Robert Foxworth, his wife Bonita, My wife Sepia and I and Chance Howard and his girlfriend Anita Jenkins attended Bradley Courtland's Funeral. His daughter, and Robert's client ,Barbara Courtland took it very hard...She was crying and sobbing profusely...Usually at a time like this, Robert Foxworth would go into his "act"..comforting the sobbing victim and whisking her off to a hotel room for some additional comforting!
But not today....Today he was with his beautiful and sexy wife ,who by the way was easily Barbara Courtland's equal as far as looks go..and he was indeed a new man...He didn't go near Barbara....He couldn't! Brian Hollander had that covered...He was sitting next to her in church, rubbing her leg with his hand.. Holding her while she cried...and moaning and crying himself! It was all too much...It was all Chance Howard and it was all I could do not to bust out laughing myself....Robert Foxworth, however was steaming...He was still angry that Brian had allegedly called Bonita and told her that he was fooling around with Barbara..
He wasn't so angry though that he didn't help me out just the night before....We saw Brian drinking wine at Josie's and Robert slipped up and took his empty wine glass and the bottle and slipped it into his briefcase and brought it to me. I turned it in to the police... Hopefully , they could get a DNA and a fingerprint match from those articles that would match the prints and DNA found in Courtland, Watson and Cornbluth's offices.
Sean Jackson snapped a really good photo of Brian Hollander for me that I showed to the Chemist who sold him the poison. I went to the county jail and showed him the photo...He identified Brian Hollander as the man who bought the poison from him...I was 100% certain that Brian Hollander was my man...The fingerprints and DNA evidence would make it a lock. I just needed one more piece...I had to find Cornbluth's assistant.
II-
Turns out I didn't have to do anything...She found me! She was at the repass after the funeral.. A petite pretty little young woman. Her name was Sandra Barnes. She walked over to where Robert and I were drinking punch and talking..
"Is one of you Kevin Morris?" she asked.
"That would be me." I said.
"I understand that you've been looking for me?" she asked.
"Yes....I am looking into the murder of Dr. Courtland and I was supposed to meet with Dr. Cornbluth to discuss a patient they had in common and unfortunately..He was dead himself, also a victim of murder." I said.
"Well...He didn't refer his patients to Dr. Courtland.. He just played tennis with him and Dr. Watson on Thursdays..." she said.
"Well I found this schedule in his office...Does this look familiar to you?" I asked.
"That's my writing....He was supposed to speak to Dr. Watson about Brian Hollander, the gentleman over there with Ms. Courtland...but Brian was never his patient." she said.
"What?, he wasn't?" I asked.
"No...Brian was his personal assistant..His valet....He prepared his meals for him, drove him to the country club...Parked his car for him...He had been having problems with his girl and he used to bend my ear and Dr. Cornbluth's ear with it everyday...He got on my nerves..I used to duck when I saw him coming..Finally Dr. Cornbluth told him he should see Dr. Watson for some therapy...Told him he'd pay for it too!" she said.
"What?" said Robert Foxworth.
"Yeah and so Brian started talking to Dr. Watson about a year ago..." she said.
"You wouldn't know when he started seeing Dr. Courtland would you?" I asked.
"Dr. Courtland?? I didn't know that he was seeing him...That's Ms. Courtland's father..See ,she is the young woman he was talking about...the one he was having problems with." she said.
"Yeah, I know...It all fits. Well thank you Ms. Barnes and do yourself a favor...Don't tell anybody else about this and keep a low profile for a few days..." I said.
"Is anything wrong Mr. Morris?" she asked.
"No, nothing at all." I said.
"It's him counselor...It all makes sense... Barbara jilted him." I said.
''Wonder why she'd jilt a guy like that?" said Robert Foxworth sarcastically.
"He must have been complaining violently about his dislike for her father..so violently that after Courtland was murdered....Dr. Watson began to suspect him...That's what he was calling me about...Or maybe...he just killed her father because he knew that where-ever she was...She'd have to come back here for the funeral arrangements and he'd have another chance to make his play." I said.
"Okay Kev, but why kill Cornbluth...He wasn't his patient? Cornbluth had nothing to do with this."said Robert.
''Sure he did...He knew the whole story...He could connect the dots...He could put Brian with Watson and Courtland...He knew about the romance between Brian and Courtland's daughter...And he worked for Cornbluth...He prepared his meals...It was easy for him to slip that poison in his food. Motive and Opportunity" I said.
"So he cleaned up his tracks eh?" said Robert.
"Yes sirr...and if I know right....The DNA and the Fingerprints on that bottle and that wineglass will match and with the Chemist's positive ID of him buying that poison...We got him!! Game, set and match baby!" I said..
"Whooopeeeee...I knew once I put you on this, we'd get some results!" laughed Robert Foxworth..
Just then, Sepia and Bonita came over to where we were talking...
"Guys....you gotta see this." said Bonita... Sepia and Chance were laughing their heads off...Robert and I turned around...
Brian Hollander took a small spoon and tapped on a glass-
''Attention everybody...Attention...I have an announcement to make." he said as the all of the mourners turned around...Barbara Courtland was mortified....
He got down on one knee in front of Barbara and pulled out a Blue Box from Tiffany's
"Barbara Ann Courtland....I've waited all my life for someone like you.....Would you be my wife?" he asked...
There was a hush amongst the crowd of mourners at the Repass...Chance Howard spit his drink out while Anita, who was smiling herself slapped his arm and quietly said -"Chance, stop it"
Bonita and Sepia were besides themselves...They ran into the hallway laughing like high school girls...I was flat out stunned....
Robert folded his arms and slyly grinned....
Waiting for her answer to this was going to kill me!
(CONCLUSION NEXT!!!)
