by Jerold Last
“I spoke to both Inge and Willard separately, and neither of them heard what the other one said to me. You’ve trained me well as a detective. Willard was a bit more reserved than Inge was. He told me that his sex life, and in fact his love life as a whole, is none of my business. He did tell me, however, that he sees Inge as his sister-in-law, and nothing more. He also confirmed Inge’s story about her relationship with Raymond and the rules that governed their marriage. And that’s about all I got out of the two of them.”
I reached out and took her hand. “What’s your gut reaction? Do you think either one of them was capable of murdering Raymond? Or that they did?”
She squeezed my hand back. “Are they capable of premeditated murder for profit? I’d say Yes on Inge, No on Willard. Do I think either of them killed Raymond? I’d say No to both.”
I relaxed back and turned to look directly at Vincent. “Did you learn anything I should know about, Vincent?”
He looked pretty pleased with himself. “Yes, I think the gossip part was the most juicy.”
Clearly he wanted some encouragement. That was a small price to pay for a clue or two.
“What juicy tidbits would you like to share?”
“Everyone at the party had an escort. The custom in this group seems to be that the escorts wander around during the party looking for connections to future movies, so nobody could possibly give anyone else an alibi for the time frame the murder is supposed to have occurred in. All of the women were wearing the tightest dresses they could squeeze into, so none of them could possibly have hidden a gun on their bodies. Of course, they could have hidden a gun someplace upstairs before the party, so we can’t rule out that any of them could have been the killer. The men could have carried guns; nobody looked for bulges under the jackets or under the cummerbunds, so we can’t rule any of them out either.
“Now we can share the gossip. Let’s see. Raymond and Inge had an open marriage, so at one time or another every possible combination and permutation of conjugation between either of them and each of our eight suspects is thought to have taken place. Two or three of these allegations came from more than one source, so are more plausible. Willard was quite jealous of Raymond’s success, but had an easy life and didn’t have to do much to maintain it, so probably didn’t have any obvious motive for killing his brother. Voluptia Vasquez was just OK as an actress, but probably will become a star anyway because of her great body, her loose morals, and because she was perfectly cast in Raymond’s movie where she basically plays herself. Raymond seemed to be getting tired of her as a playmate, and was making some moves on a couple of other starlets on the movie set. Voluptia’s agent, Harvey Schwartz, likes to gamble and spent a few weekends with his client in Las Vegas. Willard might also have gotten to know Voluptia in the carnal sense, but that’s just a rumor for now. Another juicy rumor had Voluptia and Inge together as a couple in Las Vegas and Reno for a couple of long weekends.”
“You did a good job, Vincent. Excuse me for a few minutes while I make some phone calls. I may have this murder solved.”
Fifteen minutes later I was back with Vincent. “We’ve got motive and opportunity locked up. Let’s see if we can prove means. Here’s what I want you to do next. Find the key grip whose name and address are on this piece of paper and ask him whether he’s made a suppressor that would fit on a 9mm pistol as a movie prop or as the real thing for anyone in the last six months or so. If he has, get the name of who requested it. Call me as soon as you find out, please. I’ll be at home.”
I’d been home for half an hour when Vincent called. “You were right, Roger. I don’t really think I have to tell you who, do I?”
“No, but get it in writing so I can get that nice fat juicy bonus from our client. If it’s OK with our client, we can meet over at her house tonight after dinner, say 9:30. I’ll make all the arrangements.”
Chapter V.Crime does not pay
It was time. Everyone I had called had agreed to come and was there in Inge's living room, sitting on one of the comfortable chairs or the couch. Going around the circle we had Vincent, Inge, Willard, Suzanne, The Beverly Hills police chief (whose name was Peck), and me. Inge and Willard had been told that it was time for me to deliver a progress report to my client, while Chief Peck was invited on the basis of our investigation having turned up some new information that should be shared with the police. I cleared my throat and began speaking.
"I asked all of you to this meeting so we could share some new information, which has led me to a theory of who killed Raymond Butler and why. Inge, you're the client and deserve to hear this first. Chief Peck, you're here because eventually we're going to need a policeman to arrest the killer, and your Detective Murphy is barely intelligent enough to tie his shoelaces much less deal with a high profile murder case like this one. Vincent and Suzanne worked with me on this case and Willard lives here, so they got invited.
"To start things off, I have a couple of questions for the Chief. I assume you had your men perform a thorough search for the murder weapon in the house and on the grounds, so the killer couldn't have left it behind after they used it. Is that correct?"
"Yes, it is. That's standard procedure in a case like this."
"Then we can conclude that the killer had to be a man. All of the women were wearing the type of gown that would not have allowed them to conceal anything as large as a 9mm pistol under it without detection, or even hide a gun that large in a small evening purse. My second question is can I also assume that you looked for a suppressor and couldn't find one?"
"Yes, you can."
"That's another item that would have been challenging to hide under a tight gown. It's possible, but not too likely. So we have a killer, almost certainly male, who walked out of here carrying a pistol and a silencer and was able to get away with his big gamble. Obviously our killer was a risk taker.
"Chief Peck, I know that suppressors are illegal in California under state law and can't be bought legally here in the State even though they are legal in most of the rest of the United States. I had Vincent check with one of the craftsmen on the movie set whether he had custom made one for someone thinking it was being made as a movie prop. He had. I suspect that if you could get a search warrant you could find the suppressor, and maybe even the gun, in my suspect's house. I think our information will be enough to get a judge to sign a search warrant for you. Here's the name of our suspect," I said, passing him a folded sheet of paper.
The Chief made a call on his cell phone, carefully lowering his voice so he couldn't be heard by anyone else in the room.
"OK, that's started. We should have a warrant ready to go and be searching in less than an hour. That should do it for means. How about opportunity and motive?"
"Opportunity is easy. He was one of the guests at the party. There must be more than 50 people who saw him there. Vincent suggested the motive early on in our investigation. Do you remember what you said, Vincent?"
"I said that most murders are done for profit or passion. Roger checked out profit while I focused on passion. Roger seems to have solved the murder, so my guess is profit."
"There are two big clues and an assumption or two here. Vincent found out that Harvey Schwartz is a gambler. I suspect that you'll find out that he was deeply in debt to the Las Vegas Casinos, and needed the money to pay off his gambling debts. I have copies of the contracts for everyone in the movie. Harvey stood to make $50,000 as soon as the movie was completed as his 10% commission on Voluptia Velez's $500,000 salary. I assume he didn't get anything if she didn't get paid that salary as the studio was just paying her expenses until the film was completed. I assume you'll find someone who'll tell you that Raymond was ready to fire Voluptia from the movie because she wasn't good enough, either on screen or in bed. Willard, do you have any insights to share on this question?"
"You are exactly correct. He planned to fire her immediately after the party. I guess he must have told Harvey about it earlier in the day as a co
urtesy and paid the price. But how did you figure all of that out just by looking at a movie contract?"
"It was simple. If instead of asking who profited by Raymond's death I turned the question around and asked who stood to lose if he didn't get killed, the answer was right there when I read the contract."
Just then the phone in the Chief's pocket rang. He listened silently for a minute or two, thanked the caller, and closed the phone.
"That was the detective who searched Harvey's house. They found the pistol and the suppressor on a shelf in a closet. I think we've got an open and shut case here."
Inge stood up and walked to a table in the corner of the room.
"I think I owe you a bonus, Roger. I'll give you your check now. Send me a bill for the expenses and your daily charges."
Willard had been lost in thought for a long time. Then he asked, "Did you ever suspect me?"
"Of course not," Suzanne replied. "Having the Butler do it would have been too corny, even for Hollywood!"
-------------------------------The End--------------------------------
Story3.INTRODUCTION---THE BODY IN THE PARKING STRUCTURE
“The Body in the Parking Structure” was written right after “Someone Did It To The Butler”. It gave me a chance to experiment a little more with a modernized version of the classic California mystery, once again using the pulp magazine style. At a little under 12,000 words in length, it is another novelette, but about 50% longer than the earlier story. The extra 4,000 words allow for a lot more plot development and to have several more scenes in the narrative. Once again, the detectives are Roger, Suzanne, Bruce the Nanny, and Vincent Romero. Bruce and Vincent get involved a lot more in the detecting than they did in “Someone Did It To The Butler”. This time, the body of the title is Eugenio Vasquez, a biochemist from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, a scientist Roger and Suzanne had met previously in Lima, Peru during their search for “The Surreal Killer”. There’s that South American connection once again! Suzanne discovers his dead body in the parking garage next to the Medical School at UCLA. What’s he doing in Los Angeles? That’s the key question our heroes have to answer before they can solve the killing.
The police treat the killing as just another drug deal gone bad. It remains for Roger, Suzanne, and his team to investigate the murder. The clues they find seem to be linked to a small biotechnology company and a new anti-cancer drug they are developing. The plot’s details are all scientifically sound. I worked for a couple of years for a pharmaceutical company before starting my long-term scientific career in academics, so know a little about the industry’s approach and a whole lot about what goes on in the laboratory. Suzanne and Vincent also have expertise in this area, so they wouldn’t let me make any major mistakes. The reader of this fast-paced novelette is off on a whirlwind tour of Los Angeles and Westwood in search of answers to the mystery.
A fellow mystery writer I met on Facebook, Wayne Zurl, author of the popular Sam Jenkins series, observed that Suzanne was misnamed. He suggested renaming her “Jinx”, because she seems to trip over dead bodies far more often than the average detective’s wife. “The Body in the Parking Structure” is one of the stories where she finds a body, which starts putting events in motion. Join us in Westwood, Beverly Hills, and Los Angeles. The clues are all here: Can you figure out whodunit before Roger does?
The Body In the Parking Structure
By Jerold Last
All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2012 © Jerold Last
Cover art copyright 2012 © Caitlin Harley
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As usual, my wife Elaine made several useful suggestions and constructive criticisms, as well as helping with editing several drafts of the manuscript. She also invented the character of “Bruce”, who was destined to become a regular participant in this series. Special thanks go to Caitlin Harley for designing and creating the cover for this story in book form.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1. Suzanne finds the body
Chapter 2. The next day
Chapter 3. The following day
Chapter 4. The fourth day
Chapter 5. The last day
Notes_from_the_author
Chapter 1. Suzanne finds the body
For the first time since we had met, Suzanne discovered a dead body without me being there. She was collecting her car at twilight from the UCLA parking structure after a quick trip to the laboratory to change the samples on a DNA sequencer. The structure seemed to be deserted except for her and a large lump lying lifeless between her car and the garage wall. She called 911 to report the body then called me.
The police and I arrived at the garage at about the same time. While she was waiting for us, Suzanne took a closer look at the corpse and got her second shock of the night. She not only counted at least five bullet holes in the body but she also recognized the victim from one of our previous cases. It was Eugenio Vasquez, a biochemist from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, who we had met the previous year in Lima, Peru. We had spent a pleasant afternoon with him and his cousin Rogelio, at a couple of museums, eating ceviche for our first time and drinking Peruvian beer.
The responding police officers took her name, address, asked about her reason for being there, and checked her car registration. Suzanne was asked to stay out of the way and wait for the detectives to question her. I identified myself as her husband and a former LA Police Department homicide detective who had just arrived on the scene. They were OK with me keeping her company while we waited for the detectives to arrive.
The first chance we had to be alone Suzanne slumped against me, using my body to support her, and very quietly brought me up to date.
"Eugenio had a slip of paper in his pocket with my name and UCLA address on it. The same slip of paper also had the name of a small local Biotech company, Plantacur, on it."
I asked her how she knew this.
She admitted to having gone through his pockets after recognizing the body during the time before the police arrived.
"I was working with RNA in the lab, so had a few pairs of plastic gloves in my pockets. I couldn't have left any fingerprints or DNA on Eugenio's body or the note, so I put the note back in his pocket. Do you remember who Professor Vasquez was, Roger? We met him in Lima last year."
"Yes, I remember him from our day at the Incan Museum. He studied in Australia so was fluent in English and told a lot of Foster Beer jokes. I liked him, both as a person and because most of the locals didn't speak English, so I hung out with him a lot that first day. Do you remember what he did at the university in Santa Cruz?"
"He was what we call an Ethnobotanist. He studied local exotic plant species that the Shamans and Curanderos from the indigenous tribes used for curing local diseases as possible sources of new and novel drugs for the developed world. I wonder if that's his link to either me or to Plantacur. All of this raises the question of what should I tell the police when they question me."
"They're going to find your name in his pocket. So, you answer all of their questions truthfully, but don't volunteer any additional information. You don't have any idea why he had your name in his pocket and you don't think you've ever heard of Plantacur. Tell them anything you remember from that day in Lima, but they don't have to know you were there for anything other than a scientific meeting where you were an invited speaker."
The detectives arrived and quickly separated us and started questioning Suzanne. They treated her politely as a witness rather than as a suspect and finished with her after less than 20 minutes. We drove home in two cars and got busy with our normal routines, Suzanne feeding Robert, our 9 month old son, and bathing him while I started cooking dinner for Suzanne, Robert's nanny Bruce, and me.
Over our very late dinner served at 10:30 PM, the normal time for supper in South America but not for us in California, the main topic of discussion was tonight's murder. Suzanne described finding the body for Bruce's benefit. The questioning by the detectives was perfunctory at b
est. They confirmed that she was a Professor at UCLA, that she sometimes stayed late or returned to the lab from our nearby house, and that she always parked her car in the parking structure when she was at work. She had met the victim casually a year earlier at a scientific meeting in Peru. That was it. She frowned and fiddled with her food.