The Invisible Wife Read online

  “Can I help you?” she said.

  “Sasha Turbin?” Fisher asked.

  She nodded.

  Holt and Fisher flashed their badges as Fisher said, “We would like to ask you a few questions about Robert Burley.”

  Sasha’s eyes welled up at the sound of Big Bob’s name.

  “Can we come inside?” Fisher asked.

  Sasha held the door for them, and they entered. The apartment was sparsely furnished. There was a single couch in the living room with a TV on a stand across from it. A small table was in the corner with two chairs. A couple of photos were hung on the wall. They were all of a young Sasha with an African-American woman.

  “That’s my mom,” Sasha said as Fisher stared at it.

  “She’s beautiful,” Fisher said.

  “Yeah, she was.”

  “Was?”

  “She died of a brain aneurysm two years ago. It was sudden. She was working at the diner when…”

  “The same diner you now work at?” Fisher asked.

  “Yeah, she got me the job. She had a severe headache all morning, but she never complained to anyone. It wasn’t like her to make a big fuss. She was a proud woman who worked hard. She kept spilling coffee whenever she was trying to fill a customer’s cup, so George…

  “Who?”

  “The owner of the diner.”

  “Okay.”

  “George realized something was not right. He drove her to the emergency room, where they found the blood vessels that went to the brain had swelled. They cut out a piece of her skull to reduce the pressure. Then they placed her in an induced coma for a month. Her condition stabilized, and I thought she would make it through, but then one day she just…”

  Her words trailed off.

  Fisher let the silence hang for a minute. She could see that even after all these years, it was painful for Sasha to talk about what happened to her mom.

  Sasha said, “We didn’t even have health insurance.”

  Fisher knew the answer, but she still had to ask. “Who paid for her care?”

  “Big Bob.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He had been coming to the diner for years, even before I started working there. When he found out what happened to my mom, he wanted to help. He was a wonderful man.”

  “Is that why you were crying?”

  Fisher pointed to a pile of crumpled tissues on the couch.

  Sasha nodded. “I can’t believe someone would want to kill him.”

  “Mrs. Burley said she saw you in Big Bob’s car. Were you and he…?”

  Sasha was horrified. “Oh no. Nothing like that ever happened between us. I mean, he was old enough to be my father.”

  “So, what was your relationship?” Fisher asked.

  “We were friends,” Sasha replied. “He would come to the restaurant and ask for me. He tipped well, and he was generous. He gave me five-thousand dollars, so I could pursue my degree in social services.”

  “Did he give you anything else?”

  “He tried to buy me a car, and furniture, but I thought the five-thousand was more than enough. I didn’t want him to think we were friends because he bought me stuff, you know.”

  “Were you aware that Big Bob had included your name in his will?” Fisher asked.

  Sasha’s eyes widened. “Why would he do that?”

  “That’s what we wanted to ask you.”

  “I have no idea. I really don’t. I mean, I was nobody to him.”

  Fisher had a strong feeling that was not true.

  FORTY-ONE

  At lunch time, Callaway watched a stream of people leave the office tower. He hoped he did not miss seeing Gilford, but even if he did, he could always come back.

  There was still so much he did not know about his target. What was his daily routine? Who were his friends? What were his hobbies?

  All this was useful information in his investigation. The daily routine would allow him to track his target more easily. He would know where his target would be at a given time. By knowing more about his social circle, Callaway would know who he hung around with. What if they were helping the target hide the affair from his spouse? If that was the case, then Callaway’s job would become trickier. The hobbies would let Callaway know about the target’s interests. Did he play tennis? Did he go to the gym? Did he like to gamble? He could use this to find out if he met his mistress at any of those locations.

  He watched as more people came out of the building. He did not want to lose the opportunity, so he got out of the Charger and approached the main entrance. He found a lamppost adjacent to the doors and casually leaned against it as if he was waiting for someone. Ten minutes later, he spotted him—no, them!

  Cary Gilford was wearing a dark suit and polished shoes. He looked just like the photo on his website. Next to him was a woman. She was wearing heels, a skirt, and a blouse. Her blonde hair was short, almost resembling a boyish cut. She wore bright red lipstick, and she was smiling.

  Is that the assistant Mrs. Gilford was referring to? he thought. The woman whom she believes her husband is having an affair with?

  Callaway had to be sure. He diverted his attention to someone else in case they looked his way.

  Fortunately, they turned right and headed for the parking lot. Callaway followed them until he saw them reach a white Audi parked a short distance away. They entered the vehicle together.

  Callaway’s brow furrowed. They were not trying to be discreet with their affair.

  He raced back to his Charger and got behind the wheel. He waited until the Audi pulled out of the parking lot before he followed. He trailed behind them for a good five blocks until they entered a plaza. They parked in front of a Thai restaurant. They got out and went inside. A few minutes later, they appeared at a table by the windows.

  Callaway parked the Charger and pulled out his camera. He zoomed in and began snapping photos of Gilford and his assistant.

  He smiled as a thought occurred to him.

  This is the easiest twenty-five thousand I’ll ever make.

  FORTY-TWO

  Holt and Fisher were back at the Milton PD.

  Fisher said, “You won’t believe this.”

  “What?” Holt asked.

  Fisher was staring at her laptop. “Guess who worked for Big Bob over twenty years ago?”

  Holt frowned. “Who?”

  “Sasha Turbin’s mother, Gloria Cole.”

  “How did you find that out?”

  “I did an online search for her name and scanned through the images that popped up. I noticed one that resembled her from the photo I’d seen at Sasha’s apartment. When I clicked on it, it took me to an article from the Milton Inquirer regarding the grand opening of Big Bob’s Autos. Gloria was apparently one of the dealership’s original employees.”

  Fisher turned the laptop around so that Holt could get a better look. In the photo, Big Bob was standing next to his then-wife, Joan, and next to them were three men dressed in suits and one woman who was clearly Gloria Cole. All six individuals were smiling for the camera.

  Fisher said, “I think Big Bob is Sasha’s father.”

  Holt did not look convinced.

  “Listen,” she said. “Sasha is a child of an interracial couple…”

  “How can you be certain?”

  “You saw the photos of Sasha with her mother. Sasha’s complexion is lighter compared to her mother’s. Also, there were no photos of her father anywhere. I bet Big Bob had an affair with Gloria Cole and it produced a child. I don’t think Sasha is aware of this, and with her mother gone there is no one to confirm it. On top of that, why would Big Bob pay for Sasha’s school? Because he knows the truth. And don’t forget, he also paid for Gloria Cole’s medical bills while she was in the hospital.”

  Holt scratched his chin. “Okay, but what does this have to do with our investigation?”

  “I’m not sure, but what if someone found out Big Bob had another child and they confronte
d him with this information.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “For money, of course. Maybe they tried to blackmail him, and if he didn’t pay up, they threatened to expose him.”

  Holt was still not convinced. “The affair was years ago. Robert Burley was divorced from his first wife and was in the process of divorcing his second. The revelation he had a child out of wedlock would have done him no harm in my opinion.”

  Fisher was silent. She then grabbed the phone on her desk and dialed a number.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “You’ll see.” Fisher put the call on speaker and waited as the phone rang.

  “Hello?” a voice said.

  “Joan Burley?” Fisher asked.

  “Yes.”

  “This is Detective Fisher from the Milton Police Department. Do you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

  “Um, I guess so.”

  “Did a woman by the name of Gloria Cole work at the dealership when you owned it?”

  “She was our receptionist. She was with us for less than two years, I think.”

  “Do you know why she left?”

  There was silence on the other end.

  “Mrs. Burley?”

  “Messner.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s Messner now. My maiden name.”

  “Ms. Messner,” Fisher said, “why did Gloria Cole leave your dealership?”

  There was an audible sigh on the other end. “I caught Robert having an affair with her.” Fisher gave Holt an I-told-you-so look.

  “We had just opened the dealership and things were tough. The business didn’t take off right away, so Robert was under intense pressure. He apologized for the affair and took full responsibility. I was angry, like any wife would be, but I had two young children at the time and the dealership was everything to us. I loved Robert, and I made him pay Gloria to make her go away. After that I never saw her again.”

  “Did you know she was still living in Milton?”

  “I did, but like I said, I never saw her again.”

  Fisher paused. She then said, “Were you aware Gloria Cole had a child with your ex-husband?”

  Fisher expected a gasp or an angry outburst, but instead, Joan calmly said, “I was aware of this.”

  “And you were still okay with this during your marriage?” Fisher asked.

  “I wasn’t okay with it,” Joan replied. “How can you be, knowing your husband fathered a child with another woman? But you can choose to live with it, which is what I did.”

  “Did anyone else know about this?”

  “It was a secret only Robert, myself, and Gloria knew.”

  Two out of the three were dead, and if Joan Burley did not take any action against her husband when the affair had occurred, why would she do it now?

  They had hit another dead end.

  FORTY-THREE

  Once Gilford and his assistant had returned to the office tower, Callaway decided to end his stakeout. He had enough photos of them together to prove to his client that they were indeed in a relationship.

  In one photo Callaway had caught them leaning close, as if they were sharing an intimate moment. In another, he captured them in mid-laugh, as if Gilford had said something which his assistant had found amusing. And in yet another, Gilford had his arm out, as if he was holding his assistant’s hand.

  As far as Callaway was concerned, his job was done.

  He decided to stopover at a cell phone shop. He spoke to the sales rep, who showed him a half a dozen smartphones and their wireless plans. He was so overwhelmed that he chose whatever model the sales rep recommended, and he signed up for the best data plan money could buy. He paid cash and headed straight for Patti’s house.

  He was excited when he rang the doorbell.

  Patricia “Patti” Callaway opened the door. She had short dark hair, brown eyes, and her lips were always curled in a smile. Patti could spot a lie from a mile away. Callaway could bullshit many people, but not Patti. He had learned early on to be straight with her. It was not easy. There were many things he could not tell her while they were married. So instead of outright lying to her, he would avoid answering her questions, which, in essence, was the same as being untruthful. But this was the only option he had if he wanted to keep some form of relationship with her.

  Every time Callaway saw her, his heart skipped a beat. She still had that power over him. He could not believe he had walked away from her. All throughout their marriage, he kept thinking he did not deserve her. He did not, but that still did not mean he should not have tried harder to be a good husband. She was the best thing that ever happened to him.

  “Nina’s at her friend’s house,” Patti said, leaning on the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Oh,” he replied, feeling disappointed.

  “How’s the new job?” she asked.

  Did she hear about the Gilford case? he thought. But how?

  “Nina told me you got her a doll,” Patti said. “You picked it up from the store you work as a security guard at. Isn’t that right?”

  “The store I used to work as a security guard.”

  “So, you quit?”

  “I wasn’t cut out for it.”

  “You got a new case instead?”

  His mouth nearly dropped. “How did you know?”

  “I didn’t, but I know you. How much does this one pay?”

  He hesitated.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not going to ask you for child support.”

  He paused and then asked, “Does the house need repairs?”

  There was always something wrong at the house. If it was not the plumbing, then it was electrical, or the shingles needed to be replaced after the last thunderstorm. He may be a nonexistent father, but he did help occasionally.

  “No, everything is fine. I’m just worried you’ll throw all your money at some—” she made air quotes with her fingers—“investment opportunity.”

  “I’m going to be extra careful.” He then changed the subject. “Do you know when Nina will be back?”

  “In an hour.”

  He frowned. He then held up a plastic bag for her. “I got this for Nina.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a cell phone. She told me she wanted one.”

  Patti said, “Nina had already asked me, and I told her no.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s only nine, Lee.”

  “Won’t it be safe for her to have one? In case she needs to get in touch with you in an emergency?”

  “When we were growing up, we didn’t have cell phones, and we managed to stay safe.”

  He scratched his head. “I don’t know why you are being so rigid about this.”

  “I’m not being rigid. I’m being a mother. Nina’s too young to take on this responsibility.”

  “It’s only a cell phone.”

  “It’s also dangerous.”

  “Dangerous?”

  “Haven’t you heard of sexting?”

  Callaway turned pale. “Um… I don’t think she’s into that stuff yet.”

  “She may not be, but some boys might be. There was a girl in her school who was blackmailed by a boy into sending him photos of her naked. That girl had to change schools because she couldn’t take the embarrassment.”

  Callaway’s mouth went dry. He could not imagine anything like that happening to his little girl.

  “It’s a dangerous world out there,” Patti said. “You wouldn’t believe how many girls have come into the hospital after they tried to take their own life because of all the pressure from the bullies at school.”

  Patti worked as a nurse at the Milton General Hospital. She had more life experience than the average person. Birth and deaths were a daily occurrence, along with finding a cure for all sorts of other ailments. A hospital was a hub for people from all walks of life. A CEO could be lying on a bed next to a homeless person. The hospital did not dis
criminate. This gave Patti a front row seat of what was going on in the city.

  “Take it back,” she said, referring to the cell phone.

  “Okay,” Callaway said. As a single mother, Patti had done a great job with Nina, so he trusted her judgement.

  “What are you doing later tonight?” he asked.

  “My feet are killing me after a long shift. I’m going to shower, make dinner for Nina, and then head to bed. Why do you ask?”

  He shrugged. “No reason. Tell Nina I dropped by.”

  He walked away.

  FORTY-FOUR

  Fisher took a sip of her black coffee. Holt drank his green tea.

  They were seated in the back of a café. Fisher could tell Holt was uncomfortable. “Relax, Greg,” she said. “We deserve a break once in a while.”

  “Not when we have a killer loose on the street,” he grumbled.

  While working on a case, Holt was known to become obsessive. He thought of nothing else but capturing the perpetrator. This made him a very good detective. No detail was too small for him. He liked to check out every lead, interview every witness, and examine each piece of evidence twice.

  Right now, though, they had hit a brick wall. There were many characters in Big Bob’s case, but so far, they could not point to any of them as the main suspect.

  Big Bob’s current wife, Suzanne Burley, had an iron-clad pre-nup that would prevent her from benefiting further from Big Bob’s death. Big Bob’s ex-wife, Joan Burley, received half his winnings at the time of their divorce, so she had little reason to want him dead. Sasha Turbin, Big Bob’s child from another woman, was not even aware that Big Bob was her father, which meant she had nothing to gain from his demise. Also, Big Bob was already generous toward her. He paid for her college. On top of that, she had refused his help when he offered to buy her furniture and a car.

  Then there was the scam artist, Joseph Olsson. Big Bob had threatened him with legal action. But Olsson was clearly shaken up when they told him Big Bob was murdered. He could have been acting, but Fisher had been around enough killers to know who was faking and who was genuine. Then there was Corliss Looms, who had robbed Big Bob. He was currently serving twenty years for the crime and was locked up at the time of Big Bob’s murder, so he obviously could not have done the deed either.