Cooper starts to cry again and has to pause to compose himself. He uses a couple of tissues to wipe his eyes and blow his nose.
“Take your time,” assures Tippen.
Cooper continues, “I saw blood all over her blouse and on the floor. She was cold to the touch. It was horrible. Who would want to kill sweet Naomi? I then immediately called the police. Now here I am, in a police station with my wife dead.”
“Ryan,” questions Masters, “how much did you have to drink last night?”
“I don’t remember.”
“You must remember drinking?”
“Yeah, I can remember drinking. I think Justin was there with me. But again, I’m just not clear on that. I usually don’t drink more than a couple at a time.”
“Ryan, you were passed out and can’t remember anything,” says Masters. “Don’t you think you may have had too much to drink?”
“Yeah, I guess I must have.”
“You think your partner was there last night; did he have any reason to kill your wife?” asks Masters.
“No, of course not, they were friends.”
“Were you drinking with Justin?”
“I believe so, but again, my mind is fuzzy.”
“What would you say if I told you there was no evidence, at least to this point, that anyone else was there?” continues Masters. “We will ask him of course, but there were no other drink glasses found other than yours.”
“I seem to remember him being there, that’s all I can say.”
“Ryan,” Tippen says, “Let me show you a picture I took with my phone here. Can you see that? And if so, what is it?”
“It looks like a gun,” answers Cooper.
“Do you recognize the gun?”
“I can’t be sure, but it looks like my small revolver I keep in my office. Where did you find it?”
“It was on the floor on the right side of the chair you say you fell asleep in,” states Tippen.
“Well, I sure as hell don’t know how it got there. It was hidden behind some books in my office.”
“Did you handle the gun last night?”
“No, I haven’t handled that gun in a long time.”
“Ryan,” interjects Masters, “how were you and your wife getting along?”
“Just fine, why?”
“Why?” repeats Masters, “because your wife is found shot to death in the room you are passed out in and what will probably turn out to be the murder weapon is on the floor next to your chair. And, you claim to have no memory of what happened. Now, tell me, what problems were the two of you having?”
“None, other than normal stuff. She always wanted me to be more spontaneous and thought I worked too much at times. But no, we didn’t have any serious issues. I loved my wife very much.”
Just then, another detective steps into the room and asks Masters and Tippen to step out for a minute. They stop the interview and exit the room.
“What’s up?” asks Masters.
“The crime scene techs found something you might be interested in. A printed letter was found on Mr. Cooper’s desk to him from his wife Naomi. He texted me a photo. Look at this.”
Masters and Tippen look at the enlarged photo on the laptop handed to them. The letter reads as follows:
Dear Ryan,
I am so sorry I hurt you last week by telling you about my affair. I hesitated in telling you because I was afraid of what you might do. I did not intend to hurt you. It just happened.
I still love you, but not the way I used to. It is not fair to you or me to continue this way. When I get home tonight, I would like to discuss a peaceful way to end our marriage. I just don’t want to fight with you anymore.
Sincerely,
Naomi
“Whoa,” says Masters, “that certainly sheds some light on this case. He probably sat there drinking and stewing about this letter. He had time to plan what he was going to do.”
“It doesn’t look good, does it?” agrees Tippen.
Masters gets a copy of the photo printed out and takes it back into the room. He lays the copy on the table in front of Cooper.
“Want to tell us what this is about?” says Masters.
After reading it, Cooper says, “where did this come from? I’ve never seen this, and Naomi was not having an affair.”
Tippen leans in, “Come on Ryan, don’t play dumb. Tell us the truth about what happened last night.”
“I’ve told you what I remember!”
Tippen continues, “this is starting to look like you killed your wife because you were angry over the affair and the end of your marriage. You drank a lot, got your gun, and shot her when she got home last night. It’s understandable, you had to be incredibly angry.”
“That is not true!” shouts Cooper. “I loved my wife and have never seen this letter. You can ask Justin. I would have told him if I knew Naomi was having an affair.”
“So let me get this straight Ryan,” says Masters. “You think you remember your partner being at the house, but you’re not sure. You drank rum until you passed out, and then woke up this morning with your wife dead from two gunshots. Your gun was next to the chair you slept in, and your dead wife was only feet away. A letter from your wife is found in your office, but you say you knew nothing about her affair, although she says in the letter you found out a week ago. Do I have this straight?”
Cooper remains silent for several seconds. “I don’t know what to say. I’m telling you the truth.”
“Are the clothes you are wearing now the ones you were in all night?”
“Yes, they are the
