by John Holt
“What can we do for you Mr. Kendall?” asked Billy nervously.
“Do for me,” repeated Kendall. “Oh I just thought we could have a little chat, you know old times, things like that.” He paused for a moment and withdrew a photograph from his inside pocket. He placed it onto the table. “Do you know that man?” he asked.
There was no answer.
“Come on now you might as well tell me,” said Kendall.
Still there was no answer.
“Boys, this is really silly,” said Kendall. “I already know that you know him.”
Ray shook his head. “Never seen him before, honest.”
Kendall smiled. “The words honest and Ray Sullivan just don’t seem to go together.”
“Ah, Mr. Kendall that’s not fair.”
“Let’s stop playing games, Ray,” replied Kendall. “He was with you, in the alleyway, the other night. I thought I recognized him.”
“You’re mistaken Mr. Kendall,” said Billy.
“I’m not mistaken,” replied Kendall. “I also know that you have been blackmailing him.”
Ray looked up angrily. “Blackmail” he repeated.
“That’s right,” said Kendall. “You’ve been blackmailing him for some time now.”
“No,” said Billy shaking his head violently. “That’s not true.”
Kendall placed his briefcase on the table in front of him. He flipped the catches and opened it. He reached inside and took out two clear plastic covers. “Recognize that Ray?” he asked as he placed the first one down on to the table. It contained an envelope.
Ray looked at it he then looked at Kendall, a puzzled look on his face.
“Recognize it,” repeated Kendall.
Ray shook his head. “Should I?” he asked.
His brother sat forward and reached for the envelope.
“Don’t touch it,” said Kendall. The brother quickly retracted his hand and sat back in his seat.
“So Ray, what do you know and what do you say,” Kendall continued. “About the envelope, do you recognize it?”
Ray shook his head. “When you’ve seen one envelope you’ve seen ‘em all.”
“But that specific one, have you seen that one?” Kendall persisted.
“I don’t think so,” replied Ray.
“That’s strange,” said Kendall. “You see it has your finger prints all over it. Billy recognized it straight away.”
Ray shook his head. “I’ve never seen it before.”
“Neither have I,” protested Billy.
“Now Ray, look at it again,” Kendall coaxed. “Let me help you a little. At one time that envelope contained a letter, a blackmail letter, a blackmail letter sent by you to Tony Fletcher.” He placed the second cover on to the table. “That’s the blackmail letter. Pay up or else, it’s states. It’s quite threatening.” He paused for a moment shaking his head. “You know with your records you could be looking at ten to fifteen years, maybe more.”
Ray was beginning to sweat. He rubbed his forehead. “I tell you Mr. Kendall, I tell you straight, you know us, we don’t go for that kind of thing. We ain’t blackmailing no one.”
“We ain’t blackmailing anyone,” said Kendall. Ray looked puzzled. “That’s the correct thing to say Ray,” Kendall explained. “And you know what I believe you.”
Ray looked at his brother, not believing what he heard.
“In fact Ray I know for a fact that you weren’t blackmailing anyone. You see the only prints on the actual letter belonged to the victim himself.” Ray heaved a sigh of relief. “Which brings me back to the envelope, your prints are all over it.” Kendall paused waiting for a response. “Come on Ray what’s the story? And why has he been paying large sums of money to you for several months now?”
“Okay Mr. Kendall,” said Ray. “I’ll give it to you straight.” He looked at Billy and nodded his head. “Sure he’s been paying us,” he continued. “But it’s wasn’t blackmail.”
“So what was it?” asked Kendall.
“Well, you know we told you about our little delivery service?” Ray started to explain.
Kendall nodded. “Fedex you mean, or was it the U.S. Mail?”
“That’s right,” said Ray smiling, and beginning to feel more at ease.
“Go on,” said Kendall. “I’m all ears.”
“Well we’ve been running little errands for him.”
“Errands, that’s nice,” said Kendall. “What kind of errands?”
“Well we’ve been doing some deliveries,” said Billy.
“Deliveries,” repeated Kendall. “So what precisely was delivered? Not drugs I hope.”
“No, not drugs,” said Billy suddenly feeling nervous once again.
Ray shook his head. “You know we don’t do things like that Mr. Kendall. I am shocked that you could even ….”
“Alright Ray, so it wasn’t drugs,” Kendall interrupted. “So what was it? I haven’t got all day.”
Billy shook his head. “There’s nothing to tell,” he said as he looked at his brother.
“Okay if that’s the way you want it,” said Kendall. “That’s fine with me, but really I think you should tell me everything, unless of course you want to be implicated in a murder.”
Ray looked up shocked. “Now Mr. Kendall you know us. Billy and me we wouldn’t do nothing like that.”
“Maybe I do,” said Kendall. “The problem though is the local police they don’t know you like I do. They might think different.”
“Okay Mr. Kendall, I’ll tell you. He paid us to just keep a watch on certain parties. You know where they went, who they saw. What they did. Nothing illegal you understand.”
Kendall understood. “So who were these certain parties?”
“Oh there were four,” said Billy. “James Alexander was one.”
“The local Congressman,” Kendall interrupted. “That James Alexander?”
“Yes, that’s the one,” said Ray. “And there was Jason Cartwright, First National bank.”
“Then there was Frank Edwards, a big industrialist or something,” said Billy. Not entirely sure what an industrialist was.
“And lastly there was Martin Gardiner,” Ray continued. “You know the guy who killed Victor Lowry.”
“I know who you mean,” said Kendall. “So why did he want this information?”
“We never knew why,” said Billy.
“We just delivered,” said Ray smiling.
“Like Fedex?” suggested Kendall.
Billy started to laugh. “Sure,” he said. “Just like Fedex.”
“So how did you get the information?” Kendall asked.
“Simple,” replied Ray. “We kept a tail on them, even tapped their phones.”
Kendall raised his hand and wagged a finger at Ray. “Naughty boys,” he said. “You do know that phone tapping is illegal.”
Ray nodded.
“Okay we’ll leave that to one side for the moment,” said Kendall. “So these deliveries, who did they go to?”
“We never had a name,” Ray answered.
“No name,” said Kendall. “A bit odd wouldn’t you say.”
“Maybe so, but that’s how the party wanted it,” replied Ray.
“There was just an address,” said Billy. “A post box over on Park and Central.”
“What about the payments?” asked Kendall.
“We met here, every week, and a payment was handed over,” answered Ray.
Kendall nodded. That was the reason for the meeting the other day. It was beginning to make sense. “You know boys, I don’t know why but I believe you.” Kendall stood up and looked around. “Hey Mike,” he called out. “Give my two friends here another drink will you, I think they need it.”
He gathered up the two documents and returned them to the briefcase. “Boys it was nice to see you again, really very pleasant. I shan’t be troubling you again, but keep out of trouble won’t you.”
“Ah now Mr. Kendall you don’t n
eed to worry about us,” said Billy. “We won’t be no trouble.”
Kendall nodded and smiled. “And it don’t snow in the Arctic either,” he said as he turned and walked towards the door.
* * *
“I now have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Fletcher is our murderer,” said Kendall. “He had the motive, and the opportunity, but I need to prove that he was at the scene.”
“So what about the car?” asked Mollie.
“What car?” Kendall asked.
“The car the neighbor saw someone run to,” Mollie replied.
“Well what about it?”
“Well you know that it was bluish,” said Mollie.
“Bluey grayish, the man said,” Kendall corrected. “Or maybe green.”
“Okay so there’s some confusion about the color,” Mollie agreed. “We do know roughly where the car was parked though.”
Kendall nodded in agreement, although he wasn’t entirely sure how helpful that knowledge would be.
“Well why not speak to those boys, the ones with the car numbers?” suggested Mollie. “Who knows they might come up with something.”
“But the neighbor wasn’t even sure the man he saw drive away had actually come out of the building,” Kendall protested.
“But didn’t you say that one of the boys confirmed that a man did come out of the building and ran across the street,” said Mollie. “Those boys might just be able to give you some valuable information, like the make, and a registration number ….”
“And that will give me the owner of the car,” said Kendall.
“Precisely,” said Mollie. “Although, it’s more the other way around. You know the number of Fletcher’s car don’t you?”
Kendall agreed that he did know the number.
“So if that number is listed, then you have the proof.”
* * *
Chapter
Thirty-Three
Car Registration Numbers
It was just after five when Kendall arrived outside Onslow Mansions. He looked through the door. There was Joe huddled over a newspaper. Checking the runners and winners, Kendall guessed. Kendall called out. Joe looked up and waved. Kendall waved back and continued on his way. He hadn’t gone far when he saw who he was looking for.
“Hi boys,” said Kendall as he approached a group of young boys. “Still collecting registration numbers I see.”
The boys turned around. “Oh it’s you again,” said the boy at the front, obviously the leader.
Kendall walked over to the boys and glanced around. “Looks like a pretty busy day,” he said.
The leader smiled. “Oh it’s been busier,” he replied. “People are heading for home now. Another couple of hours you start to see the evening traffic and it’ll be completely different then you’ll see.”
Kendall looked at his watch. “I did tell you that I used to collect car numbers didn’t I? Then I collected stamps, coins, and well you name it I collected it. My mother was always tidying up after …..”
The young boy looked at Kendall, wishing that he could just get on. “Did you want something?” the boy interrupted.
Kendall took a deep breath and looked at the boy. “Well you know I’m hoping that you can help me?” He looked back across the street. “You remember the guy you saw, the one who ran out from the apartment block.”
“The one that ran into Lennie, you mean?
“Lennie, that’s right,” confirmed Kendall. “I couldn’t remember his name.”
The boy heaved a sigh, wishing he was somewhere else. “So what about him?” he asked sounding bored.
Kendall looked back across the street. “I guess you see all kinds of things,” he said. “And all kinds of vehicles.”
“What about the man?” the boy repeated.
Kendall nodded. “I need to find that man.”
The boy took a deep breath. “What’s he done?” he asked.
Kendall smiled. “Oh I just need to know who it was, and speak with him, that’s all,” he explained.
“Are you a cop?” the boy asked.
Kendall smiled. He reached into his inside pocket and took out his badge. “Used to be,” he replied. “But now I’m a private detective.”
“So is he wanted by the police?” the boy asked.
Kendall shook his head. “Not that I know of.”
The boy shook his head. “So why’d you want him?”
Kendall was beginning to get impatient. “I told you, I need to ask him some questions thats all.”
“Is there a reward or something?”
Kendall started to laugh. “There could be, for the right kind of information that is.”
The boy’s eyes lit up. At last the conversation was taking a turn for the better. “How much?”
Kendall reached for his wallet. He opened it. “How does five dollars sound?”
The boy thought for a few moments. “Sounds okay I suppose,” he replied. “But ten sounds much better.”
“Okay, ten dollars it is,” said Kendall.
“That’s ten dollars each,” the boy continued. “And there’s eight of us.”
Kendall glanced around and did a quick count. He made it six boys, not eight. He heaved a sigh. “Okay, eighty dollars it is,” he agreed reluctantly, and handed the boy eight ten dollar bills.
The boy nodded. “So what do you want?” he asked.
“It’s about that man, the one who knocked into Lennie,” explained Kendall. “How is he by the way? Lennie I mean?”
The boy shrugged. “He’s okay I guess,” he replied. “He’s over there,” pointing towards the corner. “So what about the man?”
“Yes sure, the man,” said Kendall. “I think you said that he ran off in that direction.” Kendall pointed across the street towards the corner.
“That’s right,” said the boy. “He headed towards Ashby and Carlton. He got to the corner and turned. That’s the last we saw of him.”
Kendall started to rub his chin. “Do you have your registration details you took of that area, on that day?” he asked.
The boy looked puzzled. “Yes they are at home. Why?”
A good question thought Kendall. Why indeed. He had always thought that it was a long shot, but he was now beginning to think that it was a total impossibility. “Well I was just thinking that maybe he had a car parked somewhere, and you had made a note of the registration.”
The boy started to smile and shook his head. “We took down a lot of numbers that day,” he replied.
“I’m sure you did,” Kendall agreed. “But in that particular area, Ashby and Carlton, there couldn’t have been that many.”
The boy shrugged his shoulders. “There would have been enough,” he said. “Besides what about it?”
Another good question, thought Kendall. What about it? It would just be a long list of car registration numbers, nothing more. “I was just hoping that maybe I’d recognize one of the plates and that might tell me who the man was,” he replied, feeling far from confident.
“Are you sure the police aren’t looking for this man?” asked the boy. “It sounds like you want him pretty bad.”
Kendall shook his head. “The police aren’t looking for him, I told you that.” Not yet at any rate. Kendall heaved a sigh and took a deep breath. “Are you going to help me or not?”
“Sure, sure, keep your shirt on.” The boy looked at Kendall, and then looked at the other boys who were just standing around watching the proceedings. “What do you want me to do?”
At last, thought Kendall, we are getting somewhere, although precisely where he wasn’t too sure. He took out his notepad, and wrote something down. He tore the page from the pad and gave it to the boy. “That’s my office address and telephone number. Do you know where that is?”
The boy nodded. “I know it.”
“Good,” replied Kendall. “What I want you to do is bring your details, taken on that day, to that address, tomorrow.”
The boy too
k a deep breath. “I’ll get them back won’t I?”
“Sure you’ll get them back,” said Kendall.
“All right,” the boy agreed. “Five o’clock tomorrow.”
“Good enough,” replied Kendall. “I’ll let you get on then. By the way what’s your name?”
“Kelvin,” the boy replied “Kelvin Carter.”
“Okay Kelvin Carter, I’ll see you tomorrow at five.” Kendall gave the boy a high five, turned, and walked away.
* * *
Chapter Thirty-Four
The Case Is Closed
“What time did you say he was coming?” Mollie asked.
Kendall looked at the clock on the wall. “Well he said three o’clock,” Kendall replied. “So another thirty-five minutes.”
* * *
Kendall had made the arrangements to see Tony Fletcher earlier that day. “What’s the purpose of a meeting?” Fletcher had asked.
Kendall had explained that there had been some interesting developments, and that they really needed to discuss a few things. Fletcher was clearly reluctant, and wondered why it couldn’t be discussed on the telephone.
“There are a few things that I really need to show you,” Kendall had explained.
“Things?” Fletcher repeated. “What things?”
“It really would be best if you just came over here. It’s important,” replied Kendall. “Say three o’clock.”
* * *
“You are sure that he’s coming?” asked Mollie. “I mean you did sound a bit abrupt on the phone.”
“Maybe,” Kendall agreed reluctantly. “I just wasn’t prepared for a long discussion listening to his excuses for not coming.” He paused for a moment and looked back at the clock. Ten minutes to three. “He’ll be here,” he announced. “Wait and see.”
Kendall looked at his desk. “Let’s get ready shall we.” He picked up his briefcase and opened it. He withdrew two clear plastic folders, and placed them on the desk. He then took a notepad out of the top drawer of his desk. It was simple headed “Kelvin Carter”. He placed that on the desk. “Now is there anything else?” he asked no one in particular.”