by Albert Simon
“Yeah, that’s one of my secrets; I get freckles before I get tan. I’m glad you like them; my mother used to hate my freckles and always told me to stay out of the sun. She told me if I was outside too long I would turn into a little pickaninny.” Gloria smiled at the recollection.
“It’s amazing what people used to just say and they got away with it. Didn’t it hurt your feelings?”
“Of course it did, especially coming from my mother. But you know, she was a good woman and raised us all to be good people.”
“As parents, that’s what we hope for I guess. You know, sitting here in Twentynine Palms I can’t help but think about Dos and Cherie Gregory, I wonder if they were given a better chance what kind of child they might have raised.”
“You mean what kinds of parents raise a killer?” Gloria finished her sandwich and licked a little mayo off her fingers before using her napkin.
“Exactly, I picture Dos as a macho guy who can only relate to his son on a gunnery range. Cherie is a tart, pardon the expression, working the guys in the casinos for a few extra tips and doesn’t understand her son. You know, Todd actually sounds like a nice kid, I hope I get to meet him some day under more pleasant circumstances.” Henry finished his sandwich as well.
“Do you really think he did it Henry?” Gloria asked.
“You know, I have a really hard time with that. Right now, it looks as though all the evidence points to either Todd or Cherie as the murderer. I think she has the motive, I’ve asked Wayne to see if she left the casino that night, maybe she took a long break and went to the tramway. You know the thing that still puzzles me is that trip that Todd and Terrance took to Las Vegas. I’d like to know what happened during those two days.”
“Are you ready to go home? I’m dusty and could sure use a dip in the pool.” Gloria folded her napkin on the table and pushed back her chair.
“The pool sounds really good. Let’s go home.” Henry picked up the check and went to the cash register at the front of the little restaurant to pay for their meal.
They got back in the car and turned back onto Twentynine Palms Highway leaving some of the desert’s dust behind in a little whirl that left a grey gritty coat on everything. The town of Twentynine Palms merged seamlessly with the town of Joshua Tree which after another mile or two became Yucca Valley. The same strip malls were along the side of the road, the only way that they knew they were in a different town was the names of businesses changed as they headed back.
Just outside of Morongo Valley, which was no more than a dry cleaners and a gas station, Henry suddenly pulled off the highway and stopped the car on the sandy shoulder.
“What’s the matter honey?” Gloria wasn’t used to this sudden stop; Henry was a very smooth driver and didn’t make these sudden movements.
“It’s probably nothing, but I saw a black car back there.” There was no traffic and Henry made a quick turn on the highway, raising another dust cloud in the desert sand.
“Todd Gregory’s Jeep is parked at a motel back at that intersection.” Henry said.
“Are you sure? We were driving kind of fast, I saw the motel but didn’t see a Jeep.” Gloria turned around in her seat to spot the car but didn’t see anything.
“No, I’m not sure, but I want to see if that’s his.” Henry swung the car into the parking lot of a small run down motel. He parked near the office, there was a black, open topped Jeep with a light bar parked in front of a room at the far end of the motel.
“If that’s him, what are you going to do?” Gloria asked, she was worried that Henry was going to get hurt again.
“First let me see if that is Todd’s car, then we’ll call the police on my cell phone and wait here. If he leaves, we’ll follow him.” Henry got out of the car. “Wait here, I’m going to talk to the manager.”
“Henry, don’t do anything foolish please.” Gloria asked as he closed the door.
“Not to worry. Can you push the trunk button; I want to get the Glock just in case.”
“Henry that’s exactly what I’m worried about.” Gloria reluctantly reached for the small button that unlatched the trunk lid.
Henry reached into the trunk, clipped the Glock to his belt behind his back under his shirt and closed the lid. He winked at Gloria as he walked into the manager’s office. A man of indistinguishable origin, probably Middle Eastern, who had not shaved in a few days, was standing at the counter as Henry pushed open the dusty glass door. He gave Henry a knowing grin.
“Good afternoon sir, you want a room for a couple of hours?” He leered over Henry’s shoulder at Gloria who was waiting in the car.
“No, no thanks. I’m looking for my son, he’s on leave from the base, and I think that’s his Jeep out there. My wife and I thought we would surprise him, he doesn’t know we’re in town.”
“Sorry, sir. We don’t give out the names of guests. Maybe if you took a room for a few hours, you could sign the guest book and then see if his name there.” He grinned at Henry, the remains of an unidentifiable lunch that obviously included a lot of green herbs were between his teeth.
“How much is a room for a few hours?” Henry asked, reaching into his pocket.
“For you sir, we are not too busy today, forty dollars.” He ogled Gloria in the car again.
Henry laid two twenties on the counter. “Skip the room, let me have a look at the guest book.”
The twenties disappeared very quickly and a greasy worn out guest book appeared in their place. Above two entries for John Smith was a Gregory Todd. Henry smiled a simple but effective alias for someone with two first names he thought.
“That’s him, we’ll go over and say hello.” Henry pushed the guest book back towards the man. It disappeared as well.
“You’re sure no room?” The grinning man said.
“I’m sure, thanks.” Henry walked out of the office. The hike to Los Palms Oasis had left him dusty and sweaty. This encounter with the greasy little motel owner had left him feeling dirty and he was going to shower before jumping into his pool.
“Is that his car?” Asked Gloria as he got back into the Mercury.
“Yep, he checked in three days ago as Gregory Todd. Not very original, you would think if he was hiding something he’d have thought of a better alias.” Henry reached for the glove compartment.
“What do you need? I’ll get it for you. Do you think now that he didn’t do it?” Gloria asked.
“My cell phone is in the glove compartment, I want to call Wayne and tell him to get some squad cars here right away.” Henry held out his hand as Gloria laid the cell phone in it. He turned it on and waited for a signal before dialing.
“Wayne, its Henry, can you hear me?” Henry knew that out here in the desert the coverage wasn’t real good.
“Yes, Henry barely, where are you?”
“We’re about three miles outside of Morongo Valley at a little place called the Shepard Creek Motel on Twentynine Palms Highway. We just spotted Todd Gregory’s Jeep parked outside one of the rooms and he is checked in as Gregory Todd.” Henry was keeping an eye on the Jeep, the room in front of it showed no signs of life.
“Ok Henry, stay put. Just keep an eye on him. There’s no police department in any of those towns up there, the Sheriff handles routine patrol. I’ll call them and get them rolling. It might take a little while, in the meantime, don’t do anything stupid.” Wayne cautioned him.
“Got it. Are you coming up as well?” Henry looked over at Gloria.
“Yeah, I’m on my way, but even with lights and siren it will take me a half hour to get there. Just watch him, ok? If he leaves, call me back right away but keep your distance when you follow him.” Wayne was nervous about what his friend would do.
“Yeah, no problem. See you in a bit.” Henry folded his phone shut.
“What did he say?” Gloria asked.
“He’s on his way and so is the Sheriff. I’m going to go and listen at the door to see if I can hear anyone inside. He may be gone
and have abandoned his car here.” Henry handed the phone back to Gloria. “Here, you hold on to this, I won’t do anything stupid, I promise. Just hit redial if he comes out and let Wayne know. ” He kissed her on the lips and before she could protest he was walking along the parking lot past the other rooms to the one with the Jeep parked in front. He wondered if Wayne would consider this as doing something stupid, he didn’t think so, he was just going to listen at the door.
As he neared the room, Henry looked at the license plate, 1BUF486, that was Todd’s car alright. Henry listened at the door which had once been painted a bright red but the desert sun had faded to an ugly pink. The drapes were drawn across the picture window; they were effective in obscuring his view into the room. He heard the sound of a television inside, it sounded as though it was tuned to a game show, and there were squeals of delight followed by applause. Either Todd was in the room or he had left the TV on to confuse someone. Just then he heard the toilet flush and instinctively and without hesitating, he knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” A male voice from inside asked.
“Todd, my name is Henry, I’m a friend of your mom’s. She asked me to make sure that you are alright. Can I come in?” Henry reached his hand around his back and put it on the Glock under his shirt.
“You a cop?” The voice had moved closer and it was now right on the other side of the door.
“No, I’m not a cop. Your mom is very worried about you and asked for my help. Hey, it’s hot out here, can I come in?” Henry switched the safety on the gun off but kept it in the holster and kept his hand on it.
The door slowly opened a crack. “My mom is worried about me? I thought she hated me. I tried to call her last night, but she wasn’t home. I’m sorry she’s so worried about me.”
“She just wants to make sure that you’re safe Todd. I’m coming in, ok?” Henry slowly pushed the door open. The room was dim except for the light of the television, at the back an air conditioner was running on high, trying vainly to keep back the desert heat. It was a typical small hotel room, a king sized bed, a table and one chair against the window, a night stand and the television mounted on a wall bracket. The closet had no doors and some of Todd’s clothes were hung neatly on hangers. The door at the back of the room obviously led to the bathroom. There was a mass produced painting of a New England snow scene above the bed, it seemed oddly out of place in the desert, its frame was screwed to the wall as though someone would really want it bad enough to steal it.
“Yeah, just come in and sit down over on the edge of the bed. Don’t do anything crazy, you’re not a cop right?” Todd was standing at the other end of the room, wearing black jeans, black t-shirt and his hair was in one of those new styles that took a lot of work but looked as though he had just woken up. He held the .45 automatic in his right hand at his side.
Henry walked in with his hand still on his Glock in its holster and sat down on the edge of the bed. Todd walked past him over to the door, closed it and stood with his back against it. “Put down the gun Todd, let’s talk.”
“No, I feel better holding it. Put your other hand on the bed. I want to see both of your hands.” Todd Gregory was very calm and looked right at Henry with his pale blue eyes.
Henry flicked the safety switch back on and took his hand slowly off the Glock. He put his hands on the bed next to his thighs and realized that he just placed himself in a precarious position. “Todd, can I turn the TV down? I want to talk with you for a few minutes.”
“Turn it down, turn it off, I don’t care. What do you want to talk about?” Todd was still calm, but Henry could tell he was unsure of this whole situation.
Henry reached over and turned the TV off. “Todd, it’s kind of hard for me to talk to you when you have that gun in your hand. Can you put it down?”
Todd walked from the door over to the small table in front of the window. He sat down in the threadbare chair and laid the gun on the table in front of him. He folded his hands together next to the weapon and looked straight at Henry. “Ok, how is my mother, and why does she care how I am?”
“She’s fine Todd; she is worried sick about you.” Henry breathed a little easier.
“I’m really sorry about that. I know that she is very disappointed in me.” Todd shook his head.
“Disappointed? No not at all, she’s going to be very relieved that you’re ok.” Henry wanted to keep Todd talking; he felt that he could get him out of this crummy little room alive, he wasn’t so sure the police would do the same.
“No, you don’t understand. She is very disappointed in me. She wanted me to be more like my father, you know, tough, like a marine.”
“Todd, she loves you very much. I think she’s glad that you’re not more like your father, he let her down and didn’t always treat her with the respect that she deserved.”
“No, she was mad at me. She told me I was a queer. She doesn’t love me at all. She told me that second only to my father; I was the biggest disappointment in her life.” Todd hung his head on his chest.
“She didn’t mean that Todd, she was probably angry when she said that.” Henry thought this was his chance to find out what happened in Las Vegas. “Did she call you that because something happened between you and Terrance Quinn?”
At the mention of Terrance’s name, Todd looked right at Henry. “What do you know about that?”
“That’s why you ran isn’t it Todd? Something happened while the two of you were in Las Vegas? Why don’t you tell me? You’ll feel better.”
Todd looked at Henry. “Terrance was the first man that was ever nice to me and accepted me for who I am. I loved working for him; he was very dedicated and very good at his job. He supported me, taught me how to do a good job at the tram station and even encouraged me with my acting.”
“Did you have a crush on him?” Henry looked right at Todd whose eyes were tearing up.
“I… I… I guess so. When he asked about me going to the pistol range, I brought my gun into work, I wanted to do anything so that he would like me. I was worried about getting into trouble but he was so nice and told me nobody would find out if I brought it in. Then he asked me where he could buy a gun, I told him there were a couple of gun stores in the Valley, but he wanted to go to a show.”
“Why did he want to go to a gun show instead of a dealer?” Henry thought he knew the answer but wanted to hear it from Todd.
“He said he didn’t want to wait the waiting period and go through the background check that the stores require.” Todd’s tears were flowing down his cheek now, his nose was running and he wiped it on the back of his hand.
“Did you show him the ad from the back of the magazine?”
“No, I didn’t, I looked through the magazine at home and the next gun show at the Riverside County Fairgrounds was eight months away, so I told him he had to wait. He said he didn’t want to wait, he wanted one much earlier already but didn’t know how to go about it. I told him that there were a lot of gun shows in Las Vegas and he asked if I would go there with him on our days off.”
“So you went. What happened?” Henry asked quietly.
“We drove to the show; I helped him pick out a nice .38 police special. It was a really good deal and a beautiful weapon. Then it was too late to drive back that day and we got a room for the night. We went to dinner and he told me all about his life and his partner Robert and how ill he was. At that point I kind of knew that there was no future for him and me because he loved Robert very much. I was very disappointed because I love Terrance as much as Robert does. We slept together that night, and he held me, but I swear nothing happened. Please don’t tell Robert.” Todd was sobbing at this point. “Then that night when the tram came down and I opened the door, I was shocked when he was lying there on the floor with that bullet hole in his head. It’s all my fault.”
“Wait a minute Todd, how could this be your fault. Did Terrance Quinn shoot himself?” Henry couldn’t believe how this happened, it was physic
ally impossible.
“When we were driving back from Las Vegas; he told me he wanted to kill himself, he said something about that it was the only way that Robert could live.” Todd looked up at Henry. “You see he couldn’t have done that without my help in buying the gun.”
“How did he do it Todd? There was no gun or marks that he had fired one.”
“It was simple.” He said in between sobs. “He got one of the pickup sticks that we use to pick up garbage around the Tram Stations and put the gun in it. Then on the way down, he used the override key to keep the tram going and opened the door, leaned out and pulled the trigger with a string.”
“How do you know all this?” Henry asked.
“We were talking during trash pickup rounds one day about the perfect crime, how to murder someone and get away with it. Terrance told me he that while he never thought about the perfect murder, he had figured out the perfect way to commit suicide and make it look like murder. He had it all figured out. I just didn’t believe that he would ever do it. As soon as I opened the door of the tram and saw him lying there I knew that he hadn’t been making it up.” Todd wiped his nose on the back of his hand again. “He couldn’t have done it if I hadn’t gone with him to buy the gun.”
“Todd, people that want to kill themselves usually find a way of doing it, you can’t blame yourself.” Henry tried to soothe him but Todd was obviously distraught. Henry thought he heard sirens in the distance, he hoped that didn’t change the mood that Todd was in, he thought things were going pretty well right now.
