Jean: The Box Cutter Murders Ch. 03

Helen's apartment was the only one at the top of the stairs. I hear someone moving around inside after I knocked. There was a pause before she opened the worn wooden door and invited me inside. As soon as I was through the door, Helen closed it and slid a deadbolt closed.

Helen was a large, older woman. Her white bathrobe contrasted with her dark black coloration. I could see where her son, Jamel, had gotten his good looks.

"Can I get you some coffee?"

"Thanks, that would be wonderful."

Helen led me to the kitchen and pointed to a chair by a small wooden table covered with a lace cloth. She poured two cups of coffee and joined me at the table.

"I really appreciate you and Michael working to get David free. The professor said it wouldn't be long before the boy is released. My nephew may be slow, but he's always been a good boy. The only times he gets into trouble is when he follows my sons. Jamel and Youssef will be the death of me."

"Helen, I'm sorry. The professor is trying to be encouraging, but you should know we still have a lot of work to do."

"Oh, I thought Michael already had enough to free him. What do you need from me?"

"I have some questions. I would also like to see David's room. I'm hoping to find his notebook."

"David sure loves his notebooks. I hid them when I heard he was arrested. The police came and took a lot of his things. The claim they found a brand-new box cutter identical to the one that killed that poor girl. After he was convicted, I put everything I hid back in his room There must be twenty or more notebooks. You're more than welcome to look around if it helps to get him released. David is too simple a soul to be in prison. I'm afraid he will die in there if we don't get him out soon. He'll never live long enough to be executed."

"Helen, you said David was slow and simple. What do you mean?"

Helen sighed and stared at her strong hands. "David's mother was doing drugs. She couldn't even stop when she got pregnant. She was so skinny, I don't think the baby had enough nourishment to grow. He was born premature, and she died in childbirth. I hope my sister is in heaven and not feeling any more pain."

"I'm sorry. Is that why you said David is slow?"

"He wasn't even four pounds when he was born. They kept him in the hospital for weeks while they fought to save his life and treat his addiction. He learned to walk and talk later than normal. He has always been quiet and a slow learner. After the first year, he was easy to raise. He never fussed or caused any trouble. There is no way he could have done those horrible things they said he did."

"Are you saying he wasn't smart enough to do it?"

"He's not stupid. He's good at drawing. He writes all the time, and his notebooks are in code. I thought they were gibberish, but when I asked him to read a page, he described what happened that day in detail. I tried a few other pages, and he repeated his performance. I remembered most of the details myself. A week later, I asked about one of the pages again, and he repeated the story word for word. Don't you think he must be smart to write so fast in code?

I smiled at the woman who had given so much to raise her sister's baby.

"Can I see his room?"

"Follow me. This is a small apartment, so the boys shared a room until Jamel and Youssef moved out. A lot of their stuff is still there."

The bedroom held a small chest of drawers along with a single bed and a bunk bed. Floor space was tight, so Helen held back to let me enter. There was a separate shelf on the wall for each of the three boy's treasures. My eye was drawn to the shelf holding a row of notebooks propped up by a Boy Scout Manual and a book of knots. I also noticed one of the bed frames had several ropes tied to it with different knots. I recognized one as a round turn and two half hitches. It was the same knot used to tie Inesa.

"I'll leave you to look around. The room makes me too sad. Try to put things back where you found them."

"Helen, before you go, was David a Boy Scout?"

"That boy loved scouting. The scoutmaster took David under his wing. He was the closest person to a father the poor boy ever had."

"What about Jamel and Youssef?"

"Those two hung around our minister. I blame myself for not seeing what a monster the preacher was. He got arrested for molesting children. He assaulted a dozen boys and girls that the police know. The children said he took off their clothes and tied them to his bed. My boys said he never laid a hand on them, but that doesn't explain why they spent so much time with the monster. That man changed them. At times, they are so cruel I'm afraid to be around my own sons. All I have left is my little angel, David. You have to get him free."

"I'm sorry, Helen. I don't know what to say."

"Nothing to be said. All I can do is pray, but God seems to have turned a deaf ear to my pleas."

"Were Jamel or Youssef also in scouting?"

"No, they dropped out while they were cub scouts. It was the same time as that damned minister came to our church. David tried to interest them in what he learned in scouting. The only thing my sons seemed interested in was tying knots."

Helen left, and I picked up the book of knots from the shelf. It was a library book with the checkout slip still in its pocket. It was either very overdue or stolen from the library. There was a slip of paper marking a page. I studied the knot for a few minutes before I realized it was the same knot used to secure Inesa.

I pulled down one of the notebooks. The first page had David's name and a range of dates. There was a drawing of a snake below the date. It looked like he filled up a hundred pages in less than three months. The coded text was arranged in blocks of five letters. I couldn't make heads or tails of the neat letters. The last book had a date indicating that he had finished it six weeks before the murder. There was a drawing of zebra below the date. I pulled out a few more notebooks. Each of them had a different drawing on the cover page.

I looked through every drawer in the room hoping to find the last notebook. I searched each of the beds in the hope it was buried under the covers or mattress. A small closet was jammed with all the things young boys collect as they grow up. It took time to sort through the contents and put them back. The last notebook was not in the room.

I found Helen in the kitchen washing dishes. "I cannot find David's last notebook. Do you have any idea where it is?"

"I'm sure the police have it. David never went anywhere without his journal."

"It's not part of the evidence. The police don't have it."

"Then I don't know what to tell you. He wouldn't have given it to Jamel or Youssef. He fought tooth and nail when my sons tried to take his notebook away. I said the boy was peaceful, but he fought like hell to protect his book. He beat up Youssef once for stealing his book while he was asleep. He was angry that Youssef drew a stick figure of David and wrote idiot below the drawing. The boys never touched David's notebooks again.

"Do you think your husband would know where the notebook is?"

"Sweetie, there hasn't been a man around here since the last one got me pregnant with Jamel."

"I'm sorry, I just assumed..."

Of course, you did. You came from a nice family and assume every family has a husband and a wife. It must be nice."

"I'm sorry, Helen I know what it's like. My father left us for another woman when I was a young child. It must have been hard raising three boys. My Mom was a teacher and only had to take care of me."

We talked a little longer. I managed to talk Helen into letting me borrow the two most recent notebooks.

It was twilight when I left Helen's apartment. I walked as fast as my long legs would carry me. North Philly was scary enough after dark, and I was afraid I might run into someone who had seen me playing a hooker. Even worse would be to run into Jamel or Youssef.

#

When I got back to my room, I swallowed a tablet of speed. I wrote up my notes on my visit with Helen. As I tried to organize my thoughts, I kept wondering about the knots used to restrain Inesa. I didn't know anything about knots and wasn't even sure where to begin my research. Maybe I should have borrowed David's book of knots. Then I realized I might have access to an expert. Niles said he had been an Eagle Scout. Now I had two reasons to accept his offer to attend the concert. I wondered if he knew anything about how to break a code.

I spent the rest of the evening studying contract law. I didn't crawl into bed until three in the morning.

I talked to Niles after class. "Niles, I understand you were an Eagle Scout. Do you know anything about knots?"

"Knots? Sure, I taught knots to the younger scouts. I know all the forty Boy Scout knots and then some. Why do you ask?"

"I'm trying to get someone released who is in prison for murder. The victim was tied to a bed, tortured and eventually killed. The accused was a Boy Scout, and I need to know if the knot the killer used is well known."

"Do you know the name of the knot?"

"It's called a round turn and two half hitches."

"That isn't one of the common Boy Scout knots. It's not even one of the forty advanced Boy Scout knots. However, it's a common boating knot used to secure a mooring line to a post. The benefit is that the knot can be untied even when it is under a load. My Dad taught it to me when we went sailing."

"So, if someone got interested in knots as a hobby, is it likely they would learn it?"

"Definitely. It's in just about any book on knots."

"Any chance you know anything about breaking codes?"

"OK, Nancy Drew, who told you about my interest in codes? What do you want to know? I was fascinated with codes when I was around ten. I pretty much know everything about classical codes. Some of the modern stuff requires a computer to break."

Now I was sure I wanted to pick Niles's brains. The weekend was going to be interesting. "Thanks, Niles. Any chance your offer to take me to the Springsteen concert is still open?"

"Oh wow, yes I would love to have you come. No strings attached."

"Niles, I'm in."

#

After contract law, I went to the Temple University Student Health Clinic to pick up my birth control prescription. I didn't know what the weekend with Niles had in store, but whatever happened, I wanted to be prepared. The nurse told me the results of my blood work I'd requested after my blotched sting operation. She reported I was STD free and I wasn't pregnant either.

I even had time to grab a falafel from a food truck before my appointment with Professor Williams. We talked about my visit to Helen. I mentioned David's interest in knots. I said I had several of David's old notebooks and was trying to get them decoded.

Professor Williams had unwelcome news. Helen reported that the doctor didn't know David's blood type.

Professor Williams said, "I'll see if there is some other way I can find out David's blood type.

#

I was in a good mood on Saturday. I had done well on my last quiz in contract law. If I continued to do well on the remaining quizzes and the final, I might just squeak through. It all depended on the grading curve. I was excited about attending the concert. The weather forecast was for warm weather with clear skies. I changed into tight jeans and my Bruce Springsteen tee shirt. I packed a small bag and included the two notebooks I had borrowed from David's aunt.

I won't bore you with details of the concert. Niles and I arrived early for the usual pre-concert party in the parking area. We had some wine and more than a little weed to get in the mood. Niles and I each had one of my few remaining tablets of speed. I made a mental note to get more from Samuel.

Bruce was great and played Born to Run a second time as an encore. Clarence Clemons on saxophone sent shivers down my spine. I don't think I sat down once during the two hours they played. Neither Niles or I were tired when the concert ended thanks to the lingering effects of the speed. When we got to the motel, Niles pulled a bottle of white wine from the trunk of his BMW. The motel was on the shabby side, and Niles apologized when he opened the door to our warm room. The single bed was only full size, and the sagging mattress rested on an old brass frame. The room was spare but clean. The first thing Niles did was turn on the air conditioner. The fan screeched in protest before quieting down to a low whine.

"I'm sorry, Jean. The AAA rating for this dump was three stars. The bed was supposed to be queen size. I hope the AC keeps working."

I smiled as I examined all the potential tie points on the metal frame of the bed. "Niles, its perfect."

I opened my bag and took out David's notebooks. I handed them to Niles and said, "Maybe you can study these while I take a shower. If you break the code, I will make sure you are well rewarded."

The shower felt wonderful after sweating in the summer heat for a couple of hours. After drying myself, I brushed my hair and tied it in my usual ponytail. However, I applied more makeup that I normally use.

The hotel did have one perk. Two fluffy white bathrobes were hanging on the bathroom door. I wrapped one of the bathrobes around my naked body and didn't bother with underwear. I knew where this evening was going despite all of Niles's claims of being a morally straight Boy Scout. I liked Niles enough for sex but not enough for a long-term relationship. I was going on pure lust. I intended to have sex with my first-year law school crush. I would let him think he had earned his reward after I picked his brains.

I could almost see Niles's brain do flip flops when I walked out of the bathroom in my bathrobe. He was sitting at the desk leaning over David's notebooks. I put my arms around his neck and pressed my warm body against his back.

I said, "How's my detective doing?"

"It was pretty easy to break the code. Still, I'm impressed that David did it all in his head. Normally people encode a message with the cipher in front of them and process one letter at a time. From what his aunt told you, he wrote in his journal as fast as most people write in clear."

"Niles, you're the best. Are you going to tell me what's in the journal?"

"Sure, but I'm going to take a shower first. A little suspense is always good for the soul."

"Damn it, Niles, that is cruel and unusual punishment."

"Don't worry, I won't take anywhere near as much time as you did."

While Niles was in the shower, I pulled some things out of my bag and slipped them under a pillow. I piled a second pillow on top of another and laid them in the middle of the bed. I studied David's journal, but I didn't have a clue how to decipher the entries.

When Niles came out of the bathroom, he was wearing the other bathrobe. Now it was my turn to wonder what he was wearing under the robe. Damn, he looked delicious. Niles picked up the hotel notepad from the rundown desk and settled into the bed next to me. I rolled onto my side and watched as he explained how he decoded David's notebook.

"Basically, it's a simple substitution code. The drawing of a zebra on the front page was the clue. I'll make up a table to show how it is done. I'll write the alphabet along the top of the page. Below it I'll write the word zebra with each letter matched to the letter above starting at a. Then I'll write the remaining letters in the alphabet after the word zebra. Since I already used the letters 'a' and 'b,' I'll write the letter 'c' below 'f,' 'd' below 'g' and so on. I just have to remember that I already used the 'z,' 'e' and 'r.' Once I have the table, I can decode his text."

I looked at the table and still felt unsure. "Can you show me how it works with the code in the notebook?"

Niles nodded, "Sure. Let me copy some of the code. The notebook is organized like a diary. The dates are in clear text, and the entries are coded. I'll write some of the code and decipher it below."

He wrote some of the coded text.

"fajal kzrac pgarb fgbia lgjmu"

Then he decoded part of it.

"helen madef ried"

"You have to figure out the punctuation and the spaces between words. Now it's your turn to decode the rest of it starting with the 'b' at the end of the second string."

I took the notepad from Niles and studied it for a moment. "So, the 'b' translate to a 'c'?

"Very good, now do the rest."

It took a minute, but eventually, I had the following: 'Helen made fried chicken. I lov...'

I shook my head and said, "OK, we can decipher the coded text, but at the rate, I'm going it'll take forever."

"You'll get faster as you go. Still, David was so good at it, I think he had a special talent. I'm amazed that each of his notebooks used a different keyword."

"Niles, I'm not interested in what he had to eat. I wish there were a way to locate the interesting bits."

"I think the dates will help if you can identify when a crime was committed. Also, he has a lot of drawings of women in the book. Maybe you can identify a victim? Of course, if he is innocent, the whole book may just be a diary of what he had to eat with occasional sexist comments and a drawing of some hot chick he saw on the bus."

"I wish there was a machine to decode it."

"The Germans used a device called enigma to encode and decode messages that used a much more difficult coding scheme. Maybe the government has a device for it. If you could type the coded notebook into a computer, the translation would be fast. Unfortunately, we don't have access to the Temple University computer. Besides, it would be a lot of work to type it all in."

I got up and helped myself to another glass of wine. I refilled Niles's glass while I was up. I couldn't think of any more questions relating to David's notebook. It was time to pick Niles's brain about knots and give him his reward. I was beginning to change my opinion about Niles. Maybe he wasn't the dumb, lazy playboy I had judged him to be. I couldn't fault him for flunking contract law when I had also failed it. He certainly demonstrated his intelligence on the code. I knew he liked to play around with the ladies, but lazy was probably unfair. I doubt being the quarterback on a big ten team was a walk in the park.

I pulled four sections of nylon cord from under the pillow. "You said you knew how to tie a round turn and two half hitches. Can you tie me to the bed using that knot? I need to understand what Inesa experienced."

"Where did you get this thin cord? It looks like it's maybe an eighth of an inch in diameter. I wouldn't recommend it for tying someone up. It's so thin and stiff, I'm afraid it would cut into your flesh. I'm pretty sure it will hurt."

"So, besides ciphers, you are an expert in bondage?"

Niles grinned, "I might have dated some women who enjoyed being restrained. I always used silk scarfs."

"Of course, you did. Whoever killed Inesa wasn't rich enough to afford silk. A thin cord like this was used to tie up Inesa. I took it from some broken blinds in the basement of the dorm. It's probably a lot easier to come by than silk scarfs."

I laid spread eagle on the bed with my head on a pillow. "Well, are you going to tie me up or do I have to pay someone off the street to do it?"

Niles shook his head and said, "Wait a minute. I need to find something to protect you from abrasions."

Niles took a tee shirt from his suitcase and ripped it into strips. He wrapped my wrists and ankles before tying each of my extremities with a round turn and two half hitches. He left just enough slack to avoid cutting off blood flow. Finally, he tied each of the cords to a corner of the bed frame. I pulled on the cords, but they wouldn't release.