The Imposter (Alexandra Destephano Book 2) Page 25

  Monique shook her head. "I don't have a clue. I think he's probably a former psych patient who somehow got hold of the real Whitset's degrees and has been pretending to be him for years! Unbelievable, isn't it?"

  Alex sighed deeply. "Yes, it is, but it does explain his outbursts this morning. He's definitely a crazy."

  Monique glared at her. "Come on, Alex, cut me some slack. You know I hate that term. It's unfair to label people like that."

  Alex waved Monique's objections away. "Okay, sorry. Anyway, we have an unbalanced, possibly very mentally ill man running our psychiatric service. Now, that's a real legal problem! Did you find anything else in his office, Monique, that could lead us to figure out who he really is?"

  "Alex, I'm freezing to death. Do you mind if I open the French doors for a few minutes? Maybe we could go outside for a few minutes so I can warm up." Monique's teeth were chattering, more from fear than the air-conditioning.

  "That'll warm you up. It's still in the high 80s out there. Hot and sultry. Nope, I don't mind. Let's do it."

  Monique unlocked the deadbolt on her French door and walked out on the balcony.

  Alex followed her. It did feel a little better. Alex was also cold.

  "Do you mind if we sit out here for a few minutes? I promise I won't keep you out here long. As soon as we warm up, we'll go back in." Monique rubbed her arms, as if to rub away the uncertainty and chill bumps.

  Alex smiled, "Of course not. These chairs look pretty comfortable." Alex seated herself. "Monique, this is really a lovely balcony." She admired the perfectly manicured, flowering plants in hanging baskets. "You are quite a gardener."

  "As are you. Yes, I love working out here. It's a great stress reliever. Where were we?"

  Alex thought back for a second. "I had just asked if you had found anything else in Whitset's -- or whoever he is -- office?"

  "No. Place was obsessively neat and clean. It was very dark in there. Drapes were completely drawn. There was nothing else significant."

  Alex pressed for more. "Tell me everything you remember about the office, Monique. Was there any correspondence on his desk, books, anything like that?"

  Monique thought hard. "He had some current psychiatric journals and textbooks lying around. The most significant things were his degrees. Of course, I could've missed something. Someone knocked on the door when I was in there. I thought I was going to have a heart attack! Scared me to death! My heart was racing!"

  "What did you do?" Alex could imagine Monique's fright and it bothered her immensely that someone knew she was in there. "Who do you think it was?"

  "It could've been the cleaning staff. Anyway, I crouched under his desk for a few minutes."

  "Did you go through his desk drawers?"

  Monique raised her eyebrows at Alex and laughed, "Of course, I did. I was playing super snoop. It was the usual stuff. Oh …." Monique's voice trailed off again.

  Perceiving that Monique had remembered something, Alex urged her. "What, Monique, what else did you see?"

  "It's probably nothing. His bottom right drawer was locked. There was a fine gold chain hanging out of it. It looked like a woman's gold chain. I only noticed it because I was hiding on the floor beside his desk." Monique's voice was noncommittal as she told the story to Alex.

  Alex's head had started thundering. She felt the hairs on her neck stand up. Her entire body went weak all over and she felt dizzy. She said to Monique in a strained voice, "Monique, are you warm enough to go in? I'm feeling really warm!"

  The psychiatrist couldn't see Alex's face in the dark, but she distinguished the change in her voice. She knew something was wrong. She said, "Sure, I've warmed up. Let's go in and have some ice coffee."

  Neither woman saw the crouched body of Lester Whitset hidden behind the latticework and a massive copper planter at the end of the balcony. He'd heard every word the women had said and he was enraged. The voices were screaming in his head. Kill … Kill … Kill. Whitset was drenched with sweat. Would the voices ever stop?

  Chapter 30

  Alex could barely breathe as she entered Monique's living room. She was weak and trembling all over. Monique looked at her strangely. "What is it, Alex? What is it?"

  For once, Alex was too frightened to speak. She was speechless.

  Monique instructed her in an authoritarian tone of voice. "Alex, take some deep breaths and calm down. You've got time. What you've got to say will keep until you get control of yourself." Monique sounded stronger than she felt. She was terrified at the look in Alex's eyes. After a minute or so, Alex was able to speak.

  "It's Whitset. It's Whitset," she gasped, stopping to take a breath. "Monique, Whitset's the one that raped and beat Angie!" Alex gasped out the words, her heart racing and pounding in her chest.

  Monique stayed calm. She faced Alex, standing by the French doors. "Whitset? How do you know, Alex? What makes you so sure?" Monique noted the fast pounding and beating of her own heart.

  "Because … because … the chain, the gold chain you saw, goes to her cross, her religious medal. Bridgett brought it to me today in the office. I took it to a jeweler this afternoon to have the chain replaced …." Alex was so weak from her discovery, she wasn't sure she could stand.

  Monique felt the force of the earth coming down on her shoulders. She could hardly speak. She was so frightened. She was about to ask Alex whether she thought Whitset was involved with Mrs. Smithson's murder, when, to her horror, her French door opened and Lester Whitset entered her living room carrying a long metal pipe.

  Alex turned and froze in place. Monique looked like a marble statue. She was transfixed. All color had drained from her face.

  Whitset stared at Monique. It happened again. She was so white. She was plastic. Once again, right in front of his eyes, she had turned to plastic. So, he had been right. The voices were screaming at him to kill the shrink. Lester watched in horror and fascination as Monique's face assumed a hard, shiny appearance. Her green eyes turned into emerald green plastic ovals. Lester could hardly stand what he was seeing.

  He stared at the psychiatrist and said in a cold, measured voice, "I'm going to kill you, you shrink bitch imposter. They are telling me to!"

  Monique spoke to him through her pale plastic lips. Lester was startled because she could speak. He had never heard an imposter talk and it confused him. Once they turned, they lost their voice, but, he recognized her voice. Yes, he said to himself, it's her, it's still the shrink bitch. Even though she is plastic, she is the same bad person.

  Whitset made no response to Monique's question. He continued to look at her, a slow smile spreading across his face. He looked very pleased with himself. Finally, he turned towards Alex and said to her in a slow and sexy voice, "Alex, I'm so glad you're here." He shook his head a little, as if to clear it. "As soon as I take care of her, we can leave. I wasn't sure you would meet me."

  Whitset raped her body with his eyes and returned to her face, his eyes boring into hers. Alex ventured a look at him out of the side of her eyes. His intent was clear. Whitset meant to rape her. A large amount of spittle had again gathered at the side of his mouth and had begun to run down his chin.

  Alex stood mutely trying to decide the best thing to do. Whitset moved closer to her, reached out and gingerly touched her. She flinched at his touch.

  Whitset became angry. He gawked at her, squinting as if to see her better. Was she one of them too? No, she didn't appear to be. Her face stayed the same. He reached out and touched her face. It was warm and soft. She didn't move. Lester was satisfied. Alex was real. She wasn't an imposter like the bitch standing next to her.

  Alex stood there, like a dead person, while Whitset began to run his hands over her body. He put his face next to hers and started to kiss her. She was overwhelmed by the smell of whiskey.

  Suddenly, he pulled back in anger. He was furious. He screamed at her. "You whore! You slut! You've been with somebody else! Who is your lover? Who have you been with, whore?" Whitse
t was dancing around with rage, waving his lead pipe madly.

  Her voice was frozen. She tried to talk, but couldn't. Only grunts came from her throat. She looked frantically at Monique.

  Monique had been contemplating the best approach to use with Whitset. She decided to try a blunt one – one that would catch him off guard and give them an opportunity to defend themselves.

  Monique addressed Whitset, her voice hard. "Whitset, what are you doing here? Don't you know the police are watching this place? They're probably looking for you by now."

  Lester looked at Monique and laughed, the sound of a maniac -- a loud, piercing, surreal laugh. "Shut up you bitch imposter! Just shut up!" He moved towards Monique and pushed her hard against the sofa. She fell backwards on it. "I'll take care of you in a minute." He turned to Alex and said in a sad, soft voice, "How could you do this to me, Alex? How could you betray me? You know I want you. I love you. We've been special for a long time. How could you be with someone else?"

  "Lester, I didn't." Alex finally found her voice and it was soft. "You look so tired. Why don't you just sit down for a few minutes and I'll get you something cold to drink. Then, we'll talk."

  Whitset smiled at Alex, the same slow, seductive smile that gave her chills. He said softly, "You're a bad girl, Alex. You're very naughty. Very, very, naughty. Lester's going to make you pay for being naughty."

  Then Whitset began to sing to her, once again in that childlike voice that rhymed.

  “Alex is a bad, bad girl,

  Bad as all girls in the world,

  Lester's going to make her pay,

  Lester's going to have his way, way, way, way….”

  The sound of his voice and the emphasis on the word "way" froze Alex's blood. She stood paralyzed with fear as he approached her.

  Whitset’s stride was broken, disjointed, as he moved towards Alex with an evil and threatening look on his face. He hurled himself toward her, the lead pipe raised in fury. He swung the pipe at her head but Alex ducked, barely missing contact with the lead. She felt the cool rush of wind whistle by her ear. The stark realization of what was happening propelled Alex into action. She moved behind the chair, ducking another swing of the pipe.

  Monique came to life and attacked the administrator from behind. She jumped on his back, her arms around his throat as she shoved her knee up into his groin. With a loud yell, Whitset threw her off and she fell to the floor, striking her head on the edge of a marble table.

  Whitset laughed at her as he clutched his groin. "Look at you, you plastic bitch. I see your plastic head did not split. As soon as you wake up, I'll really fix you. I'll split that plastic head!" Then, he began to laugh again -- the high pitched, rumbling laugh of a maniac. The sound was the most evil cacophony that Alex had ever heard. She bent to the floor to help her friend.

  Just then the phone rang. It rang three times, as Alex, who was sitting on the floor by Monique, and Whitset each looked at it. Finally, Monique's voice mail clicked on and Alex heard Commander Françoise’s voice.

  He was desperate. "Monique, where are you? Answer the phone!" There was a pause, and then Jack's voice continued, "Stay inside and lock your door! I have information on Whitset. He is parading around as his brother. I think he's Weston Whitset, the brother of Lester Whitset. If it's him, and I'm sure it is, he was locked up in the hospital for the criminally insane in Alabama for years after killing two women and possibly more. I've been here in Alabama all night gathering information. I've called the precinct and they'll be checking on you." Jack's voice stopped again. Finally, in a desperate voice he said, "I love you Monique. I'll be there soon. Please stay safe."

  Whitset went into a rage after hearing the message. He took his lead pipe and beat the phone repeatedly with it. He ripped the phone plug out of the wall. The low sound caught his attention. He whirled around in his mania and saw that Alex and Monique were talking softly. Monique was attempting to sit up. He gave another furious howl and swung the lead pipe at Monique's head, striking her fiercely on the right side. Monique immediately slumped and lost consciousness.

  Alex cringed at the sound of the pipe breaking Monique's skull. She knew Whitset's blow had been a deadly one. She watched helplessly as Whitset cut Monique's face with a knife he had in his belt.

  Alex stood up slowly, seething with hate and rage at her attacker. Her voice was filled with fury and wrath. "You crazy bastard, you've killed her!" Alex grabbed a porcelain lamp and hurled it toward Whitset. It missed him, but landed on the wrought-iron balcony, breaking into a thousand pieces.

  Whitset laughed again, the high pitch sound of a maniac, as he sprang towards Alex, knocking her to the floor. He began ripping off her clothes and hitting her in the face.

  She fought against him furiously. It was a losing battle. Whitset had the superhuman force of the criminally insane.

  Chapter 31

  Officer Josh Martin came on duty at 11. He'd learned and reported that Ms. Destephano and Dr. Desmonde had called the precinct looking for the Commander. The watch officer had described Dr. Desmonde's voice as desperate. The Commander wanted the doc's house watched and Josh agreed to cover it for the shift. Josh knew the Commander had special feelings for the psychiatrist, but he didn't know what they were and, really, it wasn't his business.

  He smiled to himself as he drove into the Quarter. He'd spent a pleasant evening with Elizabeth Tippett. They had talked about the events at CCMC, superficially of course, and he knew that Elizabeth thought something was wrong with Whitset. Josh had experienced similar feelings earlier in the day as he watched Whitset interact with patients. Anthony, the big guy, had told him on the sly that Whitset was one of them -- “one of the gang” was specifically how the wacko had put it. Josh hadn't given it much thought since and wasn't quite sure he understood what Anthony meant.

  Josh, like most policemen, hated wackos. He'd only had a little experience with them, but he knew some of them were really dangerous, especially if they did drugs and drank booze. It just seemed to make them crazier, he thought.

  Josh drove down Royal Street. It was the second time he had cruised by Dr. Desmonde's house. The front light was still on, but the French doors leading to the balcony were open. He stopped the police car just as he heard something breaking on the balcony. He immediately radioed for help, took out his 9 mm and raced towards the house, taking the steps two at a time. There was no answer at the door, so the young officer scaled the balcony and entered the living room.

  He saw the prostrate, bleeding form of Monique Desmonde on the floor and saw Whitset on top of another woman. Josh aimed his gun at Whitset's head and said "Freeze!"

  Nothing happened. Apparently, Whitset didn't hear him. Josh went over and kicked the administrator in the back. It was then that he saw Alex Destephano, her clothes all in disarray. Josh was appalled at what Whitset had done to her -- or may have done to her. The extent of the attack was unclear, so Josh could not be sure.

  Whitset looked up in surprise at the policeman. His pupils dilated with hatred. Then, in a flash, he jumped the police officer, knocking his gun from his hand as he ran out the French doors. Josh went after Whitset, but before he could catch him, Whitset jumped from the balcony and disappeared into the Quarter.

  Alex was lying on the floor. Whitset had beaten her severely in the face. Hand prints were visible on her face. Her lip was bloodied and there was a considerable amount of blood pouring from one eye. Josh bent over her and said quietly, "Ms. Destephano, can you hear me?"

  Alex was dazed, unable to talk, but nodded and pointed towards Monique.

  Josh felt for Monique's neck pulse. It was beating faintly. He felt sick as he looked at the long slash mark circling the psychiatrist white, perfectly oval face. He reached for the phone to dial 911, but the phone was dead. He grabbed his radio and called for an ambulance.

  Then he turned his attention back to Alex. She seemed more coherent and asked, "Is Monique alive?"

  Josh nodded his head. "I called f
or help. Alex, did he hurt you?"

  She gave Josh a tight smile and said, "Josh, he cut Monique's face after she was unconscious. He cracked her skull. I heard it break when he hit her with the pipe. Oh, no .…" Alex's voice began to break.

  Josh tried to hug her to offer some comfort, but she pushed him back frantically. Then, she started sobbing. Finally, she said, "Josh, call Dr. Bonnet. Call the hospital and get them to connect you. Please. He has to come take care of Monique."

  Josh left her for an instant and radioed the hospital. He returned to tell her that Dr. Bonnet was on his way. He also retrieved a quilt from Monique's bedroom and covered the psychiatrist with it.

  Alex was attempting to rearrange her clothes when she heard the police car sirens outside the apartment. Within seconds, the house was crawling with NOPD and an ambulance was outside.

  Robert appeared a few minutes later. Alex waved him towards Monique. After a cursory examination of Monique, Robert ordered an immobilizing board. He called the hospital and talked directly with neurosurgery. He returned to Alex, took her hand, and said simply, "Monique's unconscious. She's in a coma. Her pupils are barely reactive. She'll need surgery. They’re waiting for her at CCMC. It doesn't look good, Alex."

  Alex was so traumatized, the right questions wouldn't come -- that is, not the questions that she, as a nurse, would have ordinarily asked. She let Robert hold her while she sobbed quietly. Alex was still unable to speak.

  Robert sensed this and didn't ask any questions.

  Josh told Alex and Robert that they had made contact with Commander Françoise and that he would be there within minutes. He also reported there was a citywide manhunt for Whitset. The police were combing the Quarter looking for him. Josh was confident he would be apprehended soon.

  Robert thanked him, but waved away the questions he was trying to ask Alex. She looked up at him gratefully.

  Alex continued to let Robert rock her in his arms. She felt so guilty … and dirty. She hadn't been able to help her friend, and besides -- she shuddered when she thought about it and broke out into fresh sobs as the ambulance took Monique away.