Never Doubt Nadine

By Roger Skrypczak

Phil Bressler, a semi-retired investigative reporter and his wife, Susan Taylor, are celebrating their wedding anniversary with their friends, Judge Ralph, and Tina Loften. The couples were married in a double ceremony the previous December. The celebration is interrupted when mysterious woman from the judge's past, enters the dining room. Nadine pleads with Judge Loften to help prove her husbands innocence. The wives are not happy with the intrusion and urge their husbands to not get involved. From the beginning Phil is uneasy about investigating a murder, but the prospect of winning a Pulitzer Prize piques his interest in the case. Susan is fearful that Phil might be killed in the process, but he agrees to help. The danger mounts when each of the suspects emerge. Phil narrates the mystery as well as showing us his passion for his wife.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798350918861

Roger Skrypczak

Roger Skrypczak was born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, raised in a small village in Bayfield County, and graduated from Northland College in Ashland, WI, with a BS Degree in Biology. He married his wife Elizabeth, a.k.a Betty, in 1970 while serving in the US Army in New York City. He and Elizabeth now live in Appleton, WI. Their two adult children and four awesome grandchildren live nearby.

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Introduction

Pastor William Willy Jenkins presided at the double wedding of Ralph Loften to Tina Lawrence and Phil Bressler to Susan, a year ago. It was Ralph’s second marriage as his first wife died from cancer a few years earlier. Tina, a waitress at Betty’s Diner, had been married previously to an abusive Army Major. Phil remarried his first wife, a retired journalist. Susan and Phil met the first time at the Washington Post and were married for a couple of years. They divorced when Susan accepted another assignment at the New York Times and their long-distance marriage did not work out. Ralph knew Tina for many years before his first wife passed away. He took his breakfast at Betty’s Diner nearly every morning and was Tina’s first customer when she started working at Betty’s.

While celebrating their first wedding anniversaries, Pastor Willy’s sister, Nadine interrupted the party and pleaded for help to prove her husband’s innocence. Ralph, a recently elected Circuit Judge in Columbia County, agreed to try to help and recruited Phil and a former law firm partner, Mike Jorgensen, to join the investigation and defend Lester Marshall, accused of the murder of Doreen Schultz.

Because his main claim to fame was as an investigative reporter, Phil would spearhead the case, reluctantly at first, and tell us the whole story from his prospective. One of the reasons for his involvement was the outside chance that a series of newspaper article could win the coveted Pulitzer Prize.

At first glance, it seemed like it was an open and shut case against Lester, but as Phil investigated it further some evidence indicated that there might have been a different perpetrator.

Throughout the ordeal, Phil sensed that there was something between Nadine and Ralph, but he couldn’t put his finger on it and Ralph was not about to admit to anything.

NEVER

DOUBT

NADINE

ANNIVERSARY DINNER

The snow on the far side of the river was reflecting the light of the rising moon and the contrast of night blackened water flowing past the bright snow was breathtaking. It was the perfect romantic setting to celebrate a wedding anniversary.

My name is Phil Bressler and since I am a semi-retired investigative newspaper reporter it’s probably best that I relate this story of how three people were murdered and how it all happened, at least the way I saw it, and wrote the newspaper articles.

This story begins at Nicho’s Riverside Steak House, where my wife, Susan, and I were dining with our friends, Ralph and Tina Loften, to celebrate the first anniversary of our double wedding. We selected the restaurant because they had great steaks, but also because Tina was a longtime friend of the founder’s daughter, Sophia. It was located just North of town overlooking the Wisconsin River and the view from the dining room was spectacular in any season.

It was early December and as with Greek tradition, the restaurant was highly decorated for the Christmas holiday, both inside and out. The snow-covered lawn stretched down to the riverbank, which was illuminated by two spotlights. Ice had formed on the near side bank, accentuating the blackness of the water. The romantic scene highlighted our celebration.

Tina worked there as a waitress after high school until she got married and had a baby. She left Nicho’s to waitress at Betty’s Diner, a restaurant that was within walking distance of her apartment and only served breakfast and lunch. At that time in her life she lived alone with her baby boy, Randy, as her husband was in the Army and stationed overseas at the time. Tina could be home by 2:00 or 2:30 which was perfect timing for the arrangement that she had with a young neighbor woman who had a baby girl only six month older than Randy. That woman worked a 3:00 to 11:00 shift at the local battery factory. They both saved on childcare and both treated the other child as their own.

Tina left her husband after only eighteen months and after sixteen years as a single mother she remarried my friend Ralph, who had been elected to the Columbia County Circuit Court during the spring election. His popularity with the community was so strong that no one opted to run against him. He was several years older than Tina, but it was obvious to even the most casual observer that they were very much in love.

For the celebration Ralph was wearing his usual conservative dark suit and black bowtie. Tina was gorgeous in her tight red dress that accentuated her prominent cleavage. Her shiny black curly hair draped over her shoulders and framed her ancestorial Ojibwa, Irish, and Jamaican facial features.

Some women might have been intimidated by Tina’s appearance, but not my wife Susan. She was very confident in her own mature beauty. Her physically fit body accentuated her own curves.

Susan and I were only slightly less formal. I wore my dark blue suit with a light blue and red striped tie. Susan wore her little black dress and for a woman in her sixties she was hot.

Ralph and Tina Loften were sitting across the table from Susan and me. We had just placed our orders when Ralph’s expression and demeanor changed. He was looking around me at the entrance to the dining room from the bar. He had the look of someone trying to figure out who it was that just walked in. Everyone at the table noticed and instinctively turned to see what Ralph was looking at. It was a tall African American woman standing just inside the dining room.

I recognized her immediately. It was Nadine Marshall, the former women’s track and volleyball coach at the University of Wisconsin. She also served as an assistant women’s basketball coach. Her dark eyes were fixed on Ralph.

As a newspaper reporter, I occasionally covered minor sports teams at UW especially if they were in the running for a national title, which was more often than people realized. I had interviewed Nadine several times in the past due to the success of many of her teams. I always appreciated the fact that she nearly always made herself available to the press.

A former star high school and college basketball player, she was tall, slender and a strikingly beautiful woman. Now in her 60s, she was still very attractive.

Both Ralph and Nadine could not seem to break from their eye contact until Tina jabbed him in the arm with her right elbow. Ralph! she hissed through her teeth, obviously annoyed with the way he was staring at her.

Who is that woman? she quietly asked, not hiding her displeasure.

Without speaking, Ralph looked at me as if to say, could you please tell her. When I mentioned her name Ralph had an obvious aha expression. She is Pastor Willy’s younger sister.

Ralph then stood up and motioned for Nadine to come to our table. I couldn’t help but notice that both Tina and Susan were glaring at him with the what the hell are you doing Ralph? look in their eyes and their teeth clenched.

They had a good reason to be annoyed with Ralph. We were celebrating our wedding anniversaries together. Just one year earlier, Pastor Willy had married us in a double wedding at his Chicago Baptist Church. It was the second marriages for Ralph and Tina and the second time that Susan and I were married to each other.

Susan and I were first married many years earlier when we both worked at the Washington Post. I was a copy editor and Susan wrote about social affairs in the DC market. Our marriage broke up when Susan took an assignment with the New York Times for more money and an opportunity to advance her career. We lived apart trying to connect on weekends, but Susan had an affair with another man and decided that she would rather be with him and asked for a divorce.

I eventually married Rebecca, who lived in Wisconsin and worked for a major newspaper in Madison. She helped me land a job as a reporter for the same news organization. I also continued to work for the Washington Post reporting on events in the Midwest that would have national implications, especially when it came to politics. There wasn’t much opportunity for the big scoop in the Madison news market. I never regretted marrying Rebecca but I did wish for a more metropolitan setting for my skill set knowing that journalistic awards like the Pulitzer Prize were hard to come by.

Susan married her lover and had a baby girl with him. Six years later they were also divorced.

Rebecca and I were married for nearly 30 years before she was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver on her way home from work. Ralph lost his first wife to cancer.

As Nadine approached our table, she remained focused on Ralph. I could see that he was beginning to feel a little more uncomfortable as she came closer. I am not sure if it was because of the way that Tina and Susan were glaring at him or if there was more to it. I had the feeling that Ralph knew her better than he was letting on.

She was standing next to me as I rose to motion to the waitress to bring another chair, but Nadine waved her off. I won’t be long; I just have a request of Ralph.

Bewildered, Ralph asked how he could help her.

My husband Lester is in big trouble. He is in jail for the murder of a woman and needs a good lawyer to help him. He says he is innocent, and I believe him, but the evidence is stacked against him.

I immediately knew what she was referring to. Earlier that day the local Madison television station had reported on the Noon News Report that a Portage woman had been found in her Madison hotel room. She was presumed murdered, and the police were investigating. The victim was Doreen Schultz Willis, a family member of the prominent Schultz Concrete Construction Company. I found out later that the police had arrested a suspect.

Ralph started to explain that he was a judge now and it would be impossible for him to take on a case, but before he could finish, Nadine interrupted.

Willy says that if anyone could help Lester it would be you, Ralph.

Pastor Willy was Ralph’s best friend since they served together as Chaplain’s Assistants in Vietnam. How could he refuse to help? He agreed to see what he could do and asked her to drop by his chambers in the morning. She agreed, turned toward the entrance, and was out of the dining room in seconds.

After Nadine left the room, the mood at our table was considerably subdued until Tina spoke up. How do you think you can help her, Ralph?

Ralph explained that he didn’t know how he could help beyond referring her to his old law firm and recommending one of the better trial lawyers in that practice.

Tina was not satisfied. I mean how do you think you can help her beyond the legal aspect, Ralph? I remember how you helped me with my legal questions.

Susan and I had no idea what she was referring to, but her jealousy was obvious. Was there something she knew about a previous relationship between Ralph and Nadine?

Ralph’s face turned red responding with a nervous laugh. You have nothing to worry about, Tina, it will strictly be on a professional basis and only because I am doing it for Willy.

A few minutes later our entrees were served and the celebratory mood returned when Susan reminded us of the reason we were there to begin with. Ralph and I had ordered the shank of lamb, the house specialty. I added mashed potatoes and gravy but Ralph ordered the bulger pilaf and tossed salad. The ladies ordered the beef tenderloin, medium rare, baked potato, loaded, and Caesar salad. Ralph ordered a bottle of the Zepaltas Pinot Noir that went well with our meals and eventually added a second bottle. We enjoyed the rest of the evening and after dinner had a couple of drinks. Ralph drove us back to town as he only had the one cocktail before dinner and one glass of wine with dinner and was completely sober.

SUSAN TAYLOR

After Susan and I got home, she reminded me again of why we were celebrating and continued in our own way. I had just finished hanging up our coats when she asked me to unzip her dress. I, of course, complied with her wishes and followed her into our bedroom. Entering the room, she turned to me and let the dress fall to the floor, untied my tie and began to unbutton my shirt. I removed my jacket and tossed it on a chair. I was totally aroused when she let her slip drop off and reached for my manhood. As we were shedding the rest of our clothes, she reminded me of the day we met.

I had just landed a position as a copy editor at the Washington Post and on the first day of work, one of the reporters, Dan Shipper, invited me to join him and the guys for a couple of beers at a bar not far from the Post’s offices. As we entered the bar, I noticed a very attractive young woman seated next to the City Editor. On her opposite side was another woman in her mid to late fifties. The two people on either side of her were in what appeared to be a very serious discussion. The young woman was not as engaged and looked like she was bored with whole thing. She was beautiful with long blond hair, blue eyes and, from what I could see above bar level, had a nice build.

Dan introduced me to two other reporters seated at a high table. One of the reporters motioned for us to sit with them in the two open stools. From where I was seated, I could see the young lady was looking directly at me. She smiled, so I returned the smile.

What are you drinking, Phil? my host asked. I will get the first round. I grew up in Milwaukee and graduated from Marquette University School of Journalism. My dad worked in the marketing department at the Miller brewery, so Miller was all I ever drank aside from an occasional glass of wine or a brandy old fashion. I told him that I would have a Miller High Life if they had it available.

The reporters were asking a ton of questions about who I was and where I came from. That was in their nature as reporters. I was so busy talking about myself I barely had time to drink my beer when a waitress brought another and said that it was on Susan.

I looked at my host who explained that Susan Taylor was a staff writer at City, specializing in D.C. gossip. He pointed directly at the beautiful blonde that had caught my eye as we entered the bar. As I looked up at her, she lifted her drink and nodded at an empty table at the back of the room. That was an invitation that I could not refuse and excused myself from my new comrades and headed to the table where Susan was already seated.

Hi, my name is Susan, you must be the new copy editor. She said extending her hand.

Grasping her hand in mine, I responded. Phil, Phil Bressler and you are correct Susan, I am the new copy editor. Thanks for the beer.

Getting to know each other was what you would expect. Talking about where we came from, our marital status, how we liked working at the Post, etc. when the waitress arrived with two more drinks. I reached for my wallet, but Susan told the waitress to put it on her tab. You can get the next two. She said in a sweet southern voice. She did tell me earlier that she grew up in North Carolina. My only thought was that we were going to be there for a while, and it was fine with me.

After a few more rounds we were both getting pretty wasted, but I knew that I needed to eat something soon. I suggested that we go to a local restaurant, but Susan countered with, Let’s pick up a pizza and go to my place.

It’s hard to stay cool when a beautiful blonde invites you to her place after just meeting her a couple of hours earlier. I can’t remember my response, but I know I stuttered whatever it was that I said. Susan laughed, handing her credit card to the waitress. She paid for all the drinks. You can buy the pizza. Again, in that sweet southern voice. Oh my God, I thought, This is a very forward-thinking feminist with a voice as sweet as the honeysuckle that she grew up with in her back yard. After a couple of slices of pizza and glasses of wine, she led me to the bedroom.

I was late getting to the office the next day wearing the same clothes that I wore the day before. Dan took one look at me and started to laugh. Every guy in the newsroom has been trying to bed Susan down since she arrived a year ago, but none have succeeded. You are here for one day and she takes you home to ‘meet mama?’ How did you do it?

I decided not to admit to anything and just shook my head as I started to edit the first story in my in-box. It wasn’t long before my other two new friends were gathered at my desk, pumping me for details. I said nothing and eventually they gave up and went back to work.

It was nearly quitting time when I felt a presence behind me. It was Susan. Are you a good cook?, she asked. I told her that I could fry a hamburger, bake a potato, and follow directions on the box of mac and cheese.

Okay, we are going to your place for burgers and baked potato. Then added, What do you have to drink?

I let her know that the only beverage in my apartment was Miller High Life, but it was a new twelve pack and cold. At that point, I had plenty of space in my refrigerator. Susan was fine with that, and we took a cab to my place stopping to pick up some buns and a couple of baking potatoes at the local bodega. That was the beginning of a routine, and it became a major item of discussion among our colleagues at the Post. We were married in a civil ceremony only six weeks after meeting.

After having sex, we laid next to each other reminiscing about those first few months that we were