Том Годвин: Ed McBaines 87th Precinct Mystery Magazine. Volume 1, No. 4. April, 1975

“Are you telling me,” Corey demanded in disgust, “that you didn’t even see their faces?”

“How could I?” Lawrence was aggrieved. “Leland told me to go about my business and let them alone. He—”

“ ‘Them’.” Corey pounced on the word. “He spoke of others?”

“That’s right. I can remember. He said, ‘Let us alone’. He was half-drunk — I could tell from his voice.”

When Lawrence asked him what he intended to do, Leland laughed and said he’d show them how a department store should be arranged. Lawrence tried to protest but was ordered to go back to his office. Watching from the doorway, he soon discovered what was happening. He could see Leland lifting mannequins and moved them about. Later, Lawrence knew that somebody had started the escalator, but he had no idea why.

Some time afterward, when he could hear no sounds at all, Lawrence walked toward the front of the store. To his surprise, nobody was there. The door was partly open and the escalator still running. He locked the door, stopped the escalator and then checked the floor to see if anything had been damaged. Some dummies had been moved and several had been knocked over. Lawrence rearranged the dummies as best he could.

Corey listened, aware that the real puzzle was unexplained. What about the window display, he wanted to know? Had Lawrence checked that? The watchman never even looked at it. “Why should I?” he asked. “Who’d think that anybody would crawl into the window?”

Corey studied the man, uncertain what to believe. “You concealed all this and lied to us. Why?”

“At first I was afraid I’d lose my job. I’d made a mistake by letting Leland in. Also, I didn’t want to make more trouble for him. It was all petty stuff and I thought it best to forget it. Then I heard about the murder. I was really scared — figures I might be accused. I decided to say nothing.”

On their return to the station, Gerber remarked gloomily, “The more we hear, the less we know.” Corey, however, had been nagged for some time by a bit of information that remained in a corner of his mind. He grinned. Investigation might lead nowhere, but it would give Gerber something to do and cheer him up. An hour later Gerber, clutching a slip of paper, entered Corey’s office. “I got it,” he said.

“Let me guess,” said Corey. “I could be way off base — but is the man’s name Hoffman?”

“All right.” Gerber’s eyes glinted. “I won’t ask how you knew. Happened five months ago. Leland, drunk as a lord, ran a red light. Bad smash-up. Joel Hoffman — killed instantly. That’s when Leland’s license was revoked.” Gerber became cynical. “He should have gone to jail, but the old man pulled a lot of strings.”

Corey stood up. “There’s a girl who may have some answers.” As they walked to the car, he said, “I’ve been toying with a crazy idea. Try this one: Leland’s little trip to the store at midnight — what if it was arranged?”

Gerber looked startled. “Why... and who...?”

“Exactly. Why and who? Mull this over. Phone calls were made to the papers. The whole situation seemed contrived. The plan was to involve Leland in another scandal — young heir drunk and causing disturbance at his own store.”

“If that’s so, why was he murdered?”

“I don’t know. But it’s evident that something went wrong.”

At the apartment building Corey pointed to the name printed above the button. “Does that jog your memory?”

Gerber stared. “I don’t see...” His eyes suddenly lit up. “Of course. The girl Charlene met at the party — Dana Hoffman.”

In the living room the detectives sat facing the girl who met their gaze with annoyance. “I don’t know why you’re questioning me,” she said. “Sure, I was at a party. Charlene must have told you. I knew her years ago, recognized her when we were parking our cars. Later that evening she began acting goofy. I think she drank too much. All of a sudden she disappeared. But her car was still there. That really had me worried and I called her. She told me some weird story — I couldn’t believe it.” She became impatient. “And really, that’s all I can tell you. Now if—”

“I think you can tell us much more, Miss Hoffman.”Corey emphasized the name. “I’m sorry, but I believe you had a brother named Joel. And there was an unfortunate accident.”

She paled and sat silent.

Corey waited and finally spoke. “Leland was responsible for his death. Because of that, you devised a plan for revenge.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, defiantly.

Corey shrugged. “Deny anything you wish. You were the woman in the car with Charlene. I think you’re involved in the murder of Arthur Leland. We intend to charge you—”

“No.” Her voice rose in panic. “I had nothing to do with it. I don’t even know how it happened.”

The story poured out. She had brooded for months over her brother’s death and the fact that Leland, through money and influence, was able to avoid punishment. One day she received a strange phone call. A man who apparently knew all about the death asked her if she’d like to get even with Leland. A meeting was arranged. The man, who called himself Edwards, proposed a scheme. She was to become acquainted with Leland; this first step was easily accomplished when she flirted with him outside of his apartment. Edwards then instructed her to bring Leland to the party. There, the plan was to get him drunk, or, if necessary, to drug him.

“It wasn’t easy,” she said. “He had sworn off drinking and had to be coaxed.”

Some unexpected obstacles developed. Leland wandered about, talked to various people and showed a special interest in Charlene. Edwards, doubting that the liquor was affecting him strongly enough, gave Dana a pill to drop in one of his drinks. Although the two didn’t realize it at the time, it became evident later that Leland had passed the drink to Charlene.

Corey interrupted the account. “I think I know what the scheme was. But suppose you explain it. Why all this effort to get Leland drunk?”

That was the very question she had asked Edwards at the start. It seemed that Leland was being given one last chance by his grandfather. If there were another scandal or escapade, he would be disinherited. Frightened by this ultimatum, he had quit drinking, had avoided trouble for the past months and was showing an interest in the business. The old man, highly pleased, was ready to give his grandson a responsible position.

Edwards told her it was a perfect scheme for revenge, and she had to agree with him. What better way than to cause Leland to lose his inheritance? Edwards explained the rest of the plan. The old man was extremely sensitive about the reputation of his store. Why not create a disturbance down there, invite the press and even get young Leland arrested? His grandfather would never forgive him.

“Let’s backtrack a little,” Corey said. “What about getting to the party and then to the store? Leland’s car was found there, but I can’t picture him driving.”

Dana flushed. “He didn’t.” Her tone became defiant. “All right, that was my idea. I knew his license had been revoked. I wanted to get him into as much trouble as possible. We had been going out in my car. This time I parked it a block from his apartment and told him the car had broken down. Then I drove his car to the party and the store, where I left it. I figured the police would find it and think he’d driven there, and well...”

“I see,” Corey said, dryly. “Just a little extra trouble — driving without a license.”