Gifts From The Kasbah - Robert F. Clifton (read any book .TXT) 📗

Thomas boy showed up to help her.”

Edwards got up from the bench and picked up a cup of coffee. Then he reached into the white paper bag and removed a donut. How much do I owe you?”, he asked.

“Nothing, it's on me”,Wallace answered.

“Sure, big spender. You treat me to two dollars worth of coffee and donuts and the next time we eat in a restaurant I'll have to pick up the check”, Edwards replied as he walked back to the bench. There he placed the cup of coffee on the work table and after getting comfortable and putting on latex gloves peered through the microscope again. With one gloved hand and using a pair of thin forceps he moved microscopic pieces of partly digested food that he had removed from Elizabeth Kerr's stomach on the day of the autopsy.

Wallace took a sip of coffee then licked the lemon filling of the donut he held in his hand. “What happens if you don't find anything?”, he asked.

“Then you and the prosecutor have to prove where the

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neriin came from and good luck with that”, Edwards answered.

“We still have the State Lab toxicology report”

“What you want is evidence that a oleander product was deliberately placed in her food making her death a premeditated murder”.

“Well then I hope that you find something”, said Wallace.

“I think I just did. Interesting. A thick, dark green piece of vegetation that shouldn't be in a salad mix”, said Edwards as he reached for two glass slides..

 

“Is it oleander?”, asked Wallace.

“Probably, but once again I'll send this specimen to the State Lab. Right now Let's see if I can find anymore “.

“What about the Esposito girl?”, asked Wallace.

“I'm betting she died the same way, neriin poison”.

“What happens if you don't find anything that was in Gloria Esposito's stomach?”

“Then, I'll do what I planned to do and that is to take samples from both women to a friend of mine who owns and operates the equipment for digoxin radioimmunassay, also known as the Abott TDX Analyzer” said Edwards.

“And what will that do?”

“ The test will confirm digoxin and the toxicity, unfortunately it will not reveal the severity of the toxicity. But, hey, like the saying goes a half loaf is better than no loaf”.

“Yeah, but will it identify neriin?” asked Wallace.

“It should, but if oleander was used to kill both women then the test will identify digitoxigenin. Patients with cardiac arrhythmia's attributed to digoxin toxicity had a mean level of 3,3, ng. per million at the time of death. The test should prove it one way or another”.

“Ng.? What the hell is an ng?”

“Nanogram. It's a measurement for mass. Now, I'm getting paid to analyze your victims, not to teach you scientific methods”, said Edwards.

“Like I've said before, you are a grumpy old bastard”, Wallace responded.

“Notice that this only occurs in me when you come around”.

“Yeah, yeah Well. I'll let you keep looking. I'm going back to headquarters”.

69. “Good place for you. Get the hell out of here”.

“I'll call you later. Do you want to have dinner tonight?”, asked Wallace.

“Where?”

“That's up to you. Anything but Mexican”.

“ How about Italian?”

“Yeah, I could do Italian”.

“Then meet me at Angelo's at seven thirty'.

“See you then”, answered Wallace as he walked out of the morgue”.

Arriving back at headquarters Wallace went to his office. When he entered he found Frank Stiles sitting at the Captains desk talking to McKenna and a young blond policewoman. “How are we making out?”, asked Wallace.

“We're just finishing up Cap. They both know the assignment. Unless you have anything you might have thought of since you and I talked, they're ready to go”, said Stiles.

Wallace took a long hard look at the blond woman. She was short, slightly built, not beautiful, but attractive which was an asset for this particular assignment. He wanted the couple to blend in not stand out in a crowd.

Looking directly at the woman, Wallace asked, “What's your name officer?”

“Carol Myers, sir”.

“I don't see any ring on your finger so I assume you're single”.

“Yes sir”

“Good I don't need some worried or jealous husband coming to me asking for his wife to be re-assigned. Now, Officer Myers the only thing that I can add to what Detective Stiles has already told you is this, I want you to get into that gift shop. Shop like most woman shop, look, look, look, then buy something, something not too cheap and not too expensive. Whatever you buy make sure you get a receipt . The receipt justifies the expense account for this case. It also proves in court that you were there at the time and on the date in your reports. Wait just a moment”,said Wallace as he walked over to the filing cabinet. He opened one of the drawers and removed the Kerr folder. From that, he took out one of the eight by ten black and white photographs of Elizabeth's pocketbook. Handing it to Officer Myers he said. “Study that photo. Take a long look at the tooling on the leather flap. As you shop look for any leather shoulder bag that matches or comes close to the one in the picture”.

70. As Myers studied the photograph Wallace turned his attention to Tom Mckenna. I have two things I want you to do. The first, is be a disco guy. Play the role. Have fun, but keep your mind on your assignment. Order a nice dinner for both of you. Drink, but drink in moderation”. I need both of you to fit in with the crowd. Next, while Myers is in the gift shop, I want you out in the parking lot. I'm sure Frank has told you I only want New Jersey tags this time. Take your time, that gives Myers plenty of time in the gift shop. Let me be perfectly clear, and I repeat, have fun. But this assignment is important to this case and your job is to ascertain information. Got it?”

Both officers answered, “Yes sir”.

“Good, since your assignment is for Saturday night and you are allotted to the patrol division I have to have you assigned to me. Before I do, are you sure you want this detail?”, Wallace asked Myers.

“Yes sir. I'm looking forward to it”, she answered.

“Good, how long have you been in the business?”, he asked.

“Just over a year”.

“Well, if you're looking at being a detective one day this is a great opportunity for you”.

“Yes. I know”.

“Alright Myers. Take the rest of the day off. I'll have your orders cut. Report to either me or Detective Stiles tomorrow. Technically the Major Crime Squad works from eight A.M. To four P.M. So that means be here by eight in the morning”.

“Eight, no problem”.

“Incidentally Myers, what weapon do you carry when off duty?”

“A thirty eight caliber Colt Detective Special”.

“Great, make sure it's in your purse that night.”.

Turning to Mckenna he said, “Sign for the money. You get three hundred dollars. Go to the bank, break a fifty into small bills and give them to Myers.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to create a good looking bank roll to show off in the restaurant , but don't be too obvious”.

“Got it Cap”, said Mckenna”.

“Did I forget anything?”, Wallace asked Stiles.

“No, you just about covered everything”. Stiles answered.

“Excellent, now both of you get out of here”, Wallace ordered.

After Myers and McKenna left, Stiles turned to Wallace and asked, “Do you think those two will come up with anything?”

“Certainly. The assignment is easy enough. Myers will be able to report on the gift shop. What kind of merchandise is for sale? What seems to be the

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big seller? And, are there plenty of shoulder bags like those carried by the Kerr and Esposito girls or are those two pocketbooks unique. From what I saw the night we were out there I am more or less under the opinion that one or more dirt bags are visitors to the Kasbah. All McKenna has to do is give us a license plate number of

one of those malefactor bastards and it might take us where we want to go”.

“Well Cap, you can bet the place is dirty with drugs, said stiles.

“Certainly, but drugs are not my concern. As I've said, if drugs becomes an issue in this homicide investigation then I bring in Bill O'Neil”.

****************************

Later that evening Wallace sat across the table from Doctor Manfred Edwards watching the pathologist sipping a scotch and soda. As he did he stirred the cream and sugar he had put in the cup of decaf coffee he had ordered.”Well did you get to do the examination on Gloria Esposito?”, he asked.

“As a matter of fact, I did'.

“And pray tell, what did you find Doctor?”

“ Her stomach contained. Wait a minute I wrote this down so I wouldn't forget”.

“Getting senile aren't you, you old bastard”.

“Do you want the information or do you want to keep insulting me”.

“As much as I enjoy tormenting you, the information is more important. Read to me and don't tell me you don't need glasses”.

Reading from a scrap of paper, Edwards said, “ Her stomach contained beef, onions, what appeared to be spices like ginger, saffron, turmeric, olive oil and possibly cinnamon. Does that mean anything to you?”

“Saffron is used in Mediterranean cooking. It's used frequently in Spain. There's been a Spanish influence in Morocco for centuries. I'm guessing what you found are the remains of a beef tangine and that's a Moroccan dish”, Wallace replied.

“Well, that's what I found. That's your evidence”

“True, but it's circumstantial, but for now it will have to do.

What about the neriin? Did you find it?”.

“No, but it's there. I think it was in the meat. The killer or killers, took the beef, put it on an outdoor grill or in an outdoor smoker and used oleander branches to prepare the beef. Then, they made the, what did you call it?”

“A tangine”

“It must be wonderful to be as smart as you”, Edwards replied.

“Just keep studying old man”, said Wallace as he buttered a

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piece of Italian bread. He then dunked one end of the bread in his coffee and took a bite”.

“You might be intelligent, but at times you have the table manners of a slob. And, who has the doctorate degree?” Edwards remarked.

“That comes from all the years in the radio car on patrol. You eat when you can where and what you can. It creates bad manners along with gall stones. Speaking of food, what are you going to have?”

“Spaghetti and meatballs”.

“You could have had that at home”.

“If you don't mind, I'm in the mood for Spaghetti and meatballs. What are you having, hot shot?”

“Veal Parmesan”.

“With spaghetti?”

“Yep'.

“Big deal, same thing as I'm having only with a different meat”.

“True, only more expensive, and since you're picking up the tab I thought I'd splurge”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

73.

 

 

 

Chapter Ten

 

Robert Wallace stood looking through the large, plate glass window of his office. He gazed down on the roof tops of smaller buildings adjacent to City Hall and Police Headquarters, seeing old, bent television antennas, along with pigeon and seagull shit. As he did he listened intently to Carol Myers as she gave her verbal report. “I more or less window shopped in the gift store for about a half an hour. I was looking at the leather pocketbooks. Most of them were in the fifty to eighty dollar range. All of them were advertised as being made in Morocco, but none of them were like the shoulder bag in the photograph.”

“What other kind of merchandise did they have?”, asked Wallace.

"Rugs, scarfs, wooden things, like bowls, pencil boxes, Moroccan cook books and flowers, lots of flowers, some fresh cut, but mostly dried flowers."

"That's unusual", mentioned Wallace.

"I thought so too, so I asked the woman who not only runs the store, but is one of the owners, Amina Hamidi. She told me that many Moroccan recipes use dry flowers. The flowers act as a spice. I was able to engage her in a long conversation and she told me that rose buds are