A Predetermined Course Of Events by Robert F. Clifton (short novels in english .TXT) 📕

A few suspects. Two are two light skin African-Americans that

hang around the mission. One has a scar over his left eye. One of them offered a girl ten dollars if she would go into the back alley with him,” said Woodson.

“What else?,” asked Wallace.

“Another girl was approached on the street by a White man who offered her twenty dollars if she would show him her panties. She was scared and ran away. She described the man as being between forty and fifty years old. He wore dark sunglasses and a hat.

The third and last girl I interviewed complains about a Latino or Hispanic young man who talks to her in all probability in Spanish and while talking grabs his crotch.”

“Is that it?,” asked Wallace.

“Not quite. After Carol gives her report I'll have more to say.”

“Alright Myers, you're up,” said Wallace.

“I interviewed two girls, both Caucasian. I think you will find what they had to say very interesting. First of all one girl rode her bike on the Boardwalk and was approached by a Black man who walked up to her as she was sitting in a pavilion.

He mention her legs and said she had a beautiful ass. He also asked her for a dollar. She described the man as being dark skin, with long hair wearing a blue jacket.

The other girls was approached by a White man in the Mall Food Court. According to her he sat down at her table uninvited and said, “A pretty girl like you shouldn't have to eat alone. Can I join you, or words to that effect.” The girls said no, but the man sat down anyway and told her not to be scared that he only wanted to talk to her. With that the young lady got up and walked away.”

“Did she give you a description?” asked Wallace.

“Yes. He was a Caucasian male, forty to fifty years old wearing dark sunglasses and here's the interesting part. This guy wears a hairpiece, a bad fitting hairpiece dark brown in color and according to the witness one that doesn't look natural .” said Myers.

“Is that it?”, asked Wallace

“I think that as a result of the information we have received from the girls we narrowed it down to two suspects one a Black male, the other a White male. Ellington Morris fits the description of the man on the boardwalk. Morris, according to our information is a panhandler and works the Boardwalk for hand outs and the dump for anything of value. The White man fits the description of the guy in the Mall and the one who offered twenty dollars to see the girls panties. Unfortunately, that's all we have on him at the moment,” said Woodson.

“Well, it's more than we had yesterday,” Wallace replied.

Chapter Seven

Suspects

Shortly after ten PM Robert Wallace turned on the lamp that was mounted over his desk at home. He then reached down and picked up his briefcase. He opened it and took out the copies of the police files related to the Ethel Lamb case. Wallace then opened the manilla folder containing a list of possible suspects along with the reports submitted by Sergeant Woodson and Detective Carol Myers. He then began to read. “ Let's see what we can either come up with or eliminate,” he thought to himself.

“ First of all the guy that spoke Spanish. Sure, he is probably an asshole and could be arrested for molesting and interfering. However, if one is familiar with the Spanish culture one should realize that their young women who venture outside normally have chaperone's. Such a female on the street alone and unchaperoned

could be viewed as a loose woman or even a street walker. Still, right now he doesn't appear to be the type who would continue to associate with a retarded girl just for sex. At this point we'll bring him in, contact the complainants parents and see if they want to sign a complaint on her behalf. If not we'll take a look at him,” Wallace continued in thought. He next took out the report on Ellington Morris. “Morris. This is the second time he has been mentioned in this investigation. Like the Latino or Hispanic guy he's a pain in the ass particularly to the Boardwalk merchants as he bothers potential patrons asking them for money. At the same time he did approach Martha Haynes and according to her used an innuendo. He also is familiar with the city dump. We'll bring him in for questioning. Then there's the two men at the mission. One has a scar over his eye. He should be easy to find.

The interesting unknown suspect is the older guy, a White guy. He's bold. He forced himself on the girl in the food court by deliberately sitting down at her table. Again, a guy fitting the same description approached a girl on the street. That time he was even more bolder offering money to see he panties. Yet, as far as we know he has only approached White girls. I get the feeling that this guy is dangerous. He could be a rapist or a killer,” Wallace contemplated. “Alright, we'll start picking them up. The Hispanic guy will be easy. I'll use Carol. Bill and Tom will back her up.

Woodson will confer with the parents of the high school girls to see if they want to sign complaints,” Wallace planned.

“When are you coming to bed?.” asked Mary Wallace.

“In about five minutes,” Robert replied.

The next day Captain Wallace gathered the squad members together. “Today we start bringing in and questioning a couple of subjects. Notice that I didn’t say suspects. However, they do appear to be they type that bother females. They might be arrested. When I say might that's because Sergeant Woodson

will contact the parents of the girls to see if they wish to sign complaints on the behalf of their daughters. Now then, the character who hangs out in front of the Wa Wa store on Chester Avenue, Carol he's your next case, providing he breaks the law.

Bill, you and Tom will back up Myers. Carol, just appear as a woman alone going shopping at the store. If I guess right he will make a move on you. If and I'm sure he will, if he touches himself in front of you you make the arrest. Before you ask me, yes, all of you can put in for overtime,” he said.

At five o'clock that evening Detective Myers sat in the back seat of the unmarked police car. Sergeant O'Neil sat behind the steering wheel. Next to him sat Tom McKenzie. Every once in awhile O'Neil using binoculars focused in on the front of the Wa Wa store waiting to see a Hispanic male show up and take a position in front of the door. At this time in the late afternoon it was almost dark. The darkness accented the Christmas lights installed on store fronts and private homes along Chester Avenue. A cold ocean breeze was blowing in off of the water lowering the temperature of the air and the wind chill factor made the occasional gusts feel like it was freezing. Pedestrians with watery eyes and red noses lowered their heads walking into the wind. In the distance one could hear the ringing of a bell used to alert passerby’s to the need of contributions to some cause. “So far, nothing,” said O'Neil.

“He might not show because of the weather,”said McKenzie.

“I'm betting he will. A guy like him will take into consideration that women and in particular working women will be out and about either shopping for dinner or for Christmas presents,” Myers replied.

“It might depend on just how long he has been in Nautilus Beach or for the matter the Northern States. If he is in fact a Hispanic more than likely he came from an island in the

Caribbean. He might not like the cold since he's not use to it,”

said McKenzie.

“He could have been born here,” Myers added.

“Wait a minute. There's a guy standing just inside the front door. He must have been inside before we got here otherwise we would have seen him enter,” said O'Neil.

“Keep the glasses on him. If he's the one we want he should make a move on some female entering or leaving the store,” Myers suggested.

“OK. I've got him. He keeps looking out of the door like he's waiting for something,” said O'Neil.

“Yeah, we know what that something is,” said Tom.

“Alright, since he's not coming out I'm going inside,” Myers stated. Carol opened her pocketbook and removed the Colt two inch barrel .38special and checked it opening the cylinder making sure that the weapon was loaded.

Satisfied, she placed it back in her purse next to her identification card, badge and handcuffs. “Alright guys, here I go.” Myers stepped out of the automobile, closed the car door and began walking slowly in the cold to the Wa Wa store. As she approached the store front the man standing on the inside opened the door and said, “ Buenas tardes.” (Good Evening)

Myers smiled and walked past him. When she reached the rear of the store she glanced at him and noticed that he appeared to be watching her. She walked slowly to the snack aisle and selected a small bag of potato chips and two wrapped chocolate cupcakes. As she walked towards the cashier she felt the young mans eyes on her. After paying for the items she picked up the bag containing her purchases and headed for the front door. There, the man blocked her exit. “Excuse me,” said Myers.

“ Como te llamas?” (What's your name?)

“I said, excuse me,” said Myers sternly.

“ Tienes un hermoso culo,” ( Yuo have a beautiful ass) said the young man as he grabbed his crotch.

Myers opened her pocket book and removed her badge. Showing it she said, “Entiendo espanol. Estas bajo arrsto,” (I understand Spanish and you're under arrest.) The man then bolted out of the front door and began running down the street on the sidewalk. O'Neil and McKenzie quickly exited the unmarked car and stopped him announcing, “Police, stop right there!” After placing the mans hands behind him McKenzie proceeded to place him in handcuffs. Myers walked up and said, “I'm glad you two stopped him. Now, let's take him in and let the Captain question him,” she said.

Thirty minutes later Captain Wallace looked at the prisoner O'Neil, McKenzie and Myers had brought into the office. “So, he made a move on you,” Wallace said to Myers.

“Yes and made an indecent proposal and act,” she answered.

“Alright, Mildred call downstairs to the Detective Bureau and tell them I need Detective Garcia up here to translate,” Wallace ordered.

“I don't need a translator. I speak English,” the prisoner replied replied.

“I figured that but to be on the safe side we'll have a translator here so you can't say in court you didn't understand my questions. Now, the first question is what's your name?”

“Jorge Rodriguez.”

“What's your nationality?”

“I'm a US. citizen.”

“Then, I assume you're Puerto Rican?”

“Yes.”

“That makes you a Latino.”

“So?”

“ Do you live here in Nautilus Beach?”

“Yes.”

Wallace interrupted the questioning when Detective Edwardo Garcia entered the office. “Hello Ed. Mr. Rodriguez says he understand and speaks English. To be on the safe side I want you to read him the Miranda Warning first in Spanish and then in English. After that Mildred will take the question and statements in short hand. You can start whenever you're ready.”

“Yes sir.” Garcia then read the Miranda warning to Rodriguez first in Spanish then in English. When he was finished Wallace said to the prisoner, “Now, let's continue where do you live in Nautilus Beach?”

“Six seventeen Caspian Avenue.”

“How old are you?”

“ Twenty.”

“Occupation?”

“Laborer in a lumber yard.”

“Which lumber yard?”

“Surf Side Lumber on the Mainland.”

“Have you been arrested before to day?”

“No.”

“I'll get right to the point. We have information that you have been hanging around the Wa Wa store and bothering young girls and women,” said Wallace.

“That's not true mon.”

“