Gifts From The Kasbah by Robert F. Clifton (smart ebook reader txt) 📕

“Then who ever the dealer is is getting a quality price”, said Wallace.

“You bet”, Perone replied.

“Any ideas on who's pushing it?”,asked Wallace.

“Not at the moment and since I'm leaving I'll let the next guy that takes command worry about it”.

“That might be O'Neil”, said Wallace.

“Can you talk him out of it?”

“I tried Vince. I gave him all of the warnings. He wants to command a unit. I guess he's tired of being my number two man and I don't blame him”.

“Oh well, at least you tried. What are you working on?”, asked Perone.

“A sudden death”.

“Overdose?”

`15. “No...But, she was a user”.

“Heroin?”

“Yep”.

“How old?”

“Nineteen”

“Damn”

“Yeah, well good luck and enjoy your retirement”.

“Thanks Wally”

“Wallace went to his office and took a seat at his desk. He noticed O'Neil's report, picked it up and read it. There was nothing new from Doctor Harvey. Elizabeth Kerr had no heart condition or skin problems. He reached for the telephone, dialed the number and waited. A man's voice answered. “The Kerr residence”. Wallace assumed it was the butler. “This is Captain Wallace. I would like to speak to Miss Chambers please”.

“One moment please”, replied the man.

Waiting patiently Wallace touched his shirt pocket, a habit he had developed over the years as a smoker. He wanted a cigarette, but fought the urge. The urge went away when Jane Chambers came on the line.

“Captain, this is Jane Chambers”.

“Miss Chambers I would like to take a look at Elizabeth's bedroom if I may.”

“Are you looking for something in particular? If so perhaps I could save you sometime and locate what ever you're looking for”, she suggested.

“I appreciate that, however, I prefer to examine her surroundings myself, sort of an old police habit I developed over the years, nonetheless I would prefer it if you would be there with me at the time”, he suggested.

“I will have to ask Mrs. Kerr, but I see no reason for her to object. Incidentally, Mr. Kerr is home. I'm sure he will have some things to ask you. May I call you later today?”, she asked.

“I'm afraid I won't be here at headquarters as I'll be leaving here shortly. May I call you this evening?”he replied.

16. “Yes, but I don't live here at the residence. I have my own place. Call me at 927 0808”.

“Any particular time?”

“Seven would be fine if you don't mind”.

“Then seven it is...thank you”.

“You are welcome. Good by”.

At home Wallace ate an early supper, cleaned up the kitchen, gathered up a week's worth of old newspapers and took them and the garbage down to the trash bin in the condo's basement. Back inside his apartment he killed time by reading, but checked the time about what seemed to be every fifteen minutes . At last it was seven o'clock and he sat at his desk and dialed the number.

After five rings Jane Chambers answered, “Captain Wallace?”

“Yes”

“My you are punctual. It's seven o'clock exactly”.

“An old police habit. It comes from being assigned a post at a certain time”.

“I see. Now, I spoke to the Kerr's and they have no problem with you examining Elizabeth's bedroom. Nonetheless, Mr. Kerr wants to speak with you first and wants to be there when you make your?...Is it a search, or an examination?”

“At this point it's an examination”.

“Fine, may I suggest that you arrive at either ten or eleven o'clock tomorrow morning”.

“Since I never know what awaits me at headquarters every morning, I'll be there at eleven. If there are any changes I'll call”.

“Very well, Captain we'll see you then, good by”

“Good by Miss Chambers”.

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

A drizzling rain was falling as Wallace drove the unmarked police car into the driveway of the Kerr estate. He got out of the vehicle, locked the door and walked quickly to the front entrance of the house. After ringing the

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doorbell he stood and waited for someone to open the door. He didn't have to wait long. The door opened and the butler greeted him. “Good morning sir. Mr. and Mrs. Kerr are in the library... please follow me”. Wallace walked behind the butler. The servant opened the library door and stated, “Captain Wallace sir”.

“Good morning Captain. I am Donald Kerr, Elizabeth's father. May I introduce you to my wife Doris. And, I believe that you have already met Miss Chambers”, said the man as he held out his hand. Wallace took it and both men shook hands.

“It is my pleasure to meet you both, however, I wish it could be under different circumstances. I offer you my deepest condolences”, said Wallace.

“Thank you Captain. Now, allow me to come right to the point. Was my daughter's death due to incompetence ?”

“At this time there is nothing to indicate that it was sir. Nonetheless, my concern at the moment is that her death, a result of heart failure at the age of nineteen puzzles me”.

“We are under the same opinion. It has been brought to my attention by Jane here, that you wish to search Elizabeth's bedroom. May I ask why?”

“It is not necessarily a search Mr. Kerr. I prefer the word examine. Unfortunately, the pathologist found damage had been done to your daughters liver”.

“What caused that?”, asked Mrs. Kerr .

“Prolonged drug use Mrs. Kerr. Right now it appears that Miss Kerr was using drugs consistently over a period of time”.

“I find that impossible to believe officer. We have never once seen, heard of or suspected Betty of being a drug user”, said Mrs. Kerr.

“I understand how you feel Mrs. Kerr, but drug users are very adept at concealing not only their use of drugs, but also their manner of using them. They become expert in hiding their use particularly around family members”.

“And, so you want to look at Betty's bedroom”. Said

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Donald Kerr.

“Yes sir”.

“Then. Let's do it. If you don't mind I'd like to be there as you do”, Mr. Kerr replied.

“I prefer that sir. However, I think it would be a good idea for the ladies to remain here”, suggested Wallace.

“Why?...Why can't I be there?”, asked Doris Kerr.

“I can't stop you Mrs. Kerr, but if I find what I'm looking for it might upset you more than you are right now”, said Wallace.

“Doris, stay here with Jane. I'll tell you everything you need to know. Captain follow me”, said Mr. Kerr.

Together the two men walked up the stairway that led to the second floor. When they got there, Wallace waited for Donald Kerr to lead the way, then he followed him. Mr. Kerr stopped and opened a door. “This is my daughters room”, he said.

Wallace stepped into a mid-size bedroom, decorated in pink and white. On a white rug rested a queen size bed with a pink bedspread with white polka dots. The curtains at the window matched the bedspread.

“Where would you like to start Captain?”, asked Mr. Kerr.

“First, who has access to her bureau and chest of drawers?”, asked Wallace.

“No one. She either carries her laundry up to her room herself or it is left outside the door to her room”,said Kerr.

“Good, that makes it a little easier. It means she wouldn't have to go to great lengths to hide it”. Said Wallace.

“And, just what is...It?”, asked Kerr.

“The device she used to administer the heroin”, Wallace answered.

“Do you mean needles?”

“No sir”, said Wallace as he slid open a drawer. Finding it full of neatly folder sweaters he ran his fingers under the pile searching, feeling for a

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hard object among the soft wool and cashmere. He found nothing. Looking at Donald Kerr Wallace said, “Some young women like to keep a diary, but I don't see one”.

“I never knew Betty yo keep a diary, but then again I never knew her to use drugs”, Kerr replied sadly.

“Wallace placed his hand on the man's shoulder. “Don't go blaming yourself Mr. Kerr Remember back when you were nineteen. In your mind you were indestructible. Nothing could harm you and you were going to live forever. Your daughter probably had the same philosophy”.

20. Chapter Four

Towards the end of October Robert Wallace and Manfred Edwards caught their striped bass with each man taking two out of the surf. They each ate one and froze the rest.

On October 28, 1973 the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 30 to 16 making it one of the highlights of the season as the Eagles finished 5-8-1 a fact that did not sit well with Wallace.

November came and went and Wallace and Edwards ate thanksgiving dinner at the country club where the doctor was a member. Christmas decorations went up throughout the city. Street light lamp posts were adorned with red bows, large artificial candy canes and Santa Clause and his reindeer.

It was on December 15, that Wallace received a telephone call from Doctor Edwards

“Are you sure?” asked Wallace.

“Certainly I'm sure. I have the lab report right in front of me”, said Edwards.

“And what did she die from?” Wallace asked.

“Poison”, Edwards answered.

“What kind of poison?”

“We don't know yet?”

“So she died from poison and not heart failure”, said Wallace.

“She died from poison that caused the heart failure”.

“Now you have another cause of death”, offered Wallace.

“Yep, and you have another murder.

“How much heroin was in her system?”,asked Wallace.

“Just a trace”.

“But she was a user?

“Yes”. Looks like we can't delay the lab reports now”, Edwards answered.

“Yeah, I'll take Care of it”, Wallace replied.

21.

At four thirty P.M. December 21, 1973, Captain Robert Wallace once again rang the doorbell of the Kerr residence. As he waited he thought of just how Mr. and Mrs. Kerr would react to the news that their daughter was not just a victim of sudden death, but was murdered.

As usual he was escorted to the library and asked to wait. He stood in the middle of the room Facing the double doors waiting for them to open. When they did the parents of Elizabeth Kerr entered and Wallace saw the questionable appearance on their faces.

“Good evening Captain. Is there something wrong?”, asked Doris Kerr.

“I'm afraid I have some information that concerns both of you. The toxicology reports related to your daughters death have arrived.”

“You could have told us that on the telephone. There's something else isn't there?”, asked Donald Kerr.

“Yes sir. It now appears that your daughter was murdered', said Wallace.

“Murdered?...How?”, asked Mrs. Kerr.

“She was poisoned”, Wallace answered .

“Have you any idea of who could have done such a thing?”asked Mr. Kerr.

“Not at the moment. Remember up to two hours ago I was investigating a sudden death, not a murder. However, I assure you that one of the reasons I am here other than wanting to be the one to inform you of how your daughter died is the fact that the murder investigation begins now. I need to know who her friends were, and at the same time her enemies. Her likes and dislikes, hobbies, interests, where she went ,what she did, in short, I need to know everything that you know about your daughter”.

“That may take some time Captain”, said Donald Kerr.

“I think we should have Jane here. I'm sure that she would

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have some information”, said Doris Kerr.

Donald Kerr called for the butler and when he entered the room said to the servant, “Williams will you asked Miss Chambers to join us”.

“Yes sir”, the Butler answered.

A few minutes later Jane Chambers entered the library. “Jane the Captain would like some information on Betty's private life. Perhaps you could provide him with such things as names and places, people she associated with and the places she went”, said Doris Kerr.

“Of course. Her best friend and confident was Emma Prescott. They had been friends from the time they met in Junior high School until the day Betty died. They intended to go to Princeton together. They often double dated, going such places as the movies, dinner or football games. Emma usually dated Phillip Spencer while Betty dated