A Hole In One, Paul Weininger [top novels to read txt] 📗

ma’am,” Pratt replied. “I also learned some interesting information from a retired Rabbi Isaac in Scottsdale, who gives Hebrew lessons from his home. He believes that one of his clients looks a lot like Rabbi Bloom if he were to clean himself up. A guy named Richard Straub who lives here in Sedona. It may be possible that a doppelganger like him may have killed the Rabbi to take his place. If that’s the case then I already arrested the doppelganger and it may not have been the Rabbi. Either way, we arrested the Rabbi for murder or someone imitating the Rabbi who killed someone and tried to blame it on the Rabbi.”

“Well, there’s a theory that makes absolutely no sense. Why would someone kill a Rabbi to replace him, when that same person could have gone to a theological seminary and study to become a Rabbi himself? What’s in it for the killer? Also, if it is a doppelganger who committed murder to replace the Rabbi, then the cadaver must surely be Bloom, don’t you think?” she asked.

“I don’t know what the motive might be,” Pratt sheepishly replied. “Maybe the money and prestige of the position. I was hoping you could get your investigative team to research that. Perhaps they can find an answer. I do have proof that there was a dead body in his backyard. I suppose it’s also possible that the Rabbi is starting to get early Alzheimer’s or dementia and is doing crazy things. According to one of his congregants, the Rabbi’s been acting very oddly lately. I ruled that out though because neither Alzheimer’s nor dementia can create a birthmark or kill someone. Now, I’m not a psychiatrist and maybe that is a possibility, but I don’t think so.”

“And neither do I,” agreed the D.A.

There was no question that the police had found a dead body in Rabbi Bloom’s backyard. But did Bloom kill someone or was he the victim? Did someone else place a corpse in the Rabbi’s backyard?

The next day, D.A. Stanford acquired subpoenas from the court to search old green pickup trucks and began an investigation of the possible killer. The greenish pickup seen around the shootings was the best clue she had so far. The written documentation she was given about older green pickup trucks still on the road today provided her with seven owners within fifty miles of Sedona, if the vehicles hadn’t changed hands:

Jason Carlson—An eighty-six-year old who keeps his pickup in a garage and refurbished it two years ago, but it still can’t run.

Phyllis Burke—Her truck was painted yellow in front and old green in back, used to pick up her kids from school; an unlikely killer.

Phil Babcock—His truck was in an accident two years ago and has been repainted blue.

James Bell—A police officer that says he only uses his truck for fishing trips and campouts.

The Greenery Landscaping Company—Owner of an old green truck which employees used for work.

Bill Archer—A nineteen-year old who uses his truck to drive to school, normally in school from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Paul Buchman—A forty-five-year-old Black man who uses his truck for church functions and works as a part-time custodian.

All but the last three on the list had solid enough alibis to rule them out immediately. She questioned each of the rest regarding their whereabouts on the dates when the four golfers were shot at.

Paul Buchman was questioned first as to his whereabouts on the dates of the shootings. His alibi was that he is the custodian of the Presbyterian church in town and was at the church all day with the minister or rehearsing with the church choir on each of those days. His story panned out and he was removed from the suspect list.

Bill Archer was next to be questioned and claimed that he was in school each of the days in question, which was confirmed by his teachers. He too was removed from the suspect list.

The Greenery Landscaping Company was the last of the three to be in the crosshairs of D.A. Stanford. She decided to interview the owner of Greenery Landscaping, Joe Rung. She called, set up a time with him, and drove over to his landscaping and garden shop. To begin her questioning, she asked “Mr. Rung, have you recently heard or read about the arrest of Rabbi Bloom for murder?”

“Yes, I have, why are you asking me about the Rabbi’s arrest?”

“I’m asking you because an old green pickup was spotted at the scene, and you have such a truck registered as a company vehicle. Is that truck used by any one of your employees in particular?”

“Well, it was used pretty much exclusively by a guy by the name of Richard Straub, but not now. He quit the job a few weeks back and I haven’t heard from him since.”

The mention of Straub’s name hit the D.A. with an electric jolt. This was the same guy Detective Pratt mentioned who looked a lot like the Rabbi. Composing herself, she continued with her questioning.

“Did Mr. Straub ever mention Rabbi Bloom to you?”

“Not by name, but he did show me a photograph several months ago of a Rabbi who appeared in the Sedona Times Herald last December or January. The photo was of this Rabbi Bloom being ‘feted,’ I think that was the term they used, at some special charity event. He asked me to look at the picture and see if I saw a resemblance between the Rabbi and him.”

“And what was your answer?”

“Considering that Richard has a lot of facial hair and looks more like a gangster biker than a Rabbi, I didn’t notice any particular resemblance, no. However, not to upset him, I said, ‘Yes, he looks a little like you.’”

“What was his reaction to your response?”

“He seemed pleased and smiled.”

“Did you permit Richard to take your truck to and from home as well as use it at work?”

“Well, I did, but one day a while back as I just mentioned, he called to tell