Blind Spot (Blind Justice Book 1)

by Adam Zorzi

  “A Detective Elba and Lieutenant Winston.”

  “They're the lead investigators.”

  “Elizabeth was put off that they hadn't called first, but I think they wanted to surprise us. Throw us off balance so we wouldn't have prepared responses.”

  “Probably. I've talked to them whenever they show up. I told them they can search anything in the house. I don't understand how anything in the house could help find the monster that killed her, but I let them do their job.”

  “They seemed to think Jill might have known the person.”

  Dan was surprised. He poured out his beer. It had no taste whatsoever.

  “Why would they think that? Why would anyone who knew Jill want to kill her?”

  “They wouldn't answer me when I asked.”

  Dan didn't respond.

  “Dan,” said George. “They asked us about Christmas. How Jill seemed at Christmas without you. They asked if she seemed worried or angry.”

  Now he understood. The police wanted to know Jill's reaction to his confession of the affair and anything she'd told them since. As if that could help.

  “George, I didn't have the mumps at Christmas. I stayed here because Jill found out I'd been having an affair for the last year the day before we were supposed to leave for Charleston.”

  He put his hand up for George not to interrupt. He had to get this out all at once or he'd never be able to do it at all.

  “It was wrong. It was stupid. I hurt Jill terribly. Terribly. I wish I could take it back, but I can't. I promised Jill I'd never see or speak to the woman again and I haven't. I've been sleeping in the guest room. We told Kaitlyn I have sleep apnea and occasionally use a machine while I sleep that is quite noisy and would disturb Jill's sleep. We bought a used machine on eBay to give the story credibility. She seems to believe it.

  “It's the worst thing I've done in my life. I begged Jill to let me stay. To at least let me try to be a good husband. For Kaitlyn's sake, she let me stay. She wanted to forgive me, but I don't know if she could. I love her, George. I was cruel and selfish and stupid, but I love Jill.”

  George sat for a while before he spoke.

  “Did Jill know the woman? Was it one of her friends?”

  “No, no, nothing like that. She's my age. She was my college girlfriend. The girl who broke my heart and damn near my mind. I've never been unfaithful to Jill. No one except this woman would have tempted me.

  “I ran into her at a meeting. She's a widow who lives in New York. As soon as I saw her, it was like I was possessed. I couldn't stay away from her. Not literally. Much of the affair was by phone. We'd talk for hours when I was at work.”

  “Did this have anything to do with losing your job?”

  “No. It had always been a possibility once the new system was operational. It made me and three of my colleagues redundant. There was a statewide reduction in force. I was the oldest and most senior. Someone less expensive took my position. “

  “Did you tell Jill about the affair?”

  “No. The woman sent Jill an email the day before we were to leave for Charleston.”

  “Why?”

  Dan let out a long sigh. “My dad knew about the affair. He guessed as soon as I'd told everyone that I'd run into the woman. He was on me the entire year about risking my marriage for a woman who'd dumped me—who'd made me try to kill myself and sent me to a psychiatrist for three years. He said I was bewitched by her.

  “When he died, Jill was wonderful to me. I realized how stupid I'd been. I'd been chasing a dream. Jill was real. She was my wife. I loved her.

  “I never called the woman again. I was ashamed of myself and wanted to pretend it had never happened. I realize now I should have at least told her it was over. She wasn't a mind-reader. She called me every day until I finally answered.

  “We had a nasty argument. I'm sure everyone in my office heard me yelling at her. She wasn't that upset about ending the affair. She was angry that I hadn't done her the courtesy of telling her it was over. I threatened to get a restraining order if she didn't stop calling me. That was the second stupidest thing I've ever done.

  “The woman is a lawyer. She sent Jill an email at work saying that she didn't take threats lightly. She essentially told Jill to get me under control or all hell would break loose. If I followed through on my threat and went to court, she said that would make the affair public. That everyone would know. My employer would find out how I was spending my time at work. That Kaitlyn would find out. That I wouldn't be successful in getting a restraining order and I would put Jill and Kaitlyn through a public spectacle for no reason.

  “Of course, Jill showed me the email. She was more hurt than angry. She said I was disinvited to Christmas vacation because she needed time away from me to think. When she came back, she asked me to move to the guest room, but she didn't ask for a divorce. She was giving me a chance.”

  Dan threw out his hands as if to say that's the whole story.

  George had sipped his scotch while listening. He didn't respond immediately. Dan wondered if he was ever going to say anything.

  “Thank you for telling me the truth, Dan. I suspected you didn't have the mumps, but I didn't pry. Jill did seem to think a lot while she was in Charleston. She let Elizabeth take over Kaitlyn, which she normally wouldn't have allowed. It kept both Elizabeth and Kaitlyn distracted.”

  “I'm sorry, George. I was selfish not to think she'd be terribly hurt.”

  “I know you're sorry. I think Jill was wise enough to see that one mistake shouldn't ruin a good marriage. I think you two would have been all right.”

  “You do?”

  George nodded. Of course, George's opinion about the prospects of his marriage meant nothing, but it somehow made him feel less awful.

  “Dan, how did this woman know Jill's email address?”

  “I don't know. We agreed at the beginning to never mention our spouses—not her late husband, not Jill. She didn't want to know Jill's name or anything about her. She wanted our time to be just us. No one else.”

  “Hmmm,” he said. “That's certainly the way to conduct an affair. When it ended badly, she had the advantage of being a lawyer. Finding your marriage record and learning Jill's name wouldn't have taken more than a second. She could easily find employment history after she had the name. After that, getting email was a snap.”

  “I was stupid, George. I was angry when I threatened her. I didn't think about court proceedings being public. I wasn't going to actually do anything, but it gave her an in. She was protecting herself. She didn't want her professional reputation sullied by some stupid married man in Virginia even though she'd win the hearing. She knows me well. She knows I can be stubborn, so she basically put Jill on the case to rein me in.”

  George finished his scotch. “The woman was smart. She might have been fine with ending the affair, but she didn't want to jeopardize her career. You went too far. It's not smart to threaten lawyers.”

  “Now, I know.”

  “Dan, do you think Jill and this woman ever met?”

  “No,” Dan scoffed.

  “Why are you so sure?”

  “She was adamant about not knowing anything about Jill. She basically sicced Jill on me and went away. I can't imagine Jill would want to meet her. Why, do you think it's possible?”

  “Women do strange things when they're hurting.”

  The two men sat silently.

  “George, it's going to be public that I had an affair. It's part of the investigation. Did the police tell you and Elizabeth?”

  “No, they wanted our answer about Christmas then changed the subject. I'll tell Elizabeth tonight. This is the sort of thing that won't be kept quiet. Gossip spreads quickly.” George hauled himself out of the chair. “Damn, those things are uncomfortable. Why do women like them?”

  “Don't know, George. I'm horrible at women.”

  CHAPTER

  FORTY-TWO

  Dan wished he had said yes t
o water. He was tired, nervous, and now felt faint in this airless room. His mother had been trying to get him to eat, but he hadn’t been hungry. He hadn’t been nauseated. He just hadn’t thought he could choke down food. She'd resorted to giving him soups.

  “Excuse me, Detective Elba, may I have some water? Or soda? I feel light-headed.”

  “Sure. Lieutenant Winston, do you want anything while I'm taking orders?”

  “Coke,” said Winston.

  Dan sat across from Winston. He was beginning to think of Elba and Winston as friends of the family. He'd spent more time with them in the last five days than he had with anyone who wasn't family.

  Winston looked like a recruitment model for law enforcement. Tall, lean and muscled, and hands that looked like they never got dirty. Light tan. No mustache. Winston didn't wear a ring. He acted married, though. Just didn't wear a ring. Only an inexpensive watch.

  Elba was back with sodas. Dan drank a third of his in a few gulps. He burped and felt better.

  “Okay, now?”

  Dan nodded.

  Elba sat with a folder open in front of him and resumed questioning.

  “As I said, the toxicology reports on Mrs. Ramsay are back. She died of an overdose of liquid morphine. There was a tiny injection site on the right side of her neck. A trace amount of blood was found on the headrest of the 2012 Kia Sorento. Do you know anyone with access to morphine?”

  “No.” He was a civil servant. He didn't know about pharmaceuticals or drug dealers. Which one were they pursuing?

  “Sure?” Elba was giving him a chance to reconsider his answer. He didn't need it.

  “No, I don't know anyone with access to morphine.”

  “What about Mrs. Ramsay?”

  “My mother doesn't take morphine.” There was another screwy question.

  “Did your wife, Jill Ramsay, have access to morphine?”

  “No.”

  “Mrs. Ramsey was prescribed 10 mg of morphine every four hours for ten days on August 23 of last year. The prescription was refilled twice. Once on August 31 and again on September 9.”

  Right. Her pain medication. “That was for pain after her hysterectomy.”

  “Mr. Ramsay, the hospital records indicate that Mrs. Ramsay expressed concern about opiates. Could you explain that?”

  “She thought they were a gateway drug. She led a healthy lifestyle. She didn't want drugs to be a part of that. She was afraid of them. I filled the prescription in case she needed pain relief once she came home. She had a long recovery period with some pretty bad days.”

  “Did she take morphine over that period?”

  “Occasionally. For the first two weeks, she couldn't climb stairs. She kept the pills in the kitchen cabinet with her vitamins.”

  “Was there morphine left over?”

  “I don't know. After the first week, she was mobile. She managed her medication.”

  “There wasn't any in the medicine cabinets in your home.”

  Was that a question? “Then I guess she took it all or threw it out. She was diligent about not keeping anything past its expiration date.”

  “How did you get the bruises on your right thigh?”

  He ought to know by now that they switched subjects to keep him off balance.

  “I fell out of my single bed in the guestroom the week before Jill…went on the cycling trip. I banged my right leg on the corner of the bedside table and broke the lamp. Katie heard the crash. I told her to go back to bed. I was fine, but embarrassed. I'm used to sleeping in a king bed and rolled off the single.”

  “What happened to the lamp?”

  “The lamp?” These questions were so bizarre.

  “The broken lamp. Did the bulb break? Did you sweep up the glass? Take the lamp to be repaired? Buy a new shade?”

  “I don't know. I mentioned it to Jill. She decorated the guest room with pieces she'd collected. I don't know what she did.”

  “You don't know if there's a lamp on your bedside table?” Elba sounded skeptical.

  “There's a lamp, but I couldn't tell you what it looks like if my life depended on it.”

  Another great answer. My life could depend on whether I broke a lamp or carried my wife's body through the park.

  “And this incident woke your daughter?”

  “Yes. She used to sleep with Abbie, our dog, and doesn't sleep as well without her.”

  “Tell us about the woman with whom you had an affair.”

  “Why? I don't want to drag her into this nightmare, too.”

  “Why not?”

  “It's bad enough everyone, including Katie and my in-laws, know about it. I don't want to rub their faces in it.”

  “Commendable,” said Winston.

  Elba gave Winston a look. “Well, you two may be fine Virginia gentleman, but I'm from New Jersey. I want her name and contact information.”

  Dan provided Bella's name and business address again. “That's all I have. We used burner phones to communicate. I never went to her apartment. Hell, I've never been to New York.”

  Elba passed the file to Winston who ignored it. Elba crossed his arms over his chest and didn't speak. Without taking notes or looking at the file, Winston spoke to Dan in an easy style and conversational tones.

  “Mr. Ramsay, we're refining our timeline and trying to narrow the number of people who might have been in contact with Mrs. Ramsay. You said earlier Ms. Davis didn't take the break-up well. What did you mean?”

  For what felt like the tenth time, Dan relayed the story of how he'd stonewalled Bella after his father died, lost his temper and threatened her the one time they spoke, and her response in the form of an email to Jill. “You haven't heard from Ms. Davis since December?”

  “No.” She made her point.

  “Did Mrs. Ramsay communicate with her after December?”

  “No. Of course not, why would she?” First George and now Winston. Maybe they knew a lot more about women than he did, but he couldn't envision a lover and a wife having a chat about the man they had in common.

  “Do you know everyone Mrs. Ramsay communicated with?”

  “No, but I can't imagine why she'd talk to Bella. She was terribly hurt. We were trying to keep our marriage together and maintain a sense of normalcy for Katie. I don't think her talking to Bella would help.”

  “You said talking. Could they have met?”

  Dan shifted in his seat. “That's preposterous! Jill never went to New York.”

  Elba jumped back in. “People travel between New York and Richmond every day. You said you were reunited with Ms. Davis when she made a day trip for a speaking engagement. She could easily have come to Richmond,” Elba suggested reasonably.

  “I guess. I don't know. I don't see why Jill and Bella would have talked or met.”

  “Women size up the competition, Mr. Ramsay.”

  Dan threw up his hands in frustration. “I don't know for certain, but I don't think Jill would have talked to or met Bella.”

  “Ms. Davis hasn't contacted you since Mrs. Ramsay's death?”

  “No.”

  “Seems convenient. With Mrs. Ramsay gone, you said Ms. Davis is a widow…..”

  “That's disgusting. I haven't seen or spoken to or communicated with or however you want to phrase it with Bella since that horrible conversation in December. Could we take a break? This is all too much.”

  “You have to pee?” asked Elba.

  “Sure, if that will get me a break.”

  The two investigators conferred and apparently decided to continue without a break. Elba continued.

  “You've isolated yourself. How do you know who's called or visited?”

  “I don't. The funeral home provided a guest book for condolence callers to sign. I haven't looked at it. The landline's been unplugged. I haven't talked to anyone directly except family.”

  “Did Mrs. Ramsay show any signs of having become addicted to morphine?”

  “I don't know what the signs are.” Dan
couldn't believe how this investigation worked.

  “Other drugs?”

  “No way. Jill was health conscious.” He almost pleaded for them to understand.

  “Would you recognize signs of addiction?”

  “I've been in psychiatric hospitals. I've seen people with terrible addictions. I know what that looks like.”

  “Once they've gotten treatment. What about signs before that? Did Mrs. Ramsay have changes in her appearance? Sleep habits? Mood swings?”

  Dan was mystified. He couldn't think of Jill as an addict.

  “I can't…”

  “Mr. Ramsay,” said Winston, “you told us your wife believed morphine was a gateway drug. She expressed concern about addiction while in the hospital for a hysterectomy. She managed her medication so you don't know what she had.

  “You said she'd shaved her head, she seemed to stall about going on a cycling trial, she was more concerned about cash flow than you. Her colleagues said she'd lost weight and had circles under her eyes.” All laid out nicely to make a case that his wife was a drug addict and he didn't know it.

  “Jill wasn't an addict. She'd never be impaired around Katie. I can't tell you about her sleep habits because I was in the guest room. Her gynecologist warned us that until synthetic hormones replaced her own she'd have mood swings. I attributed any change in her moods to hormones or my affair.”

  “We're pursuing every angle,” said Elba. “If she had become an addict, she might have come into contact with unsavory and dangerous people. If she seemed concerned about cash rather than investments, that would suggest an immediate need for money to buy drugs. It would explain why your job loss was a significant concern.”

  Dan shook his head in disbelief. “I don't know what to say.”

  “Have any of her doctors offered condolences?”

  “I don't know. It would be in the book from Smythe's.”

  “What about William Bowles, III?”

  “The lawyer?”

  “Your lawyer, Mr. Ramsay.”

  “He's our tax attorney. His father handled everything. When he retired, Will took over his father's clients. Rob's spoken to him. Rob is the executor of my father's will and trustee of most of his trusts.”