Murder in the Library (18 page)

I woke Friday morning a
new man. Okay, so I awoke, and upon further examination, I found out I was the
same middle-aged man I’d been for the past couple of months or so. Still, it
sounds good to say I awoke a new man. The middle-aged man I’d become stumbled
from the bed, arrived at the bathroom without stubbing any toes, and turned to
face the mirror. I looked at the man I saw in the mirror. Not the fairest of
them all, but at least the fairest for two houses, even when one of the houses
contained an out-of-town guest. As I stood there, I considered plastic surgery.
Not for myself, but for my next-door neighbor. Considering that plastic surgery
does nothing to hide a personality, I decided to hook her up with the Witness
Relocation Program instead. I kicked myself for not owning a computer. People
have told me that you can find anything on a computer. My choices for my
neighbor were a leper colony and an island inhabited by cannibals. I felt the
second was a better choice. I had nothing against lepers, and once the
cannibals recovered from the indigestion my next-door neighbor might cause
them, they’d either move on and look for their next meal, or become
vegetarians. When Heloise Humphert was a child, I imagine that her parents had
dreams for her, dreams that would land her picture on the side of a milk
carton. I, on the other hand, would proudly display a picture of my neighbor in
a large boiling pot with nearly naked men wearing make-up and carrying bones as
they danced around.

I shook my head to rid
it of thoughts about my neighbor. I didn’t want God to punish me by letting all
my suspects leave town.

It was a big day for me.
It was time to get on with it. I took off my clothes, stepped into the shower,
and did the best imitation I could of Niagara Falls running over a barrel.
Okay, you can only do so much on a small budget. Still, I thought I was
remarkable as the barrel. As for the part my shower played of Niagara Falls, I
decided to cut back on production costs, in case there is a drought later this
year.

I refrained from drying
myself doggie style, and used a towel, instead of shaking myself into traction.
I brushed my teeth, dressed, studied what God wanted me to know that day that
Lou was not going to share with me, and ambled over to the phone. Just before I
got to the heavy black instrument, it rang.

“So, which one of you
riffraff is calling me so early?

“Oh, hi, Chief. I
thought it was someone else.”

The chief and I spent a
couple of minutes with our heads together, so to speak, and arrived at a time
of 3:00, when we’d assemble the troops at the station and make plans for
Operation Shakedown, or Dekker Prevails. Since time was limited, I didn’t share
the possible names of my project with the Chief. Otherwise, I might’ve been a
part of Operation Shakeup, as in the Chief throwing a party to introduce
everyone to the new head of homicide. Before we hung up the Chief informed me
that he was already on the job, at the station. I told him I was going over my
plans for the day. I refrained from sharing with him that so far my plans were
breakfast, lunch, and supper.

I hung up the phone,
breathed a sigh of relief, and was about to pick up the obtrusive instrument,
when it rang again.

“Yes, Chief. Forget
something?”

“Cy, that Chief thing is
okay in public, but when it’s just the two of us it’s okay to call me Sam.”

I knew it was never too
early in the day for Sam to enjoy a good laugh, so I let him know how I
answered the phone on the previous call. I was right. It wasn’t too early.

“So, Cy, who should I
call instead?”

“Instead of what?”

“I mean, who’s your
replacement. I’ve got the info on those fingerprints.”

“Very funny. I merely
lost the use of the Chief’s condo in the Azores.”

“The who?”

“The Azores. It’s a
group of islands.”

“I know that, but do you
have any idea where they are?”

“Of course. They’re like
any other group of islands. They’re out in the middle of the water. But enough
of this diatribe, what did you call to tell me?”

“I just wanted to let
you know that Bauerman is Bauerman is Bauerman.”

“Is that another way of
saying that the fingerprints in all three locales match?”

“It is.”

“Thank you, my servant.
I was sure that they would.”

“Then why did you have
me go to all that trouble of making sure?”

“One, you needed
something to do. Two, it always helps if you know rather than perceive.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want
you to perceive, Cy. It might be dangerous.”

My stomach growled and I
put an end to such an enlightening conversation.

+++

I was getting cocky, but
I didn’t want Lou to know, so I asked him the clue of the day.

“Kind Hearts and
Coronets.”

“Do what?”

“Kind Hearts and
Coronets.”

I lost my cockiness. I
had no idea what my partner was talking about. Maybe we’d solve the case
anyway.

+++

Lou and I figured that
time would pass more quickly if we occupied our minds. So, after breakfast, I
dropped Lou at his place, returned to mine, and finished reading my first
Henrie O. mystery. Unlike some of the other authors where I liked one series
much better than the other, I enjoyed both of Carolyn Hart’s series. Well, at
least I enjoyed the first book in each series and hoped to get to the second
book in each series soon.

It was almost lunch time
by the time I finished reading. I called Lou, and he too had finished reading
Dead
Man’s Island.
Over lunch, the two of us would discuss the book we just
completed and contemplate what book to read next. Why hadn’t we discovered
reading mysteries earlier in life? Both of us found it so much fun to solve a
case without working up a sweat. Although we found that solving murders in
print are much easier on the constitution than solving them in real life, although
Lou and I had stumbled from a perfect record in print.

+++

Since our minds were on
food, I called Antonio’s to order food for everyone in the department who would
be working that night. Lou and I would pick it up and distribute it to each
officer at his or her post. After taking care of that, I called the Blue Moon
to see if they would provide breakfast for everyone the next day. After Rosie
realized I was serious, she checked with the cook and both agreed to come in
early to prepare a feast for our suspects, witnesses, and officers. Lou and I
didn’t want to go without food, and we didn’t expect others to do so either.
With all of that taken care of, I drove the two of us to the station to prepare
for bringing the case to a conclusion.

Word had filtered
throughout the department that Lou and I were working to solve a murder case
where a friend of ours was the victim. Few of the men knew the Colonel, even
remotely, but most of them knew us, and wanted to help in any way they could.
It wasn’t mandatory that everyone participate, but our good friend Lt. George
Michaelson had rounded up a good number of men to help us. Even Frank Harris,
the medical examiner, agreed to help unless he had an autopsy to perform.

We allowed a few minutes
for late arrivals, and then at 3:05, I stood up to deliver the state of the
union address.

“First of all, let me
say that Lou and I appreciate your help. With the Chief’s blessing, we’re
proceeding with this case in a way I think will help bring it to a conclusion.
I’ll be honest with you. I’ve no idea who our murderer is, but I believe it’s
one of the people you’ll be rounding up.”

“So, you’ve been working
on this case for a while, and you don’t have any idea who did it. I thought you
said there’s something different about this case.”

The group roared and
tension was relieved.

“Ladies and gentleman,
we have now heard from our friend George Michaelson, the perfect example that
if you hang around long enough, you will be promoted to Lieutenant. And
finally, at age eighty-two George received his promotion.”

Again the group laughed.
While laughter was necessary, the men and women who joined us that day didn’t
come to be entertained. So, I returned to the business at hand.

“Let me share with you
what we need for you to do. We are gathering all the suspects, no matter how
unlikely the possibility that they murdered Col. Hardesty. Altogether, there
are eleven of them. This will not be the highlight of some of these people’s
day. Some of them may even get ugly about coming and being a part of a lineup.
A lineup. We all know that there’s no reason to have a lineup without someone
to point out the guilty party, and that a lot of police departments have
dispensed lineups altogether. But I feel that a lineup is the best way to bring
this case to its conclusion. So, in addition to our suspects, we are inviting
three witnesses to join our party. Believe it or not, I think our witnesses
will be as reluctant to attend as some of our suspects. The reluctance of these
individuals is where you come in. I believe that some of these people will want
to stay away so much that they might try to flee. We plan to deliver our
invitations this evening, but we will not require their attendance until
tomorrow morning. Therefore, we need two to three officers to watch each house
overnight. One residence houses five of our suspects, and one of our witnesses
lives next door, so we will not need two or three officers for each witness or
suspect. Five officers should be sufficient for those two adjacent houses. One
other residence houses two suspects. If you’re posted at a residence, under no
circumstances are you to allow anyone to leave that residence. We believe that
our murderer is a master of disguises. Man or woman, young or old, all are
required to remain inside. That might create a handicap at one residence,
because all who live there are college students, and this is Friday night. You
will not be required to keep everyone in the building at home, just everyone
who lives in that apartment. We will post one officer at the front door of the
apartment, and another under the window. Under no circumstances are you to
leave your post at any time before another officer replaces you.

“Each person will be
informed that he or she is to be ready to come to headquarters at 8:00 tomorrow morning. We will provide food and beverages for all who need them. Each team
will drive one or more people. None of these people are to be allowed to come
on their own, no matter what reason they might give for doing so. After we have
finished all we plan to do here tomorrow, some or all of these people will be
allowed to leave without an officer going with them. We will let you know who
the people are when the time comes.

“Some of you will be
going with Lou and me to the home of your assignment, where you will remain
until midnight, and then return to shortly before 8:00 tomorrow morning. Others of you are free to leave after learning your assignment. You know to report to
your designated residence at midnight. Now, are there any questions?”

The silence and lack of
hands allowed me to conclude.

“Let us hope and pray
that there’s no major disaster of any type prior to gathering these people here
tomorrow morning. Good luck. Sergeant Murdock and I will take each of you to
your location, and then check back with each of you from time to time until 1:00, after we’re sure that all replacements are in place.”

+++

We gave each officer the
name and address of whomever he or she was to watch that evening. In no case
was there only one officer per suspect or witness. In most cases there were
three; one to watch the front, one to watch the back, and one to relieve
whoever needed to take a break. I informed everyone to detain anyone who tried
to the leave the premises and that Lou and I would arrive at each location as
soon as possible to explain to each resident what was happening.

By the time all of us
left headquarters, it was almost 5:00, on a Friday evening. I remembered when I
was young, so Lou and I made tracks to the apartment of Mark Blakeman, college
student, pizza delivery man, and witness. Luckily, we found him at home.

I knocked on his door
and realized I’d made an impression.

“You’re that cop that
was here before.”

“And now I’m that cop
who’s back again. I’m here to inform you that we request your assistance
tomorrow morning. We have captured someone who may or may not have been the man
with the long hair and beard that you saw leaving the house on Cherry Hill Lane. We’ll have you look at several people in a lineup to see if you can make
an identification.”

“Hey, man, I told you, I
didn’t get a good look at him.”

“That’s okay. After you
look over all the people in the lineup, if you feel that you cannot make a
positive identification, then tell us. In the meantime, I’m leaving a couple of
officers for your protection. You’re to remain home this evening.”

“You can’t do that. I’ve
got a date tonight.”

“I’m sorry, but you’ll
have to cancel it. Call her and change it to tomorrow night.”

“I can’t do that. Come
on, man.”

“Sorry, but you’ll have
to stay home.”

“Come on. This girl’s a
babe. Weren’t you ever young?”

“I’m sorry to
inconvenience you, but you’ll have to stay home. And don’t try to sneak out. My
men will be watching, and if they catch you trying to leave, they’ll cart you
downtown and you’ll end up spending the night in a cell.

“Someone will bring you
downtown tomorrow morning. I don’t know how long the identification will take,
but I want you to know that someone will knock on your door at 8:00. Be ready to go. And don’t worry about breakfast. Breakfast is on the department.”

“Eight o’clock? On a Saturday? What’s wrong with you guys?”

“We’re just trying to
bring a murderer to justice.”

“But I already told you
I can’t identify the guy.”

“That’s okay. We have
another witness.”

“Why didn’t you say so?
Fine. Call me if he cannot identify the guy.”

“Eight o’clock. Be ready. And remember, don’t try to leave. Otherwise you’ll be the first one
there.”

We left to a groan and a
slammed door. We didn’t want to take any chances. We posted one officer outside
the only door to the apartment, and a second officer by the only window the
apartment had, in the back. A third officer patrolled the area and was
available to relieve or assist either of the other officers.

+++

Our next stop was at the
Hardesty house. Luckily, everyone was home for the night, and no one had plans
for the evening. I gathered everyone and informed them of our plans. I told
everyone that we had three witnesses who’d seen someone leave the house, and
that each person who knew the Colonel would take part in the lineup. There were
no groans, except when I announced the time everyone would be required to
leave, but the groans were quickly replaced with cheers when I announced that
breakfast was on the department, and that there was nothing continental about
it. Martha smiled. She remembered how much Lou and I liked to eat.

+++

Lou and I had only a
short walk to Bob Downey’s house. I didn’t care who knew we were there. I
raised the knocker and lowered it with enough resolve to raise anyone inside.
Thirty seconds or so later, Downey answered the door.

“Well, Lieutenant. It
seems as if we are quickly becoming friends. What can I do for you this time?”

“Mr. Downey, I’ve good
news. We have apprehended someone who matches the description you gave us of
the man you   saw entering the Hardesty house on the day of the murder. We want
you to come downtown tomorrow morning and look at several people in a lineup,
to see if you can identify anyone as the man you saw on that afternoon.”

“I’d rather not do that,
Lieutenant. As I told you before, I don’t think I got a good enough look at the
individual to pick him out of a lineup.”

“Experience has taught
us that sometimes people think they cannot identify someone, but when they get
a second look, they realize that one of the people is the one they saw before.
You don’t have to worry, Mr. Downey. You will be on one side of a glass
partition, and none of the people in the lineup will be able to see you. Also,
we have a second witness. I want to see if the two of you agree on who you
saw.”

“A second witness?”

“Yeah, there was a
college student delivering pizza on the street that day, and he saw someone,
and his description of the individual was similar to yours, so I think the two
of you saw the same person. This will give us a good opportunity to see if the
two of you agree on who you saw.”

“But what if I get down
there and can’t identify your suspect?”

“That’s okay. That
happens sometimes. Also, sometimes we have someone who says it might be number
three or number five, but there’s no way that it’s one, two, or four. That
helps us, too. While we cannot make a positive identification, we can at least
eliminate some of our suspects and devote more time to the ones who might be the
one we are looking for.”

“So, what time do you
want me?”

“We’re making it easy
for both of you. I doubt if our suspect gets wind of this, but just in case, we
have some officers watching your house, protecting you this evening. One of
those officers will knock on your door at 8:00 in the morning and give you a
ride to headquarters. Also, don’t worry about breakfast. The department is
providing a full scale breakfast for you.”

“So you think tomorrow
will put an end to this? I’m beginning to wonder if I should’ve spoken up, or
not.”

“We think we have the
right guy. We’re hoping that we can get a positive ID tomorrow, and put this
guy behind bars where he belongs, but I can’t promise you anything. And don’t
worry about your identification. Just let us know if you see anyone who you
positively think is the guy who entered the house next door on the day in
question.”

“Okay, Lieutenant. You
guys better come up with a good breakfast. And remember, I know a good
breakfast. Over the years I found some of the best truck stops in the
business.”

I thanked Downey for his time, then placed the men and told them Lou and I would return later with
food. That got us plenty of smiles. Everyone knew that if anyone would let them
down on food, it wouldn’t be Lou or me.

“Say, Cy, how come you
didn’t let either of these witnesses know that there’s a third witness?”

“Well, Lou, I didn’t
want anyone to think there are so many witnesses that their appearance isn’t
important.”

“Well, even one other witness
seemed enough that Blakeman wanted to back out.”

“Both of these guys
would want to back out whether we had no other witnesses or one hundred other
witnesses. We need everyone, because no one knows who might really be the
person who can help us.”

+++

Since Dick Morrissey was
nearby, we chose his house to visit next. The old man who saw a long-haired man
with a beard run down his driveway a few days before the murder was at home and
answered the door quickly. Unlike the other two witnesses he was eager to
assist us and told me that he might be able to identify the perpetrator if he
could see his eyes. Unlike each of the other two witnesses, he saw the suspect
up close. On that day, the man in question didn’t stop running until he braced
himself against Morrissey’s car, and, stunned by the situation, he didn’t move
for a few seconds afterward. In my mind, Morrissey had the best chance of
giving us a positive ID, but I wasn’t going to discount what the others had to
say.