Gentle Reader: Welcome back, it has been awhile. Dietz has a very interesting story to tell and today's clues are interesting. Ones that will get you thinking, I hope. Remember we are still looking for hints that will help us solve the mystery that is unfolding. Enjoy.
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Dietz was back in Springfield, finally. It was now September 24, 1999, his wedding anniversary. The wife and kids were in San Cristobel now and were safe, at least he was assured of that. He had been back in town for two days and had spent the majority of the time lying low which meant he'd subsisted on a diet of Big Gulp coffee and cheap donuts and hot dogs. That kind of diet could drive a man to dangerous acts.
Presently, he was sitting outside the Spaulding Mansions entrance gates. Damn, why did Alan Spaulding have to be the only person in town with security gates, guard dogs and locked windows and doors? What was he so afraid of anyway? Springfield was a safe town if you didn't count; the mob infiltration, the abductions from light houses, the attacks on women at the beach and the numerous fires and break-ins, not to mention all the illegal activities going down at the docks. But the town had a cracker jack police force, didn't they? Two lieutenants and one officer, who by the way was now a confirmed crooked CIA operative. Dietz was sure of that. Alan Spaulding�s darling sister, Vicki, was in on the whole scam and it was obvious that her beau David was either aware of the scam and was helping her or worse yet was helping to engineer the whole thing.
Dietz looked back up at the mansion. Damn, all he could see was what he'd seen for the last two days; Nettie vacuuming and that Beth Spaulding prancing around in her bra and panties with the window shades up. That woman was sure attractive but after seeing it for a few days, he was ready to move on. He wondered if she was a one woman man? Most natural blondes are he reasoned.
His next thoughts were how he was going to get into that house. He had to in order to find that grape jasmine perfume that David Grant said Vicki used. If he could get the bottle or bottles and trace it back to its original owner, he'd have a better idea of who else was involved in this. Just then, Alan Spaulding pulled into the mansion in his Rolls Royce. Bennie got an idea. If he could talk to the chauffeur, there was a chance that he'd get into the mansion. It looked like the Chicago White Sox were going to be playing the Yankees this year for the American League pennant and the tickets were hot. He had secured 4 playoff tickets a long time ago and everyone knew that chauffeurs loved baseball. Heck, he also had advance seats for the planned Yankees blowout when they were going to meet those wimpy Atlanta Braves in the World Series again this year. Yes, this was definitely the ticket, bribe the chauffeur.
It worked, within an hour he was on the grounds. Beth was still wandering around the house in her bra but had put on that attractive mink coat she wore at times. Maybe she had a guest coming over tonight, then again maybe she was cold, these mansions can get mighty drafty. Like Carmen's place. Man if that woman ever turned the heat on before it was 35 degrees outside, hell would freeze over. Strange woman that, still maybe the cold had helped preserve her. She looked darn good for a woman 42+ years of age.
Carmen, ah sweet pretty Carmen. It has been a rough summer for us all. He thought back on a conversation they'd had before Pilar arrived back in town. She had told Dietz that the family was like a pack of wolves. Abuella was the old and revered wolf who nurtured her young, Carmen was the alpha wolf�the boss, the one in charge of providing for her family. Danny was the Beta wolf�the second in command and the one who others would turn to for guidance in the alpha's absence.
She had laughed when Dietz had asked her what kind of wolf he was. She said Dietz you are a big bad wolf. No, no she said, you are an omega wolf. The working wolf who does as he is told and doesn't ever complain. Danny had admonished his mother for saying this but I�d figured at the time it was pretty much true. Plus what was wrong with being the Omega man, it sort of sounded thrilling like one of those Robert Ludlum books you see at airport gift shops.
He walked past the Spaulding stables. Man, he loved horses. He sure wish someone had bought him a horse sometime. He walked past one stall, now there was a pretty mare, Carla, what a pretty name. Just then the filly neighed and he went over and fed her a carrot. Good girl, he said. She was tall, lean and beautiful. He stroked her beautiful mane which was braided with flowers, probably that Lizzie kid had done this. Go and let these rich spoiled brats destroy the look of a good horse. Good thing he liked kids, he thought. He longingly looked back at the horse paddocks again then went on up to the house.
Perfume was the Latin word for smoke. Ha he thought. Perfume making was such an intricate science that he could never quite grasp it at all. Basically to make a good perfume you'd take a couple of scents that were capable of evaporating quickly so that their molecules would waft noseward. Then you'd take a fixative compound to anchor those same scents to keep them from evaporating. Then you would add alcohol to the ingredients to serve as a base.
To make the grape jasmine perfume you had to squash the flower petals between layers of pig fat, Carmen's bright idea only she wasn't the one who had to do the squeezing. The fat absorbed the oils from the flowers that was collected later as an essential oil. Grape jasmine was what you'd call a big floral scent. The essential oil of the flowers along with that of Carmen's secret ingredient and the fixatives mentioned above were dissolved in alcohol. The mix is usually about 15% essential oils and fixatives to 85% alcohol.
Anything less and you'd have cologne or toilet water (3/5% and 2% respectively). Carmen's Grape Jasmine perfume was so well how do I put this, fantastic and individualized because it had 3 notes. It had a light initial top note, then a middle secondary note which lingered and then the third note, the base note which was long lasting. You could still smell that perfume days after the wearer had applied it.
All of this was the reason that the perfume was coveted, why so many had died for this perfume and it was why Danny and Michelle were now in mortal danger. Funny, he thought, he who had once tried to kill off the Santos family, was now the only person in the world who could save them.
All of this went through Dietz�s mind as he was climbing into the rear kitchen window of the house. That was right before David Grant�s snub nosed pistol smacked him in the face. The last thing he heard was Grant�s voice, Say Goodnight Dietz. And then Dietz passed out.