by Gene Epstein
“It seems as though he has an answer for everything that he did, even if something was shady. I think he is covering up more than I am exposing. I am not stopping. I'll get to the bottom of this.”
Amanda suggested that they go to the Ritz theater since that month featured old Alec Guinness movies. That evening’s film was The Lady Killers.
***
At the office the following morning Amanda started looking through old files from when she had first started in the District Attorney’s office years before. She was very upset that William Spaulding was playing games with her thinking that he could outsmart her. Not finding anything that she was looking for, she asked a previous assistant D.A. who was now working in the governor’s office in the State of Delaware. She called her old friend and associate Thomas Paul asking if he remembered a similar case where a widow, who was murdered in her home, had a previous husband who collected classic cars. All he could say was that something sounded familiar but nothing that he remembered. She wouldn't give up; going once again through the files trying to find a link.
She asked Sid Ginsberg, one of the detectives that she worked with, if he knew of any homicides in the East Oak Lane section involving an elderly woman that was unsolved.
“I do. I think it was on 11th St. One of the big old stately homes. It was about a half a mile from the Hot Shoppe restaurant where we used to go for our morning coffee. At that time I was working out of the 35th Police District at Broad St and Champlost Avenue.”
“That's great. Any chance you have a name or an address or possibly both?" Amanda requested.
“I really don't, I'm sorry. If you give me a couple days…I remember what the house looked like on 11th St. so I can at least get you an address. Does that help?”
“Anything will help. Sid, I really appreciate the time and effort. I'll wait for your call.”
Amanda felt there was a possibility that with an address she could track down more information.
***
Two days later Amanda received a phone call from Sid Ginsberg. The house was actually on 69th Ave. where it met 11th St. The Knoblock family resides there now and he asked them if they remembered who the seller was. They said it was some investment real estate company.
Amanda called Sid back immediately. “Sid. That's great. Would you happen to know if it was WASP real estate?”
“That’s it. They kept mentioning letters, and yes, that is definitely it.”
“Do me a favor. Just keep this to yourself. I'm just checking on something for a friend and it's nothing I want to be out there in public.”
Now having the address, Amanda had to find out who was the owner prior to WASP. She called her friend at the title company once again. She needed a search back over the last decade. Searching the records at the courthouse would take a couple of days being that it is very tedious work. Since it was Friday she probably would not have an answer until the following Tuesday. She would never have delved into this to such an extent if it wasn't that she felt that William Spaulding used the person that she loved and played him for a fool.
***
At 2 o'clock Monday afternoon she received a call from the title company.
“Do you have a pencil, Amanda? Or I can fax this over to you.”
She gave him the fax number for her office at City Hall and two minutes later, there it was. Herman and Gloria Goldman prior owners. Then to Armand Krouse and flipped to WASP Principal Partners Inc.
“Sidney, does the name Gloria Goldman sound familiar to you?" Amanda asked.
“Yes. Yes. You got it.”
“Thanks for the confirmation, Sid.”
Amanda ran through different scenarios in her mind. If this Gloria Goldman was shot with a 22-caliber pistol and Bill Spaulding’s private corporation purchased her house, there certainly seems to be a pattern but it all could be coincidental. Now having the date that the home was sold and the date of the prior sale she needed to find out about the homicide.
She was keeping everything to herself not letting anyone know anything else other than what she had requested of them. At this point, she went into the homicide records for one year preceding the sale of the home to WASP Principal Partners Inc.
Once she was in the file room and found the year, she was surprised to find that the files were quite large. There were numerous homicides that year. More than many. Fanning through one file after the other, it wasn't long until she saw Gloria Goldman, 77 years old. Widow. No next of kin.
In the notes written by two detectives was that someone broke into the house attempting to steal rare antiques. It appeared as though Gloria Goldman must have surprised the thief, who shot her in the head, killing her immediately. A person living on the property was questioned since he was the caretaker and helped her manage her doctor’s appointments, medications, and the estate. No weapon was found. There were color photographs and Spectro Eye graphs of the bullet that was removed from her head. Amanda photocopied every page of the file including the ballistics report and Spectro Eye graphs.
She thought about calling Detective Harrison to get the photographs of the bullet in the spectrograph but changed her mind. She did not want him to know what she was investigating because she had her own plan. She then contacted the same person at Montgomery County who had sent her the ballistics report to please send her copies of the actual bullet. Also, if they would release that bullet to her to be compared with another bullet by the FBI. In order to do it, she would have to send them a request and was informed how to do it. She then called the Philadelphia Fire Arms Identification Unit. They also agreed to release the bullet to her custody providing the proper form was filled out.
After knowing that she could obtain the actual bullets from both homicides, she asked the FBI agent to compare the two to see if both had the same markings, so identifying that one pistol had killed two people. She did not want a report in writing. Simply whether or not they matched.
Amanda was surprised that she enjoyed doing the work that the detectives should have done correctly more than she did being an assistant district attorney.
She filled out all the papers that were required and sent them to both agencies. The following week she received calls from both ballistic departments that the bullets should be picked up in person and signed for.
Having a heavy caseload and being close to being able to prosecute three politicians it was several days until she was found the time to break away.
In less than an hour’s drive from her office, Amanda arrived at the Montgomery County Courthouse Ballistics Department. She presented proper identification and was given the bullet in a cloth bag strung tight at the top with an accompanying tag on it showing a case number, file number, and name of the victim, Mrs. Jacqueline Phyliss Moore.
Back at her office, which she considered her home away from home, she called down to the Ballistics Department and arranged to pick up the bullet that killed Gloria Goldman.
Each bullet was bagged differently. She presented it to the FBI agent the following morning who was sending it down to Virginia to be compared. He explained that this will take a few more days.
***
Back home she tried to relax with Robert without giving him all the details of what had transpired over the past two weeks. She didn't want to get his hopes up nor be disappointed. He certainly had gone through enough waiting for the report about the pistol that he owned to be cleared of murder charges.
Robert was pretty much totally immersed in his law studies and enjoying it, not as a prelude to a position but enjoying learning more and more about the legal system.
Amanda was close to winning the combined case of criminal charges for graft and associated charges against three well-known Philadelphia politicians. She worked with fervor alongside the FBI agents that were called in on the case.
Over a week later, the agent that she was working with handed her a manila folder that was clipped at the top and taped across with the words in bold print “Pers
onal and Confidential.”
She sat at a desk and with a letter opener carefully cut through the tape and there it was. The report from FBI Ballistics confirming that both bullets were fired from the same pistol. Only one other person knew that and she was going to call him before the day was out.
“William Spaulding's office. May I help you?” asked a very cordial Darlene.
“Yes, Darlene. This is assistant district attorney Dillington. Find William Spaulding immediately and I will accept no excuses,” she demanded.
“What is it now?” he asked.
“William. I want you to be at my apartment this evening at 7 o'clock. I strongly suggest you give me no excuses. Plain and simple—be there.”
“What's going on? Who do you think you are talking to like that? An assistant D.A. that will never go anywhere.”
“Well Bill, it’s like this. Before I institute multiple murder charges against you since we have a lock tight case, it's your choice. Be at my apartment promptly at 7 p.m. or tomorrow morning you will be handcuffed and taken to jail, that will probably lead to your execution.”
She paused.
“Now do you want my address?”
There was a deafening silence.
“Yes, please give me the address.”
Chapter 31
At precisely 7 o'clock that evening there was a knock on her apartment door. She opened it and William Spaulding Esquire was standing there. Amanda invited him in. She pointed to her sofa indicating that she wanted him to sit down. On the cocktail table in front of the sofa were two bottles of wine. One Chardonnay. One Cabernet Sauvignon.
“This may take a while, so if you don't mind, I'll call you Bill. Would you like a glass of wine? Your preference?”
“Do you have any Scotch? I'm not really a wine drinker.”
“Absolutely.” Amanda reached into the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Chivas Regal and poured him a glass on the rocks.
“Bill, we have a serious problem. I'm torn between two options and which one will be your choice.”
“The first indication that something did not make sense to Robert was when he informed you that Mrs. Moore was murdered. Your reply was questioning why somebody would do that when there was nothing to steal and nobody took any paintings anyway. By the way, I want to tip my hat to you for tape recording Mrs. Moore's request that Robert be the sole heir to her estate. Very smart and your defense of Robert to the detectives was commendable. It certainly would deflect any concern that you were involved. You set Robert up from the beginning. You came through the gate and used your key to enter and shot her in the head while she was in bed. You then threw things all around the room as though there was an attempted burglary that went bad. Good job. No kidding. Several years before you encouraged Robert to purchase a Colt 22 Junior pistol, directing him to Ruttenberg’s as you also did to Carmen Brancotta another theatrical student. Let's put all that aside. You pressured Robert to sell the house telling him that you needed the money because you had made a bad investment. You wrote an agreement stating that after any basically newfound wealth you would be entitled to one-third of that wealth within 30 days. You told Robert that there was a broker who had an offer for $750,000 from an investor to purchase Hampton Court, including all furnishings, and that he should take it since he had only 30 days to pay your fee. We both know the house was worth over $2 million at the time, not counting any of the furnishings or decorations. At settlement, you received a check for $250,000 plus approximately $50,000 in legal fees. This was after you told Robert that he would net nearly $500,000.”
Bill interrupted, “Where are you going with this?”
“I told you, Bill, that when we're done I'm going to leave you the option. Now shut up and let me continue. At settlement you had Robert sign over the titles to the antique automobiles that you told him were sort of a bonus for everything that you did for him and that the cars were worth $150,000 when in reality the 1932 Duesenberg alone was worth a half a million dollars and the Mercedes Gullwing was worth nearly that, but let's not quibble. At that point, you had only defrauded Robert of somewhere between one and two million dollars. Several years before that you met a young man who was also an unsuccessful actor named Carmen Brancotta. You got him a job taking care of an elderly woman named Gloria Goldman in East Oak Lane whose husband also was deceased and had left several automobiles including a 1931 Chrysler LeBaron Dual Cowl four-door convertible, a 1937 Cord supercharged roadster and a 1953 Corvette convertible, one of the first ones built. Coincidently, you were the executor of her estate also, and she left everything to Carmen. That poor lady was shot in the head with a 22-caliber pistol as well. Her house was left in disarray, yet nothing was stolen and there was no forcible entry. Just recently I had the FBI do a spectrograph and comparison of the bullets removed from Mrs. Jacqueline Phyliss Moore's head and from the head of Mrs. Gloria Goldman. You wouldn't believe the coincidence; they both matched.”
Spaulding was sitting on the sofa with his head bent down, clasping his hands together and sweating profusely.
Amanda continued. “Tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock two police officers will be at your office with a warrant for your arrest for multiple homicides. We are also in the process of investigating another murder from a few years before which follows the exact same pattern, but that doesn't interest me. Somehow all these automobiles wound up in your possession and you wound up with estate properties at a mere fraction of their wholesale value, let alone market value. Now here is your option, and it will never be repeated. You will sell Hampton Court including all its contents to Robert for $750,000 because he was such a great friend of yours for many years. The $300,000 in fees that you collected from Robert will be his down payment leaving a $450,000 balance. You will finance that $450,000 for 25 years at a 5% rate. Since Robert has been your dear friend for many, many years you are taking out a life insurance policy in the amount of $450,000 for double indemnity in the event of your demise, payable to Robert Snyder. All the automobiles that you have, except your three modern automobiles, will be handed over to Robert free and clear in exchange for the $150,000 worth of cars that he gave you at settlement. You will rent to Robert your garage on Fitzwater Street for $200 a month with a ten-year lease and no escalations. Would you care for a glass of Chardonnay or another Chevis Regal?”
William Aaron Spaulding Esquire sat there with his right hand on his chest and his heart palpitating. He had a choice to make. Either accede to her demands or be arrested in the morning.
“What assurance do I have that you still don't prosecute me?”
“I'm sorry, Bill. I forgot to tell you that I'm going to give you both the bullets I have in my possession. As far as anyone is concerned they are just two unsolved cases. Please take your time and think about it. You have one minute!”
“How soon can we complete this?”
“So you are accepting option two with the ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card?”
“Yes. I will start drawing up the documents when I get back home tonight and hopefully by noon tomorrow they'll be ready. Is that acceptable to you Ms. Dillington?”
“Certainly, Bill. Now I insist that we have a toast to your freedom and the fair outcome for Robert Snyder.”
Epilogue
Two weeks after the settlement of Hampton Court and the assignment of all the antique cars free and clear to Robert Snyder, Amanda and Robert decided to get married. Robert now had the comfort of knowing that he wasn't going to be living off of Amanda's income and thus there was no need to wait until he graduated law school.
It was their mutual desire to be married at Hampton Court. Amanda wanted to see a fresh start for both of them and the same for their lovely estate. They hired excellent painters from the area to freshen up their new home in anticipation of having a wonderful wedding there and a lifetime together of joy and happiness.
Stasha was called and interviewed by Amanda and was hired full time and glad to be back at Hampton Court.
Joanne, the physical and massage therapist, left Chaz Galloni and made weekly visits along with another competent massage therapist to give Amanda and Robert couples’ massages.
Billy Thompson was released from prison on good behavior after serving six months. Through Amanda’s contacts, she was able to get him an excellent job working for an antique dealer in Center City. He had changed his life and this was his fresh start.
When the painting contractors arrived they placed drop cloths over the floors to protect them and set up temporary framing to hold all the paintings that were to be removed from the walls. Behind one large painting was a hidden Yale safe. It seemed as though no one knew it was there. Amanda contacted a source who arrived at the property the following day spending three hours drilling before opening it.
Inside were $500,000 worth of bearer bonds and a bevy of jewelry. Bearer bonds were the same as cash since they were payable to whoever held them.
When an overjoyed Robert went to the garage he rented on Fitzwater Street, he noticed that something was missing. He asked the cleanup person who was now his part-time employee, “Where is the Mercedes Gullwing?”
He was told that it was never at the shop.
A few days later at William Spaulding was working underneath the Mercedes Gullwing which he had hidden from Robert and Amanda since this was his favorite car. Someone entered and from beneath the car Bill asked, “Who’s there?”
No one answered. The garage entry door was open and all he could see peering out from beneath the automobile were a pair of legs walking by.