Eighth Witness

by Kathi Daley

  “Was that true?” Vikki asked.

  “Yes and no,” Alex answered. “Ryan did admit that he was having a hard time accepting Gina’s bid for custody, and he did in fact state that he’d planned to make her drop the whole thing one way or another, but he also said that his plan was simply to wear her down to force her to see things his way. He told me that while he had argued with her, he would never have killed her. He also admitted that he’d been moody and sullen and basically had been taking out his bad mood on those around him since he first learned of Gina’s intention. He testified that he had been angry at the building inspector for delaying the project, which was going to end up costing him a lot of money, but he hadn’t punched him. The building inspector, a man named Vincent Lorenstein, was called as the third witness in the trial. I think that his testimony actually ended up helping Ryan because he admitted that while Ryan did shove him aside as he stormed off, he didn’t hit him.” Alex took out two additional photos and put them on the easel. “These are Valerie Goodson and Tina Fairchild. They were called by the prosecution as their fourth and fifth witnesses. They were friends of Gina’s who were questioned separately, though both said basically the same thing.”

  “Which was?” I asked.

  “They both testified that, as far as they knew, Gina hadn’t been swayed to seek custody of her baby by her new boyfriend, but had, in fact, realized, after having some time to process everything, that she wanted to raise the child she had given birth to. They said she initially spoke to Ryan in a quiet, civilized way, but when she told him that she wanted to see Hannah he became totally unglued. When he refused to see reason, she decided to hire an attorney. After Ryan found out about the attorney, he began harassing Gina by incessantly calling and texting her with threatening messages demanding that she drop the whole thing. Neither friend knew for certain what had happened on the night that Gina went missing and most likely died, but they did both say that they wouldn’t be a bit surprised to find that Ryan had gone to her home, argued with her, and, eventually, killed her.”

  “I assume that Gina’s phone records were pulled?” Brit asked.

  “They were. According to them, there were only two calls and two texts from Ryan to Gina in the five-day period preceding Gina’s death. The two calls lasted only one minute each, and there were no calls or texts from Ryan to Gina on the day she died. Ryan was asked about the calls and texts, and he admitted that he had been trying to arrange a meeting with Gina so that they could talk things through, but she kept shutting him down by referring him to her attorney.”

  “Was the attorney called as a witness during the trial?” I asked.

  “He refused to testify, claiming attorney/client privilege.”

  “Okay, go on,” I said persuasively.

  “The next witnesses called to the stand were the couple who found the body: Sam and Elsa Fisher. They claimed to know nothing about how the body had gotten into the water, and it was Ryan’s opinion that the only reason the prosecution called them to testify was to help the jury to identify with the victim. Ryan told me that the prosecution showed extremely gruesome photos of Gina’s remains, which, when combined with the very graphic description of the body provided by the Fishers, had the jury demanding justice for the young woman who had been so brutally murdered. Ryan also said that while they had done a good job describing the horror of the death of this young woman and mother, they hadn’t done a thing to prove he was the one to have killed her. Again, by this point in the trial Ryan was feeling pretty good about things.”

  “And then?” Vikki asked.

  “And then they called the eighth witness, a man named Andy Fallon, the man Gina worked for and had been dating.”

  “Ah, the other man,” I said as Jack’s and my dog, Kizzy, walked over and put her head in my lap, reminding me that we were going to need to take a break soon.

  “Andy said that his relationship with Gina was the real thing, not a fly-by-night affair. He testified that he planned to marry Gina, and it was his opinion that, as a committed couple, they would be the better choice to raise Hannah. He pointed out that a girl needed her mother, and that they would be able to provide the stability the child needed. Fallon assured the judge and jury that they hadn’t been trying to shut Ryan out, and had, in fact, assured him that they would make arrangements for visitation for him. When Fallon spoke of Gina he painted a picture of a confused young woman who hadn’t known what she wanted when she first realized she was pregnant, but had since grown up some and was ready to take on motherhood. It seems Mr. Fallon is quite well off, and he argued that he, not Ryan, whose business was struggling at that point, would be better able to provide Hannah with everything she needed.”

  “I doubt the jury would be swayed by the I-have-more-money argument,” Jack said.

  “There’s more,” Alex assured us. “In addition to arguing that he and Gina would have presented a more stable environment for Hannah, Fallon also testified that Gina had confided to him that Ryan had a history of violent behavior. He very artfully let the jury know that Gina had been brought up in a home with a domineering father, and she did not want her baby raised in a similar environment. Fallon even said that Gina had confided to him that she was afraid of Ryan, which is why she had decided to let him have his way when he wanted her to go through with the pregnancy she had thought from the beginning was a bad idea.”

  “Sounds like the man was an ideal witness,” Clara said.

  “He was very skilled. Ryan said he knew he was in trouble when Fallon looked the jurors in the eye and told them that there was no doubt in his mind that Hannah’s father was guilty of strangling Gina and dumping her body in the marsh. According to Ryan, Andy was very impassioned, very emotional, and very convincing in delivering his testimony. He painted a very believable picture of a desperate young woman who was trying to do the best thing for her child. Ryan feels that it was his testimony, and his testimony alone, that sealed his conviction.”

  “I’ve always heard that the side who wins in a trial such as this is the side who tells the best story,” Vikki said.

  “That’s true,” Clara agreed. “I watch Court TV sometimes and it does seem that the side with the most compelling story more often than not comes out the victor.”

  “Had any other suspects been looked at before Ryan was arrested?” I asked.

  “There really weren’t any other serious suspects beforehand. At least not any that I know of. I know the police spoke to Gina’s friends, family, and coworkers, but Ryan didn’t have any information relating to the case prior to his being pulled into it. I suppose we should try to get the original police file. Maybe Rick can get it.” Alex referred to Rick Savage, the island deputy and Vikki’s live-in boyfriend. He usually didn’t attend the Mastermind meetings, but he did often help us with the cases we chose to investigate. “I know there is reason to believe that Ryan is guilty, but as far as I can see, the prosecution really didn’t come up with a single piece of evidence conclusive enough to land a guy in prison for the rest of his life. Ryan told me he was innocent. He told me that he has maintained his innocence from day one and will continue to do so. He almost seemed to be reconciled to his fate, but after speaking to him, I found I believed his story and wanted to help.”

  “Wait,” Brit said after a brief pause in the discussion. “If this man is in prison now and has been there since before you moved to the island, how did you come to be in a position to hear his story?”

  Alex paused. “Actually, it was his sister, Vivian, who asked me to look into it. She is a friend of the woman I have been dating, and she’d heard about the way our group works to solve old and unsolved cases and thought we could help. Initially, I wasn’t sure I wanted to get involved, but she was so impassioned, and the fact that a child was involved hooked me from the beginning. Vivian told me that she has wanted to hire a private detective to look into things, but she doesn’t have the money it would take to hire someone who might actually give a darn abou
t the outcome of their investigation. I will admit that I can be a sucker for a good sob story, and after we had talked for a while, Vivian managed to wear me down and I found myself agreeing to talk to her brother. I really didn’t think my meeting with Ryan would lead to anything. I fully expected to think that he was guilty, so I figured I’d talk to the guy and then tell Vivian that I tried but couldn’t help her. When I did speak to him, however, I found the guy to be genuine and sincere. He wasn’t at all what I was expecting.”

  “As has already been suggested, he might have been playing you,” Brit said.

  “Maybe, but Vivian is certain her brother would never do what he has been convicted of doing, and when I spoke to Ryan, he seemed to be more concerned about how his conviction was affecting his daughter than he was with the loss of his freedom. He really seems to love that baby, and I had the impression he would do anything for her. Besides, the more I’ve looked into things, the more convinced I became that the evidence against him was circumstantial at best.”

  “Just because the evidence was circumstantial doesn’t mean he is innocent,” Brit pointed out.

  “I suppose that is true,” Alex said. “But if we look into it and it turns out that he is guilty, at least we will give his family the answers they’re looking for.”

  He shot Brit a look of annoyance, and she returned the look with an expression of sympathy. Again, I had to wonder if there wasn’t something more going on. One thing was for certain: there was something about this case that seemed to have altered the dynamic of our group. I honestly wasn’t certain taking it on was a good idea, but it wasn’t really up to me. “So what do you all think?” I asked the others. “Should we take on Ryan’s case and try to resolve the unanswered questions that seem to remain?”

  “I’m game,” George said. “Haven’t made up my mind about Ryan’s innocence based on what has been discussed here tonight, but I can’t see the harm in taking a second look with a man’s freedom and a child’s welfare on the line.”

  “I’m in as well,” Clara said. “I too would like a chance to process everything, but my intuition tells me that Ryan might very well have been set up. If nothing else, if he killed the girl, you would think he would have had the intelligence to dispose of the boots and blanket, not just shove them behind some boxes in his garage.”

  “You can count on me,” Garrett said. “And I agree with Clara. The evidence that was found was a bit too conveniently located for my taste.”

  “Vikki?” I asked my friend.

  “I will definitely do what I can, but I have that meeting in Los Angles this week with my agent and the producer who is filming the movie based on my book. I leave tomorrow and won’t be home until Saturday or Sunday. I’ll fill Rick in on everything when I get back to our cabin so he has a chance to do some digging around.”

  “I’m in as well,” Brit said. “Despite anything I may have said here tonight, I do think that Alex has presented a reasonable argument supporting Ryan’s innocence. I will be in Charleston on Wednesday and Thursday, but I’ll be around the rest of the week.”

  “I’ll see what I can find online,” Jack volunteered. “I think that the murder occurred during the months the newspaper was between owners, so there may not have been anything published about it, but I’m sure other newspapers in the area covered the murder and trial.”

  “Okay,” I said. “It looks as if we have consensus. Alex will take point on this, so if you come up with something or need direction, talk to him. We will plan to meet next Monday, as we usually do, unless someone comes up with a reason to meet earlier. I’m around all week, so if we need to meet again, that will be fine with me.”

  After the meeting broke up, Jack and I, along with Kizzy, headed back to the cabin he had built on the south end of the resort. The cabin was really more of a house and was simply breathtaking. It was perched right on the sand of one of the most important sea turtle nesting beaches in the area. While constructing the home, Jack had taken extra precautions to ensure that the turtles were not disturbed, which had earned him goodwill with the local turtle rescue squad.

  Jack also owned the mansion on the bluff, where he’d lived before he decided to move out to the writers’ retreat. He’d talked about selling it, but so far he hadn’t gotten around to it. In a way, I was glad he was taking his time getting rid of his first home on Gull Island. I’d wanted to make sure that our living and working together would work out all right before he sold the other place, but we’d been living together for more than two months now and so far everything was going perfectly. The biggest obstacle I could see to his selling the place right now was that the cabin here on the retreat grounds didn’t have a garage, so he kept his very expensive sports car at the mansion.

  “So what do you think?” Jack asked me as we snuggled into our jackets and walked along the beach.

  “I’m not sure,” I answered, tucking my hands into my pockets. “On one hand, it does seem that the evidence used to convict Ryan was circumstantial. The boots and blanket were found in his garage but, according to what Alex told us, they did not seem to be otherwise linked to him. It would have been easy for someone to plant them at some time after the murder. And it does seem odd that the neighbor would go for three months without saying a word and then come forward at just the right time for the evidence to be found. Still, it also seemed as if Ryan had a very good motive for wanting Gina out of the way. I can’t imagine raising a child for six months and then having someone want to take her from you on a whim.” I walked a bit farther before I paused and looked at Jack. “What about you? Do you have a gut feeling about this one?”

  Jack bent down and patted Kizzy on the head. “Actually, I don’t. I’m willing to take a look at it with an open mind, but I can’t say that I have a feeling for the outcome one way or another. Still, I think at this point that all Alex is looking for is an open-minded effort.”

  “I am concerned that both Brit and Alex seem to be so emotionally connected to this one. I get that a child is involved, and that an innocent man may be in prison, and that makes this case more serious than many of the cases we tackle, but I worry that the dynamic the group enjoys could be in jeopardy.”

  “I think it will be fine. Alex did seem quite serious about Ryan’s situation and our stepping up to help him despite his usual devil-may-care attitude to life, but I’ve found him to be quite serious when it comes to the things that really matter.”

  “And Brit? She seemed almost argumentative.”

  “Brit was just taking the part that Alex usually does in the group: the counterargument or voice of reason. I wouldn’t worry about the group dynamic being altered. I think in the end we will do what we always do and get to the bottom of things.”

  Chapter 3

  Tuesday, January 8

  I woke the next morning to find that although it was still early, Jack and Kizzy had vacated the bedroom. I rolled out of bed, pulled on a robe, and headed downstairs to the living room, only to find that it was likewise empty. I went down the short hallway to find Jack in his office scowling at his computer. When I entered the room he looked up briefly and shot me a weak half smile.

  I crossed the room and sat down on the chair positioned on the opposite side of the desk from where he sat. “Is something wrong?”

  Jack let out a breath. “Not really. I just need to figure out a plot point that’s giving me fits.”

  I’d had a feeling that Jack had been wrestling with his current manuscript for a while now. It seemed to have started out fine, but I had noticed that he seemed to be spending a lot more time scowling at his computer during the past few weeks than he usually did. “Can I help?”

  Jack sat back in his chair. He crossed his arms across his chest, pausing before he answered. “Perhaps,” he said after a moment. “If you have a few minutes, that is.”

  I leaned forward just a bit. “I’m all yours. What seems to be the problem?”

  “I’m working on a story involving a profi
ler for the FBI named Carrington Bloom. Carrington is the product of a tragic past, which serves as the stimulus for everything she does in life. She is a serious, driven woman who goes after her target like a lion would go after his prey. She is relentless in her hunt, and over the years, she has built a reputation as someone who always gets her man, no matter what the odds or what the personal risk. In this book, Carrington is after a serial killer named Dane Bolton. Like Carrington, Dane stalks his victims with an intense focus that can only be described as obsessive. When he is on the prowl, or when he has a victim in his lair, he is driven to follow a ritual that he has developed over his lifetime. For him, the kill is not about the act itself as much as it is about his need to dominate and control.”

  I sat quietly as Jack shared his story. I wanted to help, but I didn’t want to interrupt with a lot of questions at this point.

  Jack continued. “Carrington and Dane first cross paths when she is assigned to help find a woman Dane has kidnapped. The woman has been missing for two days when Carrington enters the investigation, which means she has three days to find the woman, because Dane always holds his victims for five days before he kills them. Carrington is successful in her search and finds Dane’s lair as well as the woman, who at this point is still alive. She frees her, interrupting Dane’s ritual in midflow, leaving him edgy and unsatisfied, although he does get away, which leaves Carrington edgy and unsatisfied. What we have left are two very intense, very ritualistic individuals who intercept at a point where neither is able to complete their ritual, thereby leaving them both in a state of arousal.”

  I frowned. “You mean sexual arousal?”

  “No, not sexual arousal. Sex is not part of the dance the two are engaged in. It is more like a state of frustration brought on by a ritual that has not been allowed to reach completion for either of them. Anyway, the story revolves around Carrington and her obsession with finding Dane and bringing him to justice, and Dane and his obsession with capturing Carrington and killing her, which in his mind is the only way the ritual he started with the victim who got away can be completed.”