He entered the library of the Stanwyk house by the french window. He reflected that it had even been true that the servants perpetually forgot to lock that door.
Using only moonlight, he slid open the top right drawer of the desk.
As he suspected, the .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver was still in the drawer.
And, as he had suspected, the bullet clip had been removed.
He returned the empty gun to the drawer.
At five-fifteen Thursday morning, Fletch was in his office at the News-Tribune, writing a story for Thursday afternoon’s newspaper.
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for 1st Thurs. p.m. BODY FOUND w/cuts: R. Sanders Fletcher
The nude body of a 15-year-old girl was discovered buried in the sand off Shoreside Blvd., The Beach, by police this morning.
The body was found encased in a sleeping bag in a shallow grave in the shade of the sea wall as the result of a tip from an anonymous caller.
The body has been identified as that of Roberta “Bobbi” Sanders, believed to be originally from Illinois.
It is expected that, in his report, coroner Alfred Wilson will estimate the time of death sometime late Sunday night or early Monday morning and the cause of death as an overdose of drugs.
According to a police spokesman, the sleeping bag is a popular brand and there is little expectation it can be traced to its owner.
The girl, abandoned at The Beach by a 30-year-old male traveling companion some months ago, had no known local address.
Her friends are not known to police.
She had no known means of support.
The anonymous caller this morning was described by police as “probably male.” It is reported by the receiving officer that an obvious attempt was made by the caller to muffle or disguise the voice.
The Beach police are making every effort to locate the girl’s family in Illinois.
It is believed her father is a dentist.
for 1st Thurs. p.m. (fp) POLICE CHIEF IMPLICATED Fletcher w/exhibits: 1) Montgomery affidavit; 2) Witherspoon affidavit; 3) Cummings’s handwritten note— enclosed, captioned w/cuts: Cummings, Witherspoon, Montgomery—u have in rack.
The News-Tribune delivered to the district attorney’s office this morning evidence implicating Chief of Police Graham Cummings in illegal drug trafficking in The Beach area.
The evidence includes: an affidavit signed by Charles Witherspoon, alias Vatsyayana, alias Fat Sam, who identifies himself in the affidavit as “the disseminator of [illegal] drugs in The Beach area,” an affidavit signed by Lewis Montgomery, who identifies himself in the affidavit as “the drug runner to Fat Sam,” and a handwritten note to “Sam” regarding drug-running problems signed “Cummings.”
These affidavits identify Chief Cummings as the source of illegal drugs in The Beach area.
The affidavits are dated with yesterday’s date.
This morning, The Beach police discovered the body of a 15-year-old girl, Roberta “Bobbi” Sanders, buried in a shallow grave near the main sea wall at The Beach, dead of a drug overdose. (See related story.)
The evidence implicating Cummings is the result of a special investigation by the News-Tribune beginning a month ago.
Both Witherspoon and Montgomery were placed in protective custody before noon today.
The arrest of Chief Cummings by federal narcotics agents is expected later today.
According to the affidavits, Cummings, 59, under the guise of establishing a home in Mexico preparatory to his retirement a year hence, has been smuggling drugs in from Mexico on a monthly basis for more than four years.
Street prices for these drugs have totaled as much as $75,000 a month.
Cummings’s personal car, which he used on his frequent trips to Mexico, is a late-model dark blue Chevrolet sedan, with plates front and back reading “Chief of Police.” The car is equipped with a police radio. A rotating, flashing light similar to those used on official police cars is on the roof of Cummings’s privately owned car. A high-powered Winchester rifle is slung beneath the dashboard.
It is unknown whether Cummings also wore his police uniform while going through customs.
It is known that his wife and teenage daughter frequently have made the trip with him.
Cummings has been a member of The Beach police force 19 years. Prior to his police career, he was a career non-commissioned officer in the U. S. Army.
Montgomery is the son of James Montgomery, superintendent of schools at The Beach.
According to the affidavits, town police regularly would pick up young Montgomery for “questioning.”
Once alone in the office of the chief of police, the transfer of drugs for cash would take place between Montgomery and Cummings.
Montgomery states the belief these transactions were completely unknown to other police officers.
Montgomery would transfer both drugs and money in a money belt concealed beneath a loose Hawaiian shirt.