Billy entered a code and the door eased back, revealing a long concrete hallway. It was cold and drafty as we stepped inside. I was trying to adjust to my surroundings when Billy closed the door behind us, locking us inside. I didn’t like the claustrophobic feeling creeping over me, but it was soon forgotten when we walked past the first doorway. I glanced inside and was surprised to find that the walls of the large room were completely covered in plastic. There was a drain in the center of the stone floor. Various tools, like bone saws and scalpels, were tucked away in metal cabinets. Each of the glass cabinet doors was marked with tiny white labels taped to the outside, identifying its contents.
As we continued down the hall, I spotted a second room, but this one wasn’t as big. Except for the large incinerator in the back corner, the space was empty. Next to it was another large steel door, which I could only assume was a second exit—one he’d use whenever he brought in bodies to be incinerated. Fuck, I had to give it to the man. He was prepared for anything. I could only imagine how many times he’d used this very room to clean up the clubs’ messes. We continued farther until we reached the final room in the hallway. The second I walked in and saw the pristine white walls and numerous medical cabinets, I thought I’d stepped into a hospital room; then, I noticed the gurney and the girl lying lifeless on top of it.
I stepped closer and felt the blood drain from my body when I saw how much she looked like Parker. “Damn, Billy. Who the hell is this?”
“She’s Parker.” He glanced down at the young woman and grimaced. “Or for all intents and purposes, she will be Parker.”
“Holy shit, man.” The woman shared similar features with Parker—the same build, height, and weight. They even had the same skin tone. The only difference was the hair color. This particular young woman’s was dark, but considering Parker had been on the run for almost a year, it wasn’t an issue. “I can’t believe how much they look alike.”
“Isn’t that the point?”
“Yeah, but how’d you do this? How’d you find such a close match?”
“That’s not important. What’s important is the fact that I found her.” He walked over to a counter and picked up a folder and a flash drive. As he offered it to me, he said, “We do have some issues that need to be addressed.”
“What kind of issues?”
“I’ve taken a few x-rays and dental molds of our Jane Doe, and there are some notable differences in their dental and medical records.” Billy motioned his hand over to the items he’d just given me. “Our Jane Doe has a few cavities that Parker doesn’t, along with a broken wrist from several years back. I’ll need you to do what you must to swap Parker’s old records with these. I also have some changes that need to be made to her medical records. They’re all on the flash drive, so you shouldn’t have any issue uploading them.”
“You got it.”
After slipping the flash drive into my pocket, I flipped through the various x-rays and medical reports he’d put in the folder, and they all looked legit. I would’ve never guessed they’d been forged. After I’d gone through them all, I glanced back over to the Jane Doe on the gurney. While she favored Parker, she wasn’t her exact twin. Anyone who knew her would be able to verify that this chick wasn’t genuinely Parker. “So, I exchange all the medical records, and then what?”
“I’ll set the stage. Simple as that.”
I looked down at the girl’s face. “I don’t know, man. This Jane Doe chick looks a lot like Parker, but it won’t take a genius to see that it isn’t really her.”
“That’s not something to be concerned about. Just do what I’ve asked you, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“So, you really think this is gonna work?”
“I don’t think it. I know it.”
“Okay then, I’ll just need to get my laptop and upload these now.”
“There’s one more thing before you go.” Billy had a concerned expression on his face as he continued, “Parker needs to prepare her suicide note or video. Whichever she decides... She just has to make it believable.”
“She will.”
“I certainly hope so. Otherwise, we’re doing all this for nothing.”
“Understood.”
“She might want to change her look a bit.” He walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a dark-colored wig. “Have her wear this, and I’d suggest using a filter during the recording. Maybe one that changes her eye color or something.”
“Is that really necessary?”
“There’s always a chance the video could end up on the news.”
“Damn, I hadn’t thought of that.”