Cold Case 8-11: Girl 20

[valrush]

COLD CASE: GIRL 20

A retired small town D.J. sheds new light on a nearly 50-year-old mystery when he plays a long forgotten recording for the cold case unit.

PREVIOUSLY ON COLD CASE

Lilly was seated at her desk when she suddenly got the feeling that she was being watched. She looked up suddenly and saw a skinny Afro-American male with short hair and wearing a brown suit hovering over her.

“I’m looking for Lt. John Stillman,” he said.

“Is he expecting?” Lilly asked.

The man pulled a badge from his jacket pocket. “My name is Detective Andrew Darius. I’ve been transferred here from burglary division.”

“You’re Will Jeffries’s replacement aren’t you?” Lilly added as they shook hands. “Detective Lilly Rush, I can take you to Stillman’s office. Welcome to homicide.”

Scotty’s phone went off in the middle of the Best Buy store. “Valens.”

“Nice move, detective. Changing your cell phone number, I mean.”

“What?” asked Valens.

“But the thing is your badge number didn’t change. So I can still find you.”

“Who the hell are you?” Scotty demanded.

“Someone who knows about Jimmy Mota; that’s all you should care about. I’ll text you instructions on where to find me. If I were you I’d follow them in the next 24 hours; you’ve already wasted enough time.”

Lilly and Scotty were about to enter the holding room when Scotty phone began to vibrate. Scotty touched the screen to bring up a text message: ‘MEET ME AT THE CITIZEN’S BANK ON N BROAD ST. IN 1 HR.’
 
“We talked to Nichole Lititz. She said she saw this chain in a white box with your name on it right before Kyle took it and went to the bar that night. Kyle said it was for her so that you would be surprised when he gave it to you,” Lilly explained. “Look, I get how you felt. Dating a close friend can be risky. I’ve never told anyone this, but there’s this guy I work with’ he’s been a significant part of my life for a long time now. Even though he is a good guy and I know I can trust him; I just keep asking myself the same questions. Should I leave things as they are, or should I take it to the next level and risk losing the best partner I could ask for?”

[valrush]

1

The following story is fictional and
does not depict any actual person or event.

Sam Cooke: “Having A Party”



June 23, 1962

A large banner hung from the ceiling that had the words ‘PORT RICHMOND 20TH ANNUAL SUMMER DANCE MARATHON’ printed on it in bold, red letters. The gymnasium at Charles Carroll High School was packed with couples since 7:00 A. M. that morning. A long table on the back wall held a series of sandwiches, a massive bowl filled with red fruit punch, and a series of small juice glasses, a D. J. sat behind a turn table and microphone in the northwest corner near the entrance with a stock of popular records going back nearly two years, and a photographer moved swiftly across the floor with his heavy portable camera taking pictures of the dancing couples.

Crystal Hanley had just become the latest victim of the photographer’s flash bulb. “Hey pal, beat feet will you? I like my eyes!” Crystal yelled. Crystal was 28 years old, stood around 5 ft. 4 in. with blonde hair, and she wore a black and white diamond printed dress with black heels.

“Why does he even need the flash anyway? The lights are on,” said Crystal’s date David Shoeman. David was 28, stood near 5 ft. 8 in. with dark hair and wore a gray suit. Both had the number 20 in bold, black print taped to their backs.

“Will you two squares loosen up? This is supposed to be fun,” said a man next to them. He and his date had similar shades of brown hair. He stood approximately 5 ft. 10 in. and wore a black suit. His date stood at 5 ft. 5 in. and wore a floor-length red dress. Both of them wore number 17.

“It will be fun when we beat you and Susan into the ground, Harry,” insisted Crystal.

“Really old lady, you think you can keep up with us. Let’s show them, Harry,” insisted Susan. Harry lifted Susan off the ground and spun her through the air three times.

Crystal turned back to David. “Old lady? Those two are three years younger than me.”

“Just ignore those two hot dogs. Harry can make Susan dizzy until she goes into orbit; it won’t help them. This is a marathon; that means long distance. Nobody has us beat there,” David informed.

The music stopped suddenly and a voice came over the microphone. “Okay everybody, turn those ears over here! This is your friendly neighborhood disc jockey Phil the Falcon spinning the spinners that make you spin! But hey, we’ve been spinning for three hours now! I’d say we’ve earned a ten minute break! Get a sandwich, cool down with some of that fine fruit punch, or do whatever you can do in ten minutes! But remember, when you hear this bell,” the D. J. dinged a small, silver into the microphone, “if you’re not on the floor, you are out the door!” The couples dispersed with some people getting sandwiches or drinks, others visiting the restrooms, or others still leaning against the walls.

Cold Case Soundtrack: “Yo Adrian”

Crystal Hanley’s last dance was a not-so-graceful tumble down a flight of steps until she hit the floor below.

[valrush]

Lilly returned from the cells after having just locked up her last perpetrator and found John Stillman and newly-added rookie Andrew Darius seated across from an elderly man in tan shorts and a plaid shirt. A large tape recorder was placed in the center of the desk. “Rush, meet Phillip Thomas. He claims he has information for us,” Stillman explained.

“I’m Phillip Thomas now, but back in my days as a disc jockey I was known as ‘Phil the Falcon’. I never went national or anything like that; I mostly did jobs around Philly,” insisted Phil.

Andrew looked puzzled. “Falcon?”

“Back then a lot of DJs went by names like that. Many of them were just as famous as the singers. I was no Wolfman Jack, but I could get a crowd dancing,” Phil insisted. “That’s actually why I’m here. It concerns something that happened at an event I worked in 1962; it was a community dance marathon in Port Richmond.”

Lilly leaned over the desk realizing she was about to pull an extra shift. The dust had barely just settled on the Kyle Ambros case, and her partner Scotty Valens had still not returned from checking into this mysterious lead that he never went into detail about. “I assume that’s what the tape recorder is for.”

“I was going through some recordings of my old jobs a few days ago—“

“You recorded your shows?” asked Darius.

“Samples of other work I had done previously: mostly weddings, birthdays, other local parties, or in this case a lengthy dance marathon. I used them as a sort of audio résumé for potential clients,” Phil explained. “I remember I stepped away from my equipment for a few minutes after the marathon ended, but I must have left my recorder and microphone on because I picked up a conversation from the outside staircase. It’s pretty chewed up, but I thought maybe you could do something with it.”

Phil pressed play on the recorder and the garbled tape began to spin. It started out as mostly static followed by a female voice. “I know.”

A male voice followed. “What?”

“I know about—“more static followed by, “I… I feel—“there was more static followed by a fading scream, “EEEEEEEEeeeeeee…”.

There was a bit more static followed by the same male voice saying one word, “Crystal?” A series of fast paced stomping sounds could be heard after that last word. Then the tape stopped.

“The girl he’s talking about was Crystal Hanley; otherwise known as ‘girl 20’. I remember because I had just presented the trophy to Crystal and her partner David Shoeman. I was in the middle of dismantling my equipment when I found her lying face up on a landing between steps. I searched for a phone to call the authorities, but she wasn’t moving. Somehow, I knew she was gone,” insisted Phil. “The headline in the ‘Northeast Times’ the next morning was ‘GIRL 20 TAKES A FALL’. The official ruling was an accidental death from a fall.”

“But with this information, now you’re thinking she had help,” added Lilly.

“Officers told me you’re the one to see about old murders, so here I am,” Phil explained.

Andrew leaned over the desk. “Mr. Thomas, I have to be honest; evidence and witnesses from 1962 are going to be very hard to come by.”

“They didn’t have this tape in 1962. We now know that this girl was not alone when she fell,” insisted Lilly. “The real question is was the guy running for help or fleeing the scene?”

[valrush]

2

The sidewalk was surprisingly clear in front of Citizens Bank as Scotty Valens paced back and forth in front of the building. It was just as well as far as he was concerned. Anybody who did pass by made him nervous. He would inevitably begin wondering if this could be the person trying to destroy him; he just wanted this meeting to be over with.

A white male with dark hair in black trousers and a white shirt approached him. “You’re Valens?”

“Yeah, who the hell are you?” asked Scotty.

“So, now you want to get down to business? Where were you for the last ten messages I sent you months ago?” the man asked. “But since time is of the essence I will make this short. My name is Jared Reese; I’m a guard at the prison in Graterford. I talked to your friend Hector after Mr. Mota was found dead in the prison shower. He told me an interesting story about how this cop came to see him and told him how Mr. Mota was ratting out inmates to the guards; a cop by the name of Scotty Valens.”

“What do you want, jackass?” asked Scotty.

“That’s a good question. I’ve long agonized over what to do with this information. I could go to Internal Affairs and have them take your badge, I could try going to the press and embarrass you publicly, or I could use it to squeeze one small favor out of you,” insisted Mr. Reese.

“So, I’m going back to my original question. What do you want jackass?” replied Scotty.

“I have a brother, Frank; he used to own this bar/comedy club in Center City called ‘The Splitting Sides’. It burned down about two years ago, and the first responders on the scene said the place reeked of kerosene. Long story short, my brother is doing 15 years in the state prison in Chester for arson,” Jared explained.

Scotty took a step back. “The maximum for arson is ten years; there’s something you’re not telling me.”

“There was a guy in the building by the name of Albert Dent. He was one of the participants in an open mic night contest. He died in the fire, so the DA slapped a manslaughter charge on top of it. There was a trial, but you know juries. Everybody blames the business owner when it’s arson,” Jared explained.

“So that’s it, you want me to reopen your brother’s case. What makes you so sure that your brother is innocent?” Scotty asked.

“He was never in trouble before, and he always bragged about how successful the bar was. Why would he need to burn down his own place if it was doing well?” asked Jared.

“I don’t know, maybe your brother hasn’t always been honest with you,” Scotty answered.

“Detective, I’ll make this simple. My brother says he is innocent, and I believe him. You see he has a daughter who is getting married in two weeks, and he wants to walk her down that aisle. So, in two weeks time, either Frank is out of prison, or you’re out of a job,” insisted Jared. “Next time, answer the phone the first time someone calls you.” Jared calmly walked away leaving Scotty to ponder those words.

[valrush]

Back at the Station, Stillman and the others were huddled around Miller’s desk and Crystal Hanley’s white file box. Scotty approached the group. “Valens, I was beginning to think you went AWOL on us,” said Stillman.

“I was running down a lead. I’m actually on my way to file storage now,” Scotty informed.

“Anything we need to be made privy to?” asked Stillman.

“If it develops into something, I’ll let you know. But it might be time sensitive, so unless you need me here—“

“Go, I’ll figure out what we’re doing here. But keep me posted,” insisted John as Scotty rushed off. “Okay, back to Crystal Hanley. White female, 28 years old, body was found on a landing between floors at the Charles Carroll High School in the Port Richmond district at approximately 10:35 P.M. on June 23, 1962. The coroner at the time ruled that the cause of death was a broken neck severing her trachea which cut off her air supply. Numerous spinal fractures were also consistent with the conclusion that she died as the result of a fall.”

“Only now we’re thinking she was pushed,” insisted Lilly.

“Or drugged,” added Nick Vera. “Crystal’s last words on that tape were ‘I feel…’ something. It could have been ‘I feel drunk’ or ‘I feel dizzy’.”

“Or just ‘I feel sleepy’. According to this newspaper article, Crystal had just won a fifteen-hour dance marathon,” added Katrina Miller.

“’GIRL 20 TAKES A FALL’. The headline confirms our DJ’s story,” insisted Stillman.

“According to this little program that someone put in the box rule 2 says ‘No alcohol permitted.’ It’s right under rule 1 which says ‘Couples must consist solely of one male and one female partner’. They actually took the time to write that?” asked Darius.

“Welcome to the stone age, Andrew,” added Stillman.

“Booze is outlawed at a lot of events; it never stops people from sneaking it in,” insisted Miller.

“The autopsy records don’t mention the presence of alcohol in her system, but she could have been drugged with something else. A toxicology screening only tests for whatever drugs are popular at the time,” Stillman explained.

“So then we don’t really know for sure that she was drugged,” Lilly responded. “What we do know is that someone was with her when she fell. Is there anything in this box about witnesses?”

“Just the report from the first responders. Nobody suspected foul play at that point; all signs pointed to an accident,” John insisted.

“If she was pushed, it may have been one of these three guys who did it. There’s a photograph with this article,” Miller informed. She pointed to a picture of Crystal and her date holding trophies under the marathon banner. There was another couple on either side of them.

“She’s holding a trophy. That means they were all present after she won. Things happen in competitions. Maybe a fight broke out afterward, and something went too far. Does that paper mention any names of who was with her that night?” asked Vera.

“No, Crystal was the main focus of the article. But there is a photographer mentioned: ‘Photograph by Ted Olchyk’,” Miller added.

“Maybe he knows some of them. Rush and Darius, see if you can find our photographer,” said John.

“You actually think this guy is still breathing?” asked Darius. “I’m just saying it’s a 50-year-old case. That’s not a cold job; that’s a glacier.”

“I’m older than 1962. Do some checking and see what you find,” insisted Stillman. “Vera and Miller, see if you can track down David Shoeman. He was Crystal’s partner that night. If anyone knows what happened to her, it’s probably him. I’ll talk to our DJ and see if he remembers anything else.” The team started to split up until Stillman called out. “Rush!”

Lilly walked back. “Boss?”

“You spend more time with him than anyone. Do you know what Scotty is doing?” asked Stillman.

“I can safely say that I know as much as you,” insisted Rush.

“Well, if you do hear anything, let me know. With Will getting sick I’ve had my fill of surprises,” insisted Stillman. Lilly turned away and rejoined Darius.

[valrush]

Andrew was about to turn the gray police car onto East Clearfield St. when Lilly spoke up. “So, I’m curious. What would 1920 be, the North Pole?”

“1920?” asked Andrew.

“That’s the date on the oldest case we ever solved. It had to do with a suffragette who was killed trying to get women’s voting rights legalized,” Lilly explained.

“I know what a suffragette is. I took history in school; I read all about them,” insisted Andrew.

“My point is that her great-great granddaughter brought me information that led to us closing that case. Do you think I ever thought I’d get a case that old? But someone still had questions about what happened to her,” Lilly explained. “People like Crystal Hanley; they’re not just faces in some history book. They were actual human beings at some point; they had friends, families, lovers, and children. The way I see it, for every box in that file room there’s someone out there with unanswered questions.”

“I heard around the department that you actually requested this unit; I guess it’s true,” Andrew replied. “There’s our house; I wonder if he’s home.” Andrew stopped the car in front of a tan and yellow house. They walked up the cement steps to the front door and rang the bell. “Ted Olchyk?”

A bald man in white shorts and a yellow shirt answered. “I don’t want any.”

“Homicides, yeah, I agree. Philadelphia Police, we’d like to talk to you about Crystal Hanley,” Andrew insisted.

Ted took a step backward. “Yeah, it was a real tragedy what happened to her. I thought it was an accident though. Why are the police getting involved after all this time?”

“New information has come forward that may suggest otherwise. Maybe we should come in,” insisted Lilly.

“Yes, would you like some coffee?” asked Ted.

“To be honest, the coffee at the station has turned me off to coffee,” insisted Andrew.

The pair walked across the wood floor and took seats on an off white sofa. Ted sat in an adjacent red recliner.

“We were hoping you could identify some of the people in this photograph,” Lilly explained as she pulled a file from her case and turned to the photograph. “It lists you as being the photographer at the dance marathon.”

“I was, and I can still remember most of the people who lived here back then. I’ve lived in Port Richmond all of my life except for those two years when the government thought I could use a ‘vacation’ to Korea,” Ted informed. He took the photograph and examined it. “Talk about memory lane. Susan Macluski and Harry Brock,”

“Which ones are they?” asked Lilly.

“The couple to the right of Crystal and David; they were couple 17 that day as I recall. They ended up in third place in that contest,” Ted explained. “’Hot dog Harry’ we all called him. Any kind of contest he got involved in; he loved to show off to everybody.”

“Sounds like the kind of guy who might be a sore loser,” insisted Andrew.

“No. Harry, Susan, Crystal, and David were all friends as far as I knew. If you’re looking for someone who was giving Crystal a hard time, you should look at him,” said Ted pointing to the left of Crystal.

“Really, who is he?” asked Andrew.

“I just called him ‘guy 9’. I recognized most of the people there that day, but he was new. The girl he was with was named the one who's name we shall not say Polaski,” Ted informed. “I think she called him ‘Curtis’ once, but you would have to ask her. All I know is he was hassling Crystal from the start…”

[valrush]

The Contours: “Do You Love Me”


“The contest itself started at 7:00 AM, but we had to get to the school by 6:30 AM for warm-ups. I remember that the DJ was already there and about to put on a record. ‘Good morning out there! This is your music man Phil the Falcon welcoming you all to the 20th Annual Port Richmond Summer Dance Marathon! I know we’re all dragging right now, but I bet I can warm you all up with one simple question! Do you love me?’ The crowd cheered. ‘I’m not feeling the affection! Let’s try this again; DO YOU LOVE ME?’ The crowd cheered again and the music finally started.

“For the record, I didn’t love him. That Falcon guy thought he was so cool. If he was so great, why couldn’t get a real radio job? What a hack.

“Anyway, the music started and that’s when ‘guy 9’, with his dark, curly hair and brown suit with matching shoes, started bobbing his way over to Crystal and David. ‘Nice turnout for something like this,’ he said.

“’Yeah, it’s like this every year. Do I know you?’ Crystal asked.

“’Not yet, but you could. I saw that the movie theatre in town is showing ‘The Music Man’ for today’s matinee. How about we ditch the contest and catch a show?’ he asked.

“’Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I’m with my steady. If I want to catch a show, I’ll catch it with David,’ Crystal shot back.

“’Yeah dude, do yourself a favor. Back away slowly; Crystal is with me!’ David added.

“I thought a fight was going to break out at that point, but before things got too heated I heard the one who's name we shall not say with her deep red hair and frilly, pink dress shout out, ‘Curtis!’ That reeled him in super quick. He went back to the one who's name we shall not say and she let him have it. ‘What the hell are you doing? First of all, those are not friends! Second of all, we have to stay touching at all times on the dance floor or we’ll be out of the contest!’

“’the one who's name we shall not say, the contest hasn’t even officially started yet. I was just making conversation,’ he replied.

“’Well, don’t!’ she yelled.”

[valrush]

“That’s what I remember anyway. You can talk to the one who's name we shall not say to confirm his name. She still lives in the neighborhood; she’s on Belgrade Street I believe,” insisted Ted.

“Did this ‘Curtis’ ever try anything with Crystal again?” asked Lilly.

“the one who's name we shall not say tried to keep him on a pretty short leash, but it didn’t really work. All you have to do is look at that picture, and the way he’s staring into Crystal’s ear, to know that he would probably be thinking about her later that night,” Ted explained.

“Thank you for your time Mr. Olchyk. We will contact you if we need anything else,” said Andrew as they packed up and started to leave.

“It sounds like the one who's name we shall not say Polaski had a real jealous streak. Let’s track her down and see how she felt about her date flirting with Crystal all night,” Lilly added.

[valrush]

From the onset, it appeared as though the one who's name we shall not say Polaski liked all things white. Her house was painted white, her front door was painted white with some red around the edges, and a quick look from Lilly through the window showed her a living room with white carpeting, a white sofa, and a light-colored coffee table. Lilly rang the bell and a bald-headed man answered. “We don’t have any money.”

“Good, then you won’t attempt to bribe us,” said Lilly as they flashed their badges. “Philadelphia homicide, we’re looking for the one who's name we shall not say Polaski and we were told she lives here.”

“She’s here, but she hasn’t answered to ‘Polaski’ for about 46 years now. It’s been the one who's name we shall not say Brock since June of 1965,” the man explained.

“So, that would make you Harry Brock. We have some questions for you too,” insisted Andrew.

“You said you were homicide. What exactly is going on here?” asked Harry.

“Is that for me?” asked the one who's name we shall not say as she entered from an archway behind the wall.

“Do you know anything about any cops?” asked Harry.

“In answer to your question, Mr. Brock, we’re taking a second look at the death of your friend Crystal Hanley,” Andrew explained.

“Crystal, I heard she took a nasty fall after the contest,” insisted the one who's name we shall not say.

“Well, now we’re thinking it was more than a fall,” Lilly added.

“The dance marathon. That brings back some memories,” the one who's name we shall not say informed.

“Yeah, you don’t see things like that anymore. Back in our day we didn’t have internet or 800 television channels so those town gatherings were just our way of passing the time. I doubt you could get something like that off the ground now,” insisted Harry.

“Certainly not with our granddaughter,” the one who's name we shall not say added.

“Oh no, that would get in the way of her tweeting, or her Facebooking, or my personal favorite, texting her friend seated right next to her on the couch. I never thought I would see the day; taking 20 minutes to type out a message that it would take 20 seconds to actually say. Sometimes just watching her makes me crazy,” Harry replied. “But you probably didn’t come here to listen to me ramble.”

“I’ll give you that last one. Texting comes in handy sometimes, but mostly I just think it’s a pain in the ass,” Andrew added. “How exactly did you two end up together? What happened to Susan Macluski? We were told she was your date that night?”

Harry turned his head and sighed. “I remember her too; that girl was the original run-around Sue. We might have lasted if she hadn’t been seeing another guy behind my back.”

“Who was Curtis?” asked Lilly as she pulled out the picture. “Our witness said he was your date for the contest that day, but we were unable to obtain a last name.”

Harry laughed, “Oh yeah, Curtis Weelon. He didn’t exactly do you any favors that day did he?”

“We heard about how he spent the whole time flirting with Crystal. That must have made you pretty jealous,” insisted Lilly.

“More like angry. He was unfocused; I wanted to win,” the one who's name we shall not say explained. “What you have to understand is that Crystal and I were rivals back then. She teased for weeks leading up to the contest about how I probably didn’t have a date and would most likely come down with some sort of flu that only affected losers on dance contest day. So I called in Curtis.”

“That still sounds like motive to me. You’re not helping your case,” insisted Andrew.

“You don’t understand; I couldn’t get jealous over Curtis. We were partners that day, but we were hardly a couple,” the one who's name we shall not say informed. “Now Crystal’s date, he’s the one who got jealous…”

[valrush]

The Orlons: “Wah-Watusi”


“Looking back, Harry might have been a little jealous too. Crystal wasn’t the only girl Curtis tried to pick up that day. There was an incident near the punch bowl right before the actual contest started. Susan was about to get some punch when Curtis walked up behind her. ‘Seriously, this guy plays an actual dance song now before the contest even starts,’ Curtis said.

“’Yeah, his timing is a little off. We need to get a new DJ for this thing next year,’ insisted Susan.

“That’s when Crystal walked up to the bowl to retrieve a drink of her own. ‘How the hell are we supposed to keep track of our drinks? All of these juice glasses look exactly the same.’

“’If you ask me this whole scene is a total drag,’ insisted Curtis. Then he turned to Susan, ‘How about we ditch the contest and catch a movie later?’

“’I can’t do that; I’m with someone,’ Susan replied.

“’Pathetic,’ Crystal added.

“Curtis turned to Crystal. ‘I see. I’m interested in someone else, and now you’re jealous.’

“’I’m not jealous. I’m annoyed, and you’re… pathetic! You’ve done nothing but chase after unavailable girls since you got here!’ Crystal shot back. ‘I’m with my steady, Susan is with her steady, and you are with yours. How about dancing with the person you came with?’

“’I’m with… Oh, I see where you’re confused; she didn’t tell you. I’m Curtis Weelon from Atlantic City. I’m not the one who's name we shall not say’s date; I’m her cousin,’ Curtis explained.

“’I don’t care if… cousin? You’re the one who's name we shall not say’s cousin?’ Crystal asked. Curtis nodded. ‘Thank you. Regardless of how this contest turns out, I’ve already won.’

“’Hey jackass! What’s your bag?’ David yelled as he inserted himself between Curtis and Crystal. ‘I thought I warned you to stay away from my girl!’

“’David, please don’t make a scene—‘

“Crystal, I’m handling this!’ David yelled. ‘This is your last warning! If you come near my girl again, I will put your head through a wall! I’ll let you pick the wall, but it will be a wall! Are we clear?’

“Curtis and Susan backed away and went back to the dance floor. ‘You didn’t have to do that, David! We were just talking; I was handling the situation!’ Crystal insisted. ‘Look, the contest is about to start; let’s just get back out there for now! We’ll discuss this later!’.”

[valrush]

“So there you have it, the most embarrassing day of my life. I don’t know who it was that told, but needless to say the truth got out,” insisted the one who's name we shall not say.

“It doesn’t sound like that moment was particularly kind to Crystal either. Did she and David ever get into it again?” asked Lilly.

“It wouldn’t surprise me; David had a real possessive streak when it came to Crystal,” Harry added.

“Did he ever get violent with her?” asked Andrew.

“He didn’t necessarily have to put hands on her to do her harm,” the one who's name we shall not say explained.

“What do you mean?” asked Andrew.

“He was the pharmacist in the neighborhood back then. And I could be wrong about this, but later that day, while we were all on a break, I saw him take something out of his coat and slip it into his trouser pocket. I didn’t say anything back then because I wasn’t sure and everyone said it was an accident, but now I just don’t know,” the one who's name we shall not say informed.

“Thank you for your time. We’ll call you if we need anything else,” insisted Andrew. Lilly and Andrew rose to their feet and left the house. “This girl may have been drugged after all.”

“Let’s see if Vera and Miller found Crystal’s date, and if he knew anything about poisoned punch,” insisted Lilly.

[valrush]

3

David Shoeman’s Port Richmond home was made of brick, and his interior living room walls were painted a light shade of green. A large shelf containing a series of old records lined the far left wall from the sofa where Vera and Miller were seated. David walked in from the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hands and sat down in the red chair located at a right angle from the sofa.

David himself was slightly more tanned than his original picture would suggest. His hair had also changed from a dark black to more of a salt-and-pepper complexion. “So, you’re really here about Crystal Hanley. I’ll do my best, but I don’t know how much help I’ll be,” David said at last.

Miller stood up from the sofa and walked across the room to the shelf. “This is quite a record collection, Mr. Shoeman.”

“Most of them are still in perfect condition. I even still have a machine that plays them,” David informed.

Miller’s attention went to the top shelf where only one record was present. She retrieved the record from the shelf. “’The Shirelles: Tonight’s the Night’. Why does this record seem to have shelf of its own?”

“I consider it a place of honor; that was one of Crystal’s favorites. I’m surprised you can still read the cover through all the dust though; I haven’t played that record in over forty years,” David explained.

“You thought she was pretty special. It must have made you crazy when you saw Crystal flirting with another man,” Vera insisted. David said nothing. “We talked to your friend Harry Brock and his wife the one who's name we shall not say Polaski. They claim that you got pretty heated when you saw Crystal talking with the one who's name we shall not say’s partner.”

David froze in thought for a moment. “Wait, I remember him. I was not jealous of that loser; I did that whole damn gymnasium a favor when I put him in his place. That guy was a hound; he hit on every girl there! He hit on Harry’s date!”

“Susan Macluski? He told us that too. He also told us that you had a jealous streak when it came to Crystal,” insisted Vera.

“I should just let some jerk hit on my girlfriend?” asked David.

“Well, maybe you decided nobody should have her. Tax records from 1962 indicate that you were a pharmacist back then. That gave you all types of access to drugs you could put in someone’s punch,” Miller explained.

“You’re reaching, detective! I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but I did not hurt Crystal!” insisted David.

“Then how do you explain Harry’s statement to us? He’s claiming that he saw you slip a small package into your pants pocket earlier that day,” Vera informed.

David leaned back on the sofa. “Well, maybe he did catch me! But he’s remembering it wrong! I was carrying a package that day, but it wasn’t any poison! It was a ring; I proposed to Crystal that day…”

[valrush]

The Shirelles: “Mama Said”


“We had a little more space on the gym floor at this point, I believe we were down to fourteen couples when the DJ made an announcement, ‘Listen up guys and dolls; the little hand is nearly at the one which means you’ve been dancing for six hours now! We’ll be taking another break after this special request!’

“Harry and Susan were right next to us when I heard Susan say, ‘Harry, I’m not feeling so great. I’ve been okay up until now, but I think I’m about to lose it.’

“’You took the medicine this morning didn’t you?’ Harry asked.

“’No, I have it with me, but I didn’t have a chance to take it this morning,’ Susan explained.

“’Oh Susan—‘

“’He said a break was coming. I can last a few minutes,’ insisted Susan.

“’Are you sure, because I’ll back out now if you don’t—‘

“’Back out now? Damn it Harry, you never should have entered her in this thing in the first place; you know what her condition is,’ I explained.

“’Are you afraid of… a little… competition?’ asked Susan.

“They obviously weren’t going to listen to me, so I just turned back to Crystal. ‘Just what the world needs; a mixture of those two crazies. Anyway Crystal, back to us. I have a confession to make; that special request was mine.’

“’I didn’t know this guy took requests. What did you do, David?’ Crystal asked.

“’I engaged in a little payola; I bribed the DJ $10 to play your song at the next break. It’s my way of apologizing for making a scene earlier,’ I explained. The song ended and Susan bolted for her purse and then to the ladies’ room. ‘I know I get jealous sometimes, but the thought of losing you scares me. So I’m thinking maybe it’s time to make this thing permanent.’

“That’s when I dropped to one knee and pulled the ring box out of my pocket. I placed the ring on Crystal’s left hand and asked her, ‘Will you marry me Crystal Hanley?’

“The trouble with proposals is you don’t always know if the timing is right. Crystal didn’t speak right away. The room stopped moving, and for a moment I thought I was about to get rejected in front of an audience until I finally heard Crystal whisper, ‘Yes.’

“A photographer’s flashbulb went off. I jumped to my feet shouting, ‘She said yes! SHE SAID YES! SHE SAID YES!’

“Crystal put her hands on my shoulders. ‘David, we have the entire day to celebrate, but now I really should check on Susan.’

“I had to catch my breath. ‘Yes, go after her.’

“Crystal started to leave when the one who's name we shall not say stepped in front of her. ‘So I guess you’re happy. You’re engaged, and you got to embarrass me!’

“’How is me getting engaged embarrassing you, the one who's name we shall not say?’ she asked.

“’How many people did you tell? I’m assuming your new fiancé, and he probably told Harry and Susan!’ insisted the one who's name we shall not say.

“Tell people what?’ asked Crystal.

“We both know you, Crystal; it’s too juicy for you not to spread around! We both know you found out Curtis is my cousin! We both know that you found out that the one who's name we shall not say Polaski couldn’t get a date for the contest so she asked her aunt in New Jersey to convince her cousin Curtis to take her, and that she had to split the cost of a new suit just to get him to do it! How many people did you tell?’ the one who's name we shall not say shouted.

“’I’ve been on the floor as long as you have, the one who's name we shall not say! I swear I haven’t told anyone; you on the other hand just told the whole world!’ Crystal replied.

“Muffled laughter filled the room. the one who's name we shall not say took a step toward Crystal and said, ‘You can’t win, Crystal. One way or another; I’m beating you today.’ But Crystal just turned and headed for the ladies’ room.”

[valrush]

“She was angry. I wasn’t sure what she would do when Crystal and I won and she had to settle for second,” David informed.

“What did she do?” asked Vera.

“We took the photograph of the final three couples, and I think she just left after that. But I really don’t remember,” David insisted.

“You said Susan was pregnant and that she had access to pills?” asked Miller.

“She was taking an anti-nausea medication to relieve morning sickness. How she lasted until the end I couldn’t tell you. Harry had no business entering her in that contest. First the clumsy idiot gets her pregnant, and then he puts her in danger,” David explained.

“We’ve talked to Mr. Brock, and according to him it may have been another clumsy idiot that got Susan pregnant. Are you sure the kid was his?” asked Vera.

David sighed. “I heard that rumor too, and I never put any stock in it. I knew Susan; I never thought she had it in her to cheat on Harry. If she did, it’s news to me too.”

Vera stood up from the couch. “We appreciate your cooperation, Mr. Shoeman. We’ll contact you if we need anything else.” Then the pair walked out of David’s home.

[valrush]

Scotty’s head was firmly planted on his desk when Lilly and John approached him. “Scotty?” asked John.

Scotty’s eyes shot open and he jumped up to a seated position. “Yeah, boss.”

“Have you been here all night? What’s all this?” asked John pointing to a series of photographs scattered around Scotty’s desk. Most of them were of the charred remains of an old building.

“It’s an arson case from two years ago. The D. A. is worried that it might get reversed on appeal so I’m just double checking our evidence,” Scotty explained.

“That’s the ‘other case’, a favor for a D. A.?” asked Lilly.

“Yeah… that photographer… Mr. Olchyk had some pictures for you too. You asked him if he remembered any proposals on the day of the contest, and he dropped off some pictures,” said Scotty. He started fumbling through the pictures on his desk until he found the one in question. “I think this is the one that will interest you.”

“Why didn’t you just give this to us yesterday?” asked Lilly.

“I guess I just forgot. I’m kind of swamped here, Lilly,” Scotty insisted.

“Aren’t we all?” said Lilly. Her eyes turned back to the picture. “There’s David on one knee, there’s the ring, and there’s Crystal. It looks like he was telling the truth about that.”

“He was telling the truth about Susan too. County records list a birth certificate for a Bertram Macluski born at Northeastern Hospital in Port Richmond on January 18, 1963. But it doesn’t list a father’s name,” Stillman explained.

“Perfect, he could be Harry’s son, or he could belong to any guy in Port Richmond,” Scotty replied. “Why do we even care about what these girls were thinking? We know it was a male voice on that tape.”

“There’s a lot that tape doesn’t tell us. There was so much static on it; maybe there was a third person in the stairwell with them. And with part of David’s story now confirmed I think we can revisit the poisoning theory,” insisted Lilly.

“It’s all theory without more information. I think it’s time to talk to Susan Macluski,” John added. “Can you stay awake long enough to do this interview?”

“Yes,” Scotty replied.

“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll drive,” insisted Lilly.

[valrush]

Susan Macluski’s house was painted white and consisted only of one floor. The first surprise Lilly and Scotty saw was that there were no steps, but instead a ramp, leading up to the front entrance. Lilly rang the bell at the top of the ramp and a white-haired man in a wheelchair answered. “Who the hell are you?” he asked.

“Detectives Rush and Valens, Philadelphia Police. We’re looking for Susan Macluski and our records indicate this is her address,” insisted Lilly.

“Bert, who is it?” said a woman walking down the hall.

“It’s the cops, and they say they’re looking for you,” Bertram explained.

“We’d like to talk to you about one of your old friends by the name of Crystal Hanley,” insisted Scotty.

“Crystal Hanley? There’s a name I never thought I’d hear again. Bert, let them in,” insisted Susan.

Bertram rolled out of the way of the door revealing the sawed-off stump of his left leg where a foot would normally be. “Get a good look at my stump, detectives?”

“Bert, why don’t you go into the kitchen and make coffee for everyone?” asked Susan.

“Fine, but if they lock you up I will eventually find out about it,” insisted Bert as he wheeled himself into the next room.

“I thought Crystal’s death was an accident,” Susan added as she took a seat in an oak rocking chair.

“Well, we have information that suggests she might have been poisoned before that fall. We talked to David Shoeman, and he said that you had access to pills,” insisted Scotty.

“I don’t know what David told you, but we were friends. I had no reason to hurt Crystal,” Susan replied with a sigh. “He’s telling the truth about the pills though. Believe me, I wish he wasn’t.”

“What do you mean?” asked Lilly.

Susan lowered her voice. “You probably noticed that my son was born with some noticeable deficiencies.”

“Well, what exactly happened to him?” asked Scotty.

“I told my son years ago that he was born the way he is. It’s true, but it’s not the whole story. The truth is that I’m part of the reason he’s in that wheelchair…”

[valrush]

Dee Dee Sharp: “Mashed Potato Time”


“Crystal caught me as I was exiting one of the ladies’ room stalls. ‘Are you okay, Susan?’

“’I’m still a little dizzy, but now that I’ve taken my medicine I should be fine,’ I insisted. “The four of us drank a lot of wine that weekend in the Poconos. I don’t remember much of what I did, but I’m pretty sure of at least one thing.’

“’Maybe David is right; maybe you should back out of this thing,’ Crystal responded.

“You’d love that wouldn’t you?” I responded.

“’I’m serious, Susan. Harry is an idiot, but I doubt he wants to put you in danger. He did say he would marry you after all,’ Crystal explained.

“’Come join us at our big wedding at the courthouse in two weeks. It’s hardly the fantasy wedding I’ve dreamed of, but we have to be practical now… unlike you apparently! So David finally proposed!’ I shouted when I finally noticed Crystal’s engagement ring.

“’So you heard?’ Crystal asked.

“’I heard a voice that sounded like David, but I wasn’t really sure! Congratulations, I’m sorry I missed it! But seriously, you don’t need to worry anymore. I took my medicine; I should be okay,’ I said as I put the pill bottle back into my purse.

“But Crystal must have seen the label, because she spoke up suddenly. ‘‘Kevadon’? I thought they took this off the market; a lot of people think this is dangerous.’

“’David said the same thing, but he still sold me the pills. I don’t know why they would get rid of it; it seems to help me and I’m not feeling any other side effects,” I explained. A bell rang outside in the gymnasium. ‘That’s the bell; we have to get back out on the floor.’.”

[valrush]

“I should have listened to her; the side effects weren’t mine to feel,” Susan added.

“What do you mean?” asked Scotty.

“Kevadon was the brand name for a drug called thalidomide that was discovered to cause birth defects,” Susan explained.

“No offense, but entering an all-day dance contest probably didn’t help. How did Harry talk you into doing that?” asked Lilly.

“Harry didn’t talk me into anything, detective; I wanted to do that contest as much as he did,” insisted Susan. “No, Bert’s dead beat father takes the blame for a lot of things, but that isn’t one of them.”

“So Bertram is Harry’s son?” asked Lilly.

Susan sighed. “The fact that you’re asking me that means that you talked to Harry first. Of course Bert is Harry’s son. I don’t know where that bum got it in his head that I ran around on him, but it isn’t true. I can’t believe I ever thought he was one of the good ones.”

“You could always get a DNA test to prove it,” said Scotty.

“I thought about it, but I hear they’re pretty expensive. Besides, it has been nearly fifty years. What good would it do now? Our lives are what they are. We live off of Social Security and a trust that was later set up by the thalidomide manufacturer,” Susan explained.

“Thank you for your time,” said Lilly as they left Susan’s home.

[valrush]

Everyone was huddled around Stillman’s desk the next morning. The desk was buried under a mountain of books and papers. “Let’s back up for a minute. What exactly was thalidomide?” asked Andrew.

“It’s a drug and it still exists today. Among other things, they use it as an inhibitor of tumor growth in cancer patients. But in the early 1960s it was marketed as a treatment to relieve the nausea associated with early pregnancy,” Stillman explained. “That is until it was determined that it was damn near lethal if pregnant woman used it. Even if the kid made it to term we’re talking very serious birth defects: missing limbs, missing eyes, heart and liver deformation. You name it. It’s estimated that there are as many as 10,000-20,000 birth defect cases worldwide that can be connected to thalidomide use.”

“’Children of thalidomide’; I always wondered what Billy Joel was talking about,” Andrew replied. “How were they able to manufacture something this dangerous?”

“Back then they didn’t screen medications solely for potential birth defects. They assumed that if it didn’t harm the mother it didn’t harm the child. Thalidomide changed that rule. Add to that the fact that the drug company danced around the FDA for awhile, and you have a recipe for death,” Stillman explained. “By 1962 most countries had begun removing the anti-nausea medicine from shelves. According to my research, Canada was the last major country to do so.”

“Then how did David still have it,” asked Miller.

“One thing I’ve learned in this unit; major changes rarely happen overnight. David might have been stuck with a lot of inventory that he felt he was owed something on,” Stillman replied.

“What’s his motive for hurting Crystal?” asked Miller.

“Crystal’s voice on that tape said she knew about something. It could mean that she knew about the toxic pills,” informed Lilly.

“This whole cheating thing with Harry and Susan has been bothering me. Maybe Susan told Crystal, she turned around and told Harry, and he didn’t believe her so he killed the messenger,” insisted Darius.

“That’s a bit of a stretch, Andrew,” insisted Vera.

“Besides, if we’re looking at people who wanted to vent anger, my money is on the one who's name we shall not say Polaski. It sounds like Crystal embarrassed her pretty badly that day,” insisted Miller.

“From what I heard it sounded like the one who's name we shall not say embarrassed herself,” Lilly replied.

“Yeah, but did she see it that way?” asked Miller.

“How would the one who's name we shall not say have known about the pills?” asked Darius.

“That’s assuming Crystal was drugged. Do we have any evidence backing up that theory?” asked Vera.

“If Crystal was in fact poisoned with thalidomide, the coroner back then probably didn’t think to test for it because there’s no mention of Crystal being pregnant when she fell,” Stillman explained.

“Any chance we can reexamine this girl? The body would be pretty decayed by now, but maybe there are still traces of blood that they can still test for this stuff?” asked Darius.

“It’s a good thought, Andrew, but I’m afraid we can’t do an autopsy on ashes. When Crystal’s death was ruled an accident in 1962 the body was released into the custody of her older brother, and he had her cremated. There’s no body to examine,” John informed.

“So we have a million motives with no corroborating evidence,” Vera added.

“Did we ever hear back from that DJ?” asked Miller.

Scotty’s head turned. “Yeah, he … called a few days ago.”

“You’re just now remembering this. What did he call about?” asked Stillman.

“I don’t remember his exact words, but I did take a message. I guess it got lost in all my other paperwork,” insisted Scotty. Scotty went back to his desk, fumbled through some papers, and returned five minutes later with a white square with writing.

John took the square and read the message. “’… argument involving Crystal.’ You didn’t think this was worth mentioning.”

“I’ve been busy, boss,” Scotty insisted.

John slapped a hand across his bald head. “Lilly, call Mr. Thomas and let him know we’re ready to speak with him. Scotty, in my office.”

Scotty followed John into his office and sat down in front of John’s desk. “You don’t usually drop balls like this, Scotty. What’s going on?”

“I’ve been busy. The Albert Dent case has been taking up a lot more of my time then I thought it would,” Scotty explained.

“The favor for the District Attorney; I heard about that. What I don’t understand is why you insist on taking this on alone,” said Stillman.

“I thought it would be a lot simpler than it’s turning out to be. With the way it seems to be dragging on I didn’t want to burden anyone,” insisted Scotty.

“Scotty, you’re falling asleep at your desk. You won’t even let Rush in on this. Something is going on; I haven’t seen you this out of it since Elisa was killed,” Stillman replied.

“I swear, there’s no problem, boss,” insisted Scotty.

“Well, I have a problem if you’re not at your best out there, and clearly you are not right now. Without proof of anything wrong I can’t make you talk to me, but I can make you take some time off,” insisted Stillman.

“I don’t think that’s—“

“Well, I do. Go home, get some rest. I don’t want to see you in here for at least another 48 hours; consider that an order,” said Stillman. Scotty stood up and marched out of the office.

[valrush]

4

“We appreciate you coming in, Mr. Thomas,” said Stillman as he walked the DJ through the glass door of the conference room.

“I appreciate somebody finally calling me back,” Phillip replied.

“It’s been crazy these past few days; sometimes things get overlooked,” said John as they sat down in chairs on either side of the table. “Anyway, you said you remembered something from the contest that might be significant.”

“It’s just like I told the other detective. There are two things from that day I will never forget from that contest day, the proposal and the argument,” Phillip explained.

“Argument?” John asked.

“It started as couple 17 splitting up,” Philip added.

“Harry and Susan?” John asked.

“Yes, but Crystal got caught in the middle of it somehow. I remember because it had taken nearly 15 hours to get down to the final three couples. Then we came back from a break, and all hell broke loose in three minutes…”