The jet set continues in a busy-buzzy-tiz over the Johnny Benedict tragedy. There has been hardly any other topic of conversation among the B.P. for weeks and weeks, or at least it seems weeks and weeks. Everyone wants to know who Laura is — Laura, now known among Johnny-B’s cronies as “the last woman in his life.” Compounding the mystery is the fact that no one can recall anyone named Laura in or out of Johnny’s circle...
This column can now reveal that Jackie and Ari...
Yeah, I’m Levine. Joseph W. What fare? Now, how the hell do you expect me to remember some dame I picked up God knows how far back? I know, I know, I can read the date on the trip sheet. Okay, so she was a big platinum-type broad with a built. You got any idea how many dames like that a New York hackie picks up in a day? Look, Mac, I’d like to help you out but I just ain’t with it on a hooha like this. I hack I figure three out of every ten fares to some terminal, and what I do at Grand Central is I dump them at the bottom of the ramp, pick up another fare, and away I go. If they start telling me the story of their lives and why they’re leaving New York and where they’re going I blow my ears out like a whale or something and I let it go right on through — I should worry why they’re leaving and where they’re off to? Sorry, Officer, I’m such a drip-dry on this. Let me tell you in confidence, though, I don’t think there’s enough police brutality. Some of the creeps I run into in my line of work you couldn’t beat their brains out with a stainless-steel jack handle, they ain’t got any. Thanks? For what? Did I tell you something?
Look, Sidney, we’re supposed to be keeping our mouths shut about the Benedict case — orders straight from Inspector Queen. I know I owe you. Okay, but for chrissake protect your source. We just put out a flyer on this Vincentine Astor. No, we haven’t got a thing on her. Except what’s likely a coincidence that she quit her job at the Boy-Girl Club March twenty-ninth. No, I’m telling you, Vincentine isn’t wanted except for routine questioning. We have no hard evidence that Benedict ever knew her except to check his hat with. Yeah, we know he visited the Boy-Girl Club a number of times within the past few months. If Vincentine was the hatcheck girl Benedict was giving the rush to lately, he sure changed his M.O., because he must have met her strictly on the q.t. away from his regular hangouts. The general feeling around here is that the reason she quit at the club and left town two days later had not a damn thing to do with Benedict. I’ll give you a little bonus, Sidney, and then I got to go. The word is that the brass upstairs are sore as hell at Inspector Queen for getting New York mixed up in this Benedict brawl, I mean to the extent of carrying the ball for this jerk-town police chief. As if we haven’t got enough headaches around here. Who? No, I haven’t seen Ellery for days. I guess he heard the rumor, too, and doesn’t want to get his old man in worse dutch than he is already.
TO: Inspector Richard Queen, N.Y.P.D.
FROM: Anselm Newby, Chief, Wrightsville
I wish I could report progress of some sort. I can’t.
The only fingerprints we found in Benedict’s bedroom were his, Morris Hunker’s, and Annie Findlay’s, and Morris’s and Annie’s had perfectly good reasons to be there. The stains on Benedict’s robe and pajamas and in the room generally are all of the same blood-type as his. The iron of the weapon is a rough welding job and would normally take poor prints, our tech man says, but he has reason to believe that it was also wiped clean with something just in case. He was not able to bring out so much as a partial latent. We have not been able to come up with a lead to any suspicious person or persons in the vicinity of the Benedict property on the night of the murder. The detailed p.m. reports no additions to the prelim report. Death was definitely caused by the blows to the head, and there was no sign of toxic or other foreign substances in the internal organs except traces of alcohol accounted for by the drinks Benedict is reported to have drunk during the evening before he went to bed. And that’s about it. I hope you’re having better luck at your end.
Anselm Newby,
P.S.: Have you had any success tracing Laura? What does Ellery say? I haven’t heard a word from him since you both left Wrightsville.
Enc.: Photocopies of fingerprint, bloodstain analysis, and autopsy reports.
TO: Chief A. Newby, Wrightsville
FROM: R. Queen, Inspector, N.Y.P.D.
I am sorry to report that the Laura investigation is at a standstill.
We will keep at it, but of course you understand that we carry a very heavy load of our own these days which of course has to take priority over courtesy cases such as our current assistance with the Wrightsville murder.
Ellery has said very little to me about the case. My feeling is he is as hung up on it as the rest of us.
R. Queen,
TO: Inspector Richard Queen, N.Y.P.D.
FROM: Anselm Newby, Chief of Police, Wrightsville,—
I understand your position about the Benedict case, and I am sorry that your vacation in Wrightsville got you and your son involved in it. In all fairness that was none of my doing, and if my recollection is correct the original suggestion that the N.Y.P.D. help us out on the case came from Ellery.
If your case load is too heavy to enable you to assist a fellow police officer in the investigation of a prominent Manhattan multimillionaire international playboy, let me know by return mail and I will personally write to your immediate superior and take you and the N.Y.P.D. off the hook.
In the above case I should appreciate your sending me all reports you have accumulated thus far, the originals if possible, photocopies if not, especially reports concerning Audrey Weston, Marcia Kemp, and Al Marsh.
I am very grateful for your assistance.
A. Newby,
TO: Chief Anselm Newby, Wrightsville Police Department
FROM: R. Queen, Inspector, N.Y.P.D.
I did not intend anything in my last note to give you the impression that I was trying to go back on my promise. I was merely pointing out that we could not afford to put as much time, effort, and man-hours into an out-of-city (and state) case as if the homicide was within the N.Y.P.D.’s direct jurisdiction.
I have shown your memorandum to my superiors and they have agreed to allow me and my staff to continue assisting you in the Benedict investigation, especially since — as I pointed out in a conference just concluded with certain high officers of the Department — ramifications of the case lead directly into New York City and two of the three prime suspects are residents of Manhattan.