There are three other people, who may have some knowledge of the case, that could help you.
Phil Harkness was the bureau chief of the Orlando Sun. A few years after the murder, the Sun closed the Linwood Springs bureau, and most of the newspaper’s other bureaus, due to financial considerations, but Phil was an excellent reporter and did his best to track down any clues. When the Sun reduced its workforce a year or so ago, he took a payout, but I think he still lives in the Orlando area.
John Waylon was the bureau chief of the Cape Coast Times, which also had a bureau in Linwood Springs. That bureau was also closed a few years after. Waylon was older, I think in his mid- or late-forties when this happened. I liked John because he was a friend of my father. The local paper backed the incumbents in the city government. But John was on the other political side, and my father knew he would always get a fair story from John. But he left the paper and I don’t know where he is now. I know he was interested in the case for years. If you can find him, he might have found evidence that you can use. John is a veteran newsman who has won a number of awards. Even if he has no new insights into the case, you will enjoy talking to him. He is an old-fashioned, shoe-leather man, and he kept a bottle of Scotch in his desk drawer.
Lyle Woodley was the reporter, at the Linwood Springs paper, who handled the case after the original reporter left the paper. He also knew my father was trying to bring honesty and integrity into the city government. He gave us very fair coverage, which took some courage. The publisher and his managing editor favored the incumbents, and to write honestly, at that time, probably brought him much conflict with his bosses. He left the paper about two years after the murder. I believe he is now the editor of the Coral River Journal, over on the West coast. He may not have thought about this case for years, but if you want to talk to him, he would be easy to find.
Orlando nodded. Private detective work, he knew, is in one sense like cop work. It’s 99 percent legwork, and he now had a lot of walking to do.
###
It was nearing ten in the morning when Sasha finally arrived. She was dressed in a bulky trench coat and she smiled at Orlando, who had been waiting ever since he received her phone call earlier. There was something about Sasha that appeared different, and he wasn’t sure what it was. They walked into his office and he shut the door.
“Sasha, what can I do for you?” he asked, as he made his way behind his desk.
“You know something,” she said. “I know you do, because he mentioned the two of you going to lunch together. What did he tell you?”
“I don’t feel I should tell you until I have everything tied in a bow for you, Sasha. Look, I have no issue telling you now, but…” and his voice trailed off. He knew he had said too much. A look of fury and sadness washed upon her features.
“Why? What did he tell you, that I’m just not good enough?”
“Sasha, you are perfect, and he even admitted that while we had lunch. He is not himself, as you know, and because of that, he is not too sure what he is doing.”
“I have the right to know everything you know,” she said.
“I won’t argue that.”
Sasha nodded. “I understand, and I will not act irrationally the moment I know. Look, I need to know what is going on. I have to know if the man I have given my heart to has, in fact, betrayed me.”
“He admitted what you already know. He said he was sleeping with another woman, but he also said he felt rather felt guilty about it.”
“This woman he is sleeping with, is she someone I would know?”
“I’m not sure, but he did admit that he was torn about getting a divorce.”
She nodded. “Catch them in the act,” she said. “I want proof he is being unfaithful, because I will take Martin for everything he has.”
Sasha got to her feet, but Orlando thought she was hiding something from him as well. But she had no intention of telling him what she was hiding. She walked out the door without another word.
He knew he had been distracted from this case, because of the one brought to him by Jack Richardson. He could handle two cases. He had before. But he was tempted to tell Sasha to go to a marriage counsellor, not a private detective, and work out all the emotional and financial details.
Leaning back in his chair, he heard Emily knock on his door. “Come in.”
She stood in the doorway looking concerned for him. She closed the door and sat down in the chair. He leaned forward and put his hands on the desk. She reached out and she put her hands on top of his, looking him in the eye.
“Boss, I have no idea how you are feeling right now, but I know it must not be good. I am not sure you have a lot of people to talk to about things like this, so I want to let you know that I am here for you, whatever you need.”
Orlando showed a whisper of a smile. Emily made everything seem better, and he had an urge to hold her. He wanted to show his affection towards her, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it. These feelings he had should not even exist and he knew that, but they were there and they were not going away.
“Frankly, Emily, I am better this morning than I was yesterday, and I have a feeling I may be better tomorrow than I am today. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a few problems, but I’m beginning to see a light in the stormy, dark sea.”
The words seemed to perk her up. She smiled and gave him a quizzical look. “Boss, what brought this on?”
“The case that Mr. Richardson hired me for yesterday. Perhaps we can get a drink tonight and I will tell you about it. Briefly, he asked me to track down a killer from a twenty-five year-old cold case. It’s….it’s a chance to bring justice to the earth, and to bring relief and solace to a family.”
“A case that might be given to Mike Hammer?”
He laughed. Then he closed his mouth, but a second later, he laughed again. A deep, from the gut laugh. A laughed that made all the problems diminish. Emily was aware of his fondness for the detective novels of the late Mickey Spillane. Spillane was not a prose stylist, but there was verve and power in his detective, who had the unforgettable name of Mike Hammer. Hammer operated during the Cold War, and was the toughest guy who ever slammed a wrench into the kidney of a Soviet spy. Hammer also had a passion for justice. For all his literary flaws, he was on the side of the angels. Orlando liked the comparison Emily had made.
He was still filled with conflicted feelings about the divorce of two of his closest friends, and he was very conflicted about his feelings for Emily. There was also conflict about closing up shop. He knew that if he quit, his funds could last him for eight months. If he decided to change professions, he would have to let Emily go, and he realized he did not want to do that. But you don’t need a secretary if you’re unemployed.
He sighed. He had two cases, but he felt like he might be at a crossroads in his life, and the two cases were symbolic of it. The two old friends might be the past, and the Richardson investigation might be the future. Two different cases. Two different sets of emotions. Two different futures.
“So, would you like to go out for a drink?” he said.
Emily nodded. “Sure would.”
###
They were in the North Woods Plaza, where the diner stood alone from the other buildings. David could see that Doubles was fairly busy. He grabbed the silver door handles, that always looked like pipes to him, and pulled them open. Emily stepped in and looked around. Like most diners, the theme was in the seventies, but it was not as cramped as the other ones he had been in. He saw Stan standing at the booth and smiled.
“Ah, David,” he said. “It has been too long, my friend.”
Stan had a thick Italian accent, and he didn’t appear to have changed much over the past year or so. He smiled. “Yeah, Stan, it has definitely been too long. Anyway, this is Emily, and she is a co-worker of mine. I would actually like for Pops to meet her.”
“Well, let me go and make sure your usual table is ready.<
br />
David nodded as he watched Stan scurry off. He turned to Emily, who was looking around and seemed to be admiring the place. David wondered if she had ever been here before, and if so, he wondered when. He practically grew up here, and he would have remembered if she had been in here before, when he was there.
It took about a minute and he saw Stan come back. “Your booth is ready.
“Thank you, Stan,” he said, as he was leading Emily through the menagerie of people and chairs. They made it to the corner booth. Orlando never understood why he loved this spot more than any other in the diner, but when they were first getting ready to unveil it, he had chosen this spot and it had remained special to him. But tonight, even this special spot seemed a bit different and new to him.
Sitting down, he realized Emily was sitting across from him, and that these tables seemed closer together than he remembered. He could feel her knee and adjusted. When the waiter came, they ordered two drinks. When they came, Emily sipped hers and narrowed her eyes at him.
“I’ve noticed a change in you, David. I would like to know what it’s about. Is it due to the new case you have?”
Orlando sipped his drink and nodded.
“I think so. There’s been a…a change in my mentality. It’s kind of difficult to explain. I suddenly think there might be hope, after all. I’m beginning to wonder if the world isn’t such a bad place after all.” He clicked his lips. “I wonder if there might be laughter and joy around the corner.”
“As opposed to misery and depression?”
He nodded. “As opposed to misery and depression.”
“Well, whatever this change was, it’s positive. I haven’t seen you smile that wide for a long, long time.” She tapped her glass with her finger. “So, tell me about this case? It must be dramatic.”
“It is, in a way,” he said. “You know that old line about ‘I was depressed and sad because I had no shoes. Then I saw a man who had no feet’.”
“Yes. There’s a moral to that.”
“Yes, there is. I was feeling down, because I though my problems were huge. I magnified my problems. All I could think of was me, and only me. That never helps you.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she said.
“Then Jack Richardson walked into my office. Richardson’s father, Lyndon, won an election to the city council in a small town in Florida, about twenty-five years ago. He was an honest man who replaced a corrupt mayor. He and his honest friends took control of the town council, and that meant trouble for a lot of people, and it cost several people a lot money. About sixteen months later, the mayor and his friend are run down on a highway and killed.”
“Oh, no,” Emily said.
“Oh, yes. Naturally they were suspicious that his death was because of his political views, and that one of his opponents ran him down. That’s a possibility. In fact, I think that’s a strong possibility, but the driver of the car has never been found. The bad news is, a good man was killed. The good news is, the good guys kept control of the city government. The good news is there is good in the world, there are good men and women who took back a government and stopped the corruption, and made the small town of Linwood Springs a better place to live.”
Emily took another sip of her drink and nodded. “A very inspiring story. Even more inspiring because it’s true. And the man who came to your office was….”
“The son of Lyndon Richardson, the mayor who was killed.”
“And he wants you to find the killer?”
Orlando nodded. “Someone should. The driver shouldn’t be allowed to get away with murder.”
She drained her glass. “I can see why this case might have inspired you. But no cold case is easy to solve, and a twenty-five year-old cold case will be even more difficult to solve.”
“Yes, but I’m going to give it a try.”
“Boss, this cold case is even colder than most. If a mayor of a town is killed, there is publicity galore. The police, the sheriff’s office, the state, every law enforcement agency within fifty miles, is helping out. No doubt, they had investigators galore working on it. They had to have tracked down every possible lead.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to diminish your enthusiasm, but there are high odds against you finding the driver, a quarter of a century after the crime.”
“Maybe, but I’m going to give it my best shot.”
Emily frowned and shifted in her seat. A look of concern flashed across her face. She shook her head.
“Boss, I know you are enthused about this, but you better think twice about it,” she said.
“I’ve thought twice about. I’ve thought three times about it.”
She sighed. “I like this new you. There’s a spark in your eye, a spring in your step, a softness and tenderness in your voice, and a confidence in your tone.” She moved her hands, as if trying to touch her words and get them to convey what she wanted them to say. “But boss, the chance of success in this venture is slim to impossible. And what happens to your new frame of mind, or whatever it is, when this goes down the tubes? What happens when you can’t find the killer? Are you going to go back to the old David Orlando? Will this be even more devastating than the divorce of two old friends? If you can’t find the driver, will the depression get even deeper?”
Orlando picked up his glass. “I think that’s a chance I’ll have to take. And I’m prepared to take it. Twenty-five years ago, Lyndon Richardson knew the risks he was taking by running for office to clean up his hometown. He knew and accepted those risks. I’m prepared to take the risks, too.” He raised one hand and moved his fingers back and forth. “I’m not wavering anymore, Emily. Not anymore. Maybe I won’t find the driver. Life doesn’t have any guarantees. The dice are loaded and the cards are marked, but if you don’t play, you don’t win.” He raised the glass and drained the drink. “I’m playing this hand. So, hold down the office tomorrow. I’ll drop in just briefly, because Sasha is coming in, then I’m going to track down a few people who may have information about the cold case. I’m going to try my best to put all the clues together and see what happens. If I can’t find the guy, then I’ll deal with that. But I have to try. Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall.”
CHAPTER FOUR
He walked briskly into the building. The minor annoyances of the day, the yapping of walkers on the street, the bad elevator music, didn’t bother him. He even whistled a tune. But he also wanted to get the meeting with Sasha over with as quickly as possible, so he could pursue the cold case.
When the elevator doors finally slid open, he walked down to the second door on the right and opened it. Emily was already behind her desk and she was e-mailing someone on the main computer. The only time she ever used the main computer for correspondence was when someone was asking for information.
She was very absorbed in the conversation she was having on the phone. Orland walked over to her. She finally looked up at him and smiled a half smile. She still seemed to be focused on whatever was in that e-mail, then she locked the computer and turned all of her attention to him.
“Thank you for breakfast, Boss,” she said. He could hear that she was somewhat anxious, and was curious to know what was going on.
“Is everything alright? You don’t seem like yourself this morning.”
She looked down and nodded. “Yeah, we received an e-mail from Renée Zsolney, and she is wanting to divorce her husband. I know you were talking about closing up shop,” she hesitated. “But this is Renee Zsolney.”
Orlando thought on it for a moment. The Zsolney family name and wealth were known in Winchester Beach. If he took on this case, he would receive a check much larger than the ones he had been receiving.
“Another divorce case. A Zsolney case would be profitable, but it’s coming at an inconvenient time. I’ll think about it.”
Emily nodded and she watched as he took his coffee into his office. She could not respect him any more than she already did. This
case would be as lucrative as striking oil, and he had to think about it because he was not interested in the money, just the job. She smiled to herself and shook her head, taking in a deep breath. Orlando definitely was not a typical man.
Sasha arrived a few minutes later. She was dressed in a bulky trench coat, and she smiled at Orlando, who had been waiting ever since he received her phone call earlier. There was something about Sasha that appeared different, and he was not sure what it was. They walked into his office and he shut the door.
“Sasha, I haven’t found out much since yesterday. I’m not sure there’s a need for this visit.”
“Probably, but I just wanted to come up and say hello.” She gave a quick smile. “Maybe being with you just comforts me, David.”
“Thank you for the compliment, but you’re going to have to try tranquilizers. I’m going to be out of town for one or two days.” When he saw her eyes blink with worry, he raised his hand. “I won’t be out long, and I will keep checking on the case. Don’t worry.”
“I just feel that Martin has left me, and I don’t want you to leave me, too.”
“I won’t leave you, Sasha. I’m leaving Winchester Beach for a quick trip down to Linwood Spring. I’m leaving town for a day or two. I’m not leaving you. I’ll never leave you.”
“Thank you.”
Orlando paused for a minute. “Sasha, has something else happened? Something besides the divorce?”
“Why would you ask that?”
He didn’t tell her that answering a question with a question was always a dodge.
“Because both of you seem different. I know we haven’t seen each other much in the past couple of years. You two have been busy with your lives, and I’ve been busy with mine, not that I had much of one.” He winced. “But both of you…it’s difficult to be precise about this. But both of you seem different in a fundamental way. The nuances, the tone of voice, your movements….you sure there isn’t something else bothering you?”
Family Ties Mystery Series Box Set Page 15
