“Trevor!”He knocked on his 10 year old son’s door. “Please tell me you are ready.”
“I am ten,Dad. I do not have to do much,”Trevor said as he walked out of the door with his backpack on. “The ice princess in there is a whole different story.”
He pointed to his sister’s room as he took the flight of stairs to the living room. Ryan walked over to his daughter’s door and knocked gently on it and waited to be told to come in. He remembered the numerous times his daughter had complained about having her own privacy and him respecting it.
“Come in,” she said from the other side of the door and gave him a warning look when he walked through the door.
“Are you ready for school?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes, Dad,” she answered. She held a pink lip gloss in her right hand and was busy puckering her lips in front of the mirror as she listened to her father. He had a few things to say about that but found it wise not to.
“Breakfast?”
“I am on a diet,” she said and held up a water bottle that had a few funny-looking things in it. “I am trying out a new diet that I found online the other day.”
Ryan again had a few things to say about that but was distracted by the doorbell.
“Dad!” Trevor shouted from downstairs amidst mouthfuls of cereal. “There is someone here for you.”
“Be ready in five,” he said to Stacy and walked out of her room.
“Trevor,” he said as he passed by the kitchen, “Please try calling your mother again.”
“Already did, her phone is still off.”
Ryan let out a shrug and walked towards the door and swung it open. He was greeted by two gentlemen dressed in official suits who had very serious looks on their faces.
“Good morning, Mr. Sutter,” one of them began.
Ryan immediately glanced at his wristwatch and thought of how late he would be for work. He had a major deal that he had to close and thought of all the paperwork he had yet to finalize. Judging from the look on their faces they were insurance salesmen and he did not have time for that.
“Look here, gentlemen,” he began. “I am sorry but I really need to get to work.”
“Mr. Sutter,” one of them interrupted him, “My name is detective Lohan and this man is my colleague Detective Sam.”
These words obviously caught his attention as he closed the door behind him and took a few steps from the door. He looked at both men curiously and saw them flash their badges before giving them all his attention.
“I am afraid we have bad news for you,” Detective Lohan said.
Ryan took a closer look at him and began analyzing his looks in his mind. He was about 5’6” tall with a prematurely bald head. He had a small pot belly that was only starting to show and he guessed it was from a few extra beers. His colleague was the exact opposite of him; he would easily pass for a male model because he had the build for it. He looked neat, well-kept and had a mass of dirty blond hair on his head.
“Your wife was found dead last night,”the detective said in the most compassionate voice he could master.
“I’m sorry, who?”
“Your ex-wife, sir,” he clarified. “Rita Sutter was found dead last night.”
These words hit Ryan like a sledgehammer and he almost staggered, out of balance. He looked from the two men and immediately thought of his kids. He could already hear them fighting inside the house and wondered how they would take the news.
“What happened?” he asked and without knowing he had sat down on the front porch and buried his head between his knees. He could not really explain what he was feeling at that time. Different emotions flared up in him all at once.
“Unfortunately we have not yet come to the reason behind her death but we are leaning towards homicide.”
“Homicide?”
“We suspect that she was murdered, sir,” he said.
“But who would murder Rita? She was Rita,” he said out loud and looked at both men staring down at him.
“I know that this is very inappropriate right now,” Detective Lohan said and sat next to him. “But is there anyone you suspect could be behind the killing of your wife, sir? It would really help us in our investigations.”
Ryan looked at him and said nothing; his face had gone blank as he tried to string together a few words in his head that he could use to explain to his children about the death of their mother.
“Sir, I would really like to help you, but right now I am not in a stable position,” he tried to explain before pausing and taking a deep breath. “My mind is scattered but I assure you that once I remember anything I will let you know…”
“It is ok,” Lohan said.
“Where is her body now?”
“At the Lee Funeral home, sir. I think it is owned by the hospital she used to work in,” Sam replied. He took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to him. “If you need anything, please let us know.”
Ryan nodded slightly and took another deep breath before heading back into the house with his head bent low. He turned back to the two gentlemen who had not yet left and Lohan offered him an encouraging smile. He turned the doorknob and slid back into the house before looking at his two children who were fighting over nothing in particular. Stacy was the first to notice the look on her father’s face and out of sheer curiosity voiced her worry.
“Dad,” she called. “Are you o.k.?”
“Yeah, Dad, you look gloomy and rattled,” his son interjected.
Ryan could not feel the blood in his veins, he felt weak and rattled to the core as the reality of what had just been disclosed to him finally hit home. His face was suddenly paper white as he tried to make a step in his children’s direction. He felt weak and his legs suddenly could not support his body. His body slumped down to the floor and his kids were suddenly by his side.
“Dad!” they both called out, but not in unison.
Ryan held them both in his arms and he tried to look for the right words to use to relay the message.
“Your mother…,” he started with a shaky voice and noticed that they both paid attention to what he was about to say next.
“Your mother was found dead last night,” he said and held them even tighter.
They both went silent for a minute before Trevor got to his feet and walked out of the room. Stacy followed him shortly and from a distance Ryan could hear her sob. He did not know what to do next but knew he had to leave them alone for some time. He took out his cell phone from his pocket and placed a call to a number that was on speed dial.
“I need you, please come over,” was all he could say before hanging up the phone and breaking down into uncontrollable sobs.
*****
Detective Lohan and his partner got back to the car and began driving to the station. They endured an awkward silence after seeing Ryan and neither said a word until Sam broke the ice between them.
“I can only imagine how hard it will be for him to tell his kids about the death of their mother,” he said. He fixed his eyes on the road ahead as he kept on driving and would throw side glances towards his partner from time to time.
“He will be fine.”
“How do you know that?” Sam asked.
“Did you see how composed he was when we told him about his ex-wife; I could tell that he was thinking about his kids at that time.”
Sam took a left turn before looking back at Lohan and carefully choosing the words in his mind.
“I really hope that they cope,” he said.
“They will be fine,” Lohan answered. “Such is life.”
Sam could not help but notice the cold tone in his voice and how discompassionate he sounded about what he was saying.
“You don’t sound sorry,” he pointed out and immediately wished that he hadn’t.
“I’m not the person who killed her, man.”
“But you could at least show a little compassion,” he answered.
“Here we go again,”
Lohan said sarcastically.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Logan sat up straighter in his seat and tried to explain himself to Sam without sounding offensive. “You always familiarize with the victim’s family too much.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
“There is a lot wrong with that,” Lohan said and tried to find the right words. “You cannot put too many emotions in a case, Sam, – your judgment will be clouded and you can become subconsciously biased sometimes.”
“But that does not mean that I should be cold and heartless, either.”
Lohan let out a hearty laugh, a reaction that Sam did not expect as he eyed him suspiciously.
“I should sue your criminology professor, Sam,” he went on to say. “But I do not blame you, there are a lot of things you will learn in the field that you couldn’t and wouldn’t learn in class.”
Sam always hated it when Lohan mocked his inexperience in the field. He had only worked a few months with him and though he was raw and inexperienced he was still a fast learner and very intelligent.
From the look on Sam’s face, Lohan could see he was offended by his comment and tried to sugar-coat it.
“Here’s the thing, Sam,” he began apologetically. “When solving a mystery everyone is a suspect. The ex-husband might look and sound heartbroken but he might be the murderer. A sweet old lady down the block might sound welcoming and kind but could be a pedophile. A tattooed guy with piercing from here to Timbuktu might look like a drug dealer but actually run a school for the disabled.”
He took a moment to pause and look at Sam’s reaction before going on.
“Are you getting the drift here?”
“I think I am,” Sam answered sincerely as he thought back to the numerous cases he had read about in school.
“So when you tie your emotions to the case, you become blind to red flags and such facts that would have otherwise given you a good lead to a case,” Lohan went on to explain.
They were now parked at the crime scene from the previous night. A few analysts from the lab were still working and taking samples. They got out of the car and went through the yellow tape placed around the house to indicate that it was a crime scene.
“We are going to ask the neighbors around here if they saw anything suspicious around the house on the night of the murder or prior to that,” Lohan announced and looked over at his partner. “Should we split up? Or do you want to do this together?”
“I would rather do this with you,”Sam answered. “I would love to learn a few things from you.”
“O.k.,” Lohan answered. “If you feel there is something I am overlooking, please feel free to point it out.”
“Alright.”
Lohan glanced around the place and wondered where to start. He looked at the different papers he had been given earlier by the estate’s resident chairman that contained all the different people’s names of the estate.
“Let us start with old Mrs. Murphy,” he said and pointed at the deceased’s next door neighbor. “Old people are always looking for some spice in their lives.”
Sam let out a slight chuckle and followed closely behind his partner and knew they were in for a good laugh. He watched as Lohan rang the doorbell, and stood right behind him.
“Good morning, Mrs. Murphy,” Lohan said with the utmost dazzling smile Sam had ever seen on him.
“Good morning, sir,” was the reply.
“I am Detective Lohan and this is my partner, Detective Sam,” he announced. “We’re here to ask a few questions about your neighbor Rita, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure, sure,” she answered and stepped aside to allow them into her house. “Can I offer you boys some tea?”
Sam hesitated but Lohan was more than happy at the mention of tea. He had left home without any breakfast after getting into a fight with Gina that morning.
“Muffins?” she offered as she directed them to the living room and ushered them to the seats that were directly opposite her.
“Yes, please,” Lohan said excitedly and settled well into his seat.
“I will be right back” she announced and left the living room and headed for the kitchen. They could hear the usual clutter of cutlery before Sam looked over at Lohan and noticed that the thought of tea was literally making him drool.
“Had an argument with Gina today?” he asked. He was so used to Lohan complaining about his wife that he could always tell when he’d had a feud with her.
“How did you know?”
“I know you all too well by now,” Sam answered. “And Gina too.”
Lohan reached for his bald head and scratched it gently before looking over at Sam and nodding slightly in his direction. He was just about to narrate his marriage squabbles but the soft footsteps of Mrs. Murphy made him hold back. Sam got to his feet and offered to help her with the tray before pouring a cup of hot, steaming tea for both he and Lohan.
“I hope you do not find the muffins stale, I made them the day before yesterday,” she said. “Blueberry, that used to be my husband’s favorite….”
Lohan looked around the living room for any pictures of the husband with an assumption that he had passed on but could only spot pictures of children.
“Is Mr. Murphy around?” he asked curiously and almost burst out laughing from Mrs. Murphy’s facial expression. The mention of him made her face scowl with disgust.
“That old bastard ran off to Vegas with a young bimbo a few years back,” she answered bitterly before letting out the warm smile that she’d worn only minutes before. “Do you like the tea?”
“Yes, thank you, ma’am,” Sam answered for both and knew that his partner was enjoying it more than him.
“Were you close with the deceased?” Sam asked and watched as Mrs. Murphy’s face lit up with total amusement. She was definitely ready to dish about her neighbor.
“I never really talked much to her,” she started before nodding her head in disagreement at what she was about to say. “She was rather standoffish if you ask me.”
“Why would you say that?” Lohan interrupted later, taking a few bites of his muffin.
“Because for starters she never talked to anyone in the neighborhood, never attended any neighborhood meetings or parties she was invited to,” she explained.
“Do you know of anyone she may have had an altercation with perhaps?” Sam went on to inquire and wondered if his partner was really paying any attention or merely hogging all the muffins.
“She never talked to anyone,” she started to explain. “Of course there were always a few men who were parked outside her house a few times in the night.”
“Did any of them sleep over?”
“Not that I know of,” she answered and was all of a sudden lost in a thoughtful moment before remembering something.
“There was of course that one time when she got into an argument with her ex-husband.”
Sam took a sip from her teacup and leaned forward showing the curiosity that Mrs. Murphy was trying to arouse in him.
“What was the argument about?” he asked.
“It first started with her wanting him to take care of the kids while she went on a trip to God knows where. Then he accused her of having a secret boyfriend. Then she asked him why he cared and that they were divorced and it all ended up being a huge fight and the ex-husband stormed out angry at her.”
Sam looked over at Mrs. Murphy and out the window to where Rita lived. He silently wondered how she could hear all that from such a distance.
“How long ago was that, ma’am?” Lohan chipped in after being silent for a while.
“About two weeks ago.”
“Did he ever get physical with her?” he asked again and watched as her expression softened before her mind raced through her recollections searching for something useful.
“I wouldn’t say that he got physical,” she started. “But there were times that I could hear the sound of whips and chains co
ming from her house – whenever the ex-husband was around.”
She fixed her gaze on the floor shyly before looking up at both men and saying, “She might have been a silent sufferer, you know, and being a nurse it was easy to cover up the scars and bruises.”
Sam could not imagine the kind of stories that Mrs. Murphy could possibly be telling herself in that house and the conclusions she would draw by herself.
“O.k. ma’am.” Lohan got to his feet and gave her a fixed look. “Thank you for the information, ma’am.”
“Are you boys leaving already?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lohan said teasingly and played with his belt as he said these words. He looked stuffed from the muffins he had just eaten. “You have been mighty helpful, you know.”
Sam took out a card from his pocket and gave it to her. “If you remember anything that would help us in the investigation, ma’am, please give us a call.”
“Does it only have to be about the investigation? I might need your help with my own personal needs, you know,” she said and for a moment Sam wondered whether she was flirting with him or with Lohan.
“We will be right at your service, ma’am,” Lohan said knowing well enough that Sam would have nothing to say to her.
“Thank you ma’am,” he said and started walking towards the door.
“I hope I was helpful,” she said. She trailed after to close the door behind them.
“You were,” Sam said and gave her a polite “thank you” accompanied by a warm smile. He stepped out into the scorching sun right behind Lohan.
“What do you think?” he asked Lohan who was looking into the distance thoughtfully.
“A lot of nonsense,” he said. “Her views were all based on speculation and not actual facts. In short, she is the ultimate nosy neighbor.”
“Her muffins were really good though,” Sam said as he remembered how Lohan had shamelessly hogged most of them down.
“I know that’s right.”
They walked back to the crime scene. The yellow tape was still in place but the analysts had all left.
The duo went on to question a few more neighbors. Most of them did not really know Rita because of the nature of her work and her busy schedule. They tried however to collect as much information as they could get and were just about to head back to the office when a call came through for them.
Mystery: Missing Rita: (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Suspense Thriller Mystery) Page 2
