“I don’t want to press charges.”
Tina Barr was seated in an armchair in the cramped living room of her apartment, and I was opposite her on a small loveseat that was sorely in need of reupholstering.
“That’s not even an issue right now, Tina. I’d like to know what happened to you. We don’t have a suspect, so there’s no one to prosecute.”
“You told me you wanted to make sure I was all right. You see I’m not hurt, so now you can leave.”
She was unnaturally pale and rested her forehead in her hand, as though she needed that support to keep it upright.
“A couple of minutes ago you told me a man tried to kill you. You told me he was with you in here for more than six hours. How can I walk away from this? You don’t look well, Tina. You must be terribly frightened.”
“I’m nauseous. I just want to lie down.”
I tried to make eye contact with her, but she was staring at the floor.
“Who did this to you, Tina? Do you know that?”
Her entire body trembled. “No idea. There was some horrible black mask covering his face.”
I didn’t want to press her, to cross-examine her, but it seemed unlikely that her attacker had had the mask on for so many hours. “The whole time he was here? Didn’t he ever take it off?”
“I don’t know what he did. I don’t remember.”
I expected her to be a difficult interview after the experience the cops had when they got to the building. But I hadn’t thought she would stonewall me once she opened the door.
“You don’t remember?”
“I was unconscious the entire time that man was here, Ms. Cooper.” Tina lifted her head and looked at me. “He pushed his way in and threw me down. He put a cloth over my mouth and I couldn’t breathe any longer. I just felt dizzy and watched the room turn upside down. I thought I was going to die. I don’t have any idea what he did after that.”
Now I had even more reason to be concerned, and greater need not to express it.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’ve told you already. I’d like to go to sleep.”
“Do you know what he drugged you with?”
Tina rested her head on the back of the chair and snapped at me. “Now how could I possibly tell you that?”
“I didn’t think you’d be able to. That’s my point. All the more reason to let the doctors examine you, have them test your blood. You’ve undoubtedly still got something in your system.”
“I don’t want anyone else coming in here-can you understand that?”
“I’d like to take you to the emergency room. There’s an excellent hospital less than ten blocks away.”
Tina Barr started to cry again. There was a box of tissues on a desk behind her chair. I crossed the room to get a handful of them, glancing around for any obvious signs of a disturbance. Bookcases lined the walls. End tables, like the desk, were cluttered with a messy array of papers and journals.
“Why don’t you take a minute to compose yourself?”
I handed her the tissues and reached out to stand the waste-basket upright. There was a large rag in it, and as I leaned over, it smelled sickeningly sweet. I used a tissue to remove the cloth from the basket and put it in the pocket of my jeans.
“Would you like some water, Tina?”
“I’m too nauseous to drink. I’m very thirsty, but I doubt I can hold anything down.”
I retraced my steps to the loveseat. I could get more facts later. I wanted to talk to her about medical treatment. “I just have a couple more questions, okay? When you regained consciousness, were you still here, on the floor?”
She searched out another spot in the dark pattern of the cheap Oriental rug and stared at it. “I was on my bed, Ms. Cooper. I was naked. Completely naked. There was some kind of tape over my mouth, and my hands were tied to the headboard with a pair of my stockings. Loose knots, they were. I was able to work them off easily.”
“While the man was still here?”
“No,” she said, breathing deeply. “I came around just a few minutes before he left. I could hear him in this room, so I just played dead and didn’t move till the door shut.”
“Tina, you’ve got to see a doctor.” I was on the edge of the seat cushion, pleading with her to let me take her to Mount Sinai Hospital. “They’ve got a wonderful advocacy program for victims of violence. I just have to call ahead and someone knowledgeable about the process will be with you through the entire exam.”
“I told you before I wasn’t raped.” Tina got to her feet and steadied herself before she started walking toward the back of the apartment. “I’m going to be sick.”
I stood up to follow her. “Let me-”
“Please don’t come inside. I’d like some privacy.”
A door slammed and I couldn’t hear anything until the toilet flushed and water ran in the sink. The dozens of questions I had would be answered, I knew, when she was made comfortable and felt safe. I needed to get her to the ER as fast as possible. Once crime scene investigators had access to her bedroom, the trace evidence on the linens and clothing might tell us more about what occurred than Tina Barr could.
About ten minutes later, Tina emerged from what must have been her bedroom and bath area. She was dressed in khaki slacks and a cable-knit sweater.
“If I go with you to the hospital, does it mean I’m pressing charges?”
“Not at all. You have weeks to make that decision, if we catch the guy. This is all about your health, about trying to figure out what he did to you. If you aren’t examined now, the tests will never yield the same results in two or three days, when you might have second thoughts about all this.” I knew that if she had been penetrated by her assailant, the natural forces of gravity would eliminate any fluids that could be tested for DNA. Whatever she had been drugged with would be gone from her bloodstream, too. “It’s your own best protection.”
“I’d prefer to take a cab, Ms. Cooper. I can do this myself.”
“There’s an ambulance waiting near the building. We were all so worried about you. I can cut through a lot of administrative red tape if I’m along.”
She hesitated again, then went back inside and returned with a small tote. “I’ll go with you. Just don’t ask me any more questions, okay?”
“Let me call the detectives, so the ambulance is right in front.” I pressed Mercer’s speed dial on my cell.
“You need me?”
“Ms. Barr and I are coming out. I’m going to ride to Sinai with her in the bus. Maybe you can meet us at the ER. And get rid of the guys with the heavy equipment.”
“Done, Alex. Will she let crime scene in to process the apartment?”
I turned to ask her. I wanted the bed linens and bathrobe, the tape and the pantyhose, as soon as possible. I wanted to know if there were any more rags inside, whether he had applied the substance to her face more than once. “Tina, would you mind if the detectives got to work on looking for evidence in your bedroom? Fingerprints, possible DNA sources-”
“Nobody comes in here while I’m gone,” she said. “I don’t want any other strangers inside my home tonight. Do you understand?”
“Of course I do.” I knew Mercer had heard it, too. I shut off the phone.
Tina walked behind me on the staircase, bracing her hands against the wall. When we reached the stoop, I was relieved to see the police cars and trucks were all gone, and that two EMTs were standing at the rear door of the ambulance, with the gurney between them.
I offered her my arm and she accepted it for the short walk. I introduced us to the EMTs, and they asked Tina to sit down so they could lift her inside after I climbed up and wedged myself into a jump seat.
“How you doin’?” the medic asked Tina as his partner got into the driver’s seat. “You okay?”
“I’m sick to my stomach, actually.”
“Take it slow, Howie. Don’t bounce in any potholes,” he called out to the driver. “My name is Jorge Vasquez. I’m just gonna get your vitals, miss. Gotta do that.”
