Chapter 60
Friday—December 26, 1986
In spite of the late night, everyone was up early the next morning and ready for the day. Earl, Lily and Sylvia were off to finish some last minute preparations for the dinner they were hosting. Andrew’s mother and Aunt Viv were packing for their morning flights home. Connie and Andrew were driving them to the airport and would meet the others later at Earl’s for dinner.
While Connie and Andrew were packing, there was a light tap on the door. It was Aunt Viv.
“Honey, do you have a minute? I need to talk to you alone before I leave.”
“Of course. I’m up for some girl talk.” Andrew got the hint and left with the excuse that he’d better check on his mother to make sure she’d be ready to leave on time. Once he left, Connie could tell by the look on her aunt’s face that this wasn’t going to be a happy talk; she had something serious to say.
“This is probably long overdue,” Viv began, “but I want to talk to you about your parents, particularly your dad. Please, let’s just sit down for a minute.” Viv took a seat on the end of the bed and patted the spot next to her. Connie sat down and folded her hands in her lap. She waited expectantly as Viv drew a deep breath and began again. “Your dad was a very handsome and charismatic man, but he wasn’t always faithful to your mom. Your mom was very liberal in her thinking and she seemed to believe that those indiscretions were totally separate from her relationship with him. She thought the infidelity came with the territory. She knew women were attracted to him, but rather than get angry about his dalliances, she quietly tolerated them.
“I think your mother was surprised that a cultured man like your dad would want to marry such an unconventional woman. Your mom was smart and independent, yet she had a low opinion of herself. I think she and I both did, as a result of growing up in an alcoholic family without a lot of money and very little love. I don’t think she felt worthy of your dad. She knew he loved her and would always stay with her and his family. I’m not telling you this to hurt you, but as long as you’re on a discovery mission, you may as well hear the whole truth.”
“Thanks for your candor, Aunt Viv. I really appreciate your being so forthright. It must have been difficult for you to make the decision to reveal my father’s flaws. Please don’t think you’re betraying my mother’s confidence by telling me this, because this isn’t the first time I’ve heard comments about Dad’s illicit affairs. It doesn’t come as a shock to me, by any means.”
Viv took her niece’s hand in one of hers and then clapped her other hand over the top of Connie’s. “Most importantly, honey. I want you to know how happy I am for you. I know your life was difficult in Utah and I wish I could have changed that for you. I did the best I could, but of course, I wasn’t your mother, and I never thought you would think of me that way. I loved you then, and I love you now. I hope you’re finally getting all the happiness you deserve.”
“Thank you, Aunt Viv. I know how hard you tried to make me happy, but nothing in the world could have made me happy during those years. That you were there for me when I needed you was enough. I’ve often thought about how I must have disrupted your life. To go from living alone to suddenly having a teenager to raise—I can’t imagine how difficult that was, and I am so grateful to you…for everything,” Connie said, with tears in her eyes.
“I know you are. Now, give me a hug and let’s get going so I don’t miss my flight.”
Chapter 61
Lily, Sylvia, Sniff and Earl left the hotel around ten o’clock in the morning. They still had lots to do before Connie, Andrew and Julio arrived for dinner. Earl had arranged for a cleaning lady to come in and thoroughly clean the house from top to bottom. Like many of the homes in the Tilden Park neighborhood, his was a traditional Tudor. Earl had arranged logs and kindling in the fireplace, so a flick of a match was all he needed to get it blazing. Lily had decorated a tall white pine Christmas tree with all of Sue Lookey’s beautiful ornaments. In the corner of the attic, Lily found a sleigh with eight tiny hound dogs wearing antlers that they used to decorate the mantle.
Sylvia was dressed for the holiday with a Santa Claus hat, red Christmas tree bulb earrings that blinked on and off, and a bright green velour jogging suit trimmed in gold braid. On her feet she wore red leather boots decorated with green bells. She teetered on the two-inch heels her doctor had sternly recommended she forego for something more conservative and safe, but heels were her personal choice. The boots were actually her compromise between her normal four-inch heels—which she still wore on dates—and what she called old lady shoes. Sylvia rationalized boots were intended to be worn in the rain and snow, but if they had high heels on them, well, so much the better. Besides, she was careful to remember her walking stick whenever going out alone.
Christmas snow still covered the lawn, but today the sky was sunny and blue and everything twinkled like crystals. Everyone was in a good mood. Lily and Earl began hustling around in the kitchen. Sylvia noticed Sniff sitting by the front door with his leash in his mouth. She was normally not a dog lover, but the hangdog look on Sniff’s face made her heart melt and she decided to take him out for a walk. Sniff loved the outdoors and in his exuberance to find the right spot to do his duty, he kept pulling on the leash. Sylvia found it hard to keep her balance even with the walking stick.
When Sniff made a mad dash for his favorite tree in the neighbor’s yard, the leash flew out of her hand, and Sylvia slipped on the icy sidewalk. As she fell, her walking stick went flying and she was left lying on the icy concrete. Her ankle was throbbing all the way up to her knee. She tried to get up and couldn’t. All she could do was grimace in pain.
She saw a woman in the window of the house across the street. She tried to get her attention by yelling and waving, but the woman didn’t hear or see her. She laid there for what seemed like hours, hoping Earl or Lily would wonder where she was and come looking for her. Her jogging suit was wet from the snow and ice and it was beginning to freeze solid.
A white car came slowly towards her. She tried to wave the driver down, but the car seemed to accelerate as it passed, throwing slush from the street all over her. Crestfallen, she watched the car proceed down the street and the corner.
“So much for the spirit of Christmas,” she grumbled, too cold and miserable to even swear at the disappearing car. Sylvia knew she couldn’t just lie there and freeze to death; she needed a plan. And Sniff.
Where is that damn dog anyway? Sylvia sat up as much as she could with her right ankle throbbing. She called out for Sniff, but naturally he was nowhere in sight.
It seemed like hours, but it was probably just a few minutes before Earl shuffled down the sidewalk toward her, blanket in hand, and wouldn’t you know; there was Sniff leading the way. He hadn’t deserted her after all.
“Don’t move,” Earl told her. “There’s an ambulance on the way. She could already hear the siren in the distance, the blare getting closer by the second.
“How did you know I’d fallen, Earl?”
“It was Sniff,” he said, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. We heard him howling at the back door with his leash in his mouth. He wouldn’t come in when we opened the door and I wondered how in the hell he got his leash on and himself out the door. Lily and I were so busy cooking, we didn’t notice you had taken him out. We both feel terrible.
“My hero,” Sylvia said, hugging Sniff’s neck and thinking she might become a dog lover after all.
Chapter 62
The emergency room doctor determined Sylvia had only twisted her ankle. She had to apply ice on it and stay off it for a few days. Most importantly, she had to start wearing sensible shoes.
As Sylvia and Earl were driving back to his home from the hospital, Sylvia said. “I can’t believe that car sped right past me. I could see the driver was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap. Instead of stopping, the jerk accelerated. I was sure he was going to pull into your neighbor’s driveway. But he chan
ged his mind when he saw me.”
"Which neighbor are you referring to?" Earl asked.
“He planned to turn into the house next door to where Connie and Julio used to live.”
“Was it a white Cadillac?” Earl asked.
“No, it was definitely not a Cadillac," Sylvia said.
“How can you be so certain Sylvia? You were on the ground and in pain.”
“Listen, Earl, I’m a trained observer. I used to be a PI and before that I was a cop for two years. I know a Caddy when I see one. Plenty of them in Miami, and plenty park in my building’s garage. I’m just pissed at myself for not getting the license plate numbers. But I’ll chalk that up to the pain and cold. It looked like an inexpensive compact car, a typical cheap rental.”
“Speaking of cold, how do you stand these winters? Sure, the snow is pretty, but it’s colder than a witch’s tit here in January. You and Sniff ought to think about coming south to visit me in Coral Gables during the winter. And speaking of tits, if it’s a woman you want, I could introduce you to a divorcee on my floor with tits so big you could—”
Earl cleared his throat to cut Sylvia off. “I’m not looking for women.”
“Not even one with big—”
“No. Now let’s get back to the issue at hand. I’m wondering if the driver could have been Martin Perkins. He’s been hiding out ever since he attacked Connie, and before that, he lived in the apartment above his mother’s garage. It seems reasonable to assume he would eventually come back home.”
They pulled into the driveway. Connie, Andrew, Julio and Lily must have heard the car. They were all lined up in the garage ready to help Sylvia into the house. They put her on the couch and treated her like royalty. Connie put a pillow under her ankle. Lily removed her shoes and Andrew tucked a soft warm blanket gently around her. The queen was on her throne and it took only a few minutes before the edicts were issued.
“Well,” Sylvia said. "I purposely didn’t take any pain medication because I want to try this famous eggnog of Earl’s you’ve all been touting.”
“Coming right up, Madame.” Lily laughed.
“Where’s my canine hero?” Sylvia was definitely taking advantage of the situation.
“Coming right up, your majesty.” Earl brought Sniff out of his bedroom with his Santa Claus suit on and hoisted him onto the couch next to Sylvia. She gushed over the pooch, who knew he wasn’t supposed to be on the couch. He looked confused as to why his master had put him there, but he quickly forgot all about that when Sylvia began to rub noses with him and hugged him to her. Sniff happily rested his chin on Sylvia’s hip, sighed deeply, and settled in for the duration.
Then Sylvia asked Julio for a back massage, and winked at Connie.
“Where’s your off switch, Sylvia?” he asked, lifting her blanket to look under it. “I swear I saw it right here the last time I looked.”
“All right, all right!” She howled as he began tickling her ribs. Laughing, she quickly cried, “Uncle!” and shoved his hands away, to readjust her blanket. “I was just trying to see how much I could get away with. Seriously, I can’t thank you all enough. Before we all get bombed on this delicious eggnog, I’d like to give a toast to the newlyweds, and to new friends who seem more like family. And another round for everyone!”
Over her second cup of eggnog, Sylvia filled everyone in on what and how it all happened. Earl suggested the car could be Martin with a rental and phoned the Tilden Park police to let them know his suspicions.
Sgt. Reynolds knocked on Earl’s front door about twenty minutes later, just as they were ready to sit down for dinner. He told the group, “Both the Perkins and Harriman houses are under surveillance and have been ever since the attack on Connie. No signs of Martin have been reported. However, someone else evidently saw Mrs. Sands in trouble because about a minute after you called for an ambulance, the station received a second phone call regarding a woman injured on the sidewalk, across the street from Nola Perkins’ house. It was a man’s voice. When the dispatcher asked for the caller’s name, he hung up. The phone company is working on locating where the call was made from, but I think they’ll probably discover it came from the public phone booth two blocks from here.”
“On the matter of the Harriman murders, some interesting evidence came to light late this afternoon. In the evidence box there is a copy of Martin Perkins’ high school attendance records. It shows he was absent from school the day of the murders. There is also a copy of the police interview with his mother, stating Martin had been sick the day of the murders and spent the day at home. Nola said Sue Lookey could corroborate Martin’s illness. There is no record anyone contacted Mrs. Lookey to verify the alibi, but even more important—and we have Earl and Lily to thank for this—we may have found a pillow the shooter used to muffle the final shot to Dr. Harriman’s heart.
“Forensics found the pillow when going through the garbage bags Nola put out for trash pick-up a few days before Christmas. Earl and Lily confiscated this trash from Nola’s front yard. Everything was sent to the Hamilton County Crime Lab and they’re attempting to determine if the blood belonged to Dr. Harriman. I’m on my way over to the Perkins house right now, and if Martin’s there, I’ll take him in for questioning. Depending on his answers, we may arrest him on suspicion of your parents’ murders,” he told Connie and Julio.
Earl and Lily exchanged looks. Earl excused himself from the dinner table, put on his coat and went out to the porch to check his listening devices He came back into the living room and said “Sgt., you should double check the Harriman house. My anonymous sources tell me there’s movement inside the house.”
“I’ll check the house right now and we’ll talk about your anonymous sources later, Earl.”
“Yes, sir.” He looked sufficiently smug.
Chapter 63
Sgt. Reynolds rang Nola’s doorbell. “Mrs. Perkins. I’m here to talk to your son. We believe he is hiding out in your home or next door in the Harriman house.”
Nola flung her front door wide open. “Are you kidding me? You’re searching for my son during the holiday? Don’t you people have anything better to do? I told you I would notify you if I saw him. This is ridiculous. There were no charges pressed against my son. I’m calling your chief. What is your badge number?”
Reynolds looked past Nola to the dining room and the two place settings on the table. “Who else is in the house right now?” Sgt. Reynolds asked.
“No one,” Nola said.
“Then who are you having dinner with? It looks like you’re expecting someone.”
“There is no one else here and no one else is coming,” Nola said. “I’m not letting you in and that’s final.”
“Look, we can do this the easy way, or I can make it ugly for your son. I know he’s next door and that you own the house. Why don’t we both go over there and you convince him to come peacefully. We just want to question him about the Harriman murders. He’s a fortunate man Connie Harriman isn’t pressing charges. In my opinion, she should. Your son is dangerous. He’s mentally ill, Mrs. Perkins. If you don’t help me, and he hurts someone else, I’ll arrest you for complicity. As it is, if you don’t turn him over for questioning, I’ll call in for backup. They’ll come in with sirens blaring, alerting the entire neighborhood. Your neighbors will see your son being brought out in handcuffs. Is that what you want for him?”
“No,” Nola said slowly. “I will agree to help you bring Martin out of the house, but I want our attorney present when you question him. Agreed?”
“Agreed. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to come in while you get your coat and call your attorney. I’ll use your phone to call the station and alert them that Martin is coming in of his own free will.”
“Thank you for that.” Nola opened the screen door and ushered Sgt. Reynolds inside. She directed him to the study where she called her attorney and then left to get her coat and purse. While making his phone call, Reynolds noticed a large group of pictu
res on bookshelves behind a roll top desk. His curiosity got the best of him and he moved closer to look at them. A chill ran down his spine when he realized that the man in every picture was Dr. John Harriman.
Sgt. Reynolds had spent dozens of hours going through all the Harriman murder information in the station’s evidence box and reviewing all the newspaper articles from the Tilden Park paper and the Cincinnati Enquirer. He could visualize both Dr. and Mrs. Harriman in his sleep. There was no question in his mind that it was John Harriman. There was his senior class picture from his exclusive boy’s school, pictures of Harriman and a young Nola Perkins. There were other pictures of Harriman with a boy. Sgt. Reynolds assumed it was Martin, as it definitely wasn’t Julio. There were no pictures of Mrs. Harriman, a girl or a Hispanic boy. It was like they didn’t exist and the family unit was Nola, Harriman and Martin.
Very strange, Sgt. Reynolds thought.
Chapter 64
Nola, Martin, their lawyer, Sgt. Reynolds and Chief Walker sat around a large table in the Tilden Park Police Station. Chief Walker explained they were only questioning Martin; he was not under arrest. They would ask him nothing about his attack on Connie Harriman Leader. She was adamant she was not pressing charges, as long as Martin was off drugs, stayed on his legal meds, and was under the care of a psychiatrist. Martin’s lawyer nodded his approval and agreement.
“I’m off all drugs and I have an appointment with Dr. Woods, who has agreed to see me twice a week. I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially Connie,” Martin said, as he started to cry. “I’m so sorry about….” Martin didn’t get to finish his sentence. He was interrupted by his lawyer who advised him not to say anything about his alleged attack on Connie and only to answer questions regarding the murder of Dr. and Mrs. Harriman. Martin indicated to his lawyer that he understood.
Chief Walker asked Martin to tell them everything he could remember about the morning of the murder. Martin nodded yes and began his story.
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