by Jaden Skye
“We can order up into the room,” Wayne continued, “and talk about what we found.”
Wayne called down for dinner quickly and then joined Olivia on the patio. A few stars were beginning to shine in the sky as the darkness descended.
“From what I can see,” Wayne started, “Tyron had a complicated life. All kinds of money and business involvements.”
“Aren’t the police looking into that?” Olivia asked. “I’d think his business involvements would be the first thing they’d dig into.”
“Sure, they’re looking,” Wayne agreed, “except they can only spend so much time and money on it. A labyrinth like the one Tyron was involved in requires a full-time person to decipher.”
Olivia was fascinated. “What kind of labyrinth? Shady investments?”
“That’s putting it mildly,” said Wayne. “He seems to have had hidden investments in all kinds of firms. The more you look the harder they are to decipher. My guess is that he had a large group of people indebted to him.”
“You’re saying that something went sour with one of his investments?” Olivia asked. “Was there someone who couldn’t pay him back? Did they take him out because of it?”
“That’s always a possibility, of course,” said Wayne. “Tyron could have been putting pressure on somebody. Right now that’s just speculation, of course. It’s worth looking into though. I’m doing it.”
“Good,” said Olivia. “From what I found, Tyron looked after his clients beautifully. He ran all kinds of parties to keep them happy. Even hired models and escorts to spice up the night!”
Wayne grinned. “That’s a common practice down here,” he said. “The girls are perks for the clients.”
Olivia got up and walked to the edge of the patio. Wayne took the escorts lightly and that bothered her. She turned and looked at him directly.
“Did you know that Megan was one of the perks, as well?” Olivia added.
That grabbed Wayne. “Really?”
“Yes, Megan worked for the escort agency Tyron hired for the party the night they met.”
Wayne kept grinning. “Now that’s something to discover!”
“Not only was Megan a model and escort,” Olivia went on, “as soon as she got to the party, she promptly seduced Tyron. The article said that the rest was history.”
Wayne laughed. Olivia wasn’t sure why he was laughing. “Tyron was married to Alice when he met Megan,” she went on, irritated. Olivia was hoping to see some outrage in Wayne, but there was none.
“Yeah, I’m sure he was,” Wayne remarked flippantly. “Things like that happen all the time.”
“You’re not bothered by it?” Olivia felt out of sorts. Why wasn’t Wayne registering disturbance about something like that?
“No, not especially,” Wayne answered. “I’ve seen it too often, it’s par for the course.”
“It’s not par for my course,” Olivia shot back, wondering if maybe that was why Wayne was still single. “It’s not good to take things like this casually,” she went on. “It could affect your own life and relationships.”
Wayne bristled. “What are you getting at?”
The doorbell rang then. “Probably the waiter bringing dinner,” Olivia commented.
Wayne got up and walked into the room, opened the door, and pulled in the dinner tray. It bothered Olivia that Wayne took Tyron’s infidelity so lightly. What did that tell her about Wayne, his values, and how he felt about relationships?
“Should I bring the food out there?” Wayne called.
“Whatever you like,” said Olivia.
Wayne slowly wheeled the tray out onto the patio and took out their dinner plates. After their dinner was set up on the small table, he returned to the question he’d asked a few moments ago.
“What do you mean that my attitude towards Tyron could be affecting my relationships?” Wayne asked.
Olivia was surprised that he brought it up again. Obviously, her comment had bothered him.
“I was surprised by your reaction to Tyron’s infidelity, as if it didn’t matter much,” she said.
“Everything matters in its own way,” Wayne responded. “I just don’t get bent out of shape by things I see every day. But what did you mean that my attitude could be affecting my relationships now? Are you wondering if that’s why I’m single?”
Olivia felt put on the spot. “Maybe,” she said quietly. “Maybe your attitude has hurt your trust in relationships.”
Wayne grew silent a moment. “I haven’t always been single,” he went on. “Actually, I was in a long, very good relationship. We meant a lot to each other.”
“I’m sorry,” Olivia said suddenly.
“Carey was killed suddenly in a car accident,” Wayne continued. “A car blew a stop sign and smashed right into her. Everyone said she never knew what happened.”
Olivia’s stomach clenched. “That’s awful,” she gasped. “I had no idea.”
“But I wasn’t so sure whether or not she knew what was happening or not. I was a few feet away and saw it all happen.” Wayne spoke woodenly, now. “It wasn’t all as simple as it seemed. From where I stood I thought she could have seen the car coming. She stayed at the stop sign for too long. Did she stay there too long on purpose? Did she do this to herself?”
Olivia felt alarmed. “Had Carey been depressed?”
“I didn’t think so,” Wayne continued, “but she was definitely quieter than usual the past few weeks before. I didn’t say anything to her about it either.”
“You think she took her own life?” Olivia felt awful for him.
“I’m not sure,” Wayne replied. “It’s not so simple to say.”
“It never is,” said Olivia.
“But it still hurts like hell,” Wayne added.
“Of course it does,” Olivia echoed. “And it makes it worse to blame yourself.”
“Hard not to in these kinds of circumstances,” said Wayne.
Olivia felt a chill rise through her. She had no idea Wayne had been through something like this. “I’m truly, truly sorry to hear this,” she offered.
Wayne took a few steps closer to her then. “I know you are,” he said. “I know you only want the best for me.”
“Of course,” Olivia concurred. She looked at their dinner getting cold and was about to say something when the phone rang. Fortunately it broke the tension of the moment.
“I’ll get it,” Wayne said abruptly.
He picked up, said hello, and listened to the speaker on the other end for a few minutes.
“Fine,” said Wayne, suddenly. “Yes, of course, we’ll check into it further.”
“Who was that?” asked Olivia when he hung up.
“The medical examiner’s report is in,” Wayne announced.
“So fast?” Olivia was jarred.
“Tyron died as a result of a blood clot that burst on the brain,” Wayne continued. “They’ve concluded that the event was most likely due to his fall. For the moment that puts the cause of his death in the realm of accident. There’s no hard evidence yet of anything else.”
“No evidence of his being pushed? No fingerprints on him?” Olivia checked.
“No, nothing like that,” Wayne replied, “and no substances in his body. The killer certainly knew how to cover their tracks.”
“Could it have been an accident?” Olivia wondered. “Could someone near him have accidentally pushed him?”
“Doesn’t make sense,” said Wayne.
“No, of course not,” agreed Olivia. “No sign of any other drugs in his body?”
“No, nothing at all,” Wayne added. “The police, however, are asking us to investigate his medical condition further. Why don’t you go talk to Tyron’s doctor and find out if it was possible for him to stand from his wheelchair or attempt to. But before you go to the doctor, go talk to Megan. We need to stay in closer touch with her.”
Olivia agreed. “I was actually planning to talk to her first thing in the morning,�
�� she said. “I’ll do that and then go see Tyron’s doctor.”
“Good,” Wayne rallied. “And now it looks like our dinner might be growing cold.” He threw a light glance at the food laid out on the table beside them. “Are you still up for eating?”
“Of course,” said Olivia. “Why wouldn’t I be? Cold or not, let’s enjoy.”
*
After dinner Wayne left and Olivia went back out onto the patio. She stood there alone for a long while, looking out at the dark sky. Wayne had been open and honest about himself with her and she appreciated that. There was never any way of knowing what a person had been through. It was shocking for her to hear about his girlfriend and all the pain he’d undergone.
Olivia couldn’t help think about her own life as well now, about how sideswiped she’d been by Todd. Olivia thought of the time she’d found out that Todd had been seeing another woman just as they were getting engaged. His declarations of love had meant nothing. He’d convinced Olivia utterly, though; she’d thought every word he’d said was true. Now Olivia had difficulty trusting her own judgment with men. How could she have been so blinded? Olivia wondered, as she stood here alone.
Olivia thought of her relationship with Wayne now. She and Wayne had both retreated into their work, for different reasons, but in the same way. Being a detective was incredibly demanding and forced you not to dwell on the past. When you were part of an investigation you entered someone else’s life and had to be incredibly alert to what was going on. There was no time or space left for anything else. Was there a way to build a life of your own as a detective? Olivia wondered. Many did, but Olivia had no idea how.
CHAPTER TEN
To Olivia’s surprise Megan was not willing to talk to her first thing in the morning. “Come later in the afternoon,” Megan said, in a hushed tone. “There are too many people here now, too much I’m dealing with. I need quiet in the mornings, anyway. I can’t talk the minute I get up.”
“Okay,” Olivia agreed, deciding to first go see Tyron’s doctor and find out more about his physical condition and any other information the doctor might have.
Olivia called and to her delight, Dr. Anguil made time for her immediately. His nurse mentioned that they realized this was urgent and would move their schedule around.
“Come right over,” said the nurse. “We’ll be waiting.”
Olivia left right away and quickly arrived at Dr. Anguil’s well-furnished office, set in a home off the main road under a trellis of large flowers. As soon as she knocked, his nurse opened the door.
“Olivia Wells?” the nurse asked immediately. “Please come in.”
The nurse ushered Olivia into a large, airy waiting room that felt more like a porch. A few magazines were scattered on the long coffee table, but other than that the room was empty.
“Dr. Anguil will be with you in a few moments. He’s delighted you decided to come and speak with him,” the nurse commented as Olivia looked around. “And he’s always on time. Just finishing up with the patient before you.”
“I’m grateful that he’s taking time to speak with me,” Olivia replied.
“Of course, we’re all extremely shaken by the sudden loss of Tyron.” The nurse suddenly looked down at the floor.
Olivia detected something strange in her tone. “I can only imagine,” she replied.
The nurse started to leave but Olivia stopped her. “Tyron’s death was completely unexpected, of course?” Olivia continued.
The nurse looked up swiftly and gave Olivia a knowing glance. “For most people it was,” she barely replied.
“And for you?” Olivia was glued to the woman.
The nurse met Olivia’s glance. “I never felt Tyron was entirely safe,” she answered in a low, hoarse tone.
“Why not?” Olivia took a step closer to her.
“I’m not sure, I don’t know. Perhaps it was because he couldn’t get out of that wheelchair.”
“But he had someone caring for him all the time, didn’t he?” Olivia remarked.
“Yes, that’s true, but it’s a vulnerable position nevertheless.” The nurse’s voice grew louder.
“Is that the only reason he wasn’t safe?” Olivia couldn’t let it go at that.
“I don’t know, I’m not sure,” the nurse repeated. “But if you want the absolute, complete truth, I wasn’t as surprised as everyone else by the news!”
That was important and Olivia needed to know more about it. “You expected Tyron to come to harm?”
“I wouldn’t say I expected it,” the nurse corrected her. “But it didn’t surprise me either.”
“Do you know more about Tyron’s life?” Olivia took another step closer.
At that the nurse backed away. “No, I don’t, not really. Only what I read in the papers like everyone else. I never spoke to him personally, he barely noticed me at all.”
At that moment the door to Dr. Anguil’s office opened and a woman in a linen suit hurriedly left. After that Dr. Anguil, a tall, heavyset man with salt and pepper hair stepped out of his office.
“Thank you for coming to see me.” He extended a large, warm hand to Olivia.
Olivia took his hand and shook it. “I’m grateful for your time and cooperation as well,” she replied.
Dr. Anguil then turned around and motioned to Olivia to follow him. They walked a few steps along a hallway to his large, immaculate office and went in. Once inside he took a seat behind his big, square desk.
“We were delighted to hear that private investigators were on the case,” he started. “The police have only so much time and resources. And this case is complicated.”
Olivia was pleased to hear that, taking his comments as an invitation to jump into the heart of the matter.
“As Tyron’s physician,” she started, “I assume you had no reason to believe he was close to death?”
“Absolutely not,” Dr. Anguil said firmly. “In fact, just the opposite was true. I thought Tyron was doing quite well recently, given the restrictions he was living with.”
“What was wrong with him, exactly?” asked Olivia bluntly.
“He had a neurological disorder that intensified,” Dr. Anguil replied. “As is common knowledge, he could no longer walk or get out of his wheelchair alone.”
“He was suffering from a progressive illness?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, but I had kept him stable for a long while.” Dr. Anguil spoke vehemently now. “There was no indication that things had advanced at all.” Dr. Anguil’s tone displayed the deep upset he was dealing with.
Olivia wondered if she should ask about Dr. Anguil’s personal relationship to Tyron, but decided to keep it entirely professional. “I’m interested in the onset of Tyron’s illness,” Olivia said then. “What were the causes?”
Dr. Anguil gave Olivia a long glance. “The actual cause of his neurological disorder is unknown, of course. Some would say it was genetic, others attribute it to the aging process. Many are afflicted with it. In some it goes slowly, in others advances fast. Some remain mobile with it, others not. Fortunately, in Tyron’s case we were able to manage the course of his illness. Although he was no longer ambulatory, he was not in significant pain. The quality of his life was quite good, too, I would say.”
“Especially married to such a young, beautiful wife.” Olivia smiled, wanting to know more about the relationship.
Dr. Anguil did not smile in return.
Olivia returned to the previous point. “Is there any chance his illness was brought on by someone, or by something given to him?” she asked.
“There is no evidence of that at all,” Dr. Anguil replied. “I also heard that there was nothing in the medical examiner’s report to suggest foreign substances or drugs in his body.”
“No, there wasn’t,” Olivia agreed.
“Naturally, one cannot help but wonder about things like that,” Dr. Anguil finally said slowly, offering Olivia quiet encouragement.
Olivia was grateful for
his comment. “Yes, it was important to rule that out,” she agreed. “If Tyron was doing well recently, there was obviously no indication that he had a blood clot in his brain, was there?” She needed to explore every possibility.
“There was no indication of that at all!” Dr. Anguil stood up swiftly. “In fact, Tyron had a recent MRI of the brain. No blood clot at all.”
“So the bleed in his brain that killed him had to be a direct result of the fall?” Olivia confirmed.
“It definitely looks that way.” Dr. Anguil’s face tightened. “Tyron’s head hit the rock he landed on fiercely. As he fell down a flight of rather high steps the blow was intense.”
“There was no way he could have gotten out of his wheelchair himself and tried to get downstairs?” Olivia checked once again.
“No, of course not, that’s preposterous,” Dr. Anguil assured her. “Tyron was completely clear-minded. He knew what he was doing every second of the day. He also knew what he needed and wanted. When he came here to see me, he always let me know everything that was happening in his life.”
“What was happening?” asked Olivia, fascinated.
Dr. Anguil walked back and sat down at his desk. “I mean everything that was happening medically, that is.”
“He was well cared for at all times, I assume.” Olivia continued probing. Dr. Anguil wouldn’t step over the medical boundary. He didn’t dare go near anything personal in Tyron’s life.
“Yes, of course, he was beautifully cared for.” Dr. Anguil became somewhat restless now. “He came here for medical checkups regularly and had an aide with him continually. His every need was met.”
“He was fortunate in that respect,” Olivia commented.
“In that respect, yes, I agree,” said Dr. Anguil.
Olivia and the doctor looked at each other a long time then. Olivia realized that Dr. Anguil had to respect the privacy laws. He was limited in what he could and would tell her. She’d try one more time to get more information from him.
“Did Megan ever come with him for a visit?” Olivia asked then.
“Not that I recall,” he replied.
Olivia grew quieter. There was no need to go round and round. She could finish this interview promptly.
