by John Holt
Kendall nodded. “That’s right,” he replied. “And so was our friend Alan Clark.”
“Perhaps he had just made a mistake,” Mollie suggested. “Perhaps he had simply been misled by someone.”
Kendall shook his head. “There was no mistake,” he replied. “He had merely lied, deliberately, just like Vickers and Norris had lied.”
“Why would they lie?” she asked. She then proceeded to answer her own question. “Because they were involved in Richard Dawson’s murder, that’s why.”
“It’s certainly beginning to look that way,” Kendall said. “Richard Dawson was murdered, and they were involved in some way.”
“So why was Richard Dawson murdered?” Mollie asked.
Kendall shook his head. “Who knows,” he replied. “To keep him quiet, perhaps, that’s always a good motive.”
“To keep him quiet,” she repeated. “But about what?”
“Well I’m only guessing, but it could have been something that he was working on maybe,” Kendall replied. “Perhaps it was this Rican flu epidemic.”
“Maybe,” Mollie agreed.
Kendall sighed. “The problem we have now though is that we have to prove it, and those two witnesses have both disappeared.”
Mollie looked up, and smiled. “But Alan Clark hasn’t,” she said, looking pleased with herself.
Kendall nodded. “That’s right,” he said. “He’s still around, but without Vickers and Norris, there’s no evidence against Clark himself, so we are still stuck.”
* * *
Chapter Thirty-One
A Government Health Warning
“The Jakarta Post”, Bangkok, Tuesday – “Thailand’s Rican flu cases tripled over the last three days to one hundred and twenty-two, with more expected as laboratory test results continue to arrive, a health official said on Sunday. Prime Minister Harit Sunnay urged the public not to panic, but warned that there could be no easy fix solution to the problem, with tens of thousands of passengers arriving daily at airports from abroad. “It will definitely affect tourism, but I still think it is better to be transparent,” he said on his weekly television program last Sunday. “Trying to conceal what is happening will only make things worse.”
Dr. Singa Karanja, permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry, said on Sunday, “It is understood that most of the patients were living in the capital, Bangkok, and had recently returned from trips abroad. Schools reported the most concentrated cases. So far there have been no reported deaths from the disease in Thailand.”
* * *
Kendall had been asleep for a little over two hours. He hadn’t intended to go to sleep at all. He had only closed his eyes for a few moments, just a few minutes relaxation that was all. He stifled a yawn, stretched and shook his head.
This case was beginning to get to him. First there was Richard Dawson, an accident allegedly. Then there was the death of Summers, a tragic suicide allegedly. Now, the gardener Joe Louis was dead, another tragic accident.
Kendall took a deep breath, and shook his head. There were no accidents. There was no suicide. All three had been murdered. Of that he was now convinced.
He rubbed the back of his neck, and then moved his head from side to side. He looked up at the clock on the far side of the room. “Three thirty,” he murmured, as he tried to stifle another yawn.
“Another hour yet, before our visitor is due,” said Mollie shrugging her shoulders.
Kendall nodded, and yawned a third time. He was expecting a visitor. He didn’t know who it was, or why they were coming. They wouldn’t say anything over the telephone.
* * *
“I need to see you, and soon,” the foreign sounding voice had said. “I think it will be to your advantage.” Kendall had pressed for more information but the voice refused to give any further details. “I’ll be at your office at four thirty,” the voice said, and hung up.
Whoever he was, he had sounded nervous somehow, edgy, impatient. No it wasn’t exactly nervous, and it wasn’t exactly impatient. It was something more, much more. The voice actually sounded frightened. That was it, Kendall thought. The caller was frightened.
Kendall didn’t like this kind of thing one little bit. Unexpected telephone calls from total strangers, who refused to give any information. Giving him no clue whatsoever, except that it would be to his advantage. How did they know that it would be to his advantage? He would be the best judge of that, wouldn’t he? But he would have to wait and see wouldn’t he? The proof of the pudding was in the eating. It could prove to be nothing but a complete waste of valuable time, his valuable time.
“Four thirty,” the voice had said.
That had been just before two o’clock. It completely ruined the rest of the day for Kendall. There was no time left for anything else. He would just have to sit around for a couple of hours and wait. It could be a total and utter waste of time. It could be someone else trying to frighten him off this case. Could he trust them he wondered? Could he believe them? Were they genuine?
“After all,” he murmured, “believe it or not, some people weren’t exactly straightforward, were they?” Some people weren’t entirely honest. Incredible though it might sound, some people actually told lies, deliberately giving misleading information. Was this one of those people?
Mollie had shaken her head wisely. “It’ll be alright,” she had said. “Don’t worry, you’ll see.”
He wasn’t entirely convinced. Nonetheless, he had sighed, taken a deep breath, and, a little reluctantly, agreed to the meeting.
* * *
Kendall looked at the clock once again. As Mollie had just said the visitor wasn’t due for another hour. He looked away from the clock, back to the newspaper on his desk. The main headline news was still about the epidemic.
“A lot of fuss about very little,” he murmured. “The new has been blown out of all proportion.” Anyone would think that nothing else was happening in the world.
He turned the page. Inside, at the bottom of page six, was a small article about the forthcoming trial of a gang of counterfeiters. He glanced at it casually. There was a sudden knock on the door. Kendall closed over the paper and pushed it to one side. He looked back at the clock, and shook his head. “He’s here,” he said.
Mollie looked at him and shook her head. “If it is him, he’s early,” she said.
The door handle turned, and the door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway was Detective Terrence Devaney.
“Devaney, what are you doing here?” Kendall asked. “Come in, quick, before the neighbors see you standing there.” Kendall started to smile. “You’ll give the place a bad name.”
“I’ll give you a bad name if you’re not careful,” Devaney said. “Whatever happened to hello, how are you?” he asked. He walked into the room and smiled when he saw Mollie.
Kendall started to laugh. “Hello,” he said. “How are you?” Devaney threw a pretend punch, Kendall ducked. “All right, now that’s out of the way, what are you doing here?”
Devaney shook his head and heaved a sigh. He walked over to a chair and sat down. “I could use a drink,” he said.
Kendall looked at Mollie. “Get my friend a glass of water,” he said. He looked down at Devaney. “With just a small splash of whisky.”
“Make that a large splash of whisky,” Devaney called out.
Kendall smiled. “A large splash of whiskey,” he repeated. He sat down. “Now tell me what’s this all about?”
Devaney heaved another sigh, and shuffled in his seat. He looked up at Kendall, and then immediately looked down at his hands. Now it was Kendall’s turn to sigh. “Come on, now, it can’t be that bad,” he said. “What is it?”
Devaney looked up and shook his head. He looked over towards the kitchen area, and started to tap on the desk. As he did so, Mollie walked over to him and placed the whiskey in front of him. He picked up the glass and took a long drink. He slowly placed the glass back on the desk, and looked at Kendall. H
e shook his head once again, and took another deep breath. “I had a call this morning,” he said. “It was from the chief.”
Kendall nodded. “So you had a call, that’s nice.”
Devaney shook his head once again, and took another drink. “He had a call from the Mayor. The District Attorney had called him.” He paused once again. “The District Attorney had received a call from Senator John Howard, who had been called by the State Governor.”
Kendall was beginning to get a little impatient. “What, nothing from the president? Then it can’t really have been that important, can it?”
Devaney shrugged his shoulders. “The day isn’t over yet,” he replied. “This isn’t a joke, Kendall,” he continued. “This is anything but.”
“Okay so all of these people were making a lot of phone calls,” Kendall said. “It’s good to talk, so they say. I imagine that it’s also good business for the phone company, who must have made a lot of money today, but what has it got to do with me?”
Devaney heaved another deep sigh. He looked at Mollie, and took a drink. He drained the glass. “You wouldn’t have another one of these handy, would you?” he asked holding up the empty glass. “Only don’t worry about the water this time.”
Kendall looked over at Mollie and nodded his head. “Get the detective a drink, will you, please,” he said. “And one for me and have one yourself. I have a feeling we are going to need them.”
Mollie got up and smiled. She walked over to the kitchen. Kendall looked at Devaney for a few moments. “Well, are you going to tell me what this is all about, or do I have to read about in the society pages?”
Devaney smiled and nodded his head. “All right, all right,” he said. “The calls were all concerned with a certain Mr. Tom Kendall, a private detective of this town.” He shook his head. “Tom Kendall, and his activities concerning a certain drugs company.”
“A certain drugs company,” Kendall repeated. He looked puzzled. “Let me guess,” he said. He thought for a moment or two. “It wouldn’t be Trenton Pharmaceuticals by any chance, would it?” he continued. Devaney nodded. “There’s a surprise, so what about them?”
Devaney shook his head, and shuffled in his seat. “The District Attorney has received a number of complaints from the boss of Trenton Pharmaceuticals,” he explained. “A certain Mr. Alan Clark, do you know him?”
Kendall smiled. “I know Mr. Clark,” he said.
Devaney nodded his head. “He says that you have been making a bit of a nuisance of yourself just lately.”
“Making a nuisance of myself, did you say?” Kendall replied. “I’ve been trying out one of their tablets, for my hay fever.” He shook his head. “And so far they haven’t worked.”
“I’m not talking about a few old tablets, Kendall,” said Devaney, becoming slightly agitated. “You know exactly what I mean. You have been asking a lot of questions about a certain accident.”
“I’ve been investigating the death of Richard Dawson,” Kendall interrupted. “You know that, it’s no big secret.”
“That’s right I know all about that,” Devaney replied. He heaved another deep sigh. “The death of Richard Dawson, a death that was thoroughly investigated at the time and it was concluded that it was an accident, nothing more, and nothing less, an accident. Case closed. Clark wants you to stop. Just call it a day, finite, understood? No more visits, no more questions. No more nothing. End of story. It’s over. It was an accident.” He stopped for a moment and looked down at the floor.
As he did so he could hear Mollie in the kitchen preparing the drinks. Suddenly she peered around the door. She looked at Devaney and smiled. “He was murdered, you know,” she called out to him. “Richard Dawson, I mean. He was murdered.”
Devaney looked at her and shook his head. He then looked at Kendall. “For the sake of your health and safety just keep away from Trenton, well away,” he said. “Clark is actually threatening to take legal action against you for harassment, or something.”
Kendall shook his head. “It’s really touching, you know, your concern for my health.” He smiled. “There’re only two people who have ever expressed any concern about my health before.” He paused for a moment and looked across at Mollie who was still standing at the doorway. He winked at her. “My mother is one, and Mollie over there.” She smiled back at him, and then went back into the kitchen.
Devaney shook his head. “Make no mistake Kendall. I’m being serious, deadly serious.”
Kendall smiled. “What is this,” he asked shaking his head. “One of those Government Health Warnings or something, you know the type that you get on the cigarette packets, or on packs of food.” He paused and shook his head once again. “Smoking is bad for you. Too much sugar is harmful, too much salt.” He paused and smiled. “Too many questions can bring on a heart attack.” He shook his head. “Because if it is, don’t waste your time. They don’t mean much to me, not now. I gave up smoking years ago, and I eat what I like.”
He paused once again and shrugged his shoulders. “Hasn’t done me much harm; well not too much, anyway.” He shook his head. “I’m surprised at you Devaney you would never be persuaded to drop an inquiry just because you were being leaned on, being told to back off.” He shook his head once again. “Oh no, you would want a much bigger, and a much better reason that that. Especially if you believed what you were doing was right.”
Devaney shook his head. “We are talking about you Kendall, not me.”
Kendall heaved a sigh. “I repeat, you wouldn’t stop, I know that, and you know that, admit it.”
Devaney took a deep breath, and looked at Kendall. “You’re wrong, Kendall. I would drop the case like a hot potato, especially if the case had already been solved,” he replied. “And I suggest that you do the same.”
At that moment Mollie returned with the drinks. She walked over to the desk and placed a glass in front of Kendall, and one in front of Devaney. She then returned to her own desk.
Kendall looked at her and nodded his head. He then looked back at Devaney. “Let’s have that drink shall we?” He smiled. “I could certainly use one.” He picked up his glass, and took a long drink. He then looked at his visitor, and slowly put the glass down.
“You’re right, the case was investigated,” Kendall said. “Investigated by no less a person than my friend Detective Terrence Devaney of the Miami Police Department.”
As he was speaking, he reached down and opened the top drawer of his desk. He reached in, took out a folder and placed it on the desk in front of Devaney. “You did a very thorough job. It’s all in there,” he said pointing at the file. “You gave it to me, remember? In there are the police reports, all signed by you. The coroner’s report, notes from the paramedics, and notes from the hospital doctors. You name it and it’s all there, complete with photographs, and finally there are those statements from two witnesses who saw the whole thing.” He took another drink. “Conclusion, it was a simple, but tragic accident. That’s what it says, no argument.” He took another drink. Then he shook his head. “The only thing is, the conclusion is all wrong,” he continued. “It wasn’t an accident it was murder.”
Devaney looked up and shook his head. “Kendall it was an accident, nothing more,” he said. “You are to keep away from Trenton Pharmaceuticals, and that’s final. Any more complaints from Clark and I shall have to arrest you for undue harassment.”
“It doesn’t matter what you say, Devaney,” Kendall replied. “It was murder plain and simple.” He opened the folder and took out one of the photographs. He slid it across to Devaney. “Look at that,” he said. “Apart from the head wound, and a slight cut to the neck, there are no other injuries. Unusual, wouldn’t you say.” Devaney said nothing. Kendall took out a second photograph. “Look at that one and notice where his arms are lying by his side. He has just fallen over, tripped on the curbstone. Surely his arms should be out in front of him, trying to break the fall?” Still Devaney said nothing. “What about that one?
” Kendall said as he placed another photograph in front of Devaney. “There’s no blood on the wall, or the adjacent path. Why not? There were large wounds to the side of the head, and the base of the neck. There would have been blood, a lot of blood. Where is it?” Devaney shook his head. “And take a look at his clothes.”
“His clothes,” Devaney repeated, puzzled.
Kendall nodded. “His clothes,” he said. “There’s not a mark on them.” He paused. “Do you know there wasn’t a tear, not even a drawn thread? There was no blood staining. There was no mud stains.” He paused once more. He pointed to the photograph. “If he had tripped and fallen I would have expected some damage, some staining, something.” He shook his head. “There’s nothing. Not a mark. Just look. These are your photographs Devaney, not mine. I didn’t take them. But they suggest to me that there was no accident. The warning you have now passed on to me convinces me that there was no accident. The warning convinces me that it was murder, and somehow Alan Clark is involved.”
Devaney looked at the photographs for a few minutes longer. He then picked up his glass and drained it. He looked at Kendall. “I’ve done what I was told to do,” he said. “I’ve warned you as instructed.” He stood up, reached across and patted Kendall on the shoulder. “You take care, Tom,” he said gently. “Clark has a lot of friends in high places.”
“So have I,” replied Kendall, trying desperately to think of one.
“If you mean that Senator John Thaddeus Mackenzie,” Devaney called back. “I’m not too sure that he will be able to help you, not this time.”
He looked at Mollie. “Take care of him, will you?” he said. He shook his head and smiled, and then he started towards the door. As he reached the door he opened it, and then stopped. He slowly turned around. “Don’t forget, Tom, if you ever need anything, you know where I am.” He then turned and quickly went out of the room.
The coroner, then the governor, and now this, Kendall murmured. “What next, I wonder?”