TEN
April 18, 1998, 5:00 p.m.
RJ walked into the library where his parents were sitting. He was dressed only in a ratty robe he had picked up earlier at a local thrift store. As he walked into the library his hands were behind him. His father stood up from the desk.
"I thought you were going to Edward's party?" his father questioned. "You're not even dressed yet."
Without saying a word RJ pulled the gun he was holding from behind his back and shot his father in the chest 3 times. The silencer attached to the barrel of the weapon muzzled the sound so that it was barely audible. The elder Parker fell to the floor his life's blood pouring from the wounds. RJ's mother immediately stood up and started to move toward her husband.
"RJ, what are you doing?" she exclaimed.
Without hesitation the younger man fired three shots into his mother. She collapsed on the floor next to her husband. Quickly RJ moved over and checked the bodies. They were both quite dead.
RJ immediately moved back to the hallway just outside the library and returned a moment later with an electric blanket. It was the same blanket that was on his parent's bed. He remembered how his mother would often bring the blanket down to the library to ward off the chill on cool nights such as this. He quickly covered the bodies with the blanket, plugged it in, and set the temperature control on high.
RJ quickly removed his parent's jewelry and his father's wallet. He put the items into a plastic bag he took from his pocket. Then he moved back upstairs where Casper Fontane was waiting in his room. As he quickly began to dress, he relayed instructions to Fontane.
"Don't forget," said RJ, "keep them covered until 8:30. Mrs. Walker always walks her dog at 8:30. Remove the electric blanket and put it back on the bed in my parent's room. Now, you've got 3 hours to make this look like a robbery. My dad always keeps some cash in the house. Go through the library, the den, and the drawing room. Take only whatever jewelry and money you can find, nothing else. Nothing that can be traced. You can keep the money. There should be a couple of thousand dollars in the house. And burn this robe. That way there won't be anything to get any evidence off of."
"I know the plan," Fontane insisted. "I put all the jewelry in the bag with the other items. Then I get rid of the bag so no one will ever find it so that it can't be traced to us."
"Right. And don't get greedy. Those things are worth a lot of money but it won't do us any good if we get caught. Make sure you get rid of them someplace where no one will ever find them."
"I got the perfect place. No one is ever going to look where I put them. And don't worry. Probst has all ready told me exactly what to do. Don't forget. You promised me 30 grand once you old man's will is probated."
"I won't forget," said RJ. "Once the will is probated I'll have all the money I need. You'll get your money. Just make sure you get rid of those items like I told you to."
"I will, I will. Then at 8:30 I remove the silencer from the pistol and fire a couple of shots into the back yard. So the old lady will hear them and call the police. I'll dump the gun in the river so no one will find it. After that I just gotta sit back and wait to get paid."
"And how do you get out of the house without being seen?" RJ asked.
"I use that secret tunnel in the wine cellar," Fontane replied. "The one you said was used before the civil war for the underground railroad. The one they used to sneak slaves out of the city with. Don't worry. I got it covered. Nothing's going to go wrong. Probst thought of everything."
"Okay," said RJ, looking at his watch. "I need to get going. I have to be at the mayor's house soon. These things always go on forever. All I have to do is wait until the police arrive to tell me of the break in and act appropriately upset."
"What about the alarm? Won't the police be suspicious when there isn't any alarm?"
"I all ready have that covered. I cut the wires leading into the house. That way it will look like someone disabled the alarm to break in. Oh, don't forget to break the window on the door just above the lock. And make sure you break it from the outside. If the police find the glass laying outside in the grass they'll know it was broken from the inside."
"I will, I will. Will you relax, RJ? No one can put you and me together. And Probst won't be suspected of anything. After all, he works for the mayor. A good friend of the family. As far as the police will know it's just a burglary gone bad. Now you better get going."
"Okay. And remember. Don't call me and don't acknowledge me if we see each other at school. As far as anyone is concerned we don't know each other."
"I got it. Now get going. I got some ransacking to do."
"And don't forget the gloves I gave you. This thing will fall apart if they find your prints in the house."
"Got 'em right here," said Fontane, taking out what looked like a pair of surgical gloves out of his pocket. He began to put them on. "You know I may not have a fancy education like you and Probst but I'm not stupid. I know how to make sure the police don't catch on."
"Okay. I'm going now. I'll let Probst know when your money's ready and then we'll figure out how to get it to you without any connections. Don't screw this up, Casper. So far everything is going perfectly. We don't need any stupid mistakes now."
"I won't. Not get going. I gotta make this place look like it's been burgled."
RJ straightened his tie and then left the room. Within moments he was in his father's car driving to the mayor's house. As he drove away Casper began to ransack the library. He pulled drawers out and simply let them fly haphazardly. As he searched through the contents of each drawer he pocketed any money he found. When he was finished with the desk and tables he began to randomly pull books off the shelves: to make it look like someone had gone through those, too.
He carefully collected all the jewelry he could find and put it in the plastic bag with the other items RJ had all ready put in them. Most of that jewelry was probably worth a fortune. But RJ was right. Even if he could pawn it, they'd be able to trace it back to him. No, better to just get rid of the jewelry and the wallet.
Suddenly he eyed the painting hanging on the wall directly above the desk he was rifling. It was kind of pretty. A forest with streaks of sunlight. He thought for a moment. His kid sister's birthday was coming up. And he hadn't thought of anything to get her. She'd love that. She liked that sort of thing.
He thought for a moment. Nothing that could be traced to them, that's what RJ had said. But that was only if they tried to sell the stuff. He could take the painting and give it to his sister. She'd hang it in her room where practically no one would see it. Since they wouldn't be trying to sell it, there wouldn't be any way to trace it back to them.
Smiling to himself he carefully removed the painting and put it in the hallway. Besides, if it really was a burglary, it just stood to reason that the burglar would take anything of value he could carry. With the painting gone, it would look more like a burglary.
It didn't take long to ransack the three rooms. He resisted the temptation to go through other rooms. Probst had been very clear about that. No more than 2 or 3 rooms were to be ransacked. More than that and the "burglary gone bad" scenario might look suspicious. He had also been very clear to emphasize that Fontane was not to move anything else. He wasn't even to get anything to eat out of the fridge. The home had to look exactly as it always did with the exception of the ransacking of the rooms.
It was nearly 8:30 when Fontane turned off the electric blanket and folded it neatly. He placed it next to the desk intending to return it to the bedroom upstairs. He checked the bodies. They were still warm. Probst said the electric blanket would keep the bodies warm enough to delay the time of death the coroner established.
Cautiously Fontane moved to the door that led to the outside. He hesitated for a moment and then opened the door just a couple of inches. He froze half expecting the alarm to sound. When no alarm sounded he felt confident RJ had been successful in disabling it. He stepped outside, closed the door, and then used the butt of the pistol he was holding to break out the glass right above the lock. Then he removed the silencer from the gun and pointed the gun into the yard. He looked at his watch. 8:32. He fired 2 shots into the darkness beyond. Then he quickly moved back into the house leaving the door ajar slightly.
He looked around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. He was very careful not to step in any of the blood that covered the carpet around the bodies. Although he was wearing shoes one size too small to throw off the investigators he didn't want to risk tracking any of the blood after him.
He quickly checked himself to make sure there was no blood on his clothes. Probst had briefed him quite thoroughly on what to check. It was the little things, Probst had insisted, that usually trip people up. Things they usually didn't give a second thought to.
Convinced that everything was as it should be, Fontane moved to the hallway and picked up the painting. He looked at it once more. Yeah, his sister would love this. Then he moved to the kitchen and the cellar door that would affect his escape unnoticed.
Just as he was about to enter the cellar he remembered the electric blanket. He had forgotten to put it back in the bedroom. He was about to head back into the library to get the blanket when he heard sirens drawing steadily closer. He couldn't risk going back after the blanket. If he did the police would catch him red handed. Silently he moved into the cellar and the secret passageway that lay behind a stack of wine.
The next morning when Stillman came into the office Lilly informed him that there was a man waiting in his office to speak to him. Probst and Parker had all ready been booked and were waiting arraignment on two counts of capital murder. Probst wasn't talking but that was only a formality. Stillman was satisfied with the evidence they had Probst was facing certain conviction.
Stillman walked into this office and the man waiting for him stood up. The man was about 35 years old and was dressed in a suit. Stillman noticed a ring on his finger that bore the crest of Harvard University. The man introduced himself as Harold Stubbins.
"I work for Governor Rendell," said Stubbins. "The Governor wanted to come himself but I'm afraid his schedule just wouldn't permit it today. Commissioner Johnson called the Governor yesterday after speaking with you. The Governor wanted me to express his heartfelt thanks at solving the Parkers murders. As I'm sure you're aware, the Governor and the Parkers were good friends. He's saddened that their son was involved but he wanted me to tell you that you did an outstanding job."
"Well," said Stillman nervously, "it was actually a team effort. My detectives deserve as much credit as I do. Actually, they did most of the work. I'm just sorry we weren't able to solve this one earlier."
"The Governor does understand that you can only work with the information you have. And he's very impressed with your team, Lieutenant. They did an excellent job and he wanted me to tell all of those involved how much he appreciates their hard work in this case."
"Well, if I might suggest that you tell them yourself? They're all here right now and I'm sure they'd appreciate hearing how much the Governor appreciates their work."
"That's a good idea. I'm sure the Governor would like to know the names of everyone involved in this case. Too often cases go unsolved that it's nice to know we have people who can bring the suspects to justice."
"Let me introduce you to them," said Stillman, leading Stubbins out into the squad room.
Stubbins had left and the team was feeling very proud of their accomplishment when Stewart Holcomb came rushing into the squad room. He was carrying the painting that had reopened the investigation. He also appeared to be quite excited.
"Lieutenant Stillman, an officer told me you had solved the case. He said the Parker's son had murdered them?"
"That's right. He's being arraigned today. Are you done with your examination of the painting?"
"Indeed I am. I understand that Mr. Parker inherited his parent's estate when they died. I assume that means he is the rightful owner of the painting."
"Normally yes," said Stillman. "But since he murdered his parents the law says he can't profit from those murders. I'm no lawyer but I would imagine that would mean he can't inherit from his parent's estate."
"I see. Well then, who would become the rightful owner of the painting if that happens?"
"I suppose his sister. I understand they both inherited half of their parent's estate. If it's ruled he can't inherit from the estate I imagine that would mean she'll inherit the whole thing, including the painting. Are you wanting to return it to her?"
"Not exactly," said Holcomb. "Actually, I was hoping to get permission to do some rather extensive work on it."
"What kind of work?" asked Lilly, walking into Stillman's office. "Hello, Mr. Holcomb. I thought you were just going to examine the painting."
"I did. And I found what was bothering me about the painting. Over time a painter's style can change some. As they mature and increase their skill at painting many times their style will change reflecting those changes."
"Okay," said Stillman. "I guess that makes sense. What does that have to do with the painting?"
"I wasn't sure at first. When I examined it closer I realized his style was not consistent with other paintings he did at about the same time. Roughly 1858, the year this has always been assumed it was painted."
"When is the style consistent with?" Lilly asked.
"Roughly 20 years earlier," said Holcomb. "Approximately 1637 or '38."
"Wasn't that about the time you said he was an apprentice to Rembrandt?" Lilly asked.
"Exactly. So I got to thinking. In those days painting supplies could be expensive, especially to someone like Closson who came from a rather poor family. In order to save money painters would quite often paint over old paintings they had done. Paintings they weren't completely satisfied with."
"You think that's what Closson did?" Stillman asked. "Painted over an earlier painting he had done?"
"That was my initial thought. If he had the painting underneath might be worth a little more than the one on top. A painting done under the tutelage of Rembrandt would command a higher price than one Closson might have done on his own."
"Why do I get the feeling that's not what you found?" questioned Lilly.
"Because you're right," said Holcomb smiling from ear to ear. "I performed some standard tests on it. I even X-rayed the painting to see if I could find what was underneath it. It worked better than I imagined. Now, there's a lot of work to do before what I found can be verified. And it will have to be authenticated but I have no doubt it will be authenticated. It's quite a find."
"What is?" Stillman asked.
"The painting underneath 'Sunset In A Forest' painted by Daniel Closson. It's an undiscovered, unfinished painting by Rembrandt himself. I did some checking and found that in 1637 Rembrandt had been commissioned to do a painting of a local dignitary. But the dignitary died before the painting was finished and Rembrandt was never paid for his work. The only thing that makes any sense is that Rembrandt gave the unfinished painting to Closson who painted over it and then painted 'Sunset In A Forest' over it."
"Are you sure the painting underneath is by Rembrandt?" Lilly asked.
"Absolutely. The technique, the style, even the materials used are exactly what Rembrandt used in most of his paintings. Obviously it's unsigned but it should be relatively easy to have Rembrandt experts authenticate it once it's been cleaned up."
"Cleaned up?" Lilly questioned.
"That's why I need to know who the rightful owner of the painting is," said Holcomb. "We can remove the top painting leaving the painting underneath exposed. Once we do that it will be a simple matter to authenticate it as an original Rembrandt."
"You can do that?" Lilly asked. "Remove a top painting without harming the painting underneath?"
"Oh yes. It's slow, painstaking procedure but it can be done. I can assure you we'll use only the best experts to do it. But I can't do that without the permission of the rightful owner. That's why I asked who rightfully owned the painting. I'm sure they'll want to have the work done."
"Well technically it's still evidence in a murder investigation," said Stillman. "But once that's resolved and the painting is returned to Parker's sister you should be able to talk to her about it then. It was one of her parent's paintings, though. I'm not sure she'll want to take the top painting off to get to the bottom one."
"Besides, how much can an unfinished painting be worth anyway?" Lilly asked.
"The top painting, 'Sunset In A Forest', by Closson has been estimated at a value of about $8,000.00 or so, as I told you. A painting by Rembrandt, even an unfinished one would be worth extremely much more. What I know of the value of Rembrandt's paintings I would estimate the value of this one at roughly 6.5 million dollars. And that's a conservative estimate. It's very possible it could be worth quite a bit more. Perhaps 10 million or even more."
"Ten million dollars for an unfinished painting?" Lilly asked in surprised.
"Unfinished or not, it's a painting by Rembrandt," said Holcomb. "That alone is going to raise the value of it substantially. I'm sure that when Mr. Parker's sister learns that she might be a bit more amenable to having the top painting cleaned off."
"Well, as I said, right now it's evidence in a murder investigation," said Stillman. "But it will probably be released very soon. We have RJ Parker's confession and written statement and there shouldn't be any problem getting a conviction on Probst assuming it even goes to trial. It shouldn't be long before we can release it to the sister."
"Could I have her address?" Holcomb asked hopefully. "If she's agreeable I can make the necessary preliminary arrangements and we can get started on restoring the painting underneath right away. As it is it's going to take some time to restore the original painting."
"I'll tell you what," said Lilly. "I'll call her and tell her what you told us. Then I'll give her your address and phone number and she can contact you if she's interested. I'm not really comfortable giving out her personal information without her permission."
"Not to mention it's illegal," said Stillman. "The Privacy Act of 1974 prevents giving out personal information, including addresses and phone numbers, without the permission of the owner."
"That will be quite acceptable," said Holcomb. "I'm sure she'll be agreeable. Thank you for your assistance. And for bringing this to my attention. You have no idea how a find like this is going to help my career. And you can rest assured I'll make sure that all of my associates are aware that you're the ones who brought it to my attention."
"That's very kind," said Lilly. "I'll call Elaine Parker this afternoon. I'm sure she'll be contacting you within the next couple of days."
"Well, I guess I should get this back to the evidence room," said Holcomb picking up the painting. "Under the circumstances I think I'll have a talk with the sergeant in the evidence room. See if he can give it some special handling to make sure to minimize any damage to it."
"That's probably a good idea," said Stillman. "I'll call down in a few minutes and let him know just how important this is."
"Again, thank you very much," said Holcomb. "I have a great deal of work to do in the coming months."
He shook Lilly and Stillman's hand and then carefully carried the painting out of the office heading for the evidence room.
"It's ironic, you know," said Lilly as she watched the man hurry from the squad room.
"What is?" Stillman asked.
"Parker murders his parents to get his hands on the supposed millions he thought he'd inherit," said Lilly. "Then he only gets $850,000.00 in cash and some stock options. And the whole time he had a painting hanging in the library worth several million dollars. Only he didn't know it."
"That is pretty ironic," said Stillman. "It also means his parents didn't have to die. He could have arranged for Fontane to break in to the house while the Parker's were at the mayor's party. Fontane could have taken the money, jewelry, and painting and then he could have 'discovered' the Rembrandt after having the top painting cleaned off. No one would be the wiser and he could have collected the millions he was after."
"They might still have ended up dead, boss," said Lilly. "Probst needed to get rid of them. But at least RJ wouldn't be going to prison for the rest of his life. Just goes to show you the old axiom is true."
"What axiom?" Stillman asked.
"Money is the root of all evil," said Lilly.
"Actually," said Stillman, "the actual axiom is the love of money is the root of all evil."
"Still applies," said Lilly. "Well, I guess I'll go call Elaine Parker. I'm sure she'd be interested in learning what we've learned about the case and the painting."
"Okay," said Stillman, smiling as Lilly left his office.
The End
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Cold Case" stories at my website, Creative Passions, listed in my bio. You can also post your own "Cold Case" stories or other stories if you like to write fan fiction.