The White Lilly

*****************************The White Lilly******************************

Chapter 8. Dragnet Roundup

Doubt, dread, depression, and death were daily companions of lawbreakers. Sin and misery ruled the lives of outlaws. They lived as hunted hated men. The gain that they had eked out from their crimes gave them the risk of being caught and punished to spend the rest of their lives in prison. This was a way of life that they had chosen.

Ellis knew the police chief, Harry Marsh, and the judge, Jack Hardaway, from his days as a Charlotte policeman. Both came by his store from time to time, talked with him, and bought some whiskey.

One afternoon a pretty lady got out of a black sedan in the liquor store front parking lot. A dark haired man in a suit was the driver. The lady went into the store, walked to the back wall and stopped. She looked over at Ellis who was sitting on a stool behind the counter reading a comic book that rested on the counter. Ellis looked at her. She was tall, blonde, well dressed, and abnormally attractive like she was a Hollywood actress. He said, “Hello. Can I get anything for you, Mamm?” The woman smiled and replied, “I understand you are a private detective. I have some jewelry that was recently stolen. I contacted the police, they came, made a report, and nothing really happened. My jewels are valuable. They were a gift to me. I want to get them back. So hearing of you, I decided to give you a visit. Can you please help me?” She and Ellis talked for about thirty minutes. He asked her many questions and wrote down all of the facts on paper. Fifteen Cartier diamond and silver jewels were a part of a matched set. They were worth about $80,000. He got her name, address, where she worked, description of each of the jewels, where she had kept them, and the best idea she had about who the thief was. She had recently had visits from three boyfriends and had a hunch one of these men lifted them when visiting her. Tisha gave the names, descriptions, and addresses of these three men. She admitted that someone else could have stolen them. Anyone was suspect. Likely the three boyfriends were the culprits. She thanked Ellis and left. He learned that she was from Chantilly. She was a dancer, singer, and a nightclub performer. Her name was Deborah Tisha Swinton.