Lillian (Conclusion)

7

They started with the latest victims first, figuring the surveillance tapes would not have been erased or played over this quickly, less than a month.

The list of bars within the 7 block parameter that Carl had devised were, for Larry Harris, vic #7, Lolita Back Bay, The Cherry Pit Lounge, Grill 23 and Clerys.  Carl and Remus split the list, Carl taking the first 2 and Remus taking Grill 23 and Clerys.

Carl hit pay dirt with the surveillance video from The Cherry Pit Lounge.  The outside camera was aimed such that those patrons coming and going from the bar were well lit by the bar neon and the streetlamp.  Carl could see Larry Harris enter into the light and enter the bar at 9:46PM, then barely 40 minutes later, he emerges with a woman.  The woman is wearing a dark blue, knee length overcoat with cargo styled pockets.  She is putting on large dark glasses and pulling on a scarf over her hair, but not before Carl can see the strawberry blond hair color and some freckles on her illuminated face.  

“Aha,’ thought Carl, ‘you made a mistake, should’ve put that scarf and glasses on before exiting the bar.  Now we know what you look like!”

Carl called Remus’ cell, “Hey, Rem, we caught a break, I have her in the coat and a full shot of her face leaving The Cherry Pit with Larry Harris, #7!  I have the video from The Cherry Pit, we’ll go over it at the office, you have any luck?”

“Man, that’s great, something solid finally.  Nothing from Clerys or Grill 23,’ Remus replied, ‘ can’t wait to see that video, see you at the table.”  Remus hung up and left for the precinct.

8

“ Ripper’s Eighth Discovered’ Blared The Globe’s front page the next day.  The gist of the article didn’t try to lighten the concern of the public, but did a fair job of laying out the bare facts that ‘8 bodies had been found about the city and all had been slashed in a grisly manner, but police were confident that the killer would be caught!”

Before noon, Carl and Remus had fielded 26 calls relating to this ‘Ripper’ fellow with corresponding descriptions of ‘persons of interest’ by the callers.  They logged all of the calls and continued compiling their pics of females, now concentrating on blonds with freckles.  When they’d scanned through the medical school files, they came up with 24 possibles including one surgical nurse, those pictures to be scrutinized alongside the photos from The Cherry Pit’s video.

Remus keyed in on Lillian’s photo from Tufts, the 13th photo he’d scanned and called her to Carl’s attention, “this one’s a real good bet, she’s a 3rd year and a “surgical prodigy” according to her Surgery instructor.  She is also a 84% positive by our AFR (automated facial recognition) software, that’s the strongest match, so far.”  

Carl was nodding as he looked at Lillian’s photo, “she looks good and has all the credentials.  Let’s go thru the rest, but she’s at the top!” 

They culled the rest of the 24 pics, but Lillian remained suspect #1.  They determined to surprise her during medical rounds at Tufts and see if they could spook a reaction.  The plan would take affect during surgical rounds on Thursday, in two days.  Carl and Remus would be lead, with 2 other detective teams covering floor exits.  Teams #2 and #3 were given Lillian’s photo and advised of her psychopathic nature.  No one would expose themselves beyond the stairwells on the floor where rounds would occur, they would all take the stairs to their post so not to alert hospital personnel to “cops” on the floor and await word from the lead team, Carl and Remus. 

9

Carl and Remus, lead team, Bill and Carla, detective team #2, Fred and Louis, detective team #3, were in the basement of Tufts on Thursday morning, awaiting a text from their floor contact that surgical rounds were commencing.  When the text came, that Dr Leland was starting rounds with his Surgery II group, each team took up their positions in the stairwells, team #2, one in each of 4 North and 4 West, team #3 one in the stairwell off 4 South and one off 4 East.  Carl and Remus took the elevator to the 4th floor, got off the central elevator and advanced to the central nurses station, where they showed their Police ID badges and asked for the location of Dr Leland’s Surgery II group. 

Carl stopped her, when the RN started to page Dr Leland, “just point them out to us, please, we don’t want to create a scene”.  She indicated the North ward hall and went back to her paperwork.

Carl and Remus, coats unbuttoned, shields out proceeded down the North ward hall to Dr Leland’s Sugery II group rounds.  

The group came out of the furthest room into the hallway nearest the North stairwell as Carl and Remus were still 30 feet away.  Lillian, senses alway on alert, spotted the detectives, then simply turned from the group and entered the North stairwell, closing the door behind her.

Carl sprinted toward the group, Remus took off back down the central stair well, on his radio to the others that the rabbit was running.

Remus headed to the Emergency Entrance off the North wing of the hospital, stopped at the top of the ramp just outside the double doors and surveyed the parking lot and emergency ramp. 

There in front of him, 25 yards out and striding resolutely away, was Lillian. 

Remus sprinted after her and though she could hear him coming, her pace never faltered.

10

Carl slammed into the North wing door and pushed hard against it, though it didn’t open easily.  He stepped into a widening smear of fresh blood and Bill collapsed against the door, gaping throat wound gushing blood through Bill’s fingers.

“Help,’ Carl yelled, pulling Bill from the door so the surgical team could get through.

Dr Leland took immediate charge of Bill, paging for a gurney, a crash cart and for an alert to get an OR ready.  As the MD’s took charge of Bill, Carl took off down the North stairs, radioing Remus and the teams for status.

“Lillian,” Remus called softly as he got within 20 feet of her!  

She stopped and turned, a slight smile on her serene face, scalpel still clutched in her bloodied right hand, blood splattered all over her right sleeve and lab jacket front.

“It’s over Lillian,’ Remus said,” drop the knife, please!” 

“Can’t do it officer,’ Lillian grinned, ‘it’s just not in me” and she swiftly advanced toward Remus, scalpel up, smile on her face.

Remus shot her through the left eye, exploding the back of her head, body collapsing 4 feet from the detective.

Conclusion:

While Remus was on desk duty awaiting clearance for  the shooting, Carl took a team to Lillian’s apartment where forensics found organs in her freezer in a zip lock bag that originally held Oreida Tater Tots.  The ME identified Ed Wilson’s right testicle, John Bays gall bladder and Woodrow Jessup’s spleen.  She’d also kept a surgical journal of the procedures that she was using on each of the “cadavers” as she listed them.  She was “proud” of her growing surgical skill and had notes indicating her plan to resect a pregnant woman and her fetus.

Bill would recover, though it was going to take a while.  Lillian had caught Bill off guard when she came through the door with a smile on her face, said “Hi,” then slit him with her scalpel, severing the left jugular, barely missing the carotid, almost severing the Sternohyoid and Omohyoid superior muscles and nicking the Cricoid cartilage.  There would have been no chance of his recovery had the attack occurred anywhere else.

Carl and Remus received Commendations from the Police Detective Division for their excellent police work.  Lillian’s remains were eventually interred in the Forest Hills Cemetery, one of 3 pauper cemeteries in the Boston area.  No one from Tufts was at the internment.