Pharo and the Clever Assassin by Steve Skurka

Author:Steve Skurka [Skurka, Steve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Steve Skurka
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Now Jacob hurried to dress for court. At Miss Sharma’s request, he’d arranged for Detective John Garcy to meet them at her office at eight o’clock that morning. The prosecutor planned to call Garcy as her first witness at the trial. Fifty-five witnesses were slotted into separate days and times of the trial. The detective had devised the tight schedule; eye-witnesses first, followed by the police evidence and Czolgosz’s statements and the various medical practitioners treating the president and addressing his cause of death.

Superintendent Horace Grant and Assistant Super-intendent Wilk paced outside of Neeru’s office. “Good morning, Detective Jacob. We’ve been waiting for you,” Wilk said, impatiently. “I know that you’re pre-occupied with the trial. We only require a brief word.”

“Yes, Assistant Superintendent. How may I be of service?”

“I understand that James Parker is on your witness list.”

“That is correct.”

“Well, we’d like you to convince the prosecutor to drop Mr. Parker from her witnesses,” Grant said.

“For what possible reason, Superintendent?”

“You don’t require him. Secret Service Agent Albert Foster is primarily responsible for the assassin’s take-down. He wrenched the gun from Czolgosz while ten policemen and secret service agents subdued him. It will not reflect well on law enforcement if the jury hears that a civilian was the first person to rush to defend the president.”

“But won’t Foster say that Parker subdued Czolgosz?”

“I’ve spoken to him. He’ll testify that he never saw no colored man in the whole fracas.”

“So, we are to pretend at this trial that Parker wasn’t even at the Temple of Music?”

The assistant superintendent nodded.

“And one more item, Detective Jacob,” Superintendent Grant said. “We’re pursuing these devilish anarchists all over the country. We’ve arrested a batch of them and are holding them in jail. The objectionable fact is, we can’t keep them behind bars forever. The problem is, we’re drawing a blank connecting any of them to the president’s murderer. I receive daily reports by telegraph and the updates are disappointing.”

“What are you proposing that I do, sir?”

“I had an idea that your prisoner might be interested in some form of a deal.”

“A deal, Superintendent? Why?” Jacob shouted. “I will not negotiate with the prisoner!”

“Please stay calm and keep your rambling down. The last thing the police need is some press scribe recording our conversation. Leon Czolgosz knows that he will die. By God, the bloody fool is looking forward to the electric chair. But he must have some family member, a woman friend or parent, who he wants to meet. Make a deal with him to give up the names of his accomplices and you’ll agree to extend him some private time in exchange.”

“Superintendent Grant and Assistant Superintendent Wilk,” Jacob replied curtly, my considered opinion is that the president’s killer acted alone. There are no accomplices to his crime. I am quite certain.”

This answer stunned his commanding officers.

“I must leave now to meet the prosecutor. She’s waiting with a witness.”

There was no farewell or “good luck” from the superintendent and his assistant as they went stomping down the hallway.

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