The Surprises
Wednesday, July 23rd, began in an ordinary way. Nick got out of bed, showered and dressed before heading into the kitchen for breakfast. He made himself a plate of eggs and sausage and downed a glass of orange juice before his mom came into the kitchen at 6:30. She entered the room with a bright smile.
“Top of the morning to you, Mom!”
“Top of the morning indeed. It’s a little rainy outside, but I imagine it’ll let up by the afternoon. I’m heading back to work today. Thrilled about that.”
“Yeah, we’ll probably head inside of the sports complex today for a little basketball. If it lets up and the fields dry, we’ll get to play football. The kids like basketball too, so either option’s cool.”
Nick strolled over to the front door and headed outside to retrieve the newspaper, which was waiting for him at the end of the driveway. The morning was misty and the air thick and hot, which wasn’t unusual in the Florida summer. Nick picked up the newspaper and pulled off its wet plastic wrapping while simultaneously skimming the headlines. The most prominent headline didn’t get his attention, but an article just below it did: “Husband’s Accidental Shooting by Wife Perhaps Not Accidental.”
“Crap,” he said when he saw the picture of Braedon Ramsey. “They leaked it anyway.”
He folded the paper to conceal the headlines and headed back into the house.
“Gotta use the bathroom. Be right back,” he shouted as he headed upstairs.
The article discussed the alleged accidental shooting by Tricia Ramsey, who said she was an active member of the Fellowship Church. She sung in the choir, taught Sunday school classes, and was an active volunteer there for years. Her husband, an independent press photographer and reporter, had had at least one affair with the CEO of Fox ‘n Fields, Catherine O’Brien. Text messages indicated that the two had dated, confirmed by O’Brien by police investigators. O’Brien further indicated that she was unaware that Mr. Ramsey had a wife or children. He’d indicated to her that his wife had passed away of cancer a couple of years before they met. She’d broken off their short relationship soon after it started.
“Those cops are the worst,” Nick thought. “They told her it wouldn’t be leaked. Now Mom looks like an adulterer, though she didn’t even know he had a wife.”
He flipped the paper open to page 7 to read the continuation of the story. There he saw the picture of Tricia Ramsey and her two twin daughters in front of a Christmas tree. Braedon Ramsey wasn’t pictured in that shot, which appeared to be professional.
“Cute girls. Pretty Mom.”
The story ended with the comment that Tricia Ramsey was 5 1/2 months pregnant when the shooting occurred and that investigators were trying to determine whether the incident was accidental, provoked, or premeditated. They couldn’t determine whether she had read the text messages or had knowledge of the affair. An investigation was underway.
Nick studied the picture of Tricia Ramsey and reflected on the story. She had indicated that she was an active member of the same church he attended, yet he didn’t recall seeing her there in the choir. The choir captured much of his attention during the service since they generated much of the excitement in the church.
“Nope, don’t recall seeing her in the church. Maybe she sings in a different service.”
He studied her picture and then remembered something.
“Mom needs to see this.”
***
A short while later, after his mom read the article, Nick said, “Look at her picture. Does she look familiar to you?”
He watched her as she studied the picture of Tricia Ramsey by the Christmas tree with her children and slowly shook her head.
“Mom, is she the same woman we saw on the boat with the governor last month?”
“Sure looks like it. I like to think that I never forget a face and I distinctly recall her face as she smiled at us that day. That’s the same big smile. Now the mistress has a name: Tricia Ramsey. And she was visibly pregnant then, consistent with a pregnancy at four and a half months.” She paused and appeared to be reflecting on the situation.
“Didn’t you say that the governor’s mistress had been pregnant before?
“Yes, I did.”
“I wonder if those twins are his. Look at their hair. His same hair color. Braedon had dark hair and eyes, and those kids have reddish hair and light skin and eyes. Tricia has brown hair and a darker complexion than those kids…”
“Nick, I don’t know what to do about this. I hardly want to out the married governor. He’s a powerful man and I’ve been supporting him for the past few years. We’ve raised all kinds of money for his campaign and the election is only a few months away.”
“I’m not sure what to do either. But what I do know is that I saw her with the governor and the last time I saw Braedon was at the church. He was there a couple of weeks ago and I saw him standing in a line waiting to shake the pastor’s hand. I never saw her in the church, Mom, and she told the press that she sings in the choir. I’ll bet.”
“I’ll need to think about this Nick. And we need to think of their children. Would they be better off without their mother, because she could be imprisoned? Where would they go? And what about her unborn child?”
“Maybe Governor Kinnaird needs to worry about that. He’s probably freaking out right now. Dirt bag.”
“I’m sure he is. Hopefully there are other witnesses aside from us who can report this to the police.”
“What if no one does? Who wants to go up against a powerful governor with billions at his disposal? And Mom, think about it. This could cost him the election.”
“True,” she said as she shook her head.
“Do you still support his platform? His opponent would be better for the people. Michael Clark supports education and the environment and children’s programs and welfare programs.”
“They’ve always painted Clark to be a bleeding heart tree hugger. And welfare programs often discourage working. Those programs are bloated and in need of serious reform.”
“Yeah…well which candidate do you think is most likely to work on reforming them while still working in the best interests of the people of Florida?”
“I don’t know. I guess you’re asking which is the lesser of two evils. Nick, I need to think things over. I’m still not sure what to do here.”
“Okay, Mom. Well, I gotta get to work soon and I know you do too. Let’s talk more tonight.”
***
On his way home from the summer camp, Nick stopped at the grocery store and picked up a steak, some shrimp, pasta, and salad items so that he could surprise his mom with a nice dinner when she got home. He knew she’d be home around 7 p.m., so he had some time to make preparations.
He cleared the centerpiece from the dining room table and set out candles, along with their best china from the china cabinet, glasses, and silverware. Classical music played softly in the background as he marinated the shrimp in a light blend of dill and herbs and the steak in a garlicky, pepper seasoning. Everything was ready for the grill around 6:45, but he put the steaks on first, since they took longer to cook. Then he boiled and prepared the bowtie pasta with a touch of butter and parmesan cheese. The shrimp were added last. Finally, he tossed an arugula and spinach salad with raisins and pecans with a small spritz of Asian ginger dressing.
By the time his mom walked through the garage door at 7:15, everything was ready.
“Wow. Nick, you’ve outdone yourself,” she said with a wide grin as she approached the table and put her briefcase down on the counter. “What’s gotten into you? You’ve never cooked up a meal like this before for me.”
“Well, I thought we should celebrate your first day back at work. I love you Mom.”
“I love you too. Thank you. This all smells delicious.” She sat down at the table next to him and folded her napkin on her lap.
“Nick, I think we need to say grace.
“I agree.”
“Thank you Lord for everything you’ve blessed us with in our lives and for all of the people and the opportunities around us. Please help us to avoid wayward paths and to fulfill our missions in your name as we strive to grow closer to you and to walk with you. Thank you for this meal, Lord, and for my son, for whom I’m forever grateful. Amen.”
“Amen to that.”
“Nick, I was thinking of ways to deal with the governor’s mistress issue on my drive home when a line popped into my head.”
“Yeah. What was it?”
“And the truth will set you free.”
“That simplifies things. So we can report how we saw her on the boat to the police?”
“Yes, Nick. The police can carry the ball forward, but at least they’ll have more to work with. It wouldn’t be fair to Braedon or those twins if the police operated with only partial information. Self-defense, murder after provocation, and premeditated murder are very different types of crimes with very different pardons or punishments. Hopefully they’ll get to the bottom of things.”
“And we’ll keep our eyes on the case for the children’s sake to ensure that they find a good home if their mother does go to prison. If she did plan the murder, it’s the least I can do for Braedon who can’t defend himself now or be a dad to those kids.”
“That makes a lot of sense Mom. When do you want to report this?”
“Let’s head over to the police station after dinner.”
“Okay.”