A Simple Lie

by Mary Bush

  “What makes you say that?” Val asked.

  “It’s a long story,” Julia said dismissively. “Basically, I was in love, stupid and blind to the obvious in front of my face. He played me for a fool—and so did she. She pretended to be my friend. We did lunches and shopping—and I fell for it all. It’s as simple as that. It hurts but it’s good for me to admit to it. At least that’s what my lawyer says.” Julia smiled bravely. “I don’t have a shrink yet.”

  “They played you for a fool? How so?”

  “I met him at a singles event. You know the kind of thing I’m talking about?”

  Val didn’t, and her expression must have said so because Julia laughed. “Maybe you don’t. Maybe someone like you doesn’t have to visit a prefab meeting event for the terminally un-hook-up-able,” Julia said. “It’s one of those things where an event is sponsored and everyone that shows up is single. It’s supposed to be a safe way to meet strangers. Now that I think of what I ended up with, I probably would’ve been safer with some seedy internet site, and that’s a scary thought. Colin—that’s my soon-to-be ex-husband’s name—wasn’t there when I arrived. He showed up later in the evening. I had already met a nice guy, but he wasn’t all that attractive. I was finding out all about his tax business, when I saw Colin come in.” Julia hesitated in reliving the memory, her one-time romantic feelings toward Colin evident. “He took my breath away.”

  She looked at Val. Her face showed embarrassing admiration for the man who had once been her husband.

  “As the tax guy spoke, I stared at Colin, thinking I could never get someone like that. I was fixated on him and watched his every move. I’m not even sure whether or not the tax guy noticed I was checking out another man. Anyway, I didn’t care.”

  Val let Julia continue. She wanted to interrupt, add some words of comfort, but couldn’t find the right thing to say.

  “Tax guy, isn’t that horrible? I don’t even remember the poor man’s name.” Julia shook her head at the memory. “Colin came in and went straight to the bar, ordered a drink and looked around. He saw me staring at him and smiled. I immediately turned away, embarrassed. I excused myself from the tax guy to go the lady’s room.”

  Julia put her arms across her chest and leaned against the gurney and Val just watched her. With her head down and back slumped, Val couldn’t help but notice how vulnerable Julia looked.

  “Colin was outside the bathroom door when I came out. His first words to me were, ‘Can I buy you a drink?’ I couldn’t believe that a guy like him was waiting for someone like me outside of a bathroom. He noticed me. He followed me. I told him that I was there with someone. He said, ‘That guy at the bar? This is a singles event. He can’t be your boyfriend.’ I confessed I’d just met him earlier that night and he said, ‘If it makes you uncomfortable to go back in and have a drink with me, then let’s go somewhere else for one.’” Julia shrugged her shoulders. “I went.”

  Val searched again for comforting words, but Julia spoke first.

  “I slept with him that night. Please don’t think badly of me. I’m not easy. He hung around. He was still in my bed in the morning. I thought that was a good sign. I didn’t care that he was more fascinated with my car, my house and my profession than he was with me. I was a plastic surgeon then, not a medical examiner,” Julia explained. “I didn’t have the looks to win him so I thought I could impress him in other ways, so of course I bragged. And when Colin asked me to marry him four months after meeting him, I agreed. I know it sounds stupid now but I just wanted to believe that he loved me.”

  “That’s not stupid,” said Val. “That’s something we all want; someone to love us.” Val thought back to the day of her interview. Once Julia pressed her for the truth about her hand it was hard to hold back. The words tumbled out in relief as she unburdened herself. Julia was doing the same right now.

  “Oh my, would you look at the time,” Julia said, her voice cracking. “I have a lunch meeting today with my lawyer regarding this lawsuit and I can’t be late, and the birthday party is probably already going on in the employee lounge. I have to make an appearance before I run.”

  “Birthday party?” Val questioned. She hadn’t heard about a birthday party.

  “Yeah, for Zoe Beauchamp, our toxicologist. Are you coming?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “You really should, it’s a great way to get to know the rest of the staff. I’ve heard you pretty much keep to yourself.” Julia went to the sink and stripped off her gloves.

  She was right. Val did keep to herself. There was good reason to do so. “I’m afraid someone will find out about Oliver, that I never knew him. Keeping a safe distance from everyone seems necessary.”

  “Phil is the only one you need to worry about and I can handle him,” Julia said as she washed her hands. “Why don’t you come over to my house tomorrow night? We’ll have a low-key girls’ night in. I’ll cook,” she suggested.

  Val eagerly agreed. She hadn’t had someone she could call a friend in a long time and was happy that Julia might fill that void.

  “Let me warn you that I’m a bad cook. But I’ll get a lot of wine, so we won’t care.”

  “Sounds great to me,” Val responded enthusiastically.

  “I’m going to make pasta. It’s the only dish I can make. I serve it every time I have company, along with a homemade loaf of bread. I’m a proud owner of a bread maker.” She rolled her eyes at Val. “It was a wedding gift.”

  Julia rushed out of the room with Val sticking close behind. “I’m going to tell Phil that you need to be involved in the Jeanne Coleman and Francine Donohue case. With your dental background, you really ought to be.”

  Val stopped in her tracks. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. She was so excited she almost hugged Julia. “You know, I noticed something unusual with Francine’s skull and have been meaning to talk to you about it,” she said.

  “What did you find?” Julia asked eagerly.

  Val explained her thoughts on how the teeth came out. “Did you happen to notice if any of the teeth were broken when you examined them?”

  Julia thought for a second. “No. I don’t think any of them were. But I’ll have you take a look. Maybe I missed something.”

  Val asked what else was going on with the case. She wanted to know everything.

  Julia gave her the details, then stressed the latest information. “Gavin seems to think Samantha Ritcher may be connected, but honestly, Phil’s opinion is that it’s a long shot. Gavin let us know that the last time Samantha talked to her sister was when she was a teenager. So, really, there’s no link. It’s probably just some bizarre coincidence.”

  Val remembered the woman with the overdose and grew confused. “Whose sister was she?”

  “Francine Donohue’s,” Julia said as they walked into the employee lunchroom.

  Val’s legs froze. She took a moment to absorb what she’d just heard. Francine’s sister? There was so much more that she wanted to know, but she didn’t get a chance to ask. As soon as they entered, a woman pulled Julia away and started talking to her. Val had no idea who this person was. As she looked around she noticed several unfamiliar faces.

  Small groups of people huddled together having work clique conversations. All were busy with their own chatter. Val stood alone. Drs. Phelps, Chang and Stedman were in the far corner near the refrigerator. In front of her, about ten feet away, a woman talked to Dr. Blythe and Howie. This was Zoe Beauchamp, the birthday girl. She would have joined Howie and Zoe if Dr. Blythe wasn’t with them.

  Her gaze continued to travel around the room and then it stopped, locked on a bulletin board that hung on the far wall. A good portion of the board was covered with employee photos, obviously pictures of the many parties that probably took place in this break room. It was more so the banner on the one side of the board that caught her attention. As she read it, her heart began to beat faster.

  “To our good friend Oliver—gone
but not forgotten.”

  It was a small tribute to Oliver Solaris. Val had no idea what this man even looked like, and here he was, captured on film, his image on the bulletin board. She had to see this. Now, how to do this so no one notices?

  The refreshment table was next to the board. Val casually walked over and helped herself to a piece of cake, glancing at the pictures as she did. There were a handful of people in each shot. Which one was Oliver? She went with a process of elimination. He would be the one she had never seen before. Unfortunately, there were several people she didn’t know in the photos.

  Realizing that she was staring at the board for too long, she browsed through the assortment of soda and selected one, glancing back up as she poured. One of those two must be him. She jumped as someone reached past her for a bottle of diet Sprite. The person spoke.

  “Val, did you manage to get the rest of that paperwork completed for me? I’m still waiting,” Candace said.

  “I’m sorry. It’s done. I can run and grab it for you now.” Val took a step backwards towards the door, hoping to get away.

  Candace put her hand on Val’s arm. “No need. You should stay and enjoy the party. Just get it to me later. So, how are you fitting in with our little family?”

  “Things are going fine.” The hand stayed on her arm.

  “You know, just between me and you, I’ve heard some talk about you. It’s probably nothing, so don’t be worried.”

  Val immediately grew paranoid but thought for a second. Tact. She needed to be tactful. But that didn’t happen. “What was said about me?” she blurted.

  Candace maintained a cool and even tone. “Well, far be it from me to say, but it was about how you were hired.”

  Val could feel her face grow hot and her stomach flipped. “What was wrong with how I was hired?”

  “Oh, nothing at all. Just some, and let me just say that I am not part of the some…” Candace put one hand on her chest and waved the other one in the air to emphasize insincere non-involvement in the gossip. “Well, these people are just a little concerned that you have no…” She whispered the last word, “experience.”

  “They don’t need to be worried about me. I can hold my own.” Val’s worst fears had come true. The fact that she had no experience was exposed. Julia had warned her to be ready for this.

  “Oh I know. And I’m not judging. I just thought you ought to know about the things being said about you behind your back. Everyone is wondering why Oliver would recommend someone for this job who’s never been a death investigator before.” Candace took a sip of her soda and pointed to several pictures. “These are from the last party we had. Oliver was still alive then. Doesn’t he look good? Who would have thought he’d drop dead two weeks later.”

  Val didn’t know what to say. She felt as if she was being baited. The wrong answer would place the hook firmly in her mouth. There were two men in the pictures that she didn’t know. One looked like he could run a marathon and the other seemed as if he needed a wheelchair. The wrong answer could get her fired. She opened her mouth to respond, but Julia quickly arrived by her side.

  “I miss Oliver so much,” she said, placing a finger on the image of the man who might have needed a wheelchair. She stroked it in a caring manner and then smiled at Val.

  Candace stayed only a moment more before walking away. As soon as she was gone Julia said, “I have to run. My lawyer’s waiting for me and I’m looking forward to meeting with him. I know what’s going on, and I’m ready for it. There’s no way Colin’s going to win this.” She touched Val’s arm. “I think we’ll need an extra bottle of wine to celebrate tomorrow.”

  12

  When Julia arrived at The Towne Restaurant, she saw her lawyer, Bradley Underwood sitting at a table by the window. He was waving, trying to get her attention.

  “Sorry I’m late. Things have just been hectic. More remains were found from that murder case. The ones with the teeth removed,” she said, picking up the menu, glancing at the Greek choices.

  “Are they getting any closer to catching this guy?”

  “I don’t think so.” Julia talked about the case, describing nothing more than what had already been on the news. She stopped once the waitress came by to take their order.

  As soon as the waitress left, Bradley spoke. “Julia, I had a meeting with Lauren’s lawyer yesterday,” he said optimistically. “She wants ten million dollars to settle this case. It’s a good deal. Honestly, she might get much more if this goes to a jury. Your malpractice insurance is worth ten million. I think that’s why they picked this amount. That’ll cover it and you’ll be done with this issue.”

  “I’m not going to settle. I’m not guilty,” she said plainly. It was obvious that Bradley wasn’t expecting this answer. His eyes opened wide and his mouth opened slightly. It stayed that way for a second or two before he answered.

  “This isn’t about you being guilty or not.” His voice was firm. “That doesn’t matter. The woman lost part of her face. She’s disfigured. She’ll easily get the sympathy of any jury. I think we should settle. In fact, I’m advising you to do so.”

  “My innocence does matter. It matters a lot. This is my life you’re willing to give up. Maybe that doesn’t matter to you, but it certainly does to me.”

  Bradley took a deep breath and calmly said, “Lauren lost portions of her nose, right cheek, lips and chin due to the infection that started just the day after you removed a mole for her. This strain of bacteria was aggressive, flesh-eating, and not responsive to any antibiotic therapy. The only way to save her life before septicemia set in was to cut the infected tissue off. How am I going to convince a jury that you, a plastic surgeon with a PhD in pathology, did not purposely do this in retaliation to your unemployed husband’s mistress?” The tone of his voice trailed upward on the last few words. He took a deep breath. “It’s your life I’m trying to salvage. Julia, think about the consequences.”

  “I’ve had the luxury of thinking about them every minute of every day since this happened. It’s with me when I get up in the morning and when I go to bed at night and every waking moment in between. This is with me always. If I settle that means I admit to doing something I didn’t do.”

  “I’m not saying you did anything wrong. This is about your life now. A jury decision could easily triple or quadruple that ten-million-dollar amount. How would you be able to pay that? After they garner your wages, a room at the Y might be all that you can afford. Do you want that? Just say the word and this nightmare ends now and you move on.”

  Julia didn’t answer. She looked at the table, avoiding eye contact.

  Bradley reached out and put his hand on her arm. “Settling this case is the smartest thing you could do.”

  “He wants a divorce, you know,” she said, ignoring his previous comment. She shook her head, letting out a nervous laugh. “And that’s not the worst part. Right after I married Colin, he asked me to prove my love to him by adding his name to the deed of my house and on my practice. I had the papers drawn up that included him as fifty percent owner of my assets.”

  Bradley looked at her sympathetically and held her arm tighter. “Julia, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I was stupid. I realize my mistakes now. I just wanted to believe he loved me. I guess I was wrong.”

  The lawyer had no response this time. Julia continued.

  “He owns half of my defunct practice, half of my house and half of my investments. So not only do I lose my pride and malpractice money to his mistress, I lose half of everything else to him. Brad, all I have left is my dignity and professional name. I don’t want to lose that too. I will not be broken down. You will fight this case for me or I’ll get another lawyer.”

  “Julia, I don’t know where to begin.”

  “They’re at fault, start the case there. Ask the jury, why would my husband’s mistress come to me to get a mole removed unless something else was going on, unless this was a set-up. It makes no sense othe
rwise. This was done on purpose, all of it. He planned it from the beginning. First, he got his hands on my assets and then he wanted more. So, he planned a way of taking my malpractice money, and she went along with it. They would get millions in the end.”

  Bradley just stared. “Julia, do you really think she literally cut off her nose to spite her face?”

  “I believe he concocted this scam and didn’t know what he was doing. She ended up with a problem that got out of control. I think he infected her or had her do it to herself in the hopes of getting ten million dollars. All she had to do was get a bad infection, something that wasn’t easily cured, something where there was a little pain and suffering and I would look incompetent. I think they just didn’t plan on one that bad. They were just stupid.”

  “How would he have infected her? Where would he have gotten the bugs to do it? It’s not the kind of thing you buy at a store.” He couldn’t hide the skepticism in his voice.

  “After the mole was removed, there was an open wound. They just had to get something contaminated into it. Jesus Christ, they could have used feces and that would have done the trick. In this case, that contaminated material had some nasty, nasty unusual bacteria.”

  “This isn’t going to be easy to prove. You have the greater knowledge about bacteria.”

  “If it was me, I could have used something that would have caused far worse damage than she received,” Julia said plainly. “She has as much reason to set me up as I did to disfigure her. I know things now that I didn’t back then. She befriended me on purpose. Keep that in mind. She befriended me!” Julia began raising her voice and a few people from neighboring tables looked over. Bradley motioned for her to keep her voice down, but Julia couldn’t.

  “I found out that she was already having the affair with him when she came up to me at the gym. She started talking to me every time I was there. She invited me to lunch and we started doing things together. I thought she was my friend. She asked me to remove that mole for her. This was all planned. I know it was.”