23 March
8:17 Victoria Motel
John had just finished showering when there was a knock on his door. He answered it with one towel wrapped around his waist, and another draped across his neck.
"Hey." He said to Monica, walking back towards the bathroom.
"Have I caught you at a bad time?" she asked, closing the door behind her.
"Nah. Just give me a minute."
She settled herself at the table, laying out four reports and waited for John to return. When he came back he was wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. His hair was still damp and the subtle scent of ivory soap clung to his skin.
"I kinda liked what you were wearing before." Monica joked.
John grinned at her and walked over to the bar fridge, taking out two cans of coke. "You need all your concentration focused on the case here, Agent Reyes. Can't have me walkin' around distractin' ya now, can we?"
"I'll try to contain myself, John." She smiled.
He opened his can and took a drink.
"Where'd you get to today, anyway?"
"I wanted to talk to the attending doctor of the four women. There was some information I needed that wasn't in the reports."
"Like what?"
"Like I wanted to know if he ran a tox screen on their blood."
"And did he?"
"No, which was strange in of itself. I mean, it's standard procedure right? You get an unconscious patient showing up at the ER, obviously assaulted, maybe sexually, and nobody thinks to test her blood?"
"Yeah, but – wait a minute. What do you mean 'maybe sexually'? I thought these women were raped."
"The medical reports said they showed signs of sexual activity John. Not the same thing as sexual assault. None of the victims had any bruising around the thighs, or any internal bruising or tearing. Which they more than likely would have had if they were being forced. In fact, it didn't make it into the report, but the doctor said that they all showed signs of stimulation."
"Like what exactly?
"Secretions from orgasm."
"Why wasn't this in the report?"
"Sergeant McKinley told the doctor to leave it out."
"He what?"
"He said it was irrelevant to the case."
"Of all the stupid – why would he do that?"
"Maybe he thought he was doing the victims a favour. Rape cases are hard enough, without having some defence lawyer get a hold of evidence that the victim possibly enjoyed it."
"And the doctor was okay with this?"
"I guess so. He only mentioned it to me when I queried him about the tox. screen. He seemed a little defensive."
"Why did you want their blood work?" John asked curiously.
"I had a feeling it was important. Especially after our trip to see Daniel Winfield."
A grunt escaped John's lips, and Monica looked at him expectantly.
"What?"
"He's one slimy SOB, I tell ya. Tried to get a warrant for his place, but the Judge said we didn't have enough to go on."
"We'll just keep looking John. We'll find something to tie him to the assaults."
"I don't think we'll be havin' much luck there at all."
"Why not?"
"Because I think our prime suspect and the good Judge are great buddies."
"What makes you think that?"
"The framed picture of them both on the Judges mantle."
"You're kidding."
"I wish I was."
"We'll go to another judge. There's an obvious conflict of interest there."
"I tried. There's no other judge in this jurisdiction who will overrule his decision."
"So we'll go outside of the jurisdiction. We will get him John."
"Yeah." They exchanged a reassuring glance, and John asked, "So what else did you find out at the hospital?"
"Nothing really. I was hoping to find traces of drugs in their blood. Like Belladonna, Datura or Henbane."
"Why those drugs?"
"Priapus is the God of an ancient sex cult – these drugs were key ingredients in the sexual orgies of ancient fertility cults. I just figured that if the women were used in sex rites they would have been drugged to comply. Annette Franklin's testimony bears witness to that. And as these drugs are aphrodisiacs, and are still used by people today, we could have traced any sales to Daniel Winfield and tied it in with the victims blood work."
"So did the doctor say why he didn't test their blood?"
"He just said that it was a judgement call, and he didn't think it warranted it."
"Maybe he's a friend of Winfield's too."
"Maybe. But then he'd have to know what he was doing to be covering up for him. That would make him an accomplice."
"Something we can work with." John said.
"If he knows what's going on."
"Dollars to donuts he does."
8:17 Victoria Motel
John had just finished showering when there was a knock on his door. He answered it with one towel wrapped around his waist, and another draped across his neck.
"Hey." He said to Monica, walking back towards the bathroom.
"Have I caught you at a bad time?" she asked, closing the door behind her.
"Nah. Just give me a minute."
She settled herself at the table, laying out four reports and waited for John to return. When he came back he was wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. His hair was still damp and the subtle scent of ivory soap clung to his skin.
"I kinda liked what you were wearing before." Monica joked.
John grinned at her and walked over to the bar fridge, taking out two cans of coke. "You need all your concentration focused on the case here, Agent Reyes. Can't have me walkin' around distractin' ya now, can we?"
"I'll try to contain myself, John." She smiled.
He opened his can and took a drink.
"Where'd you get to today, anyway?"
"I wanted to talk to the attending doctor of the four women. There was some information I needed that wasn't in the reports."
"Like what?"
"Like I wanted to know if he ran a tox screen on their blood."
"And did he?"
"No, which was strange in of itself. I mean, it's standard procedure right? You get an unconscious patient showing up at the ER, obviously assaulted, maybe sexually, and nobody thinks to test her blood?"
"Yeah, but – wait a minute. What do you mean 'maybe sexually'? I thought these women were raped."
"The medical reports said they showed signs of sexual activity John. Not the same thing as sexual assault. None of the victims had any bruising around the thighs, or any internal bruising or tearing. Which they more than likely would have had if they were being forced. In fact, it didn't make it into the report, but the doctor said that they all showed signs of stimulation."
"Like what exactly?
"Secretions from orgasm."
"Why wasn't this in the report?"
"Sergeant McKinley told the doctor to leave it out."
"He what?"
"He said it was irrelevant to the case."
"Of all the stupid – why would he do that?"
"Maybe he thought he was doing the victims a favour. Rape cases are hard enough, without having some defence lawyer get a hold of evidence that the victim possibly enjoyed it."
"And the doctor was okay with this?"
"I guess so. He only mentioned it to me when I queried him about the tox. screen. He seemed a little defensive."
"Why did you want their blood work?" John asked curiously.
"I had a feeling it was important. Especially after our trip to see Daniel Winfield."
A grunt escaped John's lips, and Monica looked at him expectantly.
"What?"
"He's one slimy SOB, I tell ya. Tried to get a warrant for his place, but the Judge said we didn't have enough to go on."
"We'll just keep looking John. We'll find something to tie him to the assaults."
"I don't think we'll be havin' much luck there at all."
"Why not?"
"Because I think our prime suspect and the good Judge are great buddies."
"What makes you think that?"
"The framed picture of them both on the Judges mantle."
"You're kidding."
"I wish I was."
"We'll go to another judge. There's an obvious conflict of interest there."
"I tried. There's no other judge in this jurisdiction who will overrule his decision."
"So we'll go outside of the jurisdiction. We will get him John."
"Yeah." They exchanged a reassuring glance, and John asked, "So what else did you find out at the hospital?"
"Nothing really. I was hoping to find traces of drugs in their blood. Like Belladonna, Datura or Henbane."
"Why those drugs?"
"Priapus is the God of an ancient sex cult – these drugs were key ingredients in the sexual orgies of ancient fertility cults. I just figured that if the women were used in sex rites they would have been drugged to comply. Annette Franklin's testimony bears witness to that. And as these drugs are aphrodisiacs, and are still used by people today, we could have traced any sales to Daniel Winfield and tied it in with the victims blood work."
"So did the doctor say why he didn't test their blood?"
"He just said that it was a judgement call, and he didn't think it warranted it."
"Maybe he's a friend of Winfield's too."
"Maybe. But then he'd have to know what he was doing to be covering up for him. That would make him an accomplice."
"Something we can work with." John said.
"If he knows what's going on."
"Dollars to donuts he does."