M E M O R A N D U M
Trans-Border Investigative Services Inc.
TO: Edwina Gadarene, Manager: Claims & Distributions,
Access Insurance Inc.
FROM: Morris Freedmann, Trans-Border Investigative Services Inc.
REGARDING: Claim #2740-15-XT: Packet Freight Forwarders
Damage to truck, 30 June 1997
DATE: 15 July 1997
Enclosed is the claim form completed by Eugene Packet, as well as the incident report by Constable Gary Sheaf of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Thanks for sending them.
As we discussed on the telephone yesterday, Mr. Packet is attempting a bit of a scam in his claim. A pretty clumsy one, though. My advice would be to confront him with it and get him to re-file the claim. However, you probably wouldn't want to keep him as a client.
In my opinion, the charges against Duffy and Vaughn-Widmer will not hold up in court, if they even reach that point. Too hard to prove. On the other hand, both of them have signed statements that can't be truthful. Therefore it should be possible to recover damages either from them or from their organizations (BFW and SOS, respectively) by means of a civil action. It's worth pursuing because they'd likely settle out of court to save embarrassment.
M. Freedmann
Access Insurance Incorporated
STANDARD CLAIM FORM
(Please complete this form as accurately as possible in your own words. Access Insurance advises that, when completed and signed, this form may constitute a legal document in the states of Washington and Montana, and in the Province of British Columbia.)
Name of claimant: Packet Freight Forwarders
Policy #: 15-XT-66107
Name of person completing this form: Eugene Packet
Are you the policy holder? (yes)..x. (no)...
If no, state relationship to policy holder: ________________________________
Date of occurrence: June 30, 1997
Date this form completed: July 6, 1997
Description of vehicle: Semi. A 1995 Freightliner, cab over engine tractor, Model J, with 18 foot Trailmaster trailer, built for clean hauling. Solid sides and roof.
Description of occurrence (use back of this sheet or additional sheets if necessary): On June 30, I was driving my rig on Highway 99 in British Columbia heading for the northwest end of Garibaldi Provincial Park. I was riding empty to pick up cargo at this experimental station just inside the park. I reached the entrance road right about daybreak. The road runs west off the highway and goes straight for about a mile to a gate. I was told it would be open but it was closed and when I stopped I was surrounded by about a hundred or more people, with signs and axes and other weapons. Before the police came they slashed all my tires and broke my windshield and driver's-side window.
The reason I had all my repairs done right away was that the next day was a Canadian holiday with nothing open. Also a Friday and then the weekend coming after that. Then Monday was Fourth of July here in the States so there was no chance for repairs unless I did it right away. Besides my contract with the experimental station in the park called for delivery to Spokane WA by July 2. And I had a pickup in Spokane to go to Boise ID by yesterday (July 5).
That park, Garibaldi, is out of cell phone range and the land lines were out because of a forest fire, so your 800 number was no good. The police told me they had more to do than get into a back and forth with an insurance company, so when they offered to radio a tire place in Vancouver, I took it. That's why the repairs were done without you getting involved.
Amount of claim (attach original receipts): $20,082.60
Important. This is for the service call and the installation, and the sixteen tires but only a regular windshield. The repair shop couldn't get the deep tint glass to replace the kind I had. I can get that here in Spokane for $2,795 installed. Also, the driver's-side window isn't fixed yet. Just taped. They didn't have tint glass for that window either. So this claim above will be for more. For now, the receipts are for $20,082.60.
Signature: Eugene R. Packet
ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE
Form 12: Incident Report
Filed by: Constable G.D. Sheaf, Lillooet sub-station
Time of Filing: 1145 hrs. PDT, 97/06/30
Subject: Incident at 'F' Gate, Garibaldi Prov. Park
(See previous reports by this officer and others regarding the continuing situation at 'F' Gate and 'G' Gate of Garibaldi Provincial Park.)
At or about 700 hrs. this date, Mr. Eugene Packet, driving an articulated tractor-trailer made a right turn into the 'F' Gate entrance road of the park, and drove 1.4 kilometers to the (closed) gates in front of the Ministry of Natural Resources Experimental Centre.
According to his statement (verbatim statement on file, signed and witnessed) Mr. Packet was not aware of the protest "sit-in" being conducted at 'F' and 'G' entrances to the park by members of the SOS (Serenity Or Sawdust) environmental activist group. They are objecting to the possibility that timber cutting rights may be granted for this portion of the park. At these same two sites a counter-protest is being conducted by members of the BFW (Brotherhood of Forestry Workers), who support the granting of cutting rights.
Mr. Packet states that as soon as he stopped his vehicle at the gate, it was immediately set upon and damaged by members of one or both groups, using stones, axes and knives. Mr. Packet remained inside the cab during the entire incident and was not harmed. There were no passengers. Our examination of the vehicle confirms that all the tires were slashed, that the tractor's windshield was broken on the passenger's-side, and the driver's-side window was cracked. There was no other visible damage.
Customs certification shows that Mr. Packet crossed the U.S./Canada border with his equipment at Blaine, WA, at approximately 2 a.m. this date.
Except for an incident on 97/06/22 (see Form 12) at 'G' gate, the protest/counter-protest situation at northwest Garibaldi has been essentially contained for the past month. The two sides have maintained their respective numbers at about 50 and neither has engaged in any aggressive behaviour beyond the daily circle marches. By agreement, both have kept to opposite sides of the entrance road. Neither has attempted to cross the park boundary since the gates were closed (See Form 12: 97/06/04). Statements of witnesses taken by this officer (see following) indicate that this morning's incident occurred because members of SOS and BFW each believed the other was planning to use the truck to disrupt the status quo. The situation is once again contained.
From statement of Vern Duffy, BFW (verbatim statement on file, signed and witnessed):
"Most of us were still asleep when the truck showed up. Then as soon as it stopped one of our guys said he recognized the driver for an SOS type who'd been here before, and somebody else agreed, they'd seen him before too. So naturally we all got up to stop the vehicle. We figured sure they were going to use that truck to bust the gate. Then just like the last time, a week or so ago, soon as we approached the road, somebody over there on the south side heaved a rock at us and that started it. I guess we were mixing it up pretty good by the time you got here."
From statement of Shelagh Vaughn-Widmer, SOS (verbatim statement on file, signed and witnessed):
"It being just daybreak, there were only a few of us awake but of course the sound of the truck stopping at the gate alerted everyone right away. Then I guess with not being able to see it very well because of the sun in our eyes, and everybody a bit dozy, we must have overreacted. Thought sure the BFWs were up to something. It was right when the truck stopped that the first rock came at us. Now that the fuss is over, I have to admit the rock was probably aimed at the truck but missed. At the time though, I thought it was intended to keep us back so they could ram the gate."
Reporting Officer's Action:
Charges of Willful Damage (Property) laid against both Mr. Duffy and Ms. Vaughn-Widmer. Neither subject detained.
Gary D. Sheaf, Const.
Aug. 22, 1997
Ken Weber is the author of four books of "Five-Minute Mysteries" from Running Press, all of which have been published in 15 languages. A self-confessed trivia freak and a puzzle
nut, Weber is Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of Toronto.
I was at work in my sunporch studio when the doorbell rang. Tony
Blackburn was standing on the front porch with a wad of cash.
"I owe you the cab fare," he said. "Sorry I couldn't stick around to
drive you home from the Royal Court." He touched my cheek where I'd
rubbed it. "Green war paint. Looks good."
"Thanks," I said. "Come in out of the rain." I led him upstairs to
the studio. While he admired my masterpiece-in-progress, I opened a
bottle of cabernet.
"Not champagne?" he said when I handed him a glass.
"Who could face champagne after last night? And you certainly have
nothing to celebrate -- losing your first big client like that. Rough
break."
"There'll be other clients. Hopefully none of them will be
murderers." He took a sip and sat in one of my director's chairs. "I
had no idea Belotte had such heavy financial problems that his house
of cards was about to tumble down."
I perched on my work stool. "He alluded to having money troubles. I
think he planned all along to lure the lovebirds to the private room
and kill them -- so he could steal back Canfield's winnings and Ginni's
diamond ring. Not to mention stopping Canfield from winning again.
After shooting them, he talked to one of the bouncers -- giving the
signal for the electricity to be cut off. He expected us to assume
that one of Canfield's enemies took advantage of the darkness to
commit the murders."
"He didn't bet on Jess Randolph. The cops said you put them onto
Belotte. How'd you know he was the one who killed the poor couple?"
"Canfield told me," I said.
"But Canfield was dead."
"He was clutching a playing card. When he realized he was doomed,
Canfield scrambled to find the card he knew would identify the
murderer."
"Which one was that?" Tony asked.
"Remember, you introduced Belotte as the King of the Royal Court. And
he wears an eye patch. It gives him that pirate look."
"So the card Canfield had was ..."
"Right. The king of diamonds -- the only one-eyed king in the deck."
Congratulations to Julie Wright, who was the first person to correctly solve the "House of Cards" mystery.
The first person to 