12 - Case Pending by Elizabeth Linington

In the grimy underbelly of the city, a girls lifeless body is discovered in a desolate lot, horrifyingly beaten and with an eye brutally gouged out. Across town, another young woman is found dead under similar circumstances. Lieutenant Mendoza is convinced theres a chilling connection. As he delves into this twisting mystery in this first riveting installment of the Lt. Mendoza series, he navigates a colorful landscape of intriguing characters, veiled secrets, and stark realism that resonates with the modern reader. (Summary by Ben Tucker)

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Chapter twelve of case Pending by Del Shannon. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain. Chapter twelve. The rookie
who had been riding the squad car that answered the
call to Eleanor Ramirez's body, was on night shift this
week and came into the Precipt station on Maine to
check out at five past eight that morning with his partner.

(00:22):
They found the desk sergeant and a couple of the
day men who had just reported in guffawing over something
on the sergeant's desk who got present from an anonymous
admire Boys, ain't she pretty? I guess somebody's figure. We're
not getting enough feminine companionship. The rookie went up to
look and it was a doll, an old, dilapidated, half
broken apart doll lying there, a big one, good three

(00:44):
feet long. Where the hell did that come from? Asked
his partner. Vic found it propped up against the door
when he came on just now, like somebody had sat
it up there on purpose, said Vic. The damnedest thing, kids,
I guess, oh, said the death sergeant. Well, some of
these punks things as smart Erevic stick it out back

(01:05):
in the trash will you ah, just a minute, sergeant,
said the rookie. He had a funny feeling looking at
the thing. It was crazy, But hey, Pete, he said
to his partner, does it kind of remind you of something?
Look at the way it's got that one eye. I mean,
it's the damnest thing. But that dead girl over on
Commerce Saturday, you know, I mean. They all looked at

(01:27):
it again, and Pete said, what about it? And the
rookie said weakly, well, he just wondered if there could
be any connection. I mean, it's crazy, but maybe the
boys downtown would be interested, isn't this? Said the sergeant,
Now that'd be something I could just see myself calling
headquarters ask if anybody down there wants to play dolls. No,

(01:47):
but the longer he looked at it, the funnier the
feeling got. They had a little more backchat, the rest
of them kidding him because that had been his first
corpse and he hadn't acted as hard boiled as maybe
you should have. And the sergeant finally, he said, if
he wanted to play detective so bad, he could do
it with his own dime and be sure and tell
whoever he talked to it was strictly his own idea,
none of the precinct's responsibility. They didn't think he'd have

(02:11):
the nerve to do anything like that, but by then
he was feeling stubborn about it, and he said, all right,
by God, he'd do just that, and got Vic to
change a quarter for him and call down town. He
got hold of Hacket after a little argument with Sergeant Lake,
and in the middle of talking with him, Hackett broke
off to relay the news to Mendoza, who'd just come in.
The rookie hung on listening to the lieutenant's exclamation in

(02:31):
the background, and then jumped as Mendoza's voice came cracking
over the wire. Tell your sergeant, I'm coming right around.
Leave it as it is and stay there yourself, Yes, Sir,
said the rookie, but the wire was already dead. Ten
minutes later, Mendoza walked in and took a look at
the doll before he remembered to throw a good morning
at the sergeant. V Ona dor Mancion. He murmured very

(02:52):
softly to himself, and his very mustache seemed to quiver
with excitement. Now what does this mean? But by god,
whatever it means, it's the one, no odds, offered. He
swung on the sergeant. Let's hear all about it. There
wasn't much to hear when they got down to definite details.
It had been sitting up against the left side of
the double doors, in a position where it wouldn't either

(03:13):
interfere with that door's opening or necessarily be noticed in
the dark. This was an old precinct station, and the
doors were set at the back of a recessed open
lobby at the top of the front steps, which was
temporarily unlighted due to defective wiring. Consequently, there was no
terminus a quo. The thing might have been there since
midnight and gone unnoticed by the various patrolmen going in

(03:33):
and out during the night, or it might have been
put there ten minutes before vic found it, though it
was likelier to have been before daylight, and of course
every man there had handled the thing. But it was
no good swearing about that now. Mendoza demanded a sheet
of wrapping paper and swathed the doll in it carefully.
Prince would have to isolate any strangers from the precinct men.
That was all. So I've you to think for this

(03:57):
and He turned to the rookie, who was nearly as
surprise as the sergeant. What's your name, the rookie told him,
I'll remember that you showed intelligence. What struck you about it? Well,
I it's crazy, lieutenant, But the way it looked lying there,
it reminded me of that dead girl, the eye and all.
It was just a sort of feeling. Yes, you're a

(04:19):
good man. Any time you want to get out of
uniform when you're qualified, I'll be glad to put in
a word for you. The rookie, who had heard a
little more about Mendoza by this time, stammered incredulous gratitude.
The sergeant was struck dumb, and Mendoza walked out with
the doll cradled tenderly in his arms. He could not
resist showing it to Hackett before he delivered it to Prince.

(04:40):
They looked at it lying there on his desk, mute,
ugly and enigmatic, and Hackett said, and I laid myself open,
say it. I told you so. I'm magnanimous this morning.
But that's the only thing I could say about it. Boy,
I'm just one big question mark about it. Otherwise, what
the hell has it got to do with this. Don't

(05:00):
look a gift horse in the mouth. Yeah, veromos, I
hope waiting for time to tell us just what we
can't do. Dammit, take it down, Willy. While Hackett was gone,
he called Gunn's office. Morgan, he just got in. Why no,
said Mendoza, happily. I want him now, immediately, sooner. Apologies

(05:22):
to take him away from his job, but I need him,
Gunn said, resignedly. All good citizens had a duty to
aid the police when requested, and he'd shoot him right over.
Mendoza looked up another number and called it, Missus Demrist.
Lieutenant Mendoza, I want to see you some time to day.
I think we've got the doll and I want your
identification if it is also Missus Breen's. I don't know

(05:43):
one thing about it except that I've got it. It
just came out of the blue. Look, I won't ask
you to come all the way down here. Suppose you
see if you can get hold of Missus Breen for
some time this afternoon, and I'll bring it to your house.
I probably won't get it back from Prince until noon anyway.
Right then you'll call me back. Waiting for Morgan he
called Callahan in idle curiosity about Ramirez. They found an

(06:05):
ounce and a half of uncut heroine in a plastic
bag taped to the under side of the bureau in
his room at the Ramirez house. He had been taken
into custody, and yes, Callahan agreed that the rest of
the family looked innocent enough, but of course a check
has to be made. And was what he heard in
the background evidence of how they usually examined witnesses and homicide,
because if so, it ought to be reported to the chief.

(06:27):
I'm just about to find out, said Mendoza and hung up.
Somebody out in the anteroom was shouting angrily. He could
hear Hackett saying now, take it easy, and a woman
saying something else. He opened the door in time to
see a little dark fellow take a swing at Hacket,
which almost connected. Hackett, looking as surprised as a great
Dane attacked by a belligerent Pique, held the fellow off
with a hand on the chest and went on saying,

(06:49):
take it easy now. The woman was Agnes Brown, and
she was saying, Joe, Oh, you mustn't please Joe. What's
this all about? Mendoza plucked Joe off Hackett and swung
him round. Now calm down, all of you. Come into
my office and let's hear about it. Miss Brown or
it's missus Brown, isn't it. No, it's it's not, said

(07:09):
Agnes desperately. That's just what I came to tell you, sir.
Only I went to tell mister Snyder, and I was
quitting first and readA would go and call Joe and
he has to come after and start all this ruction.
He doesn't mean any harm, sir. Please duhulla. Don't I
like to know what the hell you guys are up
to persecuting an innocent citizen. What it amounts to, and
by god, I'll see it carried to the Supreme Court.

(07:29):
If you got no reason just because she happened, Oh Joe,
they have. I I couldn't tell you, but now it
got to. I came to confess and have it all
done with. I know I've done awful wrong, sir, but please,
Joe didn't know. Hackett said to nobody in particular, I
better apologize to Dwyer. I see how he came to
walk into it. Joe stared at Agnes in astonishment and

(07:50):
subsided and Mendoza told him all to sit down. You
want to confess what he asked Agnes. She collapsed into
a chair and began to cry, I black. They all
looked at her. Hackett said, well, I'll be damned you see, Louise,
I told you it was that sort of thing, nothing
at all. Now we know you don't look very black

(08:11):
to me, Miss Brown, I am. It's the law. I
know I don't look so. My mother was half white, sir.
My dad's more than half. They didn't either. I'm about
an eighth, I guess, or something like that. And everybody
always said I could pass, and I thought i'd but
I felt just awful about it. I've never done anything
against the law, sir before, I swear heaven't. I don't

(08:34):
know if that counts makes any difference to know how
long i'd maybe have to go to jail. Nobody's going
to put you in jail, said Joe. It's the law,
sobbed Agnes. They know it's the law. And I gave
a wrong address, and all I suppose they found out,
and then of course they'd suspect something funny. Well, now
I grant we got some damn funny laws on the books,

(08:56):
said Hackett. But that's a new one to me, and
miss Brown. It is the law most states, and I
guess here too. I know it was wrong, sir. She
emerged from her handkerchief to blow her nose. It says
anybody with any black at all who pretends, oh that one,
said Hackett. I forget. Now does it say it's a
misdemeanor or a felony? He looked at Mendoza. I seem

(09:20):
to remember it says misdemeanor, said Mendoza. But offhand, I
wouldn't know what a mandatory sentences thirty or sixty days
A judge now listen, said Joe. A judge might have
a little trouble finding the latest precedent somewhere around nineteen hundred.
I should think they leave all that stuff in to
make life hard for law students, said Hackett. There's some

(09:41):
a lot funnier than that. Don't ridicule the law, said
Mendoza severely, if you ask me, some of those ought
to be looked up and enforced. There's another one that
says it's a misdemeanor for a female to wear male
clothing and public And if you ever walked down Broadway
and seen all the fat women in pants. Agnes stared
at them a little wildly and asked, don't they going
to arrest her? Agnes? Honey, said Joe, as if the

(10:04):
sense of it had just penetrated. You mean that's why
you never go out with me? Always acted so well?
I'll be damned. He leaned on Mendoza's desk and laughed.
You want to know something. I I've been in a
kind of sweat about it because I figured it was
on account I'm Catholic and you wouldn't have nothing to
do with it. What, Joe, however, could you think such

(10:26):
a thing of me? I'd never Why that's un American
go judging people by what church? Yes, I think there's
a law about that, too, agreed Hackett thoughtfully, Honey, one
of eight din's too awful Black. You know, matter of fact,
you're a lot lighter complexed than me. As far as
I know, I got nothing but a Dallly on both sides.
Back to Adam, though, I guess that a lot of

(10:47):
us get some surprises if we knew everything was in
a family tree. Like they say, you stop crying now, Agnes.
It's all right, you see, it's all right. But you
mean you don't care and they aren't going to arrest. Well,
i'll tell you, miss Brown, said Mendoza. The court calendars
are pretty full, and we don't want to overburden the judges.
I think we'll just forget it. But maybe mister Carpaccio

(11:10):
here it is, mister Carpaccio. Would you care to take
to your probationary responsibility for your future good conduct? In
which case that's a damn good idea, said Joe. Come
on now, Agnes, stop crying. Come with me. You see,
they're not going to do nothing to you. It's nobody's business,
but yours, don't I care. Listen, Honey, you're the nicest

(11:30):
girl I ever knew, and the prettiest one to and
I couldn't care less if you're all colors of the rainbow,
and no reader won't care either. I'd like to see
her try. Besides, I read some place about a thing
called Mendelian law. It says, take her away and explain
that one thoroughly advised Mendoza, chewing them out to the
ante room. Yes, yes, miss Brown, you're very welcome. Thank
you for coming in. Morgan, good morning. What kept you

(11:53):
come in here? I've got a job for you. Morgan
wasn't enthusiastic about the job, took it on somewhat grudg
while taking Mendoza's point of view, I've got no real
reason to ask questions about this boy, and the school
people would undoubtedly raise an uproar want to know all
about it. If a homicide man walked in wanting to
know all about one of their seventh graders. There may

(12:14):
be nothing in it anyway, and in any case, not
much to find out at the school, but it's obviously
the first place to go for information about him. They
may be a little surprised at your office wanting to know,
but they won't be alarmed about it. And everybody's so
used these days to be and asked irrelevant questions by
busy body government agencies ten to one, they won't think
twice about it. Try to see his teacher, or all

(12:36):
his teachers if there are more than one, and at
school records. I've jotted down some questions you might ask,
all right, Morgan took the memo ungraciously. I'll get what
I can for you, but I do have a job
on my own, you know, and things I've got to
do today I realized that Mendoza also realized that some
of the reluctance was due to the fact that Morgan

(12:58):
didn't like him much personally. That was just one of
those things, Morgan being a reasonably intelligent man, Mendoza didn't
put it down to any irrational prejudice, though he wasn't
much concerned when the reason, if there was one, probably
not just a matter of personal chemistries, and he never
wasted time trying to ingratiate himself with people who felt
that way. He had had the same reasonless reaction himself

(13:19):
often enough to know that it was a waste of time.
He merely thanked Morgan politely saw him out, and, deciding
he could not decently call down to Prince to see
if they'd found anything interesting before eleven, sat down to
look over the latest reports on his other current cases.
Before he had read the first three lines of what
Sergeant Bryce had to tell him, another disturbance commenced outside
his door. He said resignedly to himself, Mendoor Barvinchito and

(13:45):
went to investigate. As he might have expected. It was
a delegation representing the family Ramirez, consisting of Papa Theresa
and father Monaghan. Ramirez was being impassioned and Spanish, and
Hackett was patting his shoulder and repeating no says of
og de domigo, yes coprende. Lieutenant Teresa clutched out his arm. Please,

(14:07):
You've got to believe none of us knew what my
uncle was up to. Never, never, never, Ramirez world to
state his case to higher authority. This villain disbandit to
bring such disgrace on the family. I swear be Forgod
to you. Never would I have him in my house
if I knew what he is guilty of. And now
you're thinking bad things for all of us, that we're

(14:27):
all criminals. I swear to you. Calm yourself, my son.
I've told you the police will judge fairly. You must
not worry. Lieutenant. I do hope there will be no misunderstanding.
I'm quite certain these people had nothing to do. Yes, yes, yes,
said Mendoza. Ramirez. Quiet, you've been in this country long
enough to know that we're not augers. Listen, now your

(14:49):
brother has broken the lawn. He will go to prison,
but his crime isn't in my jurisdiction. Understand. He was
arrested by my friend, Lieutenant Callahan. And I've spoken with
the lieutenant, who agrees with me that you people very
likely knew nothing the crime, although naturally he must investigate. That.
You understand that there must be investigation when a crime
is committed. But if you've done nothing wrong, you have
nothing to fear from the police, you see, Papa, I

(15:12):
kept telling you it is all right. They'll find out
we didn't have nothing to do with it. An uncle
will say too, he's not that bad trying to pull
us into it. Thanks, lieutenant, that was real nice to
you say that to this other cop. Now, don't take
on so Papa. They got Ramirez calmed down a little.
Mendoza suddenly struck with a not very hopeful idea. But
you never knew, and no harm to try. Took Teresa

(15:34):
down to Prince to look at the doll. No, I'd
never seen nothing like that before. Why is it something
to do with But how could it be? Now there,
you've asked me something, He sighed, Yes, it is something
to do with it. That I can tell you now
at least I'm ninety eight percent sure. But what that's

(15:54):
another question. It's I don't like it, said Teresa, shuddering. Oh, well,
pulled apart like that. Yes, I suppose you haven't got
anything for me yet. He said to Carter, we've got
lots of dandy Prince Lieutenant, whether they'll tell us anything,
and Carter shrugged, let's see, gave us the names of

(16:15):
five of our old man handled it well. I've got
a couple of the boys checking records now to eliminate those.
I guess we got two or three different people besides,
I think tell you when I know which to eliminate.
We'll see if the strangers match anything in the other
records and have a look at the psychos on file.
First way, you suggested you can have her back any time.
By the way, will you finish weather, Thanks very much.

(16:35):
Mendoza folded the paper around the doll and carry it
back upstairs with him. He spent another five minutes on
additional reassurances to Ramirez and the priest got rid of them,
unwrapped the doll on his desk, and said, now we'll
just see if we can match up that little clue
you were so superior about. What oh that? As Mendoza
tenderly slid the dainty strip of pink lace from its envelope,

(16:58):
Today's great thought i'd forgotten my God, said Hackett, suddenly,
look at the time, I'll be late for that damned inquest.
And it's old curly too. He'll give me hell have fun.
O me go, and he snatched up his hat and ran.
The two women looked at it in silence for a
minute and came out with twin reactions. Well, said missus Dimmerist.

(17:20):
What kind of a mother will go and let a
child treat an expensive dog that way? Breakin things up
just out of mischief? It's a thing I always saw
my children got the good spanking for just leads to
trouble later on, A sinful waste, wicked, agreed missus Breen,
looking horrified. A downright destructive youngster must be. Whoever's had it.

(17:40):
I never saw anything like I've begun to think that
might be an understatement about who's hat it, said Mendoza.
But is it the doll Carrol bought? Yes, sir, it is,
said missus Breen promptly. Or one jest like it, because
if I've got to swear, well, O course, I couldn't
do no such thing. I just had the one in stock,

(18:01):
not figurin. I can sell more than that, you know, an.
I couldn't guess how many of the factory might been
made an they'd all just be alike, except some one
was dressed in blue and some in pink like this here.
But it's just exactly like the one Carroll ball or
twas when it was new. Would there be some kind
of a serial number on it? I wonder, suggested Missus Demerist.
The factory maybe could tell what store they sold it to.

(18:24):
Little cheap things there wouldn't be, but a thing like
that was goin to sell for twenty dollars. Yes, it's possible.
I haven't looked the things in such a state. I
don't want to handle it more than necessary. If there
is a number, the factory'll know where to look for it.
That we'll find out. Now, look at this, He brought
out the three inch strip of lace. I swear to

(18:45):
you this came off some part of the clothes, but
it's not possible to fit it on anywhere. They bent
over it over the doll. Looking it's just like the
lace on the underwear, agreed Missus Breen. Same exact color,
I reckon. The factory could tell you for sure about that,
But there's not an awful lot of the lace left on,
and if it got tore off in different times, will

(19:05):
there be no fit in this piece where it was.
I can't get over the way it's been. Missus Demarest
raised troubled eyes to him. Can you tell us about it, Lieutenant,
how you came to find it? Mendoza leaned back and
lit a cigarette. I'll tell you what I know. You
tell me what it means. Carroll bought this thing the
night she was killed. That morning, eh, Missus Marian Lindstrom

(19:28):
tried to persuade you, stabbing the cigarette at Missus Breen
to sell it to her, and when you refused, was
insistent that you find out whether you could get her
one like it, and left her name and address real upity.
She was nodded, Missus Breen, as if I could if
I wanted so. Carroll was killed and the doll stolen.
No evidence either way as to whether the killer or

(19:50):
some one else took it. Now. Missus Lyndstrom lived just
two blocks up from here, across Hunter Avenue, and the
next day, though it lacked a week to the end
of the month and her rent was paid to then,
she moved unexpectedly and hurriedly. We can conjecture. It was
pure chance she ended up where she did, in a
place called Graham Court, down the wrong side of Maine.

(20:11):
She'd have to take what was available right that day
if she was anxious to move at once, and what
was available, of course, within the limits of what she
could pay. All right. Time goes on, and last Friday night,
another girl was killed within two blocks of this Graham Court,
killed the same way. And as was the case with Carol,
there is absolutely nothing in her private life which gave
any one reason to kill her. She wasn't as bright

(20:34):
a girl as Carol. She had a very bad taste
and not too much education. But she was an honest
girl and well enough liked. And I don't suppose she
wanted to die, you know, ah, poor thing, said missus demerist.
She was on her way home from a roller skating
rink alone because her boyfriend's father, who disapproved of her,
had come and hauled the boy home with him. Fortunately

(20:55):
they're out of it. On evidence this time. The handbag
was taken found a couple of blocks away, but as
far as we can tell, nothing was stolen. Now take
a look at me, said Mendoza, setting up. I'm visited
by a hunch it's the same killer, And I've got
no evidence whatever that means anything to back me up,
not until you told me about this doll. Then I've

(21:16):
got missus Lindstrom's name, and then I've found out she's
living in the same neighborhood this time too. And where
does that get me? If I check back on all
the people living around there, I might find half a
dozen others who moved there from this general neighborhood in
the last six months. One of those things. But where
do you think I found this little piece of lace

(21:36):
on the floor of that skating rink. There's some vague
evidence about a boy or a young man who'd been
in the habit of sneaking into the rink by an
unused door, and who, so the dead girl complained of
several people stared at her in a funny way. I
think he's the one, but that's mostly another hunch, and
I know nothing else about him. I've got no line

(21:57):
on him at all, except that maybe he dropped this
little strip there one time, And that doesn't say it
came from the doll. I say to myself, I'm wool
gathering all This doesn't mean one damned thing. And then
this morning somebody leaves that doll carefully propped against the
door of the precinct station done there, three blocks away
from Graham Court. Well, that is queer, said Missus Demeris interestedly.

(22:19):
But this Missus Lindstrom, she wouldn't be the one. There's
not much to go on there either. Yet her husband
deserted her about a month before Carol was killed. There's
a thirteen year old boy. All I know about him
right now is that he's a big, strong boy, shot
up early, big as a man, probably strong enough to
have done what was done. I don't know if he did,

(22:41):
or why he might have. I'm getting what I can
about him. But he shrugged. You can see I've got
no real evidence to warrant a full scale investigation. I
don't know about your rules for that kind of thing,
said Missus Breen. But it shorely is queer. All dunt
don't seem hardly possible, though, that a boy thirteen, Why
she'd want a doll so bad her with only a boy?

(23:04):
Mendoza sighed and stood up. I haven't even got an
excuse to go and ask her now, and she'd only
tell me it was for her favorite niece back east. Anyway,
I'm hoping the factory can identify this definitely, and in
that case, i'll want you both to make formal statements
about it. Thanks very much, I'll let you know as
soon as I can. End of chapter twelve.