Mystery on the Seine

by Terry McGhee

  ***

  Jake’s call to Sam got the FBI agent out of bed at half past four in the morning. “This better be good Jake, I didn’t get to bed until midnight.”

  “I have some news Sam.” Jake explained the situation with Ella Couletti. “Louie is still under cover, but an officer from the National Police is, at the moment, on board. I expect to be called as a witness any minute. The body is in a morgue in the town of Giverney…that’s the one, Monet’s Gardens…we should know cause of death soon. You may want to call Louie, but it will be an hour or so before the results of the autopsy.

  “Can you give me any news about Donnie Jerkovick, or anything that might bear on this case here? Sorry for acting somewhat selfish under the circumstances.”

  “Here’s a current update Jake. Our investigating agent has learned that Donnie has joined a local chapter of the Hell’s Angels in Georgia. When the agent inquired to get an address, he was told that Donnie didn’t have one. He and another member were taking a road trip out west somewhere. We don’t know the exact destination. It could be just two loser biker buddies wanting a little adventure. I’ll talk to inspector Hannity, and keep you both informed if anything develops. The Esposito Brothers, so far, are sticking close to their electrical contracting business in Dallas. If they really had active Mob connections, they could have put out a contract for killing Clyde and Ella. It’s under investigation. It also seems the Coulettis either don’t know about the fire at their house, or they do, and are just giving it a write-off. No neighbor has heard from them. With all their money it makes sense that they would choose to vanish. For the time being you, Barb and Louie should continue with the bystander act. Actually the police should hold Clyde as a chief suspect. I’ll find out if the bosses here want me to get directly involved.

  “The bilked Couletti Fund investors have formed an information gathering committee, and are getting input on possibly filing a class-action suit. They will share what they uncover that could be hard evidence of the Ponzi scam. So far we’ve heard of only one incident. The father of a family, last name Parker, committed suicide over their financial losses. I guess he got romantically involved with Ella Couletti, and apologized in a note for destroying the family’s life savings by investing recklessly in the scheme. This news has been kept from the media. Just keep your eyes and ears on alert. Hi to Barb…let’s talk later.”

  Jake wandered into the Grand Lounge looking for Barb. He waved to her, and she excused herself to join her husband. “I talked to Sam to give him my input on the sudden death of Ella Couletti. I expect Captain Favre and the police detective on board to call Louie and me to give us the cause of death. The news on Donnie Jerkovick is ominous. He and another Hell’s Angel buddy are heading west on a road trip. Sam will give Hannity a heads up, and keep us both informed. The scammed investors are forming an investigating committee, and exploring a possible class-action suit against the Coulettis. Sam found out that the father of a family that lost big bucks through investing in the scheme, committed suicide. Guy’s name was Parker. And for some reason Barb, the name seems familiar.”

  Chapter 10

  Jake and Barb had walked out of the lounge so they could talk beyond ear shot of other passengers. “Ok Jake, I’ve been thinking about what we have observed, and what Sam has told us. Learning about the autopsy results will fill in some blanks about the death of Ella Couletti, and…Jake! Kent’s last name is Parker. He also told us he was from Texas. He said his father died, and he himself was working an extra job to help his Mom out with his college costs. This information could not just be coincidental. I’ll bet Kent’s Mom and Dad lost money with the Coulettis. And remember Jake told us he is studying Chemistry as a minor. I’ll bet cause of death will be poisoning.”

  “Easy there Watson. We’re just observers. This could all be coincidental. We need to sit down with Louie…give him this information, and let him talk to Sam. Actually I’m guessing Louie has met with the officer from the National Police and his undercover position is safe. I’ll call him and we can set up a meeting to find out about the autopsy results.”

  ***

  I opened the door to our cabin suite. Louie and a second gentleman entered. “Jake, Barbara, please meet Inspector Phillippe, he works with me at the National Police Detective Bureau. I have briefed him on recent events and the history of our operation. We just left a meeting with Captain Favre and the Coroner from Giverney. Phillippe has secured the crime scene, and the cup, saucer and the contents have been sent to the Paris H.Q. Forensics Lab.”

  Phillippe took over our meeting. “My assistant is keeping an eye on Mrs. Johnson’s husband, Fred. At the moment he has requested that he be allowed to stay in his cabin. He is, after all, a chief suspect. We don’t expect him to rabbit on us with his dead wife still in the morgue in Giverney.”

  Phillippe opened a lined, spiral note book. “Ok…the autopsy revealed that Mrs. Johnson died of a deadly, ‘super-charged’ dose of Potassium Cyanide.”

  “Excuse me, what do you mean supercharged?” Barbara asked. Jake was nodding his head as he understood what Phillippe was saying. “Barbara; the Coroner told us that the amount of Cyanide in the bloodstream was very small. Some kind of accelerant was added to potentiate the cyanide. The victim died relatively quickly. The murderer would have to possess some advanced knowledge about the additive compounds that would act to potentiate the poison. We should hear any minute from the lab regarding the contents of the tea cup, which is the leading candidate as the source of the poison delivery. Virtually anyone can purchase Cyanide and other chemicals on-line. I suspect that the police will have a staff member check on any on-line activity with the various supply sources of Potassium Cyanide.”

  Phillippe was flipping the pages of his notebook. “I want to make sure I have the sequence of events correct. Bear with me S’il vous plait. After the reception dinner, Mrs. Johnson said she wanted to go to the library, and asked Louie if she could let Lola curl up on her lap. Louie agreed and a little later brought Lola into the library.” Phillippe nodded toward Louie and said, “A cup of what looked like tea sat on the side table.”

  “Right so far? Louie was nodding his head saying ‘yes.’ “Mr. Bernard then says he was returning to the library when he saw Lola in the outer hallway looking for her master. Someone, at present unknown, had to open the heavy glass door to let her out. Could this be our killer? Who brought the first cup of tea to Mrs. Johnson? My notes say that her husband, Fred, told us he did. Fred than went to their cabin…at least this is what he said. And who gave Lola the dog cookies? Yes, I’m told they were a popular brand sold in all the markets. Was it Mrs. Couletti , or possibly our killer?” The killer would have wanted to get Lola away from their intended victim assuming they had to knock her out maybe with chloroform or other means.

  The phone rang…Louie answered and handed the phone to Phillippe. He was nodding his head and saying ‘Very strange.’ “Thank you for calling.” He made some quick notes, and turned to the group and said, “Well, this ‘Body in the Library’ mystery grows more curious. Our lab says that the liquid contents in the tea cup, as well as the cup itself, shows absolutely zero traces of Potassium Cyanide. This clearly proves that Mrs. Johnson did not ingest the poison from her tea.”

  Jake had been listening quietly. “Correction, it proves only the fact that the poison was not in that particular cup of tea. If the victim’s first cup of tea contained the cyanide, it could have been removed from the library…but by whom? If so, who brought in another serving? The husband said a kitchen staff person prepared the cup of tea he brought to his wife. This person told me she filled the cup from the large copper hot water container. It’s the server’s job to add a basket of tea bags to the tray.”

  “We did not find another cup in the library. So it is possible a poison-tainted cup may be sitting in a pile of dirty dishes?”

  Barb was shaking her head. “Chances for that are slim to none. Coffee and tea are being served constantly aroun
d the clock. A river cruise ship has limited space, so my bet is that it is a full time task of washing and drying dishes.”

  “Ah yes,” replied Phillippe…probably a waste of time even if we found the cup. We also should be viewing other possible murder suspects. How about the bar tender, and that young man”… Phillippe looked through his note book… “Mr. Kent Parker? He does wait on the guests. The bartender says he, himself, did not deliver anything to the library. He bears further checking.”

  Jake and Barb exchanged glances.

  Jake raised his hand to get the attention of the others. “The four of us are the only ones that know the true identity of the Johnsons. The FBI wants to keep it that way for the time being. We have circumstantial information that may have a direct bearing on the murder. Our first day in the Four Seasons Hotel, we met Kent Parker in the lounge. Kent was hired as a wait person. He told us he was attending a Paris college studying Language and Chemistry. He would be working on our ship for the first time. He needed extra money to help his Mom with his school expenses. He told us his father had recently died, and the family lived in Texas. He did not mention any detail about his father’s cause of death, or circumstances surrounding it. It makes sense that someone investigate Mr. Kent Parker in more detail. Our FBI contact in the states says an investor by the name of Parker committed suicide over his family’s lost investment in the Couletti Fund. If our assumptions are true, then he certainly had opportunity and motive.”

  Chapter 11

  “Thank you for consenting to this interview Mr. Parker. Since you were one of the last persons to see and speak to Mrs. Johnson, you are considered both a critical witness as well as a suspect regarding her death. I’m sure you are aware of this.” Phillippe had begun to interrogate suspects in the poisoning death of Ella Couletti, a.k.a. Patsy Johnson. “You told me earlier that you delivered a second tea setting to the library, and that Mrs. Johnson spoke to you, and in fact asked you to leave the library door open as it was a little stuffy.”

  “That’s correct inspector. She said not to worry about the dog Lola as she was fine, and that Mr. Bernard would soon be coming to fetch her.”

  Phillippe looked up from his notepad. “What did you do after you placed the tea setting on her table?”

  “I put the other tea cup, saucer and used pot on my tray; said ‘Good night,’ and returned the tray and tea things to the kitchen and placed them with other dirty dishes.”

  “And when you left the library, did the dog Lola stay there?”

  “I couldn’t say for sure. She seemed to be asleep. Mr. Bernard has told me to not be concerned with Lola if I see her wandering around alone. If it were my dog, I would not want her out of my sight. Louie said she has a special pedigree or some kind of royal lineage. I personally think taking a dog on a river cruise to be rather stupid. I’m surprised that the cruise line allows it.”

  “One last question Kent. How did you know Mrs. Johnson had requested more tea?”

  “The bartender turns on a small remote red light that servers are supposed to monitor. If we are free at the moment, we are to check with the kitchen to see who needs service. I got Mrs. Johnson’s order; filled the pot, and got a clean cup, saucer and silver from the shelves, and delivered the setting to the library.”

  “Where is the hot water source for the tea pot?”

  “There is a large copper container with an ‘open-close’ spigot. It is located just outside the kitchen door on a portable table along with the baskets of tea bags.”

  “Did you notice any evidence of tampering with the tea bags?”

  “Hey, I don’t inspect each bag to see if they are all sealed. Anyone could open a specific bag, put in a foreign substance, and seal it up again.”

  “Inspector Phillippe, when I left the library, this Mrs. Johnson was fine. I really have to get back to work. I need this job.”

  “Of course. I still may have more questions later as this case develops. Will you fill in your contact information on this card? And please make yourself available to me until we clear up this nasty business.”

  “One more thing Mr. Parker. Mr. Fred Johnson, the husband of the deceased, says he brought his wife her first cup of tea. We can deduce that the Potassium Cyanide poison was not consumed in the tea from this cup. Mr. Johnson returned to his room, and then was seen on deck some time later chatting with other guests. The coroner ‘s estimate of time of death and our knowledge of the time her husband brought her the tea clearly reveals that far too much time had passed for the husband to be guilty of poisoning his wife with doctored tea. And finally Mr. Parker we have learned from the FBI in the U.S. that a man, also with the last name Parker, killed himself after losing the family’s life savings in an investment Ponzi scheme. Was this your father Kent?”

  “Yes it was, but there were several suicide deaths toward the end of this criminal activity when the truth came out. Besides, who has positively identified the Johnson’s as the operators of this Ponzi scheme? The newspapers reported the guilty couple as having the last name of Couletti.”

  “You can rest assured young man that we will get to the bottom of this mystery. If they, in fact, are guilty, it would give you a major motive to commit this crime.”

  “I did not kill Mrs. Johnson inspector. Be careful with your actions. You would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that I was guilty. I challenge you to do that.”

  ***

  Chapter 12

  Inspector Phillippe and his assistant, police sergeant Anton, were finishing up their report that detailed the notes documented about the murder. It included interviews with the suspects and other guests. “Well Inspector, I think that about does it. If anyone saw anything that bears on this crime, they haven’t come forward. The husband and Kent Parker remain our two major suspects. Kent Parker had motive and opportunity, while the husband, Clyde Couletti, remains somewhat of a mystery, and he was observed on deck at the time our victim was poisoned. That leaves Parker as our main suspect, or someone unknown and unseen boarded the ship, committed the murder, and somehow got off the ship without a single person seeing him or her. Lola now is our only known witness.”

  Jake, Barb and Louie sat in on this private meeting. “You know Phillippe, Jake and I are simply observers, and Sam thought our observations could help Louie. I’m not sure we can be of much more help”…she looked at Jake…”So I’m asking my husband to take a break and join me with other passengers touring the Claude Monet Estate and Gardens.”

  Jake thrust his arms up. “I give up gentlemen, and concede to my wife’s idea. How many times have we seen that beautiful and peaceful painting by Monet of his water garden and the famous Japanese Bridge with the purple Wisteria? And now we get to visit this famous place, and see the actual stone farmhouse where Money lived. This is a highlight for any tourist.” Barb shook her head, not sure if Jake was serious.

  As they walked out, Barbara said to Jake, “Hey Sherlock, I’m impressed with your knowledge of the Monet site.”

  “Piece of cake Watson , our cruise brochure has that picture on the cover with details of what we can see.”

  “Ya know Sherlock, I have just the place on the wall for that very famous painting…a print of course.”

  “Ya know Watson, I think I know the very spot.”

  ***

  That evening Jake and Barbara had just dressed for dinner when the cabin phone rang. It was Inspector Phillippe. “Good Evening Jake. I’m here in Louie’s cabin with some information we thought you should know. Can you spare a few minutes now?”

  Jake and Barbara were admitted to Louie’s cabin feeling other passengers would suspect them of being involved in some secret, sneaky activity, which of course they were. Phillippe wasted no time. “Tomorrow I will accompany Mr. Couletti to the morgue in Giverny as he must sign papers authorizing the cremation of his wife’s remains. He then will arrange for the package to be shipped to an address outside of France. We really have nothing to hold him on, but he has agree
d to allow Anton and myself to accompany him. He says he will leave the cruise, and catch the first plane out of de Gaulle. Since I’m now aware that he is a suspect in a criminal enterprise in America, we will talk again to Mr. Jenkins of the FBI to alert him of the situation. Legally we can’t hold him more than forty eight hours. We have certain forms we have to prepare and get signed. This will take some time. If your FBI can find a legal means of keeping him here in Paris, we will cooperate. What is your opinion Mr. Vincent?”

  “Actually, as you know, I can’t really discuss what is going on with the FBI’s evidence gathering activity, but my guess is that he may soon be a wanted felon. You need to pass on your requirements to Sam Jenkins.

  “So basically I have two days to observe our alleged criminal before he leaves France. If he’s held more than one minute past a legal limit, he seems the type that will initiate legal action.”

  “Ah yes, that is true Mr. Vincent.” Phillippe was tapping his pencil on his notepad. “I’ll call Agent Jenkins in Washington, and then we must transport our ‘not-a-murder-suspect’ to the morgue in Giverny. I also will advise Mr. Couletti that, due to paper work requirements, he must remain in Paris for forty eight hours.”

  “Excellent Inspector. Barbara and I will remain on the Queen, and we can talk when you return.”

  Louie handed Jake a key. “Jake, Lola is napping here on my bed. Can one of you check on her in about an hour? I don’t know how long we will be at the morgue.”

  “No problem Louie.” Jake turned to Barb, and said, “We’ll take her to the box where she does her business, let her stretch he legs a bit.” Barb glared at her husband.

  “Don’t worry Louie, Lola will be fine. I will see that Jake locks the cabin door, and checks the water dish. He loves dogs, and will even empty Lola’s box if needed.”

  Jake took Barb’s hand and squeezed hard. “OK B, let’s go check out today’s vintage wine in the lounge. Good luck guys. Keep a close watch on our alleged criminal. I’ll be anxious to hear what Sam wants us to do.”