Blind Trust (Blind Justice Book 2)

by Adam Zorzi

  He mother's hand flew to her throat. “He's really stalking you?”

  LouLou touched her lightly on the arm so as not to disturb Orchis's territory. “Followed. Remember, I told you Dan showed up at Vinyl on a flimsy pretense.”

  Her mother accepted the answer without responding. She sat quietly and stroked Orchid.

  “Uncle Collin, what have you found out?” She hoped getting up-to-date information would ease her mother's mind—hers too.

  “With your permission, Dr. Baldwin sent me an email with detailed information about your treatment and the impact stress caused by this man could have on you along with the sketch you made of him. I forwarded it to the proper authorities. I'm sorry you're going through this, but Ramsay will be arrested soon enough.”

  “Arrested?” said LouLou and her mother in unison.

  “Of course.” Collin took a handful of nuts and put them in his palm. “He's linked to the investigation of your father's murder. The murder of a diplomat. The feds don't mess around. They have a warrant for his arrest. They'll locate and arrest him. He'll be out of LouLou's life.”

  Collin brushed his hands together to remove any crumbs. “Let's eat.”

  CHAPTER

  FIFTY-THREE

  “Wait, please, “LouLou said. “I don't understand what this has to do with Dad's death.”

  Liz and LouLou's mom went outside for some air, leaving Collin and LouLou to discuss what the women already knew or chose not to hear.

  “It's possible he may have killed your father.”

  “Dad?” LouLou asked. If she hadn't been so heavily medicated, she'd cry. “You think Dan killed Dad?”

  Collin patted the sofa, and LouLou moved to sit next to him. Collin put his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder and started to cry. Being medicated didn't stop her tears. Collin let her cry for a bit before he spoke. He was his direct self, but his tone was kind.

  “What I think doesn't matter. A federal investigation is underway. What investigators find, analyze, and decide is out of our hands. I know for a fact they're now following this line of investigation. Ramsay has a psych history. He was awaiting a competency hearing on capital murder charges when you saw him in Petersburg. So, he's not unknown to the Virginia Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

  “With distorted thinking, Ramsay may have believed with your father out of the way, he could step into that role. It's motive. A powerful one depending upon his mental state.”

  Dan couldn't possibly think that. She was thirty-one years old and in no need of parenting.

  “Dad. I can't believe Dad died because of my adoption. I can't. Mom won't be able to stand it. She'll hate me. I'll lose them both.” She was sobbing now like a child cradled in her uncle's embrace. She hiccupped.

  Collin let her compose herself and then looked at his watch. “LouLou, it's time for some meds. Are they in your tote?”

  She nodded. He handed her the tote, she took the meds she needed from her case that was marked with days of the week, AM and PM and hours. Collin poured her a glass of water with ice and refreshed his scotch. She gulped down three pills and held out her glass. Collin refilled it and sat next to her.

  “Your mother will never love you less. Ever. Quiet yourself and let's stick to the facts. Becoming your parent would be a motive for Ramsay, according to investigators. He has a strong motive to get his love child back and plenty of time to follow a delivery or service-man into your parents' house, wait for the right moment, and wait again until he could leave. People have been arrested for less.”

  “But he lives with his mother.” LouLou wiped tears aside with a cocktail napkin. “She'd worry if he disappeared. She'd call the police.”

  “True, but a man planning to commit murder would consider drugging or disabling his mother to buy himself time a mere detail.”

  LouLou shivered. Uncle Collin made sense. What's subduing his elderly mother when murder is his goal? She could see how Dan would appear to be a viable suspect to investigators.

  Collin hugged her tightly. “The point for you is that evidence of stalking may turn up during the course of the murder investigation. That gets him arrested for starters and out of circulation. He has a tiger of a defense attorney, but no judge is going to give him bail. He'll either be tried and sentenced or at least sent to Petersburg pending a competency hearing. You'll be safe.”

  For a while.

  “Uncle Collin, I loved Dad more than words can say. I hate whoever killed him. I just find it hard to believe it's Dan. He was so normal and clueless and sad when I met him. I don't know how or why he ended up in Petersburg, but he was pretty sick there. He might even have had a heart attack. No one ever said. Spending a couple of years at Petersburg had to have changed him. He was neglected at best except for…”

  She'd been so stupid not to see it.

  “At Petersburg, he saw me drawing every day and asked me to draw a symbol of running. I drew a winged foot on his arm with crayons as a fake tattoo. When I saw him at Ginter Gardens, he told me he still had the sketch and was thinking of getting it inked or matted and framed. He said it was a symbol that he could get well. Now, I realize he kept it because it was mine. Like an art project a child makes for her parents to put on the refrigerator.”

  “Okay. That's something for the investigators. He kept a talisman.” Collin finished his drink and sat back. “What else? Is he smart? cunning? Anything else I should pass on?”

  “No idea. He graduated from University of Virginia. He was a runner and has a dog.”

  LouLou started sobbing again. She stood and paced. “I don't want him or Bella in my life. I want them gone.”

  “Bella?” Collin put down his glass. “The girlfriend? Your biological mother?”

  “Yes.” LouLou exhaled. She was tired of this twosome and their story. “She's been haunting me.”

  She had Collin's full attention.

  “Bella is dead. What do you mean?”

  LouLou corrected herself. “She's made her presence known. If I hadn't found out about the adoption at Petersburg, Bella had arranged for me to learn of it on my thirtieth birthday. She lied to Mom and Dad. She broke their agreement.” She told Collin about the blind trust and how her friend Quincy made it all go away.

  “How much?” Collin asked. “How much was the trust account?”

  “Just over ten million. I've no idea what the actual transferred amount was after fees.”

  “And you turned that down?” Collin whistled.

  “Of course. I want nothing to do with Dan or Bella.”

  “Did your parents know she'd betrayed them?”

  “No, it happened just before Mom and I went to Paris. I told her after Dad died. She was stunned that the lovely young woman from the Sorbonne had lied.”

  Collin spoke as if he were the only one in the room. “So, Bella had big money if she was tossing off ten million to you. That means Dan didn't have to do it himself. He could've hired someone if he had money from her, too.”

  LouLou's stomach lurched. That's exactly what Big had said about Dan killing his wife. He didn't have to do it himself if he had money to pay someone. LouLou had stuck up for him, insisting Dan was too clueless to find a hitman. Now, Dan was a suspect in her dad's death. She sat and covered her face in her hands.

  “LouLou, the feds are taking care of Dan. Quincy handled Bella's money. What's going on with you?”

  “Uncle Collin, until he's in custody, I'm afraid of Dan. He's deteriorating. When I saw him at Vinyl, he hadn't had a haircut, he had the start of a beard, and his clothes looked like he'd slept in them. Not everyone is as vigilant as I am about beating, or at least standing up to, Sick.

  “I'm even more afraid of myself. If he escapes the cops and pursues me past my breaking point, I could have an episode. They're increasingly violent. Depending upon who's around, I could hurt or kill someone I love dearly. I don't want that to happen. I'd die if I hurt someone.”

  Collin pulled he
r to him and held her close.

  “You and I have always been able to talk. I'm being straight with you. Dr. Baldwin told me you're on plenty of medication to prevent an episode. Dan's going to be caught. You're as safe as you can be. Don't push yourself into an episode by worrying about having one. It's a vicious cycle. Just keep taking your meds. We'll feed you healthy stuff, and there's plenty of exercise to be had around here. Rest, sleep, read. Do what you need to take care of yourself. Liz and I are here for you. Your mom couldn't bear to lose you. You're surrounded by people who love you. Remember that, okay?”

  LouLou nodded.

  “Now, for God’s sake, can we eat dinner?”

  CHAPTER

  FIFTY-FOUR

  After wolfing down a medium rare steak, steamed broccoli, and a baked potato loaded with butter, sour cream, and chives, Collin spent the evening behind the closed doors of his study. LouLou didn't know what he did before he retired. Investments was always the vague answer. She knew he had political connections. He also had a vengeful streak.

  LouLou ate ravenously. Sometimes, medication did that. She could tell her mother was forcing herself to eat, but she, too, needed sustenance. Liz ate some broccoli and finished her wine.

  Before he closeted himself in his study, Collin kissed LouLou goodnight. “I hope you do sleep for the next two days. You need rest. Do you have alarms for your medication times?”

  LouLou nodded and started to cry. Again. That's all she did now.

  Her mother tucked her in. She reminded LouLou that she had a list of times for all the medications and would be sure LouLou got them. She left a pitcher of ice and water on her nightstand and LouLou's phone within reach in case she needed to call during the night. LouLou was loved and safe. For now.

  ***

  LouLou’s alarm went off at two in the morning for one of her meds. After taking it, she lay awake for a few minutes. Liz and Collin had a contemporary house with lots of light and wood beams. She lay under her white and blue comforter in a soft double bed and looked at the stars through two large skylights.

  She wished she knew about constellations. Still, it was nice just to look at the blues, purples, and blacks that make up the night sky of the Virginia countryside. She counted stars, guessed which slice of moon showed, and watched landing lights of planes headed for Dulles.

  Watching planes was a favorite pastime of hers at night. She loved creating back stories for the individuals on the flights—where they'd been, who'd be waiting for them, who they missed.

  She wished Gregg could fly with her. He'd never done a lot of things because he'd been rounded up for being part of the undesirable population and tossed into Commonwealth Psych just after his eighteenth birthday. Outraged as she was, LouLou had to accept it. She had to fight the paranoia that was overcoming her, but her mind was full of terrible possibilities. Mostly, she was afraid Gregg would leave. She knew she should be grateful he lived with her now, in the twenty-first century, this decade, this year, this day.

  He had so much music inside him. He told her he’d always felt it bubbling inside him. He couldn't write it fast enough. He had years of music pent up inside his head and his heart. He needed time to get it all down.

  He told her she was his muse. Maybe she'd get that as her next tat. Gregg's muse. Written in an unusual language or code. Something just for the two of them. Like Bach.

  She loved him. People with schizophrenia didn't have long life spans. Ghosts didn't either. Gregg would be the only man she would ever love.

  CHAPTER

  FIFTY-FIVE

  LouLou slept for three days. She got up to eat, take her medications, and inject herself, but everything was a blur. Tux remained with her throughout. She felt good on the fourth morning of her stay.

  “Let's have breakfast on the patio,” her mom suggested. “It's good to see you looking rested and not so tense.” She stroked LouLou's cheek. Over scrambled egg whites, homemade whole wheat toast, and berries, the two relaxed in each other's company.

  “How are you, Mom?” LouLou asked.

  “I'm still shell-shocked. I can't believe your dad is gone. Just gone and not coming back. Liz and Collin have been patient with me. They don't require anything of me. I walk one of the horses. Just walk alongside her on her halter every day. It gets me outside, and the horse is nice.

  “I jolt awake every morning. He's gone. I want to crawl under the covers and never come out. I don't, though. I get up, shower, and dress every day, but sometimes that's all I do.”

  LouLou held her mother's hand. “I can't imagine what it must be like for you. I'm sorry.”

  “I wish I'd had a chance to say goodbye. At our ages, we expected illness to take us. Not a killer. We thought we were past all that once he retired. I wished I'd had one more day with him.”

  LouLou let her cry. She hated when people told her not to cry. If you can't cry when your husband of almost forty years is murdered, when can you?

  “Good morning, ladies.” Uncle Collin, who was midway through his morning, stepped onto the patio. “LouLou, after breakfast, why don't you and I take a walk to the barn. Can you walk that far? Liz has a new filly I think you'll like.”

  LouLou dapped her mouth with her napkin. “I'm finished. Mom, will you be okay?”

  “Yes. I'm going to finish my coffee and look at the magazines. Enjoy your walk.”

  “Let's go, then,” Collin said.

  Collin started off. When LouLou stood, Tux followed. LouLou and Tux almost trotted to keep up with Collin. He slowed as soon as they were out of hearing distance of the house. “I wish I could do more for your mom, but I can't. She's heartbroken and as far as I know, there's no cure for that. Maybe time. Maybe not.”

  LouLou nodded.

  “You're safe now. The FBI executed a search warrant for Dan Ramsay's house, car, and computers. His phone records were subpoenaed. He was taken in for questioning. He didn't kill your father. He has a solid alibi.

  “Ramsay's daughter was visiting from school when your father was killed. Her grandparents in Charleston have custody, and she boards at St. Margaret's. She's allowed to visit her father as long as her grandmother, aunt, or uncle is there too. She was visiting during the crucial period—the day of the murder as well as days before and after.

  “The headmistress at St. Margaret's and the grandparents confirmed the visit. Entry and exit logs from the retirement community monitored gate confirm that the car only went in and out twice. Those trips are accounted for. Dinner. Movies. Soccer game.”

  LouLou sighed. She felt relief knowing with certainty Dan hadn't killed her father. That was too grotesque to consider.

  “Why was the FBI involved?”

  Collin gave her a strange look. “Your father was a federal official. That makes it federal wherever it happened.”

  LouLou nodded. She knew that. Little things like that slipped away from her all the time.

  “That clears him for murder. Otherwise, Ramsay has gone off the rails. He missed his last three therapy appointments and his medication hasn't been refilled for two months. His laptop was essentially dedicated to you. His screensaver was a picture of you. He visited your website multiple times a day. He tracked your concert schedule. He downloaded all your music.

  “He searched for your identity from one of those internet information sites. He paid for the premium package, but no records came up for your name. He wrote long, and increasingly unintelligible, letters to you or Bella. I don't think he made a distinction.”

  LouLou lurched, and she stopped walking. Collin patted her on the back.

  “Ramsay's attorney knows when to quit. She's been persuaded that the best interest of her client is a guilty plea for cyber-stalking and commitment to a forensic psychiatric facility. Petersburg. Given his unforgiveable experience at Petersburg with the aide exposing your adoption, the Commonwealth Attorney agreed that Ramsay may be transferred to a civil hospital at his expense after six months if he's not receiving appropriate psych
iatric treatment at Petersburg. I don't know exactly how that works, but he may never be released. Proving his sanity seems to be a stretch.

  “The point is, he won't be able to harm you or the other child. The maternal grandparents are especially protective of the only child of their late daughter. The threat of danger to either or both of you was a key consideration in his sentencing.”

  LouLou exhaled. Dan Ramsay would go back to Petersburg and because he'd get absolutely no treatment there, he'd go to a psych hospital for some undetermined amount of time. She'd be safe. She desperately hoped he could be dissuaded from the idea that contact with her wouldn't be anything but explosive. Funny, she no longer thought of him as High Life. He'd become Dan, and then Danger to her.

  CHAPTER

  FIFTY-SIX

  That woman simply couldn't be her child. Surely, there was another blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby born in the American Hospital of Paris around that date in April. Surely, there'd been a terrible mistake and the Flemings received some inferior infant. There was no other explanation. Her child with Daniel couldn't be that daft.

  Wishful thinking. Bella had no choice. She had to work with who she had—LouLou. The woman couldn't grasp the simple concept that sweet, dear Daniel was her father and naturally, wanted to spend time with her. A crumb. Bella knew Daniel's interest stemmed from his desire to be close to Bella until they could be reunited, no matter how poor a substitute LouLou was for her. Daniel wanted to get to know, or at least see, his child. The fact that she was an adult was a plus. He wanted a dinner companion, or someone to go with him to the museum and get him out of that claustrophobic house with Selma for a few hours. LouLou denied him even that.