Later in the morning, upon interviewing another guy, Isherwood knew he had found the link that may just work. Clive Walling was a weak looking man and the minute that he had mentioned the name of Maurice Long, the guy had almost broken into a sweat.
“It's okay, Mr. Walling. If you help us, we can get you a minimal sentence.” he assured him.
This was the guy who Isherwood depended upon. He had carried his guilt too long and was ready for an outpouring. Of course, it would mean he would pay for his sins, but the man was ready. As they took the statement, Isherwood knew that Maurice Long would soon be under arrest. Now all he had to do was to persuade the others to be as cooperative. That was going to be hard work, but once they knew that the game was up, they might just be more forthcoming, thinking that perhaps being helpful may reduce the sentence they were given for their part in these crimes.
It was only a matter of time. Clive Walling was just the starting point. He cried like a baby as he filled in the statement that was to be used in a court case against a man who had escaped justice for too long.
Chapter 6 – The Marriage Guidance Counsellor
“You may forsake a person, a family, some location of the heart, but scars and memories cannot be discarded like used clothing.”
Chris Fabry
Charlene Long had certificates all over the walls of her waiting room. They looked impressive. In fact, the office looked like a million dollars. The seats were comfortable and welcoming and she had a secretary who welcomed Amy and Gene and assured them that Charlene would be with them soon. They had quite liked the idea of playing the sparring couple and had both had experiences of their own that they could draw from. The argument between them had to sound convincing. It had to be enough that Gene wanted to be rid of her. That would prompt her to telephone Maurice Long and give him the details for a potential life insurance.
As they entered the office, they were offered coffee. Gene looked irritated by the whole visit. He remembered having felt like that when his first wife had insisted upon marriage counseling, so acting the part was not hard for him to do. As they entered into conversation, he threw his hands in the air at the suggestion from Amy that everything was his fault.
“I regret ever having agreed to come here.” he shouted. “It would be easier if we had never married at all.”
Amy started to cry. “Don't start that again.” shouted Gene. “It isn't going to impress her.”
“Do you think that she is doing it for attention?” asked Charlene.
“Yes.” he replied. “It's her answer to everything.”
By the end of the meeting, Amy had been reduced to a wreck and Gene had shown that he had no more patience left. The marriage was on the rocks and he wanted rid of her as quickly as possible. He was careful not to overplay the part. She must be an expert by now in recognizing those marriages where the potential lay for making a lot of money. She had been in business for many years, according to those certificates and had probably been arranging the end of marriages for every bit as long.
She offered them a glass of water. She had handed the tissues to Amy, and they had decided that another meeting would be beneficial, even though Gene had showed her that he was at the end of his rope. One session wasn't enough to convince her. From the manner the interview was conducted, it seemed like she had the act off to a tee, and knew exactly what she was doing. She wasn't going to act on a one off interview and Amy and Gene knew they were in this until the desired results were obtained. How long it took was irrelevant. As they left, they thanked her for her time. Amy got up timidly from her chair, while Gene was almost apologetic for his wife.
“Thank you.” he had said. “And I really am sorry my wife was so difficult.”
“It takes time.” she said. “We will make all of these problems a thing of the past.”
With that reassurance, Gene felt that they were on the right track and that it would only be a matter of time before the approach was made by the insurance man. Yes, she was careful and she wouldn't simply introduce the guy straight after one interview. Weekly investment in seeing clients gave her the confidence that nothing had changed and that he wanted rid of his wife and didn't mind how this was achieved.
Back at the station, Amy and Gene teased and cajoled about their “relationship” though thought that the exercise had not been an exercise in futility. It would bear fruit and they would keep up the act for as long as it took. That way, if Isherwood didn't get sufficient evidence in New York, the LAPD would show them that they were very capable of getting evidence of their own and preventing another murder from taking place.
“You're history.” laughed Gene.
“Oh yeah?” chided Amy. “and what amount of insurance would be enough to get rid of me permanently?”
“I shall tell you once it's fixed up.” he replied, knowing it was only a matter of time.
Chapter 7 – More witnesses
“Discovering witnesses is just as important as catching criminals.”
Simon Wiesenthal
By the end of the interviews, Isherwood had confessions from three of the guilty parties. All had told the story of being approached by the insurance guy and sharing the profit which came from their wives' deaths with Maurice Long. Although this was enough to arrest Maurice Long, Isherwood wanted a better record than this. The interviews continued, with the suspects being held in custody as long as possible.
There had been one particular witness who was reluctant to say very much at all, although in this case, it was a woman. Isherwood intended to use his charm to find out whether she got a similar deal to the others. She was sharp. She was very aware of what he was trying to get from her, and she was the one witness that he wanted more than all of the others. The men had been typical types though she was the only woman that they had pulled in for questioning. Isherwood knew that in the United Kingdom there had been three women and all had been equally hard for the police to catch out.
Shelly Belinger sat across the table from him. He studied her face. She was intelligent and had done well for herself. Her clothing showed panache and her life had taken her in a direction she wanted it to go in, ending up as an art gallery owner, where the future of new artists rested upon her shoulders. Some had made it, some had not. Her ex husband had not been in the slightest artistic and had, to a certain degree held her back.
“I understand that your husband had no artistic tendencies.” he said.
“That is correct.” she replied. He had to catch her off guard. His line of questioning would have to be unpredictable.
“How much do you think that people's lives were sold off for by this guy?” he asked.
“I have no idea. I would assume several hundred thousand dollars.” she added.
“Would it surprise you if I was to tell you that Maurice Long kept more than half of the proceeds?” he asked.
There was a sudden flicker of anger she hadn't meant to let loose, and yet both the detectives in the room noticed it.
“In fact.” continued Isherwood. “Mr. Long was known to have taken two thirds in most cases.”
He knew that he was irritating her. He knew that he had touched on something that was near and dear to her. Money was the root of her evil and Isherwood could see that she felt cheated. Now all he had to do was quote figures.
“In your case, the policy that you took out paid dividends. Did you know that?” he asked.
“I am sure that the company paid what was due.” she replied coldly.
“Then you received three quarters of a million? Is that right?”
The look of confidence on her face changed to anger. She knew that she had been swindled. She knew that a man had taken advantage of her and that was always the problem with men. There was a history of being treated badly by them that showed as a sour look on her face, transforming it from aging beauty to an ugliness only an accomplice in murder could display.
“You're lying.” she almost spat across the table.
&n
bsp; “Maurice wouldn't do that to me.”
Her guilt lay in wanting something more than her husband had offered. He had been hardworking and she had spent too much money. As the man worked more hours, she spent more and the end of the marriage came when she knew he wasn't going to give her the style of life she felt she deserved. As her confession was written down on paper with bitterness in her eyes, Isherwood knew that they had enough to make the arrest.
Pleased with his progress, he could not leave for LA and be there when Maurice Long and his wife were arrested. The rest would be left for the courts to decide.
Chapter 8 – A Grande Finale
“Every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is equally true is that every community gets the kind of law enforcement it insists on.”
Robert Kennedy
Welcomed back to LA, Isherwood decided that he would take a few more days with his nephew before making the arrest. Maurice Long was being watched. The witnesses were carefully under lock and key and statements had been taken. There was nothing that a couple of days would change. Steve had thrilled at the sights shown to him by Robert and his family and it was somehow nice for Isherwood to be at home again. It had taken two weeks of his time to nail the guy. Two more days wouldn't make that much difference.
When they arrested Maurice and Charlene Long, there was no doubt left that they were responsible for multiple murders and had used her office as a part of a money making scheme just as they had in the United Kingdom. Evidence was flown in from old cases. The witnesses were brought to LA, and the case was tried. As Isherwood watched them standing in the dock, he was happy that he had been the one to put the guy behind bars. The evidence from Shelly Belinger proved to be the most damning.
As he arrived at his office after the trial, the phone call that greeted him proved that Long had every intention of carrying on his career as a killer. Gene, the undercover cop who had acted as the angry husband had been called by a certain insurance broker a day before Long's arrest. He smiled at himself as he read the note. Somehow it confirmed that the life sentence without parole had been a just one for people who took such foul advantage of negative emotions.
Mystery: The Isherwood Case Files (Mystery, Suspense, Crime, Murder, Detectives, Fiction, Unsolved Mysteries, Mysteries, Thriller, Intense, Drama) Page 9
