Chapter 15
The morning dawned cloudy but warmer, the temperature hovering near the freezing mark. Last night’s snowfall amounted to about three inches of the powdery white stuff, and already water was beginning to drip from the eaves of houses. Deidre drove straight to the hospital to check on the girl she had rescued.
She entered through the main entrance and found the information desk. “May I help you,” the volunteer asked.
“Yes, I’d like the room number of a young lady admitted yesterday afternoon. Her room probably has a guard at the door.”
The volunteer looked through her list of patients. “I need to know the nature of your visit and see your ID before I can release that information. Something pretty dangerous must be going on. I’ve never had a request like this before.”
Deidre produced her BCA badge along with her photo. The volunteer examined the plastic cards intently before handing them back. “She is in room 218. Check in at the nurses station before going to her room.”
Deidre took the stairs. She remembered how slowly the elevator responded and knew she could get there faster by walking. She turned left down the hall and stopped at the nurses’ station. A nurse was so intent on his charting that he didn’t raise his head. After waiting a few seconds, Deidre cleared her throat, and he quickly looked up. “I’m sorry, can I help you,” he asked, keeping his finger on the page where he had been writing.
“I’d like to visit the patient in room 218. The person at information said to check with you first.”
“No visitors allowed. Dr. Hrovich’s attending her. He left word that only a Deidre Johnson is to be allowed to see her.” Deidre could see in his eyes that he connected the dots. “Are you Deidre Johnson?”
Deidre smiled at him, thankful that the doctor had not forgotten. “I am. Can I go to her room now?”
“Just a moment please. I need to see your official ID and your driver’s license.” She produced both, pleased that security was tight.
“Go ahead. Hers is the last door on the right.” He motioned the direction for Deidre to go.
The door was marked by a deputy sitting in a chair outside the room, and Deidre nodded to him as she reached for the doorknob. He leaped from his chair. “I’m sorry. This room is off limits,” he ordered, and his hand moved to his hip.
He was a young man hired after Deidre’s resignation as sheriff, and it hadn’t dawned on her he had no clue who she was. “It’s okay. I’m Deidre Johnson. I’m with the BCA. Doctor Hrovich’s expecting me.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I’ll have to see your ID before I can let you in.”
Again, Deidre had to fumble through her pocket for the required proof of who she was. The deputy knocked on the door and opened it for her. “Sorry about the stop, ma’am, but orders are orders.”
Deidre was a little miffed by the ma’am part. Suddenly she felt old.
Doctor Hrovich was sitting in a chair, staring at the girl. When he looked up, Deidre noted the dark bags under his eyes. He looked as though he hadn’t slept at all.
“Hello, Ms. Johnson,” he said, not bothering to stand. “Have a seat so we can talk. I’m leaving in a short while, but I’ll have a report sent to you tomorrow. In the meantime, we have to decide what we’re going to do with this child. I’m quite sure she’s of Native American descent. At least her physical characteristics point in that direction. She’s been terribly traumatized, so much so that she has completely withdrawn into her own cocoon. Look at her.”
Deidre had avoided looking directly at the motionless form lying under the sheet. She forced herself to look. The girl lay on her right side, knees drawn up to her abdomen, her arms wrapped around her chest. Her chin was drawn down onto her sternum, and every now and then her feet twitched in spasms.
What was most disturbing to Deidre were the girl’s eyes. They were wide open but not blinking, expressionless, and to Deidre it appeared that all spark had left them. She looked like a breathing corpse.
“I don’t know what it’d take to bring her back to this world, or if that is even possible anymore. Last night, I told you about her physical problems, but I can’t look into her mind. I’m recommending she be moved to a hospital in Duluth, to a psychiatric ward. She needs the intensive psychological care they can offer. Even then, I’m not sure what can be done. She’ll recover from the physical abuse, but I have to believe her mind will be scarred forever.”
He sighed deeply and then sat still.
“I need to do a couple of things, doctor. First, I need to fingerprint her, and second, I need to have a buccal swab taken for a DNA test. Can I do that?”
“No need,” he responded. “The sheriff was here last evening after the guard was posted, which, by the way, is prudent, I believe, not only to keep intruders out, but also to not allow her to leave if she should revive enough to try an escape. Anyway, he took prints and a sample for testing last night. He seems like a good man.”
“The best,” Deidre said in a quiet voice.
The doc continued. “Part of my job is to testify in trials involving child abuse cases. Catch whoever did this, and I’ll crucify him from the witness stand.”
He sat in silence, looking at his patient, and then forced himself from his chair. “I’ve got to be going. I’m set to testify at one o’clock against a father who intentionally scalded his two-year-old son. Who spawns these bastards I’ll never figure out.”
Doctor Hrovich left the room without saying goodbye. Deidre followed him out the door.
*****
“Good mornin’, Boss Lady,” Jill’s chipper voice sang out as Deidre entered her office. “I’ve got some info for you that I think might wake you up.”
Deidre was getting used to her secretary’s greeting. At least she didn’t rankle at the words anymore. She poured herself a cup of coffee. “I hope it is better news than I’ve had so far this morning.”
“Yesterday, you asked me to check on this guy, Jason Leder. You were right. He has Canadian citizenship, but that hasn’t stopped him from having a record here in the U.S. Check this out.” She handed Deidre a piece of paper, and she quickly scanned down the sheet.
June 2, 2006. Implicated in prostitution case—Dismissed from Minnesota 4th District Court.
September 9, 2008. Implicated in child pornography case—Dismissed from Minnesota 4th District Court.
December 18, 2009. Implicated in prostitution case—Dismissed from Minnesota 4th District Court.
July 22, 2010. Arrested with juvenile female in car—Charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor—Dismissed from Minnesota 4th District Court on technicalities.
There were a few other minor infringements recorded: speeding, disorderly conduct, running a red light. Deidre ignored those, but she focused on the pattern of offenses that fit the case she was tracking.
Jill interrupted her thought. “Now here’s what you’ll want to hear. The judge in each of the possible sex cases was none other than your friend, Tony DeMarcus. Not only that, but Leder’s attorney in each case was the same person, Gerald Colter II. He’s the one who represented Billy Evers the time he dodged the bullet and got off without so much as a slap on the wrist. Remember him? He lives here, in Two Harbors.”
“Oh, I remember him all right,” Deidre said, disdain dripping from her words, but she didn’t elaborate. “Tell you what, Jill. It’s almost noon. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off. Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving, and you probably could use the time to get ready. I’m heading to Duluth to spend the evening with a friend and his daughters, and I won’t mind getting an early start. That okay with you?” Deidre realized she had just asked permission of her employee to leave work early.
“I don’t have anything planned for tomorrow,” Jill said. “I’ll catch the evening community church service, and do some reading tonight. I’ll watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on TV tomorrow and then some football. Maybe read a little more.”
“Don’t you have family?” Deidre queried.
There was an uncomfortable pause. “Not around here.”
“Well, rest up. My guess is we’ll have some heavy lifting on Monday. See you then.”
The women left the office together, and Jill locked the door behind them.