Mystery: The Isherwood Case Files (Mystery, Suspense, Crime, Murder, Detectives, Fiction, Unsolved Mysteries, Mysteries, Thriller, Intense, Drama)

by Johnny Scotland

  The airport lobby was filled to brimming, as Isherwood found his way to the arrivals area. He would sit and wait and had ten minutes to spare. Opening his newspaper, he absorbed the headlines but found himself peering toward the arrivals gate at regular intervals. His sister had phoned and was on the warpath. Thus, he had to assure her that he was already installed and waiting for Steve at the appropriate gate and that everything would be okay. Thinking about Steve, he had always been a troublesome child and Isherwood wasn't cherishing the idea of having his company 24 hours a day for the next week. The child seemed to be hyperactive and according to his sister, always doing things that he shouldn't.

  When people started to flood through the arrivals hall, Isherwood was quick to find the lad, easy to recognize and casually dressed in shorts that seemed to go down past his knees. He knew this to be a fashion, though was not keen on the Simpson style of dress. As he walked toward Steve and grabbed his suitcase, something happened that he was not expecting. A short way back from where Steve was standing, stood a man whose face was familiar to Isherwood. He sat on the seats outside the arrivals hall with Steve. “Stay here for a moment.” he said as he opened his newspaper and peered at the face of the man in the distance. Sure enough, the face was Willy Butler, a man who had evaded being caught over 15 years ago in the U.K. Isherwood didn't want the man to recognize him and kept his paper suitably posed. “Who is it?” asked an inquisitive Steve.

  “It's a very bad man that I need to watch for a moment.” said Isherwood.

  Steve was kind of excited at the prospect and when the man took a seat in the arrivals area to gather up all of his luggage, the opportunity seemed too good to miss. “Do you use that skateboard indoors?” he asked Steve. “I am champion” boasted the boy.

  “It I told you to skateboard past that man over there and try to see the name on the tags on his luggage, would you be able to do that?”

  “For a fiver” said Steve. Isherwood could see that this week may be costlier than he thought, and as the boy whizzed off across the floor, Isherwood turned the other way. It was a matter of seconds before he was back with the information. By the time that Isherwood turned around, the man had gone.

  “Your first police work in America!” he exclaimed and Steve seemed pretty pleased with himself. “I got his name and a bit of his address from the labels.” boasted Steve, writing this down for his uncle. “That's got to be worth more than a fiver.”

  Isherwood handed the boy his first American banknotes and although this was worth less than a fiver, the boy seemed satisfied. The piece of paper in Isherwood's hand may spell the end of the vacation, but it may also save many lives. He had to know where the guy had started his journey, though that was pretty simple. Steve's flight had come via New York and asking for the passenger list wasn't beyond the bounds of possibility given his new status as a Detective Inspector of the Los Angeles Police Department.

  Chapter 2 – Familiarity Breeds Contempt

  “Admiration and familiarity are strangers.”

  George Sand

  “I thought you were on vacation.” said Charley, looking up from his desk and seeing Isherwood and his nephew entering the office.

  “I thought I was too.” said Isherwood, “until this guy crossed my path. If he is staying here, we are in for a very busy time of it.” He passed the name and address to Charley.

  “He flew in on the same plane as my nephew, from New York, and I need to find out whether he's a known person in New York and whether he has a residence here. In fact. I need to know as much as I can about the guy.”

  Charley wasn't as quick as Robert was with the computer, though he did find a little information on the guy. “A few parking fines in New York.” he says, but that's all I have got. The guy lives in New York, so is probably just visiting.”

  “What about wife? Can you find out what you can about whether this guy has a wife?”

  “Okay, leave it with me. Now take off and have your vacation!” instructed Charley, knowing that Isherwood had merited this vacation and needed it to recharge his batteries. He'd been emptying out the cold case area of the office and was sending Charley and Robert in all directions trying to solve a few of the coldest cases they had. Charley had been looking forward to a break.

  “Okay” said Isherwood, “but keep me informed on all information concerning this guy. When he turns up on the scene, so do dead bodies. The guys at Scotland Yard almost nailed him but he managed to get away. I know his MO and if he has a wife who is a marriage guidance counselor, then he's still in business.”

  Charley looked puzzled but noted what Isherwood was saying.

  “I will explain it all when you get more information.” he said as he led Steve out toward the Los Angeles streets where the sun was blazing and the vacation atmosphere was just beginning to feel tempting. “You want an ice cream?” he asked Steve. Steve gave him a very frustrated look.

  “You think I'm still a little kid?” he asked “Kids go for ice creams.”

  “Then you haven't experienced an American ice cream.” explained Isherwood. “They are for serious eaters!”

  The same old familiar story was following this crook right the way across the world. When Charley telephoned, Isherwood knew he was back in business. Calling himself Maurice Long this time, he had apparently come here to live with his wife Charlene who was indeed a marriage guidance counselor. Isherwood thanked Charley for the information. At least he would need time to settle in before starting back up in business. He knew where Long was and he knew that he would need to talk to the New York cops to find what trail of destruction the guy had left behind him.

  There was a taste in Isherwood's mouth of past history catching up. He didn't like the fact that he was not allowed in on this particularly nasty case, because the detective who was in charge didn't particularly like Isherwood. However, that was past history. This was here and now and Isherwood's chance to crack a case that had been going on for years.

  He felt a contempt for the guy. He and his wife had preyed on vulnerable people at a time of desperation, offering them hope and happy ever after. It was too tempting for many to ignore and even though these were basically decent people, they had allowed greed to fuel their dealings with Long. He was good at persuasion, but he was better at killing and covering his tracks.

  The cover that he used was very cleverly disguised. Taking over an insurance brokerage in a specific area, he would take out the policies with different companies, and no one would notice because of the volume of other insurances that the guy arranged. His record for selling insurance was second to none, but Isherwood knew that his record for killing would easily be classified as being serial.

  Chapter 3 – The Trail of Bodies

  “Men should think twice before making widowhood women's only path to power.”

  Gloria Steinem

  It was quite a sensible idea for Isherwood to get in touch with New York. By cross checking against cases of unexplained murder and the records of the Long's marriage counselor wife, the police were able to distinguish a pattern that they were not otherwise aware of. When New York rang through, Isherwood was expecting the call. They may not have to wait until Maurice Long struck again. Isherwood watched as his nephew tucked into his ice cream. He as a strange kid, showing an interest in everything around him. He had said that he was excited about spending time with Los Angeles cops and Isherwood telephoned in to Charley to see if a ride could be had by the boy with a regular patrol.

  As Steve licked the last bit of ice cream from his spoon, the squad car pulled up in front of the ice cream parlor, much to Steve's excitement. Isherwood walked him toward the car and explained to the cops that he would pick him up at the station at the end of their shift.

  “Don't let him get into any kind of trouble.” he explained, knowing that he would have a lot of explaining to do if anything happened. They assured him and as they drove away, he could see the smile on his nephew's face at the thought of being a re
gular cop for the day.

  Now it was time to tally the numbers from New York and Charley had been receiving information and was amazed at the amount of evidence that was piling up against Maurice Long. There had been at least a dozen murders in New York city which could be linked with Maurice, but Isherwood was also aware of what a slippery character Long was. They had indeed arrested him at one point in the United Kingdom, but he had managed to escape through the net because of lack of evidence. This time, he was sure that wouldn't be the case.

  He dialled New York and was put through to the homicide department.

  “Thanks for all the information.” he said to the detective at the other end. “The problem is that we need more than that to put the guy behind bars.”

  Kevin Myers had been appointed to the case by his Chief and was happy to work with Isherwood as his reputation was well known. In fact, it had been a choice when he came to America of either New York or Los Angeles and Isherwood had made the choice of LA.

  “What can I get you?” he asked.

  “We need to link the deaths with cash sums received from insurance companies and then we need you to round up all of the spouses. They had a part in this too and it's only a matter of breaking their silence to get this man behind bars. Perhaps if you use plea bargaining on one of the sorriest sods, you can get him to confess.”

  “I can do that.” said Myers. “In fact, I already have all the information at hand. I just need to get the arrests made but may need you to fill me in on the history.”

  “That's fairly simple. Long and his wife prey on people with broken lives. They watch for marriages which have reached crisis point. Long sells the insurance, the aggrieved spouse give him half in exchange for disposal of his marital problem.”

  “That's what I thought, reading between the lines.” said Myers.

  “Do you need me there to help?” asked Isherwood.

  “That would be great if you could, but you'll no doubt have to clear it with your Chief.”

  After the call, Isherwood made his way to the Chief's office. This was an important case. The man had murdered about 12 people in the UK that were known about. New York was only one other stopping off point and who knows, there may have been more countries involved during the past 15 years. The man hadn't changed much. Isherwood had recognized the face straight away. He explained to the chief what the scam was and asked if he could go to New York and help with the questioning of the spouses.

  “I suppose you think you can go on holiday any time you want!” exclaimed the chief, though he knew that the crime was a serious one and if the man wasn't stopped, it would only be a matter of time before he struck in LA.”

  Chapter 4 – New York, New York

  “What strange phenomena we find in a great city, all we need do is stroll about with our eyes open. Life swarms with innocent monsters.”

  Charles Baudelaire

  Isherwood had never really approved of inland flights because of the amount of fuel used, but knew that he had no alternative but to fly. He had Steve to worry about and he had no time on his hands to drive out there. A flight of just over six hours made sense. Before booking, he had to make sure that Steve had somewhere to stay. Robert had offered, and he didn't like taking advantage of a friend, but knew that he had to get this man arrested.

  “I am sorry Robert. Are you sure it's not an imposition?” he asked.

  “Not at all buddy. He will be good company for my kids.”

  Running his nephew over to Roberts, he made sure that he was early for the plane. He hated rushing through an airport and this gave him time to reflect on his plan of action. If the cops in New York couldn't break any of these people, he would. He knew people's weak spots and it would be simple to choose the most likely to break and to offer him a deal. It was strange how this legal system in the United States that he loathed and detested provided him with the means to gain answers. For once he understood the plea bargaining aspect of American law.

  It was early in the morning when he arrived and Isherwood was met at the airport and driven to his hotel. Sleeping on the plane had been nearly impossible, and Isherwood lay on his hotel bed and dozed off, having set his alarm for 9 o'clock. He was due to meet Myers at 10 and that gave him adequate time to catch a little rest before starting work on the case.

  When the alarm went, he found himself in unfamiliar surroundings and had to shower to freshen himself. There would be a good chance that he would be interviewing today and he wanted to be at his sharpest. The cab which took him to the NYPD building hastily swerved in and out of traffic and Isherwood was glad that he hadn't chosen to live here. The streets were too busy. There was too much confusion and as he got out of the cab, he felt dizzy with the motion the cab had taken.

  Myers was fast to introduce himself and took Isherwood into his office, where the details of the murders had been collated. These cases looked like they followed the same set pattern. Different insurance companies had been used, but the link was there. Marriages were in trouble. People had been questioned at the time of the murders, but the connection was never made. Now it was, and it was time to stir up a hornet's nest.

  “We have a pile of people to interview.” Myers exclaimed. Isherwood had relied upon these interviews, but he realised that his heart was with the LA department and wondered how long it would be before Long set up in business in LA. He telephoned Charley.

  “We need an undercover couple to visit Mrs. Long's marriage counseling service.” he said. “They need to be convincing. The man must show that he's at the end of his rope.” he explained. Then we can wait for the approach of Long. We may be able to get this guy before anything happens in LA, but we should be keeping an eye on his activity there, while I am away.”

  Charley understood the importance of this operation and spoke with the Chief, agreeing on undercover cops to use. He phoned confirmation through to Isherwood.

  “So who have we got to interview?” asked Isherwood.

  Myers handed him a printout with names and the amount of money that each had inherited upon the death of their spouse. Long would have made plenty of money out of this, since he always went halves on the insurance money with the spouse of the deceased. That's why he managed to live in the style he did. Isherwood had noticed the expensive suit that he had worn at the airport, and his taste had always been a little different from that which one would associate with an insurance agent.

  Myers poured a coffee.

  “We have our work cut out for us. This guy is one clever son of a bitch.” he said as they headed toward the interview rooms.

  Chapter 5 – The Interviews

  “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”

  Marcus Aurelius

  Isherwood looked across the table at the first man. His wife had been stabbed to death on her way home from the theater. There had been a thorough investigation, though no one had been found to have the motive to kill. Her husband was just an average looking guy, but Isherwood was going to be careful how he handled this case. After all, he only had 12 chances and it only took one of them to blow the whole story. He just needed to know which one.

  He looked the man in the eye.

  “I understand that you lost your wife last year.” he said.

  The man looked straight back into his face with little remorse.

  “Yes, I did.” he said.

  “Can you tell me what it felt like when you were told that she was dead?”

  The man seemed a little surprised by the question. It wasn't a trick question, but it was one that made the man a little uncomfortable in his seat. Isherwood knew the signs, He knew all the body language which tells you if someone is lying. He would use this to discover the best witness and then go in for the kill. In effect, whoever confessed was also confessing to their part in a murder and that needed concentrated effort on Isherwood's part.

  “I felt empty and hollow.” said the man as if the words had
been practised a thousand times.

  “Can you tell me who stood to gain from her death?” he asked.

  “No one gains from the death of woman like her.” said the man. “She didn't deserve it and if I ever find out who did it, I will kill them.”

  It was a convincing lie, but Isherwood thought how ironic it was that he was interviewing someone who had sanctioned the killing of his wife and that the man was not aware of anyone being at all suspicious.

  “When did you first meet Maurice Long?” he asked.

  The man's face looked from right to left. There was definitely a sense of discomfort when Long's name was mentioned, though he knew that this man wouldn't be the one to tell the grim tale that would put Long away for the rest of his life.