Gifts From The Kasbah, Robert F. Clifton [suggested reading TXT] 📗

Which prisoner do you want to talk to first? The U..S. Attorney has instructed us to remind you of the need for the Miranda Warning”

“How nice of the government to help me with my investigation. Knowing the U.S. Attorney's Office I brought my own tape recorder”. said Wallace.

“Hey Captain, are you looking for that kick in the ass?”, asked Stiles.

“You are exactly right Frank. When your people are ready we would like to start with Mr. Himidi”, said Wallace.

The guard left and a maintenance man arrived carrying a gray, steel. folding chair, one in each hand. He entered the room, unfolded them and set them on the floor. Carol Myers took a seat. Wallace took his tape recorder out of the large brief case he carried it in, looked around for an electric outlet and finding one plugged in the extension cord. Then, after inserting a fresh cassette spoke into the microphone and then played back the tape. Satisfied when he heard his own voice

107.

saying,”one two three, one two three. He rewound the tape to its beginning and shut it off.

Fifteen minutes later, a different uniformed guard escorted a short, overweight, balding man wearing a bright orange jump suit into the room. Wallace looked at the man seeing a male figure who appeared to be in his late fifties or early sixties. What little hair he had on his head was turning gray, nonetheless the full, beard he grew on his face was cropped close, jet black and covered his throat. He looked first at Carol, then Stiles and finally, Wallace. “Where do you want me to sit?”, he asked.

“ Take that chair on the other side of the table”, Wallace instructed.

The man with his hands cuffed together made his way around the table and sat down. He looked at the tape recorder on the table. “It appears that you expect a long conversation”, he said.

Wallace smiled. “And a fruitful one, I hope. Let's start with an introduction. I am Captain Robert Wallace. The lady is Detective Carol Myers and that fellow standing in the corner is Detective Frank Stiles. We're from the Nautilus Beach Police Department in New Jersey. Now, it is my understanding that the United States Government arrested you and charged you with crimes related to narcotics. I want to assure you that we are not interested in anything connecting you and narcotics. In fact, we take the position that you as a citizen are innocent until proven guilty. However, Mr. Hamidi what we would like to do after advising you of your rights and having you sign the Miranda Warning Card is interview you in relation to another matter”.

“What other matter?”

“Can I advise you of your rights first?”

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead”

“Frank, read Mr. Himiidi his rights under the Miranda Rule. While you're doing that I'll see if I can scrape up some coffee. Would you like a cup of coffee, Mr. Hamidi?”

“Not from here. What they call coffee in here is more like horse piss. Excuse me lady”.

“Alright, I'll see what I can do”, said Wallace as he left the room.

Fifteen minutes later, Wallace came back into the room. “Sorry,

they won't allow me to send out or bring in anything. It seems that they're afraid of poison”, said Wallace as he picked up the Miranda card. “Is this your signature Mr. Hamidi?”

108. “Yes”.

“Very good. Now as I mentioned, we will not be questioning you on or about the charges the United States Government has charged you with. At present we are investigating the murder of two young women, young women that either visited your supper club or worked for you. Do you understand?”, asked Wallace.

“Yes”.

“Then, is it your desire to talk with us and to answer questons put to you?”

“Yes, but if I don't like the question I reserve the right to refuse to answer”, replied Himidi.

“Agreed. Now let's get started said Wallace as he turned on the tape recorder. “First I want to ask you if you knew Elizabeth Kerr?”

“Yes, a nice girl she hung around the club. At times she ran errands, but most of the time she watched the dancers”.

“When she ran the errands, were they for you?”

“Mostly they were for my wife who ran the gift shop”

“You use the word mostly. Was their someone else that she ran errands for?”, asked Wallace.

“Yes Philip Spencer”.

“Can you tell me just what these errands were for ?”

“For my wife or for Spencer?”

“Either one or both”.

“For my wife, the girl delivered take out Moroccan meals. For Spencer, who knows?”

“We know Jabar, just like we know that you have a reputation both in Morocco and New Jersey as being an expert in the production of hashish. We also have information that Philip manufactured hash oil. However, as I have promised you, I'm not looking for information about drugs or your involvement with drugs. What I'm looking for right now is information about Elizabeth Kerr”.

“It is my understanding that she delivered Philip's product to his customers. She also bought canisters of propane for him”.

“Now, you're starting to bullshit me Jabar. The truth is you and Spencer were partners when it came to the sale of hash oil. Alright, we'll come back to what you know about the Kerr girl. For now, tell me what you know about Gloria Esposito”.

“A nice girl. A professional dancer. Good, but not great. Her problem was the movement of her hands. She was not graceful. My wife insisted that I hire her as entertainment for the supper club. I did. But I only allowed her on the

109.

floor on slow nights like Wednesday's”

“And, when she wasn't dancing?”

“Like the Kerr girl she worked for Amina”.

“And, like the Kerr girl did she also work for Spencer?”

“Yes”.

“And, since you and Spencer were partners that also means she worked for you. So, what did she do?”

Himidi smiled, “I refuse to answer under my constitutional right not to give evidence against myself”.

“You got it almost right Jabar, but I withdraw the question. Let's try a different question. Do you know a woman named Emma Prescott?”

“Yes”.

“What can you tell me?”

“I can tell you this. She is a treacherous bitch”.

“What do you mean by treacherous?”

“Once again, I refuse to answer under my constitutional right not to give evidence against myself”.

“ Very good Jabar. For the moment this interview is over. You can go back to your cell. I want to thank you for your co-operation”.

Jabar el Himdi smiled. “Actually Captain, I haven't told you anything”, he said.

“Not in so many words, but you did reinforce evidence that we already have”. He stepped out of the room and said to the guard, “We're done with him. You can bring us Amina Himidi when you get time”.

“Well, what do you think of Himidi? I listened carefully to everything he said and I don't see him adding anything to our case”, said Stiles.

“Like I told him, he confirmed several things. Both girls were used by both Himidi and Spencer as mules, delivering heroin, marijuana and hash to customers who didn't want to be seen at the club. At the same time he just opened a door leading to Emma Prescott”, Wallace responded.

“Maybe Amina will provide some answers”, said Myers.

“Don't count on it. Both she and Jabar are Berbers. Berbers are lovers and Berber women can marry who they choose. Therefore, I expect her to protect Jabar by being very careful on how she answers my questions”.

There was a knock on the door and then it opened. “Here is Amina Himidi”, said the guard.

“Come in Mrs. Himidi”, said Wallace as he greeted her. At the same time he gazed upon a short, slightly built woman in what he judged to be in her

110.

mid fifties. She wore the orange jump suit, an attire that was too long for her and the pant legs were rolled up, creating large, thick, cuffs. Her head was covered with a wool multicolored hijab, which traditionally is called a zif, worn when woman marry.

Detective Myers escorted Amina to the chair and helped seat her. “Are you comfortable”, asked Myers. The woman nodded her head. Wallace then introduced himself, Myers and Stiles and informed her of her rights. He then stood and watched her sign the Miranda card. Next, the Captain gave her the same assurances that he had given her husband, promising not to question her about anything related to the United States Government's charges against her Then, he began his questioning.

“May I call you Amina?”, Wallace asked.

“No, you can refer to me as Mrs. Himidi”.

“Very well. It is my understanding that at the Kasbah your husband ran the supper club and you were in charge of the gift shop”.

“I was in charge of everything related to the Kasbah, the supper club, kitchen, and the gift shop”.

“And why was that. Mrs. Himidi?”

“ I am much more educated than my husband. As a girl I went to school. As a boy Jaber worked in the fields”.

“I see, you say that you were in charge of the kitchen in the Kasbah. I am curious in how you can stuff flower blossoms with such things as goat cheese, or ground meat”, said Wallace.

“The thing to remember is the consistency of the filling”.

“I see. Why is it that you fill take out orders in the gift shop?”

“I can't be in two places at once”. Therefore the kitchen help bring me the orders and I fill them in the shop”.

“In the shop you have many leather goods”.

“Yes, all imported from Morocco”.

“Can you tell me if you sold matching shoulder bags to Elizabeth Kerr and Gloria Esposito?”

“I didn't sell them the bags. I gave the first one to Gloria as a gift.

Betty seeing the pocketbook admired it, so much that I gave her the last one that I had. It was a coincidence that both bags were identical”.

“And, why would you give the girls these fine gifts?”

“Both girls worked for me. I found them efficient and competent. Take out and delivery is about forty per cent of our business. In appreciation one day I gave Gloria the purse'.

“I thought that Gloria as a dancer worked for Jabar”.

111. “I just told you that I run the entire business, including the entertainment”.

“And, Jabar doesn't mind that arrangement?”

“We are Berbers. Traditionally the husband and wife live separately. Men cohort with men. Women associate with women, so much so that men do not understand the arrangement and at times fear it. Although I am married. I have no children. At the same time there are no Berber woman or Moroccan woman for me to associate with. So, the young women, Gloria and Betty became my associates. In a business sense they worked for me. In the social sense they were my friends”.

“I see. Now, I can understand how Gloria. A professional dancer came to the Kasbah and gained employment, but Elizabeth comes from a different social setting. She comes from a wealthy family, is educated, can come and go as she pleases with money being no object. Can you explain how she, with that background became a delivery girl, even using her own car?”

“It's called love Captain. She lacked love. Her family showered her with objects, clothes, jewels, automobiles. But never love. It is my understanding that the father concerns himself with his business and the desire to be not only rich, but famous. Is it not true that he is considering entering politics?”

“Yes, that's correct. What can you tell me about Philip Spencer?”. Asked Wallace.

“Another lost rich kid. One who seeks attention, whether it's as a good looking young man and lover women would fight over or as a smart, tough business man, like his father”.

“What is his connection with your husband?”

“Captain if indeed you asked Jabar that question I know that he never gave you an answer. I will tell you what was his relation to me.”

“And, what was it?”

“He was responsible for order in the club, but mostly he prepared orders for delivery”.

“Working beside you in the gift shop?”

“Exactly”.

“Alright Mrs. Himidi what can you