Blood Brook, Robert F. Clifton [books for 20 year olds txt] 📗

into the store which was empty of customers. Allen Shapiro was doing a crossword puzzle while standing behind a small counter that held the cash register. “Wally! Good to see you what can I do for you?”

“I need some information and you're the guy that can give it to me”.

“Actually, I was hoping you were here to buy a pair of shoes, but ask, ask.”.

“Back in 1965 you served on a jury that heard the case against Adam Grisle. Is that right?”

“Yes. We found him guilty of murder in the first degree”.

“Do you recall two women who served with you. One was named Greta Shoemaker and the other one was Dorothy Timberlake”.

“Oh yeah, I remember them well. Together they kept us deliberating for two days.”

“Why?”

“We heard the case, weighed the evidence and ten of us believed that Adam Grisle was guilty of aggravated manslaughter. However, Greta Shoemaker and Dorothy Timberlake insisted that Grisle went to work that day angry over wages owed to him and in his mind planned to kill Emanuel Weiss. We argued with the two women for two days then finally let them have their way. We found Grisle guilty of murder in the first degree”.

“I see. How have you been Allen?”

“Good, business could be better, but it's the off season”.

“Well, thanks for talking with me. Say hello to Edith for me. How is she?”

“Like all Jewish mothers doting over the children. David's in college. Still she worries. You are sure you don't want a pair of shoes?”

Back at headquarters Wallace dialed the telephone number of the County Prosecutor. “Tell Mr. Gallagher that I'm in my office and I expect his call”, he said to the woman on the other end of the line.

At two fifteen in the afternoon Wallace answered the ringing telephone on his desk, Major Crime Squad. Captain Wallace”.

“What's so important that I have to speak to you?”, asked Gallagher.

“Let's start with the fact that you were the defense attorney for Adam Grisle and the case number is 4971”.

After a moment of silence Gallagher said, “I don't want to talk about it over the telephone. Can you come right over?”

“Sure, I'll be there in the next fifteen minutes”, Wallace answered ,then hung up the telephone.

When Wallace entered Gallagher's office the prosecutor closed the door, then using the inter-com on his desk told his secretary that he wasn't to be disturbed, including telephone calls. Turning to Wallace he said, “Now, what this about Adam Grisle?”

“Court case number 4971 was a murder trial and Adam Grisle was the defendant. I have information that after his arrest he wanted to take a plea for manslaughter. According to what we've heard, you insisted on going to trial. You lost the case and Grisle was sentenced to life. My question is why didn't you tell me that you represented him?”

“What does me representing Grisle have to do with the Blood Brook murders?”

“Right now, I don't know the connection. What I do know is that by you holding back on supplying us with information there has been a delay in our investigation. Delays could mean a loss of witnesses and evidence. For instance when I finally got to look at the names of the jury at Grisle's trial I found those belonging to Greta Shoemaker and Dorothy Timberlake”.

“Meaning what?”

“Again, right now I don't know. What can you tell me about a guy named Abraham Volpe?”

“Nothing. I've never heard of him”.

“Only two people visited Grisle. You and Volpe, but you don't know him”.

“That's right”.

“OK, let's knock off the bullshit. Here's what I think you did. When I gave you the case number 4971 you requested the court information. Then, when you realized that it was the Grisle case, a case that you lost in court you made a decision. That decision was to keep the subject from being discussed which would then end up with the news media. As a man who has his sights on the governors mansion in Princeton such information could be damaging. Correct me if I'm wrong”.

“Yes, I made the mistake of heading this investigation, not realizing at the time that news reporters would be hounding me”.

“It might just be that they're not the only one that's after your ass”.

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning someone killed those two women and I'm beginning to think that they were revenge killings”.

“Revenge for what?”

“For convicting Grisle for murder”.

“Who would be seeking revenge?”

“I don't know. If I was you I'd assign two of your investigators to be with you twenty four hours a day”.

“Why?'

“Who lost the case?”

“What are you going to do?”

“About what?”

“The press”.

“That's your problem. My problem is finding Abraham Volpe”.

At eleven fifteen the next morning Captain Wallace was notified that a Pastor Ebeneezer Leeds requested a meeting. Wallace told Myers to send him in. whem Pastor Leeds entered the office he said, “Captain, my name is Ebeneezer Leeds. I'm Pastor of the Church Of The Good Shepard in Blood Brook”.

Wallace shook hands with the man and said, “Pastor, what can I do for you?”

“It's my understanding that you are responsible for the investigation into the death of Dorothy Timberlake”.

“That's true. I am”.

“Well. you see Dorothy was a member of the church. She was also the treasurer of the Building Fund Committee. In her last report, before her untimely death she reported that the fund had reached one thousand dollars. I have checked the accounts we have with our bank and there is no mention or sign of that money being on deposit or even an account titled , Building Fund. I am hoping that you can help me”.

“All I can tell you Reverend is that one thousand dollars in cash was found at her residence. It was marked as evidence and turned over to the County Prosecutor. I suggest that you contact Mr. Gallagher and see if he will turn the money over to you. I will tell you this. You are going to have to prove that the money belongs to the church”.

“Are you suggesting that I'm not telling you the truth?”

“No sir. I'm telling you how the law works. That's all”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Six

Personal Information

 

Robert Wallace looked across the table at the woman seated across from him. She took occasional sips of wine from the glass that the waiter had streamed gently into the crystal, Cabernet glassware. He noticed the look on her face, a look that he had seen many times before.

“OK, I know something's bugging you so let me hear it”, he said.

“Nothings bugging me hot shot. I'm just trying to figure out why all of a sudden you pick up the telephone and ask me to dinner”.

“Why wouldn't I. You've been here many times before”.

“You only dine here at the Glass Menagerie on special occasions”.

“Well there is no special occasion so it must be that you're special”.

“I also know that you're a bull shitter, Robert. Now, why am I here?”

“Maybe it's a thank you for helping me with this case”.

“Or maybe you expect to take me home and spend the night”.

“Is that what you think of me, that I would plan and connive in an attempt to seduce you?”

“Yes and at the same time I'm aware your latest girlfriend is out of town”.

“If you mean doctor Wescoat, she's not my girlfriend”.

“Like I said, you're a bull shitter”.

“Seriously, I wanted to thank you for what you have done for me in this investigation”.

“You're welcome, but I don't need a dinner as a reward”.

“What do you need?”, he said with a sly smile.

“Not what you think I need. What I do need is to dance. Dance with me Robert”.

With her in his arms on the dance floor Mary Wagner placed her head on his shoulder hiding the tears that welled in her eyes. Although they were divorced, she still loved him.

On Wednesday, November 1, 1978 Detective Thomas McKenna sat in front of the desk of Captain Wallace. “As you can see Cap. I have just about every Ford Bronco registered in the State of New Jersey. What I'm doing is narrowing the search first to only those registered in South Jersey, and those places close to the murder scenes, meaning, Atlantic, Cape May and Burlington Counties. So far, that gives me twenty three Bronco's and not all of them are 1977 models. At the same time anyone of them could be riding on a 1977 seven by fifteen Firestone tire”.

“True, but I know that you didn't expect it to be easy. What I want you to do now is notify Motor Vehicle and request information on a Abraham Volpe. We want to know if he has a drivers license. If so, get everything they have that goes with it, address, date of birth, everything”.

“Yes sir. Do I still use N.J.S.A. 39:2.3.4?”

“Yeah, the law allows personal information to be given to law enforcement”.

“I'll get right on it”.

“See Lieutenant Campo. Have her send a fax. That way the information will flow both ways”.

“Go it”.

Wallace went back to looking again at the pile of papers that belonged to Dorothy Timberlake. Once again he examined old electric, telephone and gas bills. As he turned them over one by one he stopped when he saw, Paid in full A.V. written on a bill from Gas-Pro.

He then got up from behind his desk and went to the file cabinet, pulled open a drawer and removed a folder containing black and white photographs of the handwriting that had been on the packages delivered to both victims. Taking the folder back to his desk he compared the writings. He examined the written words, Greta Shoemaker #7 Weymouth Road, Blood Brook, N.J. to the words, Paid in full A.V. He was no expert in Graphology, but he was positive that the small letter a used in the word paid was identical to the use of the small letter a used in Shoemaker and Road. He then examined the photo of the handwriting that had been on the package delivered to Dorothy Timberlake. Once again he noticed the similarity of the small, letter a

in the words, Tabernacle and Timberlake. He made notes. Sitting back in his chair Wallace thought to himself, “ A.V, could they be the initials of Abraham Volpe? Are we close?” his thought were interrupted when McKenna came back into the office. Wallace looked up and said, “Now what?”

“I just found out that three 1977 Ford Bronco's are owned by

Gas-Pro, located just outside of Estelle Manor”, said McKenna.

Wallace sat up quickly in his seat. “Damn! Both women used propane gas for cooking at their homes. I remember seeing the tanks on the back porch of each house. Here, I've been looking at the paid Gas-Pro bills for months and never made a connection. Did you get anything back on Volpe from motor Vehicle?”

“Yes sir. Abraham Volpe, age forty, date of birth September 9, 1938. He resides on Oak Shade road, Shamong, New Jersey”.

“Excellent. Tell Sergeant Stiles that you and I are going to Estelle Manor”.

“He's out of the building. He took a late lunch”.

“Or breakfast. OK, tell Myers”.

“Yes sir”.

Forty five minutes later on the outskirts of Estelle Manor a large, white towering gas storage tank came into view as the two men in the unmarked radio car approached the fenced in property of Gas-Pro. Hanging from the fence on both side of the open gate was a large white, sign with red lettering that read, NO SMOKING. Mckenna drove slowly to the one story building with a sign reading OFFICE.

When they got out of the automobile McKenna pointed to a dark, blue 1977 Ford Bronco with red and white lettering, GAS-PRO on the vehicle door.

Entering the small office they were greeted by a short, portly man with a red face. “Can I help you?”, he asked.

Wallace removed his badge case from the inside pocket of his blue blazer and said, “Yes sir, I am Captain Robert Wallace of the Nautilus Beach Police Department. This is Detective Thomas Mckenna. We are investigating two murders the happened over in Blood Brook. I'd like to ask you some