The Suicide Clause

By Stephen P. Matava

The body of a doctor is found floating in a lake by a claims man and his two young sons. The investigator's company had written a large insurance policy on him a year before which stated that if he committed suicide within two years, the company could deny payment. The case was assigned to the young claims man to clear up the mystery and this took him on a long and complicated journey. He uncovered a witness who lived in a cave that overlooked the river where he went in. With the help of the hermit, he was able to solve the mystery.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 20, 2007
• ISBN: 9781462827831

Stephen P. Matava

Stephen Matava was born of immigrant parents, ten years after his parents came from Slovakia. He was raised in a Slovak neighorhood and spent most of his life in the shadow of his parent's native land. He was the fifth child and the first to graduate fom high school. The older children had to leave school to help support the family. He was raised with strict family and religious values and passed these on to his own children, He hold a degree from the University of Hartford and spent most of his life in the insurance business world. The author is married and has raised three children who have left the nest There are three grandchildren that he sees as often as possible. He learned of his ancestors from the stories that were told around the supper table and from any other material that he could find on the subject. He spent fifteen years years as a claims adjuster for a large insurance company before going into business for himself as an insurance agent. Following the family values of his forefathers has been good to him and he now finds time to write full time. Besides this nove, he ahs written a book of selected poems which will be next to be published.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

It was one of those cool early spring days in Connecticut. The waves at the shore of Lake Hamilton lapped through the tall grass trying to find their way to the grassy shore of the state park. Two sea gulls circled overhead talking to each other and trying to work up courage to go down and investigate the object caught in the reeds. When they decided to go down, they found that the object wouldn’t harm them, there was the body of the man caught against the reeds swaying to the rhythm of the lake. The bloated grotesque body was laying face up, its eyelids open, one eye picked clean. The color was a pale yellow as the body swayed impatiently waiting to be found.

CHAPTER ONE

Peter Janek looked at the alarm clock by his bed. A thin wisp of freshly brewed coffee seeped under the space where the door met the floor and settled just south of his nose. He flipped back the covers and said to no one in particular, Wow! Six thirty. I wanted to be out of the door by this time.

Peter knew his sons, Petey, age eight and Andy seven would be up already. They would be in the living room watching the three stooges or Wally Gater because he heard the muted sound of the television and the giggling of the two boys. He was sure his wife, Ella had turned the sound down so he could sleep late, but she couldn’t control the laughter of the boys. Peter had promised to take them fishing at Lake Hamilton. He knew a good spot where the state had stocked some trout just two weeks before.

His daughter, Anne wouldn’t be out of her room for a few hours yet. She would awake and stay in her room, shunning the company of the boys and would play with her Barbie dolls for a while, they had become a passion with her. Nearing her eleventh birthday, she had started to notice her weight, her complexion and her clothes. She would be eleven and thank goodness she hadn’t begun to notice boys yet. She told Peter last night they were the inferior species, he thought as he splashed cold water on his face.

When Peter came out of the bedroom, dressed in his old army boots and his fatigues. He hadn’t shaved; this was the day he would get down and dirty. The shaving could wait until Sunday when the family went to church. His wife, Ella placed a steaming cup of coffee on the kitchen table as Peter walked in.

Daddy’s up! Shouted Andy.

The boys came running into the kitchen. We’ve been waiting for you, Daddy, said Petey.

When are we going? Andy asked.

Peter tousled the younger boy’s hair. Whoa, let me have a cup of coffee and something to eat and we’ll be on our way. You guys had some breakfast?

Ella answered. I fed them, but they were too excited to eat.

Peter took a sip of his coffee. You boys go get your tackle boxes.

The boys raced out of the kitchen, their shouts echoing behind them.

Ella placed a bagel on a plate before him. They see you more than I do.

Peter reached up and encircled her waist with his arm. I wrapped up the Brady case yesterday. It won’t be so hectic now.

Not until the next big case, she said as she pulled away.

How about calling a sitter and we’ll go out to dinner, just you and me?

You mean you’ll give up your Saturday night football? Ella put the coffee pot on the table and sat across from him. All right, I’ll call Polly, she said, grudgingly accepting his offer.

*     *     *

Peter stopped the car outside a bait shop near the small town of Newton Crossing and bought a small container of night crawlers. About a mile out of town, he pulled his car off the road and parked in the parking area of the state park. He found the path, which led to the lake and to a pier reaching out into the water. He had stumbled onto this spot a couple years ago when he was looking for a quiet spot to dictate into his recorder. When he spotted the vacant parking area, he was happy no one else had discovered it.

He and the boys gathered up their gear and made their way down the path where the reeds from the lake had grown so they almost met in the middle of the path. Peter went first, pushing the over grown grass back so they wouldn’t slap the boys in their faces.

Making their way slowly down the path, Peter whispered. Be quiet or you’ll scare the fish away.

We know Dad! You always tell us that, Petey said.

About a quarter of a mile down the path they came to the pier. A boat ramp jutted out into the lake and by the time they baited their lines and cast them into the water, small boats dotted the lake.

Look, one jumped, Andy whispered, but even fishing didn’t improve the attention span of a seven-year-old and soon, he put his pole down and wandered along the path gathering cattails to take home to his mother.

Peter felt a tug on his line and began to play the fish.

Suddenly, Andy ran into Peter, grabbing his leg and holding him tightly. He screamed. Daddy, Daddy!

What the hell? Said Peter, his intense concentration on the fish on his line, almost made him lose his balance.

It’s a man, Andy gasped between sobs.

What man? Peter was instantly alert. Where is the man? What did he do?

There’s a man lying in the water. He looks awful.

Show me!

No! Andy screamed. I don’t want to go back there.

All right. Stay here with your brother. Peter pried the boy’s fingers loose.

Petey, hold on to your brother and stand in the middle of the pier. Don’t go near the edge.

A few yards down the shore, Peter stopped short. He had seen many ugly things in his ten years as an insurance claims man, but never anything this gruesome. It was a bloated body of a man lying face up in the reeds. One eye was opened staring off into space and the other was plucked clean. He turned away and took deep breaths to keep from losing his bagel. Hurrying back to the boys, he led them up the path and into the car. Petey held his younger brother in his arms in the back seat. Andy cried silently now and Petey stared straight ahead, too shocked by his brother’s horror to ask the torrent of questions that was his usual style.

Peter pressed hard on the accelerator. The one thought on his mind, to get to a phone and call the police. When he got through to the dispatcher, the officer asked? Can you wait by the body and direct the patrol car to the scene.

Peter answered, "I’ll wait in the parking lot and you guys can find the body from there. I won’t bring my sons back there. I’ll stop in to see Chief Tully in a day or two. The body is too decomposed to make a positive ID.

The weekend was a disaster. Petey didn’t want to do anything and Andy was in no shape to be left with a sitter. Peter and Ella cancelled their dinner date and Ella spent the night in her sons’ room while Peter slept alone.

Sunday morning, the boys having finally fallen asleep in the early hours, the rest of the family gathered at the breakfast table. Peter unfolded the paper and what he saw brought him upright in his chair. A picture of the bloated body in the weeds of Lake Hamilton jumped out of the page at him one eye open and the other socket empty.

The caption under the photo read. Body of Local Physician found in Lake Hamilton.

This is the guy, he said. This is what Andy saw.

CHAPTER TWO

Ella looked over Peter’s shoulder as he read, Dr. Kent, she said. Did you know him? When did they find out it was Dr. Kent? It says he had been missing for four days. He must have fallen into the Berkshire River.

I heard he was missing, said Peter. I talked with him a few times and I had a couple of cases with him, in fact, I have one with him right now. A little boy set fire to his dad’s boat and got burned pretty badly. We insure the hardware store where the father bought the gas can. I guess Dr. Kent’s partner, Dr. Wheeler will handle it now. I don’t know Doctor Wheeler, but they have a pretty large practice. I wonder if we have a policy on. He never finished his sentence.

The Phone rang and Ella lifted the receiver from the wall. Peter, its for you. It’s your boss, Clint Waller. He wants to talk to you right away.

I wonder what he wants on a Sunday morning? Grunted Peter as he got up to go into the kitchen. He must have read the paper.

What’s up, Clint? He asked.

You read the morning paper?

Yeah, about Doctor Kent?

We got real problems. We are in this thing up to our keesters. You know the guy?

We got the Collins case with the little burned kid with him. He did a hell of a good job with the kid.

More than that, we have a half a million dollar policy on him.

Damn!! Peter said.

The claims manager wants you in his office first thing Monday morning. He has two home office button down shirt types coming in and he wants you to handle it.

Peter replaced the phone and turned to see Ella staring at him her hands on her hips.

You are going out? She asked.

No problem. I don’t have to go in until Monday morning. It must be important because the home office is sending two legal types. We have a policy on Kent. The big boys are getting excited about it.

He walked around the kitchen and put his arm around her. Grab the coffee pot. I’ll gather up the paper and we will spend a lazy Sunday morning on the front porch.

By Sunday afternoon, Peter couldn’t stand the suspense. He knew it would infuriate Ella, but he had to know more about the body in the lake. In spite of her complaints, he drove over to the police station in Newton Crossing. There might be someone official there or there might not, but he had to try.

Chief Joe Tully sat behind his desk with a pile of papers in front of him.

Peter asked. Have you guys ID’ed the body yet?

It’s not official and it looks like it is Dr. Edward Kent. The body is in the lab in New Haven and they will have a positive ID in a day or so. His wife went there today. It’s too early to tell. Did you know the doc?

I had some cases with him. Any foul play?

I checked the body over and the guys from New Haven said it looked like he got hit on the head, but that could have been when he fell into the river or while he was floating down. There is some white water just before you get to the lake. It looks to me like a suicide, but you never know. He was well liked and he had a good practice, it’s going to take a lot of work.

How did the papers get on it so fast?

They are tuned into our radio and there was a reporter there about the same time we got there.

How did they know it was a suicide?

I don’t know. You will have to ask them.

I’ll check back with you in a few days.

How are you involved?

I’m pretty sure we have a policy on him, but don’t quote me. I’ll know more tomorrow.

Peter didn’t want to discuss the case with Chief Tully until he had a chance to see what the home office types wanted. He would talk to Clint tomorrow. Walking into the quiet house, he saw the note from Ella propped up against the sugar bowl on the kitchen table.

Decided to visit my mother. Will be home by the time the kids are ready to go to bed.

The terse, unsigned note said volumes to Peter. Ella was angry. She would have supper at her mother’s house. He opened the refrigerator door to see what he could find to eat. There wasn’t much since Monday was Ella’s day to shop for food. He made himself a ham sandwich and ate it with a glass of milk. While he was eating, he thought about Ella and the kids. Leaning backing the chair, he sighed rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers. He would have to do something about the situation between him and Ella, but not now. He has to get his head together to discuss the death with the powers that be tomorrow.

CHAPTER THREE

Peter was up early on the following Monday morning. He made a pot of coffee, ten cups because Ella would always finish it before he got home. He smiled as he measured the coffee into the pot. Ella sure did like her coffee, he thought as he put an extra spoonful into the container. He took a bagel out of the breadbox, split it, put it into the toaster, took out the strawberry jam and sat down to wait.

He looked at the jar of strawberry jam Ella had made last summer. This must be the last jar, he thought so he would put only a small amount on when the toaster popped. It reminded him of the time that Ella took the boys to the farm to pick strawberries. The owner of the farm placed Petey and Andy in between two rows. He told them they could eat all the strawberries they could reach without moving. Ella lost track of them while she picked and when she looked up, they were red from head to toe. It took a long bath to get them clean and the clothes had to soak for a while. She took pictures of them when she got home and promised to give them the pictures when they grew up. He knew she did a good job with the kids and the house and she was a good sounding board for him when he was on a rough case. He also knew that he demanded more attention than he gave her.

He could smell the coffee and when the last drop fell into the carafe, he put the jam on the bagel, poured his coffee. He left the house, making as little noise as possible. It was six-thirty and he would be at his desk at seven-thirty.

The reason for Clint’s call raced through his mind as he drove down the interstate 5, on the way to the office. It had something to do with the policy on Doctor Kent, but what was the urgency? They didn’t insure him and what could the company have with him. The company didn’t carry any other coverage with him. Why would the home office types make a trip all the way to the branch? They usually sat in their offices and phoned each other and didn’t leave the confines of their domains unless there was a fire. Even then, some did not want the higher-ups to notice who left the building first so they would make it a point to leave the building at the last possible moment. Something heavy was going on!

Chief Tully said the police considered Kent’s death to be a suicide and possibly that was the reason. At any rate, he would find our soon enough.

Sol’s coffee and sandwich shop was in the basement of his building where Peter ordered coffee and a Danish and took the breakfast to the elevator. The elevator door opened directly into the claims office and everything was quiet. The suit supervisor, Sam Hale was the only person in and he was in the cubicle diagonally across the room. He waved to Peter who waved back. Sam handled all the cases on which there was a lawsuit and he prepared the files for trial.

The office, one huge room with desks arranged in the open area, had two sides with the windows and cubicles all along the walls. In the corner office with windows on two sides is where the claims manager, Jim Evans sat. Whenever the claims manager wanted to talk to someone, he would call him in and everyone in the office speculated about the reason. That would be the subject of conversations for the rest of the day.

When Jim Evans came into the office, he walked down the long row of cubicles wishing a good morning to each one as he passed. When he came into the office, everyone knew he was there. Clint’s cubicle was halfway down the row and the four men he supervised were in front of his door so he could see when they came in and when they left for the day.

It was quiet now, but in an hour, the room would be filled with people and the phones would be bussing all over the area. Peter put his second breakfast on his desk and walked over to his secretary, Kathy’s desk. He opened the sizable drawer on the left side where four large folders were stored and pulled out the one with his name on it. These folders were for correspondence and messages that were collected in the course of the week. Peter called in once or twice a day, Kathy pulled the folder and she told him what was inside. He didn’t expect to find anything in it. It was empty when he left the office at three o’clock on Friday. There was one phone message from Howard Mason, the attorney handling the claim for Toby Collins who was burned when his father’s boat caught on fire. The attorney must have read the Sunday papers and he called the office on Sunday and with the office being closed, he got the answering service. The attorney wanted to test the waters to settle the case before Peter realized that the death of Doctor Kent weakened his case. Peter put the note aside; he’d allow the attorney to stew a little longer.

Clint arrived twenty minutes later and stopped by Peter’s desk. Peter asked. What’s this all about?

You’ll find out. I don’t know a hell of a lot more than you do so we’ll just have to wait.

At eight-fifteen, everyone in the office looked at the elevator to see Jim Evans step off and into the room. He looked sporty in a blue blazer, gray slacks, light blue shirt and a dark blue tie with red polka dots. He walked over to Clint’s office and motioned Clint to follow him to his corner office. Peter rose and followed the safari heading for the corner, all eyes staring them down.

Inside, Jim said. Please close the door.

Sitting behind his desk, the claim manager asked Peter, How well did you know Doctor Kent? Do you have any cases with him?

We do have a rather serious burn case, Toby Collins. I’ve met with him a few times on other cases, but I did not know him very well.

Have you read the news story?

"Yes, I cut out