The Case Of The Missing Bride - Robert F. Clifton (red novels .txt) 📗

here when you and the historical society took possession of this place?”

“Actually, there was so many things stored here that it took us three days to move it, unload and place it in the museum”, Boo answered.

“I want to look and see what you took out of this attic, if it's alright with you”, said Wallace

“No problem”.

“Good, I'll meet you at the museum”.

Twenty minutes later Wallace and Kaplan walked into the back storeroom of the gallery. “As you can see by the amount of objects we have stored here, that you have your work cut out for you,” said Boo.

“You may be right, but I've got a feeling that I'll know what I'm looking for when I see it”, Wallace replied.

“O.K. then allow me to give you a tour of the place. Please don't touch anything. Remember some of these items are old and fragile”.

“Before we start, here's the diaries I borrowed”.

“Thanks, what you see hanging there on the clothes poles are the dresses the girls and women wore. Underneath and situated on the floor are the high, button shoes. Over here, on the shelf are the bonnets and hats the girls and Sally had”, said Boo.

“Girls, girls, and women. Didn't you find anything that belonged to the men in the family?”, asked Wallace.

“Certainly, right here next to the ladies bonnets you'll see Benjamin White's smoking cap and the high silk hat he wore when out in public”, boo answered.

“A smoking cap? I can't imagine a man putting on a cap when he wanted to smoke his pipe or light a cigar”.

“They put them on to keep the smell of tobacco out of their hair”, said Boo.

“Is that you found that belonged to old man White?”

“Yes, except for two paper collars”.

“He sure as hell didn't leave much behind, did he?”, asked Wallace.

“Well, he was the son of the founder, the first mayor of Nautilus Beach and the guy who incorporated the city”, Said Boo.

“Anything else?”, asked Wallace.

“A ton of papers, letters, books, china, silverware, glasses and some luggage”, Kaplan answered.

“Luggage?”

“Certainly. Remember Nautilus Beach became a railroad destination. The White family traveled back and forth to Philadelphia. Benjamin on business the girls to visit friends where they often spent a weekend”.

“What's that blue thing there in the corner. I looks like a sled, asked Wallace.

“That my friend is the trunk of Hiram White, the founder and settler of this island. It dates back to the 1700's. What you think is a sled is what they call sleigh handle As an antique it's priceless”.

“What was inside?”, asked Wallace.

“We don't know. The trunk is locked and was handmade out of brass. We never found a key that would open it”.

“Why don't you just force it open?

“Which word don't you understand, antique or priceless?”, asked Boo.

“Aren't you curious to see what it may contain?”

“Certainly”.

“What would you say, if I told you that I know a guy who can open that lock and there would be no damage”.

“I'd say that there isn't anyone who can pick that lock. I've had so called amazing locksmiths try to pick that lock and they all quit because they were afraid to damage the trunk”.

“Are you willing to give my man a try?”

“Only if you're willing to pay for any damages done in his attempt”, said Boo. “Hell, that's easy. Red's Morton is responsible for all costs occurred. Still, don't worry. I know this guy. Where's your telephone?”

“In my office”.

Wallace walked into Kaplan's office, lifted the receiver and dialed the number. The was four rings before someone picked up on the other end of the line, “Hello?”

“McKenna? This is Captain Wallace. What are you doing?”

“Watching a movie on the T.V.”

“You can watch it when it re-runs. I want you to pick up Jimmy Galini. Tell him I need a lock opened and it's worth a hundred. Bring him here to the museum”.

“Yes sir”.

“Who is Jimmy Galini?”, asked Boo.

“An old time burglar and safe cracker. He's been in an out of reform schools and prisons most of his life. However, old age and his fourth wife has made him settle down and go straight. Still, they haven't made a lock that he can't open”, said Wallace as he walked back to the storeroom.

Robert Wallace stood looking at the blue painted and once leather covered wooden trunk. He noticed that one of the sleigh handles was missing and that all of the metal on the trunk, except for the brass lock was rusted. “What happened to the other handle?”, asked Wallace.

“We don't know. The trunk was in this condition when we removed it from the mansion attic”,

“Do you happen to have a tape measure?”, asked Robert.

“No, will a yard stick do?”

“It will have to do”.

Boo picked up a yard stick from one of the storeroom shelves and handed it to Wallace. “What are you going to measure?”, asked Kaplan.

“The trunk naturally”.

“Why?”

“Right now? Just to prove my theory to myself.

“And just what is your theory?”

“Forty two inches long. Twenty one inches wide and let's see, twenty three inches deep. Good!”

“What's good?”, asked Boo. “My theory

“And that is?”

“That we might know what happened to Partheana”.

“What do you mean?”

“Let's go over what we know about Partheana. First we know she was a child bride. She was sixteen at the time of her wedding. Keep and open mind now and focus on her age, again sixteen. Next, we know that she and her sister played parlor games. Her favorite was probably hide and go seek, Why? Because she always won. No one could ever find her.

Sophronia wrote that in her diary. Why was that? I think that it was because she hid in the attic. Are you with me so far?”

“Yes”, said Boo.

“Good. Now, we do know that Partheana was petite, just a little under five feet tall. Hiram White's antique trunk is forty two inches long. Lets surmise that on many occasion while playing the game that Partheana always went to the attic, climbed into the trunk and hid resulting in no one finding her”.

“Impossible. I told you that the trunk was and is locked. So she couldn't have climbed inside of it”, said Boo.

Wallace smiled. “We are about to find out my friend. Detective Mckenna just pulled up in front of your door with Jimmy Galini

Boo turned and looked, seeing two men standing in front of the entrance he went to unlock the door. When he did

Tom McKenna entered and another man followed. “Where's the Captain?”, asked Mckenna.

“I'm back here”, Wallace shouted.

McKenna and the man with him followed Kaplan to the store room. Wallace seeing Jimmy Galini smiled and said. “Jimmy, how the hell are you?”

“Fine Wally. What have you got for me?” Galini asked.

“I've got a promise of a hundred dollar bill if you can open this trunk. However, keep in mind that this trunk you're looking at is a valuable, antique and part of the history of this town. What I'm saying Jimmy, is be pretty damn careful”.

“I'm always careful. Let me see what you have here”, said Galini as he knelt down on one knee and studied the trunk lock. After a few minutes Galini stood looked at Wallace and smiled. “I hope you got the hundred on you. What you have here is a spring lock, probably made by a blacksmith. I've seen two like this one before. They're hand made. First the iron is hand forged and the spring is tempered. Notice the rust on the metal parts of the trunk. If the spring hasn't rusted away with age I should be able to pop it”.

“The hundred is going to come from Reds Morton. If he comes up lame, you know I'm good for it”, said Wallace.

“Fair enough. Let me get started.

Galini knelt down on one knee again. Then he removed a thin, metal pick hooked at the end. H inserted the tool into the key hole. Wallace, Mckenna and Kaplan stood and watch the man at work.

Ten minutes later Galini stood, faced Wallace and said, “You owe me a C note”.

Wallace looked at Kaplan.

“Well, here we go. If what I think is in here it could be horrific. So, be prepared or look away”, he said.

Slowly, Wallace raised the trunk lid and when he had opened it all the way look down and said, “Oh, Jesus Christ!”

“Kaplan turned away. Galini refused to look. Mckenna stared at the mummified remains in the trunk. “What now Cap?”

“Well, I'm going to treat this like any homicide. Call headquarters. Tell them that I want photographs taken and to alert the medical examiner that I'll be sending in a dead body. After you do that, take Jimmy home.”

Turning to Galini he held out his hand and said, “Jim, thanks a lot”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Ten

Autopsy

Captain Wallace walked into the autopsy room of the Nautilus Beach Hospital, He noticed a woman attired in the normal white, physician's coat sitting on a stool and peering through a microscope. He judged her to be about twenty five to twenty eight years old. Even though she was seated he estimated her to be about five foot six or seven inches tall. She was slender, maybe a hundred and thirty pounds and she wore her hair in a page boy cut which like her eyes were brown. She raised her head when she heard him enter and asked “Are you Captain Wallace?”

“Yes I am and you must be Doctor Bell”, Wallace responded.

“Yes, I assume that you are here to ask questions and gather information about the human remains you sent in and are investigating”.

“Absolutely, however, since this case is over a hundred years old, there is no rush on my part, but I must admit that I'm curious about the condition of the body”, said Wallace.

“That's understandable, just what are you curious about?”, asked Doctor Bell.

“The only mummy's I've seen in my lifetime were in Philadelphia museums. If the remains resting on that autopsy table are in fact those of Partheana White, I'd like to know how she became mummified”.

“I've heard from the grapevine that the body of the person you refer to as Partheana was found in a trunk. Am I right?”, asked Bell.

“Yes, and we know that the trunk had been stored in the attic”, said Wallace.

Pointing to the remains, Doctor Bell said, “What we have here is a case of

natural mummification. This occurs when the body is preserved in the environment in which they die. You mention that the trunk had been stored in an attic. The environments there must have been warm and dry, such as a desert or an attic. These conditions allow a body to dry out naturally. At the same time environments that are cold and dry also allow bodies to dry out naturally. Complete mummification takes about a year. When it does occur the body turns a dark brown color, as you see here. Other times the color of the skin might be an off white. The skin, hair, nails and bones are actually the only parts preserved when the internal organs reduce in size”.

“Do you think that there are internal organs?”, asked Wallace.

“When did she die?”

“1862”

“Surgery was practically unknown in medical science then. So, there should be signs of internal organs. We can run a scan and determine if they're there”.

“Interesting”.

“Well, if you're interested I'll let you know when we will set up the CT scan and you can see for yourself just what we find.

“No thanks. I'll take your word for anything you find, Wallace replied.

“Well, that's up to you. The invitation is open. I hope that what I have told you is helpful to your investigation”.

“I'm certain it is. Now, let's change the subject. How do you like Nautilus Beach?”,asked Wallace.

“Fine. I'm just about settled in. I found a nice house in Venice Isle's. At the same time I enjoy my work. The people here at the hospital are nice. I was surprised to find that as the head pathologist of the hospital I inherited the title and position of Medical Examiner for the city”.

“Yeah,