The Pastor’s Daughter: Episode XVII

As a newspaperman, I always try to control my emotion and temperament in any situation or circumstance. So it isn’t often that I lose my temper, but when I do, I often do things that could be disastrous. Whenever I’m angry, I won’t care whether what I say or do might upset the apple cart. The sight of the Black Pontiac gave me a rush of blood to my head. In a fit of anger, I decided to find out who  the hell this driver was, and what he was playing at. The problem is that the car was behind me. Hence there wasn’t much I could do about it at that moment. The key is to get him in front of me somehow. If I can do that, it would become easy to crowd him into the curb, force him to stop and find out who he was. And if he wanted to play it rough, I was in the mood for a fight. I mean, I have the right to protect myself, right?  When you die and go to heaven, I don’t know that St. Peter is going to ask, why did you fight with your stalker? He is probably going to ask why you didn’t beat the hell out of him.

I drove down Eastern Boulevard, heading towards the Bengies Drive-In Theatre with the Black Pontiac about fifty yards in the rear. When I reached a dark patch in the road that is very close to a Chinese restaurant, I slammed on my brakes, swung the car to the curb and pulled up. My actions took the driver of the Black Pontiac by surprise, and he had no chance to stop. The car shot past me. Unfortunately it was too dark for me to see whether this driver was a man or a woman. But by then I didn’t care. As soon as the car has passed me, I released my brakes and went after him, sending the Mercedes convertible forward with my foot squeezing the gas pedal to the floor.

The driver of the Black Pontiac must have guessed what I planned to do. I said this because his reaction was quicker than I expected. My guess was that he, in turn, trod on the gas and the Pontiac surged forward. As a matter of fact, the car went streaking down Eastern Boulevard like a bullet from a gun.

For a moment I thought I was going to catch the bastard. The front bumper of the Mercedes convertible was only a foot off his rear fender. All I had to do was to swing the wheel over and hit him. But before I could do that, he began to pull away.

At this point we were travelling at almost eighty miles an hour. This was Eastern Boulevard and the maximum speed limit was forty miles an hour. We might get in trouble with the police if they sees us. I heard a shrill  police siren  blasting somewhere in my rear. I saw beyond the speeding Pontiac the traffic light at the Maryland Air National Guard intersection looming up. I saw a slow moving traffic ahead and I became alarmed.  I knew I couldn’t roar past that intersection at this speed without hitting a car and hurting myself. My foot went down the brake pedal and I slowed down.

Meanwhile, the Pontiac leapt away from me. Its horn gave a long, warning shriek, and then the car went screeching through the Maryland Air National Guard intersection, missing three cars by inches, and forcing two others skid to a standstill. Only slightly slackening its crazy speed, the Pontiac, its horn still blaring, stormed past the intersection and disappeared into the darkness, heading  towards White Marsh Boulevard.

I heard the police siren again. Anxious not to get into trouble with the police, and pretty certain that the policeman did not get my plate number since I was moving too fast, I slowed down to a respectable speed and resumed my drive to Evan’s place. I was indeed rattled that the Black Pontiac had got away. But, to say the truth, I was relieved: it was better that he escaped than for me to attempt to compete with his kind of driving. At least I had achieved one important thing: I had given the bastard a scare.

I arrived at Evan’s apartment, parked the Mercedes convertible outside and went up the steps to the front door. Evans answered my ring immediately.

“Come on in,” he said. “I’m glad you made it.”

I followed him into his beautifully furnished sitting room.

“You need a drink?” he said.

“No, thanks,” I replied.

I sat on the arm of a leather chair and looked at him. Evans was slightly built, handsome with intelligent, shrewd eyes. I have known him for a long time and he had always maintained a bright face. But tonight he looked different: his face looked grave, and he wore a worried frown.

“I don’t want to drink alone,” he said. “You must have something to keep me company. How about a vodka?”

“Well, that’s fine with me.”

While he was fixing the drinks, he said, “This is a very bad news, Harry. The article on the paper only says she fell off a window. Do you, by chance, have any details? What was she doing in Atlantic City anyway?”

“She was on vacation there.”

He brought the drinks over and gave me mine. Then he began to move restlessly about the sitting room.

“The case is an open and closed one, isn’t it?” he asked, without looking at me.

“What do you mean by that?” I said.

“I mean, it was an accident, right?”

His question startled me.

“It looks like an accident,” I said. “However, there is some doubt about it. Reverend Waters thinks she was murdered.”

He turned restlessly, his frown deepening.

“How about the police – particularly that crazy guy Lieutenant Ludlum? What do they think?”

“They are beginning to believe it might be a murder case. Lieutenant Ludlum is handling the case. At first, he wasn’t sure it was an accident. But now he is having a second thought. The best way to put it is that he thinks it might be murder too.”

Evans looked at me.

“I’m sure it was murder. And I’m willing to bet on that,” he said quietly.

I lit a cigarette and slid into the chair.

“Now, why did you say that, Marcus?”

“I had always knew that sooner or later, someone will get rid of her. You won’t understand Harry: Brittany was asking for trouble.”

“You seem to know too much about her, don’t you?” I said. “Please tell me what I’m missing here.”

He hesitated, then came over and sat opposite me.

“This stays between the two of us, right?” he said.

“Absolutely,” I replied.

“You and I are good friends Harry,” he began. “I need your advise. Like I said before, I was actually getting ready to call you when your call came in. Can we talk off the record?”

“Of course! I’m all ears.”

“I met Brittany at a party about five days after she came down to Middle River. I guess I was foolish enough to fool around with her for four or five days – or rather nights.” He looked at me and shrugged. “You know how it is with me when it come to women. I mean, I give it to her: she was beautiful, exciting and has everything any man can wish for. And she was alone at the time too, so I thought that she was custom-made for me, you know. I made my move and she fell practically into my arms. But…” He broke off and frowned.

“But – what?”

“Four nights later, she asked me for money.”

I stared at him.

“Not a big deal,” I said. “Perhaps she want to borrow some money from you?”

“Nothing like that,” he said. “I know you won’t believe this: she wanted money for  services rendered. And to add salt to the injury, she was asking for quite a lot of money.”

I was indeed surprised.

“How much?”

“Two thousand dollars.”

“What?? Is she crazy? So, what did you do – laugh at her?”

“I wish,” he said. “But unfortunately, she was serious about it. It was a big challenge for me to make her understand that I hadn’t such a sum. Believe me, it was a nightmare. She threatened to tell her father about the whole thing. I became worried – actually, scared – when she said that her father will get me dismissed from my paper if she told him about us.”

I felt a sudden chill crawl up my spine.

“Hold on a minute! Are you telling me that Brittany Waters tried to blackmail you?”

“Exactly,” he said. “That’s the technical way of putting it.”

“Well, what happened next?”

“What do you expect? I compromised. I gave her my Rolex watch and my gold necklace. They cost me a fortune, but they took her off my back.”

“Oh come on, Marcus. Don’t tell me you submitted to blackmail?”

He shrugged and said, “It is easy for you to criticize, but she put me in a very bad spot. Reverend Waters is powerful and connected enough to get me fired from my paper. Look Harry, I like my job. I mean, it is the only thing I’m good at. So, you can agree with me that it was her word against mine. I knew she might be bluffing, but I couldn’t afford to take the risk either. The Rolex watch and the gold necklace both cost me almost a thousand grand. So I believe I got off fairly lightly, at least much lighter than one of your colleagues.”

I was sitting forward now, staring at him.

“You lost me here,” I said. “What do you mean?”

“You think I’m the only one? Of course not! There’s another newspaper man – he lives in Hawthorn – who she tricked the same way. Never mind who the guy was. But we compared notes together. He parted with a pair of diamond ear-rings he bought for his fiancée. They broke up a month later and the guys was devastated. The bottom line is that Brittany Waters seems to specialize in newspaper men. And her reason for that is obvious: her father’s influence was more readily felt in that industry.”

I felt suddenly sick.  If what Evans has said was true, and I was sure it was true, then it was obvious that Brittany had set a trap for me. This also means that if she has been alive today, if she hadn’t fallen from that window to her death, I would have been taken for a blackmail ride.

I saw then that I will be in deep trouble if this story of Evans’ got out. This is because if the police finds out that I was the mysterious Mr. Graham Reed, this story will present an obvious motive for Brittany’s murder. The police would simply conclude that she had tried to blackmail me; I was unable to pay, and, to save my new job, I had pushed her off the window of the vacation house.

I started to wonder around the sitting room. Fortunately, Evans wasn’t really paying much attention to me. He remained sited in his chair, staring up the ceiling.

“Harry,” he said. “I believe you can now see why I think she could have been murdered. I am convinced she might have tried this stunt on another fellow, probably a violent fellow. I don’t believe she went to Atlantic City alone. I have no doubt in my mind that there was a guy with her. And, if she was murdered for real, the most logical thing for the police to do is to find the mysterious guy.”

I remained silent.

“What do you think I should do, Harry? Ever since I read the story of her death in the newspaper, I’ve been trying to make up my mind. Should I call Lieutenant Ludlum and tell him how she had tried to blackmail me? It would give him, and the police, the motive if they really think she was murdered.”

Having gotten over my first shock at this time, I returned to my chair and sat down.

“Listen Evans,” I said. “You’ll have to be careful. If Lieutenant Ludlum passes on what you tell him to Reverend Waters, you will still be in trouble. I hope you realize that.”

“Sure I do,” he said. He finished his vodka, got up and refilled his glass. “But do you think I should call Lieutenant Ludlum though?”

I shook my head.

“That wouldn’t be a good move,” I said. “I think you should wait until the police confirms that she was murdered. You can’t afford to rush into this thing because it is too dangerous. You will be better off if you wait and see how it develops.”

“How about this: suppose they finds out she and I were lovers? If they do, don’t you think they will conclude that because I had a motive, that I killed her?”

“Come on Evans. Grow up! You know you can prove you were nowhere near Atlantic City when she was killed.”

“I guess you are correct,” he said. “I was right here in Middle River.”

“Then stop playing around.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“I agree,” he said. “So in your opinion, I should say nothing to the police?”

“At least for now – yes. Reverend Waters suspects there’s a man involved. He is furious right now. If you came forward, he would jump to the conclusion that you were the man and he will crucify you for the sin committed by another man. You may as well know the facts: Brittany was pregnant.”

Evans vodka glass slipped out of his fingers and dropped on the floor. The vodka made a little pool on his carpet. He gaped at me, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Are you serious? I swear on my mother’s soul, it wasn’t me,” he said. “Jesus H. Christ! I’m so glad now that I didn’t call Lieutenant Ludlum before I talked to you.” He picked up his glass. “Look what I’ve done to my carpet.” He went into his kitchen to find a rag. While he was gone, I had time to do more thinking. If Lieutenant Ludlum believed and could prove that Brittany was murdered, I knew he would make every effort to track down the mythological Mr. Graham Reed. The big question now is whether I had covered my tracks well enough to prevent him finding me.

Evans came back and mopped up the split vodka. While he was cleaning it, he practically voiced my thoughts by saying, “Lieutenant Ludlum is very thorough. Since I knew him, he has never failed on a murder case. He could get on to me Harry.”

He could get on to me, too.

“Take it easy Evans,” I said. “You have a strong alibi that Lieutenant  Ludlum can’t upset. Reverend Waters has given me the job of finding Brittany’s killer. Perhaps you can help me. Could he have been this Hawthorn newspaper man you were telling me about?”

Evans shook his head.

“Not at all,” he said. “I was talking to him the afternoon she was murdered.”

“Do you have any idea who it might be?”

“No – I don’t.”

“She knew a guy whose first name is Mac. Do you know anyone with that name?”

He thought for a moment and then said, “I really don’t.”

“My next question is this: did you ever saw her with any other man?”

He rubbed his jaw, looking steadily at me.

“No offense,” he said. “But I did saw her with you.”

I sat very still.

“Did you now?” I said. “Where was that?”

“You were coming out of the Bengies Drive-In Theatre together.”

“That was because Reverend Waters wanted me to take her around,” I said. “Yea – I did take her out once or twice. But apart from me, who else did you remember?”

I knew he was too smart to be fooled by my attempt to remain casual. However, we were so close that I don’t think he would embarrass me more than he already did.
“I saw her once with a big fellow at Albert’s. He was impressively built, like a prize-fighter. But then it was dark so I couldn’t see his face very well.”

My mind jumped to the guy I had seen at the vacation house in Atlantic City. He too was big and had shoulders of a prize-fighter.

“You mean you can’t give me a description of the guy?”

“I’m sorry but, like I said, I couldn’t not see him very well in the dark.”

“Well,” I said. “No other ideas?”

He shrugged.

“This isn’t even an idea, Ed. Apart from you, this fellow was the only guy I ever saw her with in Middle River. But I can tell you this: she  was always going around with men. In as much as I want to, I can’t help you with this.”

I got to my feet.

“My good friend Evans, you have indeed been helpful” I said. “Now look, it is best for you to relax. Don’t do anything stupid: do nothing and say nothing. I will try to find this bastard. He may be the Mr. Graham Reed that I am looking for. I will definitely keep you informed. If Lieutenant Ludlum does happen to get on to you, you have a sound alibi. Don’t forget that and stop worrying, okay?”

Evans smiled.

“I believe you,” he replied. “I rely on your judgement, Harry.”

I said it was the best thing to do, shook hands with him and went down to where I parked the Mercedes convertible.

As I drove back to my apartment that night, I felt that I had used my time wisely talking to Evans. It seemed to me I had now found the reason why Brittany had died at the vacation house in Atlantic City. It wasn’t something I could explain to Reverend Waters. I know that. But at least it gave me an important clue: someone, as Evans had said, did not blackmail easily and Brittany had died.

Obviously, my next move was to find Mac.

END OF EPISODE XVII

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

The Pastor’s Daughter: Episode XVI

One of the reasons I watch scary movies is to experience the thrill of being terrified without the consequences. The way my apartment looks now reminded me of scary movies. However, I did not experience that vicarious thrill that comes from watching scary movies at this time. In fact, I feel enraged!

I eventually got rid of Lieutenant Ludlum and his mob of detectives around ten minutes past eleven in the night. But that was after they have dusted everything in my apartment looking for fingerprints, photographed the splintered door, poked their noses in every nook and cranny, and generally raised all kinds of hell.

I had gone down to Candace, explained the situation to her and told her to go home. Candace, being the Candace I know, wanted to stay, but I wouldn’t let her. Having her around as well as the police is too much for me at this time. I had a lot on my mind, too much information to process. She gave me a worried look and said she would call me in the morning. Then she went away in a cab.

Lieutenant Ludlum listened to my explanation about the camera. I showed him where I had put it earlier in the day. As he patiently examined the broken lock of the drawer, something told me that he may not believe what I was telling him. I said this because his face was expressionless. The way I saw it, he was only maintaining his usual polite calmness with great difficulty.

“This is a strange coincidence Harry,” he said. “You just had this camera for only a few hours, and someone breaks in and steals it. Don’t you find it odd?”

This is the typical Lieutenant Ludlum: He was more than willing to speak his mind, even if it upset the apple cart. But by then I don’t care anymore.

“What are you trying to say here?” I replied. “Look, this intruder, whoever he is, not only stole the camera, but also went off with my goddamn booze, my spare cash, my cigarettes and my clothes. Can’t you see that? I don’t call that a coincidence.”

One of Lieutenant Ludlum’s men came over and said there were no fingerprints to be found except mine. Lieutenant Ludlum gave me a thoughtful stare, shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well Harry, I shall have to report this to my chief.”

“You can report it to the President if you want,” I retorted. “Just get my clothes back.”

“The camera is a serious loss, Harry”.

“Who cares about the camera? That’s your business. You just realized now that it was important to you, and you want to blame me that it’s been stolen? Look, Lieutenant Reid gave me the camera and I signed a receipt for it. At the time he told me that none of you wanted it. So I resent the way you are looking at me now, as if I staged this robbery just to get you in trouble.”

He said getting angry about this unfortunate affair is unnecessary.

“Fair enough,” I said. “I’m no longer angry. But could you get your men out of my apartment so I can clear up and get something to eat?”

I said that because I thought it will make them to leave. But I was wrong: they spent another half-hour to satisfy themselves that there were positively no clues left by the burglar. Eventually, and with the greatest reluctance, they went away.

Lieutenant Ludlum was the last to leave.

“This is a bad thing to happen,” he said as he paused in the doorway. “It was a big mistake to give you the camera.”

“I see. My heart bleeds for you. Unfortunately, Lieutenant Reid already gave me the camera and you’ve got my receipt. So you can’t blame me for what’s happened. What has happened, has happened, and I’m not going to lose any sleep about it. You have my sympathy, okay?”

He started to say something, but then changed his mind. He simply shrugged and left my apartment. I believe I knew what was going on in his mind. If he has the chance, he will accuse me of cooking up this burglary myself so as to prevent him from laying his hands on the camera.

I am in trouble, and I knew that. I was quite sure that the thief had broken in only to get the camera, even though most of my clothes, three bottles of vodka, cigarettes and a few hundred dollars were also missing. As I cleared up the mess in my bedroom and sitting room, I did a little thinking. At the back of my mind I still had the picture of the broad-shouldered intruder I had seen creeping around the vacation house at Atlantic city. I am sure he was the guy who had broken into my apartment  and had stolen the camera.

Soon I finished tidying up my sitting room and was thinking of getting something to eat when the front-door bell rang. I went into the hallway, thinking Lieutenant Ludlum is back again with a flock of new questions. I opened the front-door and Phorbus Taylor stood outside.

“Hello Harry,” he said. “I here you have had a burglar.”

“Yes,” I replied. “Come on in.”

He looked at the broken lock on the front door, and then followed me into the sitting room.

“Did you lose a lot?”

“Well, just the usual things. But I’m insured, so I’m not worried about them.” I went to my liquor cabinet. “Want some drink?”

“A brandy will be good.” He dropped into a chair. “Reverend Waters – is he pleased the way I handled the write-up about Brittany?”

“He seemed to be. I know it was a big challenge?”

“A few reporters started to ask smart questions, but I told them they’d better talk to  Reverend Waters himself. They said they would rather kiss an ebola case. Harry, that man is one of the best loved in America.” He took the brandy I handed him. “Has he gone yet or is he staying on?”

“He went back to Trenton.” I made myself a highball. “Hold everything for a moment. I was about to prepare something to eat when you knocked. I haven’t eaten since lunch.”

“Sounds like a plan. Let’s go out. I will buy you something.”

“By this time? Isn’t it too late?”

“I know this Chinese restaurant that stays open late” he said.

“Do you have their number?”

“Sure,” he said, bring out his wallet. He handed me the restaurant’s business card. I picked up the receiver and placed an order for chicken wings with pork fried rice.

“Well, I’m all ears Harry,” Phorbus said, when I hung up. “Did you find what Brittany was doing in that place all alone? Have you confirmed how she died yet?”

I was careful what I told him. I told him that available evidence so far indicated there was a man involved, that the police have doubts  that Brittany’s death was accidental, and that Reverend Waters had told me to hang around and watch his interests. I didn’t tell him what Susan had said, nor that Brittany had been pregnant.

He sat listening, seeping his brandy.

“So you are not moving to Trenton right away?”

“Not for a while.”

“I told you that asshole would want an investigation, didn’t I? In any case, I’m glad I’m not involved.”

I said he was a lucky man.

“I’m just curious: what’s biting the police? I wondering why they aren’t satisfied?”

“Lieutenant Ludlum likes mysteries,” I replied. “He makes a big deal of anything.”

“Does Reverend Waters think it was an accident?”

“The Reverend is keeping an open mind about it.”

“How about you? Do you think it was an accident?”

“How would I know? Like the Reverend,  I’m keeping an open mind about it as well.”

“Brittany was indeed a ripe little bitch. If you ask me, I would say that her boyfriend shoved her off the window of that vacation house. What do you say?”

“Well, no comment,” I said. “However, Reverend Waters would love a set-up like that.”

“There’s bound to be a man in this, Harry. There’s no way Brittany will rent a vacation house of that size in Atlantic City if she hadn’t a man to share it with. So far, do you have any idea who it could be?”

“Not at all,” I replied. “But never mind that, Phorbus. Tell me something: Susan Waters. What’s her story?”

He looked surprised, then he smiled.

“She’s sexy, isn’t she? Want my advise? Forget any ideas you may have about her. You wouldn’t get to the first base.”

“I don’t mean it like that,” I said. “All I’m asking is this: do you know her very well? Where does she come from? Is there anything about her you can tell me?”

“Not much. She used to be both  a singer and a dancer at one of Aquiles Gomez’s  night clubs.”

I stiffened. Aquiles Gomez again!

“Is that how she and Brittany met?”

“That was possible: did they met?”

“Well, she told me she had known Brittany for some years.”

“Really? I don’t know that. I heard Reverend Waters met her at a party, took one look at her and practically fell in love with her on the spot. She was lucky a man like Reverend Waters fell for her and married her. The night club she was working at closed down when Aquiles Gomez was knocked off. I give to her: her body can make any man’s head to spin around, but she can’t sing for dimes. In any case, I was surprised that the Reverend would marry her type.”

“Me too,” I said.

A lady from the Chinese restaurant interrupted us by bringing my chicken wings with pork fried rice.

Phorbus got to his feet.

“Well, here are your food. I’ll be pushing along. When is the inquest?”

“Monday,” I replied.

“I’m sure you’ll go down?”

“I guess so.”

“You go ahead,” he said. “I can’t go. I will leave you now. Will you look in at the office tomorrow?”

“I’m not sure yet. I think you can handle that end. Officially, I’m still on vacation.”

“And I guess you are having a wonderful time with all these Brittany business,” he said, grinned and went away.

I sat down and ate my chicken wings with pork fried rice. I did some heavy thinking at the same time. So far, I could not find a list of telephone numbers or an address book among Brittany’s papers, which means I could not find a lead on her friends. If Brittany had kept such a list, then someone had taken it. The only clue I had with me at this point was Mac’s telephone number. I knew a girl who worked on Middle River telephone exchange. She had once won a local beauty contest organized by the Baltimore Sun, and I had written an op-ed piece about her. One thing had led to another, and we became lovers for a couple of months. Then we broke up, and I lost sight of her.  I decided to contact her in the morning to see I she will agree to help me to get Mac’s address. I mean, there’s no harm in trying, right?”

Apart from Mac, who else was there?

I dug down into my mind, trying to remember anything that Brittany Had said during the few days we were together. Perhaps I might remember something that would give me a lead on her other friends. At first I couldn’t remember anything that could help, and I was about to give up and go to bed when it suddenly occurred to me that she had once mentioned  Marcus Evans, who wrote a political column for East County Times and who was also my good friend.

One thing about Evans is that when he wasn’t writing his column, he was going around with women, and I mean real beautiful women. His theory is that having fun with a beautiful woman was the only true meaning of life, especially if you live in America. Knowing Evans, I was pretty sure that he and Brittany had been a lot more than just friends. Evans has his own method with women, and if I were to believe Phorbus, Brittany wasn’t the kind of girl to say no to a guy like Evans.  So naturally, I thought Evans might be an important lead in my investigation.

I looked at my watch. Even though the time was twenty minutes to midnight, it was the beginning of a for Evans. I said this because the Evans I knew never got up before eleven o’clock in the morning and never went to bed before four.

I picked up the telephone receiver and called his number. Perhaps he would still be there. And I was right: he answered immediately.

“Harry? Well, what a surprise! You will live long Harry” he said.  He prided himself on his ability to use figurative expressions. “I was about to call you, and the next thing I know you called. I’ve only just read the news about Brittany. Is it true? I mean, is Brittany really dead?”

“Yeah, unfortunately,” I said. “I want to talk to you Marcus. Can I come around?”

“Of course,” he replied. “I will wait for you.”

“I will be there in a few minutes,” I said, and hung up.

I left my apartment and ran down the staircase to where I had left Brittany’s Mercedes convertible. It was raining, as it will do suddenly and unexpectedly in Middle River, especially at this time of the year. I jumped into the Mercedes convertible,  started the engine, set the windscreen wipers in motion, and backed out of the parking space.

Evans has an apartment in Chase which is near the Bengies Drive-In Theatre. It is just about seven-minute drive from my place to his. Since there wasn’t much traffic so I accelerated. But as I did that I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a car that was parked nearby suddenly turn on its parking lights.  Moments later the car swung out into the road and came after me.

As the car passed under the glare of a street light I saw it was the Black Pontiac. The Black Pontiac again!

END OF EPISODE XVI

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

The Pastor’s Daughter: Episode XV

  

I never knew how   criminals feel when they are suddenly confronted by the police. Seeing Lieutenant Jim Ludlum and his colleague indeed gave me an idea of how that experience might be. Confused and scared, I stood motionless, staring at him. I will be lying if I say my heart didn’t miss several beats before it began to race very violently – so violently that I had difficulty breathing.  Was he here to arrest me? Had he found out that I was Graham Reed?

Candace appeared at the door.

“Good evening Lieutenant Ludlum,” she said. The sound of her voice, which was calm and quiet, had a steadying effect on me.

“Evening miss,” Lieutenant Ludlum said.

I stood aside.

“Come in Lieutenant” I said.

Lieutenant Ludlum moved forward.

“Sergeant Walesa,” he said, nodding to his companion who followed him into the sitting room.

I led the way into the sitting room. Even though I still feel pretty shaken, I had somehow gotten over the first shock of seeing Lieutenant Ludlum.

“This is indeed unexpected, Lieutenant”, I said. “How did you know I was here?”

“Well, the truth is that I was passing by. I became curious when I saw the lights were on. So I decided to see who could be here. I’m glad it’s you because I wanted to talk to you anyway.”

Sergeant Walesa, who is short, thick-set with a flat, expressionless face, leaned against the wall by the door. I could see he had no interest in the proceedings.

“Well, here I am,” I said, waving Lieutenant Ludlum to a chair. “Candace and I were just having a drink. Do you mind joining us?”

“No. We are good. But, thanks for asking.”

With his hands in his coat pockets, he moved around the room. He went over to the window. On getting there, he glanced out, then seemed to have changed his mind. He turned, came over to where I was standing and sat down near me. I could see Candace perching herself on the arm of the settee. So, I sat down too.

“I understand you collected Ms. Brittany’s camera from Lieutenant Reid this morning,” Lieutenant Ludlum said.

Surprised, I said, “Yes. Lieutenant Reid you don’t need it anymore.”

“I thought so too, but I have been thinking about that camera.” Lieutenant Ludlum took out a packet of cigarettes and lit one. I don’t expect him to offer Candace or myself this particular brand that he smoked.  “I felt that we parted with the camera too quick. If you don’t mind, may I have it back?”

“Sure,” I said. “I will make sure you have it latest tomorrow morning.”

“It’s not here?”

“I left it at my apartment.”

“I really need to have it tonight. You would have no objection if we collected it tonight?”

“If it is that important, then it is fine with me.” I lit a cigarette and took a pull at my glass. I’m glad I fixed this drink before they came in – I really needed it. “But, if I may ask, why the sudden interest in the camera, Lieutenant?”

“I had been thinking about it since yesterday,” he said. “And it strikes me as odd that there was no film in it.”

“You came up with this new theory of yours rather late in the day, didn’t you?”

He shrugged.

“At first I thought it was possible that Ms. Brittany had forgotten to put a film in the camera. I, however, changed my mind after talking to an expert. If you had checked the camera, you will notice that its footage indicator showed that twelve feet of films had been exposed. The only sensible explanation for that is that there had been a film in the camera, and that somebody had removed the film. See? I know I’m not that familiar with cine cameras. But my mind kept telling me that maybe I shouldn’t have parted with it quite so soon.”

“Well, no problem. Since you insist, you’ll have it tonight.”

“Do you have an idea of who could have removed the films?”

“How would I know?,” I said. “I think Candace removed them.”

“Whoever took them out did it apparently without the film gate being opened. That would mean the film was ruined since it was exposed to the light as it was been taken out. I’m sure Ms. Brittany would scarcely do that, or would she?”

“You are correct.” I leaned back in my chair.   “I thought this Brittany business is a closed one, Lieutenant.  Now, you seem to have some doubts about your verdict of the case?”            

“Well, I guess the best way to put this is that the doubts have been forced on me,”  Lieutenant Ludlum said. “ I mean, Ms. Brittany bought ten cartons of film. All of them are missing, including the films in the camera. Now, you may not know it but I was here earlier in the morning to examine this house. I did not find any private papers of any description here. As we know, Ms. Brittany stayed here for almost thirteen weeks. So, to me, it is very odd that she apparently didn’t receive or write a letter during those period. Don’t you find it odd that Ms. Brittany never had any bills, kept no diary or telephone numbers during that period? Let me tell you this now: it is odd, unless, of course, someone has been in here before me and had taken her personal papers away.”                                        

“I noticed that myself,” I said. “But it may also be possible that she cleaned up the house before she left for Atlantic City.”

“That could be another explanation, but it is very unlikely”, he said. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Reverend Waters told me to get rid of her things,” I replied.

Lieutenant  Ludlum     studied his fingernails, then he said looking at me.

“My apologies, but I will have to disturb your arrangements. So, please leave everything as they are for the moment. I want  to seal up the house until after the inquest.”      

Although I was pretty sure now what was going on in his mind, I still said to him, “What’s the point here, Lieutenant?

“It’s just the normal routine, Mr. Harry,” Lieutenant  Ludlum said mildly. “We may have to conduct an investigation after the inquest.”

“But Reverend Waters told me that the medical examiner had agreed to record a verdict of accidental death.”

Lieutenant  Ludlum smiled.

“You are correct,” he said. “ Based on the present evidence, I believe that was his intention.  But  the inquest is not until Monday, you know. So, if more evidence come to light before that time frame it will alter the whole situation, see?”

“Reverend Waters won’t be pleased.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate.”

It was obvious now that he was no longer worried about Reverend Waters.

“Have you spoken to your chief?” I asked.  “I believe Reverend Waters has also had a word with him.”

Lieutenant  Ludlum tapped ashes from his cigarette into his hand. He then proceeded to dust them on to the carpet.

“Yes, I did,” he said. “And he agrees with me. Now, don’t get me wrong: it is still possible that Ms. Brittany’s death was an accident. However, this man who was seen in Atlantic City, the missing films, and the fact that this house has been stripped of all personal papers forced us to conclude that there are grounds for an investigation.” He blew a thick smoke towards me. “There’s another thing that puzzles me. I spoke to Ms. Brittany’s bank manager. He told me that she receives an allowance of one  hundred dollars every two weeks. She had with her a small trunk and a suitcase when she arrived in Middle River. I’m sure you’ve seen the contents of the closets and drawers in the other room. I am wondering how she could afford all these things on an allowance of one  hundred dollars every two weeks.”

I could see by now that he had already begun to dig into Brittany’s background.  And I remembered Susan Water’s look of fear when she begged me no to do this thing.

“Obviously, you have some doubts on your mind,” I said as casually as I could.

“Well said, Mr. Harry,” he said, getting to his feet. “Perhaps we could go over to your apartment now to get the camera. I won’t bother you again after that.”

“Alright then.” I stood up. “Come with us Candace. We will have dinner at the Idle Hour after I’ve given the camera to Lieutenant  Ludlum.”

“Do you mind giving me the keys to this house?” Lieutenant  Ludlum said. “You will get them back in a few days.”

I gave him the key, and he handed them to Walesa.

We moved out into the corridor, but Walesa didn’t come with us. He remained in the room. As we leave the house, Lieutenant  Ludlum said, “You were asking me questions about a car number, remember? Does it has anything to do with Ms. Brittany?”

“Nope,” I replied. “ I think I already told you: the guy driving the car clipped me, and he didn’t bother to stop. I thought I wrote down his number correctly. But apparently I was wrong.”

I can feel his eyes on my face. He waited until we got into my car, then he said, “Can you give me the names of Ms. Brittany’s friends?”

“I wish I could,” I said. “I believe I told you already: I don’t really know her very well.”

“But you have talked to her?”

His tone was very mild and calm, and that put me on my guard.

“Sure. But we did not discuss anything about her lifestyle here in Middle River. Remember she was the daughter of my boss. Naturally it didn’t cross my mind to question her about stuffs like that.”

“Did you take Ms. Brittany out to dinner at the Idle Hour Restaurant about four weeks ago?”

I felt as if someone had punched me on my face. This was a shock! Just how much did Lieutenant  Ludlum know? This question implies that someone must have seen Brittany and I together at the restaurant. At this point it doesn’t make any sense to lie to him.

“Yes I did,” I replied calmly. “I happened to run into her at the time. And since I was going to dinner, I asked her along.”

He paused for a minute, and then said, “I see.”

I swung the car into my neighborhood and pulled up outside my private entrance. There was indeed a tense atmosphere in the car. I can feel my heart beating so heavily that I was scared he would hear it.

“Was that the only time you took her out?”

My mind raced. Of course that wasn’t the only time. Brittany and I had gone to two movies together. And we had had dinner together more than two times.

“I believe so – I mean, as far as I can remember,” I replied.

I opened the car door and got out. Walking slowly, he followed me on to the sidewalk. I leaned into the car and said to Candace, “I will be back in a minute. And then we can go to dinner together.”

Humming under his breath, Lieutenant  Ludlum followed me up the staircase. Feeling his eyes examining the back of my head, I walked down the passage that led directly to my front door. I was almost half-way down the passage when I noticed that my front door was standing ajar. I stopped abruptly, surprised.

“Something’s not right,” I said.

“Did you shut the door when you left?” Lieutenant  Ludlum said, moving in front of me.

“Of course I did,” I replied.

We reached the door together.

“Damn! I think I have been robbed. Look.” I said, pointing to the smashed lock in my front door. I made to move into the hall, but Lieutenant  Ludlum pulled me back.

“If you don’t mind, let me go first,” he said curtly. With that he stepped into the hall, crossed it in two quick strides and threw open my sitting room door. I was right on his heels.

We entered  my sitting room. All the lights were on. We both stared around the room that looked as if it had been struck by a hurricane. Everything was scattered around the room. All the drawers in my desk hung open, all my papers were lying scattered on the floor, my cupboards stood open and a couple of chairs were overturned.

Lieutenant  Ludlum went swiftly into my bedroom. I could hear him run down the passage to my bathroom. Meanwhile, I walked over to my desk. I had locked the camera in the bottom drawer. The lock was also smashed and, when I looked inside it, I discovered that the camera was gone.

END OF EPISODE XV

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