Branded for Murder (26 page)

Since neither was saying anything, I continued. “We feel he may be setting up another killing. We need to know who it is, so we can stop him!” I could see Rose was sizing up the situation. I felt I had her very close to talking.

I continued since I had her attention. “I think there’s a way to avoid any negative publicity or any scandal. Does anyone come to mind? We need your help and thoughts. No one should have to endure that torture. You have a daughter. Please picture how you would feel if it were your own receiving this treatment.”

Rose drilled into my eyes. I couldn’t hide the signs of emotion.

“The final thing I need to tell you is…” and I took a deep breath, “I have met your daughter in Boston.”

Rose and Harold both stared with their mouths open. “I have fallen in love with Lisa. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. That’s another reason I wanted to talk to you in private. I have a conflict of interest; however I have your interest at heart here and believe we can get through this without any negative publicity or scandal. I am really sorry that this had to come out in this manner, but now you can understand my desire to talk with you both privately.”

“Scott, you really have surprised me and…well…I appreciate your concern for our position,” Rose said.

Harold got up. I didn’t know if he was going to take a swing at me for seeing his daughter. Instead, he put his hands on his wife’s shoulders then offered his hand. “Thank you very much Scott. We can appreciate why you took this opportunity and risk. We will cooperate with the authorities. We can all talk about this family stuff at a better time. Right now is not the time for it. We appreciate your concern for us, and Lisa.” He looked down at Rose who was wiping her eyes.

She held a tissue against one eye. “I think the person you are looking for is Jimmy,” she said.

“Jimmy?” I asked.

“Yes, Jimmy Ballou. He was one of my handymen, until something happened one set-up weekend,” Rose said.

“Go on, do you want me to invite the others in?” I asked.

“No, let me tell you this,” Rose answered.

“Okay.”

“Jimmy was at camp one weekend for set-up prior to the camp opening. Karen, Phyllis and Charlotte were my lead counselors, planning the summer camp activities. I arrived early to find Jimmy nowhere around. When I came to the girls’ cabin, Jimmy came running from the back of the cabin totally nude, all shiny, looking like he was covered in oil. He was very unsteady, resembling a rag doll.”

“Mrs. Anderson, thank you for your help. This information might help us catch him before he commits another murder,” I offered. “We will do our best to prevent any problems from reflecting negatively on you and your camp.”

“Thank you Scott. We were worried about why the police wanted to talk with us,” Harold added.

“I’m glad we were able to give you what you needed. I am sorry I did not realize the importance of this sooner,” Rose said.

I took both of their hands, “Thank you both for making this easier than I anticipated.” I smiled, and they returned the smile.

I opened the door, calling out to Mike and the lieutenant, “You can come in now. The Andersons have some very important information to relate.”

*.*.*

Mike must have decided to keep the situation diffused, saying, “Well, let’s turn on the recorder and listen.”

Rose looked over at me, like she was going to say something, but turned to face Mike and then the lieutenant. “Suffice it to say, Mr. Tucker here, influenced our decision to relate a story about a camp event which might be what triggered revenge on the two murdered counselors, I mean Karen and Phyllis.” She smiled at me, then at her husband.

I noticed how surprised Mike and Lieutenant Dennison were at the turn of events. No one had expected Mrs. Anderson to provide any information at this session, not the way it was going. Instead, she provided us with a motive for the murders. The only thing Rose asked was that their relationship to the camp not be disclosed in order to avoid publicity and possible scandal. Lieutenant Dennison agreed not to divulge how they got their information. This left the Andersons and me happy about the whole interview.

Lieutenant Dennison asked, “Do you know where this Jimmy Ballou is now?”

Rose answered, “No, not really.”

“By the sound of it you don’t sound that sure about the answer,” Lieutenant Dennison commented.

“Well, I know his mother still lives in town. I’m sure she would know where he can be located,” Rose responded.

“Is her name still Ballou?”

“That’s correct.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, I want to thank you for your cooperation. I think we now have some information which will help this investigation,” Lieutenant Dennison said looking at them, then at Mike and finally smiling at me.

Mike added, “Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, we sincerely appreciate your time today and the information you’ve provided. This information is incredibly important. Hopefully, the time we saved will help apprehend him before he commits any more heinous crimes.”

“You’re welcome. We were both glad we could help.” She looked like she was contemplating something else. “However, if it were not for that young man over there…who knows how this session would have turned out. Will our names and the camp be kept confidential?”

“Yes ma’am, that should be easy enough,” Lieutenant Dennison responded.

“Fine, thank you.” Harold stood up, took his wife by the arm, and they walked out of the room.

After they left the room, Lieutenant Dennison wanted to talk with both of us.

“Well, Mr. Miller, it appears that you have acquired a significant piece of information, especially since the Andersons were really nervous about this interview. Further, your young associate here must be a magician in disguise, as I was apprehensive about whether he would be successful in getting any information. He certainly did. Nice job…Scott, right? I might be interested in his technique if you care to let me know. I might be able to use it myself. It’s a pleasure working with both of you. If we can be of further assistance just let me know.”

“It has to be the young man’s charms,” Mike responded, chuckling.

“I think before you leave town, you should make an attempt to see Mrs. Ballou for her son’s address,” Lieutenant Dennison offered.

“I agree. Can you help?” Mike asked.

“Yes, let’s see what we can do. It’s a small town, so we shouldn’t have a problem,” he responded, as he got up to leave the room. “I’ll be right back.”

Mike leaned across the table and whispered, “Well Scott, I would like to hear your strategy on how you were able to get Rose to give you what we were looking for. It wasn’t going in the right direction earlier.”

“I will go over that with you, but it was much easier to communicate with her alone.” I stopped as the Lieutenant came back into the room.

“Here you go. Here’s her telephone number.”

“I think we should make an appointment with her. If we can’t get his address over the telephone and have to meet with her…I think it should be only one of us,” Mike offered.

“Do you want me to call her?” I asked with a smile. “I could try for two for two!”

“Why not?” Mike answered, with a wave of his hand.

Within minutes, I was on the phone.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Ballou?” I asked.

“Yes, who is this?”

“My name is Scott Tucker. I need to talk with your son about some childhood experiences which might help us in a murder investigation we are conducting in Boston.”

“Is he in trouble?”

“No, not that we know of, but again, we believe the information he might have would be very useful to us. You do want to help us by putting us in touch with him, don’t you?”

“I believe so…but I wish I could have him get in touch with you.”

“Well, if that’s what you prefer to do.”

“Jim is such a nice boy; I don’t think he would mind my giving you his address. He doesn’t have a phone number, since he really has a very small apartment in Boston at one of the schools. Just a minute, I will get it for you.”

I covered the phone. “She is going to get us his address in Boston. He doesn’t have a phone.”

“Mr. Tucker, I have it.”

I wrote it down, repeated the address. “We will most likely talk to him in the next day or so, but it wouldn’t be any later than that.”

“I’m happy to help, and when you see him tell him I send my love. I haven’t seen him for a few weeks now. I did talk with him on the phone and he said he’s been extremely busy. He’s such a hard worker you know.”

“Have a nice day, Mrs. Ballou, and thank you again,” I said. When I got off the telephone, Mike and the Lieutenant both applauded.

“Excellent, two for two,” Mike acknowledged my success. “Is it time for a raise, or am I paying you enough?”

I just laughed and offered, “Just make my school appraisal a good one. We will worry about money a few years from now.”

*.*.*

Before we left the police station, Mike was working with Dennison to pinpoint Ballou’s address. The address looked like it was in the Back Bay area. When they reviewed the map and street address, they knew exactly where it was located.

When Mike showed it to me, I felt like I was just punched in the chest. I was having trouble catching my breath. If I was correct, he lived right down the street from Lisa’s dormitory. I knew I needed to talk with Mike privately about this.

Mike questioned, “Do you think you can get me a yearbook to see what Jim Ballou looked like in high school?”

Lieutenant Dennison answered, “We don’t have any here, but if you go to the public library, they have a complete set.”

Mike got up. “Lieutenant, we want to thank you for all of your help in getting the Andersons here to talk with us. We really appreciate it. It definitely provided us with a name and a reason for these killings. Thanks again.”

At the library, we went through each yearbook until we located his picture. We were staring at a typical good-looking high school student. On the surface, it looked like he could not be a killer:

Jimmy Ballou – Class of 1943

“Sure to fight for our rights…”

Baseball 1 & 2, Football 1 & 2, Ice Hockey 1 & 2, Track 1 & 2

His Likes: Sports, camping, organization

His Dislikes: Japanese Sneak Attack

Classmate Observation: “Resourceful and Quiet”

We went to the librarian to get some copies made. I suggested we look up the girls’ pictures and searched through prior years, but didn’t find them. Mike then remembered the girls didn’t attend Derry High School.

“Well, I think we have some idea of what he looks like. Although twenty years have gone by, we can kind of understand what he might look like. I don’t think we should wait though. I think we should see him tomorrow. I suggest we bring him in for questioning,” Mike said, pushing his finger into the face in the copy on the table.

“We really do not have any actual evidence against him, but we might cause him to think twice about any attempt on Helen. I have to meet with Paddy right away. We’ve made significant progress,” Mike said, with a smile. “Scott you did yourself good today.”

*.*.*

We were making good time heading back to the city. Finally, Mike broke the silence, offering, “We need to do some thinking about this. We could set a trap for him at Helen’s house, catching him in the act. That would work wonders with a jury finding him about to commit another murder. Right now we don’t have any evidence tying him to those murders.”

I couldn’t wait any longer, blurting out, “Mike, this guy’s apartment is in Boston, not far from Lisa’s dormitory. I would rather he be many miles away, let alone in the same city as Lisa. I’m worried about why he’s in Boston, so close to Lisa?”

I was suddenly getting a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach—Was it because her mother owned the camp where all of this took place?

Chapter 60

When we arrived at the office, Mike was in a hurry to meet with Paddy. “Scott, you need to make it a point to see Lisa right away, especially since her parents now know about you.”

This was the first time I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Lisa. The last time we were together, it was a cold ride back to her dormitory. I almost had the feeling she would have preferred to ride in a cab.
How can I relate this new visit with her parents?

On the way to my apartment, I considered going to the Bruins game. Delaying a meeting with Lisa would only make matters worse. I decided I was going to call her, see her if I could, and tell her about the meeting with her parents.

I picked up the newspapers Mrs. Abbott left for me. I couldn’t miss the headlines;
‘Lock your doors ladies…another strangler strikes.’

I sat down at the kitchen table, reading the article which described the two most recent strangling cases, plus the status of the Arnold Vincenti case. It was not a pleasant read. I couldn’t imagine what Paddy must have felt when he read it. I’m sure the AG was not going to be a happy soul either.

The phone rang and I thought it might be Lisa. “Hello.”

“Scott, this is Mike. I’m at the hospital. They rushed Paddy here…he’s had a heart attack. We think he’s going to be okay, but we’ll know more in a while. When I returned to the office, I met with him about our visit with Helen and the Andersons. He suddenly grabbed his chest and passed out. I’ll tell you more about this when I see you, but please say a prayer or two. Don’t let this stop you from coming to the office tomorrow. I want to let you and the others know what to expect.”

“Oh Mike, I’m sorry to hear this. I sure hope he’s going to be okay. I was just reading the newspaper article and I felt…well uncomfortable.”

“I guess it hasn’t been a good day at the office. Maybe the combination of things was just too much for him. We made some progress today. I’m meeting with the team tonight. I’ll meet with you tomorrow and let you know what decisions were made.”

“Do you want me back there tonight?”

“Thanks for offering, but no…I think you have your own situation to handle. I’ll update you on our plans tomorrow. Scott, you did a good job today. I’m real proud to have you helping us. As far as Lisa goes—just tell her how you defused a bad situation. It was not going to be a pleasant battle with Rose resisting talking. Anyway, I have to go now. I see a doctor coming this way.”

I heard the click, and stared at the phone. I felt awful hearing the news about Paddy. I hung the phone up and it immediately rang. I picked it up expecting Mike to be on the phone again.

*.*.*

“Hello Mike.”

“No, it’s me. I just got a call from my Mom. She was telling me what a nice young man you are.”

I could hear Lisa’s voice, but could not really hear what she was saying.

“Scott, don’t you have anything to say to me. Have you heard any of what I said?”

“I’m sorry Lisa; I guess I’m in shock that your mother called you. I was going to call—“

“When Scott? You’ve had hours to call me. You think you were in shock, how do you think I felt, trying to understand what she was talking about. I was somewhere still thinking about your first visit. Don’t you think I should have told her about us? Don’t you think I should have told her about the nice man I’ve met?” she said, obviously crying.

“Lisa, this is too hard to explain. Can I come over to see you? I have to tell you what has happened and how it might—“

I heard a click and then a dial tone.
I guess I got my answer.

*.*.*

I looked at the phone and then the newspaper. I considered her call and Mike’s. I realized I was more concerned about Paddy’s status. “Son of a bitch,” I yelled out loud, tearing the newspaper to shreds. For some reason I thought of
Jackie not being here any longer, and possibly losing Paddy and maybe Lisa.
I wish I had her killer right now. I think I would beat him to a pulp.
I couldn’t hold back the tears. This had started out to be such a good day, but it sure was ending up miserably.

*.*.*

I don’t remember much about the last hour. It was all such a blur. I felt like I was trapped and had to get some air. I went outside into the cold. It had been a cloudy day, but looking up, I could see a full moon and thousands of stars. The moon soon became blurred. I felt the tears on my cheeks.

“Scott, are you okay? I heard the door slam, wondering if it was someone else. You never did that before,” Mrs. Abbott announced.

I wiped the tears away, turning toward her. She looked so small standing there in her knee length coat and holding a flashlight. “I’m sorry Mrs. Abbott; I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“You look troubled. Is there anything I can do? How about some hot chocolate?” she said, smiling and waving me to follow her. She turned, still waving as she climbed up the front entry stairs.

I looked one last time at the moon, which seemed more orange than white now, but found myself following her. I thought about Mrs. Abbott.
I never see anyone visiting her and I wonder if she has any family.

I had only been in the entryway of her apartment once, never having paid any attention to her space. Her apartment was set up like my apartment upstairs. She was busy placing a small pot on the stove. I sat down in a rocking chair, not saying anything to her. I could see a picture of her with a man, who I thought might have been her husband, standing on a scenic overlook. I could see some pictures on the wall of younger people, including children.

She hobbled over to me, and with a shaking hand, handed me a cup. “Here Scott this will make you feel better. I added some marshmallow, which is how I like my hot chocolate.” She sat down in an arm chair. “You seem out of sorts, are you having one of those days?”

I took a deep breath, then a sip of the chocolate. “This is very good. Thank you Mrs. Abbott.” I took a larger sip. “Today has been a rollercoaster of a day.” I took a deep breath to deal with things.

She studied me without saying anything. Several minutes later, she said, “I heard you yell out a while ago and well…I never hear you in your apartment. Sometimes I hear you coming and going. I noticed you have a lovely girlfriend. It’s okay, that’s your business. When I heard the front entry door slam, I was concerned something might have been wrong. I couldn’t see you from the window which is why I went outside. I knew you hadn’t driven away.” She sat back in her chair. “I’m a great listener if you care to share.”

She was being so sweet. I couldn’t help but smile at her attempt to make things better. I took a long sip of the hot chocolate, which was now more drinkable.

“Here let me freshen that up for you,” she said, walking over to me, but I met her halfway. She came back with my cup filled. I noticed there were even more small marshmallows in the cup this time.

“Scott, would you care to tell me what happened?”

Her expression I’ve seen before, but it was when my Mom realized I had a bad day at school.

I can’t for the life of me remember how I started to tell her about what I was doing, helping with the task force, the New England Strangler apprehension, the new strangler, meeting with my possibly future in-laws to the dismay of my future wife, etc. However, now I was on my third cup of hot chocolate and Mrs. Abbott seemed to be enjoying whatever I said.

Finally, it was her turn to acknowledge what I said. She spoke softly and slowly. “Scott I have learned some things over the years. I hope you will consider an old lady’s viewpoint.” She waited until I nodded my head.

“Every day is indeed a blessing. When the day brings some problems, it makes the other days that much more enjoyable. Sometimes we take for granted what we have, and those bad days give us a reason to appreciate what we have. When you get to be my age, you only remember
good
days.” She looked at the pictures on the wall, then at the picture beside me.

I remember not hearing part of what Lisa was telling me on the phone, but I was hearing every word Mrs. Abbott was saying.

“A few minutes ago you told me you have fallen in love. I’ve seen you when you both have come here. You didn’t have to tell me you have fallen in love…I could see it even with my bad eyes, from a distance…I could see it on both of your faces.” She looked like she was going to say something more, so I just took another sip of the chocolate.

She picked up one of the coins beside her on the table. “Life and love is like this coin, it has two sides. Sometimes its heads, and things couldn’t be better, and sometimes things are down and its tails. If it was always heads, we wouldn’t appreciate the beauty of things and we wouldn’t work as hard for it. However, the most important part of the coin is that it is
one
coin. And there’s only one head on it, love is not two heads any longer—it’s one.”

She tossed the coin over to me, but it landed on the floor in front of me. “It landed heads up, didn’t it?” she stated with a smile.

I tried not to cry, but when I reached over to pick up the coin, the tears just flowed.
It was heads.

I thought about what Mike said to me, before he went to see Paddy,
‘Scott you need to make it a point to see Lisa right away, especially since her parents now know about you.’

I took a deep breath, wiped away the tears, and put a smile on my face. “Thank you Mrs. Abbott, I appreciate your taking the time to talk with me.”

She steadied herself getting out of her chair. “It was my pleasure Scott. You can call me ‘Gram’ if you care to…it sounds so much better than Mrs. Abbott. She smiled, noticing I was looking at the coin, and she cupped my hand with both of hers. “Please keep the coin to remember an old lady’s outlook. I hope it helps you when it’s not a ‘heads up’ kind of day. The only rule is you have to pass along another coin when the opportunity presents itself. Always save the coin you got, to remember to appreciate the
good days
.”

I gave her a hug. “Thanks Gram. I’m glad I went outside for some fresh air and a new outlook.” I could see tears forming in her eyes. I knew I had to leave quickly.

I also knew what I was going to do now.