Murder Mysteries

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  "Come in and let's chat awhile. I've some sun tea if you would like some," said Ron as they went inside his office. They waited while he poured two glasses and from his small refer, took some ice out of tray, then brought it all to the table including the sugar.

  "Let me get the questions out of the way then while I'm down at the crime scene you two can tell all the lies you like," said Stacy.

  "When you come back we'll be at the café with Lois," said Ron.

  "Mr. Snively, have there been any air traffic from say the Portland area in the last few weeks landing here," asked Stacy.

  "Let me think a minute. We don't get much air traffic to speak of. Most are just locals practicing take off and landings. I leave here around five in the evening. I live in Port Orford. My friend, Eric Bolder, told me that two times in the last two weeks a plane came in at night and left a few hours later. It's not usual for planes landing here at night. Wait a minute now—Eric—no, not Eric—but Larry told me he heard a plane the night Levers was killed. I forgot all about it. Does that help you out Stacy?"

  "It sure does. Now I'm going down to the crime scene. I'll meet up with you at the apple pie café," said a smiling Stacy.

  A lone sheriff's deputy sat in a lawn chair next to his patrol car reading a book. He came to attention when he saw the new SUV with police written all over it drive up. Then when this short hair blonde with blue eyes stepped out, he jumped up and almost saluted. His name was Douglass Weeks from Gold Beach.

  "Anyone suspicious come by Douglass Weeks," asked Stacy after she introduced herself."

  "A few curious, but nothing out of the ordinary. The CSI team was back during the daylight hours to search the grounds and then a couple hours later they left. It's very quiet here."

  "I'm going to look around a little bit so sit down and read your book. I'll be fine," she said meaning don't bother me with chit chat while I'm concentrating on the crime scene. Ah hour later, after she'd walked up the road towards the airport, she saw a gum wrapper and then a few steps on, the foil that went with it. She bagged both up and after a hike to the airport and back she went to the restaurant.

  Lois was sitting with her father and Ron watching both eating lemon pie. She'd given her father the apple pie and he'd shared with the staff the next day. Flo raved over the tasty pie.

  "Hello Ms. Albertson. Your pies are so good, my father made me drive down here for more," she said with a wink to Lois.

  "Ah my dear, you're so nice. Would you like a piece of lemon pie?"

  "Yes please and like last time, if you have an extra pie I'll take it to my hungry detectives and other police officers," said Stacy.

  Stacy enjoyed the conversation of her father, Ron and Lois as they talked about old times. Soon it was time to go. As they were leaving, Dan called Stacy. "Phil just now left for Bandon. I'm guessing he's going home, but will stick with him till he's tucked into bed. Later I'll let you know what happens," said a cheerful Dan Swollow.

  Driving up the road Stacy said, "I think Dave Levers and his associates were using that house of Rolf Peters as sort of a headquarters. The lawyer could fly down and others could as well. If a plane came in that night then left much later, who was it and why land here if not to meet someone. I think whoever flew in here killed Dave Levers. The kidnapping is another matter altogether, but not unrelated. It's related to the murder of the judge. Now I have to find out who flew into Cape Blanco."

  "This would seem a rather complicated case for such a small town; don't you think so," asked her father.

  "Indeed it is father. What gets me is that the risk of twenty years in prison for kidnapping is not worth a measly hundred grand."

  "To a Phil Winters it's a fortune," said father.

  * * *

  Stacy didn't make the autopsy, but found out Dave Levers had roast beef and no alcohol. She called Dr. Stone. Marsha answered with a cheerful voice for Stacy. Stacy asked, "How fresh or how recent was the contents of the stomach Marsha?"

  "I was going to call you. I'd say no more than a few hours. My guess on the time of death is around midnight so say between nine and midnight he ate the beef."

  "Rory said the CSI team found a paper sack that reeked of onions. I'm thinking someone brought him a sandwich before killing him," said Stacy.

  "A book title for mystery writers: "The Brown Bag of Death". Seriously, what's with the kidnapping case?"

  Stacy told Marsha the latest and the tail on Phil Winters. That and the fact Rolf Peters keeps popping up as the owner of lots of property. "I think the ransom will be delivered tomorrow if they keep on their schedule. It could be a blessing in disguise that the little girl Anna is handicapped and maybe without the ability to identify her kidnappers."

  Stacy after all was said and done, after talking to Marsha, the next morning after visiting Cape Blanco, waited for news of the kidnappers. Dan said Phil was at his house. Stacy thought about that and realized that Phil had more than one car. What if he drove off in another car? She called Dan to go to Phil's house to tell him she wanted to see him on an important matter. She had a funny feeling in her stomach that he'd slipped the tail.

  Twenty minutes later Dan called to say no answer at the door, but the dog raised all kinds of hell. Stacy, after hanging up said so even Flo heard it loud and clear: "Shit".

  It was very seldom Stacy or her father ever swore out loud. Maybe under their breath, but never loud enough for others to hear. The chief came in with a puzzled look on his face. "Phil gave us the slip chief. He took another car instead of his pickup. The kidnappers are to give instructions on the ransom delivery today."

  "Relax Stacy. All is not lost at this point in time. I think he's small potatoes in the scheme of things. Let's pray for the little girl," he said leaving her to her chores.

  Stacy sat back and ran the whole thing from start to finish in her mind. She thought that Dave Levers upon leaving the prison hired Phil to kill the judge. While that was going on, they, whoever they are, decided to take the little girl with them for a bonus payday. After that, Dave is in Cape Blanco waiting for someone to arrive. That person or persons arrive with a roast beef sandwich. Somebody puts the gun to his temple and pulls the trigger. If it was the plane occupants, they probably tossed the gun into the ocean on their way out of town. But where did Shirley's gun disappear to. So many questions and darn few answers.

  A thought crossed her mind as her phone went off. It was eleven am and Rory said the kidnappers were giving direction where to deposit the money. While he paused, she wrote on a legal pad, court reporter Dave's trial. "Hey Gerri is the delivery person. Come up and I'll tell you the rest of the story. I'll meet you at the Garden Restaurant two blocks after the first light coming into Coos Bay." He hung up without a response.

  Stacy took off telling father and Flo what was what. She roared out of the parking lot to Coos Bay.

  -Twelve-

  "Fill me in Rory or I'll never share my food with you again," said Stacy demurely.

  "Gerri is to take the money to the airport in North Bend. Anna will be in the plane. Gerri is to place the money in the plane. The plane will fly somewhere and drop the girl off at a seldom used airport. A call will inform the mother where the girl is. That's it Stacy. Now time to eat."

  "How can you follow the plane," asked Stacy.

  "A couple ways actually. One is we have a bug inside the bag. They'll find that for sure. The other one is Gerri is to stick a homing device on the underside of the plane when she places the bag inside and looks at her daughter. Do you have any ideas?"

  "Let's say the pilot wants fuel. If he does, then the fuel man could be one of your men. He then could place a device on the plane's wing or somewhere," she said.

  "I like it. Let's make that happen. Ah here comes my meat loaf smothered in gravy. Stacy lunch was a chicken sandwich and salad. "By the way, what did you discover down in Cape Blanco?"

  "A plane came the night he was killed. Marsha said he ate roast beef a few hours before he died.
I found a gum wrapper on the side of the road. Have your guys check it for prints please." She handed him the baggie.

  At two thirty all were in attendance at the airport. The state police had a young guy on the fuel truck ready to go if the pilot requested fuel. The rest of them hung back out of sight. They didn't have to wait long. A single engine Cessna came in landed and taxied to the fueling area. The pilot used his cell phone to order the fuel as he stayed in the plane. Rory, Stacy and Ben had binoculars looking to see if Anna was in the plane. Sure enough she was. She saw her mother and waved her hand. Gerri with bag in hand, device in the other hand, hurried to the plane. The passenger door opened and she tried to reach her daughter. No luck as the passenger pushed her away. She stuck the device and moved off waving at her daughter. Stacy knew tears were flowing heavily down her cheeks.

  The tanks full, the pilot gave the finger to the fuel man and started his motor. Everybody realized the planes numbers were false, but such is life. The plane took off to the west over the ocean staying under any radar with its transponder off. Now they would wait to hear what would happen soon; they hoped it would be good news.

  It was waiting time which is the hardest time to do. Stacy father always said, "The hardest thing to do is nothing."

  Stacy, Rory and Ben went to the state police office to wait and to work on the murder cases. The down side was losing Phil Winters, but he was a small fish in a big fish pond. The big fish were in that plane, they thought.

  It was growing dark around six pm when a call came in to Gerri's cell phone. She'd been sitting in a chair for hours staring at nothing. After listening for a few seconds, she jumped up smiling. Stacy took the phone and asked who was calling. The voice said, "A girl named Anna is with me here at the Lakeside airport. She says she wants her mommy. Cute little girl. I'll wait here for you to come pick her up." Stacy turned and looked giving the guys thumbs up.

  They tracked the plane to Roseburg and then lost it completely. When the detectives heard that they felt they'd lost the ball game. However, an angry Phil Winters spilled the beans the next day.

  Meanwhile, Anna had no idea what her captors looked like. It wasn't expected that she could. Gerri was happy she had her daughter back. The loss was a third of the family and could never be replaced. For days the little girl went around the house looking for her father.

  * * *

  The next day proved beneficial in a lot of respects for the detectives. The first one was when Phil called Stacy and wanted to talk. He told her he would be at her office in twenty minutes. Stacy immediately called Rory to hustle down to Bandon with Ben. Rory told her thirty minutes they'd be there.

  In the meantime, for a witness, Chief Foreham sat in Stacy office when Phil Winters arrived. Stacy had a recorder ready to go when Phil came in to make his statement.

  Flo came in to announce Phil Winters was here with fire in his eyes. Stacy smiled and nodded to Flo she was ready for him. Maybe coffee too she asked Flo. Flo knew what she meant to get Phil wired with caffeine to further loosen his tongue.

  By the time Phil Winters was settled into a chair around a large conference table, which also doubled for a testing table for evidence, Rory and Ben came walking in. Both sat down without a word. Phil already knew who they were, but in his mind God could be there for all he cared.

  When all was said and done, Miranda rights, name and address, Stacy asked about the recording. Phil nodded yes. "Okay Phil," after she did the preliminary who was who and date, "it's your story or statement. Go ahead and tell us about what you want known about the kidnapping of Anna Nethers and the murder of Judge Guy Nethers.

  "I'll admit guilt in the kidnapping, but not the murder of the judge. The mastermind behind the kidnapping was the lawyer from Portland Bruce Livingstone and Rolf Peters. It was Livingstone's plane with his hired thugs who did the actual kidnapping. I don't know who they are by name. They held the girl first in Livingstone's 7 Devils Road cabin and moved her to a motel up in Newport. I would be willing to testify that Livingstone was the ring leader. Rolf Peters always remained in the background, but he's involved, trust me on that score. I also know that there's someone else involved in the kidnapping and the murder of the judge."

  "Sorry to interrupt," said Stacy, "but we know you were in Cape Blanco the night Dave Levers was murdered. Are you saying Dave Levers had nothing to do with the kidnapping first and second why were you in the house at Airport Road?"

  Dave Levers was ultimately responsible for both crimes: the kidnapping and murder of the judge. My role was to take the girl to the cabin up at Lakeside and then down to 7 Devils Road. I was at Lakeside when Detective Caltex came crashing through the brush. I thought at the time it was curtains for me. It was time to move the girl. Dave said to take her to the cabin on 7 Devils.

  I went to Cape Blanco on the night you mention at his request. I'm not sure the time, but around eight pm maybe. He told that two men would come to 7 Devils and pick up the girl for safe keeping in Newport. It was understood that Livingstone had received a hundred grand from the judge's wife's father up in Portland. It's my understanding that Livingstone makes his living with extortion and kidnapping around the state. Anyway, I met the two guys at the gate and passed the little girl to them.

  After that we chatted a bit and once again we agreed that my take would be 10%. I left and that was last time I talked or heard from him."

  "Did you see him eating that night Mr. Winters," asked Stacy.

  "No I didn't. He was sitting in that big overstuffed arm chair watching TV."

  "Did he stay there all the time," asked Rory.

  "No, he kept on the move. Sometimes in Fairview, sometimes up Lampa Creek, and sometimes at 7 Devils.

  "What about Sara Tweet and Shirley Burger as in his girlfriends," asked Stacy.

  "He was both of them for all it was worth. He'd bounce from one to the other as he saw fit. I suppose Shirley was his favorite," said Phil

  "Who do you think killed Judge Nethers," asked Rory.

  "Dave wanted him dead. No question about that. Who actually killed him, I don't know. Like I said, there's someone else lurking in the background of this whole thing and it's not the Portland lawyer."

  "What more can you tell us about Rolf Peters," asked Ben,

  "He's a sly one that guy is. I doubt you could pin anything on him, but he's always there giving out advice and direction when needed. He and Dave were thick as thieves—pardon the expression. It's my suspicion that he funneled a few bucks Dave's way on occasion."

  "Did you ever see Rolf with the little girl Anna," asked Stacy.

  "When I was transferring her from Lakeside to 7 Devils, I swung by his house in Fairview for some money to by some groceries. He met me outside and gave me two hundred dollars. I left one minute later. That's all I know about that part."

  "Did you ever see Dave Levers with a hand gun," asked Rory.

  "Yes, he joked about having lifted it from Shirley's night stand. He was afraid she might get jealous of Sara."

  "Did you see it on the night you went to Cape Blanco," asked Rory.

  "As a matter of fact I did. He was sitting there playing with it. There was an old black and white movie on with gangsters he was watching. Sometimes I thought he was a bit crazy in the head. But usually he paid me every month."

  "Anything else you can tell us Mr. Winters," asked Stacy.

  "If I testify in court, I want to make a deal. No way I'll spend twenty years on a kidnapping charge. The other thing is this—you saw what they did to the judge. I'm told they hacked off his arm while he was alive. Then they let him bleed to death. I want protection. If you agree to all of this, I'm your man, but if not, I'll clam up tight. Sure you can say it's recorded, but then again, that guy over there with a gun pointed at me is making me confess," said a smiling Phil Winters.

  "I can't make any promises. However, I'll talk to the prosecutor. Now we need a description of both men please. We'll have a police artist come see you about that," said S
tacy.

  "I can one better than that; I've their picture on my cell phone. Let's make a deal okay?"

  "I think you're fine for the moment Phil," said Rory. "

  "These guys are no dummies. I'd feel better if you hid me out somewhere. I've a really old friend up in Powers I could hang out with. I'd need a ride up as everyone knows my cars," said Phil

  "I like that idea," said Rory. "We can take him up in our Suburban."

  "While you're doing that, I'll go see the prosecutor," said Ben.

  -Thirteen-

  After they all left, with a copy of the photo that Phil had given them, she sat thinking with her father. The chief just sat there a perfect example of both Foreham's deep thinking. It was a formidable twosome. At last Stacy broke the silence saying, "A lot of information was passed on to us chief. I wonder how much was the truth and how much was fabricated. I guess it's kind of like one of your homemade stews: it would be difficult to pick out each vegetable from the rest."

  "I'm do for a good stew. Glad you mentioned it. I think most of what he told us is good solid stuff. Of course the mention of a big ring leader is interesting enough. If that is a real thing, then the Portland lawyer is next to the top. It was kind of slick that they kidnapped a mentally retarded girl who could never ID them. It takes the heat off the nappers. Meanwhile, using the 'stew' metaphor, the more we stir the pot, the better it will taste. I'd say to stir up Shirley and Jane again. I'd also revisit Dave Edwards for his take on what she's been up to the last year or so."

  "I'm thinking it was a blend of both outsiders and locals involved in the murders. The judge was revenge and Levers was being a liability that needed removing. Rolf Peters is on, or I should say, high on my list of suspects right now. He might lurk in the background, but if what Phil says is true, that he gave him some money, he's part and parcel of the kidnapping crime. How to dig out the evidence is a challenge."