SERVICE
Dr. Bakersfield did not look happy to see me as I walked up to him in the hallway. He was doing rounds at Mercy Hospital. He looked busy and so I was catching him at good time for interrogation.
I was stone-faced as I waited for him to finish talking with some nurses and another doctor. When they all dispersed, he walked over to me.
“This can’t be good if you’re back, detective,” said Bakersfield. “What is it?”
We walked over to an area where there were no people and I thought I saw his hand shaking.
“Ivory Shaw was pregnant,” I said.
“What? It wasn’t mine,” he said. “We hadn’t been together in months. No way.”
“How do I know that? I’m gonna need some DNA, just to rule you out. You can fight it but then you’d need a lawyer and all kinds of questions might be asked— publicly.”
“Jesus, Jesus,” he said. “This is some kind of nightmare.”
I knew it wasn’t his baby but I needed him motivated.
“When Ivory stalked you, you said she came to your offices. How did she get in to see you?” I asked.
“She pretended to be a patient, said she needed a doctor, then she asked for a second opinion and like a fool, I walked in and there she was, half naked, grinning at me like the devil.”
“Who was the other doctor?”
“One of my partners, Dr. Bell-Ross, Sandra.”
“I’m going to need to talk to her,” I said.
“She’s not at the office,” said Bakersfield. “She’s been sick. Her husband called in for her.”
I had a feeling of dread. I saw RaRa laying dead in Wyandotte and felt an urge to bolt for the door.
“When was the last time you saw her?”
“Three days ago, I think. She looked fine then.”
I got Dr. Bell-Ross’ number and address and then I had Bakersfield put some hair into an evidence bag and I left. I would make him sweat it out on the DNA test, or maybe I’d never call him back.
I called Dr. Ross on my way to her house but got her voicemail. I didn’t leave a message and just kept driving out to Grosse Pointe Shores.
GPS was one of those areas that just made you mad when you went there. The homes were all huge with prices in the seven figures. I didn’t know being a doctor was so lucrative. I guessed that Dr. Bell-Ross already had the money before she went to medical school.
Now it was making more sense to me. A rich person could throw a baby into an inner city girl and not be caught and who knows why rich people did the crazy shit they did these days.
The house on Lakeshore Road looked like something out of a travel brochure. It was enormous and the land seemed to go on forever. I was stopped by a guard who came out of a little booth.
“Detroit police,” I said showing him my badge and ID. “Need to see Dr. Sandra Bell-Ross.”
“The doctor’s not well,” said the guard who was a black man about sixty or so.
“She got a husband or grown kids I can talk to?” I asked. I was not buying this sick thing but I didn’t want to piss the man off.
“Damn, I thought you was shittin’ me with that voice,” said the guard. “You a real wigger, huh?’
“We don’t like the W-word,” I said laughing. He laughed with me.
“I knew a white kid just like you,” said the guard. “Donald Dees, a good man.”
“Look, I know she ain’t sick,” I said. “I’m worried about her. When did you see her last?”
The guard looked around then moved closer to me.
“Something damned sure ain’t right,” he said. “The doc never came back home three days ago. Her husband’s been around and he looks like shit. They ain’t got no kids.”
“Where was she coming from three nights ago, work?” I asked.
“Naw, she went to her yoga class. Got it on the schedule. She never came back. The day guard confirmed it. Husband’s been acting like everything’s okay, saying she’s sick but none of the staff have seen her. You ask me, she’s dead.”
I got the husband’s name, Thom Ross.
I got Dr. Ross’ plate number and her husband’s cell number from the guard but I was sworn to secrecy.
If I tried to question the husband, he would hide behind a gang of lawyers. If no one filed a missing persons on her, it could be a while.
If he had killed her, he would have made his move by now. The police would be out looking for her while her body was somewhere decomposing. He was still around the house and in the city, so that meant someone had snatched her. A kidnapping made more sense.
I said goodbye to the guard whose name was Horace and took the long drive back into the city. I could have waited for the husband but time was not on my side. Three days into a kidnapping was a long time. Chances were she’d be dead in a week if it went on that long. Otherwise, the husband would pay and everyone would pretend like it never happened. Either way, I’d never find my killer.
I went to the precinct and found the info on Dr. Bell-Ross’ car. I knew a thief would ditch the plates but they could not change the vehicle ID. It was not on the stolen or found car list and so maybe it had been chopped up.
It was a high-end Mercedes AMG, so I took a chance that it had that service, Tele-Aid. It did and it was simple to get the tracking on it.
The service showed that the car left her yoga place at seven thirty-nine three days ago and then headed east. Then the signal went out.
I got the location and headed out. I had been running all day and it was already dark. I drove over the Detroit Grosse Pointe border and looked around but found nothing. If they ditched the ride, then someone took it and that was that. Smart move, I thought.
I was exhausted. Working alone was good but I wanted to have someone to bounce ideas off. I almost called Vinny but she’d want to come out with me and I didn’t want that. The family was doing their thing and honestly, I didn't want her on the street this time.
I called Grosse Pointe PD but they had nothing on the car either. I decided to call it a night. I’d be refreshed the next day I told myself.
On my way back home, I called the Samoan again but again, I got no answer. His place was on the way back to my house, so I decided to drop by and get his favor out of my life.
The people living at Jimmy’s were now all on the inside as it was much to cold to hang out in the old parking lot. The vans were still there though and I assumed business was going on inside them.
The inside of the place was an office but many of the walls had been knocked down and the debris cleared away. Graffiti covered the walls in vivid colors and on one wall, there was a full-sized portrait of Jimmy.
The people were still doing what they did, smoking drinking and partying. The fight pit was gone but many of the fighters were still there.
Jimmy and his crew were inside playing cards and dominoes and drinking. I saw Vollo at a table. When he saw me, the smile fell off his face.
“‘Bout time,” said Jimmy getting up.
“Been busy,” I said. “What you need?”
“Nothing,” said Jimmy. “I got something for you. Been calling for days now. Yo, that was some gangsta shit you did to that dirty cop.”
Some of the crew echoed this statement.
“So, what can I do for you?” I asked impatiently.
“I need a rematch with you!” yelled Vollo. He had stood up and looked angry as hell.
“It’s been a long day,” I said. “Ain’t got time to teach you another lesson.”
The crew all laughed and Vollo pushed over a table and stormed over to me. Jimmy turned to him and stopped him with a look.
“You must wanna fight me,” said Jimmy.
I took it that Jimmy was a good fighter because Vollo looked scared at these words. Jimmy was big and muscular and really quick on his feet. Didn’t know if I could take him but Vollo knew and he took a step back.
“No,” said Vollo.
“Go and get that new girl.”
Vollo turned and walked out as Jimmy turned back to me.
“Excuse him,” said Jimmy. “He’s been upset since the fight. Boys been calling him Slap behind his back.”
“Why am I here?” I asked.
“Got a new girl and she’s trying to buy her way out of my service with information. She says her man kidnapped a rich white lady. Now, I’m thinking there’s got to be a reward, right? I hook you up, you do the hero thing, then you help a brother out when you get her back.”
Suddenly, I wasn’t tired anymore. Some fool asses took Dr. Bell-Ross and one of them was bragging about it. If she wasn’t dead, I just caught a break. Mentally, I was pissed because if I had gotten to Jimmy the first time he called, I could have been on this sooner, instead of chasing my ass around looking for that car, which was probably being sold in pieces all over metro Detroit by now.
“I’m listening,” I said remaining cool.
Just then, my man Vollo walked in with a very pretty girl by his side. She walked over boldly and had no fear in her eyes.
“Yo woman, come over here,” said Jimmy.
Vollo stopped and walked back to the crew while the girl came to us. She looked upset now that she was closer but that stood to reason as Jimmy was running his usual game on her. She glanced at me, then fixed her gaze on Jimmy.
“Who this?” said the woman.
“He can get you out of your situation,” said Jimmy. “So, tell him what you told me, Impala.”