Part 23 (1/2)
”Ask the doctor to squeeze us in between appointments,” Rob told the receptionist.
Her tone was dubious. ”I'll see what I can do.”
Rob gave her his best and strongest tough cop stare. ”Do. It's a police matter. Very important.” They sat in the waiting room with one other person, an attractive woman of about twenty-five. Rob watched her read a magazine and nibble steadily at her already well-chewed fingernails. When the current appointment exited the consultation room, Rob nudged Kara and rose to his feet. He headed for the inner room door without waiting for the receptionist's okay. ”Just a minute, sir-” she began.
Rob ignored her. He didn't want to give Gates time to set himself up. He wanted to catch him off guard and keep him that way. Maybe the doctor would let something slip.
”Dr. Gates,” he said, marching up to the desk and looking down at him, ”we have a new development in the Kelly Wade case. I need to question you about it.”
”I resent this intrusion, Detective Harris,” he said, appearing properly indignant. ”Certainly this could have waited until after hours.”
”No, sir, it couldn't.” He pulled the xeroxes from his pocket and unfolded them. He glanced at Kara standing uncertainly behind him. ”Ms. Wade received this today. I need your input on it immediately.”
Rob handed the sheets to Gates and then seated himself in the chair closest to the desk where he could get a better angle on the doctor's face. He wanted to watch his expression as he read.
Rob had arranged the sheets in a specific order. First the envelope face, then the check, then the front of the electric bill, then the reverse side.
Gates' brow furrowed as he looked at the first page. It remained furrowed until he reached the fourth. Then his eyebrows shot up and he started as if someone had goosed him.
”This is incredible!” he said glancing quickly at Rob and then back down.
He glanced once at the first sheet, then went back to the fourth, shaking his head. Rob saw anger and outrage in Gates' expression, which he had expected, but he saw something else that surprised him: a sort of grudging admiration. There was even an instant when Rob could have sworn that a rueful smile had flitted across the doctor's face.
Finally he put the papers down and leaned back in his chair.
”Well!” he said. ”This is quite interesting!”
”Interesting?” Kara said. ”Is that what you call it?”
Rob had been concentrating so on Gates that he had forgotten about Kara. She was still standing behind him.
”Yes. Although I suppose it was quite frightening for you.”
”You might say that.”
Kara settled into the other chair before the desk.
”Have any idea who it is?” Rob said.
”I know exactly who she is.”
”She?”
”Yes. A paranoid schizophrenic. Delusions of being controlled by another are quite common among individuals with that diagnosis.”
”But this patient doesn't say anything about herself being controlled by you. She wrote to Kara, and she mentions Kelly.”
”Yes. But she believes I control her, as well. It's not uncommon for the paranoid schiz to see their therapist as a powerful individual with mystical powers to control people, especially themselves. After all, the purpose of my interaction with them is to help them change their behavior through therapy and medication. It's not a big step to interpret that as robbing them of control of their lives. That way they can blame me for their bizarre behavior. It's quite common, really.”
It sounded plausible to Rob, but it wasn't getting him where he wanted to go.
”What's her name?” Rob asked.
”You have chutzpah chutzpah, Detective Harris,” Gates said with a condescending smile. ”I will give you that.”
”Does that mean you refuse to identify her?”
”It does. You knew I would before you asked.”
”I can get the courts involved in this.”
”And I can suffer a memory lapse.”
An impa.s.se.
”I will find her, Dr. Gates. I know she must have regular access to you.”
”Why do you say that?”
”She knows about Kelly, she has Kara's address, and she used your personal mail to send her message.”
He smiled that irritating smile again.
”In that case, detective, I suggest you put my receptionist at the top of your list.”
”She already is.”
They stared at each other until Kara broke in.
”May I change the subject for just a moment?”
Kara knew they didn't have much time and there was something she simply had to ask Dr. Gates.
”Someone said they saw me in the Waldorf late last night.”
Dr. Gates offered her a bland expression.
”And?”
”I didn't go there-at least as far as I remember.”
”Did this person say it was you, or someone who merely looked like you?”
”Looked just like me and wearing a red leather miniskirt. This afternoon I found a red leather miniskirt hidden where Kelly-or Ingrid-used to hide her sleazy outfits.”
”You told me you have been hiding the apartment key every night. This morning-was it still in the place where you had hidden it last night?”
”Exactly.”