Page 6 of Murder In Ogunquit


  * * *

  The weather was magnificent. Moisture from the lake produced beautiful swollen clouds. Richmond, Curt, and Tavis boarded the boat quickly and remarkably without notice. The plan was to return after dark when the other marina operators returned for the night. This would validate their alibi that only two men were observed leaving the marina and the same two returning.

  Gambler, a keen fisherman in an attempt to idle away the hours coached each man in how to fish for lake trout and bass. The fishing was good and everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves. There was plenty of cold beer and with the heat beating down on them, the more they consumed, the easier it was to convince the brothers to drink - as if they needed persuasion! Richmond set the plan in motion by dropping four Ambien tablets into two bottles of beer. Whenever circumstances called for a refill, Richmond would disappear, then return with two freshly opened bottles. Richmond and Gambler predicted that by the time they knocked down the medicine tainted beer it would be safe time to dispose of the bodies.

  In the boat were 4 twenty pound blocks of concrete and approximately 100 feet of chain. It was hidden in a compartment to which the brothers would have no access. Both men were now into a deep coma and wrapping their bodies didn’t present a problem. Each of the men were given a lethal dose of Ambien. The normal dose for a person to quickly feel the effects of the drug and nod off is one 10mg tablet. With that amount of medicine in their bodies, it was enough to pronounce them dead. Tavis was the first to die.

  With a swift strapping of his hands and feet then the crisscross twisting of the chain around his torso. He was hoisted over edge of the boat, up onto the railing and into the water feet first. His lifeless body slowly plummeted out of sight as bubbles floated to the surface as though grasping for one last mouthful of air. Curt suffered the same destiny. His body also released bubbles of air as he quickly became submerged into the dark water. Both bodies were now bound for the abyss at the bottom of Marginal Lake.

  Richmond was finally free of the additional burden of always looking over his shoulder. After a long wait he was at last a free man with $12,000.000 (million dollars). So he thought!

  Gambler piloted the boat as the two men returned to the marina under cover of darkness. It was late, around 10:00 P.M and from all indication - not a soul around. The other boat operators closed for the night. Richmond walked to his car, opened the trunk and handed Gambler $90,000 in 100 dollar bills, the balance of the $100,000. Both men shook hands on a job well done and parted company.

  That is the means by which Richmond Rand would have the day trip end, but it was only a dream. The brothers were in fact asleep in their bed. They did not die at the hands of Richmond.

  It Was All a Dream!

  It was all a dream! A hallucination caused by the effect of the drug GEODON which produced a dazed sensation. Once Richmond awakened it was several minutes before he could think and see clearly. He experienced nightmares before, but this one materialized as soon as he feel asleep - and it continued for what appeared to be hours.

  Although an extremely horrendous nightmare, it left him in a state of peaceful repose - for the time being. At any rate, in the dream he was free of the mental torture of his archenemies.

  He never glanced to see if there was anyone under the covers in the adjoining bed. With the idea they were sleeping, he was determined not to look back. His immediate plan was to leave that life behind. He wanted to believe he was free of them. He dressed, carefully and quietly removed his share of the money ($100,000 cash from the wall safe) leaving approximately $200,000 as their share. The brothers were in fact asleep in their bed and did not die at the hands of Richmond Rand.

  * * *

  Doolie Weencer, was working the night shift at the Cadillac Motel. Although he not spoken to Richmond with the exception of their brief encounter when the subject of the 12 million dollars become known, Richmond walked into the office asked for a balance and promptly paid in cash. The clerk inquired about the Whitmore brothers and were told they were asleep and he would pay for an extra two days.

  Richmond encountered a problem in his plan of what was to be a simple departure. The motel clerk pointed out the night before Tavis informed him of his good fortune and that his share of the loot was $100,000. Richmond now silently fuming, listened attentively to the clerk. How much the kid told him? If Tavis disclosed information of how much money he was given, did he talk about anything else? Was Doolie Weencer aware of the sniper incidents? This was now turning into disaster for Richmond. Now, more than ever something to be done with the Whitmore brothers.

  * * *

  Doolie Weencer was a human parasite, a freeloader, a sponge, the proverbial ‘skunk in the room’ - and a leech among other adjectives! There are no words sufficient enough to describe this blood sucker. He had the ability to smell money - other people’s money. The kind of person who, when invited to a social function would make certain he stuffed his face with as much food as possible then toss hors’ douvres into his bulging pockets.

  A 78 year old who vanished from the family after a string of failed businesses and a manipulation of the company books. The enticement and temptation of winning a jackpot in Ogunquit claimed him as soon as he arrived. He was drawn by the picture of easy winnings.

  For most of his life he sponged off relatives always sucking financial nourishment from the proverbial ‘hind teat’ using their resources and possessions until they were nearly used up - then it was on to another relative. During this time, he managed to “cook the books” while hoarding a substantial sum of cash.

  Freeloaders don’t care how much or how long they impose on their supporters. Once the family was exhausted of their money, time, and assets, Doolie Weencer would turn to a gullible person from whom he could take the unfair advantage.

  He was rather portly, bald, and with a set of ears that protruded gawkily. And his teeth - oh! those needle teeth, gray and dirty - with odd shades of green. With huge lips, from a distance he resembled a runway model who endured one too many injections of collagen. He wore the same old seer-sucker shirt, a pair of dirty brown Chino’s with an old worn belt with the end always hanging three inches or so down the front of his half un-zipped fly. An early loss of hair caused him to be completely bald - and when he shaved his head there was always the hideous sight of having missed several rows in a meager attempt at personal hygiene. The hair protruding from his ears made him look creepy.

  A person who would always disappear when the dinner bill arrived, but the first to order the entire left side of a menu. Dooley Weencer is a pathetic, weak, individual lacking self confidence.

  He had a nose for other people’s money. It didn’t make a rat’s ass whether the people he befriended had a large amount of money or hardly any at all. The plot was to use all of the other person’s money then search for another victim. This was a person whose idea of a date was at the Walmart lunch counter where he would bargain and wheedle the teeny bopper clerk to sell him his hotdog at a discount - and his date: “screw you! I got my discount!”

  His last known address was obtained as the result of a security check prior to his employment at The Cadillac Motel. His previous landlord was quick to expose him as one who, always late with the rent would meet someone at a local bar and once the determination was made that there was money to be had Doolie suggested they room together.

  The arrangement was always one in which the unsuspecting drifter would pay for half the rent and utilities. But, as time drew near the first of the month, Doolie always came up with an excuse - forever coming up “short!” There is a saying “when you lie down with dogs, and get up with fleas!”

  The previous property-owner also made it known the FBI was keeping an eye on him following a mysterious deal with what turned out to be a stolen antique handgun from a dealers unit in Brimfield. Doolie and his indigent scumbag partner unlawfully acquired a cased Colt 1863 Navy ful
ly engraved presentation piece presented to General Ulysses S. Grant from Elijah Root, the Vice President of Colt Firearms in Hartford, Connecticut. The value was in excess of $750,000. The handgun was never fired and one of the most immaculate pieces ever known to exist.

  The duo cleverly and with premeditation prepared a phony financial statement listing their false rare coin investment company with assets in excess of seven million dollars. On the basis the company was a solid investment, the owner of released the gun!

  When the deceptive scheme was uncovered by police, Doolie Weencer and his partner already smuggled the gun into Canada with their plan to sell it for $3,000,000 (million dollars) to a European buyer. Interpol was notified when the potential purchaser who was familiar with the collectible handgun contacted the original owner with news of the suspicious activity.

  For his part in the crime, Doolie served 7 years of a 25 year sentence and his wages were garnished to comply with a $375,000 fine. Doolie received an early release for good behavior, but was ordered to give an accounting to his parole officer weekly.

  An arrangement with motel management permitted him to live rent free in one of the rooms and as compensation for maintaining the swimming pool on a daily basis, meals were also part of his employment. It was a safe and sound plan at least for the present.

  Doolie Weencer also had an sly side, and shortly after arriving in Ogunquit become over-involved with the mob. One loan led to another and soon he was in debt to the gang. Richmond maintained a safe distance from Weencer but regrettably let it be known that he won $12,000,000 (million dollars).

  The motel with several neon tubes flickering was not the typical “flea bag” associated with cheap rooms, but it did contain an element of insecurity. Once the parasite Weencer learned of the $100,000 from Tavis he reduced the price from the customary $60.00 per night to $30.00 per night perhaps to gain favor with the trio. Nothing he ever did was a win-win situation. This loser only made friends with people for the purpose of gaining an unfair advantage. Always a losing end of the deal for the other guy.

  He quickly realized Tavis was the weaker of the group. In addition, he persuaded the younger brother to enlighten him on how the money was to be divided. Doolie Weencer achieved this by offering the younger brother booze. Tavis, was dim-witted enough to disclose that his cut of the money. At the moment, the clerk’s plan materialized! There were so many relationships where Weencer’s hand was always in some naïve victim’s pocket.

  In addition to the garnishment of his wages by the IRS, the clerk was in considerable debt disclosing to Tavis that he needed to get his hands on a lot of money. His life was also in danger in view of the fact that he was indebted to the mob. The younger Whitmore revealed there was about to be a heap of cash stashed in the room safe the next morning. Tavis and his brother would accomplish satisfaction when they were each given their share of the money. Another drink and the loose lip began to sink the proverbial ship. Doolie Weencer’s need for cash triggered a plot to liberate the brothers of their loot.

  If in fact, Richmond Rand’s dream turned out to be a reality, the two brothers would be at the bottom of Marginal Lake by now. There are parts of the lake floor that are an abyss - a deep hole with no end in sight. If anything or anyone happened to be dropped overboard there would be no method approved to recover the dead bodies. A large amount of the lake floor was a never-ending black hole into oblivion. Some say ten maybe fifteen thousand feet deep. By the time the bodies were at the lowest level - ocean pressure per square inch would have crushed the cadavers into tiny bits of fish food.

  Richmond stared at the clerk for a moment and thought of entering the motel room, slitting their throats and disappearing. He would like nothing more than to see the two brothers disappear without a trace. In his dream, he committed the textbook crime by dumping their bodies in Marginal Lake. There is no crime for stupidity, and for Richmond to think about the prospect of killing the two was feasible but - it wasn’t going to happen. Although he wanted to kill the bastards, he controlled his inclination for murder.

  Distance between the brothers would be his saving grace. Richmond Rand got into his car leaving them with $200,000 in the room vault, and his hope - for them to just fade away.

  The time on the large motel office clock was 3:57 AM. An unusually odd time to be checking out. Yet, as strange as it was, it could not have come at a better time for the clerk. After Richmond departed, Weencer was determined to make his move collecting a $200,000 payday. He slipped on a pair of rubber gloves, reached for a baseball bat, hidden behind the clerk’s desk - the purpose of which was to ward off a drunken attacker or assailant, accessed the master key card and carefully entered room 1219.

  He quickly tip toed to the bed and without hesitation wasted little time in smashing the baseball bat into their skulls with bone shattering swiftness - bashing them lifeless. After drinking most of the previous night, the two brothers were already into a state of deep sleep. They never suffered! Weencer struck each man with such strength and power causing them to die instantly. A clobber to the second victim shattered the bat. A splinter of wood from the bat penetrated Weencer’s right forearm.

  He inserted a room access card into the safe the scooping out all the cash - $200,000 all in new $100.00 bills. A glance at the bed revealed an ugly scene with blood oozing from their clobbered lifeless bodies - soaking the sheets.

  He hastily stuffed the money into a pillow case and rushed back to his room to stash the money, then on to the main desk before patrons could realize he was missing. The clerk then set about preparing the 5:00 AM breakfast. There was coffee to make, and cold cereal and fruit to prepare. He completed the daily monotonous routing of filling the orange and apple juice machine, cutting the bagels, boiling two dozen eggs, filling the condiment containers. He measured the exact amount of mix, pouring it into styrofoam cups where all a customer to do was pour the mixture into the heated waffle maker. With breakfast prepared, he waited for the dining area to come to life.

  The last person to vacate the room was Richmond Rand, and estimating from 6:00 AM on the clock and his earlier arrival in the motel office at 3:57 AM, he would have traveled roughly 150 miles. Weencer accomplished his tasks as if nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

  His plan was to wait until the maid discovered the grisly murder scene. The Cadillac Motel recently converted from the key system to electronic cards. It didn’t select the advanced option where a computer registered the exact time a room was entered. This proved to be beneficial to the killer.

  Doolie was in debt to the Mafia for almost $70,000. Now, he could pay off his obligation and with more money than he ever envisioned, satisfy his desire to overindulge in his gambling habit. Given his history, it would only be a matter of weeks before the remaining $130,000 was squandered - one more time.

  He didn’t have need to be concerned with spending large sums of money because in Ogunquit hundreds of millions of dollars are wasted yearly. He did however make an attempt to maintain a low profile. He was uneasy about the maid service entering his room for worry of being revealed. He left strict instructions that no one was to enter his room. The only area in which to hide the loot above the ceiling panels.

  Maid service did discover the grisly scene in room 1219. Police were summoned - the room barricaded with the familiar yellow DO NOT ENTER CRIME SCENE tape.

  In the police investigation, Weencer disclosed that Richmond Rand entered the office at 3:57 AM, paid for an additional two days for the brothers and quickly set out.

  Motel records were not always accurate, the make and license plate number of the car in which the three drove into town did not exist. If this information was obtainable, police would be better prepared to get their man. To make matters worse for Richmond, Weencer never asked for his swipe card when he checked out.

  Given the time of the murders and the access Weencer had to their room, police d
id not rule out the night clerk as a suspect. It would have been an easy task for the clerk to run off additional access cards.

  At 68 he served time for an elaborate theft of a seven hundred fifty thousand dollar Colt antique firearm. At 78, he was now a killer and also a loser in Ogunquit singled out by the mob. Security cameras record every move in a casino. Police were not familiar with the amount of his debt, but they were aware of his dealings with the gang. They examined the tapes and concluded he was in some way associated with the mob. How much was not of importance. His reaction in the video tapes and his body language was a tip off to investigators.

  Police also alleged that if Richmond acquired such a large sum of money and the three were traveling together, he likely shared it with the victims.

  Doolie took for granted Richmond was now miles from Ogunquit - possibly on his way to California - tipped off by Tavis. Actually, he was with Gambler planning to return to the motel. He absolutely did not trust the clerk with the information shared about Tavis and the large sum of money.

  Richmond planned on entering the room ending the brother’s lives. He didn’t hand over his room card when he checked out and now an ideal chance to go into the room and end their lives. Recruiting Gambler help in disposing of the bodies of was a perfect idea. Who couldn’t use $100,000 in undetectable cash. All Gambler had to do was drive the car - then wait while Richmond carried out the horrific act of entering the motel room and ending the brothers lives. An ideal time to enter the room was just as breakfast was in progress. Richmond was clever enough to request a room on the far side of the office there would be little or no chance of anyone observing Richmond entering the room.