Murder Mysteries # 4

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  "Are you aware that the wood came from Northern California?"

  "Yes, I was told that the wood was black oak instead of white oak. White oak is what we have in our churches back east and the Midwest. However, the cost is very high regardless of white or black oak."

  "Okay Pastor, when you discovered the body, which from the police responded first, in other words, was it a uniform city police person or a homicide detective," asked Stacy.

  "The first to arrive was a uniform. They, two uniforms, called it in and sealed off the area. We had to all wait in the other room until a detective arrived for the interviews," said Pastor Robbie.

  "Do you remember the name of the detective who arrived first and after that did the interviews," asked Stacy hoping the good pastor wouldn't catch on that she wanted to know whose case it was from the beginning.

  "I've his card Stacy," he said while digging through his wallet. "Here it is." He handed it to Stacy who eager with knowing, saw that it was Lieutenant Allan Harmon. The second card Pastor Robbie gave her was from Detective Karen Franks.

  "Thanks Pastor. Now let's go to your office for some more questions please. Ed and Francis are excused."

  Stacy and Dan followed Pastor Robbie to his office. Surprising his office was well equipped with a nice computer, printer and bookshelves full of not only religious tomes, but also lots of storybooks for kids. A pair of wood chairs with arms actually made a visitor comfortable. Once all were sitting down, Pastor Robbie looked at Stacy waiting for another question.

  "Pastor Plenty, it wasn't by accident that a body was placed in a new pew destined for your church. It wasn't by accident a similar boy was discovered back east in Allentown where Bishop Alex Fairweather resides. It wasn't a coincidence Pastor. In a crime of murder, the questions by investigators sometimes cross the border of personal and private information. However, to solve the crime, we have to ask the hard questions. Now having prefaces the reason for my next question, what in your knowledge of the church might lend itself to crimes of this nature," asked Stacy.

  Both Stacy and Dan could see Pastor Robbie squirming in his swivel chair. It was evident that he was punched in the belly never knowing what or where the punch came from. Pastor Robbie put his fine brain into action. It wasn't a secret among the clergy that a major rift was coming concerning gay pastors wanting a church of their own. However, they were being held back just because they were gay. Everything else was equal, but the fact they preferred the same sex blocked any hope of becoming a preacher delivering the word of God.

  Nobody talked about the rumors of a sect that was determined to change the attitudes of the old traditionalist who ran the Methodist Church. If Robbie was to bring it up in any conversation with an investigator, and the word leaked out that he was responsible for speculation, he very well could kiss his career good bye. He said:

  "Stacy, you might not like my answer to your question, but this is the best I can do. Our church is deeply concerned we've had possibly three murders that have been targeted against our church. To me, and it's no secret, our church and other Christian churches have decreed that gays will not have a church of their own. So far gays have been blocked or prohibited from becoming pastors. What will transpire in the future is not for me to speculate."

  "Bishop Wainright told me a church representative is flying out to Oregon today. He'll be meeting us to discuss some of the church's position on certain things. Apparently, there is more than meets the eye in these crimes. Let's leave the interview open for the time being Pastor. Call me when the representative arrives. Thanks for your feedback. The days ahead are stormy for all of us." Both were back in the office by 10:45.

  Scheming Ace

  For a smoker, Eugene was not better or worse than other cities that were slowly putting the screws to smokers of any kind. Ace Harmon took a drag making an orange glow in the corner of the underground parking garage of City Hall. A sand filled butt can sat next to his knee. A half smile crossed his nicotine lips thinking about what his next act of terror on that bitch Marshall would be. He'd cruised by her apartment, but saw her vehicle parked where it was the night before. Strange he thought why she'd leave it here this morning. Never mind, about the vehicle, but what he needed was to enter her apartment and lay a surprise in waiting for her.

  Ace had perused the evidence room looking for a pair of coveralls he could wear to disguise his appearance at the apartment. He found what he was looking for in a box that was very dusty having been there for a long time. On the back it said: 'Western Heating and Repair'. Perfect he thought. He rolled the coveralls up and chatted with the evidence officer telling him, he needed the coveralls for a line up this afternoon. He signed the paper and left.

  Ace put the coveralls in the trunk of his usual sedan. That was when he decided to have a smoke before going back to his office. It was only 9:30 and he wanted to wait till around 11 am before he broke into the Marshall's apartment.

  While Ace was back upstairs in his office, Dan had dropped Stacy off at the office. He was now driving over to City Hall to place a tracking device on the car Em told him was always assigned to the lieutenant. Upon entering the underground parking of City Hall, he showed his ID to the security guard. When his eyes fully adjusted, he easily spotted the sedan of Ace Harmon. In less than a minute Dan had placed the tracking device, took off his rubber gloves, jumped back in his SUV and drove out telling the guard he'd forgotten some paperwork.

  At just before 11 am, Emma noticed the tracking device was beeping and moving. She hurried to Dan's office and told him what was going on. With a map overlay, it was simple to follow the tracking device by GPS. Dan and Em watched proceed directly to Stacy's apartment complex. Upon arrival it remained stationary. Dan said, "Em, tell Stacy what is going down. I'll sneak up on him to see what kind of deviltry he's up to."

  Ten minutes later, parked on the street two blocks away, Dan hurried to spy on Ace. He found a hiding place behind some bushes to see the car and Stacy's apartment at the same time. Dan looked at his watch seeing about fifteen minutes had gone by. He glanced up at the weather seeing the clouds race by with a rainstorm not far behind.

  After another look at his watch, almost twenty-five minutes had passed when out of Stacy's apartment came a man dressed in blue coveralls. Dan never saw what was written on the back as Ace was always facing him. He was wishing Ace would turn around and when he came to his car, he opened the trunk up, placed his toolbox in the trunk, and took off his coveralls. That's when Dan saw the Western Heating and Repair on the back of the coveralls. Dan smiled. Dan also had been snapping a few pics with his cell phone to seal the deal.

  Driving away, smoke billowing out his window, Ace Harman was laughing out loud. He laughed so loud he went into a coughing fit having to pull over to rid the sparkles in is oxygen deprived eyes. The coughing fit over; he lit up another Lucky Strike thinking how clever he was. First he filled up the shower drain with plaster of Paris. The toilet was disabled from flushing or refilling the storage tank. The kitchen sink got the same treatment. It was more like a college prank that outright destruction. Ace liked the word 'harassment' best.

  His face went from smiling to grim in a hurry thinking how that under thirty year old girl could sport the title of US Marshall. I'd taken him twenty years to obtain his high rank of lieutenant. Countless hours put in, tons of reports filled out, two marriages down the tubes and three kids he'd put through college. It was plain and simple: he resented Marshall Stacy Foreham. What was told to him later was the fact Stacy Foreham was batting a thousand for her last eleven cases of homicides. Some said he was just jealous. Others said he was just a male chauvinist pig. Regardless, he should have taken the captain's warning seriously.

  The Fax is Spewing Forth

  Em waved at Dan when he walked through the door. She said, "The vehicle went back to the parking garage. I presume it went to the underground parking as the signal stopped right at City Hall."

  "I'll go see Stacy. You might want t
o tag along. It's one of those 'it's funny, but not funny' things. By the way, I see your fax is working overtime."

  "Yeah, reports from all over the country are coming in. I'll sort them out later," she said as they went in Stacy office after a short rap on the door. Detective Razor had left and came back. He was sitting with Stacy at the round table.

  "Come in and join us," said Stacy.

  Dan was still grinning and Stacy noticed his stuck on smile. Dan said, "When I arrived at your apartment complex, Ace's car was sitting not far away from your SUV. I waited about twenty or more minutes to see him exit your apartment wearing blue coveralls. When he opened his trunk, I saw the name, 'Western Heating and Repair' on the back of his coveralls. He put a tool bag in the trunk and drove off. I took a few pics using my smart phone. I'll upload in just a little bit. I'm not sure what your apartment looks like, but caution is advised."

  "Let's hope he's not a sicko and defecated on my bed or something like that. When we know he's still in his office, Dan I'll leave it to you to scope out my apartment. Take Em with you as she's a woman who knows stuff you men have no idea about," she said laughing.

  "While I was gone, Rhonda called to say she'd fax the background check on Ace. She asked no questions and wondered if there was a connection to Stacy. I told her yes it did. She said she do a special job just for her. I thanked her and here we are," said Ben.

  "Okay back to the case at hand. Dan here's a computer hit on a similar crime in Plano, Texas. It happened last summer. See what you can dig up. Em, bring in what you've got for records from the fax and make respective piles. Ben, how about you and I drive up to Salem to see an assembly plant at work?"

  "Sounds good to me," said Ben. I'll let the office know where I'm going and who with. It'll grind a bit on the captain, but tell somebody who cares."

  Salem Wood Assembly Inc.

  Stacy thought this was the first time she will have ridden with Ben as a driver. Usually Rory did the driving with Ben riding shotgun and her in the back. When they were on the freeway going north, she said, "Do you hear from Rory Ben?"

  "Not since he went over to Bend Stacy. He told me then he had mixed feelings about Bend, but he does love to ski. He fell for you hard. Ever since our first case at the golf course, he thought you was the dream of a lifetime for him."

  "I too felt something was happening between us after a period of time. But as you well know Ben, my professional career comes first. It'd been my intention to come home after college and spend some time with my father. I'd been away for many years and with my mother passing on, it was just my father and I. Besides, I need some maturity and experience to draw strength from. I feel we got lucky as a trio of detectives to work together solving many homicides.

  Then out of the blue this Marshall position comes up. I'm overwhelmed and pleased they wanted me. This is a dream of a lifetime for me. No way was I going to join the FBI or some other giant organization. I'd just be a number in a big city drowning in bureaucratic garbage. So far, my boss Connie is the political partner and I'm the other factor free to investigate crime.

  Anyway, Rory and I weren't able to carry on a relationship from a distance. Rory needed that weekly contact and I just couldn't be available to provide for his wants and desires. I know this sounds lame, but who knows the future." Stacy said as they just passed through Albany with Salem the next stop.

  Give me More Boards

  The Salem Woodworking Co. sat by itself east of the freeway in an area being slowly developed. The plant was new and gave off an appearance of being well maintained. Stacy counted maybe ten cars in the parking lot with two in front of the office door. Stacy looked at her watch seeing it was close to 3 pm. Dark clouds were streaming by with the promise of rain coming soon.

  Walking into the office Stacy noticed immediately the smell of fresh paint and new furniture. A smiling middle-aged woman with shocking red hair shuffled up to the small counter asking if she might be of assistance. Stacy showed her US Marshall's shield. The woman, Betty Baird, opened wide her purple eye shadow revealing violet contact lenses. "I'm sure you're here about the body in the crate. We've had so many detectives here that we really don't know what else we can do to further the mystery of how the body got into the crate."

  "We're not here to waste your time Ms Baird, but this particular case has far reaching attachments. We would appreciate it if you'd take the time to show us around to see how the pew was put together and how the finished product was packed in the wooden crate for shipment," said Stacy.

  "Since you put it so nicely, let me call my husband to give you a tour. Just a minute while I call him." Betty, a little on the plus side, found a hand held mike and said, "George to the office. We've visitors."

  In a couple minutes an out of breath George came through the back door. Both Baird's were about the same size. With a big smile, thinking Stacy and Ben were customers, held out his hand in greeting. The smile left when his wife introduced the two investigators. However, he knew that he needed to cooperate, as a good citizen would do. He said, "Follow me please and I'll show you around."

  Inside the assembly room about a dozen workers were busy putting wood products together. Stacy recognized the smell of glue and heard the pounding of hammers both wooden and steel. Large tables were along one wall where workers could work at mid-body to see what they were doing. Behind each table were clamps of various lengths to hold pieces together while the glue set up.

  George said, as he walked to where some workers were boxing up furniture in wooden containers, "This is where we put the pew into the wooden crate for shipment. When we crated the pew, there wasn't anybody inside the crate. We don’t have space to warehouse our finished products here in Salem. We ship to a warehouse in Portland and from there I've no idea what happens. Our invoice goes out when we are ready to ship the product. The customer is notified where to pick it up or have the warehouse company ship it to the place desired. The warehouse is a central distribution point used by many manufacturing or assembly plants like ours."

  "Thanks for the information Mr. Baird. How hard would it be to take the wooden crate apart, place a body inside, and seal the crate up again," asked Stacy.

  "Well on the one hand it's not so difficult if you've the proper tools. But on the other hand, as both nails and staples are used, we must be careful to not scratch or mark a fine piece of furniture worth thousands, or we might be facing a lawsuit."

  "We can't assume anything Mr. Baird. We're not accusing anyone of dismantling the crate, but if you could see your way clear to come to Eugene to inspect the crate if it'd been tampered with prior to dismantling by the church people?"

  "I'll send my foreman down tomorrow morning Marshall. He'll be able to tell if someone took it apart and put it back together again. That is regardless of the church people dismantling it after arrival."

  "Please give us the address of the Portland warehouse Mr. Baird," said Stacy."

  Betty wrote out with sweeping cursive the name and address of the Portland warehouse. She added the phone number and fax. She handed it to Stacy with their business card stapled to the corner.

  They thanked both for the nice hospitality and drove back to Eugene. Stacy decided that Portland could wait. As a matter of fact, after she had given it some thought, Dan might be the one for that job. She really needed to spend some time reading all the reports and documents coming her way.

  Ben said, "It would have to be Portland or if not Portland, then somewhere along the way the delivery truck stopped for about an hour to take apart and place a body inside the crate. After that put it back together and away you go."

  "My thinking exactly Ben. Hey we both missed lunch. How about we stop for a bite to eat?"

  "I always think of Rory each time I or we have something to eat at a restaurant," said Ben. Stacy realized Ben missed Rory a lot. "

  Well, it was true he kept the atmosphere light and gay, but underlying it all, he was serious about solving a crime. I really hope he can
find a niche in Bend," said Stacy as they pulled off the freeway in Albany.

  Plaster of Paris

  First Dan called a local maintenance company who specialized in damage or regular maintenance for any business. After wading through two people before he found a guy who at least talked a good game. After a back and forth, it was decided late afternoon would be good.

  Dan met Rolf in the parking lot of Stacy's apartment complex. Dan said, "I don't know what to expect Rolf, but be prepared for any type of surprise, prank, or major destruction."

  "Lead on Marshall. I've my trusty tool box and let's see what lies ahead of us."

  Dan opened the door not knowing what to expect. At first glance, all appeared well. Rolf said "If someone is pranking someone, the bathroom and kitchen are the usual places. Let' check the bathroom first.

  Dan followed Rolf to the bathroom. First Rolf checked under the sink for connections. Then he turned the water on. No problem there he told Dan. Next was the shower. He turned the water on and immediately noticed it wasn't draining. Rolf prised off the drain screen. He flashed his light into the pipe. After that he used a knife to scrap the solid looking substance to determine what really was. "plaster of paris," he said. "It'll take a few days being treated with Muriatic acid. The toilet is easily fixable. Now let's go check the kitchen."

  In the kitchen they found the same thing in the sinks. "Well, Marshall, somebody was playing a not so funny joke on the tenant who lives here. I'll be right back. I've some acid in my van." While he was gone, Dan looked the rest of the apartment over very carefully. It appeared the drains were the only thing Ace had screwed with.

  Dan called Stacy. She and Ben were just climbing into their car when he called. "Here are the results of your apartment investigation. I hired a professional and your shower drain and kitchen sink were sealed up tight with plaster of paris. It'll take a few days for the acid to dissolve the plaster. I'd classify it as harassment."