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

they're hiding something from you?”

“No, I think they don't want to get involved in this matter. The question is why?”

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Wallace got off of the elevator and walked towards his office. As he did he saw he saw June Campo waiting outside of the office door. “Good morning Sergeant. I take it you want to see me”, he said.

“Yes sir. I was told that you wanted both a written and verbal report on our findings of dry flower petals found in the two automobiles”.

62. “That's correct. What can you tell me?”. He asked.

“I can give you my opinion which means beside the things we found in the Kerr automobile I believe that we have dry rose petals in the Esposito car. But that's just my opinion. Your request that we look for oleander flowers is not possible at this time. We don't have the equipment or the knowledge to conduct such a test. To tell you the truth none of us have ever seen oleander”.

“That means using the State Laboratory “.

“Yes sir”.

“And more delays”.

“Probably”.

“Thanks Sergeant. Send the evidence to the State”.

“Yes sir'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

63. Chapter Nine

 

 

Robert Wallace sat comfortably in the high back. Leather covered chair. He sipped coffee from a Styrofoam cup and listened intently as Detective Frank Stiles read from his notes. “It seems that Phillip Spencer was a hot shot jock in high school. He lettered in football, basketball and baseball, but he excelled in football as a running back.”.

“Which high school?”, asked Wallace interrupting Stiles.

“King Joseph. It's up around Wayne”, Stiles replied.

“OK”.

“Any way, the Spencer family is involved in hotels and motels.

They have two franchises with Quality Inn and they own the Beach View Hotel here in Nautilus Beach. The father is Harry Spencer, the brains behind the hotel operation. He is a Free Mason, member of Kiwanis, but is not too active in either organization.

The mother is Constance Spencer she is responsible for the hiring and firing and the word is that she is one tough nut. Away from the business she is interested in creating and expanding the cultural tastes of the local population bringing in such things as symphony orchestras , opera and Broadway shows.”

“A girl after my own heart”, Wallace remarked.

“It seems that Phillip Spencer is the only child. He comes from a rich family that handed him anything he wanted. As gifted as he was in sports he is a disaster socially. He has been charged three times for atrocious assault and battery. Each time the old man got him out of it by buying off the complainant. There is also a rumor, and I'm still working on this, the rumor is that he was recruited to play football at Penn State, but failed the drug test”.

“Do you know what kind of drugs they found?”, asked Wallace.

“Marijuana”.

“Go ahead, what else?”

“Some how after coming to Nautilus Beach he fell in with the rich crowd. He hung out with the Kerr girl, Martin Thomas and dated Emma Prescott.

The four of them intended to go to Princeton University. The Thomas boy, Elizabeth Kerr and Emma Prescott applied for admission. Martin Thomas and Miss Prescott were accepted and now attend classes. As you know, the Kerr girl lacked math credits and was rejected.”

“What about the Spencer kid?”

“ He drove up there and met with the football coach and more or less demanded a jock scholarship. Naturally the coach contacted the King Joseph coach and found out about the failed drug test at Penn State. However, the Princeton

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coach offered the kid the opportunity to try out as a walk on. But, that wasn't good enough. Even though the family could afford to pay the tuition Phillip wanted the reputation of being sought-after by the football program at Princeton”.

“OK, I know he's not at the university. What else do you have?”, asked Wallace.

“He's working as a bouncer at a place called, “The Kasbah”

“Kasbah means fort”, said Wallace.

“I checked around. All I know is that it is a Mediterranean type supper club and gift shop. Supposedly its in Greenfield and sits back in the woods”.

“Where the hell is Greenfield?” asked Wally.

“Cape May County, near Reeds Beach”, said Stiles.

“I'm familiar with Reeds Beach. Doc Edwards and I go down there to fish for weakfish in Delaware Bay, but I never heard of or saw a sign pointing to Greenfield”.

“You won't find it on any map, at least the maps that are out there today. But my information is reliable. Believe me, there is a place called Greenfield”, Stiles insisted.

“Then I assume you know how to get there”.

“Not right now, but give me some time and I'll have the directions”.

“You have the rest of the day to get the directions because tonight you and I are going the Greenfield and take a look at this Kasbah as you call

it”.

“Let me use the telephone to call my informant”.

“Go right ahead”, said Wallace sliding the phone across the desk”.

Later that night Frank stiles drove the unmarked police car slowly down a rut infested gravel road. Using the high beam headlights he was able to avoid most of the pot holes, grooves and furrows that constant traffic had created

In the thoroughfare. Fortunately, the night was cold, below freezing and the low evening temperature froze the loose wet gravel which turned into a slush consisting of mud and melted ice and snow in the afternoon and the Chrysler moved as if on a hard tarmac.

Wallace rode in the passenger seat looking out of the side window. All he could see in the night was the dense forest consisting mostly of tall pines as the bright lights emitted by the automobile illuminated the woodland .

Looking over at Stiles, he said, “You're sure you know where you're going?”

“We've got to find a paved road that leads into woods. The

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owners of this place had the entrance way paved all the way from this gravel strip all the way to the club. There should also be a paved parking lot when we get there”.

“If we get there”, Wallace responded.

“Keep you eyes open Cap. The entrance should be on your side”.

“We have to be getting close. I've been seeing telephone poles for the last three or four miles. The telephone an electric companies are not going to run lines that go no where”.

“Speaking of telephone poles, look for one with reflectors. When we see that the entrance is right behind it”, said Stiles.

“Why in hell would anyone want to build a restaurant way the hell out here in the woods?”, asked Wallace.

“I don't know, but you can bet they got the land cheap”.

“Slow down. I think I just saw the headlight bounce off of something red and blue up ahead. Yeah there it is. There's the driveway”.

Stiles pulled into the narrow, paved road and while driving slow followed the black asphalt private road. About a quarter of a mile later the parking lot and restaurant came into view. Lights from the supper club illuminated the parking area and the detective pulled into an empty spot between two parked automobiles and turned off the ignition.

“Let's sit here awhile. I want to look this place over”, said Wallace. He rolled down the car window and when he did the frigid night air entered the vehicle. At the same time the sound of music came from the well lighted building across the parking area.

“That sure as hell isn't rock and roll”, said stiles.

“No. That's Berber music, a song being sung by men. It's probably a folk tune recording from the Rif mountains,” said Wallace as he looked at and counted the parked automobiles.

“Here comes someone”, said Stiles.

“Good, I was hoping some body would come out”.

Wallace got out of the Chrysler, closed the door and walked towards the man who had just left the supper club. “Excuse me. This is my first time here. Could you tell me whether or not there is a cover charge in the club?”

“No. Not tonight. The only time there is a cover charge is on Friday and Saturday nights and that depends on who or what the entertainment turns out to be”, said the man.

“What sort of entertainment?”, asked Wallace.

“Most of the time it's belly dancers. Sometimes Arab bands.

The first show goes on around eight o'clock, the last show at about ten”.

66. “Are the belly dancers any good?”

“Most of them are amateur house wives trying to make an extra buck'.

“I see. How's the food?”, asked Wallace.

“Good, providing you like Mediterranean”.

“It must be good. I notice that you have take out”.

The stranger laughed. “Hell yeah, this place does a hell of a business when it comes to take out. Hey, I hope you enjoy your meal. Now, I've got to get going”, he said as he continued walking to his car.

“I take it then that this place does a good business”, said the Captain.

“Certainly, particularly on the weekend. People come from all over, New york, Delaware , Pennsylvania, mostly the Philly crowd”.

“How come they don't advertise? “, asked Robert

“They don't have to advertise. Word of mouth is enough. Come down here on the weekend. You'll see what I mean”.

“Hey, I believe you. I'm interested in the food. What do you recommend?”, asked Wallace.

“Man it's all good. I just bought the stuffed squash blossoms. You can't go wrong with that”, answered the man, laughing as he walked away.

Wallace watched the man open the back door of a black sedan and carefully place the take out package on the back seat. When the stranger drove away Wallace got back inside the unmarked radio car. Looking at Stiles he said, “OK, lets go. I've seen enough. Tomorrow you go looking for a nice young police woman that will fit in with these discoers. Team her with McKenna. Make sure he has plenty of money, say three hundred. I want them there on the weekend. Have them eat dinner and take in the entertainment. Also have the police woman tour the gift shop. I want to know what is being offered for sale. Outside in the parking lot have them write down license plate numbers of every New Jersey car”.

“What about those from Philly?”, asked Stiles.

“We can get information on Jersey cars faster than those registered in Pennsylvania”.

“Cap, you do realize that we don't have jurisdiction in Cape May County”.

“Certainly. This area is patrolled by the State Police. Now, you really don't expect me to kiss some troopers ass to get permission to investigate a case of homicide, which incidentally is my case. Then, after I solve this murder and I will solve this murder, stand on the side and watch them take credit? Bullshit!”.

“Do you want Mckenna and the police woman in your office in

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the morning?”, asked Stiles.

“No, you handle it. Just make sure we have a receipt for the three hundred”. While you're doing that I'll be at the morgue trying to find out what the two victims ate that killed them”.

The next morning Robert Wallace walked into the hospital morgue. He carried the usual morning paper bag containing Styrofoam cups of coffee and two donuts. Doctor Edwards sat at a table looking through the lens of a microscope. “I brought coffee and donuts”, said Wallace.

“How many times have I told you that we make out own coffee here?”, asked Edwards.

“It doesn’t matter how many times. Knowing you, you probably used the coffee pot to collect some poor bastards urine so you could examine it.”

“You'd never know”, said Edwards.

Taking a sip of coffee, Wallace asked, “Come up with anything yet?”

“It appears Miss Kerr ate a salad. I'm finding tomato's ,

lettuce and some onion. Don't forget according to you on the night she died she had vomited in her car. As a hot shot criminal investigator you didn't save what she splashed on the car floor mats. Had you done that, I might be able to tell you

where the neriin came from”.

“If I had been there, the evidence would have been preserved and you would have what you need. However, I wasn't there. No one was until the