Cliff Roberts Thriller Box Set

by Cliff Roberts

  There was something wrong here, but exactly what he wasn’t quite sure, though he had his hunches. He was sure the police hadn’t been here yet, because there were no signs of an investigation, such as crime scene tape or evidence markers. Then it occurred to him, he’d had better get over to Mrs. Stone’s sister’s place. Hopefully, he’d beat the police there as well.

  He didn’t bother to lock the door when he left. He figured he may as well give the bums who were investigating Mrs. Stone’s disappearance one more clue that didn’t add up. After all, a guy’s gotta have a little fun now and then?

  Carpelli drove straight over to April Jennings’ apartment and once again picked the lock to gain entry. The apartment was just as Tyler Stone had left it. The living room and kitchen were neat and tidy, but the bedroom, like Danny’s, was a mess. Here too, the bedding was scattered about with blankets lying on the floor and pillows stacked up in the middle of the bed, as if to support something or someone. There were also several stains that if he had to guess, would come back from the lab as bodily fluids of a sexual nature. Of course, the three sex toys lying on the floor next to the bed helped with his conclusion. On the night stand was what looked to be a man’s watch and a pair of earrings, eerily similar to the ring and earrings at Danny’s. Now he knew for sure both apartments were staged. The question was, by whom?

  It was then he noticed a condom on the floor on the other side of the bed, but it didn’t look used. He bent down to read the wrapper that was lying at the edge of the bed and saw it was the same brand as the ones at Danny Conners’ apartment. It was while he was checking the wrapper he noticed a wallet under the bed. He knelt down and reached under the bed to retrieve it. It was Danny’s wallet. He set it back in the spot he found it and went back to assessing the scene.

  In addition to the bedding being a mess, there were strips of torn lingerie strewn across the floor giving the impression that someone had shredded it on purpose. Giving additional credence to the idea that someone had done it on purpose was the large kitchen knife stuck in the top of the dresser. He looked closely, but he couldn’t see any blood on the knife.

  Checking out the purse next to the knife, he found it belonged to April Jennings. Inside were her driver’s license, credit cards, a couple of condoms, some makeup and a small vial, half-filled with clear liquid. He smelled the vial but it didn’t have any smell. He decided not to taste it because he wasn’t sure what the hell it was. He suspected it was a drug of some sort, but he had no way of knowing which one. So he played it safe, which saved his life.

  He then checked the dresser drawers and found two of them were basically empty—just some pajamas, a bra, a couple pairs of thong panties and a sheer top to match what appeared to be the bottoms of the lingerie outfit that was shredded on the floor. The bra was a different size than the one he found in another drawer, suggesting two different women lived here, April Jennings and her big sister, Wendy Stone.

  Carpelli stepped back into the living room and walked around to double check for any further evidence and found a second purse. It was stuck between the sofa and recliner. He discovered this purse belonged to Wendy Stone. Inside was her driver’s license, wallet, credit cards and various small containers of makeup and perfume.

  Carpelli left April’s apartment just fifteen minutes before Detectives Beals and Williams showed up to search it. He left the door open again as his way of having a little fun with the investigating officers. As he drove away, he knew in his gut that both places had been staged. Too many things seem contrived; plus, there was way too much circumstantial evidence. The only possible real piece of evidence was the knife back at Danny’s in the closet.

  He couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would go to all this trouble to stage the two apartments. Were they hoping to frame this Jennings woman for murder? There were far easier ways to do so. He needed to talk to April Jennings and the Stone woman’s jilted husband. After all, when some wayward spouse goes missing or turns up dead, 98 per cent of the time the other spouse did it, according to the FBI. Why would this time be any different?

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  While Detectives Beals and Williams searched the apartment of April Jennings, Carpelli stopped by to talk with April. Carpelli lied to the guard in the hall saying he was an attorney for Miss Jennings and even gave him a fake business card as proof. The card said he was Nate Harcorte, Esq., and gave a fake phone number. The first thing he did upon entering the room was to locate her chart and quickly read through it.

  “Miss Jennings, how are you today?” Carpelli asked, making small talk as he read the chart.

  “Who are you?” April asked, as she eyed him suspiciously. He held up his hand cutting off further conversation while he quickly finished up his reading. When he had finished, he set the chart back where he found it hanging on the wall and introduced himself as Nate Harcorte and nothing more. Without skipping a beat, he began asking questions. Initially, April balked at answering and responded by asking questions herself.

  “Who are you and who did you say you’re with again?” April asked.

  “I’m Nate Harcorte and I work for a party that has an interest in the disappearance of your sister, Wendy Stone,” Carpelli lied.

  “What does that mean?” she questioned.

  “I’m not at liberty to say. Look, Miss Jennings, you’re about to find yourself in whole world of trouble. The people I work for have questions about the disappearance of your sister and about the involvement of Danny Conners. There’s a chance that if you cooperate with me, I might be able to help catch the person who is responsible for your sister’s disappearance and save you from a world of hurt.”

  “You’re not a cop?”

  “No.”

  “So, what, are you an attorney?”

  “Miss Jennings, what I am is your best hope for avoiding going to jail and you should be grateful I’m willing to help you.”

  “Well, I can tell the cops aren’t exactly going out of their way to find my sister. I haven’t a clue as to where Danny went. I haven’t seen him since Saturday morning when I picked up my sister at his place. What else do you want to know?”

  “That’s a start. Why did you pick up your sister Saturday morning?” Carpelli asked.

  “We went shopping and it was more like noon, one o’clock when I got there. Danny was already dressed and headed out somewhere.”

  “Did he say where?”

  “No, but Wendy said he was going to his dad’s to talk about some investment.”

  “I see. What time did you and your sister return from shopping? I’m assuming you went back to Danny’s afterwards.”

  “Yeah, we got back around… oh, I guess it was seven. I can’t remember too well after Tyler slipped that crap to me and Wendy.”

  “We’ll get to that. Let’s just keep following the time line.”

  “You sound like the damn cops. I told them and I’ll tell you. Tyler Stone poisoned me and my sister. He did it Saturday night at his house. While he was waiting for the poison to work, I stabbed him. The bastard should be dead but the cops keep saying he’s alive and well.”

  “When you and your sister returned to Danny’s, was he there?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t go in. Wendy wanted to take her car to go to Tyler’s house. He had called two days before and asked Wendy to come over so they could hash out the details of their divorce.”

  “So, why did you go along?”

  “Tyler’s a big guy and Wendy was afraid that Tyler might try to beat the crap out of her.”

  “I see and you were there help beat him off, if he tried anything or just as a witness?”

  “Cute. Why am I talking to you again? If you’re not going to take me any more serious than the damn cops, you can get the hell out of my room.”

  “I’m sorry, I just can’t picture you as a deterrent to an enraged man who’s decided to beat the crap out of someone. Let’s get back to the timeline shall we? What time did you leave for Tyler
’s place?”

  “The cops never asked that.”

  “I understand. I’m sure they assumed you had to eat sometime, but that it wasn’t relevant to the case.”

  “We went to dinner first,” April stated and Carpelli nodded.

  “Was Danny aware of where you and Wendy were going?” he then asked.

  “I’m sure Wendy told him, because we were supposed to hook up afterwards. We were all going down to the Jester Club on West Main. The cops never asked about that either.”

  “I’m sure it isn’t relevant since you never went there. Okay, you stopped and ate on the way to Tyler’s. What restaurant was that at?”

  “We stopped at the Ralph’s Family Restaurant because it’s always pretty quick and it’s real food.”

  “So, what time did you arrive at Tyler’s?”

  “I don’t remember exactly, but I think it was around eight. Yeah, it had to be around eight. It was still light outside.”

  “Why do you keeping calling the house Tyler’s place? Did he move someplace after your sister left him?”

  “No, he stayed in the house and refused to leave. He had bought it before they were married and he didn’t see why he should have to give it up as part of the divorce. The attorney at my work said he had no choice. If Wendy pushed for it in court, the court would most likely give her the house and make him keep paying for it.”

  “That had to make him mad?”

  “I’m sure it did. When we were there he tried to convince her that he shouldn’t have to give it up because he had owned it for a couple of years before they got married. The attorney at work said it didn’t matter.”

  “Okay, you arrived around eight and then what happened?”

  “Wendy and Tyler spoke for a while. He was acting all contrite and was keeping his voice down. But I could see that he was just stalling for time. I didn’t realize he was stalling so he could poison us.”

  “So, how do you think he poisoned you?”

  “He put it in the iced tea. He made it look like it was okay to drink the tea by having a big glass of it on the coffee table when we got there.”

  “Okay, so Tyler got you and Wendy glasses of iced tea.”

  “No. Wendy had me get her some and I took a couple of small sips. It wasn’t ten minutes after I got us the tea that I started to have stomach cramps, real bad ones. Wendy started having them a minute or two later.”

  “You went in the kitchen and got the tea yourself?”

  “I just said that.”

  “Just double checking. Where were they discussing the divorce? In the living room, dining room, where?”

  “They were in the living room and I was standing in the dining room when I drank the tea.”

  “Were they standing or were they sitting?”

  “Wendy was sitting in one of the two recliners by the fireplace and Danny was standing behind the couch. What does that matter?”

  “I don’t know yet, maybe not at all. But let’s keep going. You drank the tea, got cramps and then what?”

  “I fell on the floor. I’ve never experienced cramps like that before. The next thing I knew, Wendy was lying next to me with cramps of her own. I thought I heard Tyler say he was going to call for help, but he disappeared and was gone a long time.

  “This is where things get real fuzzy. I got up and wandered into the kitchen. I think I was hoping to find a phone and call for help, but I couldn’t find the phone. I don’t know how long I looked for it, but in the end I decided he wasn’t going to kill me and my sister without paying for it.

  “I remember grabbing a knife and going back to where Wendy was and lying down next to her. I kept telling myself to hold on. Stay alive until Tyler came back and then stab that bastard. That’s exactly what I did. As soon as he came back he knelt down. I thought he was doing something to Wendy, and that was when I lunged at him, stabbing him in the chest. Once I was sure he was dead, I got up and went to get help.”

  “You went to get help?”

  “Yeah, I don’t remember much, but they say I was found in my sister’s car after having sideswiped some cars before crashing into a ditch.”

  “What time was that?”

  “The cops say it was about eight Sunday morning, when someone noticed the car in the ditch. Other than that, I have no clue.”

  “So, why didn’t you die?”

  “The doctor says the only thing he can think of is I didn’t ingest too much of the poison when I sipped the tea. Wendy, she took a couple of big gulps. It was just a matter of being lucky, he said.”

  “It certainly was.”

  “He said just a tiny bit more and I would have died, too. As it was, it put me in a coma for four days.”

  “So, it really messed with your mind, huh?”

  “I guess I was pretty out of it.”

  “How did you get along with Tyler, before this?”

  “I hate him. He’s a bastard.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “He dumped me for my sister.”

  “Oh, I see. Yet, you weren’t angry with your sister?”

  “I got over it. After all, I wasn’t going to lose a sister over some asshole.”

  “How did your sister meet Danny Conners?”

  “They worked together.”

  “But it wasn’t an instant attraction, was it?”

  “No, at first she set me up with him, but we didn’t click, so I stopped dating him.”

  “How long ago was that?” April turned her head to the right and looked at the floor before she answered. To Carpelli, it was clear she was thinking up a lie to tell him so he cut her off before she wasted the time. “If you lie to me, I won’t be able to help you,” he stated, continuing the lie he had been telling her since he walked in. He wasn’t going to help her any more than he’d share what he had learned with the police.

  “We stopped dating about three months ago.”

  “Right about the time that Wendy moved out of the house she shared with Tyler,” Carpelli stated just to gauge her reaction.

  “Yeah, it was right about then,” April stated in a quiet, subdued voice.

  “April, did you and Wendy fight over Danny?”

  “What? Hell no! What kind of dumb ass question is that? I loved my sister and that bastard killed her. Why the hell doesn’t anyone believe me?”

  “I believe you. Honest. I just need to know everything in order to help. By the way, have the police arrested you?”

  “Why would they arrest me? I’m a victim here. Tyler Stone is the one that needs to be arrested.”

  “They have a guard outside the door.”

  “They said he was here to protect me from Tyler in case he tries to kill me again.”

  “Oh, yes of course, a wise move. Okay, I have all I need for right now and I’ll be in touch as soon as I have anything.” Carpelli started to walk away and then stopped and asked, “Who has a key to your apartment?”

  “Wendy and me, why?”

  “Just another loose end I need to clarify,” Carpelli stated and left.

  As he walked to his car, Carpelli played the situation over in his head. The woman certainly had motive. Her sister steals her boyfriend and marries him, then she steals the next boyfriend and has an affair with him.

  The drug she was on was real, according to the toxicology report he saw when he read over her chart. The attending doctor had confirmed she was in a coma and suggested she was most likely suffering from hallucinations before becoming comatose. That certainly would explain why she didn’t remember exactly what happened.

  She seemed sincere in her conviction that she was poisoned and that she had killed Tyler Stone. He’d double check that for himself, though he doubted she had since the police hadn’t arrested her. Her story claiming someone else killed her sister gained credence after all of the incongruence he found in the two apartments. So, if she didn’t kill Danny and Wendy in a fit of drug induced jealous rage, Tyler Stone was the next best and only susp
ect left.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Two weeks had passed and still the detectives hadn’t returned. Tyler was growing confident he had gotten away with it and he would soon be free to move on with his life. He’d met someone who seemed nice the other day and he would have loved to have asked her out, but he didn’t dare at this point. He was afraid of how it might be construed by the detectives.

  He’d consulted an attorney about divorcing Wendy, figuring it would provide him with additional cover, since if he had killed her and thus knew she was dead, why would he bother hiring an attorney to divorce her? He’d gone as far as to have the attorney start drawing up the papers. By the end of next week they’d start trying to serve her with papers. Tyler enjoyed a little private chuckle over the thought of a process server standing over the garden and just tossing the papers on the ground while saying, “You’ve been served.”

  He wasn’t sure how it worked when you sued to divorce someone who was missing, but he’d worry about those details later when the attorney brought it up. Until then, or until the police officially declared her dead, he’d keep referring to her in the present tense as if she’d show up any day. He knew he had to keep doing exactly as he had been doing before that Saturday night.

  Despite his apparent success, Tyler still had a few nagging questions he needed to find answers to. The first and foremost of which was, why hadn’t anyone questioned him about Danny’s disappearance? Surely, by now, someone had to have missed him. He hadn’t been to work for two weeks.

  Then there was April. What was happening with her? Was she under arrest? Still hospitalized? What? He wondered why he hadn’t been contacted about Wendy’s car. After all, Wendy’s car was still insured under his policy and the detectives informed him it had been in a wreck of sorts. And then there was the knife issue.