Louise's Blunder (20 page)

‘Conclusions?’ Wicker asked.

‘Lev Gachev killed Clark Leach and Paul Hughes and I can’t arrest him for it,’ Royal said grudgingly.

‘Wait a minute,’ I said. ‘When did you decide that? Gachev didn’t kill Paul Hughes!’

‘Isn’t it obvious?’ Wicker said. ‘Gachev was the “G” that Hughes met that Sunday night. I wonder if Hughes told Gachev that he wouldn’t work for him anymore.’

‘I don’t know what Gachev and Hughes talked about at their meeting. But I know Gachev didn’t kill him. Spencer Benton murdered Paul Hughes,’ I said. The sound of my voice surprised me. My mind had just dropped the missing piece into the correct space in the puzzle that was Hughes’ death. I had barely processed my conclusion myself when I spoke out.

‘Hold on there,’ Royal said. ‘How do you figure that?’

We cut our conversation off as the waiter brought us our tiramisu. None of us touched it; we were too absorbed in our conversation.

‘Do you have that grubby map you’re always carrying around with you?’ I asked Royal.

Royal withdrew the map from his pocket and handed it to me. I unfolded it and spread it out on the table.

‘Clark Leach told me in the car on the way to the wharf that Gachev couldn’t have killed Paul because the murder was the work of an amateur. Would Gachev have struck a man on the head in a public place, tossed his body in the water and, even worse, used his own return address on a fake telegram? Or come back to the scene days later to plant his wallet? I don’t think so.’

I tapped the map right on the Tidal Basin.

‘This is where everything happened. Sunday evening Paul was on his way back home from his meeting with “G” at his shop. He’d have taken a streetcar from the terminus, right here,’ I said, pointing it out on the map. ‘Spencer Benton was returning from a reception at the Capital Yacht Club here, about ten blocks east on the Washington Channel. The one his wife refused to attend with him. He’d still have been furious with her. We know from Rose that Spencer and Peggy had a huge fight that day. I wouldn’t be surprised if Benton hit her – he was that kind of man – and Peggy is not a tough woman. I think Benton forced her to tell him about the affair, the spy ring and “G”, even the location of “G”’s shop. And Benton knew that if OSS discovered all this it would ruin him.’

‘After the reception at the Capital Yacht Club Benton also went to the terminus to catch a streetcar. He and Paul ran into each other. They walked along the Tidal Basin path together toward the streetcar stop.’

‘They may have stopped to have a drink somewhere,’ Royal said, ‘the medical examiner found alcohol in Hughes’ blood.’

‘Paul didn’t know that Benton had learned about the spy ring and his affair with Peggy. He turned his back on Benton, who then smashed Hughes’ skull with a rock,’ I said. ‘He emptied Hughes’ pockets to delay his identification and dumped his body into the Basin. Then he walked a couple of blocks to the nearest Western Union office and sent a telegram, using Gachev’s shop as the return address to incriminate him.’

‘Why would he do that?’ Royal asked. ‘Wouldn’t Gachev tell all if he were arrested? Reveal that Peggy and the others were spying for him?’

‘No,’ Wicker said. ‘Gachev would never reveal anything about the spy ring. Not ever. Besides, he would disappear before we could arrest him. As he has.’

‘But you don’t have any real evidence that Benton knew any of this,’ Royal said.

‘I think he did. Benton is a tyrant who wanted complete control over his wife. He tried to prevent her from having a social life of her own. He asked me to convince Peggy to stay away from Rose and Sadie because they were bad influences on her. She was devastated after Paul’s death. Cried in public over him. Benton must have bullied Peggy until she told him everything.’

‘You have no proof that Benton planted the wallet,’ Wicker said.

‘I don’t,’ I said, ‘but I know who planted the other items from Hughes’ pocket in the safe room.’

‘Who?’ both men said.

‘Peggy Benton was the first of the group to go into the residential hotel. She had plenty of time to plant the lighter, the pocketknife and the keys. To strengthen the deception that Hughes’ pockets hadn’t been intentionally stripped. That he’d dropped his wallet and left the other items in the safe room,’ I said.

‘She knew that her husband killed Paul,’ Royal said. ‘Maybe Spencer told her.’

‘Or she found the wallet and other things where Spencer had hidden them,’ Wicker said. ‘Or Spencer may have kept them to torment her.’

‘No matter how much she loved Hughes it would ruin her life if Spencer was arrested. She tried to protect him. Did she plant the wallet too?’

‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘Maybe Spencer did.’

‘Hold on now, we’re just speculating,’ Royal said. ‘Where are the Bentons now?’

‘Confined to their apartment,’ Wicker said.

‘If you could get Peggy alone she would confess to everything, I know she would,’ I said to Royal.

Royal picked up his fork and shoveled tiramisu into his mouth. Then he pulled a napkin out of his pocket and wrapped up the rest of the dessert, tucking it back into his pocket.

‘I’m on my way over to the Bentons’,’ Royal said, pushing his chair back. ‘That is, if the big shots have no objection.’

‘None,’ Wicker said, ‘as long as you can think of a way to keep OSS out of it.’

‘We’ll make a deal with Benton. A life sentence instead of execution for murdering his wife’s lover as long as he doesn’t mention the espionage ring. He’ll take it.’

‘What will happen to Sadie, Rose and Peggy?’ I asked.

Wicker shrugged. ‘We’ll dismiss them from OSS, of course. But other than that, nothing. With Gachev gone we have no corroborating evidence. They were just pawns anyway.’

On his way out of the room Royal patted me on the shoulder awkwardly.

‘I’m so glad you’re all right, Louise. I would never have forgiven myself if something had happened to you.’

I gripped his hand. ‘After you retire, call me and we’ll celebrate.’

‘I’ll do that,’ he said, and left the room.

Wicker and I finished our dessert and coffee. The tiramisu was grand! I wondered if I could make it myself.

As we prepared to leave the restaurant Wicker turned to me. ‘Mrs Pearlie, I’m giving you a few days’ leave. You need some rest.’

The next day I caught the three thirty train from Union Station to Grand Central Station in New York City. Joe would be waiting for me there.

W
illiam Franklin ‘Frank’ Knox (January 1, 1874–April 28, 1944) was an American newspaper editor and publisher. He was also the Republican vice-presidential candidate in 1936 and Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt during most of World War II.

Although Knox was a Republican he favored early intervention in the war in Europe, and was a key connection between Roosevelt and the isolationist Republicans, who were in the majority of their party before Pearl Harbor.

FDR wasn’t the first Roosevelt Knox worked for. He was a ‘Rough Rider’ in Cuba with Teddy Roosevelt.

Knox was also my great-great-uncle. Of course I run across him often during my research, and I’ve been looking for an opportunity for him to make a cameo appearance in one of my books. I think offering Louise refuge on the
Sequoia
after her ordeal on the Potomac was a good choice!

Thanks, Uncle Frank, for your service to your country. Your family is proud of you.

Sarah Shaber