he realized Carol's murder was the lead story.
"We have more information on the breaking story we were first to bring you last night," the anchorwoman said. "The LA County Medical Examiner's Office and the LAPD have identified the body of the woman found murdered in an alley early yesterday evening as Carol Hilton of Portland, Oregon. She is the daughter of Doctor Mark Sloan, Chief of Internal Medicine at Community General Hospital and the sister of Lieutenant Steve Sloan, a homicide detective with the LAPD. Few details are being released at this hour although the police will confirm that Hilton was shot twice and her body dumped in the alley. Her car hasn't been recovered yet leading to speculation this could have been a carjacking that went terribly wrong. There's been no comment from Doctor Sloan or Lieutenant Sloan and according to a LAPD spokesperson they are in seclusion at this hour."
Jesse snapped off the television with a muttered curse. He was glad Mark and Steve hadn't heard that although he knew he wouldn't be able to shield them from the media reports forever. Due to Mark's prominence in the community and Steve's position within the police department, Jesse feared the media would be more relentless that usual. He was about to call Amanda when a soft knock on the French doors startled him into almost dropping the phone. Looking over his shoulder he was relieved to see Amanda through the window.
"Why didn't you use the front door?" he asked after letting her in.
"You obviously haven't looked out there yet. Several members of the local media have set up camp. Emma and I could see them as we drove up so she let me out and I came up the beach. She's chasing them away."
"Who's chasing who away?"
Neither Jesse nor Amanda had heard Steve and Mark enter the kitchen. "Emma is asking the media to leave. They were outside the front door when we got here."
Steve swore under his breath. Before he could see if she needed any help, Emma appeared at the French doors and let herself in.
"Are they gone?"
Emma nodded. "There'll be an extra black and white patrolling for the next few days to make sure nobody has a chance to get too close."
"Thanks, Emma."
"What have you found out?"
"Not much," Emma admitted reluctantly. "We had to contact Oregon authorities to find out for sure what kind of car Carol was driving. It hasn't shown up and neither has her purse. But there are a lot of dumpsters in the area and the guys are still going through them. They're not giving up. Nobody's giving up. We're going to find whoever did this."
"What about the autopsy?"
Amanda didn't bother to consult the file on the counter in front of her. She didn't have too. She had committed the results to memory. "Pretty much as we expected. Carol had bruises on her upper arms and shoulders consistent with someone grabbing her. She had traces of skin under her fingernails but not enough to use for a DNA sample." Anticipating Steve's next question she added quietly, "The rape kit came back negative. Carol wasn't sexually assaulted before or after her death."
Mark's shoulders sagged with relief at the news. He'd hated the thought that somebody could've further violated his daughter. From the look on Steve's face it was obvious to Mark that he, too, had been wrestling with the same fear.
"Did you run a tox screen?"
"Nothing significant showed up. Just some ibuprofen. Full results won't be back until tomorrow."
Jesse cleared his throat. "What about Andrea? Or Vince and Malcolm?" he asked, referring to the trio responsible for murdering Bruce.
"All three are still guests of the State of California. I have people checking the visitor logs, the phone records and doing interviews to determine if one or more of them are responsible."
The group fell silent each person sifting through the limited information they had in an attempt to figure out who would want to harm Carol. Amanda sighed silently thinking about how many times they had worked at solving a murder sitting around this same table. If it weren't for Carol's name on the folder in front of her, they could be discussing any one of those previous cases. Amanda regretted having to bring up the next subject, but she couldn't put it off any longer.
"Mark, by tomorrow we'll be ready to release Carol's body. I'll need to know who to.where to." Amanda silently cursed her stumbling tongue. "I'll need to know which mortuary you'd like me to call."
Mark looked at Steve in despair. "We never talked about these things with Carol. We have no idea what her wishes were."
"I think she'd probably like to be buried next to Mom."
"Then that's what we'll do, I guess," Mark said. "We can make the arrangements with the same mortuary that did your mother's. I have the information in my desk somewhere."
"We'll find it and call Amanda with it later. Okay, Amanda?"
Amanda swallowed the lump in her throat. "Sure," she replied, huskily.
"What about clothes?" Mark asked with despair. "We don't have anything for Carol to wear."
Steve assured his father they would find something for her to wear. "If we don't get her suitcase back, then we'll go out and buy something special."
Emma watched sadly as Steve and Mark went to the living room to look for the mortuary information. "Sometimes this job sucks," she commented, bitterly.
Jesse and Amanda nodded in agreement. "What's your next step?" Jesse asked.
"Since we don't know anyone here who'd have a motive for wanting Carol dead, I'm going to call the Portland PD. See if maybe they can't interview her coworkers and neighbors to help us get a lead."
"When you get a hold of someone there could you pass the name on to me?" Amanda asked.
"Sure," Emma replied. "What do you want it for?"
"I just had an idea on how I could help Mark and Steve. I don't want to say anything yet until I know for sure if it'll work."
"Anything I can do to help?" Jesse asked.
"Not at the moment, but I'll let you know."
Mark woke with a start, momentarily disoriented. Slowly his bedroom came into focus and he became aware of the pounding surf through his open window. Rising from the bed, he walked slowly down the hall and pushed on the partially opened door of the guest bedroom. Instead of seeing his daughter asleep, the bed was neatly made and the flower he had put in the vase in anticipation of her visit bloomed brightly on the bedside table.
Taking a shuddering breath, Mark shut the door firmly. He had hoped, no prayed, that he had just awoke from a very realistic nightmare. Instead, he realized, he was waking up to the nightmare. He really had seen Carol lying in the morgue last night. He vaguely remembered Steve handing him two pills and a glass of water before everything went black.
The thought of his son increased Mark's sense of urgency. Where was Steve, he wondered? As he passed through the living room, he found Jesse asleep on the sofa. Mark went downstairs and entered Steve's apartment. It was dark and quiet, and at first he thought Steve was gone, but when he peeked into the bedroom he was relieved to see him asleep. The blanket was on the floor and the sheet was twisted around his legs, a silent testimony to the restless night he must've had. Mark started to back out of the room when he was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to be near his remaining child. Easing onto the bed, he settled himself against the headboard and watched Steve sleep.
*************
Jesse stirred and peered at his watch through half closed eyes. Although the house was still quiet, he knew the sedative he gave Mark and Steve would be wearing off soon. He figured he better get some coffee into his system so he'd be better equipped to help his friends cope.
While the coffee brewed, Jesse flipped on the television. The local morning news had just started and with a sinking heart he realized Carol's murder was the lead story.
"We have more information on the breaking story we were first to bring you last night," the anchorwoman said. "The LA County Medical Examiner's Office and the LAPD have identified the body of the woman found murdered in an alley early yesterday evening as Carol Hilton of Portland, Oregon. She is the daughter of Doctor Mark Sloan, Chief of Internal Medicine at Community General Hospital and the sister of Lieutenant Steve Sloan, a homicide detective with the LAPD. Few details are being released at this hour although the police will confirm that Hilton was shot twice and her body dumped in the alley. Her car hasn't been recovered yet leading to speculation this could have been a carjacking that went terribly wrong. There's been no comment from Doctor Sloan or Lieutenant Sloan and according to a LAPD spokesperson they are in seclusion at this hour."
Jesse snapped off the television with a muttered curse. He was glad Mark and Steve hadn't heard that although he knew he wouldn't be able to shield them from the media reports forever. Due to Mark's prominence in the community and Steve's position within the police department, Jesse feared the media would be more relentless that usual. He was about to call Amanda when a soft knock on the French doors startled him into almost dropping the phone. Looking over his shoulder he was relieved to see Amanda through the window.
"Why didn't you use the front door?" he asked after letting her in.
"You obviously haven't looked out there yet. Several members of the local media have set up camp. Emma and I could see them as we drove up so she let me out and I came up the beach. She's chasing them away."
"Who's chasing who away?"
Neither Jesse nor Amanda had heard Steve and Mark enter the kitchen. "Emma is asking the media to leave. They were outside the front door when we got here."
Steve swore under his breath. Before he could see if she needed any help, Emma appeared at the French doors and let herself in.
"Are they gone?"
Emma nodded. "There'll be an extra black and white patrolling for the next few days to make sure nobody has a chance to get too close."
"Thanks, Emma."
"What have you found out?"
"Not much," Emma admitted reluctantly. "We had to contact Oregon authorities to find out for sure what kind of car Carol was driving. It hasn't shown up and neither has her purse. But there are a lot of dumpsters in the area and the guys are still going through them. They're not giving up. Nobody's giving up. We're going to find whoever did this."
"What about the autopsy?"
Amanda didn't bother to consult the file on the counter in front of her. She didn't have too. She had committed the results to memory. "Pretty much as we expected. Carol had bruises on her upper arms and shoulders consistent with someone grabbing her. She had traces of skin under her fingernails but not enough to use for a DNA sample." Anticipating Steve's next question she added quietly, "The rape kit came back negative. Carol wasn't sexually assaulted before or after her death."
Mark's shoulders sagged with relief at the news. He'd hated the thought that somebody could've further violated his daughter. From the look on Steve's face it was obvious to Mark that he, too, had been wrestling with the same fear.
"Did you run a tox screen?"
"Nothing significant showed up. Just some ibuprofen. Full results won't be back until tomorrow."
Jesse cleared his throat. "What about Andrea? Or Vince and Malcolm?" he asked, referring to the trio responsible for murdering Bruce.
"All three are still guests of the State of California. I have people checking the visitor logs, the phone records and doing interviews to determine if one or more of them are responsible."
The group fell silent each person sifting through the limited information they had in an attempt to figure out who would want to harm Carol. Amanda sighed silently thinking about how many times they had worked at solving a murder sitting around this same table. If it weren't for Carol's name on the folder in front of her, they could be discussing any one of those previous cases. Amanda regretted having to bring up the next subject, but she couldn't put it off any longer.
"Mark, by tomorrow we'll be ready to release Carol's body. I'll need to know who to.where to." Amanda silently cursed her stumbling tongue. "I'll need to know which mortuary you'd like me to call."
Mark looked at Steve in despair. "We never talked about these things with Carol. We have no idea what her wishes were."
"I think she'd probably like to be buried next to Mom."
"Then that's what we'll do, I guess," Mark said. "We can make the arrangements with the same mortuary that did your mother's. I have the information in my desk somewhere."
"We'll find it and call Amanda with it later. Okay, Amanda?"
Amanda swallowed the lump in her throat. "Sure," she replied, huskily.
"What about clothes?" Mark asked with despair. "We don't have anything for Carol to wear."
Steve assured his father they would find something for her to wear. "If we don't get her suitcase back, then we'll go out and buy something special."
Emma watched sadly as Steve and Mark went to the living room to look for the mortuary information. "Sometimes this job sucks," she commented, bitterly.
Jesse and Amanda nodded in agreement. "What's your next step?" Jesse asked.
"Since we don't know anyone here who'd have a motive for wanting Carol dead, I'm going to call the Portland PD. See if maybe they can't interview her coworkers and neighbors to help us get a lead."
"When you get a hold of someone there could you pass the name on to me?" Amanda asked.
"Sure," Emma replied. "What do you want it for?"
"I just had an idea on how I could help Mark and Steve. I don't want to say anything yet until I know for sure if it'll work."
"Anything I can do to help?" Jesse asked.
"Not at the moment, but I'll let you know."