by Gene Epstein
“This is very urgent. It involves a murder investigation and I insist that you reach either the owner or someone above you to get me access to where those records are stored.”
“Detective. Give me a phone number where I can have the owner reach you. I'll be talking to him in the morning and stress the urgency. We certainly wish to cooperate with all law-enforcement officials, especially when it involves an investigation. You will find everyone here cooperative.”
Simpson reported to Harrison and told him that he felt that Robert Snyder was being honest but that he also realized that Snyder was a self-professed actor albeit a non-successful one.
“When somebody wealthy like Mrs. Moore dies there's no chance that she didn't have a safe deposit box. I want you to find out where it is or where it was and when it was last accessed,” Detective Harrison instructed.
That was not an easy task. Simpson had no way of telling which bank she did business with but figured the easiest thing is just to ask Robert Snyder, who, among other things, was her personal secretary. By this time Simpson was in no mood to call back Robert Snyder. The first thing on his mind was getting to the records to find the gun that Robert owned.
***
The next morning while Simpson was sitting at his desk having his usual coffee, he received a call from Mr. Sam Ruttenberg, the gun store owner. Mr. Ruttenberg explained that the records are stored in an industrial park storage unit that they have leased for the past 15 years. He explained that there were countless boxes of sales records and he would be glad to make them available to him but he warned Simpson that it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Simpson then explained that he knew the week when the gun was supposedly purchased, which was a big help to the owner. However, Simpson would have to go through all the records himself.
“We had a flood here a few years back when this area got hit with four inches of rain and it took five people to pull all the boxes out of storage and dry off the papers, including sales and purchase records. Just be prepared detective, since nothing was put back in chronological order. As papers dried out, they were put into the closest dry cardboard box. When would you like to come down so I can make arrangements with one of my employees to open up the unit? He will also have to close it when you're done,” a very cooperative Mr. Ruttenberg said.
"I'm going to check my schedule and see when I can come down for the day. I’ll get back to you Mr. Ruttenberg. Thank you. I know this is an inconvenience.”
Reluctantly, Simpson placed another call to Robert Snyder’s answering machine inquiring as to what bank or banks that Mrs. Moore did business with and where she had her safe deposit box.
Robert had not interrupted his amorous weekend with his bride-to-be to check his messages. Being with Amanda was more important than anything else.
Monday morning came and after Robert enjoyed a spinach omelet that Amanda made, he retrieved messages on his answering machine hearing only one, yet again from Detective Simpson. He called and Simpson answered after being paged.
“I wish to apologize, Mr. Snyder, for bothering you again but I just need your help. Do you know in which bank or banks Mrs. Moore kept her safe deposit box?”
“Mrs. Moore had two checking accounts that I'm aware of and one credit card. I was never privy to a safe deposit box. None of my duties would've included that. The one account that I wrote checks out of was Gladwyn Bank and Trust. She had another personal checking account that was not under my watch and that was with PennCo Bank. I'm sure that you can check with them about any safe deposit box or boxes. Is there anything else detective?” Robert answered somewhat sarcastically.
“I appreciate your cooperation and, again, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you.”
Robert planned to go to Temple University Law School’s admissions office and get a list of the books that he needed for classes.
***
Simpson called Ruttenberg’s and made arrangements to meet an employee at the industrial park in South Philadelphia for 10 o'clock Tuesday morning.
He was there promptly at 10 a.m. and met with Charles, a security guard in Ruttenberg’s employ.
Charles opened up the steel overhead roll-up garage door even though there was an access door. “The lighting is in here is terrible. That’s why I opened up the garage door to get natural daylight in for you. They have never been able to get that damp smell out of this building as many times as they tried. It kills my allergies because of the mold. We had two companies here to get rid of the mold and both told us that everything had to be brought outside and aired out for a few days. We can’t do that. So we put up with the mold.”
What Simpson saw in front of him was the huge storage locker that went about 30 feet deep and 15 feet wide. Storage boxes of cardboard 18 inches wide by about 24 inches deep stacked one on top of each other covering all the walls almost reaching the ceiling and three rows deep. It looked like a storage vault for the national public records. He wondered how anyone could ever find anything in this room.
“Charles, can you point me in the direction of 1974 July and August?”
"Detective, all I can say is good luck. I don't know if Mr. Ruttenberg told you but a few years back there was a flood in here and all the employees that they could get were moving all the boxes out. Rain had broken through the ceiling. There were several inches of water on the floor saturating all the boxes. They put all the papers that had purchases and sales in new boxes but plenty of the papers were soaked through. Nobody cared since these records were just being stored and that's the only time anyone ever came here. You are the first visitor looking for something. I would just say start at one side and see what you can.”
A very disappointed Simpson just shook his head. He understood what he had in front of him. The security guard had to remain there with him but could stay outside away from the smell of mold. Simpson took on the battle. He took a Polaroid camera and photographed all the stacks from different directions using two rolls of film. He thought he’d mark an “X” each box after he went through the papers inside. Identifying the content within each box was difficult since most of them had no new labels affixed when they were salvaging the records. The first box he opened was an indication of the problem he was facing. There were records that had nothing to do with the sale of handguns but for articles purchased from army surplus. And several of those were distorted from being water-soaked.
He went back to his car and took out another roll of Polaroid film. Then he took just one photo of the inside contents that he laid on the floor. After putting everything back in the carton he put an X on the box.
Three hours later still not finding July or August 1974, he took a break and went to lunch even asking Charles if he'd like to join him. Charles agreed and closed the garage door and went with Simpson to the Melrose Diner in South Philly where they could always get a good wholesome meal.
Sitting in the booth Charles noticed that Simpson was rubbing his eyes.
“Detective. I think the dampness has gotten to you. I see you rubbing your eyes.”
“Yeah. You’re right. I’m going to have to pull some people in the office to assist me. This is just too much. I could be here a year,” a disgusted Simpson replied.
After a very enjoyable lunch, Simpson dropped Charles off at the industrial park and headed to his office. His eyes did not stop itching. An hour later when he entered the headquarters, he went right to the men's room and washed his hands and face then looked around for the first aid kit where he found eyewash solution. Five minutes later the discomfort left his eyes and he laid out the photos on Harrison's desk.
“What's this?” he asked Simpson.
“Theo, I can't do this alone. I don't even know if I can do this with a half a dozen people. The place stinks from mold, which was killing my eyes, and I only got through a half a dozen cartons. There are hundreds there as you can see in these photos and nothing is organized.”
“Take a break and see what other day you can go there and
try to find out if you can get some volunteers. We need evidence of that pistol.”
Simpson spent the next hour going over other cases that he was working on which he did not want to neglect but his instructions were to lay heavy on the homicide of Mrs. Moore. He then called Gladwyn Bank and Trust identifying himself and requesting information about a safe deposit box in the name of this Mrs. Jacqueline Phyliss Moore. His request was denied since they did not know who he was and it was against their privacy rules. He insisted, explaining that it was integral to the murder investigation. He was told by the bank manager to bring in a letter of authorization and he will make the records available.
Detective Harrison called his cousin Harold Mazur and asked him to call the bank manager. At 3 o'clock the manager brought Simpson to the filing cabinet and found the safe deposit box number for Mrs. Moore.
"Can I see inside?" Simpson asked.
The manager explained that he would need the key or else the box would have to be drilled open and they would need a court order to do so. “Why not call the executor of the estate?”
“That’s Robert Snyder,” Simpson said.
“Hmmm. I don't see a Robert Snyder authorized on the account; only Mrs. Moore and her executor, William Spaulding Esquire.”
Then he showed Simpson the signature card. The detective saw that the last person to enter the box was William Spaulding. Just one day after Mrs. Moore’s death.
A very courteous Simpson requested that the manager photocopy the signature card showing when the box was opened and closed and thanked him. As he was leaving he said to the manager, “How is it that William Spaulding was given access to the safe deposit box after the death of Mrs. Moore? You realize that after the death of a safe deposit box owner the bank is supposed to seal that box until it is authorized to be opened.”
The manager was speechless.
“We know that Mr. Spaulding is the executor and he said he needed access to see if there's anything of importance in it. Knowing him for so many years and his law firm we felt it was all right.”
“Did he leave with anything?”
“I have no idea, Detective. I just assumed he was doing his job and we paid no attention as we're not supposed to. He was given access to a private room as all of our customers are.”
“Thank you.”
Simpson left and returned to his office where he made an appointment to meet with William Spaulding for 11 a.m. the following day.
Chapter 25
Robert kept his appointment with admissions at Temple School of Law, paid his enrollment then went to the bookstore and purchased everything on the list of items for his classes.
Without realizing it Robert was spending more and more time with Amanda at her townhouse and enjoying being with her and was seldom at his apartment.
The evening after Simpson had called inquiring about the safe deposit box, Amanda had a question.
“Since you were the sole beneficiary of the estate you should have been given the keys and authority for the safe deposit box. It was in the will. I wonder why you were never informed about it?”
“Maybe she didn't have one?”
“Bobby. It’s inconceivable that anyone with financial wealth would not have a safe deposit box to hold important documents or simply to hold sentimental documents. It's also a great place to leave your jewelry if you're going away.”
“Mrs. Moore never mentioned anything about a safe deposit box; she told me so many things in total confidence because of the relationship that we had. I think if she had one and there was anything of importance in there she would've told me. After all, she knew that I was the sole beneficiary although I never knew.”
“You know me , working in the DA’s office I never stop asking questions but I think you're probably right. I'll place a call tomorrow to Simpson or his boss Harrison anyway, to find out if they discovered anything.”
On the following morning, Simpson was at the office of Calhoun, Spaulding, and Fiengold for his 11 o'clock appointment with William Spaulding.
“Good to see you, Detective Simpson. I saw the news that the murder suspects turned out to be innocent. That must've been a heartbreaker when you believe that there's an ironclad case and something blows it apart.”
“It was definitely disappointing. Every single thing seemed to point to Billy Thompson, but we're still at it. I came here came today just for a bit of help. Can you tell me anything about Mrs. Moore's safe deposit box or boxes?”
“Please explain yourself. I don't understand what your question is,” Spaulding said.
“Well, what I don't understand is why you were at Gladwyn Bank and Trust and accessing Mrs. Moore's safe deposit box. That seems unusual.”
“Detective. I find it a straight matter of a fact. Nothing unusual at all. That's part of my job as executor of the estate.”
“But counselor, you were there a day after she was murdered and you know the law. After her death, the bank should have sealed the safe deposit box but they didn’t. What was there that you removed without being in the presence of the State Taxing Authority or a letter from the court? From what I understand the process alone could take 30 days if not longer.”
“Detective Simpson. My first concern and duty has always been for the well-being of Mrs. Moore. I was appointed by her to be the executor of her estate. I had every right to check and see what, if anything, was in the safe deposit box that would be due to Robert Snyder, the sole beneficiary of everything that she had.”
“And what was it that you removed from the safe deposit box?” Simpson inquired.
“Surprisingly, nothing. The safe deposit box was empty. Clean as could be. Not a piece of jewelry nor any documents.” Spaulding continued, “If I found anything I would have presented it to Robert Snyder, the sole beneficiary.”
“One last thing, Mr. Spaulding. Can you tell me if there's anything that you might know about Robert Snyder’s owning a gun?”
“That little peashooter that he used to keep under his pillow? He probably still does. He was paranoid sharing an apartment with a couple other unemployed actors.”
“You know nothing about him selling the pistol to a pawnshop?
“I doubt that he would do such a thing. He really was paranoid and it became a habit.”
“Counselor, if you think of something that just doesn't seem right to you about Robert, you know, a twinge in your stomach, please call me.”
“Detective, I recommended him to Mrs. Moore and she thought highly of him. Obviously she did feel for him because it was her desire to leave everything to him. With her permission, I actually tape-recorded the session about her estate planning which was her will. You know she had no close relatives and a couple of nephews or nieces who never ever called or cared about her. If I thought that there was something to implicate Robert or even a question about his integrity I would be the first to call you.”
Then Bill Spaulding reached across his desk and extended his hand to shake Simpson’s The meeting was over.
***
As soon as Amanda finished her lunch, she had to attend a meeting scheduled for 1:15 p.m. in City Hall. She returned at 2:30 and placed a call to Detective Simpson. Finding he was out of the office, she asked for detective Harrison who picked up the phone.
“Harrison. Can I help you? ”
“Hi, Detective. This is Amanda Dillington. We've spoken before. Is there anything that you can tell me as an update since the charges were dropped against Thompson and Young?”
“The only thing I can tell you in confidence is that we are checking the records from Ruttenberg’s in Philly to check on the pistol that Robert claims he purchased from them. I've just given Detective Simpson two young officers to go through cartons of sales and purchase orders using the approximate date that Robert provided. We need to find that pistol.”
“I certainly can understand, Detective, and I hope you don't mind if I contact you occasionally for updates.” Amanda hung up.
***<
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When Simpson returned to the office after his meeting with Bill Spaulding he brought Harrison up to date. He also mentioned that Robert was paranoid and for years slept with his 22-caliber pistol under his pillow even after he moved away from a couple of sleazy characters that he shared an apartment with. He also thought that Snyder would never pawn the pistol. Harrison told Simpson that he was able to find two rookies that would work with him for two days if needed going through Ruttenberg’s records.
“If they can meet me here early in the morning the three of us will go down in one car,” Simpson said.
He then arranged to meet the security guard at Ruttenberg's storage locker. Before leaving in the morning he would take a Benadryl allergy pill.
***
First thing the next morning he met with the two rookies and headed to South Philadelphia encountering typical traffic jams. When he arrived at the industrial park he turned to the third set of buildings where he met Charles, the security guard for Ruttenberg’s. As soon as Charles saw Simpson with two other policemen he opened up the overhead door.
The smell of dampness and mold permeated the air as soon as they approached the storage unit. Simpson was glad that he had taken a Benadryl at 7 o'clock that morning. He had a plan. Using the Polaroid photographs that he had taken, he instructed the two rookies to take one wall of the cartons using the ladder and to hand down each carton one at a time trying to figure out how, if ever, the cartons were organized. When each carton was brought to the floor a quick look through each one was ordered by Simpson to see what dates were on receipts and invoices. This, he hoped, would narrow down the dates of the contents without inspecting every single paper held within the boxes. As each vertical row was gone through, he instructed the rookies to replace them in the same order in the event he had to double-check. After two hours Simpson was getting dejected since only a few of the cartons were organized with receipts and purchases from the same year. This time he took a break with both rookies and Charles; the four went for lunch once again at the Melrose Diner.