Floundering Adrift (Detective Linda Galbes)

by Combs, Sasha

"No."

  Linda said....

  "The pictures that I told you about at the party... You were nervous because you knew, if questioned, you would recognize the man in the photo."

  Again, Angelica's ears tuned in, noticing the rise and fall in her voice. These weren't questions. In her mind, the detectives were speaking from a place of knowing. In that instant her body slumped. Stone and Linda had both witnessed this in their line of work. The body posture was a sure sign of surrender. Mrs. Fischer was perfect for the plucking. Now, she was ready to talk.

  "Angelica..." Linda used the name, the young woman had asked her to use. "Talk to us. We already know that in some way you are involved with the Emma Strauss murder... Perhaps even the other murders."

  "I didn't do anything." She protested but Stone said...

  "Your involvement in this crime can be as simple as you withholding information."

  She blinked, then spilled her guts.

  During the telling of her story, Angelica rewound the clock, taking them back more than six months ago. She'd been married to Brice Fischer for one year. The delivery of her baby nearly torpedoed the lie that she and Brice had told his friends. A honeymoon conception, had been one of his favorite jokes. Stories romanticized, claiming that Angelica and Brice got pregnant as a newly wedded couple. When the truth was that she'd gotten pregnant the first time she’d slept with him. Their secret tryst angered her father the moment he learned about it. Brice had been known for his cheating and womanizing ways. But Angelica had truly loved him and she believed him when he said he wanted to make an honest woman of her. During her pregnancy, she had not noticed anything of concern. Brice was often out of the country on business but when he was at home, he was nothing if not devoted to her. It wasn't until the birth of their daughter, Angelica began noticing odd behavior that earlier she’d failed to spot. Odd calls at all hours of the night and only on his cellular phone. Brice would say that it was business. He traveled a lot and most times the calls were from different time zones. Then there were the aromas on his clothes. Perfumes that were feminine and extremely expensive. But the worst of the offenses was the humiliation she’d experienced while relaxing at a spa. Angelica overheard two women discussing her husbands philandering. She wondered if their gossip had been purposely loud, because they wanted to be heard. Angelica had gone home to confront her husband but when she got there, she'd been told by their house staff that he'd left and had gone to Prague. Her pain was so raw, Angelica packed a bag, leaving her baby with the nanny. She had to get away to rethink her choices and this time, she didn’t want to involve her family. Outside of London, Angelica went to a cozy inn. Her plan was to shop and attend auctions. She loved museums and old art and decorating was her sole passion. Within two days she felt more like herself. She knew her baby was in good hands and she also wanted Brice to suffer like he made her suffer when he went on his business trips without telling her where he was or when to expect him to return home. At one of the auctions, she'd won a bid for a late sixteenth century candlesnuffer outbidding a man that she would later learn dealt in art. He congratulated her for her score then he invited her to join him in the bar for a drink. Their conversation was nondescript at first. She talked about her travels and the places she intended to go. He talked about art and the countries he'd visited. Before long, he had her opening up, discussing the ugliness in her marriage. The man had a slight accent she couldn't quite distinguish. He sounded like the children of American diplomats educated in schools abroad. He was very kind and she soon learned that he was an only child and had been educated in England. Angelica told him how she too was an only child and that her mother died tragically in child birth. Her tears flowed because more than anything she wanted her children to have both parents present in their lives. After marrying Brice, Angelica had decided not to work because she wanted to be a wife and mother. The more she talked, she wanted to get back home to her baby. She explained; her husbands unfaithfulness was the reason she'd traveled across the Atlantic. She couldn't face the humiliation, even if she didn't know if the rumors were true or not. More than anything she didn't want the gossip to get back to her father. Then when she thought her night couldn't get better, this nice man offered to help her. He explained that maybe her husband wasn't having an affair. He handed her a card then explained that he owned a security company and he offered to have her husband investigated, if knowing the truth would make her life better. Without thinking, Angelica believed that this was an answer to her prayers. She gave the man all the information her foggy brain could recall. Brice’s phone numbers, email accounts, and his stateside business address. She even supplied him with her personal contact information. Mindless of the implications; she placed all hope in a man she knew so little about. The following day, when she returned to the inn for breakfast, the man wasn't there. Two day’s later, while attending an auction, she still didn't see him. Three days had passed, and the English countryside lost its mystique. She was beginning to feel like the foreigner that she was. So, to deal with her misgivings, Angelica left England and chose to return home. When she arrived, Brice wasn't there. He returned three days later and he had no idea that his wife had even been out of the country. There life dragged on like this, for months and months. Angelica fell into her routines, persuaded that her paranoia was completely unfounded. That is, until four months later she received a call from Samuel Gilmore. At first, his name meant nothing to her. But after Samuel retold her stories; regret seeped through like a leak in a well. Samuel asked to meet her in a small quaint restaurant downtown, and Angelica agreed. When she saw him, immediately a flash of recognition shown on her face. She recalled most of their conversations but when he lay a document on the table in front of her. It wasn't until then, that she understood his real reason for requesting to see her. Samuel spread out the copies, showing her proof that her husband was indeed involved in multiple affairs.

  Angelica had stopped mid sentence. She lowered her head to cry. Her hands shielded her face from mortification and embarrassment.

  "You see..." She said. "I really didn't want to know if Brice was actually cheating on me. Not really. Not until Samuel Gilmore presented me with more proof than I ever would have wanted. "

  "What happened next." Stone was pushing her. Not giving her a chance to catch her breath. But amazingly, Angelica recovered.

  "At first..l was stunned and at the time, I didn't think to ask how he'd come to know so much about my husband. I didn't understand the significance of what he'd done." She sniffled, regaining some of her composure. Her eyes turned to glass, recalling that day in the restaurant.

  "I recognized every name on the list. These were women I knew. Women who smiled in my face and they knew that Brice was my husband. And believe me, not knowing them would not have made my husbands cheating any better. But I knew these women. Seeing their names... Well... I got angry. I said a few things that now I regret saying."

  "What did you say Mrs. Fischer?" Linda asked.

  With menace in her voice, she said...

  "I told him those women didn't deserve to live. I told him, any woman who is willing to take a man away from his wife and daughter... I said, that she isn't a woman at all. I said, the world would be a better place had they not been born."

  "Were you suggesting that Samuel Gilmore get rid of these women?" Stone asked

  She gasp, leaning forward she said...

  "Oh no detective. I would never suggest anything like that. Ever!"

  "This list of names that Mr. Gilmore provided..." Linda pulled up a list, showing the names of the four women recently killed. She turned the pad to face Angelica, and she watched as the woman's face lost all color. "Were any of these names on that list, Mrs. Fischer?" Linda waited, giving the woman time to catch her breath, while she nodded yes. But Stone wasn't as forgiving. He lurched forward, firing one question after the other.

  "Why didn't you come forward sooner? Maybe, we could have saved some of these women. Maybe one of their
lives would have made the world a better place."

  Angelica shook her head. She wanted Stone to understand that she never meant any of the women any harm.

  "Please... You have to understand! I never told him to kill anyone! I never asked him to do anything."

  "Sure you did. You played the sympathy card." Stone said, nailing her with a steely face.

  "No, no, no... I never intentionally did anything wrong"

  "Tell that to the families of these four dead women. Tell that to Emma Strauss’ parents. Mia Price-Cortland, Valerie Wheaton and Emily Louwer. Explain to their families how the world is better now that their daughters are no longer alive."

  "What Detective Stone means to say....” Linda took charge, attempting to water down Stone’s lethal fire. “Angelica, according to you...the women on this list were having affairs with your husband." Linda never liked the bad cop, good cop bit but Stone's brash tone had done as he'd hoped. Angelica was on the edge of her seat, more than willing to cooperate.

  "I know how this looks." Angelica said.

  "Explain please. How does this look?" Stone’s words wreaked of sarcasm yet Angelica spoke earnestly.

  "After Samuel Gilmore showed me the list of mistresses... I couldn't bear staying in that restaurant with him. I felt sick to my stomach." She exhaled, then said... "After that day, I didn't hear from him again... Not until that night."

  "Which night..." Linda asked, more so for clarification.

  "The night I left my home. It was late and Brice wasn't at home. I received a late night call. It was a little after midnight. Maybe a few hours more. I don't remember." She was closing her eyes, trying to recall the exact order of events for the first time. "Like I said. It was late and I didn't look at my clock. I was awaken so when I answered the phone, the caller spoke a few times before I finally realized who had called me." Angelica opened her eyes. She stared directly at Linda. "It was Samuel Gilmore. He was calling to tell me that he'd watched my husband go into the Carlyle with one of his mistresses. I told him that was a lie but I didn't have the information to prove it. Brice had not told me where he'd gone or when he'd be back."

  "What did he say next?" Stone asked.

  "When I didn't believe him, he said that wasn't important anymore. He said that I was right. Women like Emma don't deserve to live. He said that women like her disgusted him. The way he talked... The way his voice sounded... I'd never heard that side of him before. There was something about him that didn't add up. I was afraid for Brice..."

  "But he didn't seem to be concerned about your husband." Linda said.

  "No... He didn't but I was afraid for my husband. I didn't want anything to happen to him."

  "So, you were out that night because you wanted to protect your husband."

  Linda didn't believe this but she wanted to test Angelica's story. She liked the woman and she was pleased when she answered.

  "No... That isn't the reason I left my home with my baby. After that call, Samuel hung up without saying another word. I was confused but I did believe him when he said that my husband was at the Carlyle and not out of the city on business. So, now I needed to make a choice. I could stay at home, knowing what I knew or I could go and confront him. Better yet... I wanted to confront my husband and his mistress. I wanted them to see who was being hurt. I wanted them too see the two lives that were being affected. You must understand... I was acting on pure impulse. Not once did I stop to make sense of my decision. Within an hour, I'd dressed myself, then I dressed my baby. By then it was about three in the morning. I packed a diaper bag and a small bag for myself because the possibility that I wouldn't be going home that morning was very high."

  Angelica lay her hands on the table. She twisted her fingers, milking her flesh like cow nipples. Pain framed her face. Stone and Linda recognized, that their crucial moment had finally arrived. Her body rocked with a hint of nervousness but she'd come this far and somehow her strength would nudge her onward. Angelica’s voice was lifeless; a flat monotone unable to reach any heights.

  "I was halfway out the door. Just one step from entering the garage when I heard the house phone ring. I knew who it was. I answered it to keep the noise from waking the house staff. I didn't want them to know about this ugliness. Nikki... My baby. She was asleep, so I balanced her in my arm while using my free hand to answer the phone. It was Samuel... He said that Brice and Emma had left the hotel. He said that my husband was following her, and they were heading in the direction of her apartment. Then he began singing her address. I couldn't believe it. He was actually singing her name and the address to her building. The man sounded insane. He sounded like something had suddenly snapped. Then he absolved me by saying that I was the innocent one...me and my baby. He said that we had to be protected from evil. He said that someone had too do something. Then he reminded me of our conversation. He told me that husband’s can't cheat if the world were free of mistresses. I didn't understand how a person so successful... A man so educated... I didn't know why he would without warning suddenly crack."

  "Did you tell someone? Did you wake someone and tell them about the phone call?" Stone asked

  "No. I couldn't. I just couldn't. I... I now know that maybe I should have but I didn't. I knew the address that he repeated.... I knew that he was headed in that direction. I still was just thinking about my Brice. I needed to get to him. I drove there hoping to find Samuel alone. I wanted to talk to him. I really don't know what I would have said to him but I wanted to try to undo whatever I'd done wrong. I was blaming myself for crying on his shoulder. I believed perhaps I shouldn't have told him that my marriage was in trouble."

  "What happened when you arrived in front of Emma Strauss’ apartment.” Linda didn't want to get bogged down with information that wouldn't help solve this as well as the other murders.

  "I parked my car near a fire hydrant, then I walked one block down. It was still dark but I could see movement down the street. I didn't see my husbands limo and I'd never seen the make or model of Samuel’s car. But as I neared the middle of the block, I saw a man stepping up on the sidewalk. He rounded a parked car then began heading towards the corner. Before he turned the block, he stopped....and briefly stared at me."

  "Did you see the man, Mrs. Fischer?" Stone asked. She nodded, then he said... "Who was it?"

  "It was him. It was Samuel Gilmore."

  "Are you certain? You did say that it was dark and you were carrying your baby. Are you sure that Samuel Gilmore is the man that you saw that night?"

  "I know who I saw. It was him all right. It was Samuel. And when I saw him, I sped up to catch him. I wanted to talk... To say something, but when I passed the parked car I'd just seconds earlier watched him skirt around.... It was then that I noticed the woman slouched unnaturally behind the wheel of her car. Something told me not too look but I couldn't bring myself not too. I stepped off the curb and from the front window.... I knew by looking at her that she was dead. It was Emma and she wasn’t moving."

  "And that's when you'd reportedly screamed." Linda said.

  "Yes.... I did. It seemed like an eternity passed before someone came out too see what had happened. After that...I really don't remember much. I was worried about my husband but when I went home, Brice wasn't there. I was too afraid to try calling him because I didn't know if Samuel had killed him too."

  "When did your husband come home?"

  "Not until that next morning."

  The timing of the two murders was beginning to make sense, thanks to Angelica filling in the blanks. When Emma Strauss had driven home, Brice may have followed for a while but instead of heading in her direction, he took a left, taking him to Mia Price-Cortland’s penthouse apartment. Soon after having his way with her; Brice left, then the killer entered her building. He killed her then left the area using the service entrance that Hayford’s tip had informed them about. Linda was certain that Brice Fischer's travel calendar would line up with the murder timelines. If what Angelica was tellin
g them was true, then Samuel Gilmore killed his victims soon after they rendezvoused with Brice Fischer. Now they wondered how many names had been on the mistress list. Had Samuel finished his killing spree or were there more murders he intended to commit?

  "You said that Samuel had given you a card, when you first met him in London. Did you ever use it to contact him?"

  She felt a trace a guilt because her reasons had been selfish.

  "Yes... It was a business card with a company logo. Davis Antiquities. That night at the engagement party. Detective.... When you told me that you had pictures.... Pictures that would point to the killer.... At the time, I thought my heart would burst free from my chest."

  "You knew then didn't you? You knew somehow those pictures would help us.... Yet you chose not to say anything." Linda said.

  "Believe me when I say that I really didn't know because.... I didn't want to know anything. I wanted that night to be washed from my memory. I wanted Samuel to go away. I couldn't risk my husband ever finding out that I'd been on that street the night his mistress was being murdered."

  "So, you called him. You called the number on the ‘Davis Antiquities’ business card. When the phone was answered, it was Samuel Gilmore on the other end and you told him to get out of town."

  "No... That isn’t how it happened. I wanted to but I didn't tell him that. I called him, but I said that if he killed Emma... I told him that, the police woman in charge of the case has pictures that will show that he did it. I don't know why I told him that because, when I did....he asked me where I could meet him. I told him that I couldn't. Then he started ranting and cursing. He said if I knew what was good for me that I would tell him where we could meet. So I did. Brice had left the party and I saw no harm in meeting him. I thought I could say that I didn't want to ever see or hear from him again. But I didn't get to say much because even on the phone, I sensed his control. He told me to meet him outdoors. And I did. He was waiting for me at the end of the street. He asked me about you, Detective Gables. He wanted to know who’d escorted you to the party."