“But he paid for your apartment here?” “Yes”
“Hmm, but no affair?” “Don’t make me gag”
“But didn’t he expect something in return” “Perhaps, but he didn’t get much”
“Did you have an affair with Siebert?” “Who?”
“When did you last see Carver?” “Yesterday, at the bus station in Richmond, VA”
“Why did he leave you there?” “He said he might be in trouble and didn’t want me to get hurt”
“Didn’t that upset you?” “Of course”
“Why did he take the name Carver here?” “He never told me”
“Weren’t you curious?” “Yes”
“But you didn’t ask?” “That is correct”
“Why did you come to PC in the first place?” “I was offered a job”
“By whom?” “Mr. Hawkins”
“What was Carver’s job at the Institute?” “Finance, I think”
“Did he discuss his role with you” “No”
“But you didn’t have an affair with Siebert, right? “Who? Why do you keep bringing up that name?”
“Who told you to buy the booze?” “What booze?”
“The two quarts of cheap rye – remember now?” “Oh, yes, that was Hawkins”
“Did he tell you what the purpose for it was?” “No”
“And you didn’t ask?” “Correct”
“What happened after you bought the booze” “I put it in Hawkins’ office and took the afternoon off – with permission”
“Very convenient afternoon to be off, wasn’t it?” “I don’t know what you mean”
At this point, Meacham found that he was keeping pace with Stella, lighting and smoking one cigarette after another but getting nowhere. It was time for a break.
“Okay, Stella, let’s stop for a few minutes but I am asking you – no, I’m telling you – that Sgt. Whipple will take over for a while and you must be cooperative. Until we feel that you have been completely forthcoming, you will be staying right here. Is that clear?”
Stella ignored Meacham’s warning and asked, “So what happens to me tonight, Detective? My aunt has secured a larger room at the motel so surely I can stay there with her when we are finished here today unless I am being charged with a crime.
“We shall see, Miss Crimmons,” said Meacham in a non-committal voice as he left the room.
Sgt. Whipple took a less strident tone with Stella for the next hour but his grilling left him frustrated and her seemingly unperturbed. Her answers continued to be cryptic and never once did she slip and acknowledge the name of Winston Siebert. She admitted knowing Mike DeLong because he was in Hawkins’ office frequently – including the day of the boozy abduction. But no, she knew nothing about the incident itself and who was responsible – until what she was now hearing from others.
After consulting with the Chief, it was decided that they really had no choice but to release her into the care of her aunt with the understanding that she was confined to the motel and the adjoining coffee shop until their investigation was completed. Everyone was starting to wonder if they had anything concrete with which to charge her – except perhaps for playing the role of the dumb blonde to perfection.
As a precaution, Fogarty would be parked in the motel lot all night keeping an eye on the two ladies from Boston.
***
That afternoon, Woody and Jerry finally went fishing down by the trestle that arched over the river. It had rained the night before so worms were plentiful near the surface and the boys had their bait in no time. Everything had to be a contest with them – in this case which of them would catch the most sunnies and rockies. One point for each catch but if you hooked an old shoe or, worse yet, a carp, that was a point deduction. Once, they had triumphantly brought home their paltry catch and their disgusted mothers had shooed them out the door. Now, they simply kept a tally and tossed the diminutive fish back in.
As they walked underneath the trestle at the river’s edge, a freight train rumbled overhead and the ancient structure shook, making the boys look up as if they expected to see box cars tumbling into the river. The boys stood mesmerized but in a minute it was over and now everything seemed serene and peaceful. As Woody followed the last car of the train out of sight, he wondered if the hobo he had seen was headed out of town or still holed up by the creek.
The boys were lounging on the bank of the river with their poles dipped in the water, eating baloney sandwiches and drinking orange pop but not a word was spoken. After they finished, they laid back and scanned the puffy clouds overhead that broke up the blue sky. Woody was the first to say anything. “There, to the right, a lion’s head, see it? Damn, it’s gone” Then Jerry pointed and said “Cow right above me, see the head and legs?” But the clouds were moving swiftly and the boys grew frustrated as the images dissolved as fast as they appeared.
Neither of them felt a tug on his line for several minutes and Woody’s eyes were starting to close. “Hey, got something!” yelled Jerry as he started reeling in. His pole bent nearly in half but there was very little action on the other end. Then, the boys looked at each other and laughed as Jerry hauled in a bloated, one foot carp, laying lethargically at the end of Jerry’s line as if it were asleep.
Neither boy wanted to touch the ugly, garbage-eating bottom feeder so Jerry held his pole out over the water as Woody snipped the line and the carp quickly sunk. “Nasty,” said Jerry, “he’ll probably eat the hook and line for lunch. I’ve had it, let’s head back.” Woody agreed after reminding Jerry that he had lost today’s contest by a score of minus one. “Yeah, yeah, yeah” said Jerry, giving his friend a gentle shove.
The boys stood on the river’s edge and looked down for flat stones to skim across the surface of the water. After a few minutes of frustrating searches, Jerry turned to Woody and said “We need something cold and smooth – follow me!”
It was “2 for 1” day at the Tastee Freez so for only 25 cents the boys each got a chocolate shake. As they leisurely strolled toward home, Woody stopped and said, “I saw a hobo living by the creek a few days ago, Jer. Hope you don’t mind walking back that way but I am curious to see if he’s gone. We can keep to the opposite side of where I saw him” Woody said cautiously. “Sure, it’s about time for another adventure, isn’t it?” said Jerry as he put his arm on Woody’s shoulder as they started walking.
As they approached the area of the creek that Woody had marked in his mind, both boys started to walk more slowly as they scanned the opposite embankment. All Woody could see was thick undergrowth and he started to wonder if the spot had been covered over - but then he saw it. He tapped Jerry on the arm, whispered for him to be quiet and then pointed across to the other side.
They crept along slowly until they were just below the hobo’s encampment when Jerry forgot himself and shouted “There he is!” He was laying on his stomach, the bottom-half of his body inside his hovel and the top half dangling down toward the creek as if he had intended to dive in head first but then had stopped.
There was no response to Jerry’s yell and then Woody shouted “Are you okay?” Still there was no response and no movement. “We need to go over there, Jerry, he may need help” said Woody. “Christ, it could be a trap to lure us in, Woody. Are you nuts?” Jerry voice was hoarse and he seemed on the verge of screaming.
“Well, I’m going even if you’re not,” said Woody, dropping his fishing pole and picking up a stick. He looked at his friend with fierce determination. The boys stared at each other without moving until Jerry dropped his pole and bent down to grab a stick, motioning for Woody to lead the way.
The boys slid down the embankment and easily navigated the shallow creek by stepping on the rocks dotting the surface. On the other side, they were still twenty yards below the hobo and walked gingerly toward him, watching closely for any movement. “If he even twitches, we high tail it down the creek” Jerry whispered into Woody’s ear. Woody nodded his head “yes” wi
thout looking back.
Woody yelled out again and Jerry echoed him but there was no reaction. Then Woody picked up a rock and tossed it near the hobo. It landed with a thud right below his outstretched arm and tumbled into the creek but still there was not the slighted movement. If he was luring them in, thought Woody, he is the perfect decoy.
And now the boys were almost directly below the hobo looking up into a long mass of dirty, tangled hair that fell across and covered his entire face. Woody edged up the side of the embankment until his stick could reach the hobo’s body. His arm was trembling, making the stick shake almost uncontrollably.
With Jerry close behind him, Woody decided to first poke the dangling arm. No reaction. He then slowly moved the stick up to the head and gently pushed the hair away from the hobo’s cheek. The face was turned toward him and then Woody saw the open mouth – frozen in place. He shuddered as he pushed the hair back further, revealing a blue eye staring at him, wide and unblinking.
Woody turned and almost fell into Jerry’s arms. They both landed in the shallow water and quickly scrambled to their feet. In five minutes, they were back on Woody’s porch, still speechless and shaking from their grim encounter with death.
***
Meacham was getting ready to leave the station when a call came in from Gwen Braun. She had just hung up from Woody and quickly related the boys’ discovery. Meacham didn’t hesitate to volunteer when she asked if someone could go over to stay with them until she got home from the hospital. Whipple was dispatched to the creek and Meacham would meet him there as soon as possible.
Meacham debated whether or not he should bring Miss Holiday with him but decided it wasn’t warranted. When he arrived at the Braun house, he knocked on the door but then walked right in to find Mrs. Kosinsky standing in the living room, hovering over the boys who were sitting mute on the couch. She was lecturing them about walking near the creek as if it were well known that a nest of violent hobos had taken over the area.
Meacham politely intervened, pointing out that it was the first siting of a hobo in over a year that far away from the river, but, of course, the police were quite concerned and would canvass both sides of the creek all the way down to the hobo camp by the river.
At this point, the boys were starting to smirk as Mrs. Kosinsky continued to glare down at them with her arms folded across her chest. “Well, I am not entirely satisfied, detective, but it is reassuring to know that you share my concerns. Come now, Gerard, you will not be going near the creek – or anywhere else for that matter – until your Father and I have decided on a suitable punishment,” said Mrs. Kosinsky, motioning with her arm for Jerry to get up from the couch.
“Excuse me, Ma’am” said Meacham in his most deferential tone “but I do need to get statements from the boys for the record. You are certainly welcome to stay but it’s not necessary. I will make sure that Gerard gets home safely as soon as we are finished.” Mrs. Kosinsky glared at the boys one more time, especially at Woody, and then turned abruptly and let the screen door slam behind her.
In a bid to quickly break the ice, Meacham asked with a perplexed look on his face, “Alright, which of you gentlemen is Gerard?” The boys laughed almost simultaneously and then Woody deferred to Jerry to recount what happened from the moment they arrived at the river.
“Well, I am glad to see that you guys finally went fishing”, said Meacham in a not so veiled reference to the incident at the park with the flashlight. “And by the way”, he continued, “don’t be so quick to believe everything you might have heard about carp. For some people, it’s a delicacy and Stein’s Deli on the West Side will pay cash for your catch any day.” The boys looked quizzically at Meacham but he let it go.
Meacham then confirmed that the boys had touched nothing at the creek, explained that it was a potential crime scene and described the problems that contamination could cause. Meacham decided it was time to issue a stern warning and said, “Boys, you walked into a very dangerous situation and showed very poor judgment. If this vagrant had been playing possum, there is a good possibility you wouldn’t be sitting with me here right now. Other kids have walked into traps and have not been so fortunate. I hope what I am saying is registering here” Meacham said, frowning while pointing to his head.
“It was my doing, Coach. Jerry never would have gone near the creek if I hadn’t insisted. I saw the hobo a few days ago and he didn’t seem threatening. I can’t explain it but he just looked very sad and harmless, that’s all.” Woody finished and slumped back on the couch, looking at the floor.
The closing of the car door broke the ensuing silence and then Gwen Braun was in the living room. After hugging Woody and giving Jerry a benevolent pat on the head, she turned to Meacham. “Woody and I can talk later, Detective. Why don’t you give me the “official” version since the boys are going up to Woody’s room right now – aren’t we boys? Taking the hint, Woody and Jerry disappeared.
After listening to Meacham, Gwen decided that Woody needed to be disciplined for his risky behavior at the creek, especially after he got off lightly for leaving Lattimore’s after the robbery. This time, he would miss his next little league game. Meacham, as coach, was disappointed but didn’t show it. “Well, Coach, since I am depriving you of your starting shortstop, how about we pick a date and I make you dinner as a consolation prize?” Meacham liked the trade-off and they agreed on Friday.
Meacham wanted to linger but knew he needed to meet Whipple at the creek so he got up to say good-bye. “By the way, Billy” said Gwen, laughing breezily, as she walked him to the door, “I am reminding you that I am probably the only remaining person in Parlor City that hasn’t had a ride in that splashy sports car of yours.” Thinking back to the incident with Big Red in the church parking lot, Meacham wanted to believe that there was no double meaning to what Gwen said but he wasn’t sure so simply replied, “It’s too late for that, Gwen. I’m in the process of selling it.” And now eager to get out the door, he added “Oh, can you call Jerry’s Mother and tell her you are home? She was all fired up when she left here and I was supposed to drop him off.” As Meacham departed, Gwen watched from the door. She was curious about the sports car but too discreet to pry.
As Meacham was getting ready to pull away, Rev. Carmichael was walking up the driveway and motioned for him to wait. “How are the boys, Detective? I thought I would stop by to see if I can be of any assistance.” “My guess is that they have half-forgotten the incident already” replied Meacham. Carmichael smiled and said “carpe diem” as he walked toward the house. Meacham leaned out his car window and asked, “What was that you said, Reverend?” The reverend half turned but kept walking and said, “just an old Latin phrase, Detective, nothing more.”
Meacham’s brow furrowed as he watched Carmichael walk into the house without knocking as if he were a member of the family. And that phrase he used, it sounded vaguely familiar. He was starting to dislike the minister.
***
Upstairs, the boys were reliving every moment of the confrontation with the hobo, discussing it in a way that it almost sounded like he was alive during the encounter. Jerry clearly had new-found respect for his friend. “I’m glad we did it, Woody, and I gotta say you were intrepid. Very impressive.” “In what?” asked Woody. “Courageous, man” said Jerry. “ There’s no way I would have taken the lead.
“I like that, Jer, the way that words come out of you that I never even heard of. It seems so natural when you do it. What if we were to make a game of it, sort of a challenge?” said Woody, grinning broadly. “Go on pal”, said Jerry. “Well, we take turns each week picking a new word and find ways to use it – not just when we’re alone but around others so we can see their reactions. It’ll be fun.” “You are on, good buddy. Intrepid is the word of the week. Now, it’s your job to choose the next one. We’ll overwhelm this town with our vocabulary.”
After a few minutes of silence, Jerry said “Hey, not to get too personal but is there anything goi
ng on with your Mom and the detective? Look, I don’t know anything about that stuff, you know, except what’s in the movies and on TV but it just looks like they, well, like each other. Oh shit, never mind.”
“Well, I know she’s been out with the minister but from what I could tell she didn’t act like it was a date. At least she didn’t seem too excited about it. But if coach asked her out, I think it would make her happy. I know you’re not prying or nosy, Jer, but she never says my Dad is dead, just that we don’t know where he is so that sort of complicates things. Sometimes she has this look and I know she must be thinking about him but she never says he’s actually not coming back. I try not to think about him too much.” And then Woody abruptly changed the subject and asked Jerry if he thought he would be grounded.
Jerry laughed and said, “Probably, but did you get that part about my Mom discussing the situation with my Dad, as if that would ever happen?” And then Jerry realized his remark was not timely and quickly changed the subject. “Well, since we are stuck here until they finish tearing up apart downstairs, what’ll it be – flip cards or read comics?”
***
Whipple and his crew were finishing up at the creek when Meacham showed up; the body had already been taken away. There was debris scattered outside as well as inside the enclosure that the hobo had constructed for himself in the wall of the embankment. Empty whiskey and wine bottles littered the make-shift home. Crumpled up tin foil with some chicken bones sticking out indicated that someone had brought him food or he had been rummaging through nearby garbage cans. Meacham noticed an empty box from Lattimore’s that looked as if it had not been there long.
“We found some articles of clothing and a small duffel bag inside, Meach. We will take it back for closer inspection of the contents but don’t expect to find much of anything. No weapons of any kind – just a small knife like a boy scout would carry. Looks like a case of some drifter who chose to hole up here instead of the camp and decided to drink himself to death. We could check around to see where he purchased booze after he got here.”
The Parlor City Boys Page 19
