The House on Alexandrine

Chapter 15

JOE GAGE WAS driving down Arden Park about a block south of the house he intended to burglarize. He was looking for Mallett's patrol car. Earl Dittmer was in the back of the dark blue Ford van. It was shortly after midnight, Saturday morning, November 24. The sky was cloudy and rain was expected. Seeing the patrol car, Joe slowed down. Mallett waved casually. Joe circled the block and drove to a house on East Boston. It was a red brick mansion with a two-story white portico supported by four pillars. In one of the downstair's windows was a light to keep burglars away. Switching off his headlights, Joe turned into the drive and followed it around to the back. He parked the van so it was shielded by a brick carriage house and several large oaks. The lawn led back to Cathedral Central High School on Belmont. Opening the rear door, Joe and Earl Dittmer took out wire cutters and rubber gloves, then went to the corner of the house by the driveway where the wires came in from the street. Dittmer climbed onto Joe's shoulders and cut the wires. They then went to the back entrance of the house where there was a screen door and a wooden door with four glass panes. Joe cut through the screen and unlocked the first door. Taking off his coat, he pressed it against the pane of glass nearest the knob. He hit it with his fist and the glass broke. Reaching through the hole, he unlocked the door. It was at this point that Joe Gage changed the plan he had made with Mallett. Instead of going into the house, he sent in Earl Dittmer, while he waited outside as lookout. Dittmer worked about ten minutes, bringing out a small color television, a stereo receiver and a box of silverware. He had on Joe's leather coat and in the dim light could easily be mistaken for him. Mallett drove back around to East Boston where he parked his car and 170 T H E H O U S E O N A L E X A N D R I N E 1 7 1 got out. He had a gun, a .38 police special. Later he told police that he had noticed the downstairs light was out and had circled the mansion to investigate . When he reached the rear of the house, he saw someone come out the back door. Mallett said he called to the person to stop and put up his hands. Instead, the person dropped what he was carrying and drew a gun. Mallett claimed he was forced to shoot. He shot Earl Dittmer twice in the back and once in the face at close range. When the police arrived, Mallett still didn't know he had killed Earl Dittmer instead of Joe Gage. Nor did Mallett tell the police that he knew the dead man. Anyway, with a large hole in his face, Earl Dittmer didn't look like anybody. Police said Dittmer must have died instantly. A revolver was found by his body. It hadn't been fired. The body was photographed and removed. Mallett was taken downtown for routine questioning. When the police let him go several hours later, he still didn't know he had killed Earl Dittmer. No identification had been found on the body and the results of a fingerprint check hadn't come through. Mallett went off to a blind pig to get drunk. When he got back to the house on Alexandrine about 8:30 he could hardly stand up. Corbin and George were just taking the dogs for a walk and ran into Mallett in the downstairs hall. Corbin was struck by how he looked elated and scared at the same time. He had on his gray uniform decorated with silver chains and a silver whistle hanging from a pocket over the heart. Attached to his gun belt was an empty holster, a long night stick, handcuffs and a can of mace in a black leather pouch. Reaching out, he poked George in the chest with a fat finger. "We're going to start changing things around here, start cleaning out the trash. . . ." He stopped and stared over George's shoulder with a look so frightened that Corbin wanted to duck. "How you going to do that, Mallett, kill them?" Corbin turned and saw Joe Gage standing on the stairs. He had...