CHAPTER 18
NIYAH
Niyah slowly opened the door to her exam room, half expecting to find Mario on the floor bleeding to death. The thought was ridiculous, but in the back of her mind, nonetheless.
“Doctor!”
Niyah turned to the voice. It was a police sergeant, judging from the stripes on his uniform.
“This room is a crime-scene, ma’am.”
“Oh, okay.” Niyah released the door and stepped back. She walked toward her office but turned back. “Sergeant, did anyone check the hospital’s camera footage?”
“I’m only here to secure the scene, ma’am. But I’m sure that’s on the list.”
Niyah nodded and walked into her office.
As soon as she entered, she dropped her bag and went to the computer to pull up Mario’s employment file.
Other than him being engaged, she didn’t know much about his personal life.
But she did remember that he’d once said he was waiting until he could pay down his medical-school debt before he got married.
Niyah grabbed a pen and wrote down his address along with the emergency address listed in his file. She stuffed the sticky note in her purse and headed to the door. Before doing any work whatsoever, Niyah intended to offer her condolences to Mario’s family.
She left the office. And as soon as she entered the hallway, her cell phone vibrated in her purse.
After fishing it out, she stared at the screen for a few seconds, debating whether or not to answer.
Niyah almost knew why she was calling. India lived across the hall from her and, no doubt, her nosy ass had seen Xander leave earlier that morning.
Yet, she took a chance that her friend just might have something important to discuss.
“Hello?”
“Biiiiiiiiiitch! Who was that man leaving your house this morning?”
Niyah rolled her eyes. She’d rolled the dice and lost.
“He’s just a friend, India,” Niyah muttered.
“He’s a sexy-ass friend, Niyah Lee!”
“I gotta go,” she told her friend with a huff.
“Aye! Don’t be doing that shit to me! I ain’t seen you with a man since DJ crazy ass. So, of course, I’m gon’ ask.”
Niyah smiled. Maybe India wasn’t just being nosy. Maybe her curiosity was simply a show of concern. “It’s nothing. But if it’ll get you off my back, I’ll tell you all about it when I get home.”
After a brief silence, India agreed. “I’ll be at your place when you get home. I’ma make a crab boil.”
“Aww, shit, frieeeend!” Niyah sang.
Dinner cooked for her two days in a row was something she could honestly say had never happened. Sadly, not even growing up.
Seafood was her favorite, and India knew it, which meant she was fully intending on grilling her on her new friendship with Xander. “I should be home by seven.”
“Gotcha. A’ight, later.”
“Later,” Niyah concurred before ending the call.
She stepped outside and inhaled the cool morning air with thoughts of Xander and the night they’d spent together.
Although he’d spent the night, nothing had gone down.
Tabitha Creed’s son was the perfect gentleman.
After eating, they’d watched the game. As soon as it ended, Xander had sent her to bed while he cleaned up after.
Niyah hadn’t even realized he’d spent the night until she’d entered the living room and found him asleep on the couch.
And God help her, he was even more beautiful while asleep.
His thick, dark lashes swept just below his eyes, displaying a wholesomeness he must have possessed since he was a boy.
Niyah had looked just below his perfectly-structured features to his slightly parted lips and found herself more than ready to feel his lips against hers.
But with the strength of Shera, she’d turned around and tore ass outta the living room.
Another buzz from her phone snapped her back to the present. According to the screen, it was from the hospital. Niyah swiped to answer. “This Dr. Reed.”
“Good morning, Dr. Reed. It’s Deloris Young.”
“Good morning, Deloris. What’s up?”
“Two things. First, I have an on-scene investigation for you.”
Niyah frowned. Getting an assignment from the hospital administrator was highly unusual. “Deloris, I’m sorry. Why are--”
“I know it’s unusual for me to call,” said, interrupting Niyah’s inquiry. “That leads me to the second thing. Since the police have sealed your exam room, I’ve set you up in exam room four. I just didn’t want you to be lost upon your return.”
Now, the call made sense. “Thank you, Deloris.”
“No problem. Oh, and I’ve arranged for two new interns,” she added.
New interns almost seemed like an insult to Mario. His body hadn’t even hit the morgue yet. But realistically, If Niyah was expected to do her job effectively, she needed a competent staff. “Thank you, Deloris. Please have one of them send the file to my tablet.”
“Will do.”
Niyah disconnected the call and headed to her city car.
***
Niyah inched up to the crime-scene tape until one of the officers lifted it, allowing her to enter the perimeter.
After parking near the west-side address, she hopped out and grabbed her bag from the back seat.
While walking up the sidewalk, Niyah noticed not only an unusually large crowd outside the perimeter, but there were also members of the media present. “What the fuck?” she muttered.
Niyah entered the fence and jogged up the steps. “What’s with the news crew?” she asked one of the officers on the porch.
“Apparently, they got tipped off to a pattern. There’s speculation of a serial killer.”
Niyah dropped her head and blew out a frustrated breath. “Fucking drama queens,” she grumbled.
“You said it, Doc,” the officer agreed.
Niyah stepped inside to a small foyer. What looked like a house on the outside was actually a two-story apartment building. “Up or down?” she shouted at the officer.
“Up!” he returned.
Niyah made her way up the narrow stairway and entered the apartment. Inside were two officers that seemed to be working on the preliminary case report. One nodded toward the back of the apartment.
“Evidence tech here?” she asked.
“In the back.”
Niyah walked through a barren living room, which led to a cluttered dining room, and then into a hall, passing a bathroom along the way.
The hall eventually led to a filthy kitchen.
And just past the kitchen was the bedroom.
Since that was where the evidence technician was, Niyah assumed it was her crime scene.
Upon stepping inside, she immediately recognized the ET. Ernestine Brown was experienced and very thorough. She looked up from her camera. “Hey, Dr. Reed. I’ll be outta your hair in just a sec.”
“Hi.” Niyah stepped closer to the bed and looked down at the victim. “Listen, take your time. He ain’t leaving until I say so.”
Ernestine chuckled. “I suppose that’s true.”
The scene was almost identical to the others she and Bella had worked on.
It was another naked male, black with gang tattoos, lying in a pool of blood with dried semen on his genitals.
Niyah slipped into a pair of gloves and kneeled down for a closer look.
She picked up the decedent's flaccid penis and examined underneath.
Just like the others, there was evidence of friction, indicating that the victim had recently had sexual intercourse.
“Ernestine, do you know what detective is handling this case?”
Ernestine nodded. “Yeah, it’s Bella Deveraux.”
“Mm-mm,” Niyah contradicted. “Bella is out sick.”
“Well, shit. I don’t know,” she replied with a shrug.
No matter who it was, Niyah had a job to do. So, she continued her field examination.
Fifteen minutes in, she had no doubt whatsoever that they were dealing with the same killer from the other crime scenes. Niyah would bet her career on it. The rumors were correct. There was definitely a pattern. Hopefully, the crime lab would have something for them sooner than later.
Niyah was nearly done with her examination when a heavy-set, bearded ginger entered the bedroom. “You the M.E.?” he asked in a husky, smoker’s voice.
“I am,” Niyah responded. “Are you the detective on this case?”
“For now. I’m just standing in for somebody.”
“Bella Deveraux is gonna be out for a while. It’s seems you might be permanently assigned to this case.”
A low growl rumbled from the detective’s thick neck. “The last thing I need is to be working the murder of another trifling gangbanger.
Niyah looked down at the victim and then back to the detective. Glaring through narrowed lids, she asked. “So, you look down at this butt-naked man with puncture wounds in his chest and cum all over his dick and you see a gang-related murder?”
The fat detective frowned and looked at her as if he could smell her. “I just got here. Let me get caught up!” he retorted.
Niyah shook her head and peeled the gloves from her fingers. “I’m done here. I’ll see him when he gets to the morgue.”
“Mm-mm,” he mumbled at her back when she left the bedroom.