Murder in Gatlinburg

by Steve Demaree

  It was almost 7:30 when we left. I looked up before I boarded and saw Harlan's longevity as our bus driver would continue. I stepped up, and after receiving no secret nod from Harlan, I walked back and took a seat. I received no other warnings, and no one attacked me. Life in Gatlinburg was on an upswing.

  37

  My plans were to go back to my room and rest. I was full. I was tired. And we would have an early wake-up call on Thursday. Of course those were my plans, but then we know what happens to the best laid plans of mice and men.

  I got on the bus first, so I took a window seat and laid back and rested my head. I looked out the window at the hustle and bustle of people having a good time on the Parkway. The trip back to Westgate didn't take long, but I still used the time to think how different my last few days had been, but then some of what had happened the last few days fit right in with my life as a detective. But I wanted to focus in on the good parts of the trip. I wondered if I had a chance if I would want to live part of my life over. The best excuse I could come up with concerning why I'd never taken a vacation was that I had no one to share it with. Of course there was Lou, but there's something different about sharing a vacation with a wife and sharing one with a male best friend. I was sure that if Eunice had lived longer she and I would have gone places and enjoyed ourselves. And I think if she had lived, Lou and Thelma Lou would be married instead of a couple who might see each other once a week, and do most of their talking on the phone instead of in person. I knew what Lou thought of Thelma Lou. That meant that either he was afraid of marriage, or he was afraid that I would have trouble adjusting to a life without him in it so much. I guess there could have been a third reason. Maybe he didn't marry Thelma Lou because he didn't want to live with the dangerous aspect of his job and not knowing if he would come home one day. I knew Lou could be serious. I wasn't sure if he could be that serious.

  +++

  Lou and I were gentlemen when we returned to Westgate, so we waited and we were the last to get off the bus. I was glad we did.

  We stepped down from the bus. Everyone in our group was hurrying off to catch a shuttle that would take them back to within a short walk to their rooms, where they could rest. I had planned to do the same, but there were two guys in suits waiting for us, one of them holding a sign that read "Cy Dekker."

  I had no idea who the guys were. Neither of them looked like a limousine driver. And I certainly wasn't expecting them to be who they turned out to be. Briefly, I considered if the whole charade was one of George's pranks. It was time to find out, but first I wanted to have a little fun at Lou's expense.

  "Lou, it looks like they didn't include you, but I'll let you ride in the limo with me."

  The guys a few feet away looked serious, so I changed to my serious face.

  "I'm Cy Dekker. And you are?"

  "I'm Lt. Curlee with the Sevier County Police Department. We have a few questions for you."

  "Is this about the murder?" I whispered, just in case anyone was still close enough to hear.

  I don't think they were expecting that answer, the way one of them turned briefly to look at the other.

  "We'll discuss it in a few minutes. We'd like to go to your room and talk privately. We have a car over here."

  Lou and I followed the other policeman to an unmarked vehicle, while Lt. Curlee brought up the rear. He didn't seem the type I could ask where Larry and Moe were.

  "I'm sorry, Mr. Dekker. I'm only interested in you right now."

  "But we're together."

  "I don't care what you do on your own time, but we just want to talk to you."

  "But his room is in the same building as mine, and we were both kind of involved with this, although I'm the one who made the calls."

  "Okay, both of you in the back, but we'll be talking to you separately."

  I gave the driver directions to the building where we were staying, and a couple of minutes later we were there. I think we even beat the shuttle. And we didn't have to walk the last hundred yards.

  "Okay. Out. And no talking until we're inside. We'll have someone else here in a few minutes."

  I was beginning to think that they weren't there for the same reason I figured they were there. I'd been a detective long enough that it looked like they thought I was the bad guy. At any rate, I did what they said. They followed me up the steps to my room. I unlocked the outside door, walked to my room and unlocked that door, too.

  I shut the door and walked over to the couch.

  "The kitchen table will do nicely. And I want you, Mr. Murdock, to remain silent until I ask you some questions."

  "Look, you guys act like I've done something wrong. I assume this is about Earl, and I'm sorry to say, but Harlan, our bus driver, is the one you need to talk to about him. He knows a lot more than I do. He's even the one who went and identified the body. At least that's what he told me."

  "I'll check on that later, Mr. Dekker. Right now I want to know what you can tell me about Agnes Trueblood."

  It took me a second to remember who Agnes Trueblood was. I still couldn't get used to calling her anything except Miss Friendly.

  "Not much. She came down on the bus with us, then seemed to disappear after the first night."

  "And did you talk to her on the way down?"

  "No. Not then. And not afterward."

  "Then how is it that you know her name, if you never talked to her?"

  That was supposed to be a secret between Harlan and me, but I doubted if Lt. Curlee would be satisfied with an answer, "That's for Harlan and I to know and for you to find out," so I told him the truth.

  "Harlan gave me a list of all the passengers. I was trying to learn everyone's name, and I had to learn hers by eliminating all the others."

  "And why were you so anxious to learn everyone's name?"

  "I was getting a little suspicious."

  He let that ride and asked another question instead.

  "And why is it that you were so interested in her?"

  "Because she was missing."

  "And did you report her missing to someone at the front desk?"

  "I sure did."

  I was proud of my answer, to let the lieutenant know what I had done.

  "And did you call back later and tell them to check for her down the hill from her room?"

  The follow-up question told me I didn't tell the lieutenant anything he didn't already know.

  "Well, I said they might check and see if she went over the balcony. I came up with that idea when I was leaning over my balcony one day. I thought maybe she fell over or was thrown off."

  "And why would anyone want to throw her off the balcony?"

  "That's what I was working on."

  "And why were you so concerned about her? After all, according to your statement, you didn't even talk to her."

  "Because I'm a retired homicide detective. So is my friend Lou here. We just retired four weeks ago. It's in my blood. And something seemed suspicious."

  "You're a what?"

  "A retired homicide detective. Just like you, only retired."

  "Well, if you are, you don't act retired."

  "That's what Lou said. He told me to leave it alone. That we were retired and on vacation."

  "But you didn't do that."

  "Some habits are hard to break."

  "And why are you here, on this particular trip?"

  "Because this is one of the gifts the department gave us when we retired."

  38

  He exchanged looks with his partner. It was as if both of them hoped their parting gifts are as good when they retire. The look lasted only a minute. He looked back at me.

  "Let's get back to being a homicide detective. Where were you a detective?"

  "Hilldale, Kentucky."

  "Never heard of it."

  "That's okay. I didn't know much about Gatlinburg until we got here. And I'd never even heard of Sevierville. I had no idea that Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg are all in S
evier county."

  He held up his hand to halt the geography lesson he didn't need.

  "Hold on a minute. Charlie, go check on these two guys. See if they're on the up and up.

  "Okay, now back to Miss Trueblood. We found her this morning. Actually, someone from security here found her, then called us. Someone had thrown her from her balcony. Only they had broken her neck before they threw her. You forgot to add the part about having her neck broken before they hoisted her over the railing."

  "Maybe it's because I wasn't there. And when I'm not there, I can't know everything that goes on. But I felt that someone might have done that to her. I assume she kept rolling until she hit the trees at the bottom."

  "She did. And why didn't you go and check on her yourself if you thought she might have been in jeopardy?"

  "I would've done that, but the people here wouldn't tell me where her room was. I found that out later after talking to one of the other members of our party. And besides, that hill is so steep I would have been afraid that if I had tried to walk down it I might have fallen all the way down the hill and broken my neck, either when I fell or when I hit those trees at a good clip. So she really is dead?"

  "As dead as they come."

  "Then you might want to know that another one of our party is missing. Went missing sometime last night or today."

  "What kind of tour group is this? Wait a minute! You wouldn't happen to be the group that had the bus driver who was murdered?"

  "One and the same. That's why I thought you wanted to talk to me. I thought you knew about our reputation and wanted to know what we knew."

  "That's what Charlie's doing now. Checking on your reputation. We'll see what he has to say. If he can find that town you say you're from, it shouldn't take him long to confirm your stellar reputation."

  As if on cue, the door opened, and Charlie walked in.

  "I talked to the Chief up there. He said to lock them up and throw away the key. Some lieutenant named George got a few laughs out of it, too."

  I wondered why George and the Chief would be at the station at night. Or maybe George was hobnobbing with the Chief at his house. Lt. Curlee interrupted my wondering.

  "Cut to the chase, Charlie. I guess you mean they're who they say they are?"

  "Not only that but they were there over thirty years and never had an unsolved murder."

  "Did they have any solved ones?"

  "Yeah, evidently they have a grumpy bunch of people up there."

  I interrupted as Charlie slammed my hometown.

  "I'm surprised they told you that. They must have really been afraid you thought we did it."

  "Let's look at it this way. We hope to have another number one suspect soon. Okay, hotshot retired detective, do you have anything that might help us solve this case?"

  "No, but you might check on the whereabouts of Inez Weddle. My guess is either she's victim number three or responsible for the first two deaths."

  "Okay, Charlie, let's go check the front desk, find out where this Weddle woman was staying. And as for you, retired detective, if you get an urge to get involved again, call me first. Here's my card."

  "Okay. And that guy named George you were talking about. I sent him a list of all the people in our group, asked him to check on them. A few of them look suspicious."

  "You did what?" Lou asked.

  "Oh, so this one can talk, too."

  "Yeah, but mainly Cy does all the talking, and I do all the work. And for the record, I had no idea he was doing all this stuff. I told him that we're retired and on vacation, and if he had anything that needed looking into, he should give you a call."

  "Smart man, you are. Keep him in line. I'd hate to spoil his vacation. And give me this George's last name. I'll call him and see if he's found out anything."

  Lou scribbled down George's name and handed it to Lt. Curlee. I had another question I wanted answered before the Tennessee lieutenant left.

  "Oh, another thing, Lieutenant. Do the names Craig Wasson and Melanie Griffith mean anything to you? And if so, what's their connection."

  "What's the name of this place where you live?"

  "Hilldale."

  "And when will they be putting in electricity?"

  "Listen. Neither Lou nor I have heard of either of them. Neither of us are interested in sports, current movies, or TV. So, I assume that these two have something to do with one of those. I've narrowed it down to movies or TV."

  "Well, at least you're using your brain for something. But you call yourself a homicide detective and you don't know their connection?"

  "That's why I asked you. And don't tell me they are famous homicide detectives."

  "They were both in the movie Body Double, as in two bodies, as in what we have so far today. Did someone leave a clue saying that?"

  "Sort of."

  "Care to explain that?"

  Lou interrupted before I could answer.

  "Lieutenant, it's nothing that will help you solve these murders."

  Curlee turned back to me.

  "Well, whatever happens, you stay out of this. You hear me. If you hear anything, or get any more clues, give me a call. You've got my card."

  +++

  They walked out and I breathed a sigh of relief as I shut the door. Lou died laughing. I was sure that back home there were a few others laughing. Part of that was soon confirmed. I received a text from George.

  Let me know when visiting day is. I'm due some time off soon. Maybe I can get a couple of familiar faces together and come see you.

  A few minutes later George called, asked if I had been released yet. He said he would tell me what he found out as long as I didn't do anything about it. I promised, although it hurt me to do so. But I was a stranger in a foreign land. I didn't know what they would do to me. George had only four tidbits for me. Jack Ripatoe had served time for assault, although it was a few years ago. Angel was raised in several foster homes, many of which she ran away from. George had no verification that she and Jack were actually brother and sister. Sylvia DuBois knew Inez's husband before she knew Inez, and Inez's husband was thought to be involved in a lot of illegal activities. And Max Huffington, had been fired twice for being a little too aggressive. He was a bouncer. One time he broke a guy's jaw. Another time he beat up a guy so bad the guy ended up spending time in the hospital. Both employers said he could have stopped after he threw the guy out, but he continued to pummel each guy, and suffered the consequences from that. I wondered if George knew if any of them knew Earl or Miss Friendly before we left Lexington, but I knew better than to ask.

  George ended the conversation by saying, "Cy, it cost us a little more to send you with this particular group, but we wanted you and Lou to feel at home. So, how many murders do you have so far?"

  "Well, I've been warned off the case, but there have been two murders so far, and Inez Weddle is missing."

  "Do you want me to send Heather and Dan to solve this case for you? All's quiet on the northern front."

  I laughed.

  "Goodbye, Cy. And stay out of jail."

  "You mean you don't have a 'get out of jail free' card for me?"

  "I do, but I don't know the number for the fax machine down there."

  "Would it work if you sent it to my phone?"

  "You mean you've learned how to use your phone?"

  "No, I hired a teenager to text for me."

  It was George's turn to laugh.

  39

  After a few minutes Lou went to his room. That gave me time to think about what I wouldn't be involved in. Was my interest in this case a way of saying I wasn't ready to retire yet? If so, I think it was a little too late for me to go back. I thought about the threat I had received. Did I really want to go back to that kind of a life? But then, I really didn't live that kind of a life in Hilldale. Seldom had I received threats, and never from someone carrying a running chainsaw.

  I looked out the door that led to the balcony. It was dark. I refrained fr
om going outside and being eaten by insects and considered my other options. There was the really comfortable leather couch, the recliner, and the bed. If I went to bed I would go to sleep, which meant I wouldn't be doing much mulling over the case I couldn't be involved in. The couch was tempting, but then it might tempt me to lie down and go to sleep where most men go to sleep at night. The recliner looked like my best bet. I didn't usually go to sleep in my recliner at home, so I could probably stay awake there if I didn't lean back too far.

  I sat down and leaned back and studied what I had, thanks to personal effort and what George had found out. As far as I knew, there were two dead people. One of those was Earl, and the other was Miss Friendly. I wondered what connection they had. I thought of calling George and asking him to check and see where Earl was from and where Miss Friendly lived, but then I thought if I did that someone might knock on the door and when I answered it Lt. Curlee would be standing there dangling a pair of handcuffs. Too bad I didn't ask George to share hometowns with me when I called him earlier.

  I thought back to when I met both of the deceased, when Lou and I left Lightning behind and traded one type of transportation for another. It was just after I spotted the guy with the limp. I tried to remember their faces. Did they look like they knew each other? I remembered that neither of them seemed to be happy at that moment, with each other or with the world, so as far as I knew that meant they could have been married. If so, they had had a whale of an argument, because she didn't sit in the seat behind him, and she did have the first choice of seats. He was the first person there, and he was murdered. She was the second person there, and she was murdered. I hoped there was no one was running around Westgate checking to see who the third person there was. Did the order in which people arrived have anything to do with the murders? If so, would I not live to regret that I should have had Lou step up onto the bus first? I tried to think of some time in my life where Lou did something that made me want to sacrifice him. All I could think of were the times when he did something that made me want to jump in front of him and take the bullet myself. I refocused on the two dead people. Just like the movie Body Double there were two bodies, a man and a woman. Was there any significance that one man and one woman were murdered, rather than two people of the same sex?