After dinner David tended to additional security measures. First he boarded up a portion of the bay window in the living room. Then he went around and made sure all the doors and windows were locked.
Although the visit by the police had been exasperating, it did have one beneficial effect. After the police had been there the pesky teenagers gave up their harassment campaign. Apparently seeing the cruiser had been enough to scare them off. By nine o’clock the Wilsons had gathered in Nikki’s room for her respiratory therapy.
After Nikki went to sleep, David and Angela retired to the family room to go over the material David had brought back from Boston. As an additional security aid David encouraged Rusty to leave Nikki’s room where he customarily slept and stay with them in the family room. David wanted to take advantage of the dog’s sensitive hearing. David also kept the shotgun close at hand.
“You know what I think,” Angela said as David opened the envelope that contained the medical records. “I think the man who came in here tonight is the same person who’s behind the euthanasia and Hodges’ murder. I’m convinced of it. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“I agree with you,” David said. “And I think our best candidate is Clyde Devonshire. Read this.”
David handed Devonshire’s medical record to Angela. She quickly scanned it. “Oh my,” she said as she came near to the end. “He’s HIV positive.”
David nodded. “It means he’s got a potentially terminal illness himself. I think we have a serious suspect here, especially when you combine his HIV status with the other facts like his having been arrested outside of Jack Kevorkian’s house. He obviously has a strong interest in assisted suicides. Who knows? That interest could extend to euthanasia. He’s a trained nurse so he has the medical expertise and he worked in the hospital so he has access, and if that isn’t enough, he has a history of rape. He might be the ski-masked rapist.”
Angela nodded, but she was troubled. “The only problem with all this is that it’s completely circumstantial,” she said. Then she asked: “Would you know Clyde Devonshire by sight?”
“No,” David admitted.
“I wonder if I’d be able to identify him by his height or the sound of his voice,” Angela said. “I kind of doubt it. I’d never be absolutely sure.”
“Well, let’s move on,” David said. “The next best candidate is Werner Van Slyke. Take a look at his history.” David handed Van Slyke’s record to Angela. It was considerably thicker than Devonshire’s.
“Good grief,” Angela said as she came to the end. “What you don’t know about people.”
“What do you think of him as a suspect?” David asked.
“It’s an interesting psychiatric history,” Angela agreed. “But I don’t think he’s the one. Schizo-affective disorder with mania and paranoia is not the same thing as an antisocial psychotic.”
“But you don’t have to be antisocial to have misguided ideas about euthanasia,” David said.
“That’s true,” Angela said. “But just because someone is mentally ill doesn’t mean they’re criminal. If Van Slyke had an extensive criminal history or a history of violent behavior, that would be different. But since he doesn’t, I don’t think he rates too high as a suspect. Besides, he may know about nuclear submarines, but he doesn’t have a sophisticated knowledge of medicine. How could he be killing a bunch of patients employing a method even you can’t detect if he didn’t have specialized health-related training?”
“I agree,” David said. “But look at this material I got from Robert today.”
David handed Angela the sheet of paper listing Van Slyke’s various bank accounts in Albany and Boston.
“Where on earth is he getting this money?” Angela asked. “Do you think it has anything to do with our concerns?”
David shrugged. “That’s a good question,” he said. “Robert didn’t think so. He suggested that Van Slyke was dealing drugs. We do know there’s marijuana in town, so it’s possible.”
Angela nodded.
“If it’s not drugs it would be ominous,” David said.
“Why?” Angela asked.
“Let’s suppose Van Slyke is the one killing these people,” David said. “If he’s not selling drugs, he could be getting paid for each death.”