12th Precinct, Present Time
To Serve and Protect
Chapter Six - Needle In A Haystack
The identity of vic four came in as one Angeline Cummins, currently doing temp work after having been laid off from her last job. Her identity was found from dental records. She also clicked all the boxes in the MO of the prep and had been treated at Presbyterian Hospital. Federal funding covered most her treatment, except for incidentals, which her co-pay from her health insurance took care of. Her covid, like the other vics, was cured on its own, and then she was released after 10 days. She was also reported missing by two of her room mates who shared an apartment with her.
"So basing our investigation on Jordan Shaw's profiles, the prep has a close friend and maybe his only friend who die of Covid, but our prep recovered. That has led him to a extreme case of survivor's remorse. He was developed a resentment for covid survivors and seeks them out to kill them so as to 'even the score' with them. The profile of our vics is one of a health professional who our prep blames for his friend's death. A person whose inadequate treatment of his friend resulted in death", Rick Castle briefs Alpha team.
"A second likely profile is that he is striking out at his mother", Rick continues his brief, "a mother who may have been involved in past pandemics, so much so, that our prep felt he was neglected by his mother. He is trying to strike back at his mom. The vics features may be that of his mother. So as you are out in the field pay attention to a possible suspect that fit these profiles. Jordan cautions these are all initial profiles subject to change. The more accurate profile could be a hybrid or combination of these scenarios, or one completely different. However, if someone pops up during investigation who fits one of these likely profiles, tag him as a person of interest. We also need to look at related health care workers such as EMT's, lab tech, and the like. So let's broaden our field of suspects."
"Thanks for the brief, Castle", lead detective Esposito says, "Based on this profile, be on the alert for a suspect who matches. Let's get on Alpha we need to find this guy before we get other vics."
Gregg Fletcher
Gregg is at his computer preparing this month's billing statements to go out to health care patients who were clients. Gregg had at one time been an EMT, an extremely capable EMT, who had been given awards for his skills. He quit that job after the death of his wife, who as a nurse for DWB, and had contacted Dengue Fever treating an outbreak in 2015-2016 in Indonesia, hard hit at the time. Gregg and his wife were childhood sweethearts who had grown up together thru grade school up to college. She had been the only women he had ever been with as Gregg tended to be a loner with few friends, let alone female friends.
When his wife died from the disease, he was devastated. He took 30 days Bereavement Leave but was still suffering from her loss when he returned to work. His sorrow for her death and her loss in his life had affected his job and his performance declined. Eventually he quit his EMT profession and took a job as a claims adjuster for a third party contractor for many of the national medical insurance firms. It was an easy job for a man of his intellect and skill, but he could do it without being effected by triggering memories his wife's untimely death. As an EMT, he had treated many suffering patients and that evoked his grief for the loss of his wife. Reminded thru those patients that his one and only love had been a nurse treating ill patients like the ones Gregg saw daily as an EMT.
Then he discovered something that shook him to his core. During her DWB missions, his wife had cheated on him with a doctor on her team. He and Sharon, his wife, had been having intimacy difficulties. Specifically, Gregg was dysfunctional in the bedroom and had a difficult time having intercourse. Sharon had been so understanding and patient with him and that did bring about consummation of their marriage, but instances of carnal intimacies were few and far between for them. It took patience and effort on Sharon's part to have Gregg complete their physical intimacy. So Gregg blamed himself for her betrayal, but it drove him to extreme anger because Greg had felt she had betrayed him twice. Once by dying, and secondly by her infidelity.
He sought revenge on her by killing the image of her. His job had provided a list of potential victims, a target rich environment as it were. He would find their names on the data base; discover thru their billing statements that they had been infected and cured of this latest viral outbreak known as Covid. But his target list did not give him all the info he needed. They needed to look like his wife, and they needed to be single and untouched. So he stalked his victims to see if they fit this image that he had in his mind so as to exact revenge on these copycat images of his wife. He had now four victims and he would continue until his need for revenge was satisfied.
At The Airport
"Lexy why do you have to leave us? We want you with us", says Lily to her older sister.
"Oh Lily, big sis will not be gone forever. I will be coming back and then you and our brothers can play with me like you always do", Alexis held back the tears. She would miss her siblings so, but they would also motivate her to stay safe and return.
She turns to her father and step mother, "Well dad, momma Kate (a term she used when addressing Kate in the presence of her siblings), I guess it's time to say goodbye for now."
"Come here Pumpkin, group hug", says Rick and they all form a ring around her, the adults link with arms holding on to shoulders, the kids hugging the legs of their sister, mom and dad. The group hug finished, Alexis goes to her gate to board her plane to the Ukraine.
"Mommy, why does Lexy have to go", Reece and Jackson both ask of Kate.
"Oh sweeties, it is part of Alexis' job. She has to leave us to do her job."
"I don't like her job mommy, can't Lexy get a new job?", says Lily showing a frown on her face.
Kate does not know how to respond to her children, but Rick saves the day.
"We should all be happy for Lexy, let's celebrate with ice cream!"
"YEAH!", all three say, Reece and Jackson jumping for joy from their dad's proposal.
Kate looks at her husband and mouths a silent "Thank You" to Rick.
Rick gives Kate a wink in response to her silent message.
The family goes to find the closest airport outlet that sells ice cream.
On the plane as Alexis grabs her seat in Business Class and then pulls out a family picture from her travel bag. She places her travel bag in the space in front of her feet and below the passenger seat ahead of her. It fits there nicely. The picture she pulled out shows her Dad and Kate seated, Alexis standing behind her parents, in the middle of them, and her sister and brothers seated in a straight row at the foot of their parents. It is the latest family picture they had taken last Thanksgiving to be included in the Christmas Cards her parents sent out that Holiday Season.
She touches the image of each one of them in the picture and when done, kisses the family pic and places it in the pouch of her passport purse. Somehow her staff had managed to get her the status of a press rep for the State Department, that allowed her to travel under an official government passport, with a Press Corps Stamp on her entry page. This status would eliminate all the red tape and fees associated with a standard passport, making check-in quicker for her thus allowing her a quicker process on arrival as well as departure. Still as backup, Alexis carried her other personal passport.
Alexis tries to relax for her trip and is helped when the Flight Attendant gives her the always complimentary Champagne offered to Business Class travelers. It will be a long flight and Alexis puts on her provided headphones, set to play her favorite music. She leans back into her seat, straps on her seat belt, and prepares for takeoff.
Back At The 12th
Rick Castle is pondering the profile given by Jordan Shaw, but he is going on her suggestion to look into other health care related professions. He has guessed that whatever related job it is, it must provide the prep easy access to medical info on his victims . What kind of related jobs in health care did that? He is going over the discussions alpha team had done brainstorming their case. He recalls someone saying the info might be some sort of computer data base. He is trying to think what kind of medical jobs have computer aided tasks, which in present times is a large number, a big haystack from which he was trying to find the needle in that stack.
Rick recalls that someone had suggested a hospital database, but those medical records were covered by doctor-patient confidentiality and only available to doctors and nurses of those patients they were treating. No the data base had to be fairly 'public' and readily accessible by non doctors and nurses. Rick decides to take a break and heads for the coffee machine in the kitchenette. On the way, he passes Kate's office and she calls out to him.
"CI Castle, a word please", he hears as he gets past her office.
He stops, turns around, and enters her office, "You needed to see me Captain?"
"Close the door please."
"What's up?"
"Personal business, that's why I asked you to close the door."
"Okay."
She hands him a bill from the Child Care center, "This was sent to me to verify your official status with the NYPD to certify the discount for our kids. Could you drop it off when you pick up the kids. I got a meeting at 1PP so you have the duty on this."
"Can do."
She sees the coffee cup Rick is holding, "Taking a coffee break?"
"Yeah, been racking my brain trying to figure out what type of computer data base might our prep have that gives him info to determine possible vics cured of covid. If it is privileged data base covered by Doctor-Patient confidentiality that limits the pool of possible preps. It has to be a more general data base, almost public, as it were, that allows our prep a target list of potential victims. Looking into health insurance billing as a possible lead. Maybe that kind of data base provides such info?", as he speaks, Rick is holding the Child Care verification in his hand tapping it to the top of his head like he is hoping it will jog his brain for an answer. He stops what he was unconsciously doing and looks at the document.
Upon looking at the it, a light turns on in his mind, "A billing data base for health care rendered", he says out loud. Then steps up to Kate behind her desk, gets in her personal space and plants a kiss to the top of her head.
"Thanks hon, got an idea", he says heading for the kitchenette for coffee.
Kate sits behind her desk wondering. What had she just done to render such a reaction from her CI husband. She would soon find out.
With coffee cup filled, Castle heads back to his desk and his computer. He brings up their last billing from their health care provider when they had taken Reece in for a cold and fever. He goes thru the line item from the bill:
Urgent care visit/Physical exam...$350
Prescription Childrens' cough suppressant...$15
Childrens' Tylenol...$6.50
Total...$371.50
Copay...$35.00 (Amount Paid By Patient)
Current charges due...$0.00
He needed no medical background to guess this was a bill for treatment of flu/cold. Could someone with a medical background figure out from a bill that it was for a covid treatment?
Bingo! That could be how the prep was getting a target list for his victims. If he then stalked them, the prep could determine if the vic fit his MO.
Rick gets up from his desk and goes to Javi's desk.
"Espo, I think I have figured out how our prep gets medical info on his vics to determine if they fit his MO", he says to him.
"What do you have Castle?"
He tells Javi of his research.
"Castle, I think you just gave us a solid lead, let's brief Beckett."
He and Rick go to Kate's office, but she has someone in her office.
"Enter", she tells them when Kate sees them at her door and waves them into her office.
When they enter, Kate makes introductions, "Det. Esposito and Consultant Castle, these are our latest victim's roommates, Jan Lawson and Tracy Goddell, in for an interview."
They exchange hand shakes and then Rick volunteers to take them to the Conference Room for an interview. On the way he sees Witaker and Ellis and ask them to conduct the interview. Gives Ryan an update on the recent activities and has Ryan go with him to Kate's office. When they get there, Espo is done telling Kate about Rick's lead. Kate has them running down the lead for a list of potential persons of interest to interview. It looked like they were making progress on finding their serial killer.
