Gated Prey (Eve Ronin) by Lee Goldberg

Author:Lee Goldberg [Goldberg, Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2021-10-25T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Eve’s phone rang as she got into her car. It was Emilia Lopez.

“I’ve discovered some irregularities that raise questions about the circumstances of the baby’s death,” Lopez said. “I’ve suspended my autopsy until you’re present and a crime scene technician arrives to collect evidence.”

“I’ve discovered some irregularities, too,” Eve said, and shared with her everything that had happened and what she’d learned.

“That makes a lot of sense and is consistent with my initial findings.”

“Which are?”

“I’ll see you soon, Detective.” Lopez ended the call.

Soon was optimistic, Eve thought. The county medical examiner-coroner’s office was in Boyle Heights, on the grounds of the LAC-USC Medical Center, a few miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, and getting there now, right in the middle of rush hour, could take her ninety minutes or more if there were no accidents along the way.

She called Duncan as she drove out of the hospital parking lot, repeated what she’d told Lopez, and added that she was heading downtown to observe the autopsy. What she didn’t say was that she’d never observed an autopsy before and was worried about making a fool of herself.

“You’ve had a busy morning,” Duncan said. “I’ll check if there are any missing person reports involving pregnant women and I’ll call area hospitals to see if they’ve treated any women in the last twenty-four hours who’ve lost vital lady parts.”

“Have you ever come across anything like this before?”

“I had a case where a woman stole a baby from a hospital nursery, but we caught her an hour later, walking down the street. She’d been faking a pregnancy, too, and had run out of time. Do you believe Anna McCaig found the baby in her dumpster?”

“It’s a mighty big coincidence, given the timing.”

“Or it’s not a coincidence at all. Whoever left the baby could have known how desperately Anna wanted a child.”

“That’s a stretch.”

“Ruthie the Oracle knew. It follows that others in the neighborhood did, too. Remember what I told you,” Duncan said. “You have to keep an open mind.”

Within reason, she thought, and she wasn’t sure if Anna’s story, or Duncan’s theory, qualified. “In that case, we shouldn’t rule out a gift from God.”

“If it is,” Duncan said, “he’s a cruel bastard.”

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