Murders & Romance: A Psychic Detective Romantic Mystery (Isaac Taylor Mysteries Book 5) by Lashell Collins (ready player one ebook .TXT) 📗

worried like. I asked him if they were having a nice visit… you know, just being polite. And he joked that the conversation was a bit one-sided.”

She smiled.

“Why was that strange, Ms. Altman?”

“Well, because when I was in the hallway walking by, I… I remember hearing him say something like ‘of course I’m sure.’ As if he were responding to a question she had asked him. Only… she couldn’t have.”

The woman seemed truly puzzled.

Isaac and Pete exchanged a look.

“And who exactly is this Danny person?”

“Oh, Danny Broderick. Amber’s BFF.” She giggled. “That’s what he says. He comes all the time. Usually two or three times a week, every week since Amber was admitted.”

Freya Altman nodded, her smile confirming what she thought of Amber Camden’s BFF.

“He’s never missed a visit. Well, except of course those two weeks right after his transition surgery. It was amazing! He was still recovering and in a certain amount of physical pain, yet he still came faithfully. He’s so dedicated to her. I wish all of our patients had the support system she does. It really makes…”

“I’m sorry.” Isaac held up a hand to halt her running commentary. “His transition surgery?”

“Oh. Yes, well, I probably shouldn’t have said that. Patient confidentiality and all. But, of course, he’s not a patient here, so I don’t suppose it matters.”

“No, I don’t believe it does. So please explain.”

“Well, Danny Broderick is transgender. When Amber was first admitted and Danny would come visit, he was Dannielle then. His transformation is remarkable.”

“And Danny and Amber were best friends in high school?”

“Oh, yes! To hear Danny tell it, they were fast friends from the moment they met in the fifth grade. He’s such a sweetheart. There are pictures in Amber’s room… you know, family pictures and the like? Well, there are a few pictures of her and Danny, back when he was Dannielle.”

Isaac nodded. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Altman. You’ve been extremely helpful.”

“Oh, I have? Wonderful.”

When she was gone, Isaac looked at Pete.

“Did you pick up on anything during that interview?”

“Oh, yeah. Seems we need to find this Danny Broderick who went to high school with Amber and our three victims.”

“Yes, we do. Anything else?”

Pete nodded. “Yeah. It almost sounds like Amber does, in fact, respond to someone.”

“It sure as hell does.”

Interviews at the mental hospital took up the rest of their morning, but nothing they learned was as intriguing as the discovery of Amber Camden’s BFF. Well, nothing except a little nugget dropped by one of the nurses that head nurse, Josephine Turner, was apparently very fond of BFF Danny Broderick. Fond enough to have invited him over for a home cooked meal on more than one occasion.

Isaac and Pete took that knowledge back to the PD with them. They walked into the detectives pit after lunch determined to explore this new angle from every single side.

“Okay. Here’s the plan.”

Isaac pulled out his desk chair, sat down, and pointed at Pete.

“You take Josephine Turner, find out everything you can. I’ll take Dannielle/Danny Broderick. Let’s pull them both apart and see if we can find a murderer between them.”

“I’m on it.”

They worked steady for the next couple of hours. Finally, Isaac glanced around to make sure the area around him was people free before he raised his arms and stretched out his back.

“Tell me something good, Pete.”

Isaac settled back in his chair and looked at his partner expectantly.

“Give me something we can use.”

Pete sighed and looked up.

“Well, it seems that Josephine Turner is a pedophile.”

“What?”

“Well, not registered, or anything. But there is evidence that she likes ’em young and pretty.”

“We talking girls or boys here?”

“Boys. Fifteen years ago, before getting a nursing position at Lakewood Mental Institution, she was a school nurse at one of the area high schools. She was fired for getting a little too friendly with the male students who would venture into her nurse’s station.”

“Criminally friendly, or just ‘we’ve gotten complaints’ friendly?”

“Several complaints from several different boys about improper touching. And one rumor about her performing fellatio on a minor that was swiftly heading the criminal route. So, the school board acted preemptively and let her go.”

“No criminal charges ever brought?”

“Nope.”

“Huh. Okay.”

Isaac tried to work out how that information fit into this current case. He was certain it did somehow, he just had to figure it out.

“What about you? You finding anything of note?” Pete asked.

“Oh, yeah. Seems Dannielle Broderick and Amber Camden were as tight as two little girls could get from the time they were preteens. Dannielle was tall and awkward, and of course, picked on mercilessly all through school. Which, in turn, made Amber her protector. Then at the start of their senior year, Dannielle cut off all her hair and started dressing like a boy, which only made things worse.”

“Of course.”

“Through all those changes though, Amber stuck by her side. Seems she encouraged Dannielle to be her true self.”

“That’s real friendship.”

“The girls were at a high school party when the rape happened. According to Dannielle’s statement at the time, the three boys cornered them outside as they were leaving, and herded them out to the shed. She claimed that she was their target, that the boys threatened to show her that she was a girl once and for all. Amber tried to help her fight them off, but they were overpowered.”

“Wait a minute,” Pete frowned at him. “You’re telling me Dannielle was raped by these guys too?”

“According to her statement.”

“But I don’t remember seeing anything about that when we researched the trial itself.”

Isaac shook his head.

“No. She later dropped the charges because she didn’t want to go through a trial and be humiliated when they inevitably made her sexuality an issue. So, Amber went through the trial ordeal alone.”

“Wow! No wonder Danny now visits her multiple times a week. He probably feels majorly guilty for hanging his best friend out to dry like that.”

“I’d imagine so. Especially since Amber was always the one protecting him when he was Dannielle. And