Seated in the recliner while Jamie changed his calf dressing, Martin turned his focus to Tighe. “Sit-rep.”
“Department of Children’s Services and the hospital finally let us in to see the Jane Doe. Kelly and a nurse did the forensic exam.” Tighe swallowed hard. “We got prints. There was a boot mark on her back. And the bruises…” He closed his eyes. “Here are some of the pictures.” He passed his phone to Martin. “I was wondering if I can sit with her.”
“I’d be a hypocrite if I told you not to get too involved.” Martin’s eyes brightened.
Chapter Twenty
Troy Bremen forced himself to remain focused on his job.There is no discharge in war.The solitary confinement and the beating at the hands of two guards after being caught with drugs a second time confirmed the guards used prisoners to move drugs. A prisoner caught in possession protected the guards from being accused. No one would believe a prisoner twice found in possession. Their hands stayed clean. How many guards and who the supplier was remained elusive. There also was no sign of the movie productions. He was refused a request to call his attorney.
"Hey, Fish." Troy heard the bang on his door from Corrections Sergeant Alden McAllister.
"Yes, CO."
Alden unlocked the cell. "Come with me."
"Where to, CO?" He stood, heeding the order.
"Where I tell you." He was met with a jab in his tender gut. McAllister walked him out of the cellblock to a loading dock. "Remember, cooperation will keep your family safe. Now, I need you to stack those boxes.” He led Troy toward a pallet filled with non-descript brown cartons.
Troy followed the instructions, moving the boxes from a pallet to a set of wire racks. A Silverton police van backed into the loading bay. McAllister barked a new command, causing Troy to jump. "Here, help unload the van."
Upon stepping into the van, leather-gloved hands yanked his arms behind his back, and a hood was dropped over his head. Troy tamped down his instinct to fight. This was his chance to find out what was going on.
"Fish, you did good taking your punishment. Now, we will give you a real chance,” a new male voice spoke to him. He felt hands force him forward toward a bench that extended along one side of the van until he was kneeling. "Relax, Fish." His pants dropped to the floor.
Troy braced himself as small fingers forced balloons past his sphincter. "Eight balloons. All wrapped up in your safe," a deep woman's voice standing to his side said.
He was yanked out of the van and thrown on the loading dock. At the sound of the van pulling away, the hood was popped off. Troy's eyes readjusted to the light.
"Pull your pants up. Finish stacking, Fish."
Troy did everything he could to quicken his return to his cell to rid his body of the balloons. A broken balloon equaled his death. The discovery of a link in the supply chain helped shake off the revulsion caused by the invasion of his body. He needed to pass the new information he gathered and wait for someone to pick up the balloons.
"Guys, you worked with female doctors. Is there a double standard?" Martin asked.
Eric thought for a minute. "Yes and no. Most specialties are balanced. The exception is surgery—they’re the rapid deployment forces of medicine. Elizabeth—she’s Trauma Surgery, like DEVGRU. I'm sure people thought she was a selfish bitch in training. The only way for her to succeed was to be focused on the goal and sacrifice a lot. What are you thinking?"
"I'm building a profile of who wants to kill her. I also need to prove she didn't kill Randy Knox and Karl Whelan." Martin asked Jamie and Eric more questions. Grimacing, he tried to adjust his position.
"Do you want something for the pain other than ibuprofen?" Eric gave him a cup with two maroon pills and a cup of water.
Martin shook his head.
"What are you trying to figure out?" Jamie asked.
Martin finished sending a text. "Karl Whelan. His wife was treated in the ER, OR and the ICU. Elizabeth’s belongings—the murderer needed access to her personal space—home, office, locker, ICU and surgical floor. The intersection will show who framed her."
Eric grunted, "Staff."
"Makes sense. Evidence shows Randy Knox was involved in covering up prisoner abuse. He couldn't do it without help. Zach, that was fast. I just texted you."
Zach's phone vibrated. "Um." He held his phone up to show Martin the message that had just come in. He crouched, placing a hand on each of Martin's knees. "I was on my way. Newsome called. He's trying to stop Logan from acting on the warrant. SPD and the DA's office are making a political statement. People are clamoring for an arrest."
"What the hell? Where is she going?"
"Like I said, politics. Also, Talbot Reed called a media event for the morning. What did you need?"
Martin slumped in his chair. "I need you to interview Trudy Saperstein, the nurse at the prison."
