Chapter 9
Paula Waters
Paula decided to first interview the cooks and waiters at Emilio’s restaurant and then talk to the families of the victims. So, she stopped in the office for only a minute and then took Central Expressway to Highland Park. It had rained hard during the night and today it was hot and muggy. Of all the witnesses she was particularly interested in John Templeton. She wasn’t sure resentment over Ricardo’s special treatment on account of his ailing sister was sufficient motive for murder, but it may not have been his intention to kill the customers—only make them sick. Templeton looked to be in his late twenties, from a Mediterranean country probably with his olive skin, dark hair and rugged face. They met in Emilio’s office, Paula sitting behind his desk and the witnesses directly in front of her.
“I’m Paula Waters, Ricardo’s attorney,” she said.
Templeton nodded.
“I just have a few questions for you about the night of the recent murders.”
“Okay,” he said guardedly.
“You were late for work that day. What happened?”
Templeton frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I don’t know that it does, but I need you to answer the question.”
“You can’t tell Emilio about this?” Templeton said.
“I won’t if it doesn’t impact Ricardo’s case.”
Templeton sighed. “I have a second job and sometimes I’m late getting off.”
“So, you work two jobs?”
“Yes.”
“Where is your second job?”
“Papa Benito’s Pizza.”
“Okay. Where is it located?”
“About ten minutes from here.”
“So, it’s a competitor and you think Emilio would be upset if he knew you were working for the competition?”
Templeton nodded.
“Okay, well I’m not sure that’s significant to this case, so I won’t mention it to Emilio for now. So, when you got to work what did you do?”
“I swept the floor around my area, set the tables, filled the water jugs, and then cleaned the men’s restroom.”
“Did you observe or participate in the filling of the bowls of cheese?”
“I didn’t handle the cheese but I saw Ricardo filling a tray of bowls.”
Paula’s heart sank. Ricardo had told her he hadn’t prepared the cheese before picking one up to take to use. She wondered if Templeton was lying to cover his own culpability.
“I thought the cooks handled that.”
He shrugged. “Usually they do, but it’s an easy job so we help out with it sometimes.”
“And you’re sure you saw Ricardo filling one of them?”
“Yes.”
“How long did you observe him?”
“Just for a minute while I was in the kitchen checking on an order.”
“Did you tell the police this?”
“Yes.”
“Great,” Paula said irritably. . . . “Did you see Ricardo put anything else in the bowl besides cheese?”
“No.”
“Did you see anyone else filling the bowls?”
“No.”
“Did you see anyone in the kitchen that night who you didn’t know—someone who shouldn’t have been there?”
“No. Not that I recall.”
“Okay. That’s all for now. Send in Tom next, would you?”
Templeton got up to leave. “Sure.”
Tom was tall, muscular, and good looking. He smiled warmly at Paula.
“Hi, Tom. I’m Paula Waters. I guess you know why I’m here.”
“Yes. You represent Ricardo.”
“Right. You helped Ricardo serve the people who were poisoned, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you fill the cheese bowls that night?”
“Yes, but I only put cheese in them. I didn’t put any poison in them. I promise. I wouldn’t even know where to get it.”
“I believe you, but somebody put in the poison. Who could have done that?”
“I don’t know. Anybody back in the kitchen could have done it or someone could have even done it at the table.”
“Was there anybody back in the kitchen that day that you didn’t know?”
“No. Not that I remember.”
“Did you see Ricardo filling any of the cheese dispensers?”
“Yes. I saw him hovering over a tray of cheese bowls.”
“So, what was he doing?”
“It looked like he was filling them. We may have run out.”
“Could he have slipped poison into the bowls?”
“No. I don’t think so. All I saw was him scooping out the cheese from the big can it comes in.”
“Alright. So, did you know any of the victims?”
“They were regular customers. I didn’t know them very well, but I’ve seen Emilio talking to Mrs. Richmond before. She came in for lunch with another woman a few days earlier.”
“Did you overhear their conversation?”
“No.”
“Do you have any idea who put the poison in the cheese?”
“No. I’m sorry. I wish I did.”
“Okay,” Paula said. “I guess that’s it for now.”
Tom left and Paula went looking for Emilio to tell him she was leaving. She found him in his office sorting through some bills.
“Well, I’ve finished interviewing everybody.”
“Did you learn anything?”
“Yes, a couple of your employees saw Ricardo filling bowls of cheese.”
“Oh no,” Emilio said. “Do you think he could be guilty?”
“No. Not necessarily. Nobody saw him put any poison in them, but I don’t like the idea that he lied to me.”
“Maybe he just forgot.”
“I seriously doubt that. I’m going to have to talk to him and get an explanation.”
“Well, let me know what you find out.”
“I will,” Paula said and then changed the subject. “How’s business?”
Emilio frowned. “Pathetic. It nosedived after the murders and hasn’t come back at all.”
“Are you going to be able to survive?”
“Oh, yeah. I put some money away, but I may have to lay off a couple of employees.”
“Hmm. That’s too bad.”
“Yes, particularly since I need them all.”
“Have you heard any more from the developers who wanted your property?”
“Yes, they have been hounding me. One of them came by yesterday.”
“Who?”
“Chris Hunt. He works for Wilkinson Properties.”
“Right. He’s served time in Huntsville for assaulting a police officer.”
“He did?”
“Yeah. I guess he is Tom Wilkinson’s muscle.”
“Are they criminals?”
“They claim to be legitimate but they may have ties to some criminal enterprise, we don’t know which one. Did he threaten you?”
“No. He just said his offer was still open but time was running out.”
“What did he mean by that?”
“I don’t know. I assumed they meant they’d withdraw the offer.”
Paula raised her eyebrows. “Maybe. I hope that’s all he meant.”
“Should I be worried?” Emilio asked.
“I don’t know, but you should definitely be careful.”
From the restaurant Paula went to Richmond Oil and Gas where one of the victims had worked. Their offices were in a four story glass-faced building behind a strip shopping center at the intersection of Preston Road and Forest Lane. She took the elevator to the third floor and walked into their plush offices. A receptionist looked up but didn’t smile. Paula assumed they were still in mourning for the loss of John Richmond.
“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked.
“Yes. I’m Paula Waters and I wanted to speak to someone about John Richmond.”
“He?
??s dead.”
“I know. I wanted to talk to someone who knew him and was familiar with the company.”
“That would be his son, Ralph.”
“Can I speak with him?”
“I don’t know if he has time. Let me check with him.”
Paula smiled and waited while the receptionist stepped away from her desk and walked down the hall. A few moments later she returned.
“He’s in the middle of something right now, but he said if you could wait about ten minutes he could see you.”
“Sure. I’ll wait,” Paula said. She turned and walked over to a leather sofa and sat. While she was waiting she thought about the questions she should ask. The report on John Richmond was that he was a shady oil and gas promoter. His son would obviously be hesitant to talk about his father in that light, so she wondered how to get the information out of him that she needed. The receptionist’s intercom buzzed and she picked up her phone. She turned and smiled at Paula.
“He’ll see you now.”
“Thanks,” Paula said rising.
“Down the hall, second door on the left,” the receptionist advised.
Paula walked by the receptionist and down the hall. When she got to the second door she peered inside. A short, thin man dressed in casual business attire looked up from his cluttered desk and smiled. He stood up.
“Come in. Have a seat. Sorry about the wait but I was just finishing up a report and wanted to finish it before I got side-tracked.”
“No problem,” Paula said. “I’m sorry I showed up without an appointment, but I was in the neighborhood and took a chance that you could see me.”
“Well, here we are. What can I do for you?”
“I’m looking into your father’s murder.”
“Oh, right. You represent the suspect, Ricardo Ricci. I’ve seen you on TV.”
“Yes. I’m sorry for your loss and I hate to bother you when you are grieving, but I’m sure you understand the importance of investigating these things as soon as possible after they happen.”
“Sure. How can I help you?”
“Well, I don’t know if my client is guilty or not, but he says he isn’t, so I have to assume he’s telling me the truth.”
Ralph nodded.
“So, I wondered if your father had any enemies who might have wanted him dead.”
Ralph just looked at Paula expressionless. Finally, he sighed. “Well, Dad had a lot of enemies. I’m sure some of them were pleased to learn he’d been murdered, but I can’t see any of them actually doing it—particularly in the manner it was done. I mean why would you kill three innocent people if you only hated one of them?”
“It would have to be someone without a conscience. Someone’s whose sole concern was doing it and getting away with it.”
“Right,” Ralph agreed.
“So, was there anyone your father knew like that?”
“There was one investor, Walter Satterwhite. He invested his retirement on a dry hole. His wife divorced him over it and he was quite livid. He filed complaints with the DA and the Texas Railroad Commission, but the well was legitimate and Dad had done all the right paperwork, so they refused to prosecute.”
“Did he confront your father?”
“Yes, he came by here a few times and each time the encounters ended in a shouting match between he and my father. We had to call the police once to get rid of him.”
“Did he ever come by your father’s house?”
“Not that I know of.”
“In any of those shouting matches did he threaten to kill your father?”
“Yes, he did.”
“What did he say?”
“When we called the police on him the last time he told my father that he was coming for him and the police wouldn’t be able to protect him.”
“Wow. What did your father do about that?”
“He hired security for his home and the office for a few weeks but then cut it off. He figured Satterwhite had cooled down and wasn’t a threat anymore.”
“Did you agree?”
Ralph shrugged. “Yeah. Satterwhite had been a pretty nice guy up until his wife divorced him. But once she was gone he turned into an angry rattlesnake.”
Paula smiled. She liked alternative theories that would confuse the jury and create reasonable doubt. Now she had another compelling story that would give the jury pause. She thanked Ralph and headed back to the office. When she got there Ricardo was waiting for her.
“Hi, Ricardo. What are you doing here?”
“Emilio said I should come see you immediately.”
“Yes. Some of the other employees say they saw you filling a tray of cheese bowls.”
Ricardo shrugged. “Really? I didn’t remember that, but it is possible, I guess. I do that sometimes.”
Paula’s eyes narrowed. “Hmm. What else have you forgotten? You know, if I get ambushed at trial with something like this it could result in you going to prison or even being executed. When you lie or forget something important you lose credibility with the jury. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry. I just didn’t remember it.”
Paula sighed. “What do you know about Papa Benito’s Pizza?”
“Huh?”
“It’s a competitor isn’t it?”
“Uh huh. Yeah, the owner, Ben Benito, used to work for Emilio many years back, so I’ve been told.”
“Is there animosity between Christian and Emilio?”
Ricardo laughed. “Yeah. Emilio bitches about him all the time. I think when he left to open up his own restaurant he copied Emilio’s menu, just changing the name on it before he had it printed. Emilio was livid.”
“I bet.”
“Now, when he advertises his specials it hurts our business, so Emilio often curses him.”
“And, I’m sure Ben Benito doesn’t like Emilio much either.”
“Probably not.”
“Okay. If you think of anything else you’ve neglected to tell me, let me know, okay?”
“Right. I’m sorry, Paula. I really am.”
After Ricardo had gone Paula thought about her day’s accomplishments and was pleased. She now had two, maybe three alternative scenarios to throw at the jury. But her mood was quickly dampened when assistant DA, Brian Rutledge, called to tell her their experts had identified the source of the poison put in the Parmesan cheese. According to their experts the poison came from a box of Vacor Rat Poison found in Ricardo’s garage!”