Case Study No.1: Get Dressed

I had followed him in the car to South Coast Plaza.

His wife had left information that he would visit South Coast. It holds 2.8 million square feet of retail space and holds the highest records for sales at $800 per square foot. The vicinity was an easy location in which any person could easily blend. I kept pace behind him. Silently following him across the bridge. His white shirt and jean profile would be easy to loose in the holiday crowd.

He paid two women at the The Formosa Lounge to get inside the Christmas Eve party being held by the Waltons. I watched him walk in and greet a gentleman I had seen only in photographs. I wasn't expecting the event to be formal. The white lights, crystal chandeliers, and disco balls lent to the festive atmosphere. I stood inside the shop where I had been watching him. I promptly pulled the dress from the closest rack and changed in the dressing room.

The holiday music from the event was circulating into the dressing room. I heard the sound of a man walking down the marble hall. I was in the lingerie department and felt that the steps were too measured to be that of a grumpy husband or a perplexed boyfriend. I went to my handbag and found the small silver gun that I was licensed to use. Through the shutter dressing room door I held the gun at point blank. The man was standing on the other side of the door.

A voice called out to me, "It's Mr. Walton. My wife has told me everything. He's in the party. I can take you to him."

I knew that my suspect was gone. Mr. Walton wasn't aware that his wife had hired my suspect to kill him. He couldn't have remained calm knowing that his wife had an affair with this contracted killer. She had traveled down this road so that she could get the attention from her husband that she felt was long overdue. His death was meant to happen on Christmas Eve until his wife had called Brunette Confidential. She gave us all the details in order to keep him alive.

"Get dressed." Mr. Walton said.



The store was empty and I felt the instincts crawl inside me. I had Mr. Walton hide behind the marble register stand. The first shot came from the entrance to the store. The second had been closer. I yelled at him to drop his weapon. The third shot struck the marble counter where Mr. Walton hid.

In the reflection of a mirror I could see my suspect walking boldly down the aisle. I also had the opportunity to watch two men apprehend my suspect. I was a hired investigator. There was nothing else I could do. My suspect was being taken away.

Mr. and Mrs. Walton spent their Christmas Eve on a sail boat headed from Newport Harbor to Catalina. The wind was cold and not that of a summer boat ride, but they were alone with only the flight pattern of John Wayne Airport and the north star to guide them.

I returned to my agency and closed my first case. I wondered if this had only been a holiday gift? Could all my work be so simple? I kept the small corner table lamp on and I locked the door. It was nice to have a good ending.