Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Vol. 122, Nos. 3 & 4. Whole Nos. 745 & 746, September/October 2003

She hesitated. “I’m scared,” she said. “Of Richard Benson.”

“Richard Benson.” The name was familiar, and in a moment it clicked: Detective Bob Bannatyne, his colleague, had a posting on this known Jamaican gang member for the murder of a low-level Ross Park drug dealer, Miguel Diaz. A goat’s head amulet had been found in Diaz’s hand. “Richard Benson is his killer?” he asked.

She nodded. “He’s going to kill me now,” she said. Tears brimmed in her eyes. “He’s going to kill my babies. I’m trapped.”

“You’re not trapped,” he said. “You can turn to the police.”

“I was just trying to help,” she said. “I wanted to save my man.”

“We’ll protect you from Benson,” he said.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “He said he would hurt my children.”

“We won’t let that happen.”

She shook her head. “He said he would... you know... kill them. And that’s why I couldn’t... tell you... about the partnership we had.”

“You, Jason, and Richard?”

“Yes,” she said.

Gilbert thought of the witness description.

“Richard’s Jamaican, isn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“And he’s a big guy, isn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what kind of car he drives?” asked Gilbert.

“A big old white car,” she said. “I don’t know what kind it is.”

Bingo, Gilbert thought again. “So this partnership,” he said.

Gabby glanced at Michael, who was now driving his toy truck around the table leg.

“We all went in together,” said Gabby. “We used Jason’s church money to buy what we could from my brother. Then Richard turned around and sold it up here. We didn’t know it was worth so much up here. Jason was like a... a silent partner. The church money and so forth — he didn’t want it getting back to Keeper of the Faith. Richard thought he was doing most of the work. He wanted to cut Jason out. I pleaded with Richard, but he said he was going to cut Jason out no matter what.”

“So did you warn Jason?” asked Gilbert.

“I warned him again and again,” said Gabby. In a softer, more resigned voice she said, “But I think... his sickness... he didn’t care by then.”

Gilbert thought of the extra money on the life-insurance policy. Dealing with dangerous people might have been Jason’s rationale for beefing it up. Then again, if Richard hadn’t done the job, Jason most probably would have done it himself. And that could have been his rationale as well.

“So Richard went after him?” he asked.

“Yes.” Her tears came faster. “He said if I told anyone, he would come for my babies. So I just had to take it. I didn’t want him killing my beautiful children.”

Gilbert saw a mouse scurry behind one of the washing machines.

“What about the money?” he asked. “Did you get a share?”

She shook her head woefully. “Richard took my money away,” she said. “I didn’t get one red cent.”

When Gilbert got back to headquarters, he checked with Bob Bannatyne about the Miguel Diaz homicide.

“We’ve got an outstanding warrant on Richard Benson for that,” said Bannatyne. “We’ve got a witness who’s willing to come forward. But there’s no sign of Benson anywhere. Patrol’s been after him for months.”

“Were any slugs recovered at the scene?” asked Gilbert.

“Yes.”

Gilbert called Dan Murphy, in Ballistics.

“I’m wondering about the slugs from the Morrell murder,” he asked the veteran firearms expert. “Is the comparison nearly finished?”

“It’s going to take awhile, Barry,” said Dan. “Do you have any idea how many slugs we have on file up here?”

“Try matching the Morrell slugs to the Miguel Diaz slugs,” said Gilbert.

An hour later, Murphy called him back.

“We’ve got a match,” he told Gilbert.

Gilbert’s shoulders sank in relief. His case was now airtight. He could write a viable warrant on Benson.

“Thanks, Dan,” he said. “You’ve just made my day.”

When Patrol learned Benson was wanted not only for the murder of Miguel Diaz, but also for killing Jason Morrell, a well-liked, admired, and respected high-school teacher, they redoubled their efforts to apprehend him.

Devon Lewis, from Narcotics, phoned Gilbert with a tip.

“One of my reliable sources says he’s staying with a friend in the Jane-Finch Corridor.”

Gilbert relayed this information to Patrol.

Patrol had Benson arrested within the week.

The arrest happened one evening while Gilbert and Lombardo were having a drink at their favorite English-style pub, the Duke of York. The two detectives watched the arrest on the pub’s TV.

The whole thing was shot from the vantage point of the CFTO News helicopter.

Benson climbed a fence into a residential backyard. A uniformed police officer in a bulletproof vest ran around the side of the house and cut him off. The officer raised his firearm. Benson hesitated, looked around, but finally surrendered.

Lombardo raised his beer glass. “Cheers,” he said.

Gilbert raised his own glass. “Cheers,” he said, but he felt anything but jubilant.

Lombardo peered at him. “What’s wrong?” he asked.