Quandary: A Detective Series, page 12
“I’m working with Detective McBride and Kowalski on the death investigations of Bryan Walters and Wilson Bortel. May I ask you a few questions?”
“What kind of questions?’
“Umm, I’m just getting information from Bryan’s neighbors. May I come in?”
“Of course.”
Beth entered surveying everything in sight. One picture on the mantel immediately caught her eye. Clarissa motioned her to sit on the sofa. Beth noticed a glass of red wine on the sofa table.
“Miss Pendergast, would you like a glass of wine?”
“Yeah, that sounds good. Umm, please call me Beth, if you like, more personable, you know.”
“Of course, Beth, it is, red or white?”
“White, if you have it.”
She walked to the kitchen and returned with a glass of white wine. Handing it to Beth, she took a small sip. Right off, she knew it wasn’t her favorite Pinot Grigio. Clarissa sat on the sofa beside her and took a long drink of her red wine.
“What kind of wine is this? Not sure I’ve tasted it before?”
“Mer Soleil Chardonnay, nice, a little expensive, but I say, why drink the cheap stuff, right?”
“Umm, yeah, I agree. Hey, the perfume you are wearing, what is it?”
“Umari Seduction, not sure who makes it, given to me as a gift, thought I would try it out.”
“Oh, I’ll have to check it out, as well. Anyway, I need you to sign this form that I was here. Yeah, it’s kind of silly, but it’s a requirement for new employees.”
Handing the clipboard to Clarissa, she took it, signed by the “X,” and returned it to Beth.
“Great, now how long have you known Bryan?”
“Let’s see, probably about four years, that’s when I moved here. While Bryan’s wife was fighting cancer, we got to know each other very well. After her cancer progressed, he asked me to look in on her during the day, gave me a key. Come to think of it, I still have it. Anyway, after she died, we became closer. He just needed a friend, and we shared a glass of wine occasionally on the back patio. It was nothing more than just friendship, if you’re wondering?”
“Umm, I wasn’t. Over the past few weeks, did you notice any strange activity at his home?”
“Not really. I did notice what’s-her-name across the street. I believe she goes by Bobbi. Anyway, she made a few trips over to see him, which I thought was strange.”
“What was strange about that?”
“Uh, he said he didn’t care for her. She’s kind of snobbish, you know, stuck up. I kept my distance from her as well.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“What’s that got to do with Bryan?”
“Oh, nothing, just wondering.”
“I’m a widow. My husband left me a huge insurance policy, big enough that I don’t have to work anymore if I don’t want to. Anyway, by profession, I’m a realtor.”
“Lucky you, well, that should do it. You’ve, umm, been a big help.”
Clarissa showed Beth out to the porch, where they said their goodbyes. Before walking off the porch, Beth turned around. “Umm, I forgot something. Did you know Wilson Bortel?”
“Who?”
“Wilson Bortel, the man found dead in Bryan’s home.”
“Oh, that guy. No, I never heard of him, never saw him before in my life until his picture was in The Daily Reporter. What a horrible thing that happened to him, right?”
“Yeah, anyway, thank you for being cooperative. Have a nice evening, okay?”
Clarissa nodded and quickly re-entered her house. Standing behind the storm door, she watched Beth walk off the porch to her car. Before Beth got into her car, she glanced at Bobbi’s house, seeing movement behind the blinds once more. She entered her car, put the clipboard, pen, and business card in a large plastic bag, and sealed it. Backing out of the driveway, she proceeded to the police station dropping off two plastic bags containing a white plastic clipboard, an ink pen, and her business card.
CHAPTER 28
Commissioner Rich Masterson’s day began like any other. Breakfast with his gorgeous wife and two teenage daughters, both spitting images of his wife, Shelia. Although a powerful man in the city government, he had built his fortune in the auto business rather than following in his father’s footsteps as a lawyer and now a Circuit Court Judge.
The Honorable William Howard Masterson had been on the bench for many years. Elected over thirty years ago, known as Judge Bill, he never had any serious challenges regarding his re-election bids. He always wanted his only child to follow in his footsteps, however, Rich was a rebel in many ways and didn’t want anything to do with his father’s profession.
As a youngster, Rich was a promising baseball player. While being a catcher, he controlled the game gaining valuable management experience. After a stellar senior year, the local university offered him a scholarship. Although Rich enrolled in college with a major in pre-law, he soon discovered that was not his calling. Ever since his dad bought him his first car, a Mustang convertible, his love for cars was born, and he changed his major to business management with a minor in marketing.
After hugging and kissing his wife, and two daughters, he walked to his four-car detached garage at the rear of his house. Entering the garage, he had his pick of three cars to drive to work. After surveying his possible rides for the day, he chose his shiny red Corvette convertible. A beautiful sunny day, temps close to fifty, it was the ideal ride to work. Life couldn’t be any better for him and his family.
The Corvette growled as he drove it out of the garage. After coming to a rolling stop at the end of his driveway, he turned right and accelerated quickly, feeling the thrust and power of his pampered baby. The sounds of The Doobie Brothers filled the cabin as he passed through the security gates of Oak Ridge Commons. After coming to a complete stop at the intersection, he turned right onto Ritter Drive, rocking out to Jesus Is Just Alright. Knowing the lyrics all too well, he sang along, oblivious to his surroundings. He had several lights to go when a white sedan switched lanes, pulling up close behind him.
As the song ended and Old Black Water began, he glanced in the rearview mirror seeing the white sedan again. At first, he thought nothing of it. There were thousands of white sedans in the city. As the traffic signal turned green, the engine’s power and thrust separated him from the vehicle. At the next traffic signal, the white sedan pulled up close behind him.
In the rearview mirror, the two men in the white sedan seemed fixated on him. While paying more attention to them, the light turned green. The driver honked, making a vulgar gesture at Rich. With a clear path ahead of him, the tires squealed, and he sped away. Initially, staying a safe distance behind Rich, the white sedan sped up, gaining on him.
Just ahead was the entrance to Masterson’s Grand Auto Mall. As he moved to the left turn lane, the white sedan’s left turn signal blinked. With oncoming traffic clear, he quickly turned into his auto kingdom. Keeping an eye out for the white sedan, he noticed it had just turned into the auto mall as well. As he continued down Masterson Way, the white sedan was no longer in the rearview mirror. Relieved, he continued to his office and thought no more about it.
The white sedan had turned right into the Chevrolet Dealership, heading for the used car lot. After driving down several rows of trucks, the car stopped. The two men got out and immediately began looking at several of the vehicles. Several minutes later, a salesman approached them.
“Good morning, guys. How may I help you? I’m Ted Lowery, and you are?”
The man in the beard replied, “Names are not important at this point. Uh, we’re just looking. If we see something of interest, we’ll let you know, okay?”
“Oh, yeah, I get it. Just take your time. If you find something you like, I’ll be in the dealership.”
After the man in the beard nodded, Ted walked away and entered the showroom. He watched as they continued to view several trucks. A few minutes later, they left the dealership, driving to the back of the auto mall. After reaching the building housing Rich’s office, they began circling the parking lot.
His office had a row of windows giving him an unobstructed view of his kingdom and the white sedan. A few minutes later, the white sedan turned left on Masterson Way, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Calling around to each of his dealerships, he found out who had spoken to them. With the sun bright in the sky, the coolness of the morning had given away to its powerful warmth. Leaving the office building, he walked to the Chevrolet Dealership to speak with Ted. Finding him standing outside enjoying the day, Rich addressed him.
“Good morning, Ted. How are you?”
“Great, I think it’s going to be a good day. Bill said you wanted to talk to me about something.”
“Yeah, I did. Did you wait on the two men in a white sedan?”
“Oh, those guys, yeah, weren’t all that friendly, didn’t want me around, and made that very clear. They looked at several trucks, got in their car, and left. That’s about it.”
“Did you get any names? You know I’m a stickler about that.”
“Yeah, I know, but those two guys weren’t going to give me names and didn’t want to be bothered. Not sure they were even serious about looking at vehicles. You know those types, right, boss?”
“Unfortunately, I do. I’m heading back to my office. If that white sedan shows back up, call the police, okay?”
“Yeah, of course, have a great day, boss.”
Walking back to his office, he kept glancing over his shoulder, expecting the white sedan to appear. Fifteen minutes later, he entered the office building, promptly taking the steps to his second-floor office. His coffee had turned cold, just like his soul. Tossing the coffee in his bathroom sink, he walked to the coffee center and poured himself a fresh cup.
Back at his desk, he pulled up the security video from the camera located on the front of the building. After entering the specific criteria, the video played. He watched the white sedan pull into the parking lot, circle around a couple of times, then turn left, heading down Masterson Way to the main highway.
With the car still in view, he paused the video hoping to capture a still image of the license plate. After he did a screenshot of the still frame, he closed the video. The screenshot revealed a Missouri license plate. After copying the number down, he made a few calls and discovered the plate was reported stolen several months ago. Just the same, he would inform Chief Evans and the mayor about the incident.
CHAPTER 29
With Beth working later than usual yesterday, she awoke late the following day. Scott, her fiancée, had already left for work, and she relaxed with a cup of coffee in her favorite nightgown, one of Scott’s long-sleeved dress shirts. Ever since they solved their differences in their relationship, they have been living together at her apartment. He finally realized he couldn’t live without her and finally put a ring on her finger. With her position, she set her hours and took her time getting ready for work. Satisfied with her appearance, she started her day, checking her email and voicemail. Nothing needed her immediate attention, and she continued to relax with another cup of coffee.
Finally arriving at the station around eleven o’clock, Carla and Bernie were fixated on their monitors and didn’t see her settle in at her workstation. After a few minutes of ignoring her, she coughed, getting their attention. Meeting Beth’s gaze, Carla’s scowling smile was greeted by a silent, “What?”
“Wish I could come in when I wanted to, right, Bernie?” His rolling eyes met Beth’s nonchalant expression. “How did your fishing expedition go last night?”
“Well, Carla, in my opinion, both Bobbi and Clarissa seemed to be hiding something. They both seemed enamored with Bryan. So, neither is responsible for his death, of course, in my professional opinion.”
“Uh, no shit.” Again, Bernie’s eyes met an even colder reception on Beth’s face. “Tell us what we don’t know, right, Carla?”
“What’s got you two all riled up this morning? Silence hit her in the face. “Okay, be that way. Anyway, Clarissa had more than an interest in Bryan. They may have been physically intimate. She even has a key to his house. Supposedly, Bryan asked her to look in on his dying wife while he was at work. After his wife passed, they shared wine on the patio on many occasions, and who knows what else.”
“Maybe it’s her DNA from the upstairs bedroom.”
“Could be, Carla. I’ll get to that later. Now, for Bobbi, I’m just not sure. She’s hard to read. Clarissa, on the other hand, wouldn’t let anything stand in her way. She’s the aggressive type.”
“Hey, Bernie, maybe you should have interviewed her.” An in-your-face bird met Carla’s rolling eyes.
“Okay, you two, get your head out of the gutter. Anyway, neither of the ladies cared much for each other. I had them sign a form stating I interviewed them and told them it was a new procedure, especially for new employees like me. The form was on one of those new slick plastic clipboards, a fingerprint magnet, DNA, grease, etc. They each held my business card in their hand as well as a pen. Forensics has a clipboard, pen, and business card that each used. So, we wait for the results.”
“You sly fox. You might eventually turn out to be a valuable member of our team, right, Bernie.”
“I thought I already was.” A chuckle met her ears. “Oh, I get it. April Fool’s Day in November, funny. Get this, Clarissa wears…”
“Umari Seduction.”
“Bingo, Carla. She’s rich. Her husband left her a huge insurance policy. She is set for life and doesn’t have to work unless she wants to. Not that it matters, but by profession, she’s a realtor.”
“How did he die, you know, Clarissa’s husband?”
“Well, umm, I don’t know, Bernie. I didn’t ask, my bad.” Feeling like a whipped puppy, she deflected their concerned eyes. “Yeah, I’ll do my research. I’m sure something will come up. If I don’t find anything, I’ll pay her another visit. Oh, one other thing.”
Bernie replied, “Yeah, what’s that?”
“When I asked her about Wilson Bortel, her anxiety level went up a couple of notches, and her eyes showed it. How’s your case going?”
“Bernie and I are waiting for Mayor James. He canceled yesterday. He’s coming in this afternoon.”
Feeling a little better, Beth opened Google on her computer and entered Clarissa Morgan. The search information confirmed she was a realtor in Columbus, Ohio. After moving on to the next search page, information about her real estate career loaded.
Quickly scanning the other information, she did a double take at the bottom of the search page. She clicked on the link titled Local Bank Tycoon Dies in A Freak Accident.
As she read the story about Thaddeus Edward Morgan, her mind began to wander. According to the article, he was worth millions. Reading further, a paragraph on his wife, Clarissa Antoinette Morgan, a successful realtor, indicated she was devastated by his death. Although the coroner ruled it an accident, the insurance company still investigated his death because of its suspicious nature and a huge insurance policy.
Because she was engrossed in her research and found such a revelation, she hadn’t noticed Carla and Bernie glaring at her. Smiling at them, she returned her gaze to the monitor. Because of the story about Clarissa’s husband, she had overlooked another one about Clarissa leaving her hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
Given her husband’s philanthropic generosity, she embraced his numerous charities. He supported Habitat for Humanity, and she worked on several houses with him. However, after he died, it was too emotional for her to remain involved. She resigned from everything and made her intentions known to relocate to a much smaller community in Oakmont, Kentucky. The story gave no reason why she chose it. Needing a break, she scooted her chair out from her desk, leaned back in the chair, and let out a big sigh interrupting Carla and Bernie’s muted conversation.
“Hey, Beth.”
“Yeah, Carla.”
“You look like you found something. You want to share it with us?”
“Clarissa’s husband’s name is Thaddeus Edward Morgan. He died of a freak accident at home in Columbus, Ohio. He was worth millions and had a five-million-dollar insurance policy as well, and the beneficiary was Clarissa. Although the insurance company investigated the death because of its suspicious nature, in the end, they ruled it an accident paying out the full value of the policy to Clarissa. There you have it.”
“Beth, how did the accident happen?”
“Bernie, the story said he fell off the second-floor balcony at home. It stated he had been drinking, stumbled on a throw-rug. Being a heavy man, hit the wooden railing and fell twenty feet to his death.”
Carla chimed in, “Hmm, interesting.”
“Guys, it’s kind of far out that Clarissa or even Bobbi is responsible for Bortel’s death. They had nothing to gain from it.”
“Maybe not, but maybe you need to dig a little deeper. Maybe something was going on between Clarissa and Bobbi, and Bortel or, for that matter, Bryan, right, Carla?” she nodded. “Maybe jealousy, who knows why people go berserk in the heat of things and commit something they regret, something to check out, right, Beth?”
“Of course, I guess I’ll be interviewing Bobbi and Clarissa again and making calls to people that know them and Bortel as well. Thanks for bringing me in. This is what I needed. It might give me a new perspective on the Angel Hardesty case after I solve this one.” Carla and Bernie nodded. Glancing at the big clock, it was lunchtime. “Hey, guys, what time is Mayor James coming in?” In unison, they both said, one-thirty. “Great, that gives us time for lunch, my treat.”
CHAPTER 30
At lunch, Carla and Bernie asked Beth to sit in on their discussion with Mayor James. Arriving at the police station, the receptionist told them the mayor was already in Chief Evans’ office. While Carla notified the chief, Beth and Bernie entered the conference room and took their usual places. While waiting for them, mundane chatter flowed between them until Carla entered and sat down. A few minutes later, the mayor and chief entered. Mayor James sat across from the three of them while Chief Evans closed the door. After sitting at the head of the table, he opened his folder, and cleared his throat.
