Murder Mysteries #5

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  "Oh my, I'm the housekeeper, or was, Delores Hitchins from Seal Rock. I'm the one who called the tragic happening to the police. The person upstairs is Albert Winslow. Let me show you the way up the stairs to the floor above."

  "We'd prefer to wait Delores. The CSI team is on its way along with the coroner herself. We must wait until they declare the scene free for us investigators to examine the scene. Meanwhile we could get your statement while waiting. Deputy Dan will ask you a few questions." Ben was already looking the area over paying particular attention to the entrance doors.

  Stacy not wanting to contaminate any evidence remained near the SUV. She took out her new I-pad and did a search on Albert J Winslow ex senator. She never heard of him before in her life. That was a good thing, as she had no set prejudices to deal with. With a Google search up came the ex senator. He was sixty-seven years old divorced living on the coast of Oregon. He resigned his position of Speaker of the House and then his senatorial position due to some unnamed illegal activities. He drifted off into oblivion until just recently with a new book coming out pointing fingers at some guilty partners in his illegal activities. It went on to say that when the full contents were revealed, the news would rock the nation's capital with scandal and graft.

  A toot of a horn snapped her head up seeing a full toothy smile for newly shielded US Marshall Rory Caltex. If the truth were known, Stacy was happy to see the Tall Man again. She smiled back while he exited his new SUV the same color as his azure eyes. "Good morning Marshall Foreham," said Rory looking a bit sheepishly.

  "You too Marshall Caltex. Welcome aboard the Continental Express. Keep a bag packed next to the door Tall Man." They stood three feet apart both wanting a small hug, but that was not acceptable at this time or place. "Okay this is what we have so far……." And when she finished he said:

  "Stacy, both Ben and I always followed your lead. As far as I'm concerned nothing has changed. You lead we follow. Let's make it a team effort," he said looking up seeing Ben his old partner come around the back of the barn. Rory smiled with a nod. Ben gave a small wave and went back scrutinizing the ground for any clue that might be helpful.

  "The only thing that's changed is location Rory. A homicide is still a homicide regardless where it is. I strongly think this is not a suicide but a homicide made to look like self inflicted death."

  "I know zippo about who or what is happening. Connie called telling me to show my big smile to you in Seal Rock. I'm here and who lives here again?"

  "An ex senator caught with doing something illegal while in office. He resigned and went into seclusion here in this lovely barn. From what little I know, he is or was writing a book implicating other political biggies. His wife called Connie after she heard some harm might come to her ex husband. Then I get the news of his death. That's it until Marsha clears the scene. Look, here she comes now."

  "After Marsha begins her work, let's talk a little. I had some things happen to me over in Bend. I'd appreciate your feedback. It's nothing major Super, but would like your opinion."

  Upon Close Inspection

  "Well if it isn't our long lost former detective Rory, Tall Man, Caltex," said a smiling Dr. Stone. "Congratulations Marshall. If I didn't know better, I'd think an omnipotent being is orchestrating our lives. Regardless, it's our job to catch the ones who think they're above the law. So, on that note, where's the body?"

  "Upstairs Marsha. I see Cathy and the CSI team, along with your photographer are already on the job," said Stacy. "I'll tell you what I know at this point. The deceased is a former senator who resigned in disgrace. Apparently he's writing a book implicating others just as guilty as he was. The ex wife heard rumors that the 'others' were very upset and she thought harm might come to Albert Winslow. I get a call from Connie telling me the same thing and low and behold, Emma runs in saying a 911 call purports the ex senator committed suicide."

  "We must be aware the deceased may have been murdered. That wouldn't be the first time nor will it be the last. As this could reach from coast to coast let's all tread lightly and let nothing get by us," said Stacy.

  "For a spring day it's a little chilly. I wonder if a nice place like this has some place to sit behind and away from the wind coming off the sea," asked Marsha.

  Ben walked up overhearing and said, "I just came from there and yes, a nice BBQ area is directly behind the house with lawn chairs. Follow me please."

  Marsha said, "Rory tell us about Bend and how you liked or didn’t the area?"

  Rory took a slow deep breath and the he said on exhale, "It's a lovely area but after a week or two, it's like any other place. Soon all the area blends together as one geographical location. Indeed it has some great skiing and white water rafting is excellent, but for us working stiffs, it's not much different than being in Portland driving up to Mt. Hood for a day of skiing. The other downside was it's rather an expensive place to live. Most of the businesses cater to tourists. Consequently, the prices reflect that trade. I went skiing as much as I could and truly enjoyed the high dry powder snow.

  The work was rather mundane with a lot of break-ins. Homicides were rare, but nobody could say why. Lots of drugs circulating as the rich and famous demonstrated how glamorous it was. When the Justice Department called for an interview, at the time, I was ready for something different. I balked at first with the idea my pension would disappear, but I was reassured of a transfer would be put in place if I decided to join the Marshall program.

  I met Connie Wilson in Portland, visited the office, liked what I saw, exchanged shields and here I am. The downside is our office is in Portland and big cities are not to my liking. However, I'm told that to accommodate the area, Beaverton will house their new facility. I like the idea of being closer to my aging parents who live there. But for now, I'm stuck in an apartment commuting to my office downtown Portland."

  "Well said Marshall," said Marsha. "I've a feeling this particular case will strain everybody's ability to the limit. An ex senator, he resigns, goes into seclusion, begins pointing fingers at his guilty cohorts via his pen, winds up dead on the Oregon coast. Well, I hear the CSI team chatting so what say I take a look. I'll call when I'm finished."

  A Perfect Suicide

  Cathy came over while the coroner did her job. She sat down in a way that reminded Stacy of when she was a little kid flopping down in her father's overstuffed armchair. "It's a perfect suicide compete with a written note outlining why he was ending his life. Our team vacuumed the entire office and came up with very little. I'd say whoever either cleans the house and office had just finished when we arrived. Nothing is out of place. There's a wet bar and not one bottle of spirits or glass has a fingerprint on any item there. A small 32-caliber pistol is in his right hand. A hole in his right temple with no exit ended his life. A letter sits on his desk with a pen laid neatly beside it. You can read it later. In my mind it's a set up suicide with murder written all over it."

  "Where do we start Marshall Caltex," asked Stacy. "Our only lead is in Florida, unless the housekeeper heard or saw someone visit the senator. Here's Dan now after interviewing the housekeeper."

  Dan sat down with his notepad open ready for action. Stacy smiled pleased with his progress and dedication to the job. "She left here around 4 pm yesterday. The victim was upstairs in his office when she left. She went up to say good-bye and asks if he needed anything. He shook his head. She told him dinner was in the fridge as usual. He'd microwave it later she told me. She returned this morning found him dead and called it in. Also she told me he rarely receives phone calls, but she heard his phone ring around 4 pm as she was preparing to leave. That's about it that's relevant to the case. Of course she told me all the rumors around town when he first came here. She's been with him since the time he arrived over ten years ago."

  "That's good for now Dan. What we need is to find his manuscript and the name of his publisher. If he was naming persons of high political office who might be guilty of some illegal activity, then we
need to discover those names. When Marsha is finished we'll look high and low for it. Also, the computer we'll take it with us."

  Rory said, "I know, don't say anything Super, but I'm getting hungry already. I did wolf down a half dozen English muffins at Mc Ds, but that was hours ago. I'll buy even if we have to wait until we complete our investigation of the crime scene."

  "I'm a little hungry myself," said Stacy. Let's ask Delores if there's any place in town we can eat at."

  Dan was smiling ear to ear. Stacy looked at him and cocked her head wondering why he had this big grin on his face. "I already did," said Dan. "There's a hole in the wall, but she told me it's very good food. I told her to call the owner for six or more guests coming."

  "You're my kind of guy Dan," said Rory. "One of man's greatest pleasures in life is eating. Not sure about the rest of the pleasures though."

  ""It's written all over your face," said Marsha with a smile at Stacy who lowered her head just a little.

  "Let's go see what we got," said Stacy standing up walking to the side door. All agreed and followed her into the barn.

  A Stage Was Set

  Walking into the upstairs office space, which encompassed the entire top floor of the barn, was noticeably pristine in all respects. It appeared like a theater play was in progress. Down one side of the upstairs was comfortable seating for a small gathering. Two sofas end to end, three recliners, a set of coffee tables end to end and on the hardwood wall, various photographs of the coast hung with expensive frames were very much suited to the location of the property.

  The other side of the barn, after the stairs, a long wet bar and coffee station ran within ten feet or so of the massive oak desk that sat facing the sliding glass doors to the west balcony. And in his high back office chair, in all his glory, sat ex Senator Albert J Winslow resplendent in expensive casual clothes, with a hole in his head.

  Stacy seemed rather fascinated by the entire scene. At first she thought the pistol would probably fall out of his hand after pulling the trigger; that was not the case. However, he was pointed towards the center of the room rather than straight forward as if doing some paper work. The left hand was in his lap and the shooting hand was hanging down his right side holding onto the gun. Because of the high back chair, his head lay sideways with the hole to the temple showing small and dark.

  Stacy moved in closer to read the yellow legal pad suicide note. In essences it said, life was just too boring and that it would be better to move on. He apologized for erroneously accusing others in his solitary illegal activities in his book. He wanted to rescind it all as fabrication and pure fiction. The interesting part was to his ex wife. He said, "Darling wife, my humble apologies for making your life miserable. Let's not forget that night in North Carolina that Herb Atkins bought us some champagne to celebrate our wedding."

  Stacy cocked her head wondering who Herb Atkins was and why would he mention it when he was about to die. Could it be a clue, she wondered. Stacy turned and said to the housekeeper, who remained near the stairs, "Delores, the clothes he's wearing. Are they about normal for what he usual wore day in and day out?"

  Delores moved slowly toward the area where her former employer sat. She gave him a quick look over and said, "I'd say he's better dressed than usual for an average day. He always dressed nicely, but I see his polished black shoes instead of causal slip-ons. The sweater over his shirt is not usual. However, his favorite sport coast is on. It's kind of strange as it looks like he was expecting company."

  "You didn't by chance hear the phone ring before you left work," asked Rory who was standing near the back of the office chair.

  "No I didn't but for the last ten years or so I've had a ringing in my ears. I don't hear so good anymore. It runs in the family. You know my brother…………-- oh, sorry."

  "Was his dinner eaten last night," asked Ben who was on his knees looking under one of the sofas.

  "No it wasn't. It's still in the fridge. But that's not so strange as sometimes he never ate dinner," said Delores bending down a little to see what Ben was looking for.

  Stacy went out to the balcony. A stiff breeze was hitting her in the face, but it felt refreshing being away from the dead body. She wrapped her arms around her middle thinking about the scene behind her. There was not a doubt in her mind that it was a scene of foul play. It was just too well orchestrated. But at the same time, did professionals do away with the senator? And did the order come from someone he implicated in his yet to be published book? While looking down the long driveway, she saw the solitary sheriff's car preventing any of the curious from driving up the hill.

  Stacy flashed back on the conversation with Connie telling her the ex-wife was concerned for her ex husband's safety, that she was calling with a warning. She guessed that even though they were divorced, some respect or fondness still existed between the two. She looked up at the screeching gulls thinking maybe that line about not forgetting Herb Atkins in North Carolina and champagne being mentioned held some significance. Could that be a hidden message as he wrote out the final words?

  Marsha walked out and said, "Stacy the fingerprint guys would like to proceed if you're through with the crime scene,"

  "Yes, sorry, of course they can proceed. Let's make sure we take his computer, but It's doubtful we'll find anything useful left on it. Whoever did this job wouldn't leave any evidence behind."

  "Okay, let's go find some good Oregon coast cooking. I work better on a full stomach. Dan, lead us to the 'hole in the wall' café," said Rory hustling down the stairs. Stacy was the last to leave with Ben next to her.

  "Ben that note he left. You see anything mysterious about it," asked Stacy.

  "Yup, that North Carolina comment is a clue for his wife. Let's Skype her soonest we get back to town," said Ben.

  Marsha would ride back to Eugene with Rory. Rory would, for the time being, stay at a hotel while a game plan was made. Meanwhile, Marsha's photographer would drive the body to Eugene for the post mortem. Stacy thought it rather out of the ordinary for the pathologist to hang around the investigating team instead of riding in the coroner's vehicle. Actually, Stacy liked the idea as it solidified the team making it even more efficient than before. Also, Rory was in his prime hosting the lunch having fun with the owner and her daughter who was waiting tables.

  Quaint would be the word used to describe the 'hole in the wall' café. Lizzie was the owner and her daughter Tiz, short for Tizzy, worked hard to eke out a living especially during the winter season when tourists maybe came by only on a weekend.

  Originally, the area where the eating took place was a living room with a giant glass window facing the ocean. No doubt it was a lovely view. As the story goes, Lizzie's husband was the local handyman. He saw the need of a good eating-place. He went to work ripping out the entry closet, the dining room wall to make the living room-dining room one eating area. He also removed the wall that separated the kitchen from the rest of the living area. A gas fired cooking stove along with the kitchen remodeled and they had a restaurant. The inside was, of course, ocean beach decorated.

  Some four small tables had been lined up next to the window for the investigators of death of the senator. All sat looking out the window. Lizzie was flitting around making sure all was perfect. She knew the value of good service. Secretly she wished the new guests would pass the word around Eugene to potential new customers.

  The special of the day was meat loaf. Lizzie's meat loaf was a special receipt that she'd only admit that it was 2/3 hamburger and 1/3 sausage. She joked and said, "If you are onion shy, then my back up grilled tuna with cheese is available."

  Rory was looking at her thinking hard about what she told the guests. He said, "I'll have meat loaf and the tuna please."

  "A man after my own heart," Lizzie said. My husband, God rests his soul, loved my cooking. The doctor told me later that my husband loved my cooking too much."

  As it turned out, the meal was delicious. Lizzie was beaming and so was
her daughter Tiz who had dreamy eyes for Rory. Sadly, Rory never noticed, but as always he was polite.

  A Quiet Ride Back

  "Stacy," asked Cathy, "I saw you looking hard at that suicide note. Are you thinking some message was passed on by the deceased?"

  "I'm not sure Cathy, but why would a man who is about to die send a note to his ex wife?"

  "If that's the case, and we all see it, then why wouldn't the perpetrator have seen the ruse," asked Cathy.

  "Maybe he/she did and let it go. The killer would have to either burn the note or taken it out of the home risking having a yellow paper to destroy later. I know it seems silly to worry about one legal pad paper, but the killer might have been reluctant to have a burden with him or her. Besides, as I'm fairly sure this was a contract hit and the contractor could care less after pocking the fee," said Stacy.

  For the next couple hours the vehicle was mostly silent. It was almost dark when they pulled into the underground parking of their office building. Ben said he'd be over early in the morning. Stacy thought correctly that Ben was still having some trouble with his family adjusting to the new area and schools.

  Behind Stacy was Rory following to Eugene. Dr. Stone was riding with him. She asked, "How was life across the mountains Rory?

  "I guess the truth should be known I was lonely for our old team of investigators. I muddled through each day trying to present a happy face, but in reality, I couldn't purge Stacy out of my head. Then when I got a call from DC, it was like God answered my prayers. However, even though I'm closer physically to her, but the distance is still between us and seems like it can't be closed. When we're working on a case such as this one, I feel we're back in old times. Like today, I couldn't be more happy. But after the lights go out, I'm back staring at the ceiling alone with my negative thoughts. You've any advice Marsha?