Mind Switch (46 page)

“We have an employee lounge in the back, let’s talk there.” On her way she passed another employee and said, “Doris, please take my place for a couple of minutes.” Her only thought was, what does my red light violation have to do with murder?

Jim said to the other woman, “Oh, she will be gone a lot longer than a couple of minutes.”

Jean was now obviously upset; it was the emotional level that Jim had been seeking.

He had pictures of Fred and Ford with him; he showed them to her. “A few days ago this officer entered your restaurant, and you were the hostess in charge.”

She shook her head “no,” and she started to speak, almost relieved that he wasn’t interested in the red light incident.

Jim interrupted her, “Don’t say no, whatever you do, or we will continue this interview at the station. Now, take a good look at both pictures—a very good look.”

Her voice quivered. “Yes, I do remember this man,” she said, pointing to the picture of Fred.

“Of course you do. Now you must remember this man as well,” Jim said, pointing to the picture of Harry Ford. “How much did you get paid to forget you ever saw him?”

The hostess paused. She knew she was not going to get away with this, and why even try for just a few hundred bucks.

“Look, I was told it was an elaborate birthday joke and I was given a picture of this man in the goatee and of the other man. I was told the approximate time they would be arriving, and I was to tell the second man that entered our restaurant that I had not seen the first man. That’s all I know, please believe me.”

“How did the man disappear so quickly?”

“Well, he really didn’t. He went directly to the kitchen. You see, we were told in advance of his approximate arrival time and that he needed a drawer or a cabinet to discard his disguise. We were also told to have a cook’s uniform available for him to put on so he could blend in with the kitchen crew.”

“So your kitchen staff was in on it as well?”

“Yes, we were told that the second person would most likely look for the first person in the dining area before venturing into the kitchen. That would give the first man time to make a quick change of his clothes. An apron, cook’s hat and a white uniform were in the drawer; and he put his street clothes in the same drawer that he removed the uniform from.”

“Wouldn’t you have been worried that the man would not have time to make the change?”

“I asked that same question and I was told not to worry; in his business, he did that type of quick change all the time.”

“Who contacted you?” Jim asked.

“I don’t know the person’s name, I was contacted by phone and, then as agreed, I received $300 for my part, and $300 for the kitchen cooks. I also received, in the same envelope, a picture of the man with the goatee and a photograph of the other man as well. The note said one of the two was a policeman, they gave me his name. I don’t remember now what they told me his name was. The other man came to the restaurant before the scheduled date and time, and he conducted a trial run to make sure he could change his clothes quickly enough.”

“Officer, did I do something wrong? I really did think it was some type of birthday surprise. And in fact, we all laughed when the policeman left the restaurant, we thought what a great joke to play on him.”

“I understand, it’s okay, thanks for your information, and now you can go back to your work.”

Jim regretted the severe way that he had treated the hostess, but now he had all the information that Fred needed. Fred would be happy about this!

Chapter 71

When Slivers exited from the interview room, his attorney stayed behind. “So, Lieutenant, what did you find out that can bring closure to this case?”

“Nothing yet, I’m afraid, but I will stand by my word and testify in your client’s behalf if it comes to that.”

“You know the DA will have you fired, don’t you?”

“Most likely yes, what I intend to do the day before the trial is tell the DA of my plans and that I will be a witness for the defense. That will force, at a minimum, a continuance.”

“A continuance will not free my client.” 
“I know, but it will certainly help to eliminate the first degree murder rap against him. But I hope by then I will find the real killer and this will all be over.”

“I wish you good luck for the both of us!”

* * *

The subsequent meeting with Shepard and his attorney brought limited new information, and no surprises.

Since Shepard was an attorney himself, he was very hesitant to agree to be questioned by the police. The fact that Fred agreed to support his defense, augmented by Fred’s tape recording, convinced him to go ahead. He, like Slivers, had experienced some black-out periods, and during those periods he could not remember where he was or how he got there. He too had used the services of a doctor, who could find nothing organically wrong with him. He didn’t recognize any of the photographs shown to him by Fred. Fred became convinced that, for both men,the black-out periods were indicative of a period in which they had been fully under the control of others.

* * *

When Jim advised him of the success that he had at Pat’s restaurant, Fred was elated. “I think there’s one more step to complete for us to put that bad experience to bed once and for all. By the way, it might also interest you that when I interrogated Slivers he indicated that he recognized Mrs. Schultz. He said his memory was so fuzzy lately he didn’t remember the details but he thought it was about an insurance policy.

Jim said, “Well, that’s a coincidence that bears looking at, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it would seem so, but right now I have something more urgent to check into.”

Fred contacted the Actor’s Guild and asked if they had anybody locally who could do quick change costume type impersonations. He stressed the fact that only a minimal amount of acting was required for the assignment. He especially wanted the same person who had dressed up in a goatee and subsequently disguised himself as a cook in Pat’s restaurant to escape discovery during the daylight hours of December 21st.

The guild’s contact point said, “I’m not sure who that would have been, but we have a lot of fine actors that could accomplish whatever you want. From your description, it would not be much of a stretch for any of our people to accomplish. Now, what age bracket are you looking for to play the role?”

Fred was firm. “No, I want that same person. Look, my name is Lieutenant Harris; I can be reached at police headquarters, 555-2627. Please find out who played that role on that particular day and call me back, as quickly as you can.”

The callback came a few minutes later. “Well, as best as I can tell it was Bradley Stein. He is unemployed and had been hoping for his eventual big acting break; that’s why he accepts short time roles and temporary fill in jobs. But he is very good at what he does and I highly recommend him. You can reach him at 555-4401.”

Fred called the number, and Stein answered immediately. Seems like he is hungry for work, Fred surmised. Fred identified himself and told him what the call was about. He made it clear that he was not interested in hiring Stein for a gig. Fred added, “By the way, don’t try to BS me, since I already know all about the stunt you played on me. I want to drop by your home and speak to you.”

All Stein could say was, “Yes, sir.” His voice sounded disappointed.

The conversation with Stein added little to the knowledge that Fred already had. Stein said that he had been provided with a false beard, a hair piece, and two changes of clothes. Stein said everything fit perfectly including the cook’s garments.

Fred said, “What did the person that hired you look like?”

“The guy from the actor’s guild called me and offered me the job. Whoever called him seemed to know all about me, including my size.”

“Did you use makeup?”

“Yes, some skin lightener. Apparently, I have a darker complexion than the guy I was hired to impersonate.”

“How did you know where I would be?”

“A package came for me, with everything I needed, including detailed information as to where you would be and when you would be there. The cash for my fee was also in the package. Actually, you arrived later than I was told you would. I saw you talking to someone on Main Street; so I just kept slowly walking in your direction hoping you would notice me. When you saw me, you lit up like a Christmas tree; I knew you would follow me into the restaurant.”

“How much did they pay you for your impersonation?”

With pride, Stein said, “A thousand dollars, that’s not bad pay for a half hour’s work, is it?”

“Too bad,” Fred responded, “the hostess at the restaurant got $2,000.” As Fred walked away he noticed Stein’s jaw drop.

Dirty trick, Fred thought, I know the hostess didn’t get that much; but the fact that he thinks she received much more than him will cause Stein some mental pain. It evens things out; his little trick cost me a lot of sleep.

Fred felt better than he had all week. He now knew for certain that he was not crazy or imagining things that weren’t really happening. He also realized that the person he was looking for had been reduced to using crude impersonators to try to get to him; if he could have influenced Fred’s mind directly, that certainly would have been his preferred method. So, Fred thought, as powerful as this person is, it seems that he cannot manipulate my mind. That must be very disturbing, for him to realize that I have some sort of powerful built-in defense mechanism that doesn’t permit him to influence my behavior. Maybe this guy is vulnerable after all!

* * *

For his final mission of this day, he dropped in to see Mrs. Schultz. Fred knew that she used Chanel No. 5, but that was inadequate proof to link her to any of the murders.

The same Hispanic-looking woman, in uniform, opened the door and showed him into the foyer. From behind her, Mrs. Schultz said, “Rosa, I’ll take it from here. Lieutenant, I don’t believe my husband is in any condition to see you. In fact, I would appreciate it if you would curtail your frequent visits and calls to our house.”

“I understand, Mrs. Schultz, and I certainly understand your concern for your husband. However, my visit today concerns you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, is there some place we can talk?”

“Yes, we can go into the den.” Mrs. Schultz pointed him to the den and said she would join him momentarily after she looked in on Mr. Schultz.

The den was as large as a normal living room would be in less costly homes. The walls were a deep mahogany, similar to the paneling in Mr. Schultz’s office at AU.

While Mrs. Schultz was occupied, Fred studied a few of the numerous framed plaques on the wall. He was surprised that several of them had her name on them. She had received one certificate for honorably serving in the Peace Corp during the 70s; several others reflected awards for her Viet Nam anti-war efforts. Fred was not sure of the nature of the organization that provided the awards. She had framed a letter from her senator responding to her communication to him which had recommended the country get out of Iraq specifically and the mid east generally. With typical political equivocation, he had thanked her for her constructive comments and advised her that the facts she presented to him would certainly be considered in future legislation. Fred assumed that she was a heavy contributor to his re-election campaign or she never would have received such a “sincere” response from the senator.

Mrs. Schultz entered, closed the door, and indicated a chair next to an oversized desk. Fred pointed to the senator’s letter and said, “Interesting letter!”

“Yes, but an effort does not count if it doesn’t succeed. The more we spend on the military, the greater is our propensity to use that capability. Now, what can I do for you?”

“Mrs. Schultz, I don’t know how much you know about the murders that I am investigating.”

“Between reading the papers and listening to the information provided by my husband, I know quite a lot. But what does that have to do with me?”

“Well, to begin with, we have a suspect, Mr. Slivers, in custody for the murders at the County Bank.”

“Interesting how politically correct you are, Lieutenant. It seems to me he is a lot more than a suspect. You virtually caught him in the act, did you not?”

“Yes, but there may be some mitigating evidence concerning his guilt. However, Mr. Slivers indicated that he knew you. Can you tell me what your relationship to him was?”

“Well, I didn’t hire him to commit a mass murder if that is your contention. He’s an insurance agent and I contacted him to obtain a life insurance policy on my husband. We never had life insurance, and Mr. Schultz actually suggested it when his health started to fail. You can verify that with Mr. Schultz if you so desire, but I prefer you don’t upset him more than you have already.”

“No, Mrs. Schultz, I believe you. By the way, you no longer seem to be using Chanel No 5; is there a reason?”

“I am not wedded to any particular perfume. Now if that’s all, you’ll have to excuse me.”

“Of course, thanks for your time.”

As Fred walked to the door, he noted that Mrs. Schultz followed him every step of the way. She sure doesn’t want me to drop in to see her husband, he thought.