death for both men was just after one in the morning.”
A group of young students walked in, and Heidi’s eyes went to them. She watched them a while and then turned back to Stanton.
“For severe shock of the type you’re talking about, where it could cause cardiac arrest, the wounds would have to be inflicted long before the time of death. The trauma would have to be sustained over a prolonged period.”
He nodded. It had somehow slipped his mind that she was a physician and would know that. “Yeah. We think the torture began somewhere around five in the evening.”
“I work until eight, as you just saw.”
He nodded. An emotion came over him just then, and he wasn’t sure what it was exactly. He couldn’t identify it. A mixture of disappointment that he hadn’t found his collar, and a sense that he hadn’t wanted it to be her.
“Why does Baby Dolls Companions have you listed as one of their employees?”
She placed both hands around the cup of coffee as though warming her fingers. “I have no idea. You’ll have to ask them.”
Stanton took out his cell phone and pretended to take a note. Instead, he opened the camera app and snapped a photo of Heidi.
He debated what to do next. To inform her that she was about to have an arrest warrant executed and shouldn’t go into work tomorrow was a crime. But he also couldn’t let her be tackled by some overzealous rookies on their first takedown.
“You have to do something for me, Heidi. And you have to believe that it is the best thing for you… you have to go down to the police station and turn yourself in. Call in sick to work for tomorrow and just go down now and tell them you think there’s an arrest warrant out for you.”
Her eyes widened. “Is there? Are they going to arrest me at the hospital?”
“Not if you turn yourself in.”
“But I came with you. I told you everything you wanted to know.”
He nodded. “I know. But it’s not my call. Just turn yourself in tonight. Okay?”
They looked at each other a moment longer than Stanton was comfortable, and she said, “Okay.”
He rose. “We’ll talk again, I’m sure.”
As he was walking away, she said, “Detective?”
“Yeah?”
“You believe me, don’t you? That I didn’t kill anyone?”
He hesitated a moment and then said, “Yeah. I do.”
24
Stanton parked outside Baby Dolls Companions, though there was nothing marking it as such, and went inside. The woman from before, Autumn, wasn’t there but another girl, young and blonde, was standing behind a desk flipping through some paperwork.
“Can I help you?” she said.
“Yes,” he pulled up his phone and showed her the photo he’d taken of Heidi. “Does she work here?”
“Oh, Heidi. Yeah. Did you want to set an appointment with her?”
Stanton’s heart dropped. “No, thank you.” He turned to leave.
“Her hair’s different, though.”
He stopped. “Excuse me?”
“Her hair. It’s a lot longer. And a different color. Was she wearing a wig?”
Stanton looked at the photo. He had seen her hair from up close. It was not a wig. “What color is her hair?”
“Black. About shoulder length.”
He walked back to the desk. “When is the next appointment Heidi has available?”
She opened a tab on the computer. “Um… let’s see… looks like next Tuesday night. So what is that, like five days? Did you want to set it now?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay, we just need a major credit card. We place a hold on it but don’t run it until after the date.”
Stanton grinned. That was a clever way to have the escorts upsell services during the date. “Sure.” He handed her his credit card. She ran it and opened a file on the computer with his name. She then handed him a printout with the amount held, $2,500, and the date of the meeting printed across the top. On the bottom was an illustration of a heart with an arrow through it.
“And where will I be meeting her?”
“We’ll
A group of young students walked in, and Heidi’s eyes went to them. She watched them a while and then turned back to Stanton.
“For severe shock of the type you’re talking about, where it could cause cardiac arrest, the wounds would have to be inflicted long before the time of death. The trauma would have to be sustained over a prolonged period.”
He nodded. It had somehow slipped his mind that she was a physician and would know that. “Yeah. We think the torture began somewhere around five in the evening.”
“I work until eight, as you just saw.”
He nodded. An emotion came over him just then, and he wasn’t sure what it was exactly. He couldn’t identify it. A mixture of disappointment that he hadn’t found his collar, and a sense that he hadn’t wanted it to be her.
“Why does Baby Dolls Companions have you listed as one of their employees?”
She placed both hands around the cup of coffee as though warming her fingers. “I have no idea. You’ll have to ask them.”
Stanton took out his cell phone and pretended to take a note. Instead, he opened the camera app and snapped a photo of Heidi.
He debated what to do next. To inform her that she was about to have an arrest warrant executed and shouldn’t go into work tomorrow was a crime. But he also couldn’t let her be tackled by some overzealous rookies on their first takedown.
“You have to do something for me, Heidi. And you have to believe that it is the best thing for you… you have to go down to the police station and turn yourself in. Call in sick to work for tomorrow and just go down now and tell them you think there’s an arrest warrant out for you.”
Her eyes widened. “Is there? Are they going to arrest me at the hospital?”
“Not if you turn yourself in.”
“But I came with you. I told you everything you wanted to know.”
He nodded. “I know. But it’s not my call. Just turn yourself in tonight. Okay?”
They looked at each other a moment longer than Stanton was comfortable, and she said, “Okay.”
He rose. “We’ll talk again, I’m sure.”
As he was walking away, she said, “Detective?”
“Yeah?”
“You believe me, don’t you? That I didn’t kill anyone?”
He hesitated a moment and then said, “Yeah. I do.”
24
Stanton parked outside Baby Dolls Companions, though there was nothing marking it as such, and went inside. The woman from before, Autumn, wasn’t there but another girl, young and blonde, was standing behind a desk flipping through some paperwork.
“Can I help you?” she said.
“Yes,” he pulled up his phone and showed her the photo he’d taken of Heidi. “Does she work here?”
“Oh, Heidi. Yeah. Did you want to set an appointment with her?”
Stanton’s heart dropped. “No, thank you.” He turned to leave.
“Her hair’s different, though.”
He stopped. “Excuse me?”
“Her hair. It’s a lot longer. And a different color. Was she wearing a wig?”
Stanton looked at the photo. He had seen her hair from up close. It was not a wig. “What color is her hair?”
“Black. About shoulder length.”
He walked back to the desk. “When is the next appointment Heidi has available?”
She opened a tab on the computer. “Um… let’s see… looks like next Tuesday night. So what is that, like five days? Did you want to set it now?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay, we just need a major credit card. We place a hold on it but don’t run it until after the date.”
Stanton grinned. That was a clever way to have the escorts upsell services during the date. “Sure.” He handed her his credit card. She ran it and opened a file on the computer with his name. She then handed him a printout with the amount held, $2,500, and the date of the meeting printed across the top. On the bottom was an illustration of a heart with an arrow through it.
“And where will I be meeting her?”
“We’ll
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