The House on Timber Lane, Robert F. Clifton [books to read as a couple TXT] 📗

Hotel. When the switchboard operator answered with, “Emerald Hotel”, Wallace asked for Housekeeping. Marie Headley answered her telephone.

“Marie?…Captain Wallace. I’ll have two men there between two thirty and three o’clock this afternoon. I’d like you to open that room you have told me about. Would there be any problem?”

“No Captain, none at all”, Marie replied.

“Good, if you can think of anything else, talk to Sergeant O’Neil.”

“I will.”

“Thanks, Marie.” “You’re welcome.”

Wallace no sooner hung up the telephone when it rang. He answered it with the usual. “Major Crime Squad, Captain Wallace.”

A female voice said, “Wally?..This is Elaine. I just heard that Vernon Gray is involved in an affair with Grace Hodges.”

“Who is Grace Hodges?”, asked Wallace.

“She is the owner of Shelby Bakery in Philadelphia. I’m sure you have heard of Shelby Bread.”

“Yeah, I buy it once in a while. So what’s the problem? Gray is a widower, single, it’s not like he’s cheating on his wife and even if he were, adultery is no longer a criminal act in New Jersey."

“Don’t you see…He’s after this woman’s money”

“Elaine, that’s your opinion. There is nothing I can do at this time.”

“So, what are you going to do, wait until he kills this woman, just like he murdered Lillian?”

“Again, it’s your opinion that he killed Lillian.”

“What do I have to do to make you believe that Vernon Gray is a murderer?”

“You can start by having dinner with me tonight, over a glass of wine and I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

“If that’s what it takes, pick me up at seven.”

“Any place special?”, he asked.

“Any place except, Chinese or Mexican”, she answered.

“Please, give me a little credit. How about the Glass Menagerie?”, he asked.

“That’s pretty exclusive. They say you need reservations weeks in advance.”

“You did say seven?”

“Yes”

“See you then.”

At three forty-five P.M., Sergeant O’Neil walked into Captain Wallace’s office. He took a seat and looking at Wallace said, “Well we can make an arrest right now for possession of stolen property, or we can begin a surveillance of these two guys and see where it takes us. Personally, I’d like to see where it takes us”, he said.

“What’s in the room?”, asked Wallace.

“You name it, TVs, stereos, even some expensive looking artwork.”

“Enough probable cause for a bug and a warrant?”

“Yep.”

“OK. you write up the warrant request. You know what is needed. Meanwhile, send Stiles back to the Emerald and see Jack Collins. He’s the desk clerk on duty from four pm to midnight. Find out as much as possible about the two guys in room 409. At the same time have Stiles tell him that I want a room either next door to 409 or across from it. He might have to move another guest, but he’ll do it. Also, pick your surveillance teams and write up their schedule. When you get time submit a report.”

“When I get time?… I don’t have any time left”, said O’Neil.

“And you want to be a lieutenant”, Wallace replied. On the way home Wallace ran his Ford through the local car wash and made sure the attendants vacuumed, emptied the ashtray and sprayed a pine scent mist to cover up the smell of stale cigarette smoke.

At eight that evening he sat looking across the table at Elaine Benson. As he did he smiled.

“And, just what are you smiling at?”, she asked.

“Just, the thought that as a high school kid, I never realized how pretty you are.”

“And, I’m supposed to believe that?”

“Believe what you want, but it’s true.”

“I have a question”, she said.

“And, it is?”

“How is it, that people wait sometimes a month before they can get a reservation here, but you walk right in and sit down?”

“Simple…A few years back, Marty Hoffman, the owner was accused of arson and homicide from a fire that killed a drunken customer that had passed out in the men’s room after closing. I was assigned to investigate. Later, I found that the drunk had accidentally caused the fire. Marty was cleared and as a result, I have a standing invitation at any time.”

“For free?”

“The table is free. Everything else is cash, my cash.”

“I wasn’t implying anything”, said Elaine.

“Forget it, lets’ dance.”

As the orchestra played Robert Wallace took Elaine in his arms and held her close.

“Who is that singer and what is the name of the song. It’s beautiful”, said Elaine.

“The singer is Linda Ono and the song is “Dahil Sayo” or “Because Of You.” Right now she’s singing it in Tagalog, the language of the Philippines. The words in English are, Because of you, there’s a joy in living. Because of you, life is heavenly. I’ve never lived before, never felt a single thrill before, my heart stood still.”

“Robert, how do you know these things?”

“Appreciating music is one of my hobbies”, he answered.

“What else do you like?.”

“Well, let’s see. I like gourmet cooking, women, fishing, history and teaching. Listen, the waiter is looking at us, let’s go back to our table.”

Once seated, they gave their order to the waiter. Robert could see that Elaine was still upset about her opinion of Vernon Gray so he decided to explain what he had done so far.

“Alright, here’s what I got so far. Vernon Gray graduated from Nautilus Beach High School two years before our class. He then entered Rutgers, studied pre-med and graduated with honors. He then went to Saint George’s University in Granada and graduated with an M.D. degree. He then did his internship in a hospital in Camden, Cooper Hospital, I think. Once he was certified and licensed, he returned here and set up his practice. His specialty is endocrinology. He was doing very well, but his addiction to gambling began to drain his bank account and ruin his credit. In between all of that he met and married Lillian Moore your best friend and you think he murdered her. Is there anything I’m missing?”

“Yes, Grace Hodges.”

“Oh, yes, Grace Hodges. You believe that Vernon Gray is after her money.”

“He is.”

“Has he taken any of her money yet?” “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know, yet I’m supposed to take police action on a supposition.”

“I know that I’m right, Robert.”

Wallace took a sip from the glass of Pinot Grigio he had ordered with their meal. Then, he spoke to her again. “Listen. I believe everything that you have told me, but there’s nothing I can do. I promise you this. I’ll watch what he does and when he does something that breaks the law I’ll take action. How’s that?”

“I guess that will have to do for now”, she answered.

Their conversation was interrupted when the waiter returned with their entrées. Elaine had ordered squab with wild rice. Wallace had ordered the salmon with dill sauce.

“Oh, this looks lovely”, said Elaine admiring her plate.

“Glad you like it…I think that one on your plate sat on my office windowsill this morning.”

“Thanks a lot, Robert…Thanks a lot.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So tell me, how did you clear the owner of this restaurant?”

“It wasn’t too difficult. The customer had too much to drink. He went to the men’s room just before closing, sat on a toilet and fell asleep. No one checked the restrooms at closing. Marty has two cash registers at the bar and one for the restaurant. At closing, the circuit breakers supplying electricity to the cash registers are flipped, acting as additional security. At the same time, the interior lighting is shut off. You see, at closing after a long day Marty and his employees lock up and head for home. Marty comes in the next morning, goes over the previous night's receipts, counts the money and prepares his banking. The drunken customer woke up in the dark. He felt his way out of the men’s room and entered the restaurant. Wanting a drink he made his way to the bar. He pushed the keys of both cash registers trying to get them to open, figuring that there was money in the machine. Then, again operating in the darkness, he took a cigarette lighter out of his pocket and looked for a bottle of Everclear.”

“Everclear, I’ve never heard of it”, said Elaine.

“Everclear is similar to vodka. Actually, I think it’s more or less related to moonshine. It’s one hundred and ninety proof or ninety five per cent alcohol by volume”, Wallace replied.

“I’m sorry. I interrupted you. Please continue”, said Elaine, apologizing.

“Well, the drunk then found what he was looking for. He opened the bottle and in doing so spilled about half of the bottle on himself. When he went back to work on the cash registers, he lit his cigarette lighter again. This time the flame from his lighter ignited the fumes emitting from his clothes and he became a human torch. Like many people who are set on fire, he made the mistake of running. As he ran he either fell against or touched tables setting the tablecloth on fire. The Fire Investigator’s determined that since they found several places where fires had started in the dining room it indicated arson. The overzealous prosecutor then charged Marty with arson and homicide. Since there was a charge of homicide my squad got the case. To make a long story short, we found the victims fingerprints on the keys of the cash register, the bottle of Everclear, along with his cigarette lighter behind the bar. Marty was exonerated. As a result, I don’t need reservations, but neither does Sergeant O’Neil or Detective Stiles.”

Elaine smiled. “Robert, you are a very intelligent man.”

“If that’s true then why have I made so many mistakes in life”, Wallace replied, as he paid the check and gave the waiter a tip.

At the front door of Elaine’s home, she looked at him and said, “Thank you for a lovely evening. I really enjoyed your company and the dancing. I’d like to do it again sometime.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it and I’ll hold you to the next time. I’ll say goodnight now”, he said. He turned and left after Elaine was safely in the house.

The next morning Wallace walked into his office carrying a bag containing two cups of coffee and two donuts, He took a seat and lifted the plastic cap off of the container, mixed the creamer and two packs of sugar by stirring the liquid brew with a small wooden stick. Taking a sip and satisfied with the taste he leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette, then he waited for Bill O’Neil to join him.

When entering the office O’Neil made a face, then said, “Do you have to smoke those damn things first thing in the morning?”

“Yep and keep in mind that rank has its privileges and right now I outrank you”, Wallace responded.

“What kind of donuts did you buy?”, asked O’Neil.

“Lemon…Pick the one you want.”

After O’Neil took a seat Wallace looked at him and asked, “Well, what do we have?”

“We have two hoods holding a shit load of stolen property. Seems these two sleep late, go to the track all afternoon and since the hotel doesn’t have a restaurant they dress, wearing sports coats or blazers and always cover their eyes with sunglasses. Where they go no one can tell us.”

“What else?”

“They registered as Thomas Shaw and Carl Gavigan. I’m running a check on both of them with N.C.I.C.”

“And?”

“We are now the proud occupants of room 407.”

“And?”

“The bug was placed high on the inside of the drapes. That way since it is solar it gets charged during the day.”

“And?”

“ Warrants have been issued for the bug and search and seizure when the time comes to execute the arrest.”

“Signed by who?”

“Signed by his honor Judge Douglas Pierpont” “How did you manage that. Pierpont doesn’t like to sign warrants.”

“Seems like he was meeting someone. Maybe it was the blond hostess from the Pony Club he’s been seen with. Whatever, I showed him the papers. He glanced at them and used my back as a writing table as he signed them. There they are, all nice and legal.”

“Good job Bill.”

“When do you want to take them?”

“Let’s take this nice and slow. We’ll tape