“Are we both interested in Zeller?” Dart asked.
“We serve a necessary function. I help ease your workload whether you acknowledge that or not.”
“You break laws to accomplish your clients’ needs. We uphold those laws.”
“We break the little laws-the ones you wish you could break. Chain of custody? Warrants for search and seizure? We’re rarely after a court settlement. We do what we’re hired to do.”
“To break the law.”
“Not at all. You know that, Joe. We play within the accepted boundaries. If we didn’t, we would be out of business. You know that.”
“You won’t help me with Zeller?” Dart asked.
“I can’t. It’s not that I don’t want to-”
“And if I subpoena you, and it happens to leak to the media-”
“Are you threatening me, Joe?”
“I’m warning you, Terry,” he said, having never met the man before. “I’d rather keep the gloves on, but if they come off … I want you to know that I’m serious about this. We’re not talking about taking bedroom pictures of some CEO’s unfaithful wife.” This somehow caught Proctor where he lived. The man squared his shoulders and sat back in his chair, his face red, his fists and jaw clenched.
In an angry voice he said, “Don’t be an asshole, Dartelli. It doesn’t suit you.”
“I need answers.”
“You won’t get them here.”
“I’ll get them.”
“We’ll see.”
On his way back, Dart found a pay phone and called Gorman. “I need a client list for a security firm in town. Can you get it for me?”
“Proctor Securities?”
“Can you do it?”
“I can identify all deposits, and I can trace those deposits to bank accounts. Will that do?”
Dart gave him the dates of Zeller’s employment at Proctor.
“Are we getting somewhere?” Gorman asked hopefully. Part of the reason for the man’s participation over the years, Dart had come to understand, was the excitement. The speeding tickets were just an excuse.
“We’re getting somewhere,” Dart answered. But the closer we get, the worse it looks.
CHAPTER 27
“I tell ya,” Teddy Bragg said to Dart, sitting in the cramped forensic sciences office. “This is rocket science, or might as well be, so if I lose you, speak up because I don’t want to have to explain everything all over again.”
Dart felt uneasy. Bragg had excitement in his bloodshot eyes, and he offered a wide smile of his capped teeth. Recently, Bragg had not been smiling about anything. His skin had a little more color to it. He had come to Dart in person, something unheard of for Bragg. He had ranted on about how Dart should thank him for doing all the necessary research because without it he wouldn’t know what he knew, and now that he knew what he knew, he knew it was important. “Critically important,” he had said.
Dart had followed him down the hall with his heart in his throat. He’d never seen Bragg like this.
“You look better,” Dart said.
“Feel better.” He pointed to a canister in the corner of the office that, amid all the other debris, Dart had failed to notice. “O-two,” he said, “good old oxygen-or new oxygen, actually.” He smiled again, showing off his dental work.
“Let me get this straight,” Dart offered, seeing the open pack of cigarettes on the man’s desk. “You’re still smoking, but now you’re taking oxygen as well.”
“Physician, heal thyself.”
“But you’re no MD, Buzz.”
“Mind your own business. It works. Don’t knock it. Are you paying attention? Are you?”
“Yes.”
He handed Dart a photocopy of a page containing too many boxes, all filled with numbers. “Full blood workup that you requested. Harold Payne.”
“What’s it tell us?” Dart asked.
“It tells me. I tell you,” he replied arrogantly. “What it tells me, is that your boy was a quart low on androgens. Everything else checks out fine.”
“Androgens?”
“Male hormones. Testosterone and company. The ‘hard’ in hard-on.”
“Slow down, Buzz.”
“We aren’t even started yet. I tell ya-this is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This is the kind of thing that a guy like me lives for. You been there. You know.”
“Androgens,” Dart repeated. He took out his notepad.
Seeing this, Bragg said, “Good boy. Now you’re getting the point.”
“What is the point? Or do you have to take me through two years of pre-med first?”
“Don’t get cute,” Bragg warned. “Most hormones can be categorized as either peptides or lipids. Peptides are chains of amino acids; lipids are fats and oils. Steroids are an example of a lipid. Did you hear me? Steroids. Do I have your interest yet? Both males and females possess endocrine systems that deliver estrogens, what we think of as female hormones, and androgens, the male hormones, in varying quantities. Those quantities control development and maturity of the genitals, body hair, breasts, voice range-human sexuality.” He craned forward, “Pay attention! Some say the psychology of sex as well, because many peptides have association with psychological activity. It is a delicate and precious balance responsible for the propagation of all species. A peptide is a chain of amino acids-you make it longer and it becomes a protein. In its shorter version it acts as a hormone. On an atomic level, there are some fascinating things that take place-but I’ll save you that, unless you’re interested.”
“Give me the Cliff Notes version.”
Bragg warned, “You’re going to need to study this if you’re ever going to understand it. This won’t come easy, Ivy. This isn’t ballistics or even DNA fingerprinting. This is heady stuff. We would have missed this if you hadn’t pushed for that workup, but you did, and I gotta tell ya, I love this shit!”
“But worth what?” Dart repeated.
“We’re talking about vastly diminished levels of androgens, Ivy. Radically diminished levels, if you follow me.”
“I want to follow you. I’m trying,” Dart said.
“I’ll tell ya something-based on this blood work, I would have bet the farm that Payne was a neuter. No testicles. But I checked.” Answering Dart’s puzzled expression he said, “Damn right. I checked with Doc Ray-jewels intact. Which means that there is no medical explanation for these deficiencies. And let me just say that hormone deficiency has been a major focus of the medical community for decades, and I’m quite aware of the science as a whole and certain treatments in specific.”
“Does this has to do with-”
“His being a wife beater? It certainly could. You bet. And if you ask me, it does. Opinions might vary. But there’s the rub: lower levels should make this guy passive; abnormally higher levels of androgens would be anticipated in a sex offender. And that’s where the research I was talking about comes in.” He pointed to a stack of books. He was speaking so excitedly that Dart could barely understand him. “I got some of this on-line last night. Some of it from standard reference. I’ve posted a couple of e-mails; I should know more by tomorrow or Friday. Fascinating stuff,” he said.
“Let me get this straight: Payne’s levels were lower than normal. And given his abhorrent behavior with his wife, we would expect higher levels.”
“I would,” Bragg corrected. “Yes. And here’s the bigger problem: The blood workup did not reveal any medication-the synthetic or animal hormones we would expect to encounter with chemical castration.”