Murder at Breakfast (26 page)

“No,
everything you said correlates with what I’ve written down. Now, as far as we
know, who was where from 7:30-9:00?”

“From
everything I can tell, the cook only left the kitchen or the dining room to
send breakfast up to two people, the manager was in the dining room, her
office, or her apartment the entire time. The handyman and the two maids were
either in their apartments or at breakfast. None of these people were seen
anywhere else during that time. Agree, Cy?”

“I
agree. Now, how about the residents?”

“As
far as we know, each of them was in his or her apartment.”

“Right!
Of course, the maids hadn’t started shampooing the carpet yet, so anyone of
these people could have stopped by and knocked on the victim’s door, offered
her something to snack on, which leads us to the next question. How accessible
was the victim’s apartment?”

“Well,
from 10:15-4:00 it was off limits to anyone. If anyone had gone to the victim’s
apartment between 9:00-10:00, when most of the residents left, I think either
Wally Gentry or Margie Washburn would’ve seen them. Of course, there was no
reason for anyone to go then. She was already dead, and her partially eaten
lunch had not yet arrived. So, I think we’re safe in saying that no one stopped
by to visit her apartment then.”

“I
concur. And unless the victim let her murderer inside the apartment, if the
chain on the door was latched, then whoever entered had to have gotten in from
the roof, whether he or she used one of the two ladders available, or tiptoed
over by way of the roof from Elaine Jewell’s apartment. Regardless of how he or
she did it, it’s obvious that someone entered Mrs. Higgins’ apartment. There’s
no way the dead woman removed her tray of food from the dumbwaiter, nor was she
the one who moved her body after she died. So, Lou, let’s move on to the fourth
question. What did the apartment look like when she was found?”

“Well,
first of all, the apartment manager said that the chain was latched, but
Officer Davis said it wasn't. That means that either the manager is lying, or
the murderer was inside the apartment when the manager came to check on her
tenant. Mrs. Higgins was seated at the table, with a partially eaten plate of
food in front of her, a plate of food that she herself didn't eat.”      

When
we began, we had ten suspects and a few different ways each could have
committed murder. When you have that many possibilities, it’s hard to figure
out anything. But now, because of two mistakes the murderer made, I knew how
and when the murder was committed, and when I used logic I was able to deduce
who committed the murder. There were two ways I could prove who committed the
murder, but for both it would take weeks before I would have either form of the
proof. I wanted to wrap up the case. I would have to get the murderer to
confess, after I confronted said murderer in front of everyone else. 

I
was going to arrange a grand finale, Charlie Chan style. As I said, the only
evidence would take weeks to arrive, so it was going to have to be this way. I
called up Martha Carpenter, told her I had a friend who was looking for a place
for his mother, and asked her to cook for six more people for breakfast. I told
her the food would be what would convince my friend to relocate.

I
hated to lie, but I needed to get inside Parkway Arms, and I needed some backup
in case there was a problem. I called George and asked him to assist me, then
asked him to assign Officers Dan Davis and Heather Ambrose to Saturday morning
detail at Parkway Arms. I told him that I had arranged for breakfast for all
five of us. George wanted to know if I told them there would be twenty more at
breakfast. I accused him of being jealous.

+++

After
setting my plans in motion, Lou and I left to enjoy a good steak. Well, I would
enjoy a good steak. Lou would nibble a little. We pulled into Burkman’s parking
lot. I was confident that Saturday would be our last day on the case, and I would
be back home by lunchtime.

I
ate a nice juicy steak, then dropped Lou at his place. If he wanted to Wii the
night away, that was his prerogative. I, on the other hand, was headed home to
pick up an Erle Stanley Gardner book and see what Perry Mason was up to.

I
awoke Saturday morning with a smile on my face, even though I was awakened by
one of those devices that God didn’t intend for man to buy. The fact that I
smiled doesn’t mean that I didn’t want to throw something at my old-fashioned
clock, but I refrained. I knew that sometime in the next six months I would
have to set the thing again, and I didn’t want to have to buy a new alarm clock
each time I set it.

I
stretched, hurt four muscles and two ribs in the process, then figured I had
better get up while the getting was good. I stumbled to the bathroom and
eventually into the shower. It was not the pool of Siloam, but at least I felt
some better when I emerged.

I
looked out. The sun was thinking about getting up, just not quite there yet. I
called Lou to let him know I was on the way. He wanted to know who was calling.
It seemed like Lou was getting funnier. A lot of people use humor to help
themselves through adversity.

I
got away from the house before my next-door neighbor could sink her claws into
my skin. Either she had broken both legs by then, or she figured my car was
still stolen. I looked through my rear-view mirror, and still there was no
enemy sighting.

On
the way to Lou’s I thought about the case. I was glad to bring it to a close,
but it still saddens me every time I have to arrest someone for murder. I
cannot help but think, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

George
Michaelson, Dan Davis, and Heather Ambrose were supposed to meet us in the
Parkway Arms parking lot at 6:45. We would storm the palace together.

I
had no desire to reveal our hand any sooner than necessary, so as far as anyone
at Parkway Arms was concerned, Dan and Heather were replacing the two officers
who were on night duty, which they were, and George was there to check out the
place for his mother. Contrary to public opinion, cops have mothers. It’s just
that George’s mother and father are doing well and have no plans to downsize at
the moment.

I
picked up Lou and was surprised when he said “one shining moment.” I was so
excited about getting back to my mundane lifestyle that I had forgotten about a
clue for the day.

“What’s
that mean?”

He
gave me the usual dirty look that he gives me when I want him to speak in
tongues and interpret them, too. Since he didn’t plan to speak, I did.

“I
think He’s telling us that soon we’ll be back to reading and eating and not
much else.”

“Cy,
I’ve been thinking, and I think you need to take up Wiiing, so you don’t get
ahead of me on these books. We need to stay together in order to be able to
discuss them.”

“Lou,
I’m not sure that I want to stay with you, but I do have a solution. Each time
you plan to Wii, call me and I’ll take a nap, and when you get through Wiiing
call me again, so I’ll wake up. Now, isn’t that easy? I wish all our murder
investigations were that easy.”

We
continued our falderal until we pulled into the Parkway Arms parking lot. Dan
and Heather were already there, talking to each other. I wished that I could
have gone back home, just in case they progressed to the kissing stage, but
then I had never seen a cop kiss another cop on duty. Off duty, either, which
is good, because most of the cops I know are guys. I sat there watching them
until some guy asked me to move my clunker out of the way. So, George had arrived.
The party of five had arrived and were ready to be seated.

It
wasn't quite 6:45, so I filled in the rest of the group on what we would be
doing. I would be doing most of the doing. They were there to see that no one
escaped, or worse yet, tried to do bodily harm to me or anyone else.

We
opened the door, which I was sure someone had just unlocked, and stepped
inside. Martha saw who it was and used some of her recently acquired humor.

“I’m
sorry, but the policeman’s ball is being held in the next block.”

Margaret
Draper overheard the cook and went up and whispered something in her ear. More
than likely, it was that one of those cops has a rich mother who might be
interested in the recent vacancy. At least, once Margaret stepped away Martha
changed her decorum and asked all of us to take a seat until everything was
ready. George walked over and told the two officers who had been on night duty
that it was okay for them to leave.

The
dining room table didn’t allow for five guests at one time, and we didn’t want
Wally to have to put up an additional table, so we decided that we would have
three officers eat with the residents and three eat with the staff. Since there
were only five of us, I voted myself as the one most likely to eat with both
groups and I would put up with whatever abuse I would get later. Our ruse was
that George was there to see about a place for his mother, so he, Lou, and I
ate with the residents. Rank has its privileges.

Martha
announced that we could go ahead, and since none of the residents were down
yet, the three of us didn’t have to wait on the womenfolk. Naturally, Lou went
last, and he had just stepped away with his fruit and cereal when Hilda Winters
walked into the dining room.

“Well,
Lieutenant, back again. I didn’t think you’d show your face here again after
one of the residents accused you of police brutality.”

“I
think it was the other way around. When I’m looking in someone’s window, I
don’t expect them to be looking back at me. Especially, when they’re so ugly.”
I whispered the last part to Miss Winters, and she laughed.

It
was a speaking of the devil moment, because the next person to appear was
Elaine Jewell. She looked at me and snorted, then turned to Martha and said, “I
think I’ll have my breakfast in my apartment today.”

I
spoke up.

“I’m
afraid that’s impossible. All of us will be dining together. You aren’t even
allowed to sit in the kitchen.”

My
remark didn’t go over too well, but the next comments I received were quite
different. Christine Hunt and Joanne Moberly entered together. Mrs. Hunt saw me
and smiled.

“Well,
Lieutenant, how nice to see you. You must have gotten my note about spending
the night.”

For
the second time since we arrived at the dining room table, George turned to me
with a questioning look on his face. Not only would I have to explain looking
in someone’s window, but another woman’s amorous advances. At least no one had
mentioned that I fell while on the roof, so I could skip that minor detail.

A
couple of minutes later, Russell Cochran arrived, and our group was complete.
George, Lou, and I sat together at one end of the table and didn’t interact
with any of the others. George tried his best to get me to satisfy his curiosity,
but I told him later. I was hoping he would forget. I figured the chances of my
getting a Wii were far greater than George forgetting about my escapades.

I
was sure that Elaine Jewell set a speed record for eating breakfast. In a few
minutes she got up to leave. I stood up to inform her, and the others, that I
would be speaking to the group as a whole after everyone finished breakfast,
and that no one was allowed to leave the room. I expected a tirade, but instead
Miss Jewell seemed nervous. So did a couple of the others. As far as I knew,
nine of the ten people that would eventually eat breakfast there had nothing to
worry about.

Miss
Jewell quietly slipped away to where Dan Davis told her she could be seated.
Everyone at the table knew that something was afoot, so they kept eating as
long as possible. A little before 8:00, the chairs were empty except for the
one I occupied. I could tell that some of the residents had misunderstood when
I continued to sit there as the staff came in. Wally came in once, then turned
away when he saw that the residents were still downstairs, but we motioned for
him to come on in and get some food. A couple of minutes later, the two maids
arrived together, and they too had to be told it was okay to go ahead and eat.
None of the last three to arrive could understand why all the residents were
still downstairs, and I did nothing to enlighten them. I didn’t eat quite as
much at the second breakfast, since I would be speaking to everyone as soon as
the last person finished eating and we could arrange enough seats around the
dining room table. Wally finished first, and I repeated what I had told the
first bunch. My comments seemed to unnerve most of the people present. As the
last person was about to finish, I called Wally over and asked him to get a
couple more chairs. There were eight chairs at the table, and there were ten
people who needed to be seated. I sent Dan with him as he went for the chairs.

“I
can tell by the rousing ovation how excited all of you are to see me back
today. I’m not sure how many of you will be excited, but an hour from now nine
of the ten of you will be relieved to see me walk out that door, because I will
be gone and I doubt if I’ll be back. However, one of you won’t be so relieved,
because we’ll be taking one of you with us and that one won’t be coming back.

“A
week ago last night, Sgt. Murdock and I were summoned to Parkway Arms because a
woman died. Two days later, we’d learn what we thought all along, that she’d
been murdered, poisoned. Once we learned that, Sgt. Murdock and I tore into
this case with all we had. You might have heard that most murderers get caught,
because most murderers make a mistake. This time the murderer made two
mistakes. The first mistake was leaving a tray of half-eaten food in Mrs.
Higgins’ apartment, making it look like the food on that tray killed her. The
second mistake was planning the murder on the day the two maids were shampooing
the hall carpet. Oh, this might have worked out okay, if it wasn’t for the tray
of half-eaten food and a couple of missing items that shouldn’t have been
missing. See, we learned early on that Mrs. Higgins was poisoned, and was
poisoned sometime between 7:00-9:00, and died sometime between 7:30-9:30. That means she didn’t die from eating her lunch. She was poisoned before
breakfast, at breakfast, or shortly after breakfast. That means that whoever
murdered  her  gave  her  something  with  poison  in  it  before breakfast,
stirred some poison into her orange juice, poisoned the end of the butter
before they handed it to her, handed her a mint on the way back to her
apartment, stopped by to say ‘hi’ and offer her an after breakfast treat, or
left something in her room, like an piece of candy or a tube of toothpaste
laced with poison. There were many ways the murderer could’ve poisoned her, but
only two hours in which it could’ve been done. Unless someone had prepared the
way on Thursday night. Because there were so many possible ways the woman
could’ve been murdered, and so many places it could’ve happened, it took us a
while before we could narrow the suspect list. That’s the reason we were around
so much, and why we left the place guarded most of the time. We weren’t sure
which one of you did it, and if whoever it was would try to escape. It was easy
to see how she could’ve been murdered if someone did it at the dining room
table. The only thing was would someone have done it in front of that many
witnesses? And what if someone murdered her in her apartment? Did someone use a
key to get in, or sneak in from the window? And if someone did sneak in through
the window, whose apartment did this person come from, his or her own, someone
else’s, or the area where the ladder is usually stored? Or could it be that
someone knocked on the door and she admitted him or her, not knowing why that
person was there? With so much to consider, I must say that it was quite a
while before we could narrow the field.

“So
what was the motive? Most people don’t kill for the fun of it. There must have
been a motive. But was there? Maybe. Maybe not. Let’s look at the only two
motives we were able to come up with. One, it could’ve been possible that
someone here wasn’t too happy that Mrs. Higgins and Mr. Cochran were seeing so
much of each other. Could it be that someone else was interested in Mr.
Cochran? Possibly. Or could it be that someone knew that he or she had been
mentioned in Mrs. Higgins’ will and wanted the money sooner, rather than later?
Or maybe she was murdered because she failed to give her niece her money when
she wanted it?

“I
can’t tell you the exact amounts of the will, her attorney will have to do that
at the reading of the will, but I have received permission from him to reveal
the names of those mentioned in her will, and possible amounts of money each
one might receive. She left money to those who took care of her. She left
between $25,000-50,000 to her maid, Margie Washburn, the handyman, Wally
Gentry, the cook, Martha Carpenter, and the manager of Parkway Arms, Margaret
Draper. In addition to that, she left between $50,000-100,000 to her friend,
Hilda Winters, and between $100,000-200,000 to another friend, Russell Cochran.
The bulk of her estate she left to her niece, Cindy Bradshaw, provided that she
can be found within ninety days. If found, and eligible to receive from the
estate, Miss Bradshaw will inherit somewhere around $1,000,000.”

I
paused for a moment and looked at the ten people sitting in a semicircle facing
me. Eight of the ten were crying. I got the response I wanted. It wouldn’t be
much longer until I learned if I would get a confession. It was time to apply
some pressure.

“Mrs.
Hunt, I see that you’re one of only two people here who have failed to shed a
tear. Can you tell me why?”

“I
think you know why, Lieutenant. You know I didn’t like the woman, and I seem to
be one of the few people present who wasn’t mentioned in her will.”

“Could
it be that many of the others treated her better than you did?

“Mrs.
Moberly, you are the other member of our illustrious group who has remained emotionless.
Care to tell me why?”

“I
think Christine spoke for me, too.”

“Maybe
you should speak for yourself sometime.

“Miss
Jewell, you weren’t mentioned, still you shed a few tears. Why, Miss Jewell?”

“I
wasn’t that close to Mrs. Higgins, still I didn’t dislike her, as some here do.
I felt moved that she remembered those who cared for her, and those she cared
for.”

“Miss
Adams, since you are the only other person present not mentioned in her will,
I’ll move on to you next.”

“Like
the lady said, she left money to those who did for her, and to her friends. I
wasn’t her maid, the handyman, the cook, or the manager, and I didn’t really
know the woman, so I wasn’t expecting her to leave me anything. I just feel
happy that she appreciated those who did something for her.”

“Mrs.
Washburn, you were her maid. Why are you crying?”

“I
had no idea she’d leave me anything. I didn’t do anything special for her, just
what I did for everyone else. No one has ever mentioned me in their will
before. I’m just overcome.”

“Mr.
Gentry, care to go next.”

“I’m
not one who usually cries, and I guess the only reason I am is because I
couldn’t help it when I saw everyone else crying. I’m used to people doing me
bad. I’m just the handyman here. I can’t believe that she left me money, and
especially that much money. I don’t know what to say, except that I’m
grateful.”

“Miss
Carpenter, what about you?”

“I’ve
been cooking for people for years, and while I’ve had a lot of compliments on
my food, I’ve never had anyone remember me in their will. I don’t think it’s
sunk in yet.”

“Miss
Draper, did you know she was leaving you some money?”

“No,
Lieutenant, I didn't. I have been mentioned in someone’s will before, but not
for such a large amount, and not a resident of some place I managed. I too don’t
know what to say.”

“Miss
Winters, you were her friend. Had she ever told you that she’d mentioned you in
her will?”

“No,
Lieutenant, and unlike most of these people, I really don’t need the money that
much, but I’m deeply touched that the friend I cared for so much, the friend
who confided in me and I in her, let me know how much she cared for me by this
gracious act.”

“Mr.
Cochran, I saved you for last. What do you have to say?”

“I
don’t know what to say, except that I loved her, and I miss her so much. You
don’t know how tough the last few days have been for me. Oh, due to a change in
the economy, I do need the money, but I’d trade every penny to have her back.
She meant more to me than any amount of money, and now all I have of her are
memories. No more times together at this table. No more nighttime visits in her
apartment, or mine. Just memories. I’d rather have the opportunity to make more
memories than to have enough money to last me the rest of my life.”

I
let the silence prevail for thirty seconds or so. Thirty seconds that must have
seemed like minutes to many of those sitting there. After everyone had fidgeted
enough, I continued.

“I
asked and all ten of you answered my question. As best I can tell, nine of you
answered me truthfully, but one of you lied to me. And I know which one it was.
For many days, Sgt. Murdock and I have tried to make sense of this senseless
act. We sifted through clues and stumbled over some obstacles the murderer put
in our way. But, as I said earlier, along the way, the murderer made a couple
of mistakes. If the murderer had never entered the victim’s apartment after the
murder, I’m not sure we would’ve figured out who did it this soon.

“Mrs.
Higgins was either murdered at breakfast or someone entered her apartment and
murdered her there. Then, the murderer returned later to stage how we would
find the victim when that time finally came. Things might have worked out
better for the murderer if this person decided to murder Mrs. Higgins on some
day other than the day when the maids shampooed the carpet and most of the
residents had left the complex.

“On
Monday we received the report and learned that Mrs. Higgins was not poisoned by
the partially eaten food that sat before her when we found her, not poisoned by
the piece of cheesecake  we  found  in  her refrigerator, and not poisoned by
the toothpaste or toothbrush removed from the premises. While all of that is
true, that was part of the murderer’s downfall. Many things about this case
puzzled us. Two of them were what happened to Russell Cochran’s lunch tray, and
why did he tell us he had a toothbrush in the murdered woman’s apartment, if he
indeed didn’t have one there.

“Now,
I can answer those questions, and I will answer them for you. While Mrs.
Higgins hurried through another breakfast meal, the murderer entered her
apartment and laced her tube of toothpaste with poison. When the victim
returned a few minutes later and brushed her teeth, she had no idea that she
had only thirty more minutes to live. Like everyone here, the murderer knew
that Mrs. Higgins always brushed her teeth as soon as she returned to her
apartment after each meal, and that morning was no different. If by some
strange reason she failed to brush her teeth, there was no problem. No one saw
the murderer enter or leave the apartment, so it meant only that the first
attempt failed, and there would be other opportunities. After lacing the
toothpaste with poison, the murderer went about plans already made for the rest
of the day.

“As
a matter of fact, everyone had plans. Some to work. Some to shop. We all know
what everyone’s plans were for that day. Wally Gentry would be working in the
flower beds. Martha Carpenter would be resting in her apartment, between
cooking and cleaning up after each meal. Margaret Draper would be going about
her job of managing the apartment building. And Margie Washburn and Ginny Adams
would be shampooing the carpet. All of the residents would be out shopping. At
least all of the residents except for Russell Cochran and Katherine Higgins.
Russell was sick, and Katherine would soon be dying. Actually, she was dead
before any of you went about his or her business of the day. Well, any of you
except for Martha, who had fixed breakfast for everyone.

“We
already know how Mrs. Higgins was murdered. Now, let me tell you more. The
murderer wanted to muddle the picture,  so  she  provided  as  many  false 
clues  as  possible.  She wanted us to think that she descended from the third
floor by using a rope ladder, but the rope ladder in question had been in a
storage compartment in the basement for a few days before the murder. The
murderer left us a partially eaten plate of food. Why? I don’t know. The
murderer even ate part of that food. That was part of her undoing. Why someone
who had eaten a plate of food that had been setting around for hours might get
food poison. But then the food didn’t set around for hours. Only two people
could have entered the victim’s apartment while the maids were shampooing.
Well, only two could have entered it without the benefit of a rope ladder. One
of those two had a ladder of his own. The other one had a key. But the key
didn’t work, because Mrs. Higgins had put the latch on her front door. No
problem. The murderer also had a key to the apartment next door. So, as quickly
as she could, she left her shampooer, dashed through Elaine Jewell’s apartment,
unlocked and opened the window, and tiptoed across the roof and into the
victim’s apartment, using the window she knew was always left open for the man
upstairs. Margie rushed in, removed the victim’s lunch from the dumbwaiter,
hurriedly ate a few bites, then located the victim, sat her in a chair, and
lowered her face into that plate of food. Then, she went to the bathroom,
removed a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste she brought with her, squirted
some of that new tube of toothpaste into the sink, and then brushed her teeth.
Then, she removed the poisoned tube of toothpaste, and two toothbrushes,
including one which Russell Cochran had there, for when he was in her apartment
and wanted to brush his teeth. After cracking the door a bit to make sure Ginny
wasn’t close by, she dashed out the front door, and into the apartment next
door, where she pushed the dumbwaiter button, and brought up the empty tray of
food from where Russell had sent it back downstairs. She proceeded to hide the
tray somewhere where Elaine Jewell wouldn’t look, until she, Margie, could come
back on her next cleaning  day  to  retrieve  the  tray, plate, and glass. 
Then, she hurried back to the hall and resumed shampooing the carpet, going as
quickly as she could, so she could finish before Ginny. For some reason I can’t
fathom, she returned after the carpet had dried, entered the victim’s apartment
and secured the latch, and hid there until Margaret Draper came to find out why
Mrs. Higgins didn’t come down for dinner. As soon as she knew that the manager
had left, she hurried out the door, rushed down the hall to her own apartment,
from which she emerged a few minutes later and headed downstairs to her own
dinner.