by Randi Ocean
“You need rest, Sergio. This sleep deprivation is not helping you deal with your grief. Can you try to sleep?”
He took a deep breath and nodded. He got up and slowly headed toward the bedroom. I tucked him in, gently kissed him on the forehead, and headed home.
Chapter 14
Monday morning Sally sneaked me into the courthouse through a hidden side entrance. The front of the building was crawling with cameras. I slipped into the back of the courtroom as the proceeding was getting started. The room was packed with people, including Valerie’s parents who sat with Dane and Steve on the prosecution side. Sergio, Adele, and Cy sat several rows behind Nicole and her lawyer. The tension in the room was thick.
Nicole looked pale and had dark circles under her eyes. Sergio and Cy also looked exhausted and nervous. Adele, as usual, was stoic. Robert had his arm around Joy’s shoulder as she blotted tears from her cheeks. They both looked straight ahead, making no eye contact with the Ramirez team or Nicole. The proceedings didn’t take long. The judge read the charges and asked Nicole for a plea.
“Not guilty,” she said, barely audible and obviously weak.
Based on the amount of evidence against Nicole, the judge set bail at five hundred thousand dollars and sent her back to jail.
I ducked out the back door of the room and waited for Dane, Steve, and Valerie’s parents to come out. They walked over when they saw me.
“I don’t know what kind of resources the Ramirez group has, but maybe that will keep her behind bars for at least a little while,” Robert said. Joy just shook her head and wept quietly.
Sergio, Cy, and Adele came out of the courtroom. Sergio saw me talking with Valerie’s parents and started walking toward us. I made eye contact with him and just shook my head. He got the message that he wasn’t welcome in that conversation and turned to leave with the others.
“What are your plans from here?” I asked Valerie’s parents.
“We have to go to Valerie’s house and begin going through her things,” Robert said. “We want to get everything moved out by Friday and shipped back to Ohio. We’ll sort it out there.”
“Do you need help?” Dane asked.
“No, we’re going to spend today and tomorrow just figuring out what’s there. We’re working on scheduling a mover to start Wednesday to pack and move everything,” Robert said.
“Well, if there is anything we can do, please let us know.” Dane said “We’ll also start figuring out how many people might attend the reception. We should have a pretty good idea by mid-week.”
“Thank you all for being here and for helping us with that,” Joy said through her tears. “It will mean a lot to have Valerie’s friends together to celebrate her life.”
I could see the press clamoring to get up the stairs toward the courtroom. I excused myself and sneaked out through the same side door where I had come in. I called Sally to tell her I had left and was heading home to stay away from the cameras. I had a secondary motive. I wanted to see what had happened in Clint’s hearing that morning, too.
It was eleven-forty, and the news hour rattled on with a number of other human interest stories and sports, but Clint’s story led the headlines at the top of the next hour. The same correspondent from the other night was in front of the courthouse in New York for Clint’s hearing. Clint was in protective custody under tight security and on a suicide watch. They said he was quite despondent, but naming names. A picture of Clay Orwell in his bicycle messenger garb and splendid tattoos filled the screen. Clay was the missing piece in solving the art theft and forgery case, since Clint was behind bars. There was speculation that Clint’s life might still be in danger even in prison since he had confirmed Clay was the Mob connection.
Thankfully, they weren’t looking for me.
**
Sergio called around two o’clock. “Hi,” I answered with no emotion.
“How’re you?” Sergio asked. “I wanted to talk to you after the arraignment, but I didn’t see you leave.”
“I hate crowds, so I ducked out the back. What’s happening?”
“Cy and I are trying to figure out how we are going to manage Nicole’s bail. I know we only have to come up with ten percent of it, but we just don’t have that kind of available cash lying around.”
“I understand,” I said flatly.
“Adele’s gone over to the prison to see how Nicole’s doing after the hearing and to let her know we’re working on getting her out. I’m just not sure how quickly we can make it happen.”
“I guess she’ll just have to tough it out until you can get the money together.” I was bitter.
“I know you’re still angry and hurt. So am I. Seeing Nicole in court this morning stirred up a lot of feelings, but I have to try to help with this bail situation for Cy. He is still completely convinced she is innocent.”
“I am pretty sure the evidence says otherwise, so he’d better get used to the idea that she’s going to end up in prison for a very long time.” My call waiting beeped in. It was Sally. “I’ve got to take this call. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay. I’ll…” I clicked over to Sally without letting Sergio finish his sentence.
“Bridget. I have some news.”
“What’s up?”
“You’re not going to believe this. Adele has confessed to murdering Valerie.”
“What?!”
“Apparently she’s in love with Nicole and has been for a long time. She knew her love would never be fulfilled romantically, but if she could make Nicole’s life better in some way, she would find joy in that. She killed Valerie so Nicole could get all the glory from the book. She never imagined anyone would discover it as a murder, let alone blame Nicole for it. When she got to the prison after the hearing this morning, Nicole was in bad shape. They both realized it was going to take some time for the Ramirez brothers to come up with the bail, and Nicole was very distraught. Adele couldn’t stand seeing Nicole like that. She cracked and confessed.”
“That’s unbelievable!”
“There’s more. The reason she said that she never imagined anyone would suspect this as a murder is because she had done it before and gotten away with it. She told the detectives that she had determined the effect of clear almond extract on people with nut allergies when Sergio’s wife died. She had misunderstood Nicole when she told her about the wife’s allergy to nuts. Adele thought Nicole meant Cy’s wife was allergic. She was trying to get Cy’s wife out of the picture so Cy and Nicole would be out from under all the drama with the divorce. Cy’s wife was having lunch with Marissa when Adele spiked the pitcher of water with the extract. It had no effect on Cy’s wife, but Marissa died within minutes.”
“Oh, my God, Sally! That’s so insane!”
“Yes, it is. Cy called a lawyer for Adele while she was still at the prison. It wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t plead guilty by reason of insanity. The whole thing is pretty crazy.”
“Did Nicole have any idea how Adele felt about her?”
“I guess Adele had made advances toward Nicole quite a few years ago, but obviously, Nicole prefers men. Nicole pushed back, but since she had to work with Adele, she managed to keep the relationship strictly a friendship. Or so she thought. Adele never got over her love for Nicole and just wanted her to be happy and successful. Obviously, it backfired.”
“What happens next?
“They’ve taken Adele into custody, and Nicole is in the process of being released. They’ll have another arraignment for Adele, probably Wednesday. Now it’s become a crime of passion rather than a crime of rivalry. It doesn’t change the outcome, but it makes a little more sense, I guess.”
“It’s still crazy. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll talk to you later.”
I immediately tried to call Sergio back but got his voicemail. “Sergio, I’ve just heard about Adele. Call me.” I headed for Sergio’s apartment. Adele’s confession would hit him hard. Everyone thought Marissa’s death was an
accident. Dealing with the news that she was actually murdered and finding out it was Adele who killed her would be devastating to Sergio.
I called Dane on my way to Sergio’s to tell him what had happened. He and Steve were still with Valerie’s parents. “That is right out of a Hitchcock movie. How’d Sergio take the news?” Dane asked.
“I haven’t been able to reach him since I heard. I’ll let you know when I’ve talked to him.”
“Okay, I’ll break the news to Joy and Robert,” Dane said quietly. “Later.”
I tried Sergio’s phone again. No answer. Maybe he would answer a text: Where r u? Need 2 c u. R u OK?
It took a few minutes, but he wrote back: At the flat. Don’t know what to say….
On my way there. C u soon.
I buzzed the intercom, and the elevator door opened. When I got upstairs, Sergio was in the living room, staring into space, tears streaming down his face. He didn’t get up. I sat down and held him; he fell into my arms, sobbing. We cried together.
“I’m so sorry, Sergio. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through,” I said softly.
He didn’t speak. We sat in silence, holding each other for a long time.
**
Wednesday morning’s proceedings were not unlike Monday’s but, as we suspected, Adele’s lawyer pled guilty to all counts by reason of insanity. She would be held without bail and examined by a psychiatrist to determine her mental state at the time of the crimes. Regardless of that outcome, she would never be a free woman again.
After the hearing, I stood in the hallway outside the courtroom doors, waiting for Dane and Steve to come out with Valerie’s parents. Sergio, Cy, and Nicole appeared first. Sergio came up to me and kissed me on both cheeks.
“How’re you doing?” I asked.
“I’m seeing my grief counselor this afternoon. I think that will help me. Right now I’m still pretty shaky.”
“I know. We all are.”
Valerie’s parents, Dane, and Steve joined us.
“Well, I guess we all expected that,” Robert said with little emotion. Joy was holding onto him, blotting her eyes with a tissue.
Sergio spoke up. “Mr. and Mrs. Essex, Cy and I were talking inside, and we would like you to consider letting us host the gathering at Buena Comida on Sunday. We would close the restaurant to the public, and it would be our pleasure to provide the food and drink in celebration of Valerie’s life.” His eyes filled with tears. Robert and Joy looked at each other, stunned. “Please? It would mean a lot to us.”
I was shocked, too. Dane whispered to me that Robert and Joy had stopped Sergio, Cy, and Nicole on their way in to the arraignment and invited them to Anthony’s for Valerie’s memorial celebration. After they heard the whole story, including the part about Sergio’s wife, they felt it was the right thing to do.
“We would be honored to be there,” Robert said as Joy nodded in agreement.
“Thank you,” Sergio said, with great appreciation. “We will make all the preparations and plan on starting at six Sunday evening.”
“Thank you, Sergio,” Joy said, hugging him.
**
The gathering for Valerie on Sunday night at Buena Comida was perfect. Framed pictures of Valerie were staged on the buffet table and at the bar. Joy brought Valerie’s iPod so it could be hooked it up to the sound system to play her favorite music. Sergio and Cy had put out a beautiful buffet in addition to the tasty finger foods the wait staff was passing around. Joseph was at the bar.
“Hi, Bridget,” he said warmly as I sat down. “How’re you doing? I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, Joseph. She was an amazing woman. So much energy and so talented.”
“What can I get you?” he asked.
“I guess a glass of Prosecco. Thank you.”
Sergio walked up and sat down with me. Joseph automatically poured a glass for him, too, and left us alone.
“This is a beautiful reception, Sergio. Thank you for putting it together,” I said.
“I’m glad that Valerie’s parents agreed to let us have it here. We really wanted to do this,” he said sincerely.
“Well, it’s perfect -- exactly what Valerie would have wanted, I’m sure.”
“That’s what we hoped for. Listen, I’m going to go up to the beach house for a few days. I need some time to myself to deal with everything that’s happened.”
“That’s probably a good idea. Dane is keeping the studio closed for another week. We’re going to reassess after that. He isn’t sure he wants to stay in that space.”
“I understand. Maybe we could --”
Our conversation was interrupted when the music died down and Robert came to the microphone.
“Thank you all for being here. This is Valerie’s kind of party. Great friends, great food, and her favorite music. I know she’s with us in spirit tonight. She was the light of my life….” he said, choking up as he spoke. Trying to regain his composure, he went on, “If anyone would like to share any stories about their time with Valerie, we welcome you to come up.”
Several of Valerie’s friends from college came to the microphone and told anecdotal stories from their time together at school. It lightened the mood a little. The next person to approach the microphone totally surprised me.
She spoke softly, trying to hold back her tears. “Hi, I’m Nicole Terry. I’m a food stylist, too, like Valerie. I’d only just met Valerie a couple of weeks ago, but even in that short time, she was such an inspiration to me. She was exceptionally talented, extremely gracious, and I could tell she really loved life. I don’t know how many of you know this but she had agreed to assist me in shooting Sergio’s new book. I knew she was making a huge concession working as my assistant because she was used to being in charge, but she really wanted to be involved in the project, so she agreed to do it. Valerie laid down the ground rules, though, and even printed them out for me to be sure I understood how it was going to work.” This got a chuckle from the crowd. “At first, I was put off by it, but the more I thought about the situation, the more I respected her for standing up for herself. Valerie made me rethink a lot of things, even how I approach life, and I’ll never forget her for it.” Everyone applauded as she walked away with tears streaming down her face. Robert and Joy hugged her before she was absorbed back into the crowd.
Dane got up and tried to speak. The words just wouldn’t come out. He began sobbing again. Robert and Joy hugged him, and they all cried together. Cy took over the microphone. “We’re happy you’re all here to celebrate Valerie’s life. Please stay as long as you would like. Thank you.”
Within an hour, just about everyone had gone, and the restaurant staff was cleaning up. Robert and Joy finished up thanking everyone and came over to say good-bye. “Please stay in touch with us, Bridget,” Joy said. “We feel like you and Dane are part of the family, and we would like to keep it that way.”
“I will. Please have a safe trip back, and let us know if there’s anything we can do for you here,” I said.
“Thank you,” Joy and Robert said in unison, and they were out the door.
Sergio was heading toward me. I had to steer the conversation away from where I thought it was heading earlier.
“When’re you leaving for the coast?” I asked.
“Sometime tomorrow. Bridget, I….”
I cut him off before he could say another word. “Well, shoot me an e-mail or a text, and let me know how you’re doing. Maybe when you get back, we can have a drink.”
The expression on his face told me he wasn’t going to push it.
“Okay,” he said, and kissed me on the cheek before he left. We both needed the time to think.
Chapter 15
It was a relief that the studio was closed for the week after the celebration. I was having a hard time keeping my focus on anything, and I still felt exhausted from the stress. It still felt like a dream – actually, more like a nightmare.
On Thursday, Sa
lly checked in with me. “How’re you feeling?” she asked.
“I’m still kinda shaky, trying to get my energy back. It still hasn’t really sunken in that Valerie’s gone. I guess it’ll be more real when I get back to the studio next week and she’s not there.”
“I’m sure it’ll take a while before things find a normal rhythm again.”
“How ‘bout you? What’s up in your world?” I asked.
“Well, I wanted you to know there was a major warehouse fire in New Jersey last night. It appears it was Clay Orwell’s art studio, and they think the fire was set intentionally. Clay was dead before the fire started, and although he was burned beyond recognition, the tattoos are unmistakable. Of course they’ll test the DNA to be sure, but there’s little doubt it’s him.
“Wow, that’s unbelievable! Does that close the case?”
“No, it just means it’s going to be that much harder to track down the stolen art. It’s still out there, along with the people who bought it, probably knowing it was stolen. There’s a long way to go on this.”
“You know I have to ask if this has any impact on me,” I said somewhat facetiously, knowing what the answer would be.
“I wish I could say it was over and you have nothing to worry about, but you know that’s not the case. I guess with Clay gone, there’s no one who’s met you in person, so that potentially reduces your risk. But why take the chance?”
“I know, Sally,” I said resigned. “Still, wishful thinking. I have to say, I feel a little better with Clay out of the picture, though. He’s the one I worried about showing up on my doorstep.”
“Yeah, the only thing that would have been better is if the FBI had been able to catch him and actually track down the stolen art. At this point, it may never surface.”
“Man, this thing really won’t end, will it?”
“Probably not for a very long time, if ever. But if you stay under the radar, you shouldn’t ever have to worry about it.”
