Nathan March Investigations - Book 1: Jaded Justice - episode 5
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Episode Five
Enjoying life at March Manor, Sam Weiss was being plied with some of the best meals he’d had in a decade. Due to the relevant questions she constantly asked him, Sam quickly realized that Dina Perry was not just a middle-aged housekeeper and cook, the lady was also a well-educated and very interesting woman, who was more than a little familiar with computers. As a result he didn’t mind teaching her some of the finer points of hacking, although he kept his lessons under control, so that he wouldn’t get her a prison sentence if she ever was caught.
“What do you suppose happened to Miriam Anderson from eighteen to twenty-four years of age,” asked Dina hunched over her own laptop relying heavily on her eyeglasses to read the screen accurately.
“It’s obvious whatever was going on someone took some great pains to keep it from being known in her future life, that’s for sure,” said Sam.
“Judge Elliot Sheridan didn’t attain the success he has by not knowing things about those around him, yet it appears even he couldn’t know anything about the very young years in his wife’s life, unless she chose to share them with him,” said Dina.
“In the throes of love, often men are nothing more than fools who’ll accept and forgive most anything, in order to possess the object of their affection,” said Sam quickly realizing he had included himself in that comment.
His sister’s Memorial put Elliot Sheridan in the mood to remember that in days gone by, he would have been entangled in the arms of his beautiful wife Miriam as she comforted him, using her body to bring him solace. Tonight like many other nights she had decided to take one of the other sixteen bedrooms in the mansion for the night. She had, barely commented on the Memorial service and offered Elliot nothing more than her disdain for his friends, especially Nathan March.
As for Elliot there were several ladies who were a lot more flirtatious with him than they should have been especially at a memorial service. Dr. Rachel Martin a respected pediatrician, divorced several years ago from a fellow judge who Elliot knew and disliked intensely, was the only woman present, to whom he offered a lengthy hug and a gentle kiss, as she left the service.
It might have been ridiculous but Elliot wanted to see her again, and the phone number she had given him found its way into his hands and soon he heard her voice.
“Rachel I can’t imagine what you must think of me for calling you this late,” said Elliot feeling like a school boy.
“I think you’re as unhappy as I am Elliot,” said Rachel, instantly recognizing his voice and delighted with his phone call.
“You know if I were a single man I’d be on my way to you so that I could feel your arms around me again,” said Elliot feeling no shame for telling her his honest feelings.
“Elliot I’m barely three miles away at the Whittier home. Kate and Allen took pity on me and insisted I get away from my four walls back in Concord for a while,” said Rachel with a longing in her voice that Elliot couldn’t miss.
In less than forty minutes, Rachel opened the door to Elliot who looked achingly handsome wearing a white cable knit sweater and fitted jeans. Her long auburn hair and dark green eyes complimented the emerald green sweater she wore over her own jeans.
George Lopez wasn’t sure it was a good idea to allow this rendezvous, and perhaps had he made a fuss it wouldn’t have happened, but on the short ride as he drove the judge, he couldn’t miss the fact that in anticipation of his visit to Rachel, the man took on the aura of a man ten years younger and happier than he’d ever seen him. With the judge inside, George took his post outside watching for anything out of the ordinary.
Nathan was back in his room at Serenity Lodge, close to the Sheridan summer home, a place recommended to him by Tyrone Carson. Mickey next door in a connecting room knocked furiously on Nathan’s door before entering.
“Nathan. Sam Weiss has been trying to get a hold of your for a half hour with no answer, and it sounds like it’s important,” said Mickey a little frustrated himself until he realized that Nathan had been doing his meditation thing. Within seconds he realized that Nathan probably wasn’t even conscious of the cell phone ringing or the knock at the door. It hadn’t happened for a while so he’d forgotten how deep Nathan’s meditation took him.
“Sorry Mickey,” was all Nathan said as he dialed the number left on his cell phone.
“Sam, its Nathan what’s going on there?”
“Nothing’s wrong sir, in fact I think some of what I found out might be of some help and I wanted to get it to you before you left for home tomorrow in case you wanted to delay your homecoming until you got to talk to a few people.” said Sam feeling like maybe Nathan wasn’t quite himself at the moment.
“Sam I apologize for sounding confused, I often meditate and zone out so I wonder if you could give me a half hour to take a shower and have a hot cup of coffee, and then call me and I’ll sound more like myself,” said Nathan.
“Absolutely sir,” said Sam.
“Mickey for some reason while meditating my attention was drawn to Doggin’s Lake,” said Nathan.
“That’s where that body was found the same day Tina Bach’s died, right?” asked Mickey.
“Yes and I feel we need to check that place out tomorrow in the daylight, because if what I sense is correct, the body discovered there somehow ties into Tina’s death,” said Nathan.
While Mickey ordered a pot of coffee for him, Nathan headed for a shower. Mickey didn’t try to grasp the intensely spiritual practices Nathan was into which Nathan claimed strengthened his faith. Over the time they’d been together, Mickey came to respect the discipline that Nathan employed in his life in forming the opinions he held. Mickey had come to understand the mystical nature of this successful and honorable man who was able to accurately describe places before he’d ever visited them in the flesh, as well as actual events before they had occurred. These happenings didn’t occur all the time, but often enough for Mickey to respect his boss’ genuine faith in “The Big Holy” who he believed guided his life.
For nine hours they talked, drank wine, kissed and talked some more until the charcoal sky became bright with sunlight. Elliot smiled remembering their soulful discussions which had been started when both felt themselves moving too fast. He loved knowing how awkward Rachel felt as a teenager and how frightened she was to be alone with a boy. She laughed at his exploits in college when he unknowingly dated two sisters who were not too happy when they each shared the name of the boy they were so smitten with.
The breakfast Elliot cooked and enjoyed with Rachel, gave him a wonderful sense of belonging. Under orders to enjoy his coffee, Rachel did the cleanup in minutes not even allowing him to dry the dishes.
“All done sir, would you like more coffee?” asked Rachel.
Elliot stood and pulled her into his arms kissing her the way a man totally in the moment, kisses a woman. Rachel could feel herself slipping over the edge and try as she might she couldn’t stop, she loved him and in this moment she knew it for certain.
She had begun developing feelings for Elliot Sheridan two years earlier when he comforted her after Isaac, her former husband, complained in front of everyone at her forty-fifth birthday party, that he was going to trade her in for a younger model. Months later Elliot squashed a speeding ticket for her. It was the first and only one Rachel had ever gotten, which she confessed in a tearful phone call to him. She also found the strength to admit to Elliot that she was angry and chasing Isaac’s new girlfriend in her car to try to talk to her and plead with her to leave her husband alone.
Rachel found herself thinking of Elliot more often after they danced several slow dances at the country club’s Christmas party last year. The Concord gossips hadn’t been kind to her, hardly bothering to hide the fact they were all discussing her recent divorce. That night as they danced she felt Elliot’s body responding to hers and she wanted to respond but instead she froze, and all she could do was follow his steps like a robot.
A tipsy Miriam Sheridan had tried to hand Elliot over to Rachel just two months earlier at a charity auction in exchange for Rachel’s date, the newest partner in her practice who was not only handsome but over a decade younger than Miriam. Later her colleague attempted to share the raunchy details of his overnighter with Miriam, to her complete disgust. Rachel stopped him in mid-sentence knowing that Elliot was in for the same heartache she had endured, and the humiliation was nothing to trivialize.
“I’d forgotten what it was like to feel this way,” said Elliot. “I need to go, but I want to stay. I want to tell you to be patient, yet I don’t know what I’m going to do. I do know that you deserve more than this,” he added.
“Let’s not go there Elliot. When we get home to Concord we’ll stay in touch with each other until the smoke clears, and you know what it is you really want. I can wait, hell I think I’ve been waiting for you without knowing it for a very long time already. I don’t need your promises but I do want your honesty always,” said Rachel with a look of love on her face that made Elliot go weak at the knees.
The cell phone rang and Elliot knew it was Tyrone and that meant that it was time for him to return home. Rachel knew it too and kissed him and then slipped out of his arms and led him to the front door.
“Call me when you can,” said Rachel.
“Will do love,” said Elliot and then he turned and left.
Tyrone saw the look on his face and realized that this guy was no player, and that meant that the lady was special to him. For all the times Tyrone had turned a blind eye to Miriam’s not so subtle advances on any male over twenty-one, he hoped the judge’s lady made him happy.
“I won’t embarrass you by asking you to drive me here again, I would appreciate it if you would just promise me that you won’t discuss her with the others,” said Elliot, “I don‘t want her hurt.”
“Lopez works for Nathan Marsh so by now he knows,” said Tyrone.
“I figured he did, but I know that he‘s discreet,” said Elliot.
“You‘re right, and so am I your honor,” said Tyrone.
“If anyone had told me I’d be bridging midlife with a nightmare for a marriage and desperately in love with someone else who I probably don’t deserve, I’d have felt greatly insulted,” said Elliot.
“Your honor, I admit that there are stories about you out there but believe me they are about a decent and caring human being who made a bad match and can’t seem to extricate himself from it. Me personally, I‘m betting that when the time is right you‘ll know it, and then things will change and change for the better,” said Tyrone.
“How long have you been so wise, Tyrone?” asked Elliot.
“Since I met a great lady like the one you just left sir,” said Tyrone.
Later that morning, Nathan and Mickey arrived at the Sheridan Mansion and when Evelyn Dunn opened the front door both Nathan and Mickey knew something was wrong. When they got to Elliot’s office he was sporting a set of scratches on his right cheek and George Lopez was putting the cap on a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.
‘I don’t think I’d make a good secret agent, first time I step out on my marriage I got caught,” said Elliot.
“What exactly happened Elliot?” asked Nathan on seeing the scratches.
“Evidently my wife was concerned about my whereabouts once she determined I was nowhere on the property, after she got sick and couldn't find me to play nurse to her. No one would tell her anything, so she waited for me until she fell asleep. I came in about half an hour ago and went to the kitchen for coffee and was in the middle of some small talk with Evelyn when Miriam came down for some coffee and threw a fit when I wouldn’t tell her where I was,” said Elliot.
“She took a knife to you sir, you didn’t forget that did you,” Evelyn added as she stepped away from the cart she was pulling with coffee and muffins on it.
“It’s true Mr. March, if it weren’t’ for George here she might have killed the judge,” said Evelyn.
“That’s right Nathan,” said George. “She was as strong as an Amazon woman, making me think she was on something at the time,” he added.
“Dr. Levin’s with her,” said Elliot.
“I hope he doesn’t medicate her even more. We have some interesting information we’d like to share with her,” said Nathan.
“Maybe you could share it with me first Nathan,” said the judge feeling very guilty about the events that sent Miriam into such a rage.
Both Mickey and George escorted Evelyn out of the judge‘s office so that Nathan could relay some very disturbing information to his friend.
"Elliot how much did you know about Miriam’s past, when she was a very young woman and before she met you?” asked Nathan.
“She was raised in Maryland, went to a state teacher’s college, and got a degree in Education. Later she learned that she hated teaching so she went back to school and became a top notch paralegal. I met her at a dinner party in Concord, you were there you remember,” said Elliot.
“Elliot I want you to look at this photograph and tell me exactly what you see,” said Nathan laying a 9” X 12” glossy print in front of his friend.
“It’s Miriam years ago and the man with her is putting a wedding ring on her finger,” said Elliot almost robotically.
“Please Elliot look at the man in the picture, I know it was years ago but please look closely at his face,” said Nathan.
All the color in Elliot’s face drained as he recognized Lincoln Aubrey as the man being married to Miriam, by a judge in a New Jersey court room. Next Nathan revealed the wedding license of the parties being married that day and Elliot learned that Miriam‘s maiden name was Anderson, and the man‘s name was Lawrence Godfrey.
“What about her nephew Tom, surely he would have known that his Aunt had been married before wouldn’t he? Tell me the rest Nathan, for heaven’s sake just tell me the rest,” said Elliot feeling like the biggest fool ever born.
“First tell me about last night Elliot and the lady you were with,” said Nathan.
“Rachel Martin’s her name, Dr. Rachel Martin. I won’t bore you with my feelings for her but I will tell you that we didn’t sleep together. Being with her was what I needed to decide that I don’t intend to live like this with Miriam anymore, no matter what it costs me,” said Elliot.
Nathan sat facing Elliot at eye level and said, “You need to believe me when I tell you now that it may not cost you at all to end your marriage, we just need a bit more time to confirm some facts,” said Nathan.
Before Nathan could finish his discussion with Elliot, there was a knock at the door and on being told to enter, Dr. Michael Levin entered the study.
“Please speak freely Mike, Nathan’s a very close personal friend,” said the judge.
“Elliot, I administered a non-narcotic medication to Miriam and she’s resting at the moment. I’m not sure she shouldn’t be receiving intervention for her problem with alcohol and perhaps other drugs as well and for the psychotic episodes I‘m willing to bet she‘s been suffering from for a while now.
“I can and would like to recommend a wonderful rehabilitation center not far from your home in Concord, where they can handle all of your wife‘s current afflictions. Do I have your permission to admit her today sir?” asked Dr. Levin.
“What do I do Nathan,” asked Elliot.
“Doctor, will you see to it personally that no one visits Mrs. Sheridan but her immediate family, and only then in your presence?” asked Nathan.
“Actually it will be twenty-one days before anyone is allowed to see or speak with her, although I will keep the judge informed of her condition as will the psychiatrist that will be assigned to her case,” said Dr. Levin.
“For reasons which I am not free to discuss at the moment, it is imperative that no one else be informed of her whereabouts doctor,” said Nathan sternly.
“If you concur with this request Elliot, I will honor it. Regarding Miriam’s admission to Roosevelt Rehabilitation Hospital I will need you to sign some forms which I will have faxed here immediately,” said Dr. Levin.
“I will sign whatever needs to be signed, and then we’ll close up the house here and I’ll return to Concord as soon as possible,” said the judge.
While Dr. Levin was on the phone reserving a room for Miriam, Judge Sheridan awaited all the documentation related to his wife’s hospitalization. Minutes later Miriam’s Admittance form came through and while the judge filled it out, Nathan stepped outside the study with Dr. Levin.
“Dr. Levin this situation is more difficult than you know and I’m not sure how much he can take,” said Nathan.
“Mr. March I know this will sound trite but honestly, not knowing the truth is what usually drains our energies and our peace of mind. Let me worry about him medically, and mentally, and meanwhile you just support him by whatever means you have at your disposal and he’ll get through this just fine,” said the doctor.
Nathan beamed knowing that his friend Elliot was in very good hands with a doctor who coupled such deep spiritual insight with his medical training.
Miriam Sheridan was sleeping on the gurney when the private ambulance’s personnel loaded her aboard. Elliot didn’t even try to say goodbye, all he could feel at the moment was a rush of relief.
Dr. Levin handed the judge a prescription saying “Elliot one of these is an antibiotic and the other is to keep you calm during this time. You need to get them filled. I would like to see you in my office next week, so call for an appointment when you've returned home.
“Please don‘t forget, you've been under extreme stress with everything that‘s happened, and we need to be sure that you get through this with minimal difficulty. I‘m going in the ambulance with Miriam, my wife Ruth’s on her way to the hospital already. I‘ll call you in the next few days when Miriam‘s settled in her treatments, meanwhile if you are having any difficulties yourself, I want to hear about them,” the doctor added.
Once the prescriptions were filled and presented to Elliot, he excused himself for a few moments and when he returned he broke the uncomfortable silence between himself and Nathan.
“When this place first came up for sale and I was lucky enough to buy it, I was so thrilled. For a few months that first summer, seeing Miriam grow big and round with my child inside her, I believed I’d caught the brass ring. All I could think of was pushing a stroller the following summer with my son or daughter and Miriam by my side. I imagined all our friends and family visiting us here and all of us watching our kids grow from summer to summer. It’s twenty years later and honest to God now I wouldn’t care if the place burnt to the ground,” said Elliot.
Next he headed out the back door for the shoreline on foot with Nathan following behind him and Mickey a good distance away. For two hours they walked and when Elliot’s pain got too much for him, there was Nathan who allowed him to collapse on the sand sobbing louder than the ocean’s roar while Nathan rubbed his back to let his friend know that he wasn’t alone.
George Lopez was on the second floor in the Master Bedroom searching the jewelry box on Miriam’s dresser with gloved hands. In a small black velvet pouch he found the empty setting of her engagement ring. The missing diamond was well hidden in the crime scene photos, but he had spotted a small rainbow reflected onto the window pane looking like a multi-colored light beam. That proved that the diamond was there when the photos were taken, and the crime scene investigators had missed it. That also proved that Miriam had lost it sometime before or even during an altercation with Tina.
Early the next day Liz and her teenage daughters joined Evelyn Dunn as they covered furniture, cleaned out fireplaces and pulled down shades while closing the drapes in all the rooms within the summer house. Liz and her large family would eat extremely well right into the holidays with all the meat, fish and vegetables packed in an old but reliable portable freezer which the security team hauled by truck to her house just minutes away. It was convenient for the judge to hire her husband and two sons part-time to see to it that the grounds stayed in perfect condition, until the property was sold.
The last work day for all but two of the guards was Sunday when they would pack the moving van with only the personal belongings the judge selected. Because it was only mid-July and the security guards were contracted through the second week of September, Elliot paid three of the men in full with a bonus as his parting gift to them.
The two most experienced guards were given an even heftier bonus and asked to stay on the property until it was sold with the local bank depositing their salaries in an account for them both, each week in the meantime.
Tyrone Carson wasn’t happy in the least when he didn’t receive a check or even a kind word from the judge. But when asked he assisted in putting heavy equipment away under tarps, and locking the windows throughout the mansion, which was too difficult for the women to do.
“Good morning,” said Tyrone as he noticed the coverlets on the furniture and the light fixtures on entering the judge‘s library.
“You wanted to see me sir,” said Tyrone.
“Yes I did Tyrone, but beforehand I have this for you,” said the judge as he placed an envelope in the hands of his trusted guard.
“Tyrone I have a proposition for you, which I am sincerely hoping you will consider after you discuss it with your lovely lady friend. I’ll understand if you say no and I won’t reclaim the letter of recommendation for you that’s inside that envelope either.
“You see Mr. March and I agree that like himself, I need to have someone to be by my side who will keep me safe and out of harm’s way. I’d like that to be you Tyrone, because recently we’ve begun a relationship that I value very much.
“You need to know that at the moment there are dozens of characters who wouldn’t mind my leaving this mortal coil after standing before me for sentencing, in my courtroom. Also there are several matters concerning events here that undoubtedly have put me at odds with one or more desperate people, and I do intend to find the truth with Nathan’s continued assistance. That being said, you are free to contact me with your decision. Are there any questions for me Tyrone,” asked the judge.
“When do I start sir,” asked Tyrone.
“Don’t you think you should discuss it further,” said the judge.
“Your honor my lady and I spend hours talking about moving on. She’s a nurse and wants to become a nurse practitioner and there are some fine medical facilities I’m sure in your neck of the woods,” said Tyrone.
“There is also a detached brick home where you’d live rent free for as long as you can stand me Tyrone,” said the judge.
“You’d better stand by because after I make a phone call one very beautiful and excited black women is going to blow through here and hug you breathless,” said Tyrone only half kidding.
“Well don’t just sit there, start dialing young man,” said Elliot as Nathan cracked up laughing along with Mickey and Tyrone himself.