Bread (87th Precinct)

by McBain, Ed

  “Right,” Ollie said. “Yep, I think that lady can very definitely be banged.”

  “Rosalie flew to Bremen on the day before Grimm’s packer acknowledged receipt of payment. Grimm’s check couldn’t have got there by then, so somebody must’ve made payment in person. And that had to be Rosalie.”

  “I think I’ll give that lady a call tonight.”

  “But what’s the connection, Ollie? Why the hell would Hemmings’s girl be paying Grimm’s bills while Hemmings’s company is planning to burn down Grimm’s warehouse? It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense at all.”

  It made even less sense when they got back to the squadroom. Hawes was waiting for them there, and he reported that Rosalie Waggener had spent almost an hour in an apartment on Marlowe Avenue before heading back to Isola again.

  The mailbox in the Marlowe Avenue lobby had carried a plate with the name Alfred Allen Chase engraved on it.

  They picked up Rosalie Waggener at 4:00 that afternoon and took her to the squadroom. They told her they were not charging her with anything, but that they had reasonable grounds to believe she had information pertinent to their investigation, and would appreciate her answering a few questions. Rosalie said she would answer any questions they wanted to ask, but not without a lawyer present. They explained again that she was not being charged with anything, and when she insisted on a lawyer, they explained that they could force her to testify before a grand jury, but they did not want to go to all that trouble since she was not being charged with anything.

  Reluctantly, Rosalie agreed to answer their questions.

  “According to your passport,” Carella said, “you entered West Germany through the Bremen airport on July twenty-fifth, is that correct?”

  “Yes, that’s correct,” Rosalie said.

  “And you returned to the United States on July twenty-seventh, is that also correct?”

  “Yes,” Rosalie said.

  “You told us you were visiting your relatives in Zeven.”

  “That’s right.”

  “We want to know the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of your relatives in Zeven,” Carella said.

  “Why?”

  “Because we’re going to check with the German police to make sure they exist.”

  “They exist,” Rosalie said.

  “Then give us their names.”

  “I don’t have to.”

  “That’s right, you don’t have to. Not here, you don’t. Before a grand jury, you do. It’s up to you.”

  “Will the police call them? The German police?”

  “Yes, that’s what we’ll request.”

  “Why?”

  “To make sure you were with them.”

  “I was.”

  “Then what are their names?”

  “They’re very old people. I don’t want them bothered by the police. Anyway, what’s this got to do with your investigation? You said I had information that might…”

  “That’s right.”

  “What information?”

  “Do you know a man named Roger Grimm?”

  “No.”

  “Did you visit Bremerhaven while you were in West Germany?”

  “No.”

  “Are you familiar with a firm called Bachmann Speditionsfirma in Bremerhaven?”

  “No.”

  “Why’d you go see Alfred Chase this afternoon?”

  “Who said I…?”

  “I followed you there,” Hawes said. “5361 Marlowe Avenue. Chase is in Apartment 45.”

  “Did you go there or not?” Ollie asked.

  “I went there.”

  “Why?”

  “Mr. Chase had some correspondence he wanted to answer. I told you, I do part-time secretarial work for…”

  “Why didn’t you answer it at the office?”

  “The office is closed on Saturdays.”

  “I was there this morning,” Ollie said. “It was open.”

  “Well, I guess Mr. Chase didn’t feel like going in today. I’m not the boss, you know. If they ask me to go up to Riverhead, I go.” Rosalie shrugged. “I’m not the boss.”

  “Who is the boss?”

  “They’re three partners.”

  “I thought Hemmings was your boyfriend.”

  “He is. But I work for the company. That has nothing to do with it. Oscar has nothing to do with it. I mean, if one of the bosses asks me to do something, I have to do it. It’s a job. If your boss asks you to do something, you do it, don’t you?”

  “I’m not engaged to my boss,” Ollie said dryly.

  “All I’m trying to say is it’s a job like any other job. I do what they ask me to do.”

  “What do they ask you to do? Besides taking dictation and typing letters?”

  “Secretarial work. All kinds of secretarial work.”

  “Did they ask you to go to Germany?”

  “No, I went there to visit my relatives.”

  “What are their names?” Carella asked again.

  “I’ll give you their names if you promise not to bother them.”

  “I can’t promise that. I intend to place a transatlantic call the minute you give me the information.”

  “Why? What the hell’s so important about my relatives?”

  “We’re trying to find out why you went to Germany, Miss Waggener.”

  “Did Diamondback Development send you there?”

  “No.”

  “Did Roger Grimm?”

  “I never heard of Roger Grimm.”

  “Did you take money to Germany?”

  “Money? What do you mean? Of course, I took money.”

  “How much?”

  “Enough for expenses. In traveler’s checks.”

  “How much?”

  “I forget. A little more than a thousand, I think.”

  “Did you spend it all?”

  “No, not all of it.”

  “Then you’ve still got traveler’s checks you didn’t cash, is that right?”

  “Well…yes, I suppose so. Maybe I did spend all of it.”

  “Did you or didn’t you?”

  “Yes, I spent all of it.”

  “A minute ago you said you didn’t spend all of it.”

  “I was mistaken.”

  “Then you don’t have any uncashed traveler’s checks.”

  “That’s right, I don’t.”

  “Where’d you buy the traveler’s checks?”

  “At a bank.”

  “Which bank?”

  “I forget. One of the banks downtown.”

  “When did you buy them?”

  “A few days before I left.”

  “That would be…” Carella picked up the desk calendar and studied it. “You left on July twenty-fifth, which was a Thursday, so you bought the checks sometime before then, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sometime that week?”

  “Yes.”

  “That would have been either Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, right? July twenty-second, -third, or -fourth. Is that when you bought them, Miss Waggener?”

  “Yes.”

  “What kind of traveler’s checks?”

  “American Express.”

  “You won’t mind if we call American Express, will you?”

  “Why do you want to call them?”

  “To find out about the checks.”

  “It was only a thousand dollars or so, what’s so important about that? Everybody uses traveler’s checks. I don’t see what’s so…”

  “Some people use cash,” Hawes said.

  “Yes, I suppose so,” Rosalie said.

  “Did you take any cash with you?” Carella asked. “In addition to the traveler’s checks?”

  “A little, I guess. I really don’t remember.”

  “How much?” Ollie asked.

  “Just a little. A hundred dollars or so.”

  “And that’s all you took to Germany, right? A thousand dollars in traveler’s checks…�
�

  “Well, a thousand more or less. I don’t remember the exact amount.”

  “Well, let’s say a thousand, okay? A thousand in traveler’s checks and about a hundred in cash.”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Okay, let’s call American Express,” Ollie said.

  “They probably won’t have a record,” Rosalie said quickly.

  “Why not?”

  “Because…I don’t remember whether they were American Express checks or some other kind.”

  “What other kind do you think they might have been?”

  “I don’t remember. I just asked for traveler’s checks. I can’t really remember which kind they gave me.”

  “There aren’t too many companies issuing traveler’s checks in this city,” Carella said. “If you don’t mind, we’ll call them all.”

  “I…”

  “Yes?” Carella said.

  “Actually, I took cash,” she said.

  “Then why’d you lie about it?”

  “Because I wasn’t sure how much cash you’re allowed to take out of the country. I thought it might be illegal or something. I’m not familiar with the law.”

  “How much money did you take out?”

  “I told you. A little more than a thousand.”

  “In cash.”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re sure it was in cash. A minute ago you said it was in traveler’s checks, but now you’re saying it was cash. Are you sure about that?”

  “Oh yes, I’m sure.”

  “And you’re also sure about the amount.”

  “The amount?”

  “Yes. A thousand dollars, is that right?”

  “More or less.”

  “Which?”

  “What?”

  “Which was it? Was it more than a thousand, or less than a thousand?”

  “More.”

  “How much more?”

  “Oh, twelve hundred, thirteen hundred, something like that.”

  “Where’d you get the money?”

  “I had it. I saved it.”

  “Where’d you save it?”

  “I kept it in the apartment.”

  “You didn’t keep it in a bank?”

  “No.”

  “You figured it was safe to leave thirteen hundred dollars in an apartment in Diamondback?” Ollie asked incredulously.

  “Yes. I’ve never been robbed. I’ve been living there for almost three months, and I’ve never been robbed. I figured it was safe.”

  “Where’d you live before then?”

  “Downtown. In the Quarter.”

  “Where’d you meet Oscar Hemmings?”

  “At a party, I think.”

  “When?”

  “Oh, six, seven months ago.”

  “How long have you been engaged?”

  “Oh, four or five months.”

  “You got engaged before you moved into the apartment on Saint Sebastian?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who paid to have the apartment redone?”

  “Oscar.”

  “Oscar personally? Or Diamondback Development?”

  “Diamondback Development, I think. That’s their business, you know. Buying these old buildings and fixing them up.”

  “Oh, have all the apartments in that building been fixed up?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “But not the outside of the building.”

  “No, not the outside.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Gee, I don’t know,” Rosalie said. “Maybe they didn’t want to spend the extra money. To fix up the outside, I mean.”

  “Who else lives in that building?” Hawes asked.

  “Lots of people.”

  “Know any of them?”

  “I don’t have much to do with my neighbors,” Rosalie said.

  “You say you met Oscar six or seven months ago. Where was that? In Diamondback, or down in the Quarter?”

  “Well, actually, I met him in Vegas.”

  “Vegas? What were you doing there?”

  “I used to go there weekends. When I was living on the Coast.”

  “Oh, did you live in California?” Hawes asked.

  “Yes. I was born in California. I only came here recently. After I met Oscar.”

  “What kind of work did you do on the Coast?” Ollie asked.

  “Secretarial.”

  “Full or part time?”

  “Well, part time mostly.”

  “Who’d you work for?”

  “Lots of different companies.”

  “And you used to go to Las Vegas every weekend, is that right?”

  “Well, not every weekend.”

  “Just some weekends.”

  “Yes, just some.”

  “And that’s where you met Oscar Hemmings.”

  “Yes.”

  “At a party there, right?”

  “Yes, at a party.”

  “And then you came East and started working for Diamondback Development.”

  “Yes.”

  “And living with Oscar.”

  “Yes. After we got engaged.”

  “In a building renovated by Diamondback Development.”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you a hooker, Miss Waggener?” Hawes asked.

  “No. Oh, no.”

  “Ever been arrested, Miss Waggener?”

  “No.”

  “Sure about that?”

  “Well, minor things.”

  “Like what?”

  “Traffic violations.”

  “Here or in California?”

  “California.”

  “Where’d you live out there?”

  “In LA.”

  “Would you mind if we called the Los Angeles Police Department to find out whether or not you were ever arrested for anything more serious than a traffic violation?”

  “I don’t see any reason for you to do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I may decide to go back to California one day. I don’t want the police there to have me listed as somebody questionable.”

  “Questionable?”

  “Well, somebody you were asking questions about.”

  “You don’t want us to call the German police, you don’t want us to call the LA police, you don’t want us to call American Express, or any of the other traveler’s checks companies…”

  “I took cash with me, I told you that.”

  “That’s a lot of people you don’t want us to call, Miss Waggener.”

  “You said I’m not being charged with anything. Okay, so why should I allow you to pry into my personal life?”

  “We’re going to call Los Angeles, anyway. We’re also going to call Las Vegas.”

  “Why?”

  “To see if you’ve got an arrest record.”

  “Okay, okay,” Rosalie said.

  “We can call?”

  “No, you don’t have to call.”

  “You want to tell us about it?”

  “I was arrested once for prostitution on the Coast.”

  “Uh-huh,” Hawes said.

  “You still hooking?” Ollie asked.

  “No.”

  “What’s that fancy building on St. Sebastian? It’s a whorehouse, ain’t it?

  “Gee, I couldn’t tell you. It’s where I live.”

  “Is Oscar Hemmings a pimp?”

  “No. Oh, no,” Rosalie said.

  “We’re going to visit that building again, you know,” Carella said. “To find out who else is living there.”

  “Well, they’re just ordinary tenants,” Rosalie said.

  “Like you?” Ollie asked.

  “I haven’t had any trouble with the police since that time in LA,” Rosalie said.

  “That only means you haven’t been caught lately,” Ollie said.

  “Well,” Rosalie said, and shrugged. “Is it okay if I smoke?”

  “Sure,” Ollie said, and then held a lighted match to
the cigarette she took from her handbag.

  “What do you know about Diamondback Development?” Carella asked.

  “Oh, not much.”

  “Who put up the money to form the company, would you know that?”

  “No, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t know that.”

  “Was it Oscar Hemmings?”

  “I really couldn’t say.”

  “You want to tell us why you really went to visit Chase?”

  “I already told you. To do some letters for him.”

  “Let’s drop the secretarial crap, okay?” Ollie said.

  “That’s what I am,” Rosalie said flatly. “A secretary. I’ve got no record in this city, and you can’t prove I’m anything but a secretary.”

  “Unless we catch you screwing a sailor,” Ollie said.

  “I don’t screw sailors,” Rosalie said. “Not even on the Coast, I didn’t screw sailors.”

  “What do you screw?” Ollie asked. “Niggers?”

  “Will you please cut that out?” Carella said.

  “Cut what out?” Ollie asked.

  “Anyway, my private life is none of your business,” Rosalie said.

  “Unless you do it for money.”

  “Everybody does everything for money,” Rosalie answered.

  “Who gave you the money you took to Germany?” Carella asked.

  “I told you. I saved it.”

  “Are you going to tell us the names of your relatives?”

  “No.”

  “Then we’re going to have to get a subpoena requiring you to testify before the grand jury. Let me explain this fully to you, Miss Waggener. We’re investigating an arson, and we have good cause to believe that Diamondback Development was somehow involved with it. We have enough evidence right this minute to arrest Robinson Worthy…”

  “Then arrest him,” Rosalie said.

  “…and charge him with complicity in the crime of arson, in which case the grand jury would subpoena you to testify as a witness.”

  “A witness to what? Arson? You’re out of your mind.”

  “If you tell us what you know, you can save yourself a lot of trouble later. What do you say?”

  “I’ve told you everything I know.”

  “Let me tell you what the grand jury’s going to ask, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “They’re going to inform you, first of all, that the man whose factory was burned down is named Roger Grimm. They’re also going to inform you that he was doing business with a packing firm called Bachmann Speditionsfirma in Bremerhaven, and that Bachmann acknowledged receiving payment for his services on July twenty-sixth, a day after you arrived in Bremen, which is about fifty kilometers from Bremerhaven. They are then going to ask you, under oath, whether or not you delivered any amount of cash to Bachmann on the date mentioned in his letter. If you refuse to answer…”