While they were looking at their menus, Marty asked, “How long have you worked for Dr. Ramsey?”
“I’ve been with him since he took over his father’s practice, which was about twenty years ago. Originally, he was the only doctor in the office, but the practice became so successful he had to bring in another surgeon. Dr. Thurman has been with him for about five years.”
“I’ve not met him. I imagine Dr. Ramsey’s death is going to change quite a few things at your office.” She looked up from her menu and saw the tears in Sybil’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to sound insensitive,” she said as she reached out and covered Sybil’s hand with hers. “I’m sure this is a horrible time for you and the staff.”
“It is. None of them have been with the doctor as long as I have. I don’t know what to expect. I can’t imagine not having Dr. Ramsey in my life. I’ve devoted everything to him, and now…”
Marty sensed there was more to her grief than would be expected from an employee. The waiter appeared and took their orders, iced tea and tacos for both of them.
Sybil continued, “He used me as a sounding board for so many things, business, personal…” She stopped talking and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief she’d taken out of her purse. “He started his practice right after he divorced his first wife, and I consoled him then. He was single for several years, and then he met Lisbeth. They had two children, and I’m actually the godmother for his daughter. They were married for ten years, and then Lisbeth decided she was in love with their pool man. She filed for divorce and got custody of their two children, Matt and Dani. The whole thing devastated Keith.”
“I can imagine it would. What was his wife like?”
“She was beautiful. I always wondered if that’s one of the reasons he fell in love with her. Being a plastic surgeon, he appreciated beauty, and she was probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’ve often wondered…” she stopped talking and took a sip from the glass of iced tea the waiter had put in front of her.
“You were saying,” Marty prodded.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just an opinion. It really isn’t important. I’m babbling as it is. Chalk it up to exhaustion and grief. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Sybil, my husband is a Palm Springs police officer, and he’s the lead detective investigating the murder of Dr. Ramsey. The one thing I’ve learned from being with him is that everything is important. Maybe what you have to say is important and could help him solve the case.”
Sybil appeared to be deep in thought. She looked around the room to see if anyone nearby was listening and then leaned in close towards Marty. “This is just my opinion, and I’m sure it means nothing, and I probably shouldn’t even say it, but I suppose it doesn’t matter now. I don’t think Keith ever got over Lisbeth. Yes, he remarried, but I think it was strictly a marriage of convenience. Ashley had a lot money, and Keith had the opportunity to take a drab-looking woman and make her attractive. I really never thought there was much love lost on either of their parts.”
Marty took a bite of the taco the waiter had served her and then said, “That doesn’t seem unusual, and I don’t see how that could have anything to do with the case, unless she resented the fact that she looked better, although that seems unlikely.”
“Well,” Sybil said, “that’s not exactly true. She looks better than she did, but once I heard her screaming at him over the phone that she didn’t look anything like she used to.” She sat back as if Marty should understand what she was saying.
“I’m sorry, Sybil, what you just said confuses me. Wouldn’t someone want to look better, and not like they used to look if they had plastic surgery?”
“Yes and no. Keith used to take the women he performed surgery on and make them beautiful, but there were still elements in their looks that made each of them unique. If you use my name, I’ll deny this, but a couple of years after Lisbeth left him, it seemed that many of the women he did facelifts on began to look a bit alike. I always thought he was trying to recreate Lisbeth and couldn’t.”
“Wow. I don’t know anything about plastic surgeons and ethics, but that seems to border on unethical. Were any of the women upset about what he’d done to their faces? Were there a lot of them?”
“No, not that many. I think he used a certain criterion for women he was going to do it on. Take a look at the woman sitting over there at the bar. Her name’s Brandy. Her hairstylist is considered to be the best in Palm Springs, and he’s the one who referred her to Dr. Ramsey. She looks a lot like Lisbeth, but just not spot on. Actually, she’s pretty upset about how she looks. She’s called the office several times to complain, and she even threatened to sue him.”
Marty looked at the woman named Brandy, the woman she’d seen in Armando’s the day before. “She may be upset about how she looks, Sybil, but I sure do like her hairstyle. Do you know the name of her hairdresser?” Marty thought she might make an appointment with him and see what he had to say about Brandy.
“It’s Brett Joseph, but I want to warn you, he’s not cheap. He’s referred a lot of woman to Dr. Ramsey over the years. I always bought an expensive Christmas present for him from Keith. Dr. Ramsey really appreciated the referrals, because anyone referred by Brett could well afford Keith’s fee. Even Dr. Thurman went to Brett.”
“Well, I imagine he could well afford to go there, what with the cost of plastic surgery.”
“He could, but then again he might not be able to buy that big yacht he’s always talking about. Maybe he’ll put that down in his diary.”
“I’m afraid you lost me, Sybil. I’m gathering he wants to buy a big yacht, but what is the reference to his diary?”
“Dr. Thurman has a boat he keeps in Newport Beach and most weekends he drives over to the coast and spends time on it. For the last year he’s been saying he probably needs to up his plastic surgery fees, so he can afford to buy a boat he wants that’s for sale in Newport Harbor. It’s pretty big. I think he said it was big enough that if he bought it he could cruise the world when he retired.”
“That I can understand, but a diary? I can’t imagine a doctor keeping a diary. Is it notes about his patients?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen what’s in it. He’s very secretive about it, but all of us who work there have seen him write in it at one time or another. We all just referred to it as his diary. Maybe it’s a habit that’s left over from his childhood. I’m sorry. I know I’m babbling, and there was absolutely no reason for me to bring that up.”
“No problem, Sybil. Considering everything you’re been dealing with, I’m impressed you can walk, talk, and eat. I do have a question for you. You mentioned Dr. Ramsey’s wife and this woman, Brandy. Were there others over the years who were upset with the way the doctor’s surgeries turned out?” Marty asked with an innocent look on her face, as she took a sip of her iced tea.
“Not really, no, wait. I take that back. Not too long ago the doctor did a facelift on a woman named Missy Donaldson. I don’t think she was all that upset about how she looked, but her husband was furious. He actually came to the office and accused Dr. Ramsey of taking away the woman he loved and making her face into someone else’s.”
“Would that face have resembled his second wife?”
“Yes, but again, not exactly. There was a strong resemblance, but Lisbeth was always the beauty. The other women paled by comparison.” She looked at her watch. “I’m sorry I’m such bad company, and I’ve said way more than I should have. Usually I never say a word about the doctors or our patients, but I’m just…”
“Sybil, you don’t need to explain. I understand, and I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully, as bad as this seems now, you can move on, and I suppose the only bright light is that you’ll have your life back.”
At that, Sybil started sobbing hard enough that several nearby diners looked in their direction. “You don’t understand. I loved Keith. I’ve loved him for twenty years, and all he did was go from one woman
to another and this last wife is the worst. At least she won’t be able to have him anymore. I really must go,” she said between sobs. She put several bills on the table. “Here’s for lunch. Maybe we’ll see each other again.” She stood up and hurriedly left the restaurant in a rush, not caring who saw that she was crying.
When the waiter brought the bill over a few minutes later, Marty gave him the money Sybil had left on the table as well as some of her own. She sat at the table after he’d left for a few minutes, deciding what to do next. She was sure the photograph Laura had found was that of Dr. Ramsey’s second wife, Lisbeth, the love of his life, but she felt she needed confirmation of her suspicions that Lisbeth was the woman in the photograph.
Because Sybil left the restaurant so abruptly, she hadn’t had time to ask her if she could identify the woman. She decided to pay another visit to Carl. He seemed to know anyone and everyone who was someone in the Palm Springs area. She was sure he could help her.
CHAPTER 11
When Marty opened the door of Carl’s antique shop, she saw him examining a box of what appeared to be small paperweights. He looked up and said, “Seriously, Marty? Two visits in two days? Unless I’m mistaken, this is some kind of a record. Usually I only see you every couple of months. I’m assuming you want some more information. Did you find something else in your appraisal you need my advice on?”
“I wish it was that easy, Carl. I don’t know if you’ve seen the television news today or read The Desert Sun, but Dr. Ramsey was murdered last night, and…”
Carl interrupted her, a shocked look on his suntanned face. “You’re kidding! I can’t believe it. I’ve been involved in an appraisal the last few days, and between researching it, and working here, I haven’t had time to look at television or read anything. What happened?”
Marty filled him in on what she knew, excluding what she’d learned during her recent lunch with Sybil. “Carl, when I was appraising the items in the doctor’s office this morning, I found this photograph. Do you recognize the person in it?”
He took it from her and looked at it for a long time. “Marty, this is really weird. It looks a lot like Ashley Ramsey, but it’s not. I’ve had several clients in the last few years who also looked like this woman. I know I’ve seen this woman or a picture of her. Give me a minute.” Again, he looked at it and then abruptly walked into the back room where his office was located.
When he returned he was holding a scrapbook. “Don’t judge me, Marty, because I know it’s not all that masculine,” he said defensively, “but when I’m involved in something that makes the papers, I like to clip the article and save it. When my mother comes to visit, she loves to know what I’ve been doing during the year. I knew I’d seen that woman before, but it just took me a minute to identify her. Look, here she is.”
He handed the scrapbook to Marty and pointed to a newspaper article with an accompanying photograph of a woman standing next to Carl. Several other women flanked them. Marty quickly read the article and looked up at Carl.
“So, you were donating your appraisal services for the evening at a fundraising event for the hospital? The woman standing next to you looks exactly like the woman in the photograph I showed you.”
“Yes I was, but look closer, Marty. I was pretty sure I knew who it was after I thought about it for a moment, but I wanted to be sure before I told you. It’s Lisbeth Ramsey, Dr. Ramsey’s ex-wife. She divorced him, and as I’m pretty sure I told you, it was quite the scandal in Palm Springs. I haven’t seen or heard anything about her since, but everyone was talking about it at the time. I never associated her looks with those of Ashley and several other of my clients, but there is an eerie resemblance. What do you think that’s all about?”
“Carl, I honestly have no idea what it’s about, or if it even figures into his murder, but it sure is strange that several women would just happen to look like his ex-wife. That’s kind of bizarre and definitely something Jeff needs to know about.”
“I take it from that statement your husband is involved in this case. No wonder you’re trying to help.”
“Carl, it’s more than that. Jeff is being considered for the position of head detective of the Palm Springs Police Department. He really needs to solve this case as soon as possible to show the chief that he’s the most qualified person for the position. I have no idea what he’ll do with this information, but perhaps it has some relevance to the case. Anyway, I won’t take up any more of your time, but thanks for verifying what I sort of suspected.”
“Marty, would you answer something for me?”
“Sure, Carl, what is it?”
“Is your sister, Laura, involved in this case?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I still have nightmares about the time you called me in to help with an appraisal, and we couldn’t find a ring the decedent’s son was sure his mother had. When your sister walked in with that big knife, slit open the wig stand, and took out that big rock, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was so frightened I thought I was going to pass out. Now I know she’s a psychic, but I still find it hard to believe what she did that day.”
“So do I, Carl, and in answer to your question, yes, she is helping me.”
“Maybe I’m the psychic one. I just knew she was involved, and if she is, I think I’ll bow out. Seeing her in action once was enough for me,” he said with a mock shiver.
“I’ll be sure and give your best to her,” Marty said laughing as she walked out the door.
CHAPTER 12
When Marty returned to the compound where she and Jeff lived, she pulled into the driveway and saw Duke lying in his usual position next to the gate. Whenever she left the compound she knew when she returned he’d be waiting for her. She grinned when she got out of the car and said, “Duke, guess what? I returned safe and sound, just like I always do, so you can relax. Come on, let’s go for a walk. You can probably use one.”
Now that Les had convinced Duke he could actually put his feet on the desert floor without wearing his pink booties, it was a lot easier to walk him. When they were through, Marty got her appraisal gear out of the trunk of her car and walked through the gate into the compound courtyard. It was late afternoon, but too early for the residents to meet to catch up on the day’s activities and share dinner, which was fine with Marty, because she had a number of things she needed to do. Her head was spinning with everything she’d learned today. The first thing on her to-do list was to make a hair appointment with Brandy’s hairstylist, Brett Joseph.
Marty changed into a pair of jeans, a tank top, and a vintage pink and rose colored kimono top that she tied at her waist. Even though she didn’t sew and didn’t consider herself to be the least bit creative, she loved the feel and texture of fabrics. This was a new look for her, and she hoped Jeff would like it.
She went in the kitchen to get a glass of iced tea, and when she walked by her office, she noticed the red light blinking on her answer machine, indicating she had a message. A moment later she sat down at her desk and listened to it.
“I’m calling for Marty Morgan-Combs,” the female voice said. “This is Dr. Ramsey’s wife, Ashley Ramsey. We met briefly the other day. I know you’ve been conducting an appraisal of my husband’s collection of Shaker furniture, art, and quilts. I was wondering if you could come to my home tomorrow. I’d like to discuss the appraisal with you. Please call me when you get this message. My number is …”
Well, that’s weird, Marty thought. I wonder what she wants.
She dialed the number Ashley had left and a moment later a voice answered. “Ramsey residence. May I help you?”
“Yes, this is Marty Morgan-Combs. I’m returning Ashley Ramsey’s call. May I speak with her?”
“Just a moment,” the voice said. “I’ll see if she’s available.”
Marty felt like screaming, “She’s the one who called me, for Pete’s sake and wanted me to call her. Of course she’s available.”
A few m
oments later a voice said, “Hello, Marty. Thanks for returning my call. I’d like to talk to you tomorrow if you have the time. Could you come to the house? Given everything that’s happened, I really don’t feel up to going out yet.”
“I understand, and I’d be happy to. What’s a good time for you? My schedule for tomorrow is very flexible.”
“I’d like to get this over with. Say, 10:00 tomorrow morning?”
“That would be fine, Mrs. Ramsay. I’ll see you then.”
Marty ended the call and held the phone in her hand for a moment. I wonder why she wants to see me. I better call Dick and get his advice on the values I need to use in the report. Insurance and probate values are usually quite different.
She dialed the number for the insurance company and asked to speak with him. A moment later she recognized Laura’s voice. “Hi, Sis. What are you doing answering Dick’s phone? I thought you were some high-level executive, and they don’t usually answer their own phones,” she said in a teasing tone.
“Good afternoon to you, too,” Laura responded. “I’m answering Dick’s phone because I’m in his office. His administrative assistant became ill and had to go home, and to answer your question, neither one of us usually answers our phone. I’m assuming you want to speak with Dick.”
“That would be the right assumption.”
“He’s finishing up with a client, Marty. It’ll be just a moment.”
Evidently Laura had put her hand over the receiver, since Marty could faintly hear Laura telling Dick she was on the phone, then she heard Dick say, “Good afternoon, Marty. What can I do for you?”
“Dr. Ramsey’s wife called me, and I’m going to meet with her tomorrow morning. She said it was about the appraisal. Have you talked to her or is there something I should know?”
“No, I haven’t talked to her, but her lawyer called me a little while ago and wondered if there had been an appraisal done of the doctor’s collection. Evidently Dr. Ramsey had told him that it was quite valuable. Since Dr. Ramsey had a trust, there’s no need for a probate appraisal. Just prepare it as you normally would for a regular insurance appraisal. Even though he’s deceased, it still needs to be insured.”
Murdered By Plastic Surgery Page 5
