got there, Lieth Von Stein’s body was at Beaufort County Memorial Hospital, where Medical Examiner A. L. Potts had already examined it and authorized its removal to the medical examiner’s office at East Carolina University School of Medicine in Greenville. John Taylor had photographed the body from every angle before it was removed, and had photographed the rest of the house as well, knowing that the photographs would be needed as evidence. Taylor also had directed the patrol officers in a grid search of the Von Stein yard, which had turned up nothing significant. Other officers had been dispatched to talk with neighbors to see if any had seen or heard anything unusual in the night, but nothing had turned up there either. Captain Danny Boyd and John Taylor filled in Young and Stokes on what was known so far, and Young attempted to get an SBI mobile crime lab to the scene, only to discover that none was available, because crime lab operators were attending a conference. Left with no other choice, he decided to conduct the meticulous evidence search himself, with the help of Taylor and Detective Arnold Cox.
Meanwhile, Melvin Hope was trying to learn more about Lieth Von Stein. He called National Spinning Company, where word of Von Stein’s death was just beginning to circulate. He was referred to several people before he talked with Brad Hughes, the company’s vice president for finances. Hughes invited him to the plant and offered him access to Von Stein’s office.
At the plant, Hughes told Hope that Von Stein was in charge of internal auditing for the company, overseeing two other auditors. He also did special projects for Phil Wander, the company’s third-highest executive, in New York. Von Stein used to make frequent trips to New York, but not so often anymore. Wander was about to retire, and Hughes was gradually assuming his duties.
An auditor’s job is not one designed to win friends, Hughes acknowledged, but Von Stein was well regarded by his fellow employees nevertheless. Hughes had become perturbed with him once, he said, when he learned that Von Stein recorded their telephone conversations. But he thought there was no sinister motive behind it, that Von Stein simply used the tapes to refresh his memory. Hughes knew of no especially sensitive or unusual audits that Von Stein had been involved in, certainly none that might cause somebody to kill him.
But as he talked with Hughes, Hope learned two things that might offer a motive for Von Stein’s murder. First, Hughes told him that Von Stein had been shopping for a mobile home, for what purpose he did not know. Could Von Stein have been having an affair and contemplating setting up a little love nest? If that was the case, perhaps a jealous husband or boyfriend had discovered the affair and taken out his anger in a middle-of-the-night sneak attack with a baseball bat and a knife. That might also explain the brutality of the assault.
The second revelation that Hughes offered was even more intriguing. Von Stein had recently inherited a lot of money, Hughes said. A million dollars or more, he’d heard. That had caused company officials to wonder how much longer he would continue working at National Spinning.
Hope’s pulse rate quickened at the revelation of Von Stein’s worth. He knew that the man was upper-middle-class, but neither his house and its furnishings nor his cars had indicated that he might be a millionaire. A million dollars, Hope well knew, was more than ample motive for murder.
Hughes allowed Hope to poke around in Von Stein’s office, gave him four cassette tapes thought to contain some of Von Stein’s recorded telephone conversations, and left him to talk with the two auditors who worked for Von Stein, Robin Reid and Earlene Rhodes.
Both women had been stunned by the news of their boss’s death, and neither could think of any reason anybody would want to harm him. He was strongly opinionated, they noted, but he usually offered his
Meanwhile, Melvin Hope was trying to learn more about Lieth Von Stein. He called National Spinning Company, where word of Von Stein’s death was just beginning to circulate. He was referred to several people before he talked with Brad Hughes, the company’s vice president for finances. Hughes invited him to the plant and offered him access to Von Stein’s office.
At the plant, Hughes told Hope that Von Stein was in charge of internal auditing for the company, overseeing two other auditors. He also did special projects for Phil Wander, the company’s third-highest executive, in New York. Von Stein used to make frequent trips to New York, but not so often anymore. Wander was about to retire, and Hughes was gradually assuming his duties.
An auditor’s job is not one designed to win friends, Hughes acknowledged, but Von Stein was well regarded by his fellow employees nevertheless. Hughes had become perturbed with him once, he said, when he learned that Von Stein recorded their telephone conversations. But he thought there was no sinister motive behind it, that Von Stein simply used the tapes to refresh his memory. Hughes knew of no especially sensitive or unusual audits that Von Stein had been involved in, certainly none that might cause somebody to kill him.
But as he talked with Hughes, Hope learned two things that might offer a motive for Von Stein’s murder. First, Hughes told him that Von Stein had been shopping for a mobile home, for what purpose he did not know. Could Von Stein have been having an affair and contemplating setting up a little love nest? If that was the case, perhaps a jealous husband or boyfriend had discovered the affair and taken out his anger in a middle-of-the-night sneak attack with a baseball bat and a knife. That might also explain the brutality of the assault.
The second revelation that Hughes offered was even more intriguing. Von Stein had recently inherited a lot of money, Hughes said. A million dollars or more, he’d heard. That had caused company officials to wonder how much longer he would continue working at National Spinning.
Hope’s pulse rate quickened at the revelation of Von Stein’s worth. He knew that the man was upper-middle-class, but neither his house and its furnishings nor his cars had indicated that he might be a millionaire. A million dollars, Hope well knew, was more than ample motive for murder.
Hughes allowed Hope to poke around in Von Stein’s office, gave him four cassette tapes thought to contain some of Von Stein’s recorded telephone conversations, and left him to talk with the two auditors who worked for Von Stein, Robin Reid and Earlene Rhodes.
Both women had been stunned by the news of their boss’s death, and neither could think of any reason anybody would want to harm him. He was strongly opinionated, they noted, but he usually offered his
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