The Untimely Death Box Set

by James Kipling

  “You mean to say you just collapsed without observing anything?”

  “I didn’t say that. I’m not that weak or stupid. Of course, I observed. The door was wide open and Sarah – I learned her name later – was lying sprawled on the floor. There was a tiny bruise on her right arm. She was dressed in the same clothes I’d seen her in earlier. The young man was in a bad shape. He kept screaming for help and later sat on the floor calling her name. By now, quite a few people had gathered around Sarah. The manager of the motel was there too along with the other motel staff. There was quite a crowd in the corridor. Someone called a doctor, I think it was the manager. Within minutes, a doctor arrived and examined the girl. When he said she was dead, everyone gasped.

  “Someone said, ‘it must be her heart.’ The manager, though outwardly composed, was jittery as hell. I could make out the way he shuffled his feet. He barked orders but he seemed nervous. I didn’t blame him. Sudden death is always a problem. It's bad for the reputation of the motel. The young man was a total wreck. He kept murmuring to himself. Someone I don’t know took him away and gave him a drink. He swallowed it quickly and then kept saying, ‘she was a perfectly healthy woman, and I don’t know what hit her.’ Just then, one of the waiters picked up the dart lying on the floor with a napkin. It had a sharp pointed end. The doctor took another look at the body and the bruise on her right arm – which was turning blue – and said, ‘don’t touch anything. This could be murder and a case for the police.’ Well, all hell broke loose then. Everyone was looking at the young man with suspicion. He literally started shaking with fear. He kept saying, ‘I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it.’ I felt bad for him.

  “The police arrived on the scene and took away the dart and the body. They sealed the room. I don’t think I need to tell you anything more.”

  “Did you observe anything else which looked rather odd to you? You seem to be an observant woman.”

  “As a matter of fact, I did notice something strange. I don’t know if the police noticed too. As I told you, when I first saw the body, the door of their room was ajar. The contents of Sarah’s small purse were spilled on the bed: bills, a lipstick, an ATM card, and some money were lying on the bed while a photograph of another man was lying on the floor. From where I was standing, I could see the photograph clearly. It was certainly not the photograph of the man who accompanied her. I remember I was looking at it, surprised. A girl carries the photograph of a man she loves in her purse. This means that she was in love with someone else. Anyway, what startled me even further was that the photograph was not there when I looked the next time. Someone must have removed it.”

  “What was the time gap between when you first saw the photograph and when it vanished?”

  “It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes. After glancing at the room, I became busy talking and listening to others. We were discussing the sudden death of the girl, and what could have gone wrong. It was all conjecture, of course. The door was still ajar and a waiter had gone into the room to get water for the young man, who was in a pathetic state. I didn’t look inside again. The next time I did look was a good ten minutes later and at that time the photograph was not there. Someone seemed to have removed it.”

  “Did anyone else enter the room except the waiter?”

  Mrs Norton answered, “oh yes. The hotel staff entered at once. You see, they had to drag her away from the door, as her body was lying in an odd position on the threshold and preventing the door from being closed. The young man entered the room as well and used the loo. Everyone was running about. At that time, no one knew that it was a case of murder. Anyone could have removed the photograph.”

  Tim turned to John Norton and asked, “did you observe anything odd that you want to share with us?”

  “No, I can’t say I do. I’m not very observant. There was a huge commotion and the hotel staff were running here and there, I don’t know for what. I could make out clearly even then that the girl was dead and that nothing would revive her. The manager looked harried. I guess he was worried about business going down because of the sudden death. But I did observe something, now that I think of it. The waiter, Albert Morris, was looking shifty-eyed as if he had something to hide. I don’t know how I got that impression. There was fear in his face. We noticed the dart later but at that time didn’t think it could be the cause of her death.”

  Geoffrey and Tim got up. “We must be going now. Thank you, you’ve been very helpful.”

  Geoffrey and Tim walked out. Geoffrey said, “there may be some truth in what they’re saying. Let’s visit Rose Motel and talk to Albert. He may know something. What do you think about the business of the photograph?”

  Tim thought for a moment and then said, “Well, it’s too soon to tell. The presence of the photograph may or may not mean anything. It may not have been a case of love at all. It may be an old photograph, which was in her purse for a long time. Maybe Sarah hadn’t bothered to clean up her purse. But what strikes me as odd – if that woman is speaking the truth – is that the photograph vanished. Why should anyone bother to pick up a photograph, unless they considered it important?”

  Geoffrey mused, “true. Though at present, it’s difficult to see any connection with this case.”

  Chapter 9

  1

  The Rose Motel manager looked peeved. He was a burly, middle-aged man, wearing rather tight fitting clothes which looked ready to burst at the seams. He seemed irritated. “Why do you want to question my staff again? We have already told the police all we know. We have enough trouble as it is without the police harassing us again and again. This murder has given my motel a bad name.”

  Geoffrey said, “we’re investigating a murder case, which unfortunately took place in your motel. We need to find the murderer before he strikes again. All we want to do is question Albert Morris. You must realise how important it is to apprehend the murderer. Non-cooperation with the police is a serious offense.”

  The manager at once changed his tune. “But of course, of course. The staff of Rose Motel are at your disposal. We too want the murderer caught, but you see, such a scandal is bad for our business. I will call Albert at once.”

  Albert Morris was summoned into the lobby. He was a thin man of medium build, without a single remarkable feature and a shock of curly hair. Geoffrey looked at his eyes and saw fear in them. He tried to calm the man down saying, “sit down, Albert. We’re not here to arrest you. All we want to do is ask you a few questions. I believe you attended to Room 109 on the day of the murder.”

  Albert spoke with his head lowered. “Yes, sir.”

  “Tell me, what was your impression of the couple, Sarah and Jeremy?”

  Albert hunched his shoulders. “They seemed to be an ordinary couple; they seemed perfectly happy. The girl, Sarah, was saying that she loved the motel and everything in it. Jeremy was a good host and asked her if she liked the room and she said, ‘oh yes, it’s perfect.’ The girl seemed relaxed and happy.”

  “What did you observe later when you went in with the fish and chips?”

  “It's my job to be discreet. I try not to intrude on anyone’s privacy and keep my eyes lowered. When I went in with the fish and chips, the couple talked in low voices. The window leading to the lawn was open and Sarah was lying on the bed, while Jeremy was sitting in an armchair nearby. “

  Tim questioned, “did you hear what they were talking about?”

  Albert answered, hesitating slightly first. “I normally don’t listen to conversations. I am not in the habit of eavesdropping.”

  “No, we mean nothing of that sort, but sometimes you cannot help overhearing. Just tell us what you heard.”

  “Well, Jeremy was talking. He said he enjoyed indoor sports and was a member of the Eastside Club, which had plenty of indoor sports, and a sports bar. He was boasting to Sarah about how he was one of the best players there. I couldn’t catch the name of the game that he mentioned. Sarah laughed
and said she was afraid she was no athlete and frightfully poor at games. She just had no time, what with work and looking after her home. She had never found pleasure in pursuing leisure activities. Just then, her cell phone rang. The call seemed to be from her mother. She was saying in an exasperated voice, ‘Mom, how many times? I told you not to pester me. I need a break. I’m fine. I’ll be back on Monday. Take care of yourself till then.’ She switched off the phone and said, ‘now I feel better. My mother can be a real pest.’ When she saw the fish and chips, she smiled. ‘This smells delicious. I’m just mad about fish and chips.’ I left after that.”

  “Did you notice anything unusual when you came to clear the dishes?”

  “No, nothing. They were both lying on the bed and hardly noticed me when I came. I made as little noise as possible. I didn’t want to disturb them.”

  “Did you by any chance see a photograph on the floor?”

  Albert said, “I don’t think so. I would have noticed a thing like that.”

  Geoffrey asked, “did you notice anything unusual – anything at all which struck you as not being right?”

  Albert frowned and then said, “it may be nothing, but I did notice something that struck me as odd. The wide French windows opened to the garden. There are a lot of flowerpots about, but I found that one of them had been moved from its usual place. This was immediately after the murder was discovered. The gardener may have done so but I remember at the time that I thought it was funny.”

  “Did you notice anything else?”

  “No sir.”

  Tim said, “let’s walk to the garden so can you show me the spot where you felt the flower pot was missing.”

  Albert replied, “I’ll try to but this happened some time ago. The flower pot is back in place now.”

  They walked to the garden. Though the motel was small, the garden was an eyeful. Flowerbeds spruced up the emerald green lawns. On one side of the garden, flowerpots lined the wall next to the building, and thick bushes and shrubs were placed in strategic corners. Albert took them to the French window which opened into Room 109. He pointed to the row of flowerpots below.

  Albert said, “one of the flowerpots from here was missing, at least I thought so. But it is in place now.”

  Geoffrey glanced at the row of flowerpots bordering the wall of the building. They seemed to be placed in a straight line, undisturbed. Geoffrey frowned.

  He said to Albert, “you can go now. We will not detain you any longer.”

  Geoffrey saw a gardener at work watering the flowerbed and both Tim and Geoffrey walked towards him.

  Tim said, “you work as a gardener here?”

  “Yes I do.”

  “What's your name?”

  “Thomas, sir.”

  “Now, think back carefully. Were you on duty on the 15th of July when the murder was committed?”

  “No, I wasn’t; it was my day off. But you can talk to Jim, he was working on that day. However, I don’t know his whereabouts, as he left his job after the murder.”

  “Do you know where he went or where he lives?”

  “No. We were just acquaintances. I had his cell number and I tried ringing him but he seemed to have changed his number, too.”

  “OK, give us the old number. We’ll try to trace it.”

  Thomas gave him the number. Tim asked again, “were you on duty on the 16th of July, the day after he murder?”

  “Yes.”

  “Think carefully before you reply. Did you observe any change in the garden, especially in the placing of flowerpots, when you reported for duty?”

  Thomas thought hard. “No, everything was as usual. There was no change. If anything was missing then I would have spotted it.”

  “OK. You can go back to work.”

  Geoffrey said, “you know, Tim, this garden can make a perfect hiding place for a stranger; it’s easily accessible as it’s bordered by a hedge on one side, and there is a slight gap there – anyone from outside can squeeze through the hedge, hide behind a bush and wait for the correct opportunity to strike. They may even have moved a flowerpot, waited for Jeremy to go out, climbed in through the French window, struck Sarah, and in their hurry, forgot to take away the dart.”

  Tim nodded. “That’s an interesting possibility, but somehow, I feel the murderer walked through the door. I may be wrong, of course, but if they climbed in through the French window, they would have run the risk of being spotted by Sarah.”

  “That’s true. Well, let’s meet the boy, Alan, who discovered Michelle’s body.”

  2

  Alan was an eight-year-old boy who lived near the park in a cute double storied house with large windows and a spacious lawn. Geoffrey rang the bell and a pale-faced woman opened the door. She was wearing a cotton dress. “You must be the police. I’m Alan’s mother. Do come in.”

  They entered the living room and sat down on the plush sofa in the corner. Alan’s mother said, “I want to tell you something before you speak to him. Alan is still a child and all this excitement is bad for him. He’s been talking constantly to the police and the news hounds ever since the murder took place. I don’t want him harassed any more than necessary.”

  Geoffrey said, “I understand how you feel. I’m a father, too. Don’t worry; Alan will not be bothered more than necessary, but this is a police case and we're investigating a murder. Your son was the first to discover the body, so we have to ask him a few questions. I think each and every person in this town wants the murderer caught.”

  Alan came downstairs. His face was freckled and he was rather small for his age. He came to the room eagerly and shook hands with Geoffrey and Tim, acting all grown up. He said, “I’ve been answering a lot of questions since the day of the murder. I realise it’s important and you can ask me anything you like.”

  Geoffrey asked, “which school do you go to?”

  “I go to St Patrick High School. At present, everyone envies me. I’m the only boy in my class to have seen a dead body at such close quarters. I played an important role. I discovered her.”

  Geoffrey said, “that’s why we’re here. Tell me, did you notice the girl before she was murdered?”

  Alan nodded. “I did. She was sitting on the bench looking rather unhappy. She kept looking at her watch and at her surroundings. She was sitting straight with a rather sad face. I thought she was about to cry. Once I saw her talking to someone over the phone but then she simply cut it off.”

  Tim asked, “why did you feel she was unhappy?”

  Alan thought about it for a moment and then said, “she just looked so sad, without a smile on her face. I can’t say exactly why I thought so but she looked unhappy. I remember thinking that maybe she was waiting for her boyfriend and he didn’t turn up.”

  Tim asked, “do you go to the park every day?”

  Alan answered, “no, not every day, but I do go out there with friends and play. It’s a nice place to play. I was out with Bryan, Phillip, and Bruce and we were playing catch. All four of us like to play together; we’re a group. We never take any girls in our group. Girls are silly creatures.”

  Geoffrey said, “now, tell me what happened.”

  “We were busy playing. I saw Michelle once or twice; she looked rather lonesome sitting alone on that bench, but at the time, I didn’t pay any attention to her. I would have if I knew what was about to happen to her. I was busy playing when I saw Michelle lying in an odd position on the bench. I’d never seen someone lying on the bench like that before. I played some more and as I ran past the bench, I saw Michelle lying in the same position as before. I thought that maybe she’d fallen asleep or that she was sick. I stopped running around and said to my friends, ‘that girl over there seems to have fallen sick. Maybe we should take a look.’

  “Bryan – who can be rather dumb – asked, ‘where?’ I said, ‘over there’ and pointed. I think I acted like a grown up and took full responsibility. We ran to the ben
ch. The girl wasn’t moving at all. She was lying as still as a statue.”

  “Did you see her face?”

  “Oh yes. She seemed to be in pain before she died. I went to her and shook her. To my horror, she fell down on the ground, as limp as a doll. We were shocked. We screamed and people gathered around her. There was this woman with spectacles who was simply running here and there, but not doing anything helpful. I found her very irritating.”

  Geoffrey smiled, “that would be our old friend, Carla.”

  Alan turned his face towards him. “Do you know the woman? She’s a funny kind. Anyway, for some time people didn’t know what to do. Someone felt her pulse and then said she was dead. I remember standing there, shocked, thinking that I had just touched a dead body. I had never touched a dead body in my life. Someone saw me and said, ‘these kids should be taken home. They have no business staying here with so much going on.’ Someone asked me where my friends and I lived. A tall man appeared, took me by the shoulder, and said, ‘do you know your way home? Come on, I’ll take you home,’ but I didn’t want to go home just yet. I wanted to hang on and see what was going to happen, but all at once, everyone seemed to be shooing us away. They kept saying that the situation was too unpleasant for kids. I told them that I live nearby and that we didn’t need adults, but then we decided to go home.”

  Geoffrey leaned forward. “You’re a bright kid. Did you observe anything in the park that you thought was funny – like not normal? Did you see anyone approaching Michelle’s bench?”

  Alan thought for a few moments. “Not exactly, but you see, it would have been difficult; the park was crowded and everyone was running around. You asked me if I saw anything funny. Well I did see a tall man jogging with his hands in his pocket for a few moments. I remember thinking how strange, why would anyone put his hands in his pocket while jogging?”

  Geoffrey, his eyes alight, asked, “can you describe the man?”

  Alan thought again. “He was tall with a moustache and blonde hair but I can’t tell you anything else. We were so involved in our game that we hardly noticed anything else.”