Brash Endeavor, A Stan Turner Mystery Vol 3

  Chapter 22

  DEALING WITH

  DECEPTION

  After staying home several days with Rebekah, I had to get back to work because the cost of a murder trial would be staggering and I needed to earn every cent I could to fund it. General Burton felt really bad about what happened to Rebekah and offered to help me out any way he could. He told me not to worry about the rent until the trial was over and I had gotten back on my feet. All our neighbors and friends were very supportive and I felt fortunate to have them.

  One afternoon General Burton and I were discussing what to do next on the Melba Thorn case when we were interrupted by the telephone. It was Worldwide's attorney, Mark Pointer.

  "We've been trying to get hold of Kurt Harrison, you wouldn't know where he is would you?" he said.

  "Well, as a matter of fact I've been looking for him myself. His secretary says he went out of town for a couple of weeks."

  "Mr. Wylie at Worldwide is getting very nervous because the investors haven't made their first payment on the Panhandle Building Loan yet. It's already fifteen days past due. We contacted the investors directly and they told us Kurt was supposed to be making that payment."

  General Burton, apparently not wanting to ease drop any more on the conversation, got up and left the room.

  "That's what I understood too."

  "Do you represent the investors?"

  "No, no, . . . I just represent Kurt. I'm sure he'll be back any day now and take care of everything. I'll try again to get in contact with him and call you back."

  "Good, it looks really bad for a loan to be in default on the first payment. Please contact me just as soon as you talk to Kurt."

  "I will, thanks for calling."

  The call from Mark Pointer stimulated me to make a greater effort to find Kurt. I contacted Cynthia Carson again to see if she had heard from Kurt, but she had not. Then I called Tom Tower to see if he knew anything.

  "Tom, this is Stan Turner."

  "Oh Stan, I read about your wife in the newspaper. Is she okay?"

  "Yes, she's holding up pretty well. Her mother's staying with her."

  "Well good, if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know."

  "You're very kind, thank you. Listen, I wondered if you've heard from Kurt lately?"

  "Well no, and the fellow over at Worldwide Savings and Loan called me the other day wanting the first payment on the note. I told him Kurt was handling all that."

  "So, you haven't heard from him at all?"

  "No. Is there a problem?"

  "I hope not, but Kurt has disappeared and the first note payment is overdue. Cynthia said he went to Brazil to see some investors and is due back any day now, but I am not so sure."

  "Why? What aren't you telling me?"

  "Nothing, I just have some bad vibrations about the Panhandle deal."

  "Stan, you were supposed to watch out for us."

  "This isn't something I could have anticipated. . . . Anyway there's no need to panic yet. Kurt might show up tomorrow. Let's just wait a day or two. Worldwide won't do anything until the note is thirty days past due."

  "Is there anything I can do to help?"

  "No, other than ask the other investors if they've heard from Kurt lately."

  "I'll do that and I'll call you immediately if I find anything out."

  I hadn't hung up the phone for thirty seconds when it rang again.

  "This is Arnold Weber, Metro Leasing."

  "Oh. Right."

  "I guess you know why I'm calling."

  "No, you'll have to enlighten me."

  "Your client, Kurt, is behind again on his lease payments on the Rolls."

  "How far?"

  "Three months."

  "Gee, Kurt's due back in town any day now, I'm sure he'll take care of it then."

  "No, no, this has to be handled immediately! If you don't tell me right now how I'm going to get paid I'm turning this over to my attorney."

  "I guess you'll have to do that then because I don't have a clue where Kurt Harrison is and I don't give a rat's ass about your Rolls Royce!"

  "Well, huh. Then I'll see you in court."

  "Fine."

  I closed my eyes and rubbed by eyelids with the palms of my hand. General Burton came back in the room and sat down.

  "You all right, Stan?" he asked.

  "No, actually I'm not. Your friend, Rufus Green, has got me in a big mess," I said.

  "How's that?" The general asked.

  "He referred me to a guy named Kurt Harrison who’s turning out to be a crook and I don't know how to deal with it."

  "Oh, I'm sorry Stan, I had no idea that Kurt wasn't legit."

  "Oh, it's not your fault. I should have seen it coming. There were numerous warning signs, I just needed the business so bad I ignored them."

  "What are you going to do?"

  "Find Kurt Harrison. That's what I'm going to have to do if it means going to Brazil. I'm going to find that weasel and make him find a way for everybody to get out of this mess."

  "Good, I'll call Rufus Green and see if he has any idea where Kurt is."

  "Thanks."

  "Now I believe we were talking about Melba Thorn when we were interrupted."

  "Yes, we're at a dead end. I really don't know what to do next," I said.

  "Why don't you call Sheriff Burton and see if he's come up with anything."

  "Good idea, I'll call him right now. Go get on the other extension."

  General Burton left to go to his office and listen in on the conversation. I looked through my notes and found Sheriff Barnett's telephone number. I dialed the number and waited. "sheriff's office," a female voice said.

  "Hi, is this Claudia?"

  "Yes, who is this?"

  "Stan Turner."

  "Oh, hi Stan, how are you? Oh, I am so sorry to hear about your wife."

  "You heard about her all the way up there in Colorado?"

  "Well, it was just a small story buried in the Denver Gazette but the headline got my attention."

  "What did it say."

  "I believe it read: ATTORNEY'S WIFE CHARGED IN DEATH OF LOVER."

  "Oh my God. Jesus. . . . Well, anyway she's home and doing okay for now. Thanks for asking. Is the sheriff in?"

  "Sure, I'll get him."

  After a moment of silence Barnett came on the line. "Hello, Barnett speaking."

  "Sheriff Barnett, this is Stan Turner."

  "Oh, hi Stan, I'm glad you called. I was going to have to track you down."

  "Oh really, what's up?"

  "After you called and told me about being accosted at the Holiday Inn in Colorado Springs, I sent over a forensic team to the motel to check for fingerprints, tire tracks and any other evidence that might have been left by your assailants. They didn't find any prints, but they did find some tracks where your assailants peeled a little rubber in their haste to make their escape."

  "So, did they come up with anything?"

  "Yes, as a matter of fact the tire tracks left at the Holiday Inn match the second set of tracts up on Highway 24. Now that's not conclusive, but it's damn good evidence that your assailants were involved in the murder of Melba Thorn."

  "That's great news, so now you're convinced she was murdered?"

  "Yes, after that we had no choice but to formally reopen the investigation."

  "Good, so what happens now?'

  "Well, one of the first things we did was to request the Dallas Medical Examiner to exhume Mrs. Thorn's body so we could get a positive ID."

  "Have they done that yet?"

  "Yes, they did and they have determined from dental records that the body in the car was definitely Melba Thorn."

  "What? But how could that be? What about the phone calls?"

  "Somebody else must have made those calls."

  "So what are you going to do now?"

  "We've already got a warrant out for the arrest of Taylor Brown."

&nbs
p; "Already?"

  "That's right, the tire tracks from the Holiday Inn and the scene of the accident were matched to a limousine belonging to Mr. Brown. While we were digging around into Mr. Brown's affairs we found out that Mr. Thorn's driver disappeared about six months ago. We contacted the Fort Worth police and suggested they get a warrant and search Mr. Thorn's limousine. And sure enough they found traces of blood in the trunk. The blood is the same blood type as their limousine driver."

  "Have they found a body?"

  "Not yet, but one is sure to turn up pretty soon."

  "So do you think Taylor Brown acted alone?"

  "We're pretty sure Robert Thorn was involved but we don't have enough to arrest him yet unless Taylor Brown implicates him."

  "Wow, I'm really impressed, Sheriff."

  "Well, if you hadn't come up here and jerked my chain the murderer would have gotten away with it."

  "Yeah, but I still don't understand the phone calls. If they weren't from Melba Thorn, who made the calls?"

  "That's bothered me a lot too. I figure it must have been a witness to the accident who was afraid to get involved or perhaps someone who overhead Taylor Brown and Robert Thorn plotting to kill Melba Thorn. You've got to admit it was pretty creative to call you and put you on the hunt."

  "I guess, but somehow it still doesn't fit."

  "It fits, Stan. Taylor Brown and Robert Thorn took over control of a multi-million-dollar corporation the minute Melba Thorn died. It's a classic case of greed turning to murder."

  "Well, I hope you're right. Does the DA think he'll have any trouble getting a conviction?"

  "Without a body it's going to be tough."

  "That's what I was thinking."

  "Hey, I'm sorry you didn't find Mrs. Thorn alive. I know if you had, you might have got paid for all your trouble."

  "Oh well, I guess every attorney has to do a little pro bono work from time to time, right?"

  "Yeah, I expect so. Okay, I'll let you go, I wish your Mrs. good luck."

  "Thanks."

  I was glad the sheriff had apparently solved the mystery of Melba Thorn's death but for some reason I had an empty feeling inside. Maybe it was just all the other problems that I was facing at the time that made it difficult for me to celebrate or maybe I still didn't understand how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. At any rate, for now I was done with the Melba Thorn matter and could turn my attention elsewhere.