Bob Moats - Jim Richards 01-03- 3 for Murder Box Set (54 page)

“Hey, I’m a sixty year old male just at the peak of falling apart, and you want to disassemble me now,” I lamented.

She started laughing and rolled back on the blanket. I took advantage of the situation, jumping on her, and she asked what happened to my falling apart. I said I would hold together long enough to take advantage of her. And I did.

It was good her back yard was bordered by a number of trees and foliage or we might have been arrested. All we did was frighten the wildlife. We gathered ourselves up, went into the house, and plopped down on the couch, our favorite respite. Penny asked me about my day. I told her everything, and she just sucked air about Elma and Ralph.

“What are you going to do about that?” Penny asked.

“I have an idea, but I’m going to need Trapper’s help and his friend on the Pontiac Police. I’m going to call him tomorrow morning to get it started. Hopefully by afternoon we should be able to clear Elma.”

I was still rubbing my wrist, and she pulled it over and kissed it. I asked how her show went. She filled me in and wanted to demonstrate some holds she learned, but I refused to be thrust around. She said we could watch the TiVo copy of her show, so we did. I was impressed by the way Penny handled herself learning the protective moves the instructor was showing. She was pleased with herself, too.

“I’ll have to hire you out as bodyguard now,” I joked.

She popped up and went into the kitchen, saying she was making Chop Suey for dinner. I groaned and asked if this was going to be an Oriental night at home. She said she rented two Jackie Chan movies to watch. I just gritted my teeth and said, great.

Around 7:20 my phone rang. It was Trapper. “I just got a call from Mike Lawson, homicide lieutenant out in Pontiac. He said Elma was arrested for murder this morning.”

“How did he know to call you?” I asked.

“He talked to Buck when he came in to claim Elma, and Buck told him about you and your investigation into Ralph. Lawson remembered he had talked to a beat cop about the night they ran into you at the B&D club and you were throwing my name around. He is a good detective and can add two and two. He called me to see what I knew. I told him about Ralph’s shady past, and he filled me in on the events of the morning. You think Elma could have done it?”

“I have my doubts, and I have an idea that may get a confession out of Ralph if I can get Lawson’s cooperation and yours,” I said.

He said anything to help. I said I would fill him in on it if we could get Lawson out there or on a conference call in the morning. Trapper said he would get Lawson to come there since Lawson owed Trapper a lunch. I said it worked for me. I hung up and sat gathering my thoughts on how to do my plan.

Ralph was so stupid, it might work.

*

Chapter Seventeen

I was up the next morning early, plotting my day and hoping Ralph was in good spirits. I called Trapper, and he said Lawson was agreeable to coming out. We could meet around 9 at Trapper’s precinct. I asked if he could have a wire and a recorder setup for me and gave him a quick explanation of what I had in mind. He said it was good, and he would have a rig ready for me. I said that worked for me, and I would be there.

Penny was up and getting ready to go out to her show. I asked who was on today. She said, Marilyn Monroe. I paused and looked at her, not really wanting to ask but I did. She laughed and said Marilyn was part of a show that featured female impersonators who starred as celebrities, like Reba, Dolly, Cher, Joan Rivers, and more. I said there was a show in Vegas called La Cage, and it had that kind of entertainment. She said some of the performers coming were part of that show before it closed. I said that was interesting and too bad I couldn’t come to see the show, but I had to go hook Ralph into a confession. She wished me luck and headed out the door.

I got to Clinton Township precinct about 8:45 and was led to Trapper’s office. Lawson was already there. We were introduced by Trapper and shook hands. Lawson was a huge, good-looking black cop, reminding me of Ving Rhames. About as bald, too.

“Trapper tells me you think you can get Flagg to confess to murdering the Dominatrix. You really confident that he’ll fall for it?” Lawson asked.

“Well, the number of times I had contact with him, he was boastful and stupid. I think I can pull it off,” I replied.

“He knows now that you were working for his wife to catch him fucking around. Think he’ll trust you?” he asked.

“I’m sure I can work him. Like I said, he has a way of building himself up to be what he thinks he is, and, again, he’s dumb as a board.” I smiled.

“Well, it can’t hurt to try. If we get him, all the better,” Lawson agreed.

“Since the pool store he works at is within Clinton Township borders, I’ll have an officer or two on hand to take him in custody till we can send him to you,” Trapper said to his friend.

Lawson looked to me. “Do you really think he did it?”

“After I talked to her, I believe that Elma didn’t do it, and Ralph has been under investigation for murdering his last two wives. I think it’s a good bet.”

“OK, let’s take the fucker down.” Lawson smiled.

Trapper had his people set me up with the wire, and we tested it just to be sure. Trapper said they’d sit on the side of the building where Ralph couldn’t see them, and told me to say “Buck’s a goof off” if I had any problems and needed help. I asked him, why that signal? He laughed and said, why not, Buck wasn’t there.

“He wouldn’t like that, but I’ll use it.” I laughed.

“If you remember, when I first brought you Ralph’s background check, I said I wanted to be in on the bust of Ralph. Well, make me proud,” Trapper said.

I went to my car and headed over with the rest following. The store was only about four miles from the station, so it didn’t take long to get there. I arrived at the store. The cops came in from the K-Mart parking lot next door and drove up to the side of the place. Trapper waved to me, and I asked if they could hear me. He waved again. I was ready to go.

I took a big breath and organized my plan in my head, then I went in.

As I went through the door, I didn’t see anyone, but then Ralph came out from the back room. He gave me a big salesman smile as he came up to me, then stopped when he realized who I was.

“What the hell you want?” he said.

“Ralph, hey, don’t be mad at me. I was just doing a job. I came by to say I’m sorry. After I got to know you, I have a new respect for you.”

He looked at me suspiciously, but had a curious expression, too.

I continued, “I heard what happened at the club in Pontiac. Must have been frightening for you.”

“Hell, no, I wasn’t frightened. Nothing frightens me,” he huffed.

“Well, watching that girl die in front of you, knowing it could be you, wasn’t that scary?”

“I was in control of the situation. I wasn’t going to die,” he replied.

I got in close to him and said quietly, like I was confiding in him, “You know, Ralph, I know what death looks like. I’ve shot a couple people in my life,” I said as I pulled back my jacket to show him my gun. His eyes went wide, fixed on the weapon.

“Can I see it?” he asked excitedly.

“Oh, no, Ralph, I never let anyone touch my gun. It’s my baby. Haven’t you ever had a good weapon that was your friend?”

He circled around me looking like he had something to say but was reluctant to say it.

I went on quietly to him, as if I was sharing a secret, “I’ve looked into a man’s eyes as I pulled the trigger once, twice, and watched the bullets impact in his chest. I watched the stun of death take over in those eyes, and it was such a rush. I imagine Elma must have had a taste of it as she plunged that knife into that girl’s heart. Such a rush to be in that control over another human, eh, Ralph?”

“Yeah,” he was breathing hard. “It is.”

“You must have been real mad that night when Elma took control and stabbed that girl. Must have been real hard to watch it happen, Elma sticking it to her. But you wouldn’t know that thrill of killing, the taste of blood. You’re not that kind of guy, Ralph.”

“I could be,” he defended. “I could take a life, if I wanted to.”

“Hey, Ralph, you’re such a nice person. I’m sorry, but I just can’t see you being a guy who could do that.”

“I could!” he defended again. Then he caught himself.

“It takes balls to take a life, Ralph. Elma took that woman’s life. You didn’t.”

He was getting wild eyed now. He was rubbing his face with his hands as if he was trying to remove the thoughts going through his head.

I pushed, “Elma had all the fun that morning, taking out her rage on that girl, plunging the knife again and again. And you just stood and just watched it happen, helpless to do anything.”

“I wasn’t helpless! I was in control! Elma wasn’t in control. She just stood there and screamed in that puny pitiful way she has. I was in control! I know what it’s like to take a life, I do. I’ve done it!”

“Nah, Ralph, you couldn’t do something like that.” I pushed more.

“Oh, yeah, I could and did. Elma didn’t kill that girl, I did. I was so pissed at Elma, and I had to take my rage out on someone! I went to the club, and when that girl started her bondage shit, I just got so mad at people telling me what to do and that I was such a nobody. She pushed and pushed. I couldn’t take it. I got so mad, and I brought my little friend out, my wonderful knife, and I stuck her good with it. I felt the thrill of the life coming out of her. I was in control, I was! Then Elma had to stick her nose in, but I had an inspiration. Blame it on her. I could get everything if she was put away. I had the control!”

“Wow, Ralph, you got the balls. You actually killed that girl at the bondage club? Did you do in your first two wives, too?”

“You bet I did. They were just as bad as Elma with their pitiful little ways of making me feel like a loser, but I showed them all. I killed them, too. It took me a while to get them set up, but I killed them. I’m in control!” He was shaking with rage now.

I could see Lawson, Trapper and the two uniforms coming around the front of the building. I walked around Ralph, drawing his attention away from them.

“I’m the one with the balls!” he growled.

“Well, you’d better protect them where you’re going to be shortly.” I grinned.

He heard the front door open and glanced over. Seeing the police, he got a panic in his eyes, then turned to run. I stuck my foot out in front of him, and he went down. The two uniformed cops pounced on him, bringing him up and slapping cuffs on him as Trapper read him his rights. His eyes were just about popping out of their sockets as they dragged him out.

Lawson came to me, giving me a high five, and said, “Well done, my man. You were right, he is dumb as a board. I’m going to love beating him with the rubber hose.” He laughed and went out. 

Trapper smiled and said to me, “He’s not kidding.”

*

Chapter Eighteen

On my way to Elma’s house, I got on my phone and called Dave Weston. He came on. “Dave, Jim Richards here. I need to know what places did Noreen get her referrals from for her clients? Can you make out a list for me so I have a place to start tracking down suspects?” He said he would have a list for me, and I said I’d stop by around noon. We hung up, and I pulled into Elma’s drive. Buck opened the door after I knocked and looked at me hopefully. We went into the living room where Elma was lying on the couch looking miserable.

I handed her my bill and said, “You owe me big time, Elma. I got you off the murder charge. I tricked Ralph into confessing. Your lawyer should be contacting you about it and getting your bail back. Ralph still has to go to trial, and you’ll need to testify, but he did confess, so it should be cut and dried.”

Elma jumped up and gave me a big hug, thanking me. She took my bill, went to a desk, and wrote out a check for me. Buck asked how it happened, so I filled him in.