Murder Mysteries #5

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  Dylan Remembers

  Dylan Thomas on the other hand, was answering the questions put forth to him. Ben asked about Dylan having any knowledge of the victim's relationship with the high powers of the university who made tenure decisions.

  "I've no direct knowledge detective. The word came to me via my secretary from a dean's secretary. From what our secretary said was Andrew came out of a meeting with a dean wiping his mouth with a handkerchief. The secretary went into the dean's office to deliver a message seeing the dean standing up zipping up his pants. I truly think something sexual happened in that office, but what that has to do with his murder is beyond me."

  "It might not be just one thing Mr. Thomas, but a combination of things. Now what do you know of the relationship between Andrew and his roommate Art Menans."

  "Apparently they were having problems of some sort. I'm married and all couples have problems. I did hear Andrew had a new fling he was seeing. Those relationship problems are ubiquitous, as you well know detective. For me it goes in one ear and out the other."

  "The night of the party I'd like you to flash back and see if you remember anybody or anything that might lead us to discover who put poison into the victims drink glass."

  "I've been over the time when I arrived and when Andy fell over onto the floor. I remember him being very happy with a drink in his hand at all times. I guess he'd not last long as he was swilling the drinks down rather quickly. I do remember one time I went to the kitchen to fill up my drink from the punch bowl. Andrew was in the kitchen talking with Art. Or I should say arguing with each other. Andy stood with hands on hips and Art was busy stirring the bowl. Wait a minute, humm—I saw something flash by the outside window. It must have been a person. It was still light out, but, yes, I'm sure it was a person. Anyway, Art filled up my glass and I left."

  "If Andrew had his hands on hips Mr. Thomas, then he didn't have a drink glass in hand; is that right," asked Ben.

  "Yes, that would be correct detective. I believe it was sitting on the table next to the punch bowl."

  "How long after that did you see Andrew keel over onto the floor?"

  "My oh my. It was only a few minutes later that he fell over dead detective."

  "Where was Art when you witnessed Andrew collapsing onto the floor?"

  "If I remember correctly he had just came out of the kitchen holding a glass in one hand and a small tray of snacks in the other."

  Speculation Abounds

  Stacy came in at the last of the interview. She smiled at Dylan Thomas and thanked him for cooperating. She said, "We appreciate your help Mr. Thomas, but that can't be said for your colleague Ms. Mason. She's currently being book into city jail charged with the crime of murder. What I'm saying here is all of the guests at that house party had some motive and opportunity to end a person's life with a deadly poison. I'll keep the word deadly in our conversation. We're deadly serious to find the person responsible and we're also deadly serious about suspects answering our questions. Pass that on to the others please Mr. Thomas."

  He left and Stacy and Ben sat down to discuss the interview. Ben said, after he'd related the interview and it's results, "Somebody had come to the back door while Art was in the kitchen. Andrew was also in the kitchen to obtain a refill. He was arguing with Art. Dylan said when he returned from the kitchen, in a short while he fell over dead. I think we can narrow the time frame down to when the poison was placed into the victim's glass."

  "We have a crack in the door that hopefully will open up revealing the perp who dropped the poison into the glass. Okay, we set that aside for the present time and bring in Shawn Nickolas for more questions. It very well could be he that was outside the back door at that time of evening," said Stacy.

  Rory and Dan returned with smiles on both faces. Stacy had returned to her room while Ben made contact with Shawn Nickolas. Rory gave a rap on the doorframe and Stacy gave a nod to come in. He sat at the round table and she at her desk. "Amelia Mason is not happy at this moment. She was screaming police brutality as they fingerprinted her. I told the officer that they should check for possible drugs as well as isolating her in a cell. The lady police officer smiled and rubbed her hands knowing what a humiliating experience a strip search is."

  "Good work Tall Man. Let the bitch stir in stir for a while. Then when the bill comes for the attorney, she'll hit the roof. Okay, now it's my turn to profess hunger. Let's order in some BBQ chicken. After lunch let's bring in Art Menans again to ask about if he knows about someone outside the back door."

  Rory said, "I'm not following except the part about a chicken lunch. I can call Art and maybe you can fill me in on the reason he's coming."

  "Oh, forgot about that. See Ben for his interview with Dylan Thomas will clarify the situation."

  "Emma," Stacy said as she came in with some paper work to look over, "please order a couple of buckets of chicken for lunch."

  More Speculation

  While waiting for some buckets of chicken, Stacy called Shawn Nickolas asking him to come for an interview. "I was coming over that way to visit a friend anyway Marshall. I can be there by around 2 pm if that is acceptable?"

  At the same time, Ben asked Art Menans to come by for an interview. Ben said after hanging up that Art seemed a little reluctant to comply, but then agreed. He'd come around 4 pm. Stacy was satisfied with the afternoon's schedule and when the chicken arrived, peeled off the breast skin and gobbled it down.

  After the lunch, Stacy made a call to Connie for an update. "Hi Stacy. Does dealing with all those Ph.D. folks make you want to return to graduate school?"

  "Lord no Connie. Snobs most of them and their noses stick up so high as if wanting to breathe air that is beyond common people. You may hear some rumbles from one of the highflying Profs who refused to be interviewed. We took her in cuffs to the city jail and let her cool off for a while. Meanwhile we've a glimmer of evidence that maybe there was a party crasher in the kitchen just a few minutes before our victim fell dead on the floor. We’ve an interview later today to see if we can ID the shadow person. Anyway Connie, I feel a twist coming in this case. We're missing something and not sure what it is. Okay, that's it for now."

  "Stacy go with your gut as it's proved time and time again to flesh out the killer. Keep me updated."

  Stacy sat her desk playing with a yellow legal pad and pencil similar to what her father used to do when he was the Chief of Police in Bandon. Now he was retired hooking up with a new lady friend to share his life with. Presently they had a restaurant on the bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Sadly, she hadn’t been there yet to enjoy the home cooking. It was known both her father and Fran were excellent cooks. Word had reached Stacy that the restaurant was packed every day. Stacy smiled looking at the action of replicating what her father did at his desk for hours on end: playing with a newly sharpened Dixon Ticonderoga # 3 pencil and yellow legal pad with a totally clean sheet of paper. Well, back to work girl, she thought.

  Stacy needed to walk off the heavy chicken that was lodged in her flat belly. Rory watched her walk out the office door with past thoughts of what a woman that just left really was. He shook his head and turned to Ben and said, "Ben, she still does crazy shit to my head."

  "To tell you the truth partner; same here. I'm way too old, but she carries something around with her that only an electric magnet could compare her magnetic attraction with."

  "Candy is a super girl Ben. She's good for me and I'll work hard to make us a couple. I need to return to Beaverton soon. Hanging around here is not healthy. I think you guys can handle it from here; don't you?"

  "No doubt we can Rory," said Ben raising his eyebrows for all to see.

  Shadow Man

  Sharon stood up when Shawn Nickolas arrived. She thought him the most handsome man she'd ever seen. She knew he was gay, but regardless of that fact, he was a dream come true if he was straight. "Follow me please. The Marshall is waiting for you."

  Inside Shawn saw the Marshall a
nd three others were sitting around a circular table. Stacy didn't think he looked intimidated at all. He shook hands with Ben, Rory, Dan and a nice nod of the head to Stacy.

  "Thanks for coming Shawn. We've a few questions to ask that will, hopefully, shed some light on our task to find Andrews killer," said Stacy. "One of the guests at the party told us he went to the kitchen for a refill from the punch bowl. At that time he witnessed Andrew and Art having a rather heated discussion. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw a person flash by the kitchen window. Shawn we heard from you that you were out walking around rather down because you were excluded from the part. Was that you behind the house that our guest saw moving quickly past the window?"

  All were watch the action of Shawn seeing how the news affected him. Stacy saw him lick his lips, squirm slightly in his chair. He slowly took a breath and let it out saying, "Yes, it was me at the kitchen window. I just wanted to say hello to my new mate. However, that damn Art was always in the kitchen. I waited and waited for Andy to come in so I could give him a hug. I saw Andy come in and then an argument came up between him and Art. I took off. That's it Marshall."

  "Did you at anytime enter the kitchen or house," asked Stacy.

  "Never did enter the house. If I had of I might have poked Art in the nose. Andy told me he was so jealous of everyone and especially his dean friend."

  "Okay, let's leave it here for the time being Shawn. We thank you for coming," said Stacy standing up. Dan escorted Shawn to the front door while the rest sat thinking about his story.

  Art Slips a Pearl

  Just before 4 pm Art Menans came in with a hangdog look about him. Sharon gave him a nice smile leading Art to Stacy office area. Stacy, Ben and Rory were waiting for him. Dan had gone to the main university lab to snoop around about access to plant poison and specifically hemlock.

  Art took a seat at the round conference table. Stacy noticed he'd let himself go a little as he needed a shave and appeared to need a change of clothes as well. Ben was chosen to lead this interview with Stacy watching for body gestures of testimony not being factual.

  "Art, it's been reported that someone saw you and Andy arguing in the kitchen around 6:30 pm. Perhaps you could tell us what the heated discussion was about," asked Rory.

  "The usual tripe about a couple arguing about their lives. I wanted to know if he was going to throw me out on the street and replace with his blonde boy toy."

  "He got angry and then a guest came in for a refill. Andy left and I went about my business."

  "That guest saw a person outside the house in the back of the kitchen Art. Who was that person," asked Stacy.

  Arts head snapped up with his eyes flitting to first Stacy then to Rory and on to Ben. He appeared to stop breathing. He said, "Yes, Shawn was lurking outside wishing for a glimpse of his lover. He came in and told me that he'd no hard feelings and that he'd like to be friends with me. He asked for a glass of punch. I reluctantly took a glass out of the cupboard, filled it up and he downed in one shot! No class for that boy. He took off just when Andy came in. He never saw Shawn and I didn't say a word."

  "Okay, let's move on to the head of your department David Oxnard. Tell us in more detail if you will about his thoughts about Andrew working in the biology department. In other words, was he vocal about not liking his rise to tenure and the possible reasons he obtained the rank of full professor so quickly," asked Stacy.

  "There was so much going on during those times Marshall. Andy and I were fighting, he was burning the midnight oil writing, he was also meeting Shawn on the sly; and meeting that sleazy dean to enhance his chances of stardom. David was only part of it, but indeed he was very vocal about having a gay Associate Professor sucking his way to tenure along with bogus research publications. If I'm not mistaken, the dean in question put a gag order on him. To my surprise, he came to the party.

  You know, most educated people know how difficult it is to prove one particular person put poison into a drink of the intended victim. There were thirteen of us and all thirteen have motive and opportunity as you law enforcement people so readily use those words. You've more than your work cut out for you Marshall and the rest of your team. I can sit here and tell you that I didn't kill him, but I sure had reason to and the opportunity was right in my punch bowl."

  "That's enough for now Art. I'm sure we'll have more questions, but for now let's end it here," said Stacy rising to her feet.

  Hash it Over

  With Art gone, the hour hand after 5 pm, it was time to call it a day. Rory seemed a little antsy to Stacy. She realized he probably needed to go home for a day or two and recharge his batteries. Stacy was fine with that idea and when all were filling out, she tapped Rory to hold up for a minute. A few seconds went by and she said, "Hey Tall Man, why don't you go home for a change of clothes and a bed you're used to sleeping on."

  "It's that obvious huh Super," asked Rory with his cheeks turning a little color.

  "What we had is special and now we have turned the page to another chapter in our lives Rory. We don't know the future and even if we did, how would we address the issues that will arise?"

  "Thanks Stacy. I'll be back in a few days. Along with other things, I do have a deputy to find and a secretary to hire. See soon."

  Stacy Takes a Walk

  By 6 pm the office doors were locked up tight. Dan and Emma drove Stacy home. Stacy was still a little paranoid about driving after the close encounter with a crazed person bent on doing her harm. However that was a chapter she'd like to not remember, but for now, it was still rather fresh in her young mind.

  She waved as they left for their home to share the evening together. Stacy on the other hand, had an empty house waiting for her. Before she went home it was time for a little walk around the closed gated community she lived in. It was still hot out as the sun beat down its last ray of the day to the west. The night held a promise of holding the heat of the day, but after slipping out of her sweater, Stacy strolled along with thoughts about the case nagging at her keen mind.

  Her thoughts revolved around the punch bowl. It also brought forth the suspect who had the evil mind of doing grievous harm to the victim. Stacy was doing all she could to fight that trap of focusing too hard on one facet and not looking what was surrounding the crime scene. It was just too easy to look in only one direction when we all know there are two way streets, roads, trails and so on.

  Stacy thought of Sarah Green and Clair Jordon to interview just in case they'd missed something. She kept walking and soon had made a complete circle coming to her house with the need of a shower to wash off the sweat and grime of the day.

  Inside she turned on some Youtube dialing in some rock tunes she liked. A flip of the remote sent the a/c to work while she went to her bedroom for a strip down with the luxury of a shower nearby. She made it a short and hurried to the kitchen for something to eat. Twenty minutes later she was in front of the TV watching the news. It was the tail end a special that ran until 8 pm for news hungry citizens. There really wasn't anything worth watching or hearing so she thought it was time for a movie.

  Two hours later, Stacy was woken up by her landline ringing. She fought for consciousness and sleepily said hello. The voice said, "Okay bitch blond you win. I've a few things to get off my chest. I'll be in your office at 10 am without a lawyer," said Amelia Clark.

  "I'm happy to hear you've a change of heart Amelia. You know the old saying that you can't fight city hall. That tells the whole story in a nutshell. See you in the morning," Stacy said hanging up. Stacy went to bed with a smile and a snicker. She pulled her pillow where a man should be and went into dream land.

  Amelia Pours Venom

  Stacy had asked Dan to hold off on the lab report until the next morning. Now they were both drinking morning beverage and he said, "If you are staff, including the professors, access to plant poison is not difficult at all. There're locks, but the keys are hanging in a staff office area where just about anybody could take and repl
ace without anyone really taking notice. I did ask around about any rumors as to might have given Professor Floaten the deadly hemlock. Nobody said a name, but one lab guy raised his arm over his head with his hand flat telling me it was somebody higher or high up. That's about it Stacy."

  "Let's see what Amelia Mason has to say and then after that, Dan see if you can locate Sarah Green and Claire Jordon. Ask them to come to the office this afternoon if at all possible. When Ben comes tell him to see me about a visit to the retired Professor Blick. Maybe he can coax out a nuggets from the old man about who in the dean's office might be susceptible to flesh of the same sex."

  Stacy sat back and waited for Amelia Mason to arrive. Even though they had her down on the Prime side of the list, she really didn't think Amelia killed the victim. But, and here is what she desired to find out what Amelia saw or heard more than she let on. What she knew was unknown, but soon all would be revealed as pap or solid information.

  Stacy went out front to stretch her legs a little and maybe a fresh mug of tea. Emma and Sharon were busy compiling reports for Connie back east. "Hey girls how about a tea break before the wicked witch Amelia arrives."

  "Fine idea Stacy. I'm sure glad Sharon's here as having this many interviews with so many suspects, puts a smile on storage cloud sites. However, as I'm old school, hard copies are nice and we've a few file cabinets to fill up," said Emma.