Murder Mysteries # 4

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  Dan was in his office pouring over the trail map of the Visitors Center. He felt there was an answer somewhere in the puzzle. As much as he didn't really want to, but if it came to it, he'd go back and look again on his own. Meanwhile, on his own he wrote some observations from the interviews of yesterday. He didn't really know why, but it seemed the thing to do. Later he would be glad he did. He'd written a note about what he'd overheard Ralph telling Amos: "Amos, those detectives haven't a clue what we did." Dan didn't believe it was admission of guilt but some other part of the events of the day. All he wrote down neatly on a legal pad. Then he opened up a Word doc and proceeded to type like crazy.

  A knock at the door by Emma brought him back to the present. "It's 9 am Dan let's go," said Em.

  Stacy was standing at the white board with Rory, Ben, Dan, Cathy and Emma in attendance. "This simple visual seemed to help us on a previous case where there were more than a few suspects. I made a list of what I think are germane to the case regarding the perpetrator. Emma has provided each of you with a blank form. Let's take each name one at a time and we either discuss it or for the time being, with a show of hands, we vote on a location. Let's begin:"

  1. Ralph Bolster: Prime.

  2. Amos Brown: Prime.

  3. The Riggins: Suspect.

  4. May Rooter: Prime.

  5. Maria Topaz: Suspect.

  6. Stanly Northrop: Suspect.

  7. Anita Albright: Suspect.

  8. Kevin Albright: Possible Suspect.

  9. Jason Bernard: Prime.

  ____________________________________________________________________

  "Okay, here's what it looks like on the white board." Stacy quickly wrote the names in and this is what it looked like.

  Prime Suspect Suspect Possible

  _________________________________________________________

  1. Ralph Bolster: Prime. The Riggins Kevin Albright

  2. Amos Brown: Prime Stanly Northrop

  3. May Rooter Maria Topaz

  4. Jason Bernard Anita Albright

  "I like it Stacy," said Cathy. This gives us a nice picture of our suspects. I wonder if we've left anyone out."

  "We've lot's of room left on the board," said a glib Rory.

  "Let's take them one at a time. First is Ralph Bolster. From what I read in the report that he and his buddy Amos were coming up the trail not long after the crime was committed. When I interviewed him his story is almost a carbon copy of Amos. Amos was interviewed by Rory. Rory go over the interview one more time for a refresher.

  "Both disliked the victim for various reasons. Mostly it was because the bank failed to grant either one loans. Apparently the victim was a hard nose business man. Over the years the two friends grew more and more bitter. It's not surprising that the pot may have boiled over. Their side kick, May Rooter possibly sides with our two prime suspects. The Senior Center provides a melting pot of fermentation," said Rory.

  "Very well put. Let's not forget that both Ralph and Amos came along not long after discovery of the victim. Additionally, May Rooter was not long after discovery either. It might be the three of them conspired to seek revenge using May's hand gun.

  "Ben, tell us about your interview with May Rooter.

  "May Rooter was an extremely bitter woman who hated the victim because she thought he was responsible for her husband's suicide. When asked about a hand gun, she told me yes and with a permit. After dumping her bag on the card table, nothing was found resembling a hand gun. She thinks someone stole it. In addition, Rory and I went to Jason Bernard's home. He admitted May Rooter comes by and says she's a good cook. I think the common denominator is the timber industry. Her husband a logger and Jason a mill owner. We asked Jason about a small handgun. He showed us a .32 caliber pistol. It's in our lab being tested as we speak. My impression at the present time is she might be a prime suspect. More information is required."

  "Speaking of Bernard, as he's on our prime suspect list, Rory how about a specific account of your visit to the lumber baron?

  "Jason Bernard is a crafty old timer. Even though he went out of business long ago, it appears he's relatively comfortable in his home. Other than his female acquaintance May Rooter, he's a loner. He told us about the victim unable to loan the funds for an upgrade to meet the new requirements to stay solvent in the wood products industry, considers the victim a traitor. Now here's the interesting part. When asked about his whereabouts on Saturday past, he told us he drove out early in his pickup truck to buy some food from the local market. After that he went to his brother's grave outside of town. Then he went back home. His pickup truck is very noticeable around town. I asked about another vehicle; wondering if he would drive his old truck to say Corvallis. He told us that his wife's car was available in the detached garage, but he'd not driven it for a long time. He guessed the battery might not be operational. We walked down there. I noticed he got around well for an old timer. Anyway, sure enough the battery was mostly dead. I examined the connections to see if he'd or someone exchanged batteries. I think the connections had been recently seen attention with a wrench.

  I never said anything more and we left. Once scenario might be that of course through May Rooter he'd know all about the senior trip to the coast. Maybe he used his wife's car to drive to the coast, park on the highway, slip down to the Amazing tree, and hide behind waiting for old Harry to motor by in his wheel chair. Jason pops him; makes for the short cut to his car, drives home satisfied his old banker is dead meat."

  "Let's move on to the Riggins. They too were not far away from the crime scene according to May Rooter. We've not interviewed them yet. We'll do that today. Also, at some point we need to see Anita Albright for her Saturday alibi shopping on the coast or in Corvallis. Next we talk about Stanley Northrop the bank manager. We need to interview him, along with Maria Topaz. I'm not sure about Kevin Albright. He might be a sleeper having discovered the lewd relationship between his wife and victim."

  The Second Trip to the Center

  [list of suspects]

  "Here's our list of suspects to interview: The Riggins, Anita and Kevin Albright, Stanley Northrop, Maria Topaz and I'll add Suzy Tweets. I see it's after 10 am so let's get moving guys," said Stacy. Review for interview Riggins

  Another husband and wife couple, Nancy and Matt Riggins, also had an axe to grind with that nasty old Harry Langer. Matt Riggins had taken banker Harry's advice to refinance his farm to obtain enough cash to upgrade his machinery and buildings. However, when the recession hit in 2008, he lost it all. Nowadays they lived on the back of their son's property in a leaky old motor home. Matt swore he'd get his revenge someday.

  They drove like they were in a hurry to feast at the Center. There hurry was to make sure nobody left town without being interviewed. Stacy et al were not going to chance another lunch at the senior center. They took the time to stop at deli just outside of town for some sandwiches and other things. Even with the stop they arrived at the center at just a shade past 11:30. Maria welcomed them smiling. Stacy blurted out they'd already had lunch so never mind extra folks arriving late.

  If you were to ask any senior there, or perhaps any senior center why they enjoyed eating lunch where they were, they'd tell you this was their 'Big Meal' of the day.

  Dan and Ben quietly set up some card tables for further interviews. Cathy made a list of interviewees giving it to Maria for after lunch announcements. Stacy could see the one's they wanted to interview here today. Those in attendance were: the Riggins, Maria Topaz and Suzy tweets.

  After lunch Maria made her announcements. She asked the Riggins to see Marshall Foreham, Suzy Tweets to Detective Caltex and Suzy Tweets with Detective Razor. Stacy noticed not many seniors left the center. Curiosity kept them hanging around, she suspected.

  Matt and Nancy Riggins sat down without either one much of an expression on their faces. Stacy felt it wasn't so much being interviewed, but life itself dragged them to the place they existed. She felt sorry f
or both of them. Life sometimes deals a bad hand and instead of calling the pot, fold and wait until a better hand comes along. In the Riggins case, timing was the factor in their response to modernizing, or upgrading their equipment on their farm.

  After the formal introductions, Stacy asked if she might refer to each by their given names. Both nodded and told them to use her first name when necessary. Stacy asked, "Your case is similar to others in the context that Harry Langer refused to grant a loan on just exactly what is unknown to me. Tell me please the circumstances."

  Matt Riggins said, "For farmers there's never a good time to obtain a loan. We use our equipment until it absolutely needs replacing. For many years we had a good working relationship with Harry. That ended sometime after his accident. Things went along fairly well until we needed to upgrade our rolling stock. I went to the bank asking for a loan. I remember very well him sitting in his wheel chair behind his desk starring at me. He never event looked at my P & L statement. He said, "I feel you're a bad risk Matt. My new policy is strictly to not put forth risky money on any loans. This bank already hold the mortgage on your farm. I know from your years of farming that the amount of money you're asking for will not be repaid. I suggest you look elsewhere for a loan. Good day to you Mr. Riggins. And that was the end of the relationship. We went to other loan institutions and as we'd no history and the subsequent calls to Harry and his bank, we always got a sorry with a shake of the head. We went as long as humanly possible until our equipment and other things finally gave up. We lost our farm. At one time we'd bought an old motor home dreaming of a weekend vacation once in awhile. Well, that weekend vacation has been going on now for years. That motor home is parked on the back of my son's property with a blue tarp roof over it. It's where we call home now. My pension is small, but we somehow manage."

  "I'm sorry to hear that. Now, I have to ask tough questions in a homicide case. Is the grudge you carry against Harry Langer strong enough to have murdered the man?"

  "Indeed it is Marshall Stacy," said Nancy speaking out for the first time. "I could shoot the guy man any day of the week. I've dreamed of having him suffer like we have. You can't see the happiness in my soul, but it's there bigger than life. We come here to the center to augment our diet. We receive food stamps, go to the food bank and pray we've enough left over for medicine."

  "When you were hiking the trail of the Amazing Tree, did you hear anything or see anybody around 1:30 that was in your group?"

  "We saw May, Ralph and Amos is all. Like us, we decided it was a little chilly to keep going so we turned around to return to the Visitors Center. We happened upon Shelly, Suzy and of course Harry in his chair. We didn't hang around, but hot footed it up the trail."

  "Did you hear a pop of a gunshot by chance around that 1:30 time frame," asked Stacy.

  "No I didn't," said Matt looking at his wife who shook her head no."

  "Do you own a hand gun Matt?"

  "I did at one time, but gave it to my son years ago. It was a .38 Police Special."

  "Do you ever visit with anyone in the same group that went on the trip?"

  "No we stay at home most of the time."

  "Have you ever heard or overhear anyone at the center here saying they'd like to do away with banker Harry Langer," asked Stacy.

  Both Matt and Nancy laughed. "Indeed we have Stacy. And it's not whiskey talk either. At one time or another, most all here have expressed harm to Harry. How a man can go through life without a friend is beyond my imagination. Thirty years ago, he was a good guy, but then he turned bitter as a lemon. We feel sorry for Shelly as she's a nice woman," said Matt.

  "Thanks for being frank and honest," said Stacy. "You're excused now."

  Rory + Tweets

  Rory sat down after Suzy Tweets did. He could tell she noticed his gentleman gesture. "What can I for you detective," asked Suzy.

  "Tell me about your life here and how you became acquainted with Shelly Langer for starters please."

  ''My parents moved her when I was just a little girl. My father worked in the woods as a logger. My mother was a homemaker. My brother and I did our chores. We had about two acres not far from here on the river. I was the lucky one to graduate high school. I went to work as a clean up filing girl at the sawmill office. Yes, Jason Bernard and his brother's sawmill. I worked my way up to become a book keeper. I married a logger who fell timber mostly. We purchased an acre next to my parents and built a small house. Unfortunately my brother was killed in the woods. A freak accident as a big limb off a tree fell down on his head breaking his neck.

  Anyway, while I was working for Jason, he married Shelly Flanders. She'd come to the office once in awhile and we became friends. My husband was a clever man detective. Because he worked in the woods, he took out a large life insurance policy. After he was accidently killed by a log falling on him while they were loading a truck, I became a rich widow. I should say, by the era I was well off. The land was paid for as well as the extended house. Our two kids put a dent in my interest dividends when they went to college. However, it paid off as they returned every dime borrowed. I never remarried. Shelly and I became very close. Harry never bothered me one iota. However, I could see his delight using Anita as a play toy. I still live in the same house. My parent's property is in my name. I've been offered some good money for the river property, but I can manage on my SS and interest from the principal. What else do you want to know?"

  "I'm curious that you mention Anita the housekeeper a play toy. Can you expand on that side of Harry Langer," asked Rory.

  "Because of his handicap, I think it was just a teasing thing. I don't know about any real physical touching. No, I really don't know about that. Shelly never said anything to me," said Suzy with her face kind of twisted in a thoughtful appearance.

  "How well are you acquainted with Celle and Paul at the repair shop," asked Rory.

  "It is just that: acquaintances. They don't come to the center for lunch. When I do run into them they are both very nice and polite. They're good people. Anita likes the two of them. At least she said she did.

  How about Anita's husband Stanly. Is he the jealous type and also what do you know about his relationship with Harry Langer?"

  "I've no idea about him as being jealous. Anita is a wholesome woman without any eyes for wandering around looking for a man. She's too busy working; like most married women. I guess, like most here in town, Stanly didn't much care for Harry. Harry never learned the work respect or politeness. I would love to see what his mother had to say about that."

  "What do you know about May and Jason being friends," asked Rory.

  "I know she goes to his house on accession, but for what reason, I don't know," said Suzy.

  "Tell me about what you know about the Riggins," asked Rory.

  "They have a silent hatred concerning Harry Langer. They still feel he ruined their lives. However, it's not up to me to discover if they murdered Harry, but it wouldn't surprise me either."

  Rory thanked her for the time spent. He added that he'd probably be back again asking some more questions in the future.

  Ben and Maria

  "Maria, we've been puzzled about a certain thing you did on the hiking trail last Saturday. May Rooter claims when she was walking up the trail to the Visitors Center, after leaving behind at the crime scene, Shelly and Suzy, you came up behind her rather suddenly. We're wondering where you came from to arrive behind May when nobody went past Shelly or Suzy."

  "Oh my this is embarrassing detective. I did come out behind May from the side of the trail. After lunch, I rushed to the restroom, with the back door trots. I thought I was fine afterwards. So I went to the trail to the Amazing Tree. I no more started when it hit me again. I moved off the trail about thirty feet and – well – you know – don't you? I was squatting there for perhaps ten minutes when I first heard someone puffing and then May appeared. I finished up as she passed by. I came out behind here going back to the Visitors Center which has better fac
ilities."

  "Well, that answers that question. What do know about Anita Albright and he job at the Langer home?" In other words, have you heard any rumors as to the subject of Harry seeking some favors from Anita?"

  Ben was watching her closely. Maria looked a little shocked, but quickly recovered saying, "Not that I know of detective. That subject would be a mystery to me. However, Harry Langer was a mean bastard – excuse me—but very well could have used some influence to pester Anita."

  "Did you know Harry kept a hand gun in his bedside stand," asked Ben.

  "No I didn't know that."

  "What do you know of May Rooter and Jason Bernard as friends. She's been seen visiting his home once in a while. Also you too have visited his house. Explain what you know about May and why you go there," asked Ben

  "May goes there to cook and eat. It serves both of them well. She gets some good food and he get to eat some home cooked meals. I take him, and other seniors packaged meals from the government."

  "I think this is enough for now Maria. No doubt we'll be back. This case is elusive as they get," said Ben standing offering his warm hand along with a like smile.

  Another Regroup

  After the interviews, it was time to put their heads together. Dan went back to the Visitors Center for another look around for a pathway from the high way to the Amazing Tree. Cathy had been roaming around chatting with the seniors left over from lunch. Later she told Stacy, Rory and Ben that a Mr. Sliver, not Silver, but like a piece of wood stuck in your finger, sliver was happy to have her stop by and visit. "You know this guy has seen a lot around town. He's a retired school teacher and a confirmed bachelor; for whatever that means."

  "Like what for instance has he seen or heard that we can use Cathy," said Stacy