“Right. Officer, you heard her. Let’s go.” Simon’s orders for the officers to back off were met with a few glances of disapproval, but no one fought him. Once the police presence had been significantly withdrawn, the shouts and cries inside the house faded.
Simon turned toward Elaina. “I was told you wanted to speak to me specifically. Before I visited the victim at the hospital. Why?”
“First, tell me who this is,” Elaina said, nodding toward Nina.
“Dr. Nina Whitaker. She’s a psychiatrist currently working with the department.”
Scott nodded. “So it’s true. She helped you find that missing girl. She’s consulting with the police about how to work more effectively with the mentally ill.”
“She’s observing us and giving us a recommendation for a new training program. And yes, she helped us find a little girl. Now why did you want to see me?”
“I wouldn’t have. Not if I hadn’t heard about the work you were doing with Dr. Whitaker. But hearing that has given me hope that I initially misjudged you. That we can trust you.”
“You can trust me, Ms. Scott. I only want to help.”
Scott looked a Nina, who nodded. “It’s true. He’s a good cop, Ms. Scott.”
The woman took a deep breath. “Okay. The reason I wanted to talk to you is that there’s a witness. Someone who says a cop was responsible for the attack on a young man.”
“A homeless man that was staying here?”
“A homeless—? No, Nelson Conrad isn’t homeless. He’s a volunteer here.”
“The man that you were just talking to. With the blue polo shirt. Is he a volunteer, too?”
“He provides security here, but he’s not the one you want to talk to. One of our residents saw the person who attacked Nelson.”
A true eyewitness, Simon thought. Finally, maybe, they were going to catch a break in the case. “Okay. And where’s the witness now?” Simon asked.
Scott tipped her chin, pointing toward the homeless shelter. “She’s hiding inside. She’d agreed to talk to you, but after the police got here...well, she’s scared. She’s refusing to come out. Refusing to talk to you.”
“If she’s a witness to the crime, she doesn’t have any choice in the matter,” Simon said.
Scott narrowed her eyes. “Now, listen here—”
“He has to talk to her,” Nina interjected. “You know that. It’s why you called him. But we don’t want to frighten this witness any more. Perhaps I can help?”
“How?”
“By gaining her trust and not adding to her fear.”
She looked at Simon, who nodded.
Nina backed up two steps so she had a full view of the crowd still gathered inside the house, peering out the windows and through the door. She opened up the front of her jacket and pulled it wide, then reached inside an interior pocket and pulled out her hospital ID. She held it up over her head slowly, calmly and said in a firm yet gentle voice, “I am not with the police. I am a doctor. The man I am with—” she pointed to Simon “—he is with the police, but he’s a detective. His job is to figure out who is hurting you, even if the person hurting you is a cop. My job is to make sure you are safe.”
She put her ID back in her pocket and lowered her arms.
They waited.
There was jostling at the doorway as some of the residents backed away, allowing an elderly woman draped in a faded Peruvian poncho to come forward.
“You and your detective may enter. None of the others. We will tell only you,” the woman said, pointing directly at Nina.
Simon felt a sense of relief and pride at the way Nina had defused the situation. He was, however, still pissed that she’d gone off half-cocked, running straight into what could have been a dangerous situation. The two of them were definitely going to have further discussion about that. First, however, he had a witness to interview.
The woman in the poncho was named Mary. Just Mary. Elaina Scott didn’t know her last name and the woman refused to give it.
“I heard Nelson screaming,” Mary said. “Saw the man over him and chased him off.”
Simon raised his brows in surprise, which caused Mary to laugh. “I may be old and creaky, Detective, but I never smoked a day in my life, and I’ve got good lungs. You can hear me shout from practically one end of the park to the other.”
He grinned. “So you hollered and the attacker went running?”