Rip Tide by Robert F Clifton (small books to read .txt) 📕

his thoughts. His mind would spin recalling what he knew then reminding him of what he didn't know. Question after question would form in his psyche, questions that would continue to obsess as he tried to find answers. Through experience he knew that investigating a homicide was like doing a jigsaw puzzle. You first had to find and identify the pieces then put those pieces together so that they fit, then when they all came together you had the complete picture. Right now he only had a couple of pieces that were the beginning of the border. He needed more. He couldn't get impatient. If that happened he could possibly make mistakes, overlook something. At the same time he was the unit commander. He had to lead, make assignments, use the qualifications of his detectives, listen to them, weigh their opinions and if they're right act on them. Most of all he had to be right. To be wrong meant loosing their respect.

Comfortable in the recliner he dozed off. How long he had been asleep he didn't know, but he woke with a start when his telephone rang.

Still, half asleep he said, “Hello”.

“Captain, this is George. The sandwich delivery man is here.”

“Send him up”, Wallace said to the doorman.

When the doorbell rang Wallace opened it, handed the deliveryman fifteen dollars told him to keep the change then took the sandwich and bottle of Pepsi into the kitchen. There after unwrapping the sub he placed one half on a paper plate and then re-wrapped the remaining half placing it in the refrigerator for later. He then placed three ice cubes in a tall glass, open the soft drink bottle and poured the beverage slowly, allowing for the foam caused by the carbonation to dissipate.

When he finally sat down to eat it was then that he realized that he forgot to order potato chips “son of a bitch”, he muttered aloud.

The next morning, Wallace got out of bed walked into the kitchen and pushed the button on the coffee maker. While the brew dripped slowly into the Pyrex pot he shaved then showered, got dressed and walked barefoot back into the kitchen. Fortunately he had two pieces of stale bread and he put them in the toaster. That along with the coffee would be his breakfast.

He walked to the front door of his condo opened it, bent down and picked up the Sunday paper then carried it back into the kitchen. As usual he started by reading the sports section first. Local news would be read next, world news last. He only read the world news in order to see who the United States was at war with currently.

Out of boredom he decided to vacuum the rugs in the living room and bedroom and when he was finished made the bed. Satisfied that he got the place looking at least liveable he poured himself another cup of coffee and walked back into the den. When he did the telephone rang.

“Hello?”

“Captain, you have a Doctor Wescoat to see you”.

Taken by complete surprise Wallace waited a few seconds before responding to the doorman. Finally, he said, “Send her up”.

Five minutes later he heard her approach the door. He opened it and saw her standing there in front of him. “Surprise”, she said.

“And, a very pleasant one indeed. Come in”.

“I hope you don't mind, but I brought lunch”, she said holding up a wicker picnic basket”.

“Mind? Hell no. In fact, I was just about ready to flip a coin to see if I ate the submarine sandwich in the refrigerator for lunch or dinner. Then he stood silently looking at her. She stood in the foyer wearing white shorts, a baby blue blouse and white sandals. Her hair was pulled back and tied with a white ribbon and he could detect the aroma of her shampoo.

“Suddenly self conscious she asked, “Something wrong?”

“Wrong? Hell no. I'm just suddenly realizing what an attractive woman you are. As a matter of fact, this is the first time that I realized that you have legs. Usually I see you in a long, white lab coat, no make up, long pants, long hair and wearing tennis shoes”.

“Well, then I'm glad I decided to shave my legs. Will you take this basket or show me the way to the kitchen?”

“Oh. I'm sorry. Here let me take it. Is there anything that should be kept cold?”

“Yes, I made fried chicken, potato salad, lettuce and tomatoes and there is a thermos of ice tea”.

“Emily, you saved my life”, he said as he walked into the kitchen.

“Really? Not to change the subject, but you have a lovely view of the ocean, beach and boardwalk”, she said as she stood looking out through the glass panel door.

“Yeah, I like it. Actually that's why I chose this unit”, he answered.

“I'm surprised that you live in a condo”.

“Why?”

“I've always found them too expensive either to rent or to buy”.

“That right? I guess that it depends on one's finances”.

“Forgive me if I seem forward, but how does a police officer, even a Captain of Police maintain a condominium on a city salary?”

“ I found it easy when my father and mother died leaving me the entire building'.

“Oh, I'm so sorry. I spoke out of turn”.

“Hey don't worry about it. It's not something I go around crowing about. However, I have a nice income. Every month the rents are paid to one of my accounts, rendering me somewhat independent financially.

Emily stood slowly looking around. This is very nice. Small, compact, furnished in a way that a man would like. Lots of leather, chair, couch, desk and end tables black”.

“They're ebony”.

“Why am I not surprised?”

“So, other than coming to my rescue and keeping me from starving to death along with checking out my living arrangements why are you here?”

“Would you believe me if I told you that I'm extremely interested in the Pauline Harris murder?”

“Sure. Doc Edwards was the pathologist here for years. He was also my best friend .Often he would get caught up in my investigations.

“Then your not upset with me coming here?”

“Of course not”.

“Then, how is your investigation going?”

“Slow, but that's to be expected. Myers flies out to Vegas tomorrow. Hopefully she'll come up with something. At the same time June Campo is working on a physical piece of evidence between the two I might get an additional lead. I'm not too worried. I have an excellent team”.

“Is the current pathologist part of your team?”

“That depends”.

“On what?”

“Your ability to testify in court. Doctor Bell, your predecessor couldn't cut it. She was deathly afraid of the trial environment. That's why she left”.

“You haven't shown me the rest of your place. Where's the bedrooms?”

“Bedroom”

“Just one?”

“That's all I need. If a woman stays the night she usually sleeps with me. If a guy spends the night the couch opens up into a double bed”.

“You think of everything, don't you?”

“I try. Anyway the bedroom is down the hall to your right. The master bath is right off of the bedroom.”

“You're not going to show me?”

“Nope. I don't want to get any ideas”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Four

The Black Dress

 

Arriving at headquarters on Monday morning Captain Wallace met with and asked Sergeant Stiles if Tom Mckenna had picked up Detective Myers and was on his way to the Philadelphia International Airport. Once that was confirmed he opened the white paper bag, handed Stiles a coffee than sat back in his office chair and ate a lemon filled doughnut. Between bites the two men discussed the Pauline Harris homicide case.

“Have you studied the photographs taken at the beach?”, asked Wallace.

“Yeah, what about them?”

“According to Lieutenant Campo the body was found slightly over thirty nine feet from the jetty”.

“So, that's where the body washed up”.

“Agreed, however, did it wash up on the incoming tide, or the outgoing tide?”

“Hmmmn. You got a point there Cap”.

“Exactly. Off hand I'd say Pauline Harris body was tossed into the ocean on the left side of the New Hampshire Ave. jetty on the outgoing tide. The question is how far from the left hand side of the jetty” Three feet or three miles? Then of course, if I'm wrong the body could have been dumped in the ocean from either a pier or a boat during the incoming tide.

In either case in that location in the inlet both tides, high and low rip through that body of water at a rapid rate. When we were kids we would run and jump off of Captain Stan's docks, swim out into the out going current and ride the rip tide all the way to Verona Ave. As I recall, that rip tide flowing between Nautilus Beach and Sabastian Island moves at eight feet per second. Unfortunately, I don't know how fast the incoming tide travels. Anyway it's just another thing we have to think about”.

“How come you never rode the incoming tide Cap?”

“One day someone reported that schools of sharks followed the commercial fishing trawlers as they came up the inlet heading for the docks. It seems that the fishermen were in the habit of tossing what they considered trash fish over the side. Evidently the sharks just followed,

eating all the way. How true it is, I don't know. Back when I was a kid I wasn't taking any chances.

I do know one thing. The rip tides that travel from Sabastian Inlet out into the ocean are capable of carrying a human body miles out to sea. I remember when as a member of the scuba team we dived for three days around the rock breakwater looking for the body of a nine year old boy that slipped off of the rocks and drowned. On the fourth day a fishing party boat found his body two miles out in the ocean.”

Wallace reached for the telephone, dialed three numbers and then waited for June Campo to answer. When she did Wallace asked, “Lieutenant, do you have any results analyzing the black dress?”

“Yes and no. I can tell you that at sometime the dress had a snag. There was a pull and there is evidence of a run in the material. Off hand I think it might have happened when the body hit some thing , maybe the jetty. The rocks there are covered with barnacles. At the same time I found what appears to be a strange organism that is contained in the dress material. Right now, I can't identify it. The cells are odd shaped and don't appear to have come from an animal donor, such as a human. That means it has to be vegetable. My background is in chemistry, not biology. I made several slides. Now, I can send them to the State Police lab in Trenton or hand carry them to a friend of mine who is a marine biologist. It's up to you”.

“Well, we both know the body had been in water. You know how I feel about the State Police. Show them to your friend, however, advise him or her that they may have to appear in court”.

After he spoke to June Campo Wallace dialed the number for the morgue. When Emily Wescoat answered Wallace said, “Good morning.

I forgot to ask you a couple of important questions”.

“About what?”, she asked.

“The time of Pauline Harris death”.

“As I recall it was approximately nine or ten pm., June nineteen.”

“And from the appearance of her body can you estimate how long it had been in the water?”

“About ten hours”.

“Excellent, thank you”.

“Was my information helpful?”

“Yep, another piece to the puzzle. Talk with you later”.

“Bye”.

Opening one of the desk drawers, Wallace removed a copy of the Farmers Almanac, looked up phases of the moon and wrote down, “Full Moon, June 18, 1978”. Afterward he leaned back in the high back office chair deep in thought. “A full moon would cause a higher than usual tide. .At the same time a lower than usual tide should also occur. Which tide carried the body?” His thoughts were interrupted when Tom Mckenna walked into the office. Wallace