“It was possible. One time I happened to stop at Wal-Mart for an item I had forgotten and I saw them in the produce aisle talking pretty seriously to each other. Ernst happened to see me, and so he walked away from her. To me the conversation seemed intimate. The night before she was shot, Ma was out late, but she wouldn’t tell me where. She had been drinking, and when she came home she was angry. I don’t know what was causing that emotion. Walt was the bartender that night, so he might have known. However, a year later he was dead. If she was catting around with Dante, she might have broken it off herself. Lulu at that time wasn’t ready to move away from home. I don’t think Ma wanted to break up our marriage, especially for the child’s sake. That’s just my opinion.”
“Why was he never charged with the murder? Was Sheriff Carbon not doing his job?”
“Ernst’s wife Clarice swore that her husband was in bed with her the morning that Ma was shot. Talk to her. A couple years have passed. See if her story is the same.”
Todd did exactly that. He first checked to see that Mayor Dante was in his office. He didn’t want Ernst’s persuasive language interrupting the interview. Once that was assured he drove over to Clarice’s business. After Clem told him to see Clarice, Todd asked around to find out that Clarice Winters ran the local pet store. She was in the back of the store giving one of the dogs a bath in an actual bathtub. To find her, Todd had simply followed the yelping
The dog was a muscular Golden Retriever, who was not happy about being cleaned. Clarice, though was a big woman, and she handled the dog well. However, in the process her clothes had gotten a soaking. She saw Todd come into the back room. “I call this one Sassy, because that’s just the way she is. She hates baths. I give each dog here one every three days. The crucial thing of course is the flea soap. Sassy is at the moment really clean. She’d be a great buy. Are you interested?”
“No, I’m here to talk about your husband.”
“So you’re backing Ernst in the next election? It’s only six months away?”
“This isn’t about politics; it’s about murder.”
“Murder!” Clarice let go of the dog. Sassy jumped out of the tub and ran toward Todd. She stood right next to him and shook. The entire bottom of his pants were now water-logged.
“See, she likes you!”
“What would it be like if she didn’t like me?”
“Let me wipe myself off, and I’ll be right with you.”
Clarice corralled the dog back into her cage and then disappeared into the bathroom for five minutes. Back in the room, with the smudges on her face gone, and her hair done up, she was noticeably attractive.
“Now talk to me about this murder thing.”
“I’m taking over for Sheriff Carbon, and it’s those murders that now have happened three years in a row on May 10th at ten o’clock.”
“It’s pretty weird, but I don’t know anything about them.”
“I’ve been asking around, and there was a rumor that the first victim, Ma Blessing, might have become too friendly with your husband.”
“I guess they were seen around town together. When I asked Ernst about it, he said it was purely political. From time to time he would converse with Ma because he was aware of how many people in the town she knew. If she was backing him, he could get a lot of votes. That’s all. Their discussions were purely professional. Sheriff Carbon asked me about this a long time ago, and I told him what I’m telling you. The morning of Ma Blessing’s murder, Ernst was in bed with me.”
“Wasn’t ten o’clock a little late to be in bed?”
“Beds are not only for sleeping. We were fooling around a bit, and then we slept.”
“You mean you slept. Possibly Ernst got up?”
“I would have heard him. I’m a light sleeper. Besides, I met Ernst the first year he came here and ran for mayor, twelve years ago. We were married the next year, and living with him those eleven years I can truly say the man would not harm anyone.”
“I checked with the town he came from. Apparently he harmed his secretary there.”
“He told me about that. It was a misunderstanding.”
This woman was totally loyal. She could not be swayed. Dante’s alibi was still firm. However, Clarice after sex could have fallen into a deeper sleep. Ernst could have quietly gotten up, did his murderous deed, and been back before she woke back up.
Something struck Todd. “A couple people have told me that Ernst has been here about a dozen years. Back where he came from, though, he left there fifteen years ago. There is a gap. What was he doing those three years?”
“When I first met him he said he had just come from Indianapolis where he was running some kind of charity. It was for war veterans. That attracted me to him, also, how he was trying to give back to our servicemen who were fighting for our freedom. He didn’t want any praise for doing that, but I could see the goodness shining true.”
Todd couldn’t help feeling this woman had been manipulated. He had to find out more about this charity.
Back home that night, he googled the name Ernst Dante along with Veterans charity, and got something called Home Again. Yes, it had been in existence for those three years and that was it. There seemed to be no explanation for its disappearance. The person in charge of the organization was a lady by the name of Cheri Fabre. When Todd googled her name he saw she was still living in Indianapolis, running some kind of day care center.
He made it a point to call her the next day.
Meanwhile close to the start of the TV evening news he got a phone call from the South Bend chief of police. The Chief had sent a deputy a day ago to pick up Murray Botcher and give him a new home in one of their jails until his trial. Tonight the Chief told Todd he had called the people in Indianapolis, and they said he could send a replacement deputy to Calypso if he could spare one from his own force.
“Therefore, Sheriff Henson, at the end of this week you will be getting one of my best people to help you until a new sheriff can be installed in Calypso. So in a few days be on the lookout for Jo Clark.”
“I very much appreciate the help. Thank you.”
To himself, Todd hoped this man would work out coming into such a small town from the much bigger South Bend. Oh, well, the guy would provide additional coverage and backup. Todd felt better.
Calling Cheri Fabre was illuminating. She had only bad things to say about Dante.
“The guy was a total jerk. He slipped out of the program with most of the money and left me with debt. I didn’t have enough money myself to go after him with a lawyer. From my observation of the man, I think he created the charity as a way to get girls. They were fawning all over him because of how unselfish he was to care about our veterans. He was an egotistic manipulator, and I’m being kind.”
“I’m trying to get him for both rape and murder. Did any of those girls you talk about have a bad experience with him?”
“No one that I remember had a second date with him, and I recall one girl talking about what sounded like rape. I became friends with her and still keep in touch. She’s a nurse now. Give her a call and say you talked to me. I think she’s be glad to help you put this guy away for a long time.”
Charity Logan was very willing to help. “Yeah, go ahead hit me with it. I joined a charity because of my name. I did do that as a kind of a joke, but I sincerely wanted to help the veterans. As people say, they sacrifice their life for our freedom.”
“What about the person who founded the charity, Ernst Dante?”
“The guy was an animal. I went out with him once. He wanted sex on that first date, and at first I thought maybe the guy was just being aggressive. I was somewhat attracted to him at the time, and so I was going to give in. What happened, though, was that he didn’t know I had already decided to go along with it. I didn’t tell him right away. We were at my apartment, and when I delayed giving him an answer, the hand he had on my arm tightened its grip and he began to hurt me. Almost right away I said yes be
cause like I told you I was going to anyway. But later I thought, what if I had kept refusing? I think the guy would have seriously injured me. I would describe him as a rapist. I never went out with him again and soon quit that charity organization to do the hospital work I’m in now. All that happened a long time ago, but you mentioning his name gave me that bad taste in my mouth all over again about him. I hope you can get him arrested. I would definitely testify at the trial.”
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Todd didn’t think Dante himself would admit to any wrong doing, but he decided to get an appointment with him to see what he would say.
In the Mayor’s office, the secretary’s desk was full of papers and folders, but she seemed to be absent. Todd knew he was on time for the appointment. Possibly she was in the rest room.
He waited another ten minutes. The door to the mayor’s private office was closed. Todd knocked on it. “Mr. Mayor, Mr. Dante, are you there?”
He could hear some giggling and then it sounded like furniture being moved. When the statuesque blonde appeared she was still straightening her skirt and hair. It looked like good old Ernst was still at it with the women. Todd wonder how strongly Clarice would have defended her husband if she had walked into that office five minutes ago.
“Sorry, sir, I had forgotten about your appointment,” the secretary said.
“That’s all right. I know work can get hectic at times. Bosses can make all kinds of demands.”
She missed the ironic tone in Todd’s voice, and merely said, “Go right in.”
Dante was standing just now tightening his belt. “Wardrobe malfunction?” Todd asked.
“What? Uh. . .no. . .I’m just letting it out a notch. My diet isn’t working. Please sit down. When you called, Sheriff Henson, you hadn’t told Genevieve what your agenda was.”
“My agenda is you.”
“Maybe I should be flattered.”
“I can assure you, you won’t be flattered. I’ve been doing some research on you related to other places you’ve been like Indianapolis and South Bend, and I think I can summarize my findings by saying the best way to summarize you is a violent predator of women.”
The man did not blink, but his smile stayed a little pasted. “I’m not sure why you think that.”
“The people you’ve come in contact through the years describe you that way. I’ve talked to Heidi Stanhope, Cheri Favre, and Charity Logan.”
“There’s an easy answer about those people. They were disappointed that I didn’t keep my connection with them, and so they invented stories about me. It’s a case of jilted lovers.”
“Will Genevieve be one of those jilted lovers eventually? Does Clarice know about her?”
“There’s nothing to know. She’s my secretary, that’s it. I know you’ve already talked to my wife. Did you find her suspicious of me, mistrustful of me?”
“Not at all. In fact, she was a staunch defender. It looks like you’ve fooled another person, but you’re not fooling me, Dante. I will get you.”
“I guess your agenda was really to come in here and snipe at me. I’ve been in politics long enough, Sheriff, that I’ve developed totally tough skin. Say what you will about me, but I keep getting elected every two years. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting to go to.”
Todd was getting so angry he was beginning to lose it. He decided to do some inventing of his own to try to move this haughty excuse for a human being. “I am here for a purpose, Mayor Dante.”
“And what is that purpose? Hurry up, I’m already late for that meeting.”
“During your rape of Heidi Stanhope in your office there was a witness. One of the maintenance men happening to be passing by and saw you on top of her on that desk. He saw your ugly butt and also that you were practically strangling that woman to death. He told me he will testify. He’s felt bad all these years keeping silent. He will back up Ms. Stanhope’s story. So good luck in court, Mr. Mayor.”
Todd stormed out, pausing only to say to Genevieve in the outer office, “Get away from that man.”
Back in his car, Todd knew his actions were juvenile. He had lost his temper. The man was so smug. Todd wanted to say something to wipe that grin off Dante’s face.
Todd felt Clarice was the key. She was so certain that Ernst was a good person, that her testimony in court would sway everyone. Clarice did not seem like a naïve person. Why was Dante so able to fool her?
Back home that night Todd found there was another Winters in the Calypso directory. It was a fairly common name, but could it be a relative? He needed someone who could explain Clarice’s behavior. When he called, he found the person was Clarice’s sister, Ida.
Immediately she did not want to say anything about her sister, but when Todd mentioned he was trying to get a criminal conviction on her husband, Ida was quite willing to talk.
“I’ve been telling Clarice for years that he was not a good person. I myself have seen him out with other women. Also, I’ve seen bruises sometimes on Clarice’s arms. She wears long sleeves to cover them up. That man abuses her.”
“My biggest question is why she endures it? When I talked to her, she defended Dante one hundred per cent, without wavering.”
“You’d have to know the back ground of our family. Our mother died when I was three and Clarice was eight. Our father gave it a try for a year to raise two kids by himself, but he just didn’t have the patience. He took his anger out on Clarice, starting when she was about ten. It got worse when his business failed and he began drinking heavily. I was too young for the beatings, but I witnessed the ones he gave her. He called them spankings but they were really slappings and sometimes he used his fist. This continued for four years until thankfully he died of cirrhosis of the liver. I read somewhere that abused children even sometimes seek another abuser. It makes them feel secure, knowing what will happen. It’s an awful thing, but I think in Clarice case it is absolutely true. I’ve never been able to shake her out of that relationship with Dante, but maybe you can. Good luck.”
The next morning Todd was going to pay another visit to Clarice at the pet store. It was midmorning, but the store was closed. Possibly Clarice felt ill. Todd would talk with her at her home if she was able.
As he approached the house, something whistled over his head and shattered the side-window of his car. Damn, it was a bullet. He ducked behind a big tree on the lawn. He could see the long barrel of a rifle sticking out the front window.
His first thought was possibly that from all the abuse, Clarice had snapped, but now he saw Ernst’s face at the window.
“You’re trying to ruin my life, Henson. I will not leave town again. I’ll kill you before I do that.”
“Ernst, let me come in and talk.”
The answer was two more shots which split a branch in half above Todd. “You’re not coming in here, and if you try I’ll kill Clarice. I may kill her anyway, and myself.”
Todd heard Clarice’s trembling voice, “Please go away, Sheriff. Ernst is upset. He’ll eventually calm down.”
It seemed that Todd’s angry invention of the janitor witnessing Dante’s rape had pushed the mayor off the edge. On the one hand, Todd hoped for a reaction, but not this kind because now Ernst had a hostage.
There was no way that Todd was going to make a dash for that front door. He would be immediately gunned down. He was sure all the other entrances and windows were locked. Ernst had barricaded himself in his house. That other deputy from South Bend had not arrived yet. Todd was the only law enforcement person in the area. It was up to him to do something, but what?
He needed time to think. Still using that tree as cover he retreated back to the road and his car. No shots were fired.
When he was stepped back now and could look at the house from a distance he noticed for the first time how close the neighboring houses were to Dante’s. Todd had an idea, but it would take some persuading on his own to pull this off.
Todd got into his car and drove away to
make it appear he was leaving. However, he stopped around the corner, and approached the next-door house from the side and then crept up onto the porch. Darn, it seemed that no one was home. He couldn’t just break in.
Around the back he went, crawling when he went by Dante’s house. Now he was in the other neighbor’s backyard. Todd was in luck in that Ernst’s first floor had no side windows. They were up on the second floor. Todd was pretty sure Ernst would stay on the first floor to prevent anyone from coming in. With that in mind, Todd snuck around the second neighbor’s house and got to that porch without being seen. Please be home, he whispered to no one in particular.
He had to knock three times. Finally the door opened. A stooped-over white-haired gentleman look up at Todd. “Sorry for the delay,” he said. “It takes me a little while to get to the door.”
“Sir, I have a big favor to ask of you. For about five minutes I want to use your roof.”
“No one’s ever asked me that. What are you going to do with my roof?”
“I’m going to jump off of it.”
“Listen, boy, I’m not going to be responsible for any suicide.”
“No, I want to jump to the roof next door. There’s a fellow there with a gun who’s become dangerous. I want to get into his house and stop him. He shot at me when I tried to walk up to his house.”
“I thought I heard shots, but I am getting hard of hearing. I was all right until about 91.”
“How old are you now?”
“96.”
“Wow, I’m glad you didn’t die on the way to the door.”
“You know, Son, that’s pretty funny. That deserves an entrance into my house; come right in. There’s a way to the roof through the attic. The roof slants. Don’t fall off.”
“I’ll try not to.”
“I hardly go out the last few years. Who is my neighbor?”
“He’s Ernst Dante, the mayor.”
“The mayor is shooting at you with a rifle?”
“Yes, he has his wife as a hostage. He might kill both of them.”
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