Secrets of the Spiral Tower (26 page)

“Uncle Rupert’s maid found them taped to a picture at his house at 530 Windward Way.”

“This is explosive. Do you know where this cave is located?”

“I know where the tower is and I’m sure with some searching, I can find the cave.”

“Woody, let me think for a minute. I need to collect my thoughts.”

Leaning back in his chair, taking a deep breath and exhaling, he said, “I think the best approach would be for me to call the coroner, call the Military Park superintendent, and the three of us try to locate this cave. Woody, you and Olga are welcome to come along, but I want you to stay in your pickup when we get to the tower.”

“But sheriff. I can help search also.”

“I know, but from an investigatory stand point, you need to stay back. I’ll let you know what we find.”

Reluctantly, Woody said, “Okay.”

Gatlin picked up his desk phone and called the coroner, saying, “Doug can you meet me at the Military Park’s Headquarters immediately?”

“Yeah. Sure. What’s up?”

“I’ll fill you and the park superintendent in when we meet.”

Then he called the park superintendent, LeRoy O’Neal.

“I’ll be waiting on you.”

With that exchange, the Sheriff grabbed his car keys saying, “On second thought, why don’t you and Olga ride with me? That way, there will be one less car to attract attention at the tower.”

“Sheriff. We’re ready to go.”

In ten minutes, Gatlin, Woody, Olga, and Doug met Mr. O’Neal.  Gatlin explained the letters and requested their assistance in locating the cave. O’Neal said, “No problem. Let’s roll. I’ll get my car and meet you out front.”

Since the roads are one way and the tower is located on the western edge of the park, to avoid attracting attention, it was necessary to travel almost the entire sixteen miles of parkway. Arriving at the Fort Hill Tower, O’Neal pulled into a parking space and motioned for the sheriff to pull alongside.

Turning to Woody, Olga, and Doug, Gatlin asked, “Do you have any idea where to start looking?”

“My guess is to start on the south facing bluff and work toward the west.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” said O’Neal.

The undergrowth was thick and the blackberry vines were sharp. After a few minutes of being tangled in the vines, O’Neal said, “I think I need to go back and change into a class ‘C’ uniform. These briers are tearing up my class ‘A’s.”

Doug agreed. “Yeah, this suit isn’t fairing very well either. sheriff, what about taking a break so we can get properly attired, and resume the search in about forty-five minutes?”

“You guys are a piece of work. We may find evidence of crimes that occurred thirty-five years ago and you want to take a break. Okay, Doug. I’ll drive you back to your car. I’m going to call one of my deputies to come assist me.”

“Sheriff, I’ll return as quickly as possible,” Doug said.

Gatlin asked, “Woody, what about you and Olga?’

“Sheriff, I would like to stay right here until you return.”

“That’s fine. I’ll drop Doug off and should be back in ten to fifteen minutes. Let me caution you, Woody. Don’t go looking for the cave, though.”

“I won’t. Olga and I will climb up the six flights of the tower and wait.”

Reaching the top and looking around, Olga said, “Woody, this is a beautiful view. Why haven’t you brought me out here before?”

“I guess I just never thought about it. When we were kids, this was a favorite gathering place. We used to fly our balsam wood planes from here. The wind currents would keep them up circling round and round. And, finally dropping out of sight over the bluff.”

“Sounds like fun. We should bring Anne up here sometime.”

“Yeah. I’m sure she and some of her friends would love it. We could have a picnic.”

“Now, that would be fun.”

Looking to the east, Woody saw Sheriff Gatlin’s car approaching. Following closely behind was a deputies’ car. Sheriff Gatlin parked, looked at Woody and asked, “Any sign of a cave from that vantage point?”

“No Sir. The vines and undergrowth are too thick, even to see the ground.”

“Okay, Deputy Nichols and I will start looking. When O’Neal and Doug return, tell them where we are.”

Gatlin and Nichols disappeared in the undergrowth. Occasionally, Woody would get a glimpse of one of them. Thirty minutes later, O’Neal and Doug returned.

“The sheriff and a deputy are about fifty feet down the bluff moving in a westerly direction,” Woody shouted.

“Thanks, Woody. We’ll catch up with them.”

After about an hour of searching, sometimes crawling on hands and knees, Sheriff Gatlin called on his cell, “Woody, I think I’ve found it. I’m going to shake a limb so you can locate me.”

“Sheriff, I see you. What now?”

“I want you to climb down and walk along the top of the bluff and mark my location. I think we’ll come out and regroup.”

Woody’s heart was pounding. “Olga, you stay up here. I won’t be able to see the sheriff when I get on the ground. You’ll have to direct me one way or another, so I’m directly above him, Okay?”

“Sure, I can do that.”

Woody quickly descended the tower, jumping from one landing to another. Shortly, he was walking along the top of the bluff.

“A little bit more to your right. That’s good. I can see the limb shaking and you’re directly above him.”

“Sheriff, I’ve got you marked. You can come on out now.”

In about twenty minutes, all four men were standing by Woody.

“We need to cut a path down this bluff,” said Sheriff Gatlin. “We’ll need to rappel over the bluff and access the cave that way.”

“Were you able to see inside?”

“Somewhat. It is a large opening and seems to be well preserved.”

Gatlin called his lead Detective on his cell phone saying, “Richard, get our rappelling equipment, a small chain saw, and a couple of flashlights. Come out to the Fort Hill Tower. Don’t let anybody else know what you’re doing.”

“Okay, Chief. I’ll be there in less than thirty.” 

After cutting a path straight down the bluff, Sheriff Gatlin and his two deputies entered the cave. Standing against the wall was the sheet of plywood with all of the plastic bags stapled, just as the letter said. He realized he would need a photographer
to
document the evidence. Gatlin lamented,
with all of
this activity, I’m sure this secret will be revealed very soon
. Before the day was over, the local paper had a reporter on site and a television crew from WLBT Channel 3 was positioned to report the story.   

It wasn’t until the story broke on the 6 P.M. news that Connor became aware of what was happening. Upon hearing the news, he panicked, threw some clothes in a suitcase, and headed to his truck. He was unaware that the Sheriff had deputies posted in his driveway. Seeing them, Connor retreated back inside his house.

Deputy Nichols knocked on Connor’s door saying, “Mr. Peppler, I want to talk to you for a minute. Will you open the door?”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Just a few routine questions. Do you want to talk here or at the sheriff’s office?”

“I don’t have anything to say.”

“Okay, Mr. Peppler. You need to come on out and go with me to the sheriff’s office. Mr. Peppler, are you going to go peacefully or do I need to cuff you?”

“Am I being arrested? I’ll sue you and Gatlin for false arrest.”

Approaching Connor at arm’s length, the Deputy said, “Stick out your hands. I’m going to cuff you.”

At the sheriff’s office, Connor was placed in the interrogation room and left alone for thirty minutes. He was watched through a one-way window.

Finally, sheriff Gatlin entered the room. “Connor, I’m going to read you your Miranda rights. I know you know what that means, but I just want to make everything legal.”

“Sheriff, what are you charging me with? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

At that moment the sheriff’s cell rang and he left the room.

Doug told him there were two decomposed bodies in the metal box. “I haven’t had time to do a complete examination, but it looks like an adult female and a child have been dismembered and attempts were made to mummify the parts.”

Gatlin said, “That really changes the complexion of this case. We need to charge Connor with the murders of four people.” He thought,
I’m going to put Connor in jail and hold the questioning until later. I’ll let him think about what he wants to say.

Gatlin returned to the interrogation room. “Connor I’m going to put you in jail for a while. Seems like you may be connected to some robberies and possibly other activities that have taken place over the past thirty years or so.

“In jail? I want to call my attorney.”

“Okay, you can use the phone hanging on the wall.”

The next morning Connor made his first appearance in court. The case against him was presented and the Judge directed Gatlin to return Connor to jail. Bail was set at $1 million. Connor’s attorney posted the bail; Connor was released and allowed to go home. Later that day, Caitlyn discovered Connor’s body hanging in the McKenzie Towing warehouse.

A suicide note was attached to his shirt stating, “Just to set the record straight, and to clear my conscience, I’m eternally sorry for killing Charlotte and our son. I have lived with those horrendous acts for many years, and I knew Willow wouldn’t understand why I did it. I also know, she would expose me for the secrets we shared. If Willow had confessed all of our secrets, to the sheriff, as she planned to do, they would have become public knowledge. Because, I’m so weak and insecure, the humiliation I would have felt would have killed me. I know, some of you think I killed Willow. That is totally untrue. Yes, I was very distraught when I saw her and two of her New York buddies on the night she disappeared, but I had absolutely nothing to do with the murder. You may want to question another of her coworkers from New York. I trust you will find and prosecute the person responsible for her death. I loved her, I was jealous of her, envious of her, and over whelmed by her. I was certain I could never measure up. I’m sorry for all of the pain and suffering I have caused everyone. Please forgive me. I pray God will forgive me.” 

After reading the note, Gatlin called the coroner. “Doug, I’ve got a name for the female remains. It is Charlotte. The child is an offspring of Charlotte and Connor.”

“Thanks, Sheriff.”

“Doug you need to come to the McKenzie Towing office. You will need to take care of Connor’s body.”

“I’m on my way. See you in about five minutes.”

Holding the suicide note and reading it once again, Gatlin asked, “Woody, do you know any of Willow’s New York contacts?”

“Yeah. She brought a couple of guys out to my house the day before yesterday.”

“Do you have any names?”

“One was Tony. She and he took a trip to New Orleans together. The other guy was John. I’m not really sure how long he had been in Vicksburg. Willow introduced him as her boss. He didn’t seem very comfortable around Olga and me.”

“But you don’t have any last names?”

“Sorry, Sheriff. I don’t remember Willow introducing them, other than Tony and John”

“What about Olga. Do you think she might know?”

“I don’t think so, but I’ll call her right now and inquire.”

The phone rang two times, and a soft, “Hello darling,” filled Woody’s ear. 

“Hi babe. I have a question for you. Do you, by chance, know the last names of the two guys Willow brought out to our house the other afternoon?”

Olga thought for a moment then said, “Willow introduced them as Tony and John. No further names were given.”

“That’s what I remember, also. Thank you dear.”

Olga asked, “What’s going on?”

“We found Connor. He committed suicide at his office. He left a suicide note, and Sheriff Gatlin and I are trying to piece some loose ends together.” 

“Suicide? Oh my gosh!!!”

Woody said, “Don’t tell anybody. The sheriff has to release a statement to the press. Then the word will spread like wildfire.”

Turning to Gatlin, Woody said, “Sorry Sheriff. We don’t know their last names. Since Willow introduced one of them as a friend and the other as a co-worker, I’ll be happy to call her ad agency, and see what I can find out.”

“No Woody. I will do that. I don’t need you getting involved any deeper in this investigation. That’s police work.”  

“But, sheriff, Willow was like a sister to me. I want to be involved.”

“Woody, I’m telling you, be still. I will let you know what I think you have a need to know. Until my deputies and the coroner get here, don’t let anybody in the front door, and keep Caitlyn away from the telephone. I certainly don’t want her broadcasting this news.”

“Okay Sheriff. I can handle Caitlyn.”

“Woody, I need the name and phone number of Willow’s ad agency. If you think, this guy John, was her boss, I need to talk to him. My intuition tells me, he is involved. Do you have any idea where he is now?”