Murder Mysteries #3

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  A trial was held and Fran Whitmore was found guilty by reason of insanity she was committed to the Oregon State Hospital until such time as professionals deemed her fit for entry into society.

  Rufus Brown was found guilty of being an accessory to second degree murder. He was sentenced to five years in the State Prison in Salem.

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  Murder by Poison

  Stacy Foreham would have never believed she would be involved in another murder investigation before she transferred to Eugene to become a US Marshal. The plan had been for her to meet the head of the US Marshall Agency, a part of the Justice Department, in late August to set up a new office in Eugene, Oregon. Stacy would head up the newly formed office.

  The head of the US Marshal Agency was Constance [Connie] Wilson. In her last email she told Stacy that she'd been delayed and her trip to Oregon would be in August or September. The date would be confirmed in a future email. In the meantime, Stacy could begin advertising for a secretary and her assistant. Details and salary would follow along with the security clearance and qualifications of an assistant to Stacy.

  Stacy had contacted an employment agency in Eugene for recruiting a secretary that had at least ten years experience in the field of law enforcement. Stacy wanted a person in the office that knew how to do things especially under pressure of time and action. The action part was, for example, the apprehension of a fugitive in flight; or requesting support from other law enforcement agencies. In other words, a cool head and intelligent person was needed for the position.

  The choice of an assistant was a bit puzzling for her. There currently was a no hire on Deputy US Marshals in effect. What perplexed Stacy was to hire someone with a lot of history and experience, or go with a young fresh grad out of a university similar to herself. She'd talk to her father about that situation. Be that as it may, she needed someone she could rely upon totally with the ability to take charge under pressure.

  However, as she was making notes and doing research on the history of US Marshal's, a call came in for her from Detective Rory Caltex of the North Bend office of the Oregon State Police. After a pleasant small talk between more than just good friends, he said, "We got a body here in Coos Bay that requires our attention. Dr. Stone says the woman shows signs of having been poisoned. It's up to you as I know you're preparing for the new job in Eugene."

  "Where are you Tall Man? My job is to catch the bad guys. I'm not gone just yet. Give me an address and I'm on my way," she said walking out the door to her SUV. She shivered as the cold fog in Bandon, Oregon was common for middle and late summer as the heat from inland pulled the moisture up to the Cascade Mountains to the east.

  Before she left she stopped by the police station to tell her father, the Chief of Police in Bandon where she was going. Stacy had been home working on her computer when Rory called.

  After telling her father what was up, she made haste to Coos Bay. However, just before she'd left town, she'd programmed her GPS and address into the onboard computer. This snazzy new hi-tech stuff amazed even her young mind.

  Stacy knew roughly where the address was, but the precise home address she didn't know. In Coos Bay, driving west, the road leads to Empire and then south on Cape Arago Hwy to Barview. Barview was noted for the jetty that entered into the Coos Bay area. Some upscale homes were found in this area. One spacious home was owned by the murdered woman, Mrs. Betty Franks, who lived at Cape Arago Hwy and Windy St. This is where Stacy found the county coroner Dr. Marsha Stone and her crew that followed her: the CSI team and the Oregon State Police resident detectives, Rory Caltex and his partner Ben Razor.

  In the past, Stacy had been made an official detective due to her special ability to discover the guilty of homicides in the area. Consequently, Stacy was involved in all homicides in the Southwest region of Oregon,

  She parked out of the way, but left her flashing lights on for safety. Walking up to the home, Stacy noticed, that if anything, the fog was thicker here than back south in Bandon. She zipped her coat up around her neck to her chin. She showed the policeman her ID and met Rory and Ben talking to Marsha.

  They turned to look at Stacy coming in. She saw Rory with a wide grin and Ben with a slight neck bow. Marsha barely cracked her thin lips, but Stacy knew they were friends for life.

  Stacy found out the body had been removed. She aslo found out the victim had a caregiver who was a live-in. That person, Stacy saw, was sitting on the sofa looking clearly scared. Stacy turned her head back to Marsha who said, "I'm almost totally convinced the woman died of arsenic poisoning. From what the caretaker told me and the white lines across the fingernails, points to arsenic as the agent causing death. Now, I must go as I'm kind of backed up at work. I'll probably schedule an autopsy the day after tomorrow."

  "What can you tell me Tall Man about what's transpired so far," asked Stacy.

  "The local police called us when the caregiver thought foul play had resulted in her employer's death. Up until then, the locals thought she'd just passed on due to illness. However, the caregiver decided to voice her opinion after she'd died. She'd thought it rather strange when right after one of the three offspring left, the woman would have severe stomach cramps and diarrhea. Right after a daughter left she was told to give the woman some big white pills. Not long after taking the pills, the woman felt much better. Then a few days later here come another one of the three daughters. The same thing over and over until Mrs. Betty Franks passed on."

  Stacy was beginning to think this was a simple case, but like most homicides, there was more than what met the eye. Ben in his usual effective way snooped around for evidence that might have been missed. While he was absent, Stacy sat down with caregiver Sharon Lipsky and asked, "Sharon, if I may call you Sharon and please call me Stacy, how long have you been a live-in caregiver for Mrs. Franks?"

  "Let's see," as she looked at the ceiling revealing a pure white double chin that probably hadn't seen the light of day for a long, long time, "just over a year now. The oldest daughter, Sally Reynolds requested a live-in caregiver. I was interviewed and that was that."

  "How was the health of Mrs. Franks when you first arrived," asked Stacy.

  "Not bad, but she had dizzy spells and she was terribly frail. She required assistance for most things. Also she was prone to colds. I tried to get her to eat more fruit, but she really didn't eat much at all. For the life of me I never understood why she didn't move to Arizona where the weather is much nicer than right next to the Pacific Ocean.

  "Who's her doctor and do you drive her to see the doctor," asked Stacy.

  "Here doctor is Doctor Morse Builtmore. The clinic is in Coos Bay; and yes, I do the driving of her car."

  "When was the last time Mrs. Franks saw the doctor," asked Stacy.

  "I'd say about a month ago. He prescribed ninety days of medicine for her loose bowls and other things."

  "Was one of the daughters who came here the same one all the time or was there a different one sometimes," asked Stacy.

  "It was mostly Sally Reynolds who came here; but sometimes the other two would come either together or alone."

  "After any of the three left their mother, did Mrs. Franks always experience attacks of diarrhea or stomach cramps,'' asked Stacy.

  "I can't always remember each time Stacy, but it seemed more often when the oldest girl, Sally came."

  "At any time did you hear any conversations between mother and daughter?"

  "Not really as the daughters would enter the bedroom and close the door. If you will go see the bedroom is very big and spacious. It has easy chairs and a sofa for company; also a deck with sliding glass doors that overlooks the jetty."

  "I don't know if you can answer this question or not, but who did the banking for Mrs. Franks," asked Stacy.

  "I'm not sure who all did the banking. Mrs. Franks received a lot of mail. She is a very wealthy woman; or was. I have a special box for her mail. When it came I'd
take it in and we would both sort through it. Any junk mail I filed in a round container. When she sat up in bed, she made piles of mail for her stock broker, banker, or lawyer. After that I'd call a messenger service to pick up and deliver the mail. Sometimes, if we went somewhere, we'd stop at the bank, but not often. She didn't have much strength."

  "Do you know the lawyers name and the name of the bank and branch she did business with," asked Stacy. Also, please right down their names and the other names of her daughters with phone numbers, if you have time."

  "Oh my yes, I've all of what you need in her address book. Let me go get it for you," she said rising with difficulty out of the sofa to waddle into the bedroom.

  Rory rolled his eyes and said, "On the surface it appears one of the family murdered the mother. It's so obvious that it's hard to believe. However, maybe they think it's impossible to determine which daughter did the actually deed."

  "I see some twists and turns upcoming Tall Man. The closed bedroom door is a major wall to our case. First, let's have Rhonda once again run a financial on all the kids and Sharon Lipsky. Also let's check on Lipsky's background."

  Sharon came back with a leather bound address book in her hand. Sharon gave it too Stacy saying, "That book was Mrs. Franks bible. She so cherished it that it was never far away from her reach. She told me she'd had that book for years and if you'll look closely the early entries are in lovely writing, but as time goes on the letters are a little shaky."

  "Sharon, I'll give you a receipt for this book. I'd like to take it and make some copies please."

  "I don't know about that Stacy. If you say so, then it will just have to be. I guess I'll pack my bags and go to my mother's house in North Bend."

  "Sharon do you have a cell phone or a home phone where can reach you," asked Rory. She looked up and saw this tall man smiling down at her. It was almost like she'd never seen him before in her life. She sucked in some air and said, "Yes, I'll give you my number and my home number too. Also I'll write my companies office number." Rory and Stacy waited while she wrote down the information they needed. Stacy saw Ben come out and she stood up ready to have a meeting with all three to discuss the case.

  The Empire Steak House

  For Detective Caltex the best place for a meeting is a restaurant. Both Ben and Stacy were accustomed to his bottomless pit, as food was his second love, just after his treasured Stacy Foreham. Sitting in a curved comfortable booth, Ben said, "I wonder what her place is worth in today's market?"

  "We need to find that out Ben. Also, the will needs looking at. Obviously, somebody or more than one person is about to have their pockets bulging," said Stacy.

  "I heard the rumor, as the CSI team and Marsha were doing their work, that the husband had a large life insurance policy. He died two years ago. Before that he was an affluent business man around town. One property he owned is where Walmart is now off Newmark," said Ben

  "Did they find any poison in the house," asked Stacy.

  "They found some rat poison in the typical box," said Rory while he took a bite of his cheeseburger.

  "I'd say the perp brought the poison; or it's a red herring. Also it would need knowing how much to administer each time. Any of that information could be had off the computer. Let's go to our office and see what we can discover," said Ben.

  Stacy sat thinking while munching on her tuna melt. She said, "I'll meet you guys at your office. I'm going to stop by and see Sharon's employer not far from here."

  "I'll check first with the lawyer, while Ben can see what the house is worth. I'll send the daughters names to Rhonda in Portland. If any time remaining, before dinner, let's check with the banker guy," said Rory.

  "Okay and after I see the caregiver firm, I'll stop and see the doctor. I know where the clinic is," said Stacy. "You know guys, a homicide is like when you throw a rock into a still lake: a concentric of circles emulates from the initial strike. It just gets bigger and bigger. I'm not sure I stated that correctly but I think you get the idea?"

  "I got it and a great analogy Super. You're in fine form today. Let's wrap this up so by tomorrow we can go on a short vacation," said Rory.

  "Wishful thinking Tall Man. This will be my first time with a murder by poison. From what I see the only thing different is the method. Regardless of method the victim is still dead. One thing that is a major difference, well most of the time it would seem that it takes the victim a long time to die while suffering severe pain. I've not much feeling for a murderer who takes a life with a slow acting poison."

  "Okay, let's hit the road and we'll meet up at the office," asked Rory.

  The Questions are Asked

  First stop was at the small office of the caregiver service. A lone woman sat at a desk with an old desk top computer in front of her. Next to the computer sat empty bags and paper cups indicating her favorite place was at a 7-Eleven. Stacy felt like she'd been scanned as the woman looked her up and down trying to determine whether this young woman was looking for work or needing a caregiver. Stacy decided to hand her a business card along with her detective shield. What small smile Brenda had, a name plate on the desk so noted her name, on her face disappeared. Stacy took a seat flashing her warm smile to let the woman know she was a nice cop and not one who threw their weight around.

  "Brenda, I'm investigating a homicide of one of your clients. A live-in caregiver by the name of Sharon Lipsky was working at Mrs. Franks home. There're two things I'd like to talk about and the first one is how long has Mrs. Franks been a client," asked Stacy.

  "Let me pull up her record detective. While this slow computer is searching what is the second one?"

  "Tell me about your caregiver Sharon who worked there. Also I'd like to see her resume please."

  "Here is Mrs. Frank's record. She contacted us in 2012. The first live-in didn't last long and I'm not sure why. Our caregiver was a good one and is still working for me. Anyway, just over a year ago, she required another one. We sent her Sharon who has been there ever since. Everything has been well since Sharon took over the caregiver job. Okay, here is her resume. I'll print it out for you as you'll probably want a copy."

  "How are you paid for your service Brenda," asked Stacy.

  "We have an automatic withdrawal from her bank account."

  "Tell me about Sharon and how you first made contact please," asked Stacy.

  Brenda did the look at the ceiling for help in trying to remember what happened more than a year ago. "Ah, she came in one day with her resume. It seems she'd had a good report from Eugene. I remember calling up there and the person I talked to gave her a favorable report. That's all I really remember. Oh, here is the resume detective," said a less than white teeth Brenda.

  Stacy took her leave and stuck the file in her grip. Next she drove to the medical clinic where Dr. Morse Biltmore was Mrs. Frank's primary physician or care provider.

  Stacy looked at her watch seeing it was after 3 pm. She wished the doctor was still in his office. After parking in the back of the lot, Stacy hurried to the front desk. She showed her ID and asked if Dr. Biltmore was available to discuss a patient who'd been murdered. Stacy thought that information would stoke a fire under the receptionist backside to tell the doctor trouble was waiting at the front desk.

  Instead of using the phone, the young lady hurried to the back of the clinic to see what the status of the good doctor was. Stacy looked around seeing a variety of patients both young and old. However, the old outnumbered the young by two to one.

  It wasn't long and the receptionist came back and asked Stacy to follow her to the doctor's office. Inside his sparse office was an elderly man who appeared to never smile. His face was frozen in one somber look. Stacy had read his face in the one second she'd seen him sitting at his desk. His posture was ram rod straight with his two white hands in front on him fingers intertwined. Stacy sat down without being asked.

  All Stacy could tell about the man from being either dead or alive was the occasional blink of h
is dead grey eyes. Stacy said, "I'm the bearer of bad news Dr. Builtmore. Your patient Mrs. Betty Franks died this morning." Stacy let that news sink in and to see if any reaction was forthcoming. She saw nothing of the sort. He remained stoic. Finally he said:

  "Doesn't surprise me. She's been going downhill for a year or more now. I've done what I could."

  "Doctor, the pathologist, Dr. Stone believes almost conclusively Mrs. Franks was murdered from poison. What were you treating her for Doctor Builtmore," asked a pointed Stacy.

  "I think that is confidential privileged information detective," said Doctor Builtmore.

  Stacy stood up rather hot under the collar and said, "Listen Doctor, I'll have that court order by early tomorrow morning at the latest. Also, if I were you I'd cooperate fully as I can see where there's room for a major malpractice suit. It's obvious you were not observant in your examinations. You'd best put on a face that warrants respect instead of resentment Doctor Builtmore." Stacy left without looking back.

  Stacy was fuming all the way to the State Police office in North Bend. It was unbelievable that that man was called a doctor. It would take a very unseeing person to have him as your family doctor. She wondered when the last time he smiled was. Sure he might have some major problems, but when a professional detective showed up to ask about one of his patients, who'd been murdered, you'd think some cooperation would be in order. Let's see what happens tomorrow she thought as she pulled into the parking area next to Rory's SUV.

  She was still upset when she sat down with Rory and Ben in their situation room. Rory noticed and asked, "What are you so angry about?"

  "The doctor treated me as a piece of garbage. He demanded a court order to see her records. Not once did he offer any information. Tomorrow I'm calling the AMA on this guy. I plan on filing a complaint. He's not fit to be a doctor with his horrible bedside manner."