The Battle of Jericho

by Walter Marks

“Mr. Richman called me yesterday,” Chang went on. “And we met at his home to discuss his current situation. Although he had nothing to do with his wife’s death, he got the feeling you regarded him as a suspect.”

  “We think he might be able to help us in our investigation,” Jericho said.

  “Detective,” Chang responded, “we all know in a case like this the husband is always a suspect. Rather than waste everyone’s time with a Q&A, with my client’s help we’ve assembled evidence which will prove his innocence.”

  Chang reached in his briefcase and took out a DVD. “I’ve taken the applicable footage from Mr. Richman’s CCTV surveillance hard drive, exported it in the standard AVI format, and burned it to this DVD. There are four security cameras set up around the perimeter of his property. Any activity, anywhere surrounding his domicile, would be captured by these cameras.”

  He took out a document and read from it:

  “This time-coded recording will confirm the following: seven forty-five AM — Mrs. Richman emerges to go for her run. She has her dog on a leash. Ten twenty-two AM — Mr. Richman appears, wearing pajamas and a robe, picks up the Wall Street Journal from his front steps, and goes back inside. Ten fifty-seven AM — Mr. Richman re-emerges and waters the flowers next to the front door with a hose. He is not seen again until eleven thirty-two AM when he comes out wearing street clothes and walks quickly to the street. Note: he does not have the dog with him. At twelve oh-seven PM he returns with the dog on his leash. At one forty PM he comes out again, goes to his Mercedes-Benz in the driveway, and pulls out to go to the Police Headquarters.”

  Chang paused to let the implications of this scenario sink in.

  “As I said, this footage is all time-coded,” he went on. “So it’ll be a simple matter to confirm the timeline on the signed witness statement my client gave you. I’m sure it conforms exactly to the sequence of events that occur on the CCTV recording. I think you’ll agree this evidence is clearly exculpatory. Any questions?”

  There were none.

  Chang handed the recording and document to Jericho.

  “Watching it will be excruciatingly boring,” Chang said. “It’s about three hours long, but I’m sure you’ll want to check it out.”

  Chang spoke to his client. “Anything you care to add, Mr. Richman?”

  Richman looked steadily at Jericho and Maria. “Please…please find my Annie’s killer.”

  After they left, Jericho and Maria sat silently for a few moments.

  “What do you think?” Maria said.

  “Well, I’m sure the recording will confirm everything Chang said. What bothers me is that everything’s so neatly covered and specifically detailed. It’s almost like Richman knew he might need an alibi and planned this in advance.”

  “So you’re still convinced he killed his wife?”

  “Yes,” Jericho said. “There’s gotta be some trick here, maybe a mistake Richman made that he’s unaware of.”

  “And if we can’t find it?”

  “We’ll find it.”

  For a few moments they looked at each other in silence.

  “Listen, Jericho,” Maria finally said. “It’s Thanksgiving. Why don’t we look at this recording tomorrow. And maybe today…”

  “You go on, Maria,” Jericho said. “I’ll watch it this morning. It’ll take a few hours, but…”

  “If you don’t have plans, maybe you’d like to come over to my house for turkey dinner. It’ll just be my folks and a few relatives.”

  “I appreciate the offer,” Jericho said. “But I…I’d rather be by myself. Chief Krauss and Rosemary also invited me but I turned them down. See, I was supposed to have my daughter with me this holiday, but because of these damn cases I couldn’t. Truth is — this is a very tough day for me. So I’m really not up for socializing. I’m sure you understand.”

  Maria saw the heartbreaking sadness in his eyes. She suddenly wanted to gather him in her arms and comfort him.

  “…Okay, Jericho,” she said. “If you change your mind, give me a call.”

  “All right.”

  “I don’t envy you watching three hours of grainy security footage.”

  “I’ll just look at it as a new form of Reality TV.”

  Maria smiled, leaned over, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

  Jericho shook his head sadly. Maria smiled, got up, and left the office.

  Jericho loaded the DVD into his laptop. It took almost four hours to review the recording. He had to pause it from time to time to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

  There were four separate panels. Watching them simultaneously gave him a blinding headache. But he pressed on. At one point he saw shapes moving outside the house. It turned out to be a browsing deer and her fawn.

  There were no interruptions in the time code. At the end of the recording, it showed Richman driving off in his Mercedes. The time code showed that was exactly when he would’ve driven to Police Headquarters.

  Staring at the screen, Jericho realized there were about thirty minutes between the time Richman went out, presumably to look for his wife, and the time he returned with the dog. That would not have been enough time for him to walk to the beach, kill his wife, cut off her foot, soak it in seawater, and plant it on the sand.

  But there’s almost an hour and a half after Richman returned with the dog when he would’ve had time to go back and kill his wife. He could’ve hidden her body in the woods behind the beach. Then later, when it was dark, he could’ve driven to Montauk and buried her in the Indian graveyard.

  But how could Richman have gotten out and back into the house during that time period, without being caught on camera?

  There are no blind spots on the TV coverage. Could the recording have been digitally altered? That’s doubtful. Even if Chang or Richman had the time and the computer expertise, which is unlikely, altering the data was too dangerous. If he were found out, that would be evidence of Richman’s guilt.

  Jericho began to feel uncertain. What if I’m wrong? What if Richman really is innocent?

  No — there has to be something I’m missing.

  What if there’s another way out of the house? After all, the place was a smaller but exact replica of a castle. Castles could have secret underground passages, concealed escape routes. Is there a way out that’s hidden beneath the ground, providing access to the surface out of range of the CCTV cameras?

  Am I grasping at straws here? Or is this a real possibility?

  The stress and the headache and the heartache of missing Katie combined to overwhelm him. He shut down the computer, turned out the lights, and headed for home.

  On the way he stopped at Mickey’s Deli. He picked up a turkey sandwich, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s pumpkin cheesecake ice cream, a Pepsi, and a bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol.

  As he carried his holiday dinner back to the car, he said under his breath — “Crappy Thanksgiving.”

  CHAPTER 52

  At home Jericho took three Tylenols and lay down on the couch. He turned on the TV and for a while watched the NFL Thanksgiving Day football game. He didn’t root for any team, but he enjoyed the moves of the tight ends, the position he’d played in high school. It took his mind off his troubles, and gradually the headache faded.

  He went online to VermontTeddyBear.com and sent Katie a Thanksgiving bear. They promised overnight delivery. The bear had a silly-looking turkey gobbler’s tail attached to its rear end. Maybe it would make Katie laugh. Maybe it would make her forgive him. He could only hope.

  After dining on his meager repast, he turned on the TV again. Channel surfing brought him to the traditional annual showing of The Wizard of Oz. He thought of the many Thanksgivings he’d watched the movie with his daughter; Katie wide-eyed with wonder as she watched Dorothy’s adventures in the Land of Oz.

  He settled back and marveled at the gorgeous voice and beauty of the teenage Judy Garland. When the film turned from the black and white of Kansa
s to the Technicolor of Oz, it surprised and delighted him, just as it had when he shared the film with Katie. As Dorothy and her dog, Toto, began their journey down the yellow brick road, he wondered if Katie was watching it too. The idea that they might be sharing this experience long-distance gave him comfort. Well, some comfort.

  Jericho went to bed around eleven. He was just falling asleep when he heard a loud pounding on his front door. He jumped out of bed and instinctively grabbed his Glock pistol from his nightstand.

  “Police! Open up!” It was a female voice.

  Another sharp rapping on the door — “East Hampton Town Police! We know you’re in there!”

  Jericho smiled, recognizing Maria’s voice. He put down his gun, walked to the door, and opened it.

  Maria stood there in her down jacket. A dress hung down below it. She was holding her nightstick. Her breath made puffs of vapor in the cold night air.

  “We’re responding to a complaint on your premises,” she said.

  “What complaint?”

  “Something about…a missing child.”

  It took a moment for Jericho to realize the compassionate meaning of her words. He took her hand and brought her into the house.

  “Jericho, you look awful cute in your plaid boxers. Black Watch Tartan if I’m not mistaken.”

  It was the first time she saw him embarrassed.

  “I didn’t think you should be alone tonight,” she said. “Without your daughter on this holiday, when families should be together.”

  Maria walked toward him, dropping her nightstick and throwing off her coat. She wore an embroidered hippie-style shirt-dress with a row of buttons down the front.

  “Unwrap me,” she said softly.

  As Maria stood in the bedroom doorway, Jericho knelt down and reverently undid the buttons one by one. When the dress was open, she shrugged it off and stood there naked.

  Without underwear, she displayed her body unashamedly — caramel-colored skin, full heavy breasts, wide hips, and a dark unshaven triangle at the junction of her thighs.

  Jericho opened his arms and she melted into them. When they kissed, their tongues flicked and slid around in an erotic duel. Suddenly their hands and mouths were everywhere, exploring, caressing, tasting, devouring.

  Wordlessly they started moving into the bedroom. Suddenly, Maria stopped. For a second, Jericho thought she might have changed her mind, but she walked over to her purse, discarded by the door. She brought it back and took out a condom. Jericho smiled and led Maria to bed. He gently pushed her down and covered her body with his. She reveled in the weight of him, his muscled chest crushing her breasts, his strong thighs spreading hers apart.

  He entered her slowly and she loved him for it. He was clearly savoring every moment as he eased into her tight, wet warmth. He let her adjust to the fullness of him, resisting the urge to plunge in and just take her. By the time he was completely hilted, her intense excitement made her feel she would climax the moment he started moving. He did. She did.

  His thrusting was forceful, steady, and deliberate, bringing her closer and closer to an even higher peak. Her fingers dug into his buttocks, urging him on as he moved in and out.

  She could feel his penis swell and his body stiffen. Then it came for both of them; that mighty, crashing wave of ultimate pleasure.

  They collapsed together, the sweat on their bodies mingling. Nothing was said. They both enjoyed the intimate silence.

  Maria cuddled against Jericho’s body. After a while her hand toyed with his chest hair, then began to move lower. With her fingernails, she scratched lightly at his abdomen, creating little trails of sensation that made Jericho shiver. When she reached the coarse patch of hair she stopped.

  “Honey,” she said, using an affectionate name for the very first time, “how about another round?”

  “I’m up for it.”

  “No, you’re not,” Maria said, as her fingers moved down. “But you will be soon.”

  She reached over to her purse and took out another condom. “These are Extra-Sensitive, and so am I,” she said in a husky, seductive voice.

  Her words alone seemed to turn Jericho on. When he was ready, he rolled his body on top of hers. He rubbed his erection gently over her thighs.

  Then he spoke in a gruff voice. “Police! Open up!”

  CHAPTER 53

  In the morning Jericho made breakfast — OJ, coffee, and the bagels from Goldberg’s he’d frozen in anticipation of Katie’s visit.

  “More coffee?” he asked.

  “Thanks, honey.”

  “Um, listen, maybe we shouldn’t get in the habit of using affectionate names. They might come out in front of other cops and that would not be good.”

  She nodded. “No, that would not be good.” She hesitated, then continued, “And I’m thinking maybe we oughta cool it, I mean romantically…”

  “Romantically?” he said, teasing.

  “Okay — sexually, until we’ve cleared these cases. Don’t get me wrong…”

  “No. You’re right,” he said. “It’ll get in the way.”

  “So…let’s just hold onto our feelings while we focus on our work.”

  Maria looked at this wonderful man who had touched her so deeply the night before. “This…this won’t be easy for me.”

  “Not for me either.”

  Maria leaned across the table. “One last kiss?”

  Jericho leaned over and they kissed lightly.

  “That was nice, honey. Oops!”

  They both laughed and finished breakfast.

  Jericho and Maria drove to the station house in their separate cars, Jericho first.

  When Maria left the house, heading for the Montauk Highway, she noticed a white panel truck behind her. After turning onto the highway, she saw the truck still in her rearview mirror. She felt a frisson of fear, wondering if she was being followed. The truck stayed behind her all the way to Wainscott.

  When she turned onto the side road leading to Headquarters, she stopped and looked back at the highway. Soon the panel truck rode slowly by. On its side was a sign reading “MERRY MAID CLEANING SERVICE — WE DO IT SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO.”

  She felt a palpable sense of jeopardy. Or was it paranoia?

  “We do it so you don’t have to.” What does that mean? It could mean anything.

  She did her best to shrug it off and entered Police Headquarters.

  The desk sergeant noticed how great she looked with her hair down. He was about to compliment her when the rules regarding workplace sexual harassment flashed in his head. He settled for a nod.

  Maria had a spare uniform in her locker, so she changed in the locker room.

  When she sat down at her desk, her phone rang. It was Jericho, telling her he had an idea about the Richman case and was leaving to check it out.

  “Anything I should know about?”

  “Tell you later, if it pans out,” he said. “Meanwhile why don’t you type out our notes regarding Mrs. Ramírez and the Russian mob.”

  Maria was about to tell him about the van, but she thought maybe she was being silly.

  “Whatever you say, Boss.”

  CHAPTER 54

  Jericho went to Bookhampton, a traditional bookstore on East Hampton’s Main Street. The front window was jammed with a display of hardcover volumes and trade paperbacks. Hanging over them was a sign reading “We believe in real books.”

  Jericho was greeted by a middle-aged woman. He asked if they had a copy of Great Homes of the Hamptons. She went to a table piled with coffee table books and picked up the one Jericho wanted. It was a massive volume, over an inch thick and around 12”x14”.

  “That’ll be $127.70, sir. How would you like to pay for that?”

  I wouldn’t, Jericho thought. I should have gone to the public library. Oh, the hell with it. This is evidence, so hopefully I can get reimbursed.

  As he carried the heavy book back to the car, it gave new meaning to the term “weighty tome.”<
br />
  When Maria finished typing out her notes on the Russian sex trafficking ring, she was more determined than ever to fight them.

  She looked again at the escort ads in BackPage and suddenly she got an idea.

  After printing out her notes and leaving them on Jericho’s desk, Maria jumped in her car and drove over to the Tech Shack in Bridgehampton.

  She asked to see the prepaid cell phones. The nerdy-looking clerk showed her an LG Tracphone, a Motorola Telcel, and an AT&T GoPhone. She chose the Tracphone because it was the cheapest and she planned to discard it soon.

  “Y’know, Officer,” the clerk said, “I usually sell these burners to druggies, gangbangers, and kids who want to make sure their calls are anonymous. Never sold one to a cop before.”

  “Cops have secrets too,” she said, winking.

  Maria paid cash and left.

  Her next step was to send an untraceable e-mail. She looked up Internet Cafés on her cell phone directory and found the nearest one was in Riverhead. She drove the forty-five minutes west to Ed’s Internet Java Joint. There she logged onto BackPage.com and found the page that read:

  backpage.com > long island jobs > long island show biz/audition

  AT YOUR SERVICE LTD

  Make $2000-$3000 a week and more.

  Female dancers, Models, Actresses — CASH PAID —

  Reply: click here

  Female entertainers needed for:

  Bachelor parties

  Strip Club Opening

  Softcore/hardcore erotic films

  Internet photo/video

  Free Evaluation /portfolio/prep and interview.

  Salary/Wage: Based on job, per hour basis. Status: Full-time, Part-time, Temp/Contract, Internship Shift: Days, Nights, Weekends

  • Location: Hamptons, Long Island NY

  • Post ID: 419525529765 long island

  Maria clicked on “click here,” which brought her to a new page: