Murdered By Plastic Surgery

by Dianne Harman

  “Please, everybody, take some food. Marty, that includes you,” John said. “You’ll need your strength for what you might find tomorrow.”

  “Great thought, John, thanks,” she said dryly as she took a little of everything. After her first bite of chicken she looked up and said, “John, this is probably the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, and coming from the Midwest, I’m definitely no stranger to it. My compliments to the chef.”

  “Thanks. Try the red rice, Marty. I think it goes perfectly with the chicken. I’d love all of your thoughts on it.”

  “John, what do you do? Spend every minute you’re not cooking watching television food shows and reading cookbooks? The rice is perfect with the chicken. As usual, you’ve outdone yourself,” Les said.

  “Thanks, all. As they say in Italy, mangia, mangia, or eat up!”

  CHAPTER 8

  When Marty woke up the following morning, Jeff still hadn’t returned. She made a cup of coffee, walked Duke, and called Jeff. “Sorry to bother you, sweetheart, but I was concerned when I got up and saw that you hadn’t come home last night. I want to touch base with you before I go to Dr. Ramsey’s office. What’s happening, and is there anything I should know?”

  “Not really. The crime scene was a mess. His medical partner was the one who found him and he’s devastated, which isn’t surprising. I had to notify his staff and his wife, as well as oversee the crime scene investigation. Then I had to go to my office and write up the reports. I didn’t even get to the station until 4:00 a.m. To say I’m exhausted would be the understatement of the year. I’m running on nothing but coffee and donuts right about now. I should be home in an hour or so. When are you leaving?”

  “Probably about the time you’ll be getting home. I won’t even bother to make the bed, because I’m assuming you’ll just fall into it.”

  “That’s exactly what I plan on doing. I just hope I can sleep given the gallons of coffee I’ve consumed over the last few hours. If I don’t see you this morning, I’ll catch up with you later. I’m going to try and grab a couple of hours of sleep, but I need to get this investigation going. As I’ve told you before, the first few hours are always the most critical when it comes to trying to solve a murder case.”

  “Anything you can tell me at this point?” Marty asked.

  “His partner had neglected to look at the surgery schedule for today and wanted to see what time his first one was scheduled for. He couldn’t get his home computer to work, so he went to his office to see if he could pull it up there. Instead, he found a scalpel in Dr. Ramsey’s back. He was sitting in front of his computer, and it was on. That’s about the gist of it. Naturally Dr. Ramsey’s computer is being checked for anything that might help us. My team gathered about thirty bags of DNA evidence. Other than that, I’m waiting for the DNA and fingerprint tests to come back. Although I briefly talked to the doctor’s staff last night, I need to interview each of them at length to see if they can come up with any persons of interest. Right now I don’t have one, which is not a good way to start an investigation.

  “Jeff, I’m assuming you and your team went through his desk and everything else last night. I just want to make sure it’s okay for me to touch things when I do the appraisal this morning. It’s almost impossible to conduct one without doing that.”

  “Yeah, Marty, we were pretty thorough. All the evidence we felt was relevant has been removed from the office, but we didn’t take any of the furniture in his office, the quilts, or the artwork that was on the walls.”

  “Try and get some sleep, Jeff. I’m sure when you’re rested, your mind will kick into high gear, and you’ll find the murderer.”

  “Thanks, love. I wish I shared your optimism. The thing that’s bothering me is I know the chief is watching every step I’m taking. If I can’t solve this case, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume I won’t be the one who will be leading the detective division in the future.”

  “Well, I hate to say it, but you may have a point. I’d like to take Laura with me to Dr. Ramsey’s office this morning and see if she can get a sense of anything, but I don’t think I could come up with a reason for her to be there other than she could pretend to be my assistant.”

  “Nice idea, Marty, but I don’t think Dick would appreciate you borrowing Laura for the morning. He’s been very good to you, and you sure don’t want to jeopardize your standing with him.”

  “You’re probably right, but I wouldn’t mind seeing what her read on the situation at the office is. Anyway, I’ll see you tonight. I love you, and I worry about you.”

  “Don’t waste your time worrying about me. I’d rather you spent it wishing me luck in finding out who murdered Dr. Ramsey.”

  “Okay, I wish you luck in finding out who murdered the doctor. Bye.”

  As soon as she ended the call, she walked next door to Laura’s house. The door was ajar, and she said in a loud voice, “Laura, it’s me. Can I come in?”

  “Sure. I was just getting ready to go outside and check on the weather to see what I should wear to work today. Although we live in the high desert, which is supposed to be somewhat cool this time of year, I always like to do a personal morning assessment. The weather people are good, but I think I trust my own instincts more than all their fancy equipment.”

  “I know what you mean. Laura, I have a favor to ask. It seems to me that you told me once that the insurance company gives each employee a couple of days a year which they call personal days, days they can take care of personal business. I was wondering if you’ve taken your personal days this year.”

  Laura had been buttoning her blouse when Marty had come in, and at her question, she paused. “The answer is no, but why do you ask?”

  “Well,” Marty said, looking around the room and avoiding Laura’s eyes, “I just talked to Jeff. He and his investigative team collected a lot of DNA evidence and fingerprints at the doctor’s office when they were there.” She began to speak hurriedly, “Like I said last night, I have to go there this morning to finish my appraisal, and I was thinking, with your psychic ability, maybe you could pick up something that wasn’t apparent to Jeff’s team.” She turned back to Laura with a pleading look in her eyes.

  “Wait a minute, Sis. I’m in the middle of getting dressed to go to my job, which by the way, is a very high-paying and prestigious job with a blue-chip insurance company, and you want me, might I add, on no notice, to call in and use a day reserved for personal business to go with you to an appraisal at a dead doctor’s office. Is that what you’re saying?”

  “When you put it that way, Laura, it sounds like I’m really pushing the boundaries of our sisterly relationship. Never mind, maybe I can find something on my own.” She dejectedly turned to leave.

  “Where do you think you’re going? I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it, Marty. I just wanted to make sure that when I want you to do something for me, you’ll jump at whatever it is. Actually, I kind of remember how you used to manipulate me when we were kids, and I was always the one who got caught by mom and dad when we did something wrong. You still know how to manipulate me. Sure, I’ll call in and tell Dick I’m taking a personal day.”

  “Oh, Laura, thank you. I just know you’ll come up with something. Actually, you don’t need to take a full day. The appraisal isn’t going to last more than a couple of hours, three at tops. You’ll be back in the office in time for lunch.”

  “You owe me, and I may just collect with another chimichanga at Armando’s. After we raved about them to John last night, I just hope he can make one that’s close to being as good as theirs. Let me change clothes. I’m not exactly sure what’s appropriate for helping with an appraisal in a place where a murder took place, but I don’t think I should wear a business suit. We can take separate cars, because I do have to go to the office when we’re finished. When do you want to leave?”

  “In about forty-five minutes. I need to get dressed, and I want to eat something. See you in a few.”

  CHAPTE
R 9

  Marty walked into Dr. Ramsey’s suite of offices, followed by Laura who was carrying Marty’s large photography bag. Marty had her tape recorder, tape measure, and everything else she needed for the appraisal in a brown leather briefcase that had become faded with use.

  She walked over to the reception desk and said, “Good morning. I’m Marty Morgan-Combs. I’m the appraiser Dr. Ramsey hired to do his collection of Shaker furniture, quilts, and art. I am so sorry to hear of his death, and I realize this isn’t a good time to be opening up your office to strangers, but the insurance company wants me to complete my report as soon as possible. They told me they’ll need it even though their insured is now deceased. I’ve brought my assistant, Laura, with me.”

  The older woman sitting behind the front counter said, “I’m Sybil West, Dr. Ramsey’s administrative assistant. He told me yesterday that you would be coming in this morning and he asked me to give you full access to his office. I’m sure you can understand that all of us who have worked for the doctor are in a state of shock. You can enter his office by going down the hall. It’s the last door on the left,” she said.

  “Please let me know if you need anything. I’d come with you, but right now I’m pretty involved in putting out fires. Everyone wants Dr. Thurman, he was Dr. Ramsey’s associate, to do their procedure, since we’re having to cancel all of Dr. Ramsey’s appointments and scheduled surgeries. In addition to Dr. Thurman’s regular schedule, this is rapidly becoming a nightmare. Sorry to sound so negative, but I’ve only been here one hour, and I think this very well may be the longest day I’ve ever spent in the office.”

  “I can only imagine what you’re dealing with,” Marty said. “I’m sure we won’t need anything. We’ll check with you before we leave.”

  She turned to go and heard Sybil say, “I forgot to tell you that Dr. Ramsey had a room he used as a conference room behind his office. He mentored a lot of interns, and there’s a big conference table in there. That room has some pieces from his collection in it as well.”

  “Thanks. I’m sure we won’t have any problems.” She and Laura walked down the hall and opened the door to Dr. Ramsey’s office. Laura entered the room and gasped. “I’ve never seen any furniture like this. It’s so simple and yet elegant. I know absolutely nothing about Shaker things. What makes them so special and rare? As I recall the Shaker settlements were in the Eastern United States, but that’s about all I know.”

  “Yes, they were a religious sect that preached simplicity. They didn’t believe in using ornamental additions like inlays or carvings, but rather relied on drawer arrangements that weren’t the same size and things of that nature to create their art. The furniture was usually made of cherry, maple, or pine. Often it was stained, like those pieces over there,” Marty said, gesturing to a table and chairs on the far side of the room.

  “Marty, they’re all beautiful, but the chairs sure don’t make me feel like I want to sit down and relax in one of them. I have to tell you they look both forbidding and uncomfortable.”

  “Not surprising when you consider the Shakers were completely self-sufficient and very much opposed to anything that seemed to be prideful or egotistical.”

  “That artwork is poles apart from what Les paints,” Laura said in reference to Les’ larger-than-life modernistic paintings.

  “It certainly is. Their life was couched in religiosity, and their artwork reflected that. The tree of life is one of the oldest symbols around, and it denotes strength, growth, and connectedness. The Shakers were quite taken with this image because they thought it depicted the branches reaching towards heaven. And, as I’m sure you know, they were only one of many different groups that extensively used that symbol. I find it interesting that all of the quilts Dr. Ramsey collected primarily had that motif.”

  “Thanks for the lesson, Sis, now give me my marching orders.”

  “Laura, you’ve helped me with appraisals a couple of times before. If you could measure the pieces while I photograph them and dictate the information about them, that would really be helpful. I’d also like you to take the quilts and artwork off the walls and check the backs. Often people put information about them on the reverse side, such as where they got the piece, what they paid for it, or who the artist was. Let’s get started.”

  Laura took the measurements of the pieces while Marty photographed them and dictated the pertinent information about them to use in her research. When she had determined the value of each one, she would dictate all of the information into a report to be given to the woman who typed up her reports.

  “That’s it, Laura,” Marty said as she hung the last piece of artwork back on the wall. “Have you picked up anything? Get any vibes?”

  “Not about the pieces, but his desk has been talking to me ever since I entered the room. Would it be all right with you if I went through it?”

  “That’s fine. As a matter of fact, I was going to do the same. It’s been my experience that people often stick something in their desk or a drawer and don’t realize it has value. Usually it’s something small, and for some reason human nature tends to overlook small things.”

  “With the exception of jewelry,” Laura replied.

  “That’s true, but we’re not appraising jewelry. Go ahead and sit down. Believe me, I’d love it if you could find something. I’m going to look through the drawers that are in the furniture. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  They were both quiet for several moments. Laura was the first to speak, “Marty, I found something, but I don’t think it has anything to do with his collection.”

  Marty walked over to the desk where Laura was sitting and said, “What did you find?”

  She held up a photograph of a woman and said, “Look like anyone you know?”

  Marty took the photograph and examined it. She looked at Laura and said, “I think my eyes are playing tricks on me. This woman looks a lot like Brandy, the woman we saw at Armando’s yesterday, and she also looks like the woman in the photograph I inadvertently took of Dr. Ramsey’s wife.”

  “Yes, but she looks a whole lot better than they do. They’re kind of poor imitations of this woman. I wonder who she is.”

  “I have no idea. Where did you find it? I’m surprised Jeff’s crime scene investigation team didn’t see it, although maybe they did, and didn’t think it was important.”

  “I don’t think they found it. This was kind of one of those psychic things that happens to me. There was a list of telephone numbers taped to the bottom of this drawer,” Laura said, pointing to one of the drawers. “And for whatever reason, I felt compelled to pull the tape away. I kept getting a feeling there was something very important underneath the list. That’s where I found the photograph. I’m sure Jeff’s team wouldn’t have thought to do that, because the list of phone numbers was securely taped to the drawer.”

  “I’m really curious about who this woman is,” Marty said. “I have no idea if it has any relevance to Dr. Ramsey’s death, but the fact the woman looks so much like the other two women seems very odd.”

  “I agree. What are you going to do with it?”

  “I think I’ll ask Sybil, the office manager out front, if she has any idea who it is. Jeff specifically told me that his team was finished with the office, so I don’t think it would be a problem if I asked her,” Marty said.

  “Go for it. Maybe she can give you some additional information about the woman. I’m going to let you handle it. Dick was very gracious about me taking the morning off, but I don’t want to push it. Since it looks like we’re finished here, I’m going back to the office. See you tonight.”

  “Thanks, Laura, I really appreciate you doing this for me. I owe you,” Marty said as she put away her appraisal equipment. “Enjoy your afternoon.”

  CHAPTER 10

  After Laura left, Marty gathered up her appraisal gear and walked down the hall to the reception area. Sybil was just ending a call. “Well, were you able to finish your appraisal?” she aske
d.

  “Yes, thank you. Dr. Ramsey had some beautiful pieces. I wonder what’s going to happen to his collection?”

  “I have no idea. I imagine his wife will get everything, but I don’t know that for a fact,” she said with a frown on her face.

  Hmmmm, that’s interesting, Marty thought. I don’t have Laura’s psychic powers, but I sure get the feeling there’s no love lost there. An idea popped into her mind. An idea that might mean she could get some information to help Jeff with his investigation.

  “Sybil, this is totally spur of the moment, but I’m starving. You must be exhausted from juggling so many balls this morning. Can you take a little time off to join me for lunch? I’m craving some Mexican food, and my favorite place, Armando’s, is just down the street.”

  Sybil looked at her computer for a moment and then said, “I’d like that. I really need a break, and at least I’ve been able to cancel the doctor’s appointments and surgeries for the rest of the day, although I still have a lot of calls to make. Let me tell Denise I’m leaving. I’ll just be a minute.”

  She got up from her desk and walked into a back office which Marty assumed was where the patient’s billing information and medical records were kept, since she didn’t see any files in the front office, other than the ones Sybil had on her desk. Sybil returned a few moments later with her purse slung over her shoulder.

  When they walked into Armando’s, Marty experienced a feeling of déjà vu. The only table that was unoccupied was the exact one she and Laura had sat at when they’d had lunch there the day before. The bartender smiled at her and waved her over to it.

  After they were seated, Marty asked, “Since the restaurant is so close to your office, do you come here often?”

  “I’m usually here about once a week. I think they have a pretty regular lunchtime group that eats here. Actually, I see several people who have been patients over the years.”