COLD CASE: WORLD’S FAIR

When the skeleton of a man is found on the site of the former Philadelphia World’s Fair, the team must investigate the murder of a man last seen in 1926. The man was a rising star and was the assistant to a member of the fair’s Executive Committee. They must open some old wounds for the victim’s living daughter, now in her eighties. Was the victim killed because of his poor business decisions, or was it something more personal?
 

1
The following story is fictional and
does not depict any actual person or event

Eddie Cantor
“If You Knew Susie”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0zKqiClt1k

January 10, 1926

Four men were walking around an empty ground. Harry Finton was speaking to the others.

“The Sesquicentennial-Centennial International Exposition will put Philadelphia on the map” said Harry Finton “It will be a celebration of one hundred and fifty years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It will give people delightful associations of our fair city. The colorful event will leave imperishable memories in the minds of all that visit her.”

He paused, then pointed “Over there will be an eighty foot replica of the Liberty Bell. It will be the first thing people see as they enter the Exposition.”

Harry continued to walk along the site “Over there, the auditorium. On the opening day, we have speeches from the US Secretary of State and Secretary of Commerce, guaranteed to bring a big crowd.”

The other men nodded.

“Just past there will be the Tower of Light. Further on will be the Exhibition palace for Agriculture. We will also be having a number of foreign exhibits from countries right round the globe.”

They walked down a street.

“We’re walking through the Forum of Founders” said Harry “This fair will not be only for Pennsylvanians. It will be for all Americans to celebrate our founding and our achievements. It is for all the world to see what a great nation we’ve become.”

“Sir, can you tell us why the committee decided that the best place to show the world Philadelphia is waste ground in the bad side of town?” asked a man, Mr Fredericks.

“I’m afraid I don’t quite follow, Mr Fredericks” said Harry.

“South Philadelphia, past Tenth Street” said Mr Fredericks “Filthy, abandoned. No self-respecting Philadelphia goes anywhere near the area. Why did the committee chose that area, when there are far more beautiful places?”

“This area will be- improved. Revitalized” said Harry, nervously. “The city will have a huge new patch of developed public land- it can be used long after the fair has finished.”

Mr Fredericks frowned. “Who will want to use it? Nobody will want to base themselves in this part of the city. I cannot understand why the committee didn’t choose Fairmount Park on the banks of the Schuylkill, or perhaps the botanic gardens near the University of Philadelphia. Surely, they would have been better choices?”

“Citizens would have lost access to those areas while the- the- fairgrounds were being built” said Harry, stumbling across his words “Choosing this area-”

“Stop” said Mr Fredericks. “Did you hear about the last World’s Fair? It was in Paris. How can this possibly compete?” He gestured around the fairgrounds.

Harry took a deep breath. He could do this. He believed in the fair.

“I think you’ll find Mr Fredericks, that Philadelphia is going to surprise everyone with this fair. Everyone will be amazed with the grand spectacle. Philadelphians, Pennsylvanians, Americans, and the World!” said Harry, smiling triumphantly.

Cold Case Soundtrack: “Late Returns” www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OfqgkuLo7s

The fairground was now empty. The area was covered in rubbish, including piles of dirty newspapers. The newspapers had headlines proclaiming “World Fair Failure” They blew past the body of Harry Finton, lying on his side, with a gunshot wound to the head.

In the office of the Philadelphia Police, a policeman filled in a missing person’s form.

He wrote in Harry Finton’s details, then put them in a folder reading ‘1926 Finton’.

Lilly Rush walked up to where Scotty Valens was standing, drinking some coffee. There was a large group of people gathered at the construction site.

“What have we got?” asked Lilly.

“A body. Think it’s an old one. The Eagles are expanding their training center. The construction crew came across some bones” explained Scotty.

Lilly and Scotty walked over to where the forensic team was gathered. A skeleton could be seen.

Lilly crouched down beside Frannie. “Any clues on the bones?”

“Male” said Frannie Ching “Adult. He was shot in the head” she said, pointing to a hole in the skull.”Won’t be able to give you an exact time frame on when he died until I get him back to the lab, but I’d say he’s been down here for at least seventy or so years”.

“Find a gun?” asked Lilly.

Frannie shook her head. She continued to examine the bones.

“He was well off” said John Stillman, kneeling next to Frannie.

“How can you tell?” asked Lilly.

“The scraps of clothing he was wearing” said Stillman pointing. “These are high quality clothes. He’s probably been here since at least 1933. That’s when this part of the Philadelphia Naval Hospital was built. Most of it was demolished ten years ago, but this outhouse remained.”

“Look like there’s something there” said Scotty. Frannie passed it over to him.
They all looked at the belt with its distinctive bell shape.

“That’s the symbol of the 1926 World Fair” said Stillman “This area was part of the old fairground”.

“Looks like someone went to the fair and never came home” said Lilly.

Cold Case Opening Them: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaw9Vpa0JDM

2

“Philly’s World Fair. Officially known as the Sesquicentennial-Centennial International Exposition” explained Stillman.

“Catchy name” said Nick.

They were all down in the archive room, looking at the files on people who disappeared during the fair.

“It was meant to revitalize the city and bring in trade and tourism.” continued Stillman “Ended up with much lower crowd numbers than expected. Had huge financial debts and ended up being placed into administration.”

“I think I have a match” said Kat “Harry Finton was an assistant to a member of the executive committee. He disappeared on the 18th of November 1926, shortly before the fair closed. He wore a belt with the distinctive Liberty Bell symbol”

She showed them a formal photo of Harry.

“Cops have any theories back then?” asked Lilly.

“They thought that Harry might have run away to avoid the shame of the failure of the fair.” said Kat, reading from the file.

“Eighty-five-year-old case, might be hard to find witnesses” said Lilly, hoping this case wouldn’t prove too difficult for them.

“He had two young daughters. Scotty, see if either of them are still alive” said Stillman, handing him the details.

Stillman looked back at the notes.

“A lot of young children went to the fair. They’d be in their eighties or nineties by now, which means some of them could still be around. Might be worth putting out something, seeing if we get any witnesses.”

“What about newspapers?” asked Lilly “They would have covered the fair quite extensively”

“Good point” said Stillman “Kat, you and Nick go to Penn University. Apparently the University has a large archive relating to the fair. I’ve got the name of the professor who’s in charge of it all. A Phillip Norbury”

He pulled out a piece of paper with the Professor’s details, and handed it to Kat. The two headed off, Vera grumbling about hoping there wasn’t a lot of reading involved in this case.

“How’s Chris?” asked Stillman quietly, as he put the other missing persons folders back in the box.

“She’s okay” said Lilly “Has her good days and bad days.”

“Addiction can be like that” said Stillman.

“Ellie’s thriving” said Lilly “She’s got everyone wrapped around her little finger, Dad included.”

Stillman nodded and smiled.

Scotty came down the stairs.

“Find anything on the sisters?” asked Stillman.

“Good news” said Scotty “The oldest sister is still alive and living in a nursing home. Spoke to the nurse in charge there and she said she’s pretty sharp, should be able to interview her with no problems”

“That’s great news” said Lilly “We’ll be able to find out more about what Harry was like”

“You and Lil head over to the nursing home. See what the daughter has to say.” said Stillman.

Joan Peterson, formerly Finton, lived in one of Philadelphia’s most upper-class nursing homes. It was clean, with lots of beautiful furniture, and smiling staff who were more than happy to help Lilly and Scotty. They sat down in a private visitors lounge.

“Daddy was a very good man” said Joan. “I always knew he didn’t abandon us. He loved Emily, Mama, and me”

Joan was impeccably dressed. Her hair was set in curls and dyed a light blond. Joan was wearing a tan skirt and jacket combination.

“I know this may be hard, but can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt your father?” asked Lilly.

Joan smiled “Everyone loved him. He was the fair man. Our house was always busy with guests- men who wanted to invest or exhibit in the fair.”

She frowned.

“There was one man…”

Rudy Vallee
“You’re Just Another Memory”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiqclXgAFBQ&pbjreload=10

Mary Finton walked out into the dining room, where numerous people were milling around drinking fruit punch. In the corner was a young man playing the piano. She hoped her black sequined flapper dress would impress people. She had strung two sets of pearls around her neck.

From the upstairs stairwell, Emily and Joan watched, hidden from sight. They had been told to go to their rooms and be quiet. Their nanny was busy washing their clothes.
“Hello Marjorie” she said to an older women dressed in a green dress “How are you and Marcus?”

“Very well, thank you” said Marjorie “Marcus is very impressed by the idea of a World Fair, here in Philly. Think of all the business it will bring! Marcus of course, is planning to have an exhibit of his knitting mill”

“From what Harry says, there will be room for plenty of exhibits.” said Mary “Have you seen the size of the grounds? South-”

She was interrupted by Harry, with a man in tow.

“Darling, I’d like to introduce you to Mr Sydney Branson” said Harry “He’s going to help us bring the Curtis Organ to the fair. It’s one of the world’s largest pipe organs”

“Giant pipe organs, Liberty Bells- everyone will be talking about this fair for years” said Mary.

“Well, we hope so” said Sydney “There’s been some disappointment with some aspects of the fair- the planning-”

A man’s raised voice led them all to turn around.

“Harry!” said the man “Harry! You won’t even let me in your house?”

Harry walked up to the man. The hired butler was trying to keep the man at bay.
“Clarence” said Harry “What are you doing here?”

Clarence looked around “You’ve sure gone up in the world. Too good for people like me, aren’t you? Won’t even help an old friend out”

“Clarence” said Harry in a low voice “I told you. We simply aren’t able to hire you”

“Because I ain’t a rich man” said Clarence “We used to be best friends, you and I. You think those people really like you? As soon as they’re done with you, they’ll cast you aside. You’ll never really be one of them”

The crowd had all turned toward Harry and Clarence. They murmured amongst themselves. What a scene!

“Clarence, I made a case for you with the head of engineering. Unfortunately, they simply already have enough men”

Clarence shook his head “I’ve heard all about the sweetheart contracts and the kickbacks. Your precious fair is a mass of corruption! Why, you people would rather hire Negroes than a hard-working man like me”!

“You’re making a scene. I won’t talk to you any more about this. Please escort this man out” Harry said to the butler.

“I’m not done” said Clarence “You’ll regret treating me like this!” he yelled as he was lead outside.

“Man sounded like he meant business” said Scotty.

“That was Clarence” said Joan ” He and Daddy grew up together.”

“So your father didn’t grow up in that world” said Lilly “Sounds like Clarence resented him for that”

“Our father’s parents were poor but hard-working” said Emily “Daddy worked very hard to get a job in our grandfather’s firm. He met Mama and fell in love. Our grandparents didn’t approve, but then they both died in a shipping accident on their way to London. Our parents were married the next year”

“So this Clarence thought your dad owed him a job” said Scotty.

Joan nodded.

“Did you know Clarence’s last name?” asked Scotty.

“Terrence, no- Travers” said Joan.

“Thank you” said Lilly “If we need to talk to you again, we will”

“I always knew he was dead. I’m glad we finally have a body to bury” said Joan.

“We’ll release it as soon as we can” promised Lilly.

“Well, this is most exciting” said Professor Phillip Norbury “The Sesquicentennial International Exhibition is my specialty. I wrote my thesis on the social impact of the fair on the city. Usually, the only people who come visiting are grad students in history and Sesquiphiles. You say you’ve found the body of someone who was killed during the fair”
Professor Norbury was a middle aged man with a neat thatch of grey hair. His office was covered in memorabilia from the fair- the Sesquicentennial Newsogram, daily programs, posters, newspaper articles, and coins. On his desk was a large shell with engraved with the dates of the fair and a small liberty bell.

“We believe that the body was that of Harry Finton” said Kat “An assistant to a member of the executive committee of the fair”

“Harry Finton- the name rings a bell” said Professor Norbury.

He walked over to the bookshelf and picked up a large red volume. He flicked thorough it until he got to the Fs.

“Ah yes. Harry Finton. Promising young lad. A real self-made man. Worked very hard to get where he was. Tragic disappearance. So it turns out he was murdered. Well, I always thought Edward Summers had something to do with his disappearance.”

“Who’s this Edward Summers?” asked Vera.

“Harry’s manager” said the Professor. “Believed in Harry until it became apparent the fair was not the success they’d hoped. Took out a lot of his disappointment on Harry”

“That’s an awful lot of blame to put on one man” said Kat.

Professor Norbury walked over to a set of boxes by the window.

“The Philadelphia Department of Commerce undertook a project in the 1960s to get everyone’s memories on the fair. I thought they would be especially useful to your investigation, so I checked them out of the archive.”

He looked at the boxes, found the one he needed, and then went through the transcripts. He found what he was looking for and took it out.

“Unfortunately Edward Summers died before the project was able to interview him. Luckily, his secretary Annie Mayfield was able to be interviewed. I have her transcript right here” he said.

The Professor flicked through the book until he came across the page he wanted “Here- I think this part will be particularly useful for you”

Vera took the page and began reading “The strain of the Fair’s failures began to take their toll. I remember one incident….”

Josephine Baker
“Bye Bye Blackbird”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXQPrtJYCJs

Edward Summers was in his office, writing. Annie Mayfield was busy typing.
Harry came into the room.

“Good morning sir.” said Harry “The weather’s good today”

“A rarity, I’m afraid” said Edward “Sit down, please Finton”

Harry sat in the chair.

Edward took off his glasses.

“Have you seen this?” he said, holding up a newsletter.

Harry shook his head.

“I will educate you on it then. This is the newsletter from the California branch of the Great Fraternal Order.”

“Yes, sir” said Harry, nodding.

“I hope you recall that last month, you were responsible for chauffeuring them around the fair”.

“Yes sir” Harry repeated.
Edward stared him in the eyes.

“What did you say to these people?” said Edward “You were meant to show them the fair was enthralling, a place for relaxation, education, and amusement. Instead, they’ve written that there’s ‘work still being done’, that it’s noisy, chaotic, full of confusion, and that building is still going on. They believe that the fair isn’t yet ready, and that people should postpone their plans to visit”.

“With all due respect sir” said Harry “They visited in the first week, there were areas that were not quite complete-”

Edward cut him off.

“It was your job to ensure that they didn’t see any of this! You should have concentrated on the completed exhibition palaces, the model houses showing the latest in technology, the colonial homes.”

“I understand sir” said Harry.

“There are over a quarter of a million members of that organization throughout this land. They’ve all gone back to their hometowns and spread the word that Philadelphia isn’t ready to hold this fair. This will cost the fair dearly”

“Once again, I apologize” said Harry.

“When I hired you, I thought you were a smart young man” said Edward, his voice rising. “I was willing to overlook your upbringing. Now I see I made a mistake. I should have hired someone who came from a better background. I should be all rights fire you.”

“I disagree” said Harry, firmly “While I perhaps was not as circumspect as I could have been with the Great Fraternal Order, I learned from that mistake. I have been showing representatives and potential investors around the fair, and ensuring they only see the best of the fair. I think you’ll find I’ve been very successful. The Chicago Tribune wrote a glowing review of the fair, after I spent the day with a senior reporter. The New York Post had a feature on the fair- again, after I had spent a great deal of time with their reporter. My contacts in Fishtown have brought in hundreds of dollars in subscriptions- from an area the committee believed we wouldn’t get a single penny of money.”

Edward sighed “Very well. I will give you a second chance. However, I am putting you on notice. Remember, I am a member of the executive committee” said Edward “If I want you gone, you shall be gone.”

“So old Edward wasn’t too fond of Harry” said Vera “Might have even threatened him”

“Maybe he carried through with it” said Kat “Do you have any more transcripts we can use?”

“Of course” said the Professor “I also have some other records that I think will be useful to you. How many boxes can you take?”

Vera and Kat looked at each other.

“Oh, I’m sure we can take the whole lot” said Vera, mimicking Kat’s higher voice, as he carried in three boxes.

“Hey, there might be a clue to this guy’s murder somewhere in all here” said Kat, carrying her own two boxes “Beside, if we didn’t take them now, we’d only have to come back”.

“You two look like you’ll be busy” said Jefferies, who was sitting at his desk.

“We’ll all be busy. You’re helping us sort through all this junk” said Vera.

“Not me” said Jefferies “I’m talking to little old ladies who went to the fair and had went on the Treasure Island Gladway”.

“Any leads?” asked Kat.

“The Treasure Island Gladway was fun” said Jefferies, rolling his eyes.

“Where’s the boss?” asked Vera.

“Talking to the new boss” said Jefferies, nodding his head towards Stillman’s office.

3

“So, let me get this straight” said Deputy Commissioner Joseph Lombardi “You’re investigating a case from 1926”

Deputy Commissioner Lombardi stood facing Stillman’s desk. He was a tall, grey haired man. He was dressed in his full uniform, having just come from a press conference on road accident safety.

“That’s what we do” said Stillman “We work homicides, no matter how old”

“From 1926” said Lombardi.

“We only found the body today” said Stillman “Far as I’m concerned, it’s a fresh job”

“I’ve been reading up on your department” said Lombardi “You seem to spend an awful lot of time on very old cases. Surely the perpetrator is long dead?”

Stillman took off his glasses.

“We owe it to the family and the victim to find the truth” said Stillman “Far as I’m concerned it doesn’t matter if the perp’s dead”

Lombardi sighed “That’s very nice John, but I have a budget to deal with. Noble notions like justice are all very well, but they don’t look good on papers. We need numbers arrested, cases solved quickly.”

Stillman narrowed his eyes “It’s rare that we get a case this old. Most cases we get, we catch the perp- alive- and throw them into jail”

“You know as well as I do, that it looks better to have a quick turnaround on solving a crime. Finding out who killed someone sixty years ago isn’t that impressive”

“It is for the person who was killed” said Stillman “My team has been doing this for over seven years, and I’m proud of our work. People have tried to shut us down, but I won’t bow down to pressure. Now if you don’t mind me, I have a case to work”

Lilly and Scotty were busy looking through records to find any mention of Clarence Travers. Scotty had found a death certificate for him in 1964, with the cause of death a heart attack.

“Nothing in the police records” said Scotty “No criminal record”

“Maybe he never got caught” said Lilly.

“The guy’s name was Clarence Travers, wasn’t it?” asked Kat

“Yeah” said Lilly, nodding.

“Got an employment record here” said Kat “He worked for the fair from March to October, working in construction”

“They must have hired him after all” said Scotty “That takes away motive”

“There was a huge construction boom in the months leading up to the fair” said Vera “They were really struggling to get the fair open by the thirty-first of May. There were calls for them to postpone it, but the executive disagreed and pushed on”

Everyone turned to look at Vera.

“Hey, I’ve been finding out a lot from Professor Norbury’s book” said Vera , showing them the cover “It’s really good”

“Well bookworm, better put it down” said Stillman, who had walked into the bullpen “I’ve found the address for Edward Summer’s grandson. You and Kat can head over there and interview him, see if he knows anything”

Vera looked around the plush office and at the middle aged Asian man in front of him.
“Mr Summers?” he asked, hesitantly.

“Yes, that’s right” said the man “Than Summers.”

“Detectives Vera and Miller, Philly Homicide. We’re here about your grandfather, Edward Summers. We think your grandfather may have had something to do with the death of a man who worked for him at the World Fair”

Than shook his head “That’s impossible. My grandfather was a good man”

“Even good men make mistakes” said Kat.

“I was raised by my grandparents, so I heard a lot of stories about the World Fair. It was my grandfather’s biggest achievement. He was always so disappointed that it didn’t meet its expectations, but he was still proud of what they had done.” said Than.

“Did he ever mention a Harry Finton?” asked Vera.

“Harry Finton- yes, he did. He worked for my grandfather. You say it was his body you found?” said Than.

Vera nodded.

“My grandfather was very upset over Harry’s disappearance. He always thought there was something suspicious, and wanted a bigger investigation”

“So why didn’t he do something about it?” asked Vera .

“Mary Finton stopped him” said Than.

“The wife” said Vera .

“That’s who you should be looking at. According to my grandfather, she and her husband had a lot of problems”

Gene Austin
“Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klagfo5IHoo

Edward Summers picked up his coat and prepared to leave. It had been a very long day. Questions were being asked by the Mayor and Governor’s office about the success of the fair.

He heard raised voices coming from the alcove. He walked over.

“You told me you quit this organisation!” said Harry to Mary.

“I was planning on it, really darling. But I can’t. My parents were big members of the Temperance Union. They taught me how important it was. I agree with them, Harry”

“How can my wife be part of an organisation that’s protesting against the fair?” asked Harry.

“They’re not protesting against the fair” said Mary “Only against the fair opening on Sundays”

“Are you aware of how many visitors we’ll lose if we close on Sundays?” asked Harry “The executive thought very deeply about this issue. They didn’t make this decision lightly”

“But Sundays!” said Mary “People should be going to church, not doing something frivolous”

“You think the fair’s frivolous? A flight of fancy? Is that what you think of all my hard work?” said Harry, annoyed.

“Darling, no!” said Mary “I thought you of all people would understand, but I was wrong. I thought you cared about more than numbers on the gate. I thought you cared about ensuring this city was safe for our daughters”

She walked off.

“Mary, wait!” said Harry, but she ignored him.

“According to my grandfather, that happened a lot. Mary was a strong supporter of the Temperance Union. Her parents had donated a lot of money to the union” said Than.

“And they were protesting against the fair. Bound to cause a lot of friction. Divorce wasn’t easy in those days. She had a lot of money” said Kat “Maybe she took things into her own hands”

“Well, all I know is that she didn’t want the police to investigate any further. She insisted he must have run away, and she didn’t want her daughters to go through all the pain of a police investigation” said Than.

“Suspicious” said Kat “Wouldn’t you want to know what happened?”

“Not if you killed him and buried the body” said Vera.

Lilly walked through the door of Chris’s apartment, carrying take-out. Ellie was crying and Chris was trying to calm her. She wasn’t surprised to see Finn there as well. Finn had quickly taken on gaining yet another sister in his stride. He had taken a shine to Ellie, and had taken numerous pictures of his new niece.

“She won’t settle” said Chris, exhausted.

“It’s okay” said Finn “She’s just cranky”

Ellie continued to cry.

“What’s wrong, baby?” said Chris “Why won’t you settle?”

“You look tired” said Lilly, wondering if the withdrawal side-effects were bad today.

“That’s what I’ve been telling her” said Finn.

“Ellie’s kept me up since two am” said Chris.

“You need to get some rest” said Finn “Here, I’ll take Ellie”

“He’s right” said Lilly.

Chris passed Ellie over.

“It’ll be okay” said Lilly “Get some sleep”

Finn began cooing to Ellie. Lilly gently put her arm around Chris and guided her to her bedroom. She saw that the bed had been freshly made, with clean pyjamas folded neatly on top.

“Looks good in here” said Lilly, impressed.

“Yeah, that was Finn” said Chris sleepily “He tidied up a bit. He’s been here all day. Bought leftovers from Celeste”

“Impressive” said Lilly. She was about to say more, but saw that Chris had fallen asleep.
She walked back out to where Finn was sitting on the couch, Ellie asleep in his arms.
She smiled.

“I thought you were through with interviewing me” said Joan, looking upset “I told you about that man, Clarence Travers”

“We’ve had some information that your mother prevented the police from investigating” said Lilly.

“My mother was convinced Daddy had abandoned us. She didn’t want Emily and I to suffer the shame” said Joan.

“But you and Emily thought differently” said Scotty.

Joan nodded “I guess we were right”

“We heard your parents fought a lot over his work” said Lilly.

“The Fair took a lot out of him” said Joan sadly.

Josephine Baker
“After I Say I’m Sorry”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWOUiAMrAVc

Harry was sitting in their lounge room, staring at the fireplace. He looked dejected.
Mary walked up to him and put her arms around his shoulders.

“I’m sorry” she said “I love you”

“I love you too” said Harry, flatly “I hate this fair. Please don’t quit the Temperance Union on my behalf”

“No, I shouldn’t deny you your dreams. Don’t be ashamed of it” answered Mary

“The fair is a failure, and it’s all my fault” said Harry “We’ll be lucky if we get ten million visitors. They’re talking of shutting it down soon”

Mary crouched down beside him

“You’ve worked so hard. Sometimes things don’t work out”

“No” said Harry “”That’s not what they say. They’re all blaming me, especially Edward. He tells me I’m an imbecile. He’s right. I’ve been a fool. I’ve believed people when they have promised they would subscribe. I’ve believed mayors of far flung places when they said they would promote the Fair in their town”

“Sweetheart, you’ve put your heart and soul into this fair. Ten million people is still a huge achievement. Why, everyone I know thinks it is a huge success. All my friends are talking about it in glowing terms. I’m so proud of you”

Harry looked at her “Why?”

“Because you’re the kindest, most hard-working man I’ve ever met. And every day, I thank God that I’m your wife” she said, before leaning in to kiss him.

“Come on, let’s go upstairs” she said, taking her husband by the hand.

From the upstairs staircase, Joan watched.

Joan rooted around in one of her drawers “This is my mother’s diary. If you look in here, you can see how much my mother loved Daddy”

“Thank you for your time” said Lilly, taking the diary.

4

“So, the wife still a good suspect?” asked Vera.

“Probably not” said Lilly “I’m going through Mary Finton’s diary”

“Fascinating” said Vera, sarcastically. He went back to looking at Professor Norbury’s transcripts.

Scotty’s phone rang. Lilly and Vera looked at it.

Scotty looked at his phone.

“Ah, it’ll probably be my informant with no news.” said Scotty.

“Still, you should probably answer it” said Lilly.

“I’ll let the machine get it” said Scotty.

“Hey, I think I’ve got something” said Lilly “Listen to this. “November first, 1926. I am ever so worried about Harry. Today he told me he caught a most unsavory man hanging around the fairgrounds….”

Josephine Baker
“Then I’ll Be Happy”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5hFBK7JV9A

The haggard middle aged man was grinning at the well heeled woman “Take some of that, and it will solve all your problems” he said, surreptitiously passing over a small bottle.

“Excuse me sir” said Harry, walking up to him “You weren’t illegally dealing liquor, were you?”

The woman quickly walked away.

“Of course not sir” said the man “I’m a reputable trader”

Harry opened the man’s coat, and revealed multiple bottles.

The man started to run away.

“Stop!” said Harry, chasing after him “Not on my fairground, you don’t”

He chased the man to behind a cattle shed, and tackled him to the ground. A crashing sound could be heard.

“That’s hundreds of dollars of product you broke” said the man.

“Illegal product” said Harry.

“Well, some of us can’t be all high highfalutin business men” said the man “I have a son I need to provide for”

“He’ll be better off with you in jail” said Harry.

The man suddenly jerked his hand upward and punched Harry in the nose. As Harry stumbled back, the man got up and ran away.

“The police later identified the man from Harry’s description as a Willie Jones, a local man with a long criminal history for bootlegging and stolen property. They didn’t manage to catch him on the fairground until November twentieth” read Lilly.

“Two days after Harry’s death” said Kat .

The two looked at each other.

“Things get out of hand, this Jones guy shoots the man he sees as hurting his business. Harry dies, and he’s free to go on flogging his wares”

“I think we have a new suspect” said Lilly.

“Well, it looks like Willie Jones continued to live his life of crime, and ended up dying in prison in 1947” said Scotty.

“Well, there’s a dead end” said Kat.

“Not so fast. I also did some more research. Remember that son he mentioned to Harry? He’s still alive”

“Maybe he knows something” said Kat.

“Let’s go find out” said Scotty, grabbing his coat.

Kat and Scotty knocked on the door of the duplex. A carer ushered them in.

They walked over to the man who sat in the chair wearing an oxygen mask.

“James Jones?” Kat asked the man.

“That’s me” said James.

“Philly PD” said Scotty, showing his badge “Detectives Valens and Miller”

“We’re here about your dad” said Kat.

“Well, you’re a bit late” said James, smiling “He died 63 years ago. ”

“We’re here about your father in connection to a homicide in 1926” said Scotty.

“Homicide?” asked Willie, shaking his head “My father was a low life criminal- stealing, gambling, bootlegging, but he wasn’t a killer”

“We heard your dad had problems with a guy at the World Fair who was trying to stop him from carrying out his work” said Kat.

James searched his memories “Oh, I remember the World Fair. Best time of my childhood. My father made so much money. We lived the high life. Until he was arrested”

“Do you remember this guy?” said Scotty, showing James a photo of Harry Finton.

James searched his memories “I do! That’s the guy who caught my dad the first time.”

“Yeah well, maybe your dad wanted to shut him up to continue his business” said Scotty.

James frowned.

“Look, as I said before, my father wasn’t a killer. That fair was huge. My father had a lot of people out for him. It was part of his lifestyle. He wasn’t likely to be scared of a fair committee member. Actually, I remember more about that guy. He had lots of enemies” said James.

“You remember some guy your dad met once had enemies?” asked Kat, skeptical “You remember this from 85 years ago?”

“My dad asked me to do a job for him” said James “It was my first job. I still remember it fondly. “

Red Nichols
“My Gal Sal”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFFw1o68AJ4

James followed the young secretary into the administration building of the world fair. The woman didn’t notice the young boy.

He walked over to the cloakroom, where his dad had said there would be treasures. He put his hand in the pocket of a coat and retrieved a man’s wallet. He smiled.

“I want to speak to Mr Finton!” said a man’s voice, loud. James hid behind some coats. Through the crack in the cloakroom door, he could just make out an older man standing with a newspaper in his hand.

“Clarence, it’s very good to see you again” said Harry, walking up to the man. “I was so pleased that I was able to find you employment in construction. I understand from the steam shovels I can see outside my window that there may still be some construction going on”

Clarence Travers glowered at tHarry. He thrust the newspaper in Harry’s face.

“Well, there won’t be any construction soon, because there won’t be any fair soon” said Clarence.

“I’m dreadfully sorry, Clarence” said Harry “However, I do now have some contacts at the Mayor’s office, and I could-”

“That’s not why I’m here” spat out Clarence “You told me to invest in a subscription to the fair”

“That’s right, I thought it would be a splendid financial opportunity” said Harry.

“I’ve been hearing that the fair’s in such a bad financial state, that we won’t get a return” said Clarence.

“I’m afraid I did warn you that your investment might not come to fruition” said Harry “It’s always a risk with these fairs”

“So tell me why the more wealthy creditors are getting paid back with my taxes” said Clarence.

“They had a different type of arrangement to people with private subscriptions” said Harry “I did explain this to you, but of course, it’s natural to be upset”

“So why do me and the rest of the Philly common people have to pay? Says in the New York Times this week that the city is going to pay all the creditors. That’s our money, us decent hard working folks. The city shouldn’t be using it to clean up your messes”

“Rest assured, Clarence, my manager and I are looking into other financial options, that will ensure the city will not have to pay” said Harry.

“I’m meant to trust you, am I?” said Clarence “After what a mess you’ve made of the fair? They say the city’s nearly bankrupt. You know, the public never wanted this fair. Now I hear your bosses are blaming us Philadelphians for the fair not being a success. Say we haven’t supported it enough. I’ve had enough of this fair. ”

“Clarence-” said Harry.

“You always thought you were better than me, growing up” said Clarence “Always said you were going to have your own business, wasn’t going to be a common worker like the rest of us”

“Clarence, I had dreams.” said Harry “I wanted a better life for all of us”

“You abandoned us all” said Clarence “Got caught up in your new surroundings. Turned into a business man. How many people’s lives have you ruined?” asked Clarence “I’ve spoken to people in the neighborhood. Old friends of yours. George. Charles. Arthur. Albert. All of them have subscribed, and lost all their money. You told us all to invest”

“I thought it would benefit you all, I truly did” said Harry.

“You and your managers should be sued. “ said Clarence “Believe me, we won’t forget”

He stormed out.

“Nothing says motive like money” said Scotty.

“I think we better head back to the records, see what else we can find out about Clarence” said Kat.

Jefferies walked into the break room, where the rest of the team were busy reading various documents.

“Anyone for coffee?” asked Jefferies.

“Make it strong” said Vera “I’ve been reading all day. Can our next case be full of live people?”

“Here you go” said Jefferies, handing Vera a cup of coffee.

“How are your little old ladies?” asked Kat, smiling.

“Oh, I’ve had some older men too. Most of them complaining that they don’t have fairs like they used to”

“Any good leads?”

“Let’s see.” said Jefferies, ticking them off on his hand “It was all the fault of the Jewish land speculators, it rained too much, it was either Jack Dempsey or Gene Tunney from the Boxing match, it was someone from the Anti-Sesqui-Centennial Association, and my personal favourite, it was Mayor W. Freeland Kendrick, in one last desperate attempt to drum up publicity for the fair”

“Wouldn’t put it past a politician” said Vera.

Lilly riffled through the list of box contents “Hmm, here’s something”

She walked over to one of the boxes, opened it, and looked around. She fished out a bunch of letters.

“Letters from Clarence Travers” she said.

“Ooh goody, another thing to read” said Vera.

Kat picked up a letter.

“Dear Sirs,

I am writing to ask that the Chamber of Commerce conducts an investigation into the running of the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial World Fair. I believe-”

She scanned through the rest of the letter “Nothing exciting. Usual complaints. Doesn’t mention Harry Finton specifically”

They each picked up a pile of letters and began reading.

“God, this guy sure knew how to complain” said Vera.

“It makes a nice change from listening to childhood stories” said Jefferies.

“Hey, don’t complain about interviewing live people” said Vera.

“Wait, here’s something” said Jefferies.

“What?” asked Lilly.

“A letter talking about specific members of the executive committee” said Jefferies.

Louis Armstrong
“Basin St. Blues”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQBjD06a6l8

Harry and Edwards sat at a café off one of the main avenues of the fair. It was nearly two pm, but neither man had had a chance to have lunch before then.

A moody Clarence Travers walked by. He was determined to make the directors of the fair pay. He saw Harry and scowled. He couldn’t believe who Harry had become. He thought back to all those times they’d played in the street together growing up. He remembered going to the river as teenagers: swimming in its murky waters, then flirting with the girls who sunbathed on the banks. He remembered Harry helping him learn how to read and write.

“Sir” said Harry “I’ve been thinking about the subscribers to the fair. I’m wondering if there’s any chance of them getting their money back”
Edward looked at him. After a while he laughed.

“Any chance?” said Edward “My wife has more chance of flying to the moon! I hope you haven’t been spreading wild rumors and getting peoples hopes up”

“No, not a chance” said Harry “I have a lot of friends who subscribed to the fair, and they’re not too well off-”

“For goodness sake Finton, we’re not running a charity here” said Edward “None of us are well off after this fair.”

He leant over and spoke in a low voice.

“I should let you know that Mayor Kirkland is about to announce that the fair is a financial failure”

“Is that wise, sir?” asked Harry “The public has no idea how dire the situation really is. Perhaps if we were more positive-”

“The fair” said Edward “has deficits of more than a quarter of a million dollars. Our contractors are due over three million dollars. We’ll be lucky if we reach ten million visitors. I don’t think we can put a positive light on that, can we?”

“Sir, I’ve been reading” said Harry.

“A problem” said Edward “Perhaps if you’ve spent less time thinking for yourself, and more time listening to me, my job would have been easier”

Harry ignored that remark.

“According to my research, all fairs have suffered from financial difficulties. We all try to avoid them, but they happen. The success of a fair isn’t solely in it’s finances”

“Please do go on” said Edward “I can’t wait to hear more of your foolish claptrap”

“Philadelphia” began Harry “has a peculiar responsibility to hold this fair. The one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence! And we’ve done it. There are lots of visitors- perhaps not as many as we’d hoped, but considering the dreadful weather and the negativity held by so many in our community, we’ve managed to nearly reach ten million people.”

He took a breath and continued.

“People have been enthralled by the fair, especially the Forum of Founders, with its colonial style homes. So many visitors have commented how much they like the modern homes too, with a chance to see all the latest technology. And the Dempsey Tunney fight- we got a lot of spectators here, but the decision to broadcast it on radio was a stroke of genius!. So many people listened to it from the comfort of their homes. The fair reached those who didn’t even come to the fairgrounds”

Harry leaned back.

“That little sermon was meant to cheer me up?” said Edward “Make me feel happy with the failure, because of radio broadcasts and the latest fridges? Finton, you’re a colossal disappointment. Questions are being asked from the Mayor’s office. I shall be sure to let them know how you’ve impeded my progress. You’re too woolly hearted. You need to be strong. Warm feelings don’t pay the budget. They don’t stop the bean counters at city hall”

“On the contrary.” said Harry, standing up “At least I know I gave my all to this fair. I worked with dignity , hard work, and perseverance, which is more than I can say for many of the members of the Executive Committee”

He flung down his napkin and walked off.

Jefferies continued “It goes on to say that ‘It was then I realised that Harry Finton was a shining gem in the murky pool of fair organisers. He was one of the few who cared about the people of Philadelphia. I advise you to commend Harry Finton for his work on this fair”.

“Well, so much for the theory Travers killed him” said Scotty.

“Yes, but it strengthens the case for Summers as the killer. Summers sounded furious with him” said Lilly.

“Enough to kill?” asked Vera.

“Maybe” said Lilly.

“What date was this?” asked Vera.

Lilly double checked “October 15”.

“Barely a month before Harry went missing. This Summers guy sounded like he was getting angrier and angrier, and poor old Harry was the perfect target of his rage” said Vera.

5

“I told you before, my grandfather wasn’t a killer” said Than Summers, sitting in his armchair at his house

“We heard he was very angry with Harry in the weeks leading up to his death” said Vera
Than shrugged “He didn’t mean it. He really liked Harry.”

“Had a funny way of showing it” said Vera

“That was my grandfather’s way of management. The way he treated his employees may seem harsh by today’s standards, but back then it was very acceptable. He worked his employees very hard, and often had stern words with them” explained Than “He only wanted to make them the best they could be. It worked in so many cases”

He went to his sideboard and picked up a letter

“I found this after you left. I wanted to read more about the fair, so I went through my grandfather’s desk”

Kat took the letter from him and began to read

“It was written two days before Harry Finton disappeared” said Than

Cold Case Soundtrack: Gwen and Rush www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQx9-y9BKQk

“Dear Sirs,

It is with great pleasure that I recommend Harry Finton as junior manager of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Harry’s work in the Sesquicentennial International Exhibition has gone above and beyond expectations. He is intelligent, hard working, an excellent communicator, and is able to build a great rapport with people. Although the fair has not met our expectations, I believe that the outcome would have been far worse without Harry’s steady hand as my assistant.

Yours sincerely,

Edward Summers”

Vera and Kat looked at each other.

“So, Edward actually thought highly of Harry,” said Vera.

“So, who killed him?” asked Kat.

“So, what do we have?” asked Stillman, sitting on the edge of the desk and facing his team.

“Not much. Some suspects who turned out to either have alibis or to be too fond of Harry to have killed him” said Lilly

“Maybe another subscriber?” asked Vera “Or a creditor- I checked, they didn’t get paid until twenty-nine”

“Who?” asked Scotty “There were tens of thousands of subscribers and creditors. We could be here for years investigating all of them, and considering they’re all dead, we’re not going to get very far”

“Maybe one of the daughters did it” suggested Vera. Everyone looked at him. “Hey, I know they were six and four. Maybe an accident with daddy’s gun, oops. They’ve never seemed too happy with this investigation, and you think if they loved their father that much, they’d want to find out who killed him” said Vera.

“It was too good a shot for an accident” said Kat “Didn’t you read Frannie’s report?”

“I’ve been reading a lot lately” said Vera “Can’t remember everything”

“I think it was the guy who ran the Treasure Island Gladway ride” said Jefferies

“Really?” asked Lilly

Jefferies shook his head “Not really”

“Maybe this is the case we ain’t going to solve” said Scotty “Maybe some cases are just too old”

Everyone turned to face Scotty. Stillman nodded. Scotty was right.

Everyone was packing documents into boxes. Stillman had told them that Lombardi had given an order than they were to stop working on the case. It would no longer be an active case, although it would remain open and he would allow them to investigate it during quiet periods.

Lilly sat at her desk, looking at a picture of Harry Finton. He looked so happy in the photo. What had happened to him?

“I’m sorry I let you down” said Lilly to the photo. She sighed. They’d always solved their cold cases. Occasionally the perp had gotten away, but they’d always known who did it. The last time she felt she failed a victim was Vanessa Prosser’s murder.

She was jolted out of her revere by Scotty.

“It’s James Jones” Scotty says “Says he’s got something”

“I have something I didn’t tell you earlier” said James, sitting in Stillman’s office, his portable oxygen tank next to him. .

“Well, spit it out” said Scotty .

“My dad saw Harry Finton the day before he died” said James .

“He say anything?” asked Lilly.

“He wanted to do business with my father” said James .

Cold Case Soundtrack: The Park www.youtube.com/watch?v=yueBflg9PEE

Willie Jones peeked out around the corner of the building. At this time of night, the fair was shut, and it was quiet in this part of the fairground.

Harry walked up to him .

“You got it?” he asked, showing the cash in his hand .

Willie nodded “A colt, one of the best.”

He opened up his jacket and showed Harry the gun .

Harry passed the cash over, looking around to make sure no one saw. Willie handed him the gun.

“So, what do you need this for, anyway?” asked Willie.

“Personal reasons” said Harry, looking at the gun.

James finished his story.

“Mighty suspicious he buys a gun and gets shot the next day” he said .

Lilly sat back, processing the new information.

“I think I know what happened” she said.

“We have a theory about what happened to your father” said Lilly

Joan stared at her hands. They were in the gardens of the nursing home. Joan was sitting in her favorite spot, next to the water fountain. She had a rug over her to keep the chill away.

“You know, don’t you?” said Lilly, softly, at Joan.

Joan remained silent.

“It always seemed odd” said Lilly “That your mother didn’t want them to investigate Harry’s disappearance. It was so out of character for him- there was no way she could have believed he had run away. We thought that maybe this meant your mother had done it, but the glowing way she speaks of him in her diary says otherwise”

“Daddy wouldn’t have wanted people to know” said Joan, finally.

Lilly knelt beside her “He was a very good man. Everyone spoke highly of him”

“He was the best” said Joan, with tears in her eyes.

Lilly knelt there, waiting.

“My top draw in my bedroom” said Joan “There’s a silver box”

Scotty went inside to retrieve the box.

“Edward Summers made a recommendation to the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce” said Lilly “He was so impressed with your father, he thought he should be junior manager over there.”

Joan looked at her.

“He worked so hard” said Joan.

Scotty came back with the box. He handed it to Joan.

Joan opened it, and passed the note inside to Lilly.

“I never stopped mourning him” Joan began.

Cold Case Soundtrack: Sadie’s Blues www.youtube.com/watch?v=slDjQo-gR9c

“I think you two little minxes need to go to bed” said Mary, laughing as she walked Joan and Emily into the house. The nanny was standing there.

“It”s bedtime for them both” she said to the nanny, who took the girls. Mary smiled, watching the girls run to their nanny.

Mary took off her coat, then walked up the stairs to her and Harry’s bedroom. There was a note on the dresser with the name “Mary” on it.

Puzzled, Mary picked it up and began to read.

She gasped in horror, then ran downstairs. She quickly put on her coat .

“Nanny, I have to go. Something urgent. I’ll be back soon” she called out to the older woman.

She left and walked along the now familiar route to the fairgrounds.

“Harry?” she called as she walked under the giant Liberty Bell “Harry?”

She walked to where the executive offices stood. It might not be too late, Harry might still be working.

In the moonlight she saw him.

She gasped.

Harry was lying on the ground, his hand around the gun. Blood was pouring from his head.

“Harry!” she wailed, running over to him and cradling his still form.

“Harry” she sobbed “How could you?”

“My dear Mary,

I am so sorry for what I am about to do. Please forgive me. Please know that I loved you, Joan and Emily deeply. The pain of failure is too much for me to bear. I put my life into this fair, and it has become a nightmare. I tried, my sweetheart, but it was too much. You may call me a coward, but the pain has overwhelmed me, and I need to escape.

Tell our daughters to always work hard, and to aim for their dreams. Tell them to never let anyone tell them they can’t do anything.

Do not dwell on my death, but focus on our life together. Remember the good times.

Love always,

Harry”

Mary looked up and saw a shovel leaning against a nearby building. Crying, she walked over and grabbed the shovel, then began to dig in the empty lot behind it.

Gene Austin
“My Blue Heaven”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2MUy2uOesw

Lilly and Scotty thanked Joan, who had tears running down her face.

Vera put the suicide note in the red file. He wrote SUICIDE on the cover of the file, then put the file in a box labelled “FINTON, H”. He took the file down to the archive room and found a space for it. He gave it a soft punch as he walked away.

Christina and Finn sat on the couch, watching television together, while Chris fed Ellie.

James Jones was reading the newspaper. He looked up. Standing in front of him was his father, smiling. James smiled back. His father faded from view.

Than Summers looked at a portrait of his grandparents. Next to him, his grandfather appeared, and then faded.

Joan sat in her chair, thinking. Her father appeared in front of her, young and happy like she always tried to remember him. Joan’s face lifted. Her father’s ghost faded, and Joan sat in the garden, reminiscing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHd7937I7SQ

I recently learned how to create audio presentations in PowerPoint, and thus have decided to convert all of my Cold Case Virtual Season 8 stories into audio PowerPoint Slides. Unfortunately, the PowerPoint files are too large to attach here. If anyone is interested in these audio recitations, please send me a private message with your e-mail address.

So, it seems demand for these audio presentations is not exactly skyrocketing. Let me state here once and for all that I do not charge for these presentations. I make no money off of the Cold Case Virtual Season 8; I never intended to make money off of this. This is just a passion that I have had for several years because I thought the show deserved a better ending. Even if I wanted to make money off of this, I would most likely face serious copyright claims due to the amount of music and background audio that I use.

The audio presentations consist of my slightly adlibed narrations of the five acts of each episode. Flashback sequences also play featured music just like in the show or I use selections from the Cold Case Soundtrack. I also treat listeners to a brief commentary after each episode. I suppose I could just post those After the Show segments here as messages, but I just thought the audio component would be a nice addition.

I thought about learning how to post these presentations on YouTube, but, once again, copyright laws.

AFTER THE SHOW

This was a particularly interesting episode for me to review again. One of the things that I always wondered about when it came to Cold Case, particularly with older cases such as this, was just how true to life the episode actually was. I have read this episode a few times now and was always impressed with the amount of detail that it contained, but I had never actually heard of Philadelphia actually holding a World's Fair before. But I had heard of World's Fairs before and had some idea of what they were, so I figured the episode had to be based on a World's Fair that happened somewhere. However, I did not actually research this until now. World's Fairs (World Fairs, World Expos, International Expos, International Exhibitions) are grand gatherings intended for nations all around the globe to show off their histories and achievements. The tradition goes as far back as 1791 when Prague (then in the nation of Bohemia) chose to mark the coronation of King Leopold II with the First Industrial Exhibition. However, the term World's Fair does not appear until the 1851 Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in London, England; most refer to this as the first true World's Fair. This tradition still continues today but by another name; the next 'World's Fair' will be called Expo 2019 and will be based in Beijing, China. Dubai, United Arab Emirates is scheduled to host Expo 2020.

As for the episode itself, do not be fooled by the disclaimer. There actually was a Sesquicentenial International Exhibition held in Philadelphia in 1926. Many of the details noted in the story were in fact part of the actual fair including an 80-foot lit up Liberty Bell, a Forum of Founders that featured colonial-styled homes, a Gene Tuney/Jack Dempsy boxing match, and an amusement park area that was meant to resemble Treasure Island. Also much like the fair in the story, this World's Fair also had to deal with lousy weather, did not get the attendance numbers that the developers thought it would, and ended up with approximately $20 million of debts. So it turns out that this episode was very true to actual history. The only thing I can't find is a story about an executive who went so far as to commit suicide upon realization that the fair had gone bust. Perhaps this is where history and fiction deviate, but I honestly can't say for sure.

I also have a few notes regarding some organizations that were mentioned in the story. The "Temperance Union" mentioned in the story refers to the Women's Christian Temperance Union which was a driving force behind the enactment and maintenance of Prohibition in the 1920s. As for the "Great Fraternal Order", the little research that I was able to do on this name suggests that this is a reference to the Freemasons which have been in existence for hundreds of years. Beyond that, I found many organizations that call themselves "Fraternal Orders", but none with that actual name.