Celilo's Shadow

by Wilcox, Valerie

  ***

  Interview Room #2 – Ellie Matthews Conrad

  Detective Rycoff asked Ellie Matthews the same question in Interview Room #2.

  “If I knew I’d tell you,” Ellie said.

  “You’re sure about that?”

  She stiffened. “Of course. I don’t lie.”

  “No? Maybe shading the truth is more accurate. You came in here today pretending to be someone you’re not. Someone who wears a Timex instead of a Rolex. Someone who shops at Penney’s instead of Neiman Marcus.”

  She arched an eyebrow.

  “Don’t look surprised. I may be a small-town cop, but I’ve heard of Neiman Marcus. And Tiffany’s. Even Gucci and Prada. The point is, you’ve taken pains to hide your upper-class background. It makes me wonder what else you’re hiding—like knowing the identity of our second victim.”

  “Look,” she said, resting her hands on the table. I thought if I didn’t come off as some wealthy dowager from New York City, whatever I had to say today would be better received. I’m terribly sorry if I misjudged the situation. You have to believe me, I didn’t know anyone besides Tony had been killed.” She paused as if something else had just occurred to her. “There were people killed that day from the dynamite blast. The remains could’ve been one of them.”

  “No, all of the injured and those killed by the blast were accounted for shortly after the incident.”

  “Well, then, maybe the woman was Tony’s secretary, Mildred Simmons. I never saw her after the explosion.”

  “That’s what—” A knock at the interview door interrupted whatever he was about to say. Detective Rycoff turned off the recording devices as a young woman entered the room. She bent over and whispered something in his ear.

  “Excuse me,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

  ***

  Interview Room #1 - Dessa

  Detective Burroughs eyed Dessa closely, waiting for her to respond.

  “You can repeat the question all day long if you want, but my answer will always be the same. I have no idea who this female victim is that you’re talking about.”

  “Okay, Dessa, let’s set that issue aside for a moment. “Tell me more about Danny Longstreet and Sam Matthews. You indicated that they both had reason to kill Rossi for what he’d done to Ellie, but she was the one who actually pulled it off.”

  I nodded.

  “And then she enlisted you to cover up the murder, along with Danny and his mother. That about right?”

  “Not exactly. Ellie never asked us to do anything. We all decided to protect her. I promised that I’d never tell anyone what really happened and didn’t for almost sixty years—until today.”

  “Why now?” he asked.

  “Because when I heard that Danny had been arrested for Tony’s murder, I couldn’t keep silent any longer. He didn’t kill Tony but he will do anything to protect Ellie, including taking the fall for her.”

  “Danny Longstreet has confessed and is sitting in jail as we speak.”

  “Like I said, he’s still protecting Ellie after all these years.”

  “But you’re no longer protecting her,” Burroughs said.

  I sighed wearily. “It wasn’t just loyalty to a friend that kept me from talking until now. I may have been only fourteen, but I understood that my actions made me an accessory to a crime and I was scared. I don’t know what the statute of limitations is, but I’m relieved to finally get the truth out, no matter what the consequences are. The whole thing has been a tremendous burden.”

  At a knock at the door, Burroughs turned off the video and recorder. A young woman came into the room and whispered something in the detective’s ear. “Excuse me,” he said, pushing his chair away from the table. “I’ll be back shortly.”

  ***

  Interview Room #2 - Ellie

  Half an hour later, Detective Rycoff entered the interview room where Ellie had been waiting. He carried a file folder and a plastic bag with a pistol inside and set them on the table. He pushed the plastic-encased weapon closer to her. “Recognize it?” he asked.

  Her face blanched. “It looks a lot like my father’s gun,” she said in a shaky voice.

  “A Smith & Wesson .38 revolver with a J frame,” he said. “A little heavy for a young girl, but it has excellent trigger pull. We found it buried with the victims.”

  “I don’t know anything about what happened to the gun.”

  Burroughs smile was without warmth. “You just killed the man with it, right?”

  She heaved a shoulder-racking sigh. “How many times do I have to say it? Yes, I killed Tony Rossi.”

  The detective tapped the plastic bag. “With this revolver?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then care to explain why it still has all its bullets intact?”

  She looked at the weapon again and then searched Rycoff’s face. “What?”

  “The ballistics report confirms that the slugs discovered near the gravesite do not match the .38.”

  “But that means . . .”

  “You did not kill Tony Rossi. At least not with this weapon.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Who are you protecting?”

  “I’m not protecting anyone.”

  Rycoff opened the folder he’d placed on the table earlier and flipped through a few pages. Closing the folder, he said, “We know who the female victim is now.”

  “Mildred?”

  He shook his head. “No, Mildred Simmons lived to the ripe old age of ninety-eight. She was well-known around these parts for her generous charitable contributions, primarily to shelters for abused women. She was also quite successful as the owner and proprietor of Baker Bluff Resort and Spa.”

  Ellie thought a moment about what he’d said. “Hillcrest Development was a hotbed for gossip back then. When Tony disappeared, I heard that everyone thought he left town because he was involved in a major real estate scam involving the purchase of Baker Bluff. We never talked about it and I’m not sure to this day whether my father ever knew what really happened to Tony.”

  Rycoff said, “The rights to Baker Bluff were signed over to Mildred Simmons by Clarice Nestor on the same day that the reburial incident occurred. Warren had already been arrested for the murder of Nick Rossi but he put the blame on her. A warrant for her arrest had been issued but she was never seen after she sold the property to Mildred. She’s the second victim discovered at the river.”

  “How do you know for sure? DNA?”

  “Something a little less sophisticated.” Detective Rycoff stood and picked up the folder and bagged weapon. “I think you need to hear something.” He took her by the arm and led her down the hallway to a second interview room like the one they’d left. They stopped outside a two-way mirror. “Do you know her?” he asked, gesturing to the woman sitting at a table inside the room.

  “No.”

  “She hasn’t aged as well as you, but surely you remember your old friend.”

  Ellie studied the woman. Although she was sitting down, she appeared short and stubby, especially around the hips. She was wrinkled like a wadded-up newspaper and her short hair was dyed a hideous orange. “It can’t be! Is that Dessa? Odessa Feldman? What is she doing here?”

  “Same as you. She came in to tell us what she believes happened during the summer of 1956 when Tony Rossi was murdered.”

  “And?”

  “She confirms that you killed Tony Rossi, not Danny Longstreet.”

  “Good. Now you have to believe me.”

  When a dete
ctive entered the interview room, Rycoff activated the audio system. “That’s Detective Burroughs. Let’s take a listen to what your old friend tells him.”

  Interview Room #1 - Dessa

  “You’ve told me a fascinating story today,” Detective Burroughs said. “The problem is that there’s a huge hole in it.”

  She set the glass down that she’d been sipping from. “What hole?”

  “The weapon found at the gravesite doesn’t match the ballistics report.”

  “What are you implying?”

  “I’m not implying anything,” said Burroughs. “I’m coming right out and saying it.” The detective leaned over the table and stared at her, a steely-eyed, no-nonsense expression etched on his youthful face. “Ellie Matthews didn’t shoot Tony Rossi. You did.”

  She shook her head vigorously. “That’s absurd. I had no reason to kill the man. I was only a kid back then.”

  “So was Ellie.”

  “But Tony raped her.”

  “By your own admission, no one liked you much. You were thrilled when Ellie seemed willing to be your friend. If you killed her attacker, then she might think of you as not only a friend, but a best friend. Kids have killed for less.”

  “You’re wrong! I don’t know why you’re accusing me, but if Sam Matthews’ gun wasn’t the murder weapon, then perhaps . . .” She ran a hand through her colorful hair. “Yes, that has to be it.” She leaned back in the chair with a satisfied grin. “The gun I saw in Ellie’s hand must have belonged to Danny. He took it away from her after the shooting.”

  “What about Clarice Nestor?”

  “What about her?”

  “She’s been identified as the other murder victim but the slug we found embedded in her skull matches the slug in Tony’s rib cage. Did Ellie kill her with Danny’s gun, too?”

  Dessa didn’t respond, confusion stamped on her wrinkled face.

  “I . . . I don’t know what you mean.”

  Remember my partner, Detective Templeton? He had to skip your interview because of a new development in the case.” He slid a folder across the table. “Here’s what he found.”

  “What is it?”

  “Read it. I think it will clear up your confusion.”

  Outside the interview room, Detective Rycoff handed Ellie a similar folder. “Mildred Simmons’ attorney has held an envelope in his safe ever since her death ten years ago,” Rycoff explained. The attorney said he’d been instructed not to open it unless the Baker Bluff property was ever placed on the market. And since it’s just been listed for sale, he opened the envelope and found this letter. When he read what was inside, he contacted Detective Templeton.”

  “What does it say?”

  “Read it for yourself, Ellie.”

  Chapter Fifty

  To Whom It May Concern,

  If you’re reading this letter, then the Baker Bluff property has been listed for sale. It was my intention that the property should always be used as a retreat for battered women. I’ve been offered a lot of money over the years to sell the property, which I refused to do, no matter how much it increased in value. I left specific instructions in this regard when I willed the property to Odessa Feldman. She assured me that she believed in my vision and would keep that vision intact after my death.

  Since the property has been placed on the market, it’s more than likely that the new owners will have some other purpose in mind for Baker Bluff. Therefore, I’ve instructed my attorney to file suit on behalf of the women’s retreat if the sale results in its dissolution. Funds have been set aside for this possibility.

  In any case, I always wanted the truth revealed about how I came to own Baker Bluff. I’m aware that some people in town have long suspected that there was something fishy about the deal. If they’re still around when this letter is discovered, they will probably nod and say, “I always knew that woman was no good.” I leave it to you to judge whether they are right.

  The first thing you should know is that I killed Antonio Rossi. It wasn’t something that I’d planned to do. In fact, it was the last thing I ever thought would happen. My husband was a mean drunk who abused me for years until his liver finally gave out. I was broke and desperate when Tony gave me a job. It’s true that he was a little rough around the edges and didn’t always treat me with respect, but there is no denying that he was a super salesman. I could’ve been happy working for him for the rest of my life. That all changed when he met Clarice Nestor.

  Tony had been skimming the top off the commissions he owed his uncle and getting nowhere fast until Clarice came along. She concocted a real estate scheme called the Destiny Group which prospered beyond our wildest expectations. Tony was on the fast track to making his dreams come true. As it turned out, I was the one who wound up living the dream.

  I never liked or trusted Clarice and only joined in her real estate schemes because of my loyalty to Tony. It didn’t take me long to realize that I had to look out for myself and I did. I think she planned to double-cross Tony from the get-go. She just upped her time table after she murdered his cousin Nick.

  We went to the reburial ceremony for the Indians because that is where she said she’d be. Our plan was to present her with an offer to buy Baker Bluff with the funds I’d secretly embezzled from the Destiny Group. We had just arrived at the new cemetery when we were accosted by Sam Matthews. When Uncle Sol claimed that an FBI man was gunning for Tony, I thought he was bluffing. I’d already paid off Sheriff Pritchard for what he knew about Nick Rossi’s murder and he’d left for parts unknown. I’d also made sure nothing could be traced back to us regarding the Destiny Group. I was shocked when Matthews pointed his gun at Tony and accused him of raping his fourteen-year-old daughter and murdering Nick Rossi. Tony denied the murder charge and I expected him to deny the rape as well. When Matthews brought out the handcuffs, Tony lost it. He admitted that he had been with Ellie Matthews. He even bragged about it in the most vulgar terms imaginable.

  The words he used were the exact same words I’d heard before. Many times before. Everyone knew that my husband was a sleaze ball who treated me like shit, but that wasn’t the worst of it. He had two drinking buddies who cornered me whenever they felt like having a little fun. Every time his buddies raped me, they’d claim I’d asked for it. At the time, I was too frightened and too helpless to fight back. When Tony made the same vile boast, all the terror and powerless feelings I’d stuffed deep down inside came roaring to the surface. The difference was that this time I could fight back.

  When the truck exploded, I shot Tony with the pistol I always carried in my handbag. As a rape survivor, I like having a measure of self-reliance that only a weapon can provide. I never expected that I would ever use it on Tony. Luckily, the explosion and ensuing confusion allowed me to get away without being seen.

  When I found Clarice, I insisted that we drive over to Baker Bluff to avoid all the chaos at the cemetery. Clarice never even questioned why Tony wasn’t with me once I started talking cold hard cash. Predictably, she wanted more money than what I was willing to pay. I was in no mood to negotiate the terms. We argued about it for a few minutes until I realized that if I gave her too much grief she’d have no qualms about whacking me. So, I agreed to her terms. Once she’d signed on the dotted line, I shot the bitch right between the eyes.

  I knew that a couple of Indian boys had disposed of Tony’s body because I saw them carry him off before I made my escape. It took some doing, but I located the same boys and paid them well to dump Clarice’s body. It was only later that I learned that they’d buried them both by the river at Baker Bluff.

  Money really does solve a lot of problems. My only worry over the years has been that the bodies would be discovered somehow,
especially if the property was sold and any renovations involving excavation work were undertaken. They may never be found, but if a sale triggers such a result, I don’t want anyone falsely accused of Tony and Clarice’s murder. For proof, my attorney has been instructed to open the package that accompanied this letter. It contains the gun I used in the murders and a sketch of where the bodies are.

  All things considered, I’ve lived a good life. Condemn me if you will, but I have no regrets.

  Mildred Simmons.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Ellie took off her glasses and looked at Detective Rycoff with tears running down her aged but attractive face. “All these years,” she said, “it was Mildred Simmons’ guilty secret I carried, not mine. I’ve been living in Celilo’s shadow most of my life with a burden that wasn’t necessary.” Searching through her purse, she found a tissue and wiped her eyes. “I’m not sure why I’m crying. I thought I’d shed all the tears I had in me a long time ago.” When she handed the letter back, he wanted to know if she believed Mildred’s version of events. “Don’t you?” she asked.

  “At first, we weren’t sure,” he admitted. “But the forensics match her story. The gun Mildred left with her attorney is a .22. It’s the same caliber weapon that was used to kill Tony and Clarice just like she claimed in the letter. Her sketch of their grave site is accurate. She couldn’t have known where the bodies would be discovered when she wrote the letter unless she had first-hand knowledge.”

  “Will you press charges against me?”