Primary Justice

by Dave Conifer

  “Want me to drive?” he asked when they reached the car. The engine was still ticking as it cooled.

  “I better do it,” she said. “If you get a ticket, we’re screwed.”

  She surprised him by taking off down the road instead of turning around and going back the way they came. “Where are we going?”

  “I don’t want to go the way that truck went,” she said. “I saw signs for 611. This’ll be faster anyway.”

  “You know best.”

  “I know something else,” she said. “This was a big waste of time.”

  “I ain’t so sure. They knew something,” Fargo said. “I could see it. As soon as I mentioned Mankato, it was like everything stopped. Just for a second, but I saw it.”

  “I didn’t notice anything,” she said.

  “I did. I’ll bet Mankato’s there right now.”

  “I don’t know about that,” she said. “But the guy in the truck didn’t seem too happy that we were there.”

  ~~~

  “How in hell do you turn this TV on?” Bismarck shouted. “What the hell’s wrong with a goddamned on and off switch anymore?”

  “You’re helpless as a baby,” Willmar said after coming into the room to help.

  “Wait until you’re my age,” Bismarck warned. “It’ll all pass you by, too.”

  “I tell you what,” Willmar said as he searched for the right button on the remote. “Why don’t you go on home? There’s nothing you can do here. I’ll stay.”

  “Don’t you want to go home, too?” Bismarck asked.

  “I’m afraid to, to be honest,” Willmar said. “I feel a lot safer here. Nobody knows where I am. But you should go. It’s after ten and Billy’s not here. You may as well hit the road.”

  “I got nothing going on at home right now,” Bismarck said. “If you’re staying, I’ll stay, too.” The TV came to life as he spoke. “Hey, see if you can get the Sixers game on there. They’re in Dallas. They probably just started.”

  “Hold on,” Willmar said, focusing on the woman on the screen. She had so much eye shadow caked onto her eyelids that she looked like a space alien, but he was more interested in what she was talking about. “Republican Candidates Converge in New Jersey,” said the graphic that was splashed across the bottom of the screen. It looked like one of the local Philadelphia channel’s nightly local news broadcast. There was one such candidate that he’d developed a great interest in.

  “Presidential hopeful Sara Litchfield spoke tonight at the Cumberland County Fairgrounds in Millville,” they heard her say after Willmar located the un-mute button on the remote and turned the sound on. “Litchfield was addressing the South Jersey Chamber of Commerce inside Festival Hall. She talked mostly about foreign policy,” the reporter continued, “one of her perceived weaknesses. Litchfield is one of many politicians currently stumping in the Garden State, now that the primary elections are a day away. Tomorrow, Election Day, the chamber will be addressed by another Republican hopeful, Mike Minot, who is now considered the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Back to you, Ken.”

  “Fuck that,” Bismarck said. “Get the ballgame on.”

  “Hey, Russ, what do you know about Minot?”

  “He was the governor for years when I lived in Jersey. You know that. What’s to know? Typical politician.”

  “I mean before that. You know anything about what he was like?”

  “Not really. He was a state representative or something. Rough son of a bitch back then, but he cleaned himself up. Back then he was no peach.” Willmar was still chewing on this when they heard the front door creak open.

  “Hello?” called Fargo. “Russ?”

  ~~~

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about that note,” Willmar said after Fargo told the story of the mysterious scrap of mail that had led to the Nockamixon road trip. Joanie forced Willmar to tell her everything about what happened at the office that morning. Bismarck didn’t seem fazed by it. He never did. But everybody else in the room sat quietly with stunned looks on their faces.

  “This is getting to be too much, isn’t it?” Willmar finally said.

  “Rip Mankato was a mean son of a bitch,” Fargo said. “I wouldn’t put anything past him. The man hated just about everybody, really.”

  “Too bad you didn’t find him out there,” Willmar said.

  “Joanie’s probably right,” Fargo said. “It was a waste of time. Mankato probably ain’t there at all. Maybe he really is dead. But something’s up. They nearly shit their pants when I said his name, God as my witness.”

  “I’d like to see that envelope,” Willmar said.

  “Funny you should mention that,” Fargo said. “See, I didn’t have nothin’ to do this morning, so I went into town. First I slipped into a diner and had me some lunch.”

  “Billy!” Joanie said. “That’s not safe!”

  “After that I found a pay phone,” he continued. “And I called Gail. I told her the same thing you just said. I’d like to see it again. And you know what she said? She said she’d bring it to me. Just so happens she’s coming out to see Morris tomorrow. She’s coming up in the morning. Both of them are. So anybody who wants to see it? Tomorrow’s your chance.”

  -- Chapter 19 --

  All four of them – Willmar, Bismarck, Joanie, and Fargo – stayed at that cabin that night. Joanie took the bedroom while the men scattered in the main room, their bodies draped across chairs and couches. Fargo had struggled to keep from rolling his eyes when Willmar announced that he was glad everybody was in one place because there was a lot he wanted to share in the morning. Show and Tell. Could anything really make much of a difference anymore? It was only a matter of time. But he’d kept his game face on, kissed Joanie goodnight, and found a place to curl up and sleep, just like everybody else.

  By the time he came back to consciousness the next morning everybody else was gathered around the kitchen table. When he walked in, rubbing his eyes and looking for the coffee he could smell, there was already plenty of conversation. Gail Mankato and Kevin Morris were there, too. It was only nine-thirty. Wasn’t Morris married? The wife couldn’t be too happy about this, especially if she knew that the woman he was with was an old flame. He couldn’t remember who already knew each other so he didn’t bother with introductions. That wasn’t his style, anyway.

  Willmar was the first to see Fargo leaning in the doorway. “Morning, Billy,” he said. “Happy Election Day. Want some coffee?”

  “You got that damn thing working?” Fargo asked. “Sure.” Willmar found a mug, filled it and handed it over.

  After the first sip he saw what had to be the dairy farm message at the center of the table. It was just how he remembered it, with the address and handwritten message on the envelope. He could understand how she thought Rip had sent it, but seeing it there, he wondered why she was so certain. It could have been anybody. It could have meant anything. He worked on his coffee while surveying the group at the table, reminding himself how each fit in and wondering why they’d come. His thoughts were interrupted when Joanie came around the table to put an arm around his waist and kiss him on the cheek. He wasn’t sure what to make of the expression on Gail’s face as she watched.

  “Morning, everybody,” he said. “Thanks for coming, I guess. What did I miss?”

  ~~~

  “So after we do this speech in Podunk, we’re coptering up to Princeton?” Minot asked Barry Cloquet, who was in the back of the limousine with him as they left the airport Marriott. “God, I fucking hate South Jersey.”

  Cloquet smiled before glancing at the driver. “Do you know how much trouble you’d be in if anybody heard you say that? There are a lot of people down here. You can’t win Jersey without these counties. You’ve carried them every time you’ve run for anything.”

  “I know, I know, I need the hayseed vote and the surfer vote. Got it.”

  “They’re not all hayseeds and there are more than beach towns down here. But
hey, how could you know that? It’s not like you were in charge of the entire state for eight years. Oh, wait.”

  “I get it. I need the Piney votes.”

  ”Didn’t you used to be the governor or something? We’ll be a few minutes from one of the biggest cities in the country.”

  “Yeah,” Minot grumbled. “I guess that’s why I’m giving a speech at a flea market, right?”

  “County Fair Grounds,” Cloquet said, “but don’t let the facts spoil your pissing and moaning.”

  Minot shot him an angry look. Cloquet was the only one on the team who would dare give it to him straight that way, but it didn’t mean he had to like it. “I can’t believe Marshall and Litchfield just happen to be here at the same time we are.”

  “It’s no coincidence. They came because you came. Relax, all right? This is life as the frontrunner. Enjoy it. At least keep the smile on for one last day. The polls are already open. One more day and you’ve got this thing.”

  “One more day shaking hands with morons who can’t see past the end of their own nose. Bring it on.”

  “Nobody likes a grumpy candidate,” Cloquet warned him. “They remember that shit. Especially when a smiley-assed candidate goes on right after. And you know Marshall will be playing this crowd for all it’s worth. These are his people.”

  “Talk about a hayseed,” Minot said. “I’ll hit a home run, don’t sweat it. They were my people too, for eight years, remember? I just hope my speech is an easy read. I didn’t go through it yet.”

  “You ought to,” Cloquet advised him. “They have you giving the same one three times before the day is over.”

  ~~~

  “We were looking at the note,” Bismarck said. “Not sure what it means.”

  “The note’s interesting, but we have a lot more than that to talk about,” Willmar said. “I think I know who’s after Billy, and it isn’t this Rip Mankato person.”

  “Let’s hear it,” Morris asked. Fargo got the impression that this had already been hinted at, and Morris hadn’t liked where it had gone. He wondered why Morris cared, or why he was even there. It wasn’t like Gail hadn’t already found the place by herself. Then again, that fire nearly took Morris out, too. He had a stake in this.

  “Would you believe Mike Minot?” Willmar asked. “The presidential candidate?”

  “What?” Morris exploded. “Did my wife put you up to this? Why would—“

  “Let the man talk,” Bismarck interrupted. “It’s not about you, whoever the hell you are.”

  “It’s hard to believe. I could be wrong. But my theory adds up,” Willmar said. “And let’s be for real. It’s no street thug doing these things to Billy. It’s too much for a bum like this Mankato character. He’s in on it in some way, no doubt, but whoever it is, it’s somebody with connections. Like a former governor, for instance.”

  “This guy might be our next president,” Morris countered. “No offense to Billy, here, but why would Mike Minot care about him?”

  “See, that’s where you make your mistake,” Willmar said. “It’s Kevin, right? Look at it this way. Minot wasn’t always ‘our next president.’ Think back ten or fifteen years, because that’s when this all started. Back then he was just a local hack running for the state legislature.”

  “True,” Bismarck said. “And if he knew he’d be running for president in fifteen years he probably wouldn’t have been knocking heads the way he did. He didn’t know no better back then.”

  “Right. Now, suppose this local hack had a connection through Mankato to an ambitious young man from the same town,” Willmar continued, “one who’d just gotten accepted into the New Jersey State Police Academy.”

  “He’s talkin’ about Ryne Colfax,” Bismarck explained to Morris. “He’s the state trooper who was first on the scene at the fire.”

  “I know,” Morris said. “I was on the scene, too. So was Gail. But are we just throwing darts here?”

  “No. At least I’m not,” Willmar replied. “There was a relationship between these two men. Every trooper I talked with said it was Minot that pushed through all Colfax’s promotions. First as a state senator, and later as the governor. That’s a fact. They all knew it and they were all pissed about it.”

  “Okay, man,” Morris said, holding up his hands defensively. “If you say so.”

  “And we know Mankato knew Colfax. The reporter did the legwork on that and she was pretty firm about it, right Billy?”

  Fargo had another swallow of coffee. “I do remember her sayin’ that.” Leaning against the doorway, he found himself annoyed that there was a place to sit for everybody but him. Then again, he was the cause of this mess. He was lucky any of them cared enough to be there at all. “I’ll be right back,” he said, setting his mug down on the counter. “I just got up. Got to take care of business.”

  “We can take a time out,” Willmar said. “When you get back I’ll lay it all out as best I can.”

  ~~~

  By the time he returned a chair had appeared at the table next to Joanie, so he picked up his coffee and took a seat. “How are ya’, Gail?” he said, realizing she hadn’t said a word.

  “I’m good,” she said. “This is interesting. I feel like I’m getting some answers. I’m kind of involved in this, too.”

  “Sure you are.”

  “So let’s say you’re right,” Bismarck said to Willmar. “Mankato knows the cop. The cop knows Minot. Let’s say that’s true. When do you get to the part about Billy?”

  “Right now,” Willmar said. “Let’s go back to 1995 or so. Minot’s doing pretty well in the state legislature, but he wants more. He wants to be the next governor, and the politics look right for that to happen. But he’s got a problem, and it’s a big one. I know they say every politician has that skeleton in his closet, but this one’s a killer. Especially for a conservative Republican who got where he is playing the family-values card, standing on the stage holding his wife’s hand with balloons all over the place.” He stopped to grab a bagel from the plate that Joanie had just carried over from the oven.

  While Willmar was slathering on a thick layer of cream cheese, Morris spoke up again. “How do you know so much about him? I’ve never heard any of this.”

  “Dude, I’m a private eye, that’s how,” Willmar said just before stuffing the bagel into his mouth for a huge bite. “And you’re the last person in the room that I’d expect to get defensive about Minot. Just listen, all right? I’ll get to it.”

  “Come on, people, relax,” Gail said. “We’re all on the same side, remember?”

  “There are sides?” Morris asked.

  “Here comes the skeleton,” Willmar said. “And as soon as I say the name you’ll see how it ties in. The skeleton is Eileen Wahpeton. If you remember, that’s the girl that Billy is accused of raping.”

  “Accused my ass,” Fargo said. “Try eleven years. For something I didn’t do.”

  “Now, we all know what happened to Eileen that night,” Willmar continued. “She met up with Billy in Bordentown, everybody saw them leave together, and then her body was found under the bridge in Trenton later that night. By the same state trooper that just happened to be first on the scene at the fire in Ewing.”

  “Ryne Colfax,” Joanie said.

  “Ryne Colfax,” Willmar said. “Even without understanding what we now know, his showing up by chance at both crime scenes is too much to believe. It’s just not reasonable.”

  “Bullshit is what it is,” Fargo said.

  “That was really the first red flag,” Willmar said. “I can’t believe nobody noticed that.”

  “Come on,” Fargo said. “They noticed. They just didn’t care.”

  “I don’t doubt it. But let’s take this in order, okay?” Another mouthful of bagel. “Did any of you know that Eileen Wahpeton worked for Mike Minot’s campaigns in the mid-nineties?”

  There was silence, until a single “Wow” came from the mouth of Russ Bismarck.

  “Th
is is the dead girl?” Gail asked.

  “You know that for a fact?” Morris asked.

  “I do. I met with her older sister yesterday. Jackie Wahpeton. She told me a lot of interesting things,” Willmar answered. “Things that matter a lot to us.”

  “Like what?” Fargo asked.

  “Like this. She was getting it on with the candidate. They had a thing going on. And this is coming from her big sister.”

  “The same girl that—that Billy was with?” Gail asked. “The one they found under the bridge?”

  “The same girl,” Willmar said. “And there’s more. Jackie thinks Eileen was pregnant with Minot’s baby. She said Eileen was pretty upset about it. It sounded like Minot was filling her ear with bullshit about leaving his wife for her. Next thing she knows, they’re pulling her out from under that bridge.”

  “Good God,” Joanie said.

  “I couldn’t confirm the pregnancy. We might be able to get the corpse dug out of the grave to test it. Does it even matter anymore?” Willmar asked.

  “That’s some crazy shit right there,” Bismarck said. “If it’s true, it could blow this guy right out of the water.”

  “Bingo. But if it’s true, he’s managed to keep the lid on it for what, about fifteen years?” Willmar replied. “What’s fifteen more? I’m sure that’s his plan.”

  “Assuming this isn’t just a bunch of gossip and rumors, I still don’t get what this all has to do with Billy,” Morris said.

  “What are you talking about?” Bismarck demanded. “The man served eleven years for what happened to this girl!”

  “Take it easy. I’m getting there. Let’s see where we are right now,” Willmar said. “Does anybody not accept that Minot, the cop and Rip Mankato knew each other at some point? Because that’s key.”

  “No reason not to believe it,” Bismarck said. “From what we’ve seen.”

  “I’m thinking that Rip and Minot are buddies, but the cop is more of an errand boy,” Willmar began. “Now suppose Rip and Minot are sitting around one day talking about their troubles. Minot might say ‘I have a real shot at governor except that I knocked up a campaign worker.’ Maybe Rip says ‘my son died and now I can’t get my grandkids away from their God-awful mother. She’s got them with her, living with some black guy.’ No offense, Gail and Kevin, but see where I’m going with this? They get rid of the mistress to clear the way for Minot. They get rid of Gail so Mankato gets his grandkids back. It almost worked except the fire killed the wrong people.” He looked over at Gail. “Sorry, don’t mean to be so insensitive.”