Silenced Justice: A Josh Williams Novel

by Joe Broadmeadow

  "If you don't shut up, you'll need their rehab services."

  Throwing his hands up in mock surrender, they walked to the reception desk.

  "How can I help you?" the receptionist, a scary looking septuagenarian said. She wore black bullseye mascara and an unnatural blond wig with the binding curled up. It looked like her skull was peeling.

  "Hello there, my dear," Josh said. "My grandmother and I would like to see Mr. Church, if he's not busy."

  Chris kicked Josh.

  "Ouch," Josh flinched. Turning back to the receptionist he said, "You'll have to excuse her, spasms you know."

  The receptionist nodded with sympathy and directed them to room forty-two. As they got to the door bearing the number 42, Josh said, "What do you know, the meaning of life," as he pointed at the number.

  Chris looked confused.

  "Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe. Answer to the meaning of life, 42. No? Haven't you read the book?"

  "No," Chris answered.

  "Jeez, you are getting senile. I gave it to you for your birthday, remember?"

  "Oh, that science fiction nonsense. I gave it to Vera."

  "I give up trying to give you some culture."

  "How about we do what we came for and then you can tell me all about it."

  Knocking on the door, Josh waited for a response. A moment later a tall, gaunt man came to the door, wearing a United States Marine Corps sweatshirt and holding a book in his hand. He looked at the two of them and asked, "Yes, can I help you?"

  "Major Church, my name is Josh Williams. I am a Lieutenant with the East Providence Police Department. This is Chris Hamlin; she's a retired Lieutenant from there as well, now a private investigator."

  "Well, nice to meet you. Are you related to Ed Williams from the State Police?" taking his measure of Josh.

  "I am, sir. He was my father."

  "Ah, good man, your father. How is he?" Church asked.

  "Dead. He died several years ago. Cancer," Josh answered.

  "Ah, sorry to hear that. I wish I had known. I went through a bad time a few years back. It must have been when I was in the hospital or I would have attended the funeral."

  "I appreciate that. Can we go someplace private to talk?" Josh asked, as he saw the two other occupants of the room looking over Church's shoulder.

  "Sure. We can go to the dining room," Church answered. "I'll buy the coffee,” putting the book down on his bed and heading down the corridor.

  The trio walked down the white-walled hallway. They maneuvered around wheelchairs and walkers occupied by other residents. They all watched them with varying degrees of interest, or perhaps consciousness. Several of them called out to Church, 'How are you, Major?’ 'Nice to see you, Trooper.’ It was obvious Church clung to his past with pride.

  They all got coffee and sat at one of the dining room tables. Church said, "So what is this all about?"

  Josh glanced at Chris then said, "Major, this concerns the time you served as acting warden at the ACI. There was an inmate named Darnell Grey. He was--"

  "I know who he was," interrupting Josh, a noticeable change coming over his appearance. "He raped and killed a woman in Providence and raped several other women. White women. One of the victims was the daughter of a Trooper. Why are you looking into ancient history?"

  Josh decided to try to soft-pedal the questions.

  "I'm glad you recall it. We're trying to clear up some things. Since I am sure you recall he died in prison, the case is still open."

  Josh watched Church for a reaction. The Major locked on Josh, narrowing his eyes, the muscles in his jaw flexing and tightening. "Do you recall if there was any issue raised about him being in the general population, since he was awaiting trial?"

  Church shot a glance at Chris. Josh could see the tension rising. This was someone unaccustomed to having his actions questioned.

  "Do you know anything about those times in the Corrections department? What the courts were doing to us?"

  Josh shook his head.

  "I didn't think so. Let me give you a brief history lesson." Church put his coffee cup down, leaning forward in his chair. "The Governor ordered us to move a bunch of mafia guys and gang members to out-of-state prisons. We needed to regain control. Up to that point, the inmates ran the place. The guards could not, or would not, do anything. It's why they brought in the State Police."

  Reaching for his coffee, he took a sip. “Some goddamn…" Looking at Chris, "excuse my French."

  "No problem," Chris smiled. "I say goddamn shit like that all the time."

  Church raised his eyebrows, and then continued. "An ACLU lawyer went to Federal Court. He convinced a judge to order the prisoners returned, because it was cruel and unusual punishment. This same goddamn judge used to be a prosecutor for Christ's sake. He put some of those guys in the damn prison. Then he orders us to bring 'em back. The place was a shit hole once again."

  Josh said, "How does that explain an inmate awaiting trial being placed in the general population?"

  "With the limited resources I had, and the courts tying my hands, we just brought them in and put them where we could. The guy was put in the general population because we had no other place else to put him."

  "Come on Major," Chris said. "We're all big boys and girls here. You put him in the general population because you knew the inmates hated rapists. Who's gonna grieve a dead black rapist who targeted white women?"

  Josh tried to get Chris's attention; she ignored him.

  "Look, I don't give a shit if you did your fellow trooper a favor or not. For all we know, Grey did rape those women. We're just trying to find something to make his daughter feel better about her dad. If he was a shit bag, so be it. We just need to know the truth."

  Church rose, towering over Chris. "I've said enough. You think whatever you want. I know what you're trying to do here. I am not going to help you. The guy was killed because of a liberal ass Federal Judge. I will tell you this though; none of us lost any sleep over the nig---," catching himself and taking deep breath, "over the guy's death.” The major grabbed the coffee cups off the table, threw them in the trash, and said, "Find your own way out." He turned and walked away.

  "I'll tell the nigger's daughter about your kind sympathy," Chris yelled, causing a few heads to turn and stare.

  Josh stood, shaking his head. "Not helpful."

  "Well, I thought that went well," Chris said. "He didn't say it in so many words, but they used the turmoil of the time to put the guy at risk. We won’t get anything else from him. Is the victim he talked about, the trooper's daughter, still alive?"

  "I don't know," Josh answered. "I suppose it is the next logical step. I'll check DMV records and see if we can find her."

  The two headed towards the exit, just as they stepped outside a voice called out, "Lieutenant, could I have a moment please?"

  Major Church stood on the steps. Next to him stood a short, black man wearing a Boston Red Sox sweatshirt.

  Chris and Josh walked over.

  "I want to apologize for my outburst. My friend and roommate Nate here," putting his hand on the shoulder of the black man, "reminded me how times have changed. To be honest with you, I never knew Grey was in the general population until they notified me he was dead," sitting down on the stairs. "You have to understand, I was in charge but not in control. There was rampant corruption with the guards; the inmates did as they pleased. The best I could find out, one of the guards and Al Monson were cousins. If they did it, they hid their tracks well. No one wanted the truth, anyway. I'm sorry to say I didn't look harder," pausing a moment to look at his friend, he turned back at Josh. "You know who Monson is right?"

  Josh nodded. "We were just going to see if we could find his daughter and talk to her."

  Church looked at the ground, then back at Josh. "I'll save you the trouble. Sheila Monson killed herself two weeks after Grey died in prison. Al found her. It broke him. He died two years later from liver failure."

&n
bsp; Chapter 14

  September 11, 2009, 8:30 AM

  East Providence Police Headquarters

  East Providence, Rhode Island

  Lieutenant Charles Akerley brought Keira from the scene into the interview room. "Would you like a coffee or something?"

  "No thanks, Charley. Vodka maybe," Keira said, trying to smile. "I'll be fine."

  "You sure? It's no problem. I can get you anything you want, vodka included," Akerley answered. Friends since childhood, Charlie Akerley and Josh were still close. "We're gonna find out what went on here, Keira. I promise. No one is going to get near you."

  Tears formed in her eyes, she began to tremble, and then sob. Akerley put his arms around her. "I got you Keira, no worries."

  Akerley sat with Keira, letting her cry out her emotions. As his anger rose, the rage consumed him. When we find these bastards, I will kill them with my bare hands.

  Josh came in after an hour or so and sat next to his wife. "Thanks, Charlie.” Akerley stood, kissed Keira on the top of her head, and patted Josh on the shoulder.

  "You okay?" Akerley asked.

  "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for staying with her."

  Akerley nodded, "No problem," leaning to whisper in Josh's ear. "When you find out who did this, I want a part in taking 'em out." He closed the door as left the room.

  Keira looked up, wiping her eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath to calm herself. "What the hell was that all about, Josh? Were they after me, or you, or both of us? This is crazy."

  "We don't know yet. One guy is dead. We think he's from Russia or somewhere. The other guy is a gang banger, MS-13. He's not talking, yet."

  Keira looked at Josh. "Russia? How do…? What do you mean, not talking yet?"

  "He's in the hospital. Sedated. Got a bunch of broken bones and a shit load of other injuries. We'll try talking to him as soon as we can."

  "Does he have a lawyer?" Keira asked.

  "A lawyer? Who cares if the piece of shit has a lawyer? If there hadn't been so many people around, I'd have shot the prick in the head right there."

  Keira tried to smile. "Thanks for trying to be my knight in shining armor, but I'd prefer we follow the law," reaching out, pulling him close.

  Tears welled up in his eyes. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you," trying to control his emotions. "I would kill someone if they hurt you, I would without hesitation."

  Keira hugged him. "Do this for me Josh. If you want to make me feel safe, follow the rules. It's what separates us from them. We play by the rules. You'll figure this out the right way. It's why I love you."

  The door to the interview room opened and Chief Brennan started in. "Oops, sorry. I ah…," backing out the door.

  "It's okay Chief, she's dressed now." Josh laughed. Keira smacked him on the side of the head.

  Brennan poked his head back in. "Someday you're going to have to explain to me what the hell it is you see in him."

  "I'm not sure I can, Chief, I’m not sure I can," she answered, smacking Josh again.

  * * *

  Once Keira finished giving her statement to the detectives, they brought her to Josh's office. Josh got her a cup of tea and sat with her.

  "So, you want to go home or are you still going to the office?" Josh asked.

  "Are you coming home with me?" she asked.

  "I can't, I have to stay and work this. No way Brennan would let me leave."

  "Okay then, if carrying on with your day is good enough for you, it works for me as well. I'll go to my office," Keira answered.

  "How about you let me take you there? I had one of my guys drop your car off for the oil change. I'll take you to the office and when I pick you up we can stop and get your car on the way home."

  Keira smiled, "I can take myself to work, Captain America. You don't have to protect me every moment."

  "But--"

  Keira held up her hand, "No buts, Josh. We'll meet at home after work and you can fill me in. I'll be fine."

  The door to the office opened and Chief Brennan walked in. "The truck is out front, Keira. You sure I can't have someone take you to your office, or home?"

  "Don't bother, Chief. I already tried talking her into it," Josh said.

  Brennan took a seat next to Keira. "If it's any consolation, I don't think they were after you. Although based on your husband's work product, I can't imagine anyone wasting time trying to get him." He smiled, patting her on the shoulder.

  Josh chuckled at the Chief's comments. His cell phone rang and he pulled it from the holder. "Hey, Chris, what's up? Oh yeah, of course you heard. I'll tell you the story when I see you. She's fine, sitting right here." Josh handed the phone to Keira.

  "Hi, Chris, no I'm fine thanks. They have everything under control. Sure, stop by. I'll be at my office within the hour," handing the phone back to Josh. "Chris said she'd call you later."

  Josh put the phone on his desk.

  Brennan stood up, "Josh, can you come to the office for just a minute?” Turning to Keira, "I'll have him right back. You take care and call if there is anything I can do."

  "Thanks Chief," Keira nodded and picked up her tea.

  When Josh left the office, Keira rested arms on the desk trying to think. What is going on here? They couldn't be after me; it must be Josh. Something the SIU is--Josh's cell phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. After the ringing stopped, she turned the display to read the caller ID, Doctor’s Office.

  What the hell?

  The door opened and Josh came back in. Handing him the phone, Keira said, "You had a call, the display said doctor's office. What doctor, Josh?"

  The look on his face said it all; he knew she knew.

  "I was hoping to tell you this later. Once I had talked to the…" Josh said, sitting next to her.

  Keira took his hand, "No time like the present, what's wrong?"

  Josh fumbled with his phone, avoiding her eyes. "Remember around my birthday, when I had those headaches?"

  "Yes, of course," Keira said.

  "Well, I went to see Dr. Phillips. He ran some blood work, it was all negative for anything, told me it was stress related and I needed to learn to relax, get a hobby. If you remember, I took those five days and did some of the Long Trail in Vermont. You didn't want to go."

  "I didn't want to sleep in the woods and the mud," Keira retorted. "You asked me to go to Vermont. I pictured a quaint Bed & Breakfast with long, pleasant walks through rolling hills. Not suck-stepping through mud, devoured by black flies." Keira pulled him closer to her. "Stop trying to change the subject. Why didn't you tell me about the doctor? And why are you getting calls from his office now?"

  Josh tilted back in the chair, rubbing his hands together. "A couple of weeks ago, the headaches came back. I went to see Phillips again." Seeing the reaction on Keira's face, he bent towards her. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry."

  Keira stared at him, "Josh there are no secrets here, remember? Let's not go down that road again. Anything that affects you, or me, we share, period."

  Josh could see the disappointment in her eyes. I am an idiot. I knew this would happen and I still tried to hide it. I am a goddamn moron.

  "So, what does the doctor say now?" Keira asked, her voice edgy, the tension rising, her eyes probing him.

  Josh walked to his desk, opened his briefcase, and reached for his iPad. Holding it behind the briefcase, trying to cover his hiding spot, he withdrew the letter. He walked back and handed her the envelope. Sitting back down, arms on his knees, hands folded he watched as she read it.

  She dropped the letter on the desk and looked into Josh's eyes. "So you were just going to try to do this by yourself?"

  "No, I mean yes, I mean…" Josh scrambled for the right words.

  "Okay, Josh. I will tell you what happens now. You call the doctor's office, right now, with me here, and make an appointment. From now on we both go to see him, understood?" the tears began to well-up.

  "I'm sorry, Keir
a. I just didn't want you to worry about this," Josh said, pulling her close.

  She pushed him back, handing him the cell. "Nice try, not gonna work. Call, now."

  Chapter 15

  Three days after the incident, the bike driver had recovered enough for an interview. Between the interference of the lawyer and the natural lack of cooperation by gang members, they didn't learn much.

  The guy paid him in cash to give him a ride. No questions asked, no names offered. He had no idea the guy was armed.

  The dead body proved just as uninformative, but much more intriguing.

  No matches to the fingerprints in any database. The man carried no identification, and the body tattoos were a mix of Russian military and prison in nature.

  The unknown caliber weapon also was interesting. The weapon had no serial numbers. They never existed. It was unique and unfamiliar.

  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the FBI expressed interest in the weapon.

  Josh had a good working relationship with ATF. He reached out to the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Providence office, Monty Medeiros, for help.

  The information stream went dry; three weeks passed.

  * * *

  Josh sat in the Chief's office for the weekly case status update.

  "So we have nothing? It's been almost a month," Brennan asked.

  "Nope, still waiting on the Feds to get back to me."

  Brennan picked up the phone, "Donna, get me the US Attorney's office in Providence please."

  A moment past and the voice of the Chief's aide came over the line, "US Attorney on line one, Chief."

  Brennan grabbed the phone, "Watch this," he said, smiling at Josh.

  "Bill, how are you?" pausing for the reply. "Well, I need a favor. You are aware of the attempt on one of my officers. We have been waiting on information from ATF. Can you light a fire for me? The press is pushing me for information and I don't have anything."

  Brennan smiled and covered the mouthpiece. "I bet we get an answer now," returning to the call.