The Pastor's Daughter: Episode IX

By the time I got to the Atlantic City International  Airport, it was already six O’ clock. I was told by the workers at the airport that his plane was on time, and was due in at any moment.

There were some seats inside the airport building. I went to one of them, sat down and waited. Four people were also sitting around me, probably waiting for someone I believe. One of them was a black lady with a bust on her you only see in adult movies. She was wearing a red dress and a small black hat. Her necklace, ring and watch were sparkling, and I believe they were diamonds. They must have cost some guy a pile of money.

I was looking at her while all these thoughts are going on in my mind. And then, she suddenly, our eyes met. She smiled.

“You must be Harry?” she asked.

“That’s right,” I replied, surprised that she knew who I was.

“I am Mrs. Susan Waters,”

I stared at her in disbelief.

“Is that right? I’m so pleased to meet you” I said, getting up and going to sit beside her. “Reverend Waters hasn’t arrived yet, has he?”

“If he have, I have not seen him so far,” she replied, her beautiful eyes searching my face. “I’ve been shopping in London for the past week. My husband – the Reverend as you call him – called me to meet him here today. Brittany’s death is really a very bad news.”

I kept  looking at her as she spoke. She is really a beautiful woman. In my estimation, which was based on what Brittany told me, she couldn’t have been more than twenty – three or twenty four years at the time. However, there was a worldliness about her that made her look older than her age.

“Sure, it is really a sad news,” I replied.

“She was so young. I can’t believe she’s gone just like that,” she said.

“I know,” I said.

As we spoke, she continued to look at me directly in my eyes. Honestly, that made me very uncomfortable.

“Did you know her well, Harry?”

“Not really,” I said.

“It’s unlike her to have fallen like that.”

“The police think it might be an accident: she was taking photographs and didn’t look where she was going. Then she fell.”

At this point, we heard the sound of an approaching aircraft. This sound cut our conversation, which I found very uncomfortable, short.

“I think that’s Reverend Waters’ plane coming in now,” I said.

We watched the aircraft land. The passengers began to alight after a few minutes. I wasn’t surprised at all when I noticed that Reverend Waters was the first off the plane. He came out quickly through the barrier and hugged his wife. I drew back and let them talk for a few moments. Soon he came to me and we shook hands. He stared hard at me, and then said, “I hope everything is under control Harry?”

“Yes sir,” I replied.

“Please take us to a nearby hotel as quickly as possible” he said. “I cannot go to Middle River yet at the moment. I’m so tired and sad at this point that I don’t want to discuss my daughter yet. Meanwhile, do arrange a meeting for me and the police. I will like to meet with them at my hotel at seven.”

“I will be on it sir,” I replied.

I had previously hired a Rolls Royce for him and his wife when I was coming down to the airport. So they both got in the back seat of the car while I got in front with the chauffeur. When we got to the Marriott Hotel, he curtly dismissed me by saying , “I will see you at seven Harry.”

Now Reverend Waters, to me, is not somebody one can call “handsome”. The best description I can give him is that he was short, fat and built like a barrel. From the way he looked and how he was built, I sometimes find it hard to believe that he can be the father of a girl like Brittany whose flashy beauty had been so fatally attractive to me. He had changed, obviously shaved and showered  by the time Lieutenants Ludlum, Reid and I trooped into the lush lounge that the Marriott hotel had provided for him. He had a glowering, dark expression on his face as he sat at the head of a big table in the middle of the room.

His wife, Susan, was sitting by the window. She had on a light green dress that made her look even more beautiful than when I saw her at the airport. I noticed that Lieutenant Reid’s usually gloomy dark face took on a more animated expression when he looked at her long, shapely legs, which were crossed, showing her beautiful   knees.

For a moment Reverend Waters stared fixedly at Lieutenant Ludlum. Then he said in a very friendly voice, “Lieutenant Ludlum, I will like you to give me all the facts about this incident. Don’t try to sugar-coat anything.”

Now, I’ve known Lieutenant Ludlum pretty well for close to three years. Although I knew he was thorough, and had a reputation for solving his cases, I had never thought much of him as a policeman. I mean, up to this moment. I never considered him as someone who had any great talent for his job. But today, he surprised me. I was impressed by the way he faced up to Reverend Waters during the next twenty minutes. What he said during this period gave me an entirely different opinion of him. He was definitely a great cop.

“I’m afraid the facts may be bitter, Mr Waters,” he said quietly, “but you shall have them since you asked for them.”

Reverend Waters sat motionless and continued to stare fixedly at Lieutenant Ludlum.

“I guess I’m ready for them, regardless,” he said.

“Ten days ago, your daughter Brittany left Middle River and came to Atlantic City. She took the local train from Penn Station to Atlantic City Rail Terminal,  and from there  she paid a visit to a realtor,” Lieutenant Ludlum said. He was speaking very calmly, much like someone who had reversed this speech for some time and learned it by heart. “She introduced herself as the wife of a college professor on vacation in Atlantic  City. In fact, the name she gave the realtor was Mrs. Graham Reed.”

I sneaked a quick look at Reverend Waters. He sat impassive, with his hands crossed to his chest. I looked from him to Susan. She gave no sign that she was listening. All this while she was looking out of the window.

“She wanted a vacation house for two weeks,” Lieutenant Ludlum went on in his gentle voice. “She insisted on a place that was isolated. She told the realtor the price will not be a problem. Well, coincidentally, the realtor had a good place that will be perfect for her. So he took her to the house and she immediately paid for it.  She asked the realtor if he knew someone she could hire to look after the place during their stay.   So the realtor recommended a woman of a nearby village for the job. Her name was Karen Fulton. When I interviewed her she told that she went to the vacation house the day your daughter checked in. According to her, your daughter arrived a few hours before she get there on a Mercedes convertible.”

Reverend Waters said, “Was the car registered on her name?”

“Sure,” Lieutenant Ludlum said.

“Go on,” Reverend Waters said.

“Your daughter then told Ms Karen that she expects her husband to join her there the following day. Ms Karen noted that your daughter was very excited. According to her, your daughter seemed to be very much in love with this man. She also said that the man’s name was Graham Reed.”

When he said the last sentence, Reverend Waters, for the first time, revealed his feelings. His fingers immediately turned into fists and he hunched his broad shoulders.

Lieutenant Ludlum went on, “By eight-thirty on the morning of the 29^th, Karen Fulton came to the vacation house. She dusted, swept and washed up the breakfast things. Your daughter told her she was going to the train station. She had to meet the train coming from Baltimore City. She told Karen that her husband will be on the train. Karen did not remember the exact time she left the vacation house, but she did said that it was before noon. She also said that your daughter was arranging flowers in the lounge the time  she was leaving. And, so far as we know, that was the last time that anyone saw your daughter alive.”

Susan Waters crossed her legs and turned her head. I felt uncomfortable the way she stared directly at me. This made me to look quickly away from her.

“We are still not sure what happened between that time and eight-fifteen in the evening,” Lieutenant Ludlum said. “And we may never know, given the way things are at the moment. It could be anyone’s guess.”

Reverend Waters eyes were almost teary. He learned forward and said, “Do you have any reason for saying eight-fifteen?”

“We believe that was the time your daughter died,” Lieutenant Ludlum said. “She was wearing a wrist watch. This watch was smashed in the fall. When we checked it, we discovered that it showed exactly eight-fifteen. So you can see why we were convinced about the time of her death.”

While it doesn’t look like Reverend Waters was too surprised about this new information, it did make me to stiffen to attention. It means that I was already in the compound when Brittany had fallen. Did the intruder saw me then? How come I did not hear the sound? Well, that’s not necessary at the moment. What is important, though, is this: If it became known I had been up there at the time, no one, including a judge and jury, would believe I hadn’t had something to do with Brittany’s death.

“I wish I could tell you that your daughter’s death was caused by an unfortunate accident,” Lieutenant Ludlum went on, “However, at this moment, it is difficult to say that with certainty. Saying that will make it easy to conclude our investigation of course. I said this because, she may have taken her camera too close to the window. She may have been sitting on the window while using the camera. Nobody know. She may have been too absorbed in the picture she was taking with the camera. This can cause anybody, your daughter included, to forget themselves and fall over. This is very possible as you may know.”

“In other words, you are trying to tell me it wasn’t an accident?” Reverend Waters said.

I noticed that Susan Waters had stopped staring at me. She now looked interested in what was going on.

“We are waiting for the medical examiner or the coroner,” Lieutenant Ludlum said. “He’s the only person that can make that conclusion. There are a few complications. We need some explanations for a few things about your daughter. So far, we have two theories about her death. The first one is that it was an accident: she accidentally fell from the window while using her camera. The other one, which you may found uncomfortable, is that your daughter committed suicide.”

Reverend Waters’ face frowned.

“Why did you say that?” he said. “You must have a reason for saying things like that I believe?”

“We found out that your daughter was pregnant,” Lieutenant Ludlum replied.

There was a long, heavy silence. My hands started sweating and I stared down at them because I dare not look at Reverend Waters.

Susan Waters broke the silence by saying, “Are you sure about this officer? Oh Reginald! How can…”

At last I was able to look at Reverend Waters. His face doesn’t look good at all.

“Hold on honey,” he said to his wife. “Lets talk about this later.”

As Susan Waters turned to look out of the window, he said to Lieutenant Ludlum, “Did the doctor told you that?”

“It is in  the autopsy report” Lieutenant Ludlum said. “I can show you a copy of the report if you want.”

“Brittany pregnant? Unbelievable!”  Reverend Waters said.

He suddenly pushed back his chair. Then he got to his feet. He really looked worried. He walked slowly around the lounge while Susan continued to stare out of the window. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Ludlum, Lieutenant Reid and I stared down at our feet.

“I don’t want to believe that my daughter committed suicide,” he said suddenly. “She is simply not the type. I mean, she had too much strength of character. But pregnancy? Oh my God!”

I almost laughed because, to me, his words does not make much sense, coming from a man like Reverend Waters. I found myself wondering if he had ever made any effort to find out if Brittany had had any character at all in the first place.

We all remained silent.

With a face that is set and frowning, he put his hands in his pockets and  continued to  walk around the lounge. He stopped suddenly and said, “Who is this man Graham Reed?”

By this time, several uncomfortable minutes had ticked by.

“At the moment nobody knows who he is,” Lieutenant Ludlum said. “In my opinion, your daughter may have purposely misled the realtor by giving him that name. She also misled Ms. Karen by telling her he is her husband. We have checked around the area and the train station. There is nobody of that name.”

Reverend Waters came over and sat down again.

“Have you also considered  the possibility that he may be using a fake name?” he asked.

“Of course that is possible too,” Lieutenant Ludlum said, “Our inquiries did reveal that there was a black man travelling alone, on the three-thirty train from Baltimore City.”

When he said that, I felt my heart contract. I don’t like the feeling at all. I had difficulty breathing.

“The man in question left a suitcase at the station,” Lieutenant Ludlum went on. “However, the problem is that the description of him varies. Nobody was particularly paying attention to him. A passing motorist did saw him walking on the road that led to the vacation house. All the people who saw him were sure of one thing though: he wore a dark suit. I asked the station clerk and he told me he was sure that this man was tall. But the motorist’s description was different. He thought this man was of middle height. One other individual I asked was a boy from a nearby village. He said the man was short and thick-set. So, as you can see, there is no clear description of this mysterious man. He collected his suitcase around ten O’clock in the evening. He also took a taxi to  Absecon station. According to the taxi driver, he was in a great hurry. The driver also said that he offered him double fare plus five dollars tip to get him to the Absecon station. He said he needed to catch the eleven-fifteen train to Baltimore City.”

Reverend Waters was sitting forward. The look on his face reminded me of some beast of prey.

“Someone saw this mysterious man on the road to the vacation house that evening? He asked.

“Yes,” Lieutenant Ludlum replied.

“Brittany died by eight-fifteen?”

“As far as we know, the answer is yes.”

“And this man, who was in a hurry, took a taxi around ten O’clock?”

“Yes.”

“I wonder how long it would take to get from the vacation house to Atlantic City train station?”

“Well, it would take over an hour and half if the person is walking,” Lieutenant Ludlum explained. “But it won’t take that long with a car – around thirty minutes.”

Reverend Waters brooded for a moment.

By now I was breathing through my half-open mouth. I felt pretty bad. I was convinced that he will come out with some devastating discovery after asking these questions. I was relieved that he didn’t. The only thing he did was to hunch his shoulders and say, “Brittany wouldn’t commit suicide. I can feel it. She is my daughter and I know her very well. So you can put your ‘suicide’ theory out of your mind, Lieutenant. It is as clear as crystal: she fell through the window while using  her camera.”

I guess Lieutenant Ludlum did not know what to say because he remained silent. Lieutenant Reid, on the other hand, seemed to be uneasy. He just stared hard on his hands.

“From your explanations,” Reverend Waters went on, “This is the most credible verdict as to the cause of my daughter’s death.”

Lieutenant Ludlum said quietly, “Mr Waters, I am required to give the facts to the coroner. I will leave it to him to find the verdict.”

Reverend Waters stared at him.

“Sure,” he said. “Who is the coroner?”

“His name is Russell Jacoby”

“And he’s here in Atlantic City?”

“Yes. He is at their main mortuary.”

“I want to see my daughter.”

“Not a problem sir. I will take you there whenever you are ready.”

Again, Reverend Waters stared at him.

“You don’t have to go with me Lieutenant” he said. “ I will like to go with Harry.”

“Not a problem sir,” Lieutenant Ludlum.

“Just let whoever is in charge know that I want to see my daughter.”

“Yes sir.”

Reverend Waters turned to me and said, “Is Atlantic City press covering this business?”

“Not yet,” I replied. “We were able to keep everything quiet until you came.”

He studied me, then nodded.

“You did a good job there,” he said, and then he turned to Lieutenant Ludlum. “I must say I appreciate all you have done so far Lieutenant. Please keep me informed. If anything comes up between now and the inquest, I will like to know about it. I will stay in touch with you.”

Lieutenants Ludlum and Reid got to their feet.

“It’s always our pleasure to help,” Lieutenant Ludlum said.

When they had gone, Reverend Waters said quietly, “They are good police officers.”

“Yes they are,” I replied.

“However, his verdict as the cause of Brittany’s death is incorrect,”

I did not say anything.

He sat there, staring down at his hands. My mind told me that this is the best time to unload the box of Jewels Lieutenant Ludlum had entrusted to my keeping. So I put the box on the table in front of Reverend Waters.

“These are Brittany’s stuff,” I said. “They were found in the vacation house.”

He frowned. Then he reached forward and opened the contents. The jewels spill out on to the table as he turned the box upside down. At this time, Susan got to her feet and crossed over to stare over his shoulders.

“Did you gave her those jewels Reginald?” she asked.

“Of course not,” he said, staring at the jewels in disbelief. He poked at the diamond collar with his index finger. “She is too young to have all these stuff.”

Susan reached over his shoulder to pick up the diamond collar but he gently pushed her hand away.

“Hold on Susan,” he said. “We will go through these together later.”

Susan shrugged and returned to her sit by the window.

Reverend Waters put the jewels back into the box and shut the lid. He sat motionless for a long time, consumed by his thoughts. Then he said, “Listen Harry. I want you to get this coroner fella - Russell Jacoby – on the telephone.”

I searched the telephone directory and got Russell Jacoby’s number.  Then I put through a call. While I was waiting for the connection, Reverend Waters went on, “You can now give the news to the press. However, don’t give them any details. Just tell them that Brittany, while on vacation in Atlantic City, fell off the window of a three-story building and died.”

“Yes sir,” I said.

“I want you here tomorrow morning at nine O’clock. I want to go to the mortuary and see her, so come with a car.”

While he was saying this, a female voice said on the line that this was the coroner’s office.

“Can you put me through to Russell Jacoby?” I said.

“Sure,” she replied.

When Russell Jacoby came on the line, I said to Reverend Waters, “Russell Jacoby – the coroner.”

He took the receiver from me and said to me, “Now Harry, get busy. And, don’t forget – no details.”

“Yes sir,” I replied.

As I was leaving the room, I heard him say on the receiver, “This is Reverend Waters…”

I do give him credit for the way he always made his name sound very important.

END OF EPISODE IX

P.S. Episode Ten  will be published here next Monday.