The Unborn

Chapter 7

 From where he was parked, Mike was surprised at the presentation of the wellness clinic; it was not at all what he had expected. Not that he knew what a termination clinic looked like or was supposed to look like. Somehow, what he saw was not what he had imagined. He took a few moments to study Jane Doe’s photo again, her auburn hair was shoulder length, thick and slightly wispy at the ends. Her delicate features told Mike that she had most likely been an attractive woman in life, however under the current circumstances it was difficult to tell. She had numerous holes in her ears, indicating multiple earrings were usually worn and her teeth were white and straight. Someone, some-where, knows this girl. All the signs pointed to a woman who had looked after herself at some stage, so she didn’t strike Mike as a long time, homeless girl.

 He slipped the picture back into his pocket and slid out from behind the wheel of his car, slamming the door closed behind him. His eyes lingered on the large brass plaque, bolted to the marble column in front of the building, 'Your Right Choose Wellness Clinic.' The glass doors in front of him slid open as he walked up to them, the pressure of their departure created a cool breeze around his legs. Mike stepped inside and marched straight up to the reception desk, armed with his police I.D and a head full of questions.

 "Can I help you Sir?" the woman behind the desk asked.

 "More than you’ll ever know, my dear," Mike replied, just dying for her to give him a reason to let loose.

 The woman just looked at him vaguely for a second and then said, "What in particular can I help you with?"

 "Detective Lynch."

 "Excuse me?" the woman stared at him.

 "What in particular can I help you with, Detective Lynch?" he answered, now more condescending than before.

 The receptionist shot him a glare, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he was getting on her last nerve. She sucked in a deep breath, as if trying to remain calm and then spoke once more. "Detective Lynch you say?"

 Mike nodded his head in agreement, the amusement welling inside him.

 "Then, how may I help you Detective Lynch?" she drawled, her patience now wearing very thin.

 "Oh I was just in the neighbourhood, saw your light on…" he joked.

 "Look, if you have something important to say?" her eyes bored into him with such intensity that he could almost feel a hole burning through him.

 "Otherwise, some of us have important work to do."

 "Like killing babies?" the venom spewed from Mike. 

 "What a horrid thing to say Detective, you don’t know the first thing about our clinic."

 "You’re absolutely right… what did you say your name was?"

 "I didn’t."

 "Then illuminate me would ya?" Mike drawled as sarcastically as he could.

 "Marla Andrews. Happy now?" she replied, her words sharp.

 "Now isn’t this pleasant, er… Marla?" he baited her some more. "I always endeavour to be just that little bit more personal with my interviewee’s."

 "That’s the last thing I want to be with you, Detective!"

 Mike could see that Marla was becoming annoyed, he hoped that if he continued to harass her long enough, that she would let him in to see Dr. Sugars more readily, if for no other reason than to get rid of him. Apart from enjoying being tactless on a daily basis, Mike knew it was usually the best way to extract maximum information in the shortest possible time. The best part was, he actually got paid to behave that way!