Booby Trap (4 page)

“Okay, Lil, I’ll help
you. I’ll try to find out if your son is the Blond Bomber or not.”

Lillian Ramsey got up from her chair and threw her slender arms around my neck. “Thank you, Odelia. Thank you so much.”

When the hug was over, I asked her to sit back down. It was the following weekend, and we were at Lil’s condo in Leisure World, seated at her cheerful dining table set in front of a large picture window that overlooked the golf course.

“But first I need you to understand something.” I took both of her delicate hands in mine. She looked at me expectantly. “If I discover that Brian is the Blond Bomber, I will go directly to the police with the information. I will not ask your permission or even stop long enough to tell you first.” Lil stared at me and blinked her blue eyes a couple of times. I didn’t know if she was in shock or scared or both.

“You won’t even tell me?”

“Not until after I’ve told the police. If I find out that Brian is the killer, I will do whatever is in my power to make sure he doesn’t kill again, and I can’t risk you interfering. You’re his mother. No matter what he’s done, you would try to protect him. It would be only natural.”

More blinking and staring. Lil removed her hands from mine and sat back in her chair. Her shoulders sagged as she turned her head to look out the window.

“You are right, of course.” Her voice was hardly a whisper when she spoke. “If he is the killer, he must be stopped.” She turned her head again to look at me. “And if he’s not the killer?” This time there was hope in her voice.

“If I find concrete proof that Brian Eddy is not the Blond Bomber, I will immediately tell you that very second. On that, you have my word.”

Lil gave me a small smile and refreshed both of our teacups from a floral china pot. “Thank you, Odelia.”

I pulled a yellow legal pad and pen from my tote bag and put it on the table beside me. “Why don’t we get started? The sooner the better, don’t you think?”

Lil nodded and swallowed hard. “You’ll want to know why I suspect my own son of such heinous acts.”

Truth is, I didn’t want to know any of this, but the reality was I had to know to be of help. I studied Lil’s lovely face and noted the deep blush creeping into her lined cheeks. Something told me that what she was about to disclose, on a scale of one to ten, was going to be a nine on the doozy scale.

“Odelia,” she began, speaking quietly, “have you ever met anyone on the computer—you know, on the Internet?”

“
We
met online, Lil. Remember?”

“I don’t mean like us, Odelia.”

She paused to take a sip of tea. She sat still for a minute, clutching the dainty cup between both hands. I didn’t prod her to continue. It was obvious that whatever she needed to say, it was going to be difficult for her.

Finally, she continued. “I mean romantically. Did you ever meet anyone online and become involved with them?”

I hadn’t, but I knew people who had. The stories of online dating had been both good and bad. My friend and co-worker Kelsey Cavendish met her husband, Beau, online, and that seems to have worked out very well. Then I remembered that the news reports had hinted that the Blond Bomber had met all of his victims online.

“Does Brian meet women online?” I knew that Dr. Eddy was married, but I certainly wasn’t naïve about married people going online in search of excitement and affairs. Dr. Eddy wouldn’t be the first or the last.

Lil nodded slowly. “Yes, he does.”

“And he told you this?” I didn’t think many men would confess to their mothers that they were playing around online or offline, but especially one that wasn’t particularly close to his mother. Lil had told me that her relationship with her son, though intact, was often strained. “I didn’t think you two were that close.”

“We aren’t.” Again she paused. This time she held the china cup so hard I was afraid it’d shatter.

“Why don’t you put that cup down before it breaks.” I reached over and gently extracted it from her hands. She let me and picked up a linen napkin instead and started twisting it slowly.

“Have you ever done anything you were ashamed of, but were glad you did it anyway?” She spoke without looking at me.

My first thought was, was there a minimum answer requirement I could get away with? Even though the question was purely rhetorical, it still made me uneasy. How do I screw up? Let me count the ways.

“Are you talking about something you did, Lil? Or something Brian did?”

“Brian … and I.”

I felt my body wanting to squirm but forced it to remain still. In my head, I could see the doozy scale going up to a twelve, possibly even a thirteen.

“As I’ve mentioned to you before, my son and I are not very close. We used to be, but it all changed after I married Cecil Ramsey. I married my first husband, Brian’s father, for love. I married Cecil for security. I don’t think Brian has ever forgiven me for that.” She took a deep breath before continuing.

“When Brian’s father passed away suddenly, I found myself a young widow with a pre-teen son. The two of us struggled to stay afloat, and I often worked two jobs. Shortly after I met Cecil, he proposed. I declined at first, but the more I struggled to raise my son alone, the more I saw the advantages my marrying Cecil would have for Brian. Finally, I accepted. Soon after, Cecil shipped my son off to a very exclusive preparatory school, and from there to a college of Brian’s choice. Cecil even paid for Brian’s medical school. He lived up to his bargain of providing for my son’s future, and I lived up to my part of being the beautiful and gracious wife and hostess.”

“You were his trophy wife.”

“That’s what they call it now, isn’t it? And I suppose I was. I was much younger than Cecil, very pretty, educated, and proper. Cecil was very rich and important. I may not have loved Cecil, but I respected him and was a good wife. And though he could often be distant, he was never cruel or thoughtless towards me or Brian. But Cecil made it clear that he had married me, not my son.” Lil gave me a small smile. “Actually, as marriages go, it could even be considered a good one.”

Cecil Ramsey had never been thoughtless? What do you call separating a mother and child just to have the mother to yourself? It would be interesting to get Brian’s side of the story.

“You see Brian and his family fairly often, though, don’t you?”

“Oh yes, Brian and Jane, that’s my daughter-in-law, have me over for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Jane and I get along very well, and I see my two grandchildren often—though now they are quite grown up and off with their friends most of the time.”

“If you see Brian often, why do you think you’re not close?”

Lil gave that some thought before answering. “It’s not that we’re estranged physically, but emotionally. He never tells me anything, not even important things. I didn’t even know he was going to marry Jane until the ring was on her finger. And I found out about him starting his own practice when I received the announcement in the mail.”

She drank some more tea before continuing. “Brian is a dutiful son, Odelia. He makes sure I have whatever I need, even though I can easily afford just about anything. He sees that I’m cared for when I don’t feel well, and he even calls me every week to check on me. But it’s all mechanical, like it’s a job he must do and be done with. When I’m at his home, he is the picture of etiquette but barely speaks to me. Even the weekly calls are often made by Jane, even though she’s busy running her own business. She owns Sharp Design, the interior decorating company.”

“Your daughter-in-law is Jane Sharp?” In my mind, I let loose with a big
wow
. Sharp Design was one of the most sought-after residential interior design companies in Southern California. Many celebrities lived in Sharp-styled homes. Rumor was, you had to make an appointment with Jane Sharp a year in advance, and even then there was no guarantee she’d accept your business. What a dynamic duo she and Dr. Eddy made. He designed bodies for the rich and famous while his wife designed their habitats.

Lil nodded with pride. “Yes, that’s Brian’s wife. She built that business practically out of nothing, just her talent and perseverance.”

I pushed thoughts of rooms and furniture I couldn’t afford out of my mind and went back to concentrating on the issue at hand. Listening to Lil made me think about my relationship with my father. I call Dad every week and make sure I drop by every two weeks, even though I can barely stand my stepmother, Gigi. Sometimes, I’ll admit, it does seem like a duty, but the alternative—of not having him around at all—would be painful. Sometimes we spend time alone, just Dad and me, and those times are special. Once we spent two hours at Denny’s over coffee, talking about his childhood and the grandparents I never met. The only topic that’s taboo is my mother. Greg is also very close to his parents, and we see them regularly. They love me like a daughter, and my father worships the very ground Greg rolls over.

I knew that older people often felt neglected by their adult children, especially when they’re busy with careers and families, but that didn’t fit Lil. She had a very active life with lots of friends of her own. But maybe she was right. Maybe Brian still hadn’t forgiven her for letting Cecil send him away, or maybe she was just being overly sensitive to a naturally reticent demeanor.

“Maybe Brian’s just not a sharer.” I hoped my words would make her feel better. “I mean, he’s a grown man, a busy one—probably thinks it might make him look weak if he told his mother everything. Does his wife complain about him being distant?”

“Sadly, Brian and Jane have grown apart in the past several years. I know this because she’s told me, and because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. They are very polite to each other. Too polite, if you ask me. Like strangers who suddenly find themselves as roommates.” Lil hesitated. “Jane confided to me that she thinks he’s having an affair.”

“Having an affair and being a serial killer are two entirely different things. They’re not even in the same solar system, as far as offenses go.” I chuckled. “If every man who had an affair turned into a serial killer, no one would be safe outside of their homes and maybe not even in them.”

Lil shot me a soft but impatient scowl. “That’s not why I think Brian might be the Blond Bomber. It’s just part of the background I’m giving you.”

“Okay. Well, then, let me ask you: do
you
think Brian is having an affair?”

Just as Lil was going to respond, her doorbell rang. She excused herself to answer it. A few minutes later she returned, followed by a muscular man carrying a small antique table. She directed him to place it against a small section of wall between the dining room and living room, after which he was introduced to me as Paul Milholland, one of Jane Sharp’s workers. Paul Milholland appeared to be in his thirties, a bit shy, with sun-bleached sandy hair, a deep tan, and toned body. After Lil thanked him and showed him out, she returned to the table.

“I’m sorry for the interruption.”

“That’s a lovely table, Lil. Did you recently buy it?”

She smiled. “Actually, it’s a gift from Jane and Brian. More from Jane, of course. She saw it at an auction and bought it for me as an early birthday gift.” She took a sip of tea. “Paul is her right-hand man, sort of a delivery man, furniture restorer, and carpenter, all rolled into one. You name it, he can do it. He even built the bookcases in my spare room. Been with her for years.”

“Sounds like a good man to have around.”

Lil nodded. “After Jane’s former assistant, Mason Bell, left her to start his own design firm, Paul became indispensable. He really helped bolster Jane, especially after Mason started stealing her clients.”

As interesting as this decorator gossip seemed, I wanted to get back to Brian Eddy. I sensed that Lil was using Paul’s interruption to stall. Gently, I guided her back to the matter at hand.

“Lil, just before Paul arrived, you told me you thought Brian was having an affair.”

Lil got up and went to the new table, caressing its smooth top with a hand. “I know he is.”

“Because Jane told you?”

“No.” She shook her head and continued to study the top of the table. “I know because he’s having it with me.”

I could’ve sworn I heard the doozy meter pop a spring.

“Excuse me?”

Lil didn’t answer but instead turned to look directly out the window. Her face was as still as a mannequin’s. I waited and restrained from verbalizing the
ewww
on the tip of my tongue.

“Not a real affair, of course. Just an online fantasy thing, but very emotional and captivating at the same time.” She still didn’t look at me. “It has been going on for nearly six months. I should be ashamed. And I am. But I also don’t regret it.

“It started one long weekend when I was bored and lonely. I went into several chat rooms that I frequent under my usual screen name of JersyLil,
but the conversations were always the same. I tried a couple of new chat rooms, but no one wanted to talk to an old lady.”

Lil turned and went into the kitchen. I stayed where I was but could hear her adding water to the tea kettle and setting it on the stove. I gave her space while she spoke.

“Of course, I knew that people used fake identities all the time on the computer,” she called from the kitchen. “But I never had, until then. I created a new name, a new identity, and tried it on. It was rather like trying on shoes. Over the course of the weekend, I sampled three names and personalities, and then stuck with the one that received the most attention.”

I was afraid to ask.

Still seated at the dining table, I was glad Lil couldn’t see me, because I could feel my mouth hanging open like some slack-jawed dolt. I shut my trap when Lil poked her head around the corner into the dining room.

“Did you ever want to be someone else, Odelia? Even for a day or an hour?”

“I wouldn’t mind being that guy in Chino who won the lottery last Saturday.”

Lil knitted her brows slightly. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”

When the tea kettle started to whistle, Lil disappeared back into the kitchen and came out a couple minutes later with a fresh pot of tea. After setting it on the table to steep, she continued. “I don’t mind getting older.” Again, she knitted her brows. “But I damn well mind
feeling
old.”

“Boy, join the club.”

Her serious look melted into a smile. “You have quite a ways to go, dear girl.” She fiddled with a thin lemon wedge, squeezing it gently before sliding it into her china cup.

“The nice thing about meeting people on the computer is that they don’t have any idea who you really are, so you can be anyone you want. I’m sure a lot of the people I’ve met are nothing like who they claim to be. I just joined them in their little charade. And it was fun to pretend I was young, vibrant, and beautiful.” She paused to look down into her cup. “Even sexually provocative.”

I squirmed more. It was bad enough to think of Lil and Brian meeting online, but once Lil took the sharp verbal turn to the sexual realm, I really had a difficult time repressing the
ewww.
I assumed, of course, when she used the word
affair
that something flirtatious had occurred, but Lil had used the
S
word openly. It made me wonder just how sexually provocative her online alter ego had been. And I knew I’d have to know. It was the proverbial elephant in the corner. We both knew it was there, but neither wanted to acknowledge it. Finally and reluctantly, I nudged it into the open.

“Lil, this is difficult for me to ask, but ask I must.” I took a sip of tea to loosen my tongue. “Just how sexually provocative were you? Or specifically, how sexually involved did you become with Brian?”

Lil turned her face towards me. Her eyes were wide with the frankness of confession. I braced my brain for the invasion of information and wished there were such a thing as an internal crash helmet.

“To be blunt, I had many sexually explicit encounters over a period of about a year.”

“A year? I thought you said six months.”

“I have been involved with Brian for about six months, but I’ve been online under the name of Perfect4u for nearly eleven months now.”

Perfect4u. Not as evocative as a lot of the screen names I’d seen online. Ladylike but inviting just the same. At least it wasn’t Naykid, Diddlefest, or some other equally ridiculous or more explicitly vulgar name.

“You said you had many encounters. I assume all of them were online. None of these people asked to meet you? Or even to speak with you on the phone?”

“Most of them did, including Brian, but I always declined, of course. If they became troublesome or too obsessed with meeting me, I’d stop chatting with them.” Lil paused. “There was one man who became quite a nuisance, but eventually I shook him off. That was about four months ago. I almost changed my screen name, he became so annoying. Then, there was another man—”

I cut her off gently. “Let’s focus on Brian, shall we?” Lil blushed and nodded. “Did he tell you things that made you think he might be the Blond Bomber?”

Lil took a long time to respond. I refilled my teacup and refreshed hers. With all the tea we were drinking, I might have to make several pit stops on my way back to Seal Beach.

“He confessed to me that he had known the women who had been killed through the Internet. Said he even met one of them in person.”

Whoa! My mind scampered to gather up the information even as it tried to repel it. Then, just as quickly, my logical side put the brakes on my mental hysteria. Lots of people meet online, and if Brian was using a popular Internet provider and hanging out in regular chat rooms specifically to meet women, even with the millions of folks online, it stands to reason he
might
have come across these women. Especially if he frequented rooms that were geographically specific in their members.

“Did he know the nurse?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t asked him yet. He just said that he’d met one of the murdered women for coffee. He didn’t specify which or when, but it was before the nurse was killed.”

A silence hung over us. I stared at Lil until she reluctantly looked me in the eye. “Don’t tell me—Perfect4u is a blond bombshell?”

Lil’s nod was almost imperceptible, but it was a nod nonetheless. “Was, Odelia. Perfect4u
was
a blond bombshell. I think it’s time I put her to rest.”

My brain did a quick U-turn and traveled from
ewww
to
hmmm.

“Not so fast.”