Mystery on the Tramway

by Albert Simon

  “Ok, ok, I can consider that. But then why did Terrance buy a gun in Las Vegas with Todd?” Gloria asked.

  The waiter showed up with their lunch, he cautioned them that their plates were hot and asked them if they needed anything else. They assured him that they were fine and when the waiter departed, Henry continued.

  “I can’t figure out yet why one of them bought a gun. But, I think that Mr. Robert Silverstein is not as sick as he is letting on. He looks like he is on his last legs, but his handshake is still real firm. He told Charles that he stopped driving, but I think he had enough energy to make one last drive to the Tramway.”

  “You know what that means Henry?” Gloria asked as she tried her enchilada which was as hot as the waiter had cautioned.

  “What’s that?”

  “There’s an upset and angry young man with a big gun out there somewhere.” Gloria put a small bite of her enchilada in her mouth.

  “Hmmm, you think that since Silverstein killed Quinn, now Todd Gregory has it in for Silverstein?” Henry was still pushing his food around on his plate with his fork.

  “I think that is a distinct possibility. I’m thinking that Todd Gregory took a big chance in his life in having a relationship with Terrance Quinn. Now that he’s lost him, he is out for revenge.” Gloria said.

  “What about Todd’s mother, Cherie, and the missing gun. Do you think that is a coincidence?” Henry asked.

  “Gosh, I’m not sure. Henry this is really difficult. How do you figure these puzzles out?” Gloria laid down her fork and looked at him.

  “Usually I try to put myself into either the mind of the victim to see why someone would want to kill me. When that doesn’t work, I try to think like the killer to determine why I want to kill the victim.” Henry explained.

  “What are you doing in this case?” Gloria was curious.

  “This case is difficult, I’ve tried both methods, you know I do my best thinking about this stuff during my morning swims and I can’t get into either person’s head. It’s not working for me this time.” Henry concentrated on his enchiladas.

  “Let me tell you what I found out from Cherie while you were looking around in Todd’s room. I’m not sure it’s relevant anymore, but I think you should know.” Gloria was nearly done with her lunch and took the time to tell her story. “Cherie and Dos met in Albuquerque while he was already in the service, she was a cocktail waitress in a bar. They got married after she got pregnant with Todd. It was a difficult birth and she wasn’t able to have more children.”

  “Then when Todd was four, Dos was assigned to the base at Twentynine Palms and right after that they moved to Palm Springs. According to Cherie, Todd was always a different child and Dos always referred to Todd as a sissy which of course hurt Todd’s feelings and caused a lot of arguments between Dos and Cherie.” Gloria stopped and took a sip of margarita before continuing. “Todd wasn’t very coordinated; he couldn’t catch a ball, and showed no interest in sports. Dos spent less and less time with Todd. Todd became interested in movies and plays when he was young. She said that before he went to Kindergarten he had seen E.T. so many times that he could recite all the words and was able to act out all the parts. Then when he was ten, Dos took Todd out to the base at Twentynine Palms and introduced him to firearms and the shooting range. Finally they had a common interest.”

  “Did Todd have his own gun at that time?” Henry interrupted.

  “Apparently he didn’t, at least not from what she told me. Then Cherie found that Dos was cheating with some young woman that worked on the base. It seems not all of his evenings out with the co-workers were evenings out with the boys, like she told you. After the divorce, Dos had an apartment in Yucca Valley, not too far from the base. Dos picked up Todd on alternate weekends to visit and Dos took him out to the small arms range on the base. That went along ok for a while then one night Dos went out and got drunk with his buddies and left Todd alone in the apartment. Todd called his mother to come and get him the next morning and that’s when Cherie petitioned the court to eliminate Dos’ visitations.”

  “Did the visitations stop?” Henry asked.

  Gloria drank some water this time. “No, they weren’t eliminated but they were significantly reduced. Then three years ago was when Dos was killed in the car accident on Highway Sixty-two. Apparently it was a DUI on a Friday night. According to Cherie he wrapped himself around a telephone pole. He left what little he had to Todd, which included the .45. Shortly after he turned sixteen, Todd used his father’s money to buy the Jeep that you’re now looking for.”

  “How did Todd take his father’s death?” Henry finished his enchiladas and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

  “He was pretty much ok. By that time he was involved with the drama club in high school and had not been spending a lot of time with his father. Cherie thought he handled it pretty well, though she said for six months or a year he was even more withdrawn than usual. I asked her if Todd had any girlfriends or relationships and she reacted. Not as volatile as what you saw when you asked her if he was gay, but she’s in total denial that it might be a possibility that he is not straight. I think that she’s from a small, conservative town in New Mexico, was around the military all of her life not all of who are the most open minded people around. I know - I was married to one. She just cannot accept that her little boy would want to be with another man.”

  “You certainly found out a lot while I was in Todd’s room for a short time.” Henry said.

  “Well, honey, you were in that room for a good twenty minutes and I think that Cherie needed a woman to talk to. She seems brassy and kind of tawdry but I think she’s actually very lonely. She’s extremely protective of Todd, he is all she has.” Gloria put her napkin on the table.

  “What did you say?” Henry asked.

  “I said Todd is all that Cherie has and that she is extremely protective.”

  “No, before that.”

  “That Todd wanted to be with another man?”

  “Did you just call me honey?” Henry asked.

  “Yes, I guess I did. Sorry, do you not want me to call you that?”

  “No, no, not at all. It’s just that I haven’t been called honey or dear or anything for a long time. Except of course by Millie, the waitress at Sherman’s and she calls everyone honey. I really like it.” Henry looked over at Gloria, reached for her hand across the table and smiled.

  Gloria’s smile lit up her face. “Well, honey, I think I might just call you that from now on.”

  “I like it. I’m going to have to find a name to call you. But I want to wait until it just slips out, I don’t want to have to think up one.” Henry smiled at Gloria as the waiter exchanged their plates for the check.

  “Henry, I think we need to take a break from all of this detective work. Can we go somewhere and walk around a bit?” Gloria asked.

  Henry pulled some cash out of his pocket and paid the tab. “I agree, let’s go for a walk. I think we make a very good team, I like working with you as much as being with you. When we get to the car, I’ll call Wayne, tell him to check out Cherie Gregory more closely and then we’ll take a break. Where do you want to walk in this heat?”

  “Isn’t there someplace with some shade? I know, is there a nursery around somewhere? I’d love to get another plant like the hummingbird was visiting this morning, a hibiscus.” Gloria finished the last of her margarita and stood up.

  “I know just the place, a combination nursery and artist community, come on let’s go.” Henry got up and held Gloria’s hand as they walked out of the restaurant.

  “Really? A combination of plants and art in one place? This sounds interesting, how do they do that?

  “Just wait, you’ll see. It’s not that far from here.” Henry answered as they walked back to the Mercury.

  “Honey?” Gloria asked.

  “Yes?” Henry answered.

  “Nothing, I just like saying that for you.”

  Chapter 11


  Henry parked in the shade of several large trees in the parking lot at Las Palapas just off Palm Canyon Drive, ten minutes later. While the engine was still running and the air conditioner was on he pulled his cell phone from the glove compartment and called Wayne Johnson at the police department.

  “Palm Springs Detective Squad, this is Wayne Johnson.”

  “Wayne, it’s Henry. Gloria and I want to give you an update on what we discovered.” Henry reached for Gloria’s hand next to him and squeezed it. He really did enjoy being with her and they did made a great team.

  “Great, did you talk with Mrs. Gregory?”

  “Yes, we went out to the Gregory home this morning and we found out some interesting stuff that we need to pass along.”

  “Ok, let me grab a pen to take some notes. Go ahead.”

  “Well, first of all Cherie Gregory owns a gun. I believe from her description that it is a .38 caliber snub nosed revolver that she claims is missing. Second, she is very angry at Terrance Quinn, she said the world is better off without him.”

  “Really? I think I’d better pull her in for questioning. I’ll send a couple of uniforms out to her house right away. Hang on while I make that call.” Wayne put Henry on hold.

  “He’s sending a black and white out to Cherie’s house to pick her up for questioning.” Henry told Gloria while he was waiting for Wayne to come back.

  Gloria looked at her watch. “She was supposed to start her shift at the casino at one. They’d better go there.”

  Wayne came back in Henry’s ear. “Ok, Henry, they’re on their way.”

  “She’s supposed to be at work at the casino at one o’clock. You’d better send them there.” Henry told him.

  “I should know that, somewhere on my desk here is her work schedule for the next few weeks. Ok, hold on again.”

  This time Wayne was back quicker. “Ok they’re going to go by the house first. If she’s not there then they’ll pick her up at the casino.”

  “Good. We have another theory for you to consider.” Henry said.

  “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

  “It looks as though you were right about the gun shows in Vegas. I found a Guns & Ammo magazine in Todd’s room. It had an advertisement for a gun show in Las Vegas bookmarked. The dates correspond to the dates that Todd and Terrance Quinn went on their little trip together. We think that Terrance may have bought a gun there, but not necessarily.”

  “Are you saying that they bought the weapon that killed Terrance while they were together?” Wayne wasn’t so sure.

  “Maybe, but it doesn’t really matter. Anyway, we’re working on a theory where Robert Silverstein found out that Terrance was cheating on him with Todd Gregory and took the weapon that Terrance just bought and shot him in a jealous rage.” Henry explained.

  “Ok, I’ll buy that. Why don’t I go back out to Silverstein’s house and talk to him myself?”

  “That would be good. You should keep an eye out for Todd Gregory, we think he might want to come back and hurt Silverstein.”

  “You mean because Silverstein killed his lover, he wants revenge?” Wayne asked.

  “Exactly.” Henry replied.

  “Henry, you’ve just handed me two suspects in one conversation. I can tell that there are two of you working on this investigation. Your output is twice what it is normally.” Wayne couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “I prefer to think that we’re eliminating possibilities.” Henry replied. He was frustrated that he had not been able to figure out who did this.

  “Alright, I’ll call you when we’re done questioning Cherie Gregory, maybe I’ll just wait to talk with you until after I talk with Robert Silverstein.” Wayne’s voice turned very serious. “Henry, we have a couple of people running around town with weapons, are you armed?”

  “No, the Glock is locked up in my bookcase at home.”

  “Henry, please take it with you when you go out. I’m concerned that you might run into something that you’ll be sorry about. Remember last time?” Wayne sounded cautious.

  “Ok, I’ll put it in the glove compartment tomorrow when we go out. I don’t want to wear it since I’m out with Gloria.” Henry squeezed her hand again.

  “Fine, I’ll just breathe a little easier if I know that you can defend yourself if it comes to that.” Wayne said.

  “I’ll talk to you later this evening, we’ll be home.” Henry looked over at Gloria; it felt good to say that they were going to be home together.

  “Talk to you then.” Wayne hung up.

  “What don’t you want to wear since you are out with me?” Gloria asked as Henry shut the car off.

  “Wayne wants me to bring my weapon, sorry, my gun with me when we go out. He thinks there are too many armed people running around Palm Springs that might want to take a shot at someone asking as many questions as we are.” Henry explained as they got out of the car.

  “I agree with Wayne, I think you should wear your vest as well. I remember how I felt the last time you were hurt, and that was almost three months ago. Now that I’m in… in… in here with you in Palm Springs, it would be terrible if something happened to you.”

  “It’s too hot to wear all the time and I’m not on duty, maybe I’ll toss it into the trunk.”

  “I guess that’s ok.” Gloria smiled at him and put her arm around his waist as he came around the car and they walked together into the nursery.

  Palapas Nursery had numerous plants, especially those that were adapted to the desert climate. Mixed in with the nursery was art of all kinds. There were carvings and clay pieces and a lot of metal sculptures. Gloria picked out a beautiful pink hibiscus plant and Henry found a metal sculpture with a small pump so for circulating water that he thought would look great next to the French doors that went into the kitchen. Gloria said she liked the sound of a fountain and that he had chosen an ideal spot, you could see it from the table outside and the dining room as well.

  They spent more than an hour at Palapas, they walked around, talked to some of the artists who were working at their exhibits and enjoyed the afternoon. They picked up their purchases at the cash register on the way out and headed for the car. Henry drove back on Highway one-eleven and made a right turn on Sunrise Way. He took the four lane street that was lined with palm trees and well kept homes back towards the house. When they reached the intersection of Tahquitz Canyon, Gloria asked him to stop at Jensen’s. She said she was in the mood for ice cream after dinner and Henry admitted that of all the things that he bought on his shopping trip, he didn’t get ice cream. They ran into the store together and came out with two containers of Ben and Jerry’s.

  They arrived at home late in the afternoon and walked in through the garage door. Charles’ Explorer was parked inside next to Gloria’s truck, so he was around somewhere and an afternoon swim like yesterday’s would have to wait. Gloria carried in her hibiscus and Henry carefully picked the fountain up out of the trunk. Charles was sitting at the kitchen counter reading the afternoon paper; there was a glass of wine in front of him on the counter. He looked up and they didn’t notice that he had been crying as they excitedly showed him their purchases.

  “Charles, look at the beautiful plant Henry bought for me.” Gloria set the large Hibiscus on the counter. “It has pink flowers, isn’t it gorgeous/”

  “And check out this fountain, won’t it look great just outside the doors here?” Henry carried it in through the kitchen door from the garage.

  “We also picked up some ice cream for dessert. You are eating dinner with us aren’t you? We should have called, I hope you like either Cherry Garcia or Chunky Monkey!” Gloria put the containers of ice cream into the freezer.

  “Would one of you open the door for me, I want to set this outside.” Henry was standing in front of the door heading to the patio.

  “I got it honey.” Gloria said as she closed the freezer door and hurried to open the outside door.

  Henry set the sculpture outside and lo
oked with admiration at what he had done. “I think I need to move it over a little, I want to get it into final position before I fill it with water. Come out here and have a look at it Charles, I want to know what you think.”

  Charles got up slowly from the stool and walked out. “It’s fine Henry, just fine.” He walked back inside and climbed right back up on the stool took a drink from his glass and picked up his newspaper.

  Henry looked over at Gloria who looked back at him and raised one eyebrow. Henry moved his head into Charles’ direction and Gloria nodded. She walked over to Charles and put her arm around him. “What’s wrong Charles, you’re not yourself.”

  Charles shook his head while he looked at the newspaper. “I’m alright.” He said quietly.

  “Charles Knightly, are you upset that I’m here? Are you worried that your living arrangement here is going to change now that I’m staying in Henry’s room? Let me just say that as far as I’m concerned, you have nothing to worry about. Henry and I haven’t talked about this at all, but Charles, I have no intention of seeing you leave your home.” Gloria was standing in the kitchen between Henry and Charles with her hands on her hips defiantly looking at Charles.