Angels & Imperfection

by Dan Arnold

  “Will you come to my office?”

  “Yes sir, when would you like me to be there?”

  “Tomorrow evening, at 1800.”

  “I’ll arrange it. Thank you.”

  “One more thing, Mr. Nordstrom… Make real sure you come alone, come unarmed, and be prepared to answer some tough questions.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Christine came into my office.

  “Is now a good time for us to talk about Lori?”

  I pointed to one of the richly upholstered chairs.

  “John, we have to do something. We can’t let her go on having a relationship with Walter.”

  “How do you know she is friendly with Walter?”

  “She told me. We talk two or three times a week and we text back and forth. We’re friends on Facebook. That’s where I saw Walter pop up.”

  “Have you talked to her folks?”

  “Not yet, I wanted to talk to you first. We need to come up with a plan.”

  There was a lot to consider.

  “Here’s the thing Christine. She isn’t our responsibility anymore….”

  I held up my hand, as she started to interrupt.

  “… Knowing Walter, like we do, there’s a probability he’s planning to use Lori to get at us in some way. I get that. We’ll talk to her parents and tell them we think Walter is dangerous, and they should try to end Lori’s friendship with him.”

  “I don’t care about Walter’s plans. I just don’t want Lori to get hurt by that jerk.”

  “Right, but she’s their daughter. We’ll let them deal with Lori.”

  “Who’ll deal with Walter?” she snapped.

  “It looks to me like Walter is getting out of control. I believe he’ll self-destruct.”

  “Maybe, but how much damage will he do in the mean time?”

  Good question.

  “Do you know a guy by the name of Edward Nordstrom?”

  “No, should I?”

  “He says he works for Walter. He may be one of his ‘goon.’”

  “The only members of Walter’s goon squad I know are the ones that hung out with Walter and travelled with Mr. Simpson. They were always hanging around the office. I’ve never met anyone named Nordstrom.”

  “This guy is coming here to meet with me tomorrow evening. It should prove interesting. If he lied about his name, you may know him. Can you stay late?”

  “OK, but I have my yoga class at seven o’clock.”

  “No problem. I just want you to greet him when he comes in. I’ll be interested to see if you know him. Then you can go.”

  “Speaking of interesting, I‘ve been trying to read my bible.”

  I grinned. “That is interesting. How’s it going?”

  “I haven’t got a clue.”

  “Do you have a red letter edition?” I asked her.

  “I don’t even know what that is.”

  “It’s a type of bible with all the words spoken by Jesus, printed in red letters.”

  “Yeah, I think mine’s that way.”

  “You might want to read what Jesus had to say, or you might want to read your way through a whole book, like the book of Romans or one of the Gospels.”

  “What are the Gospels?” She asked.

  “The first four books of the New Testament are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each of them is a first-hand account of their individual experiences with Jesus. The word ‘gospel’ actually means ‘good news.’ So the gospels are the ‘good news’ about the life of Christ, as told by each of those men, who were personally acquainted with Jesus.”

  “I thought the word ‘gospel’ meant ‘truth,’ like when someone says something is “the gospel truth.”

  “The word gospel has come to be thought of that way, because the four gospels, the ‘good news,’ are true accounts of the life of Christ.”

  “Huh, you learn something new, every day.” She mused.

  I grinned. “God willing.”

  “So, you think I should read one of the Gospels, which one?”

  “Whichever one you want, all of them, eventually. You’ll find they all tell the same basic story, with some unique observations from the different perspectives of the individual men.”

  “Are you saying these guys, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, were all real people, who actually lived during the time when Jesus was walking around teaching?”

  “Yep, they were men who actually knew Jesus. Jesus is a real person. There is no question about it. You can check it out in any legitimate history of the time.”

  Christine looked perplexed

  “I guess I sort of knew that, once. I wonder why I forgot.”

  “It wasn’t important to you before. It is now. Why do you suppose it’s become important?”

  She shrugged.

  “I don’t know for sure, maybe because it’s so important to you.”

  “… Maybe.” I said

  Thirty-One

  I had asked Tony to be there for the meeting with Mr. Nordstrom. I was hoping Nordstrom might tell us something about Walter’s activities that would have criminal implications. All we needed was some information that linked Walter to a crime.

  The three of us were sitting in my office the next afternoon, waiting for Edward Nordstrom to appear. The conversation had shifted to Lori’s relationship with Walter. Christine was bringing us up to speed on the latest developments.

  “… They’ve met Walter and they find him equally as charming as Lori does. I had a hard time convincing them that he’s a snake in the grass.”

  “Wait a minute; did you say they’ve met Walter?” I asked.

  “I know, right? I was shocked myself. Apparently Lori’s parents were having dinner at Willow Brook country club, one evening, when Walter approached their table and introduced himself for the first time. He told them he had met Lori in our office and he was familiar with her remarkable ‘story.’ He indicated he wanted to support her ‘recovery,’ and told them he was ‘counselling’ her by telephone.” Christine informed us.

  “We never told him anything about Lori. She must have told him herself.” I said.

  “I guess she must have. I’m really surprised. She’s so ashamed of that part of her life, I would have expected her to keep it a secret, to the degree she can. She would barely talk to me about it. I can’t understand why she would have told Walter anything.”

  At that point, Tony interrupted.

  “So, let me see if I understand all this,” Tony began. “Walter Farley works for Ted Simpson, the Simpson Oil and Gas Company’s Ted Simpson. Mr. Farley is also the CEO of the World Wide Security Agency, which provides security for Simpson Oil and Gas, among others. Over the last several months, Walter Farley has bugged your office, put a transponder on your truck, and sent men to follow you everywhere you go. He met Lori in your office, and he’s been wheedling his way into her life. Is that where we are, so far?”

  “Pretty much,” I replied.

  “J.W., has it occurred to you, Walter Farley may have sent the hit man to kill you last spring?”

  I nodded. “I expect he probably did.”

  “What? Somebody tried to kill you, when did this happen?” Christine asked

  “It was back in the spring, about the time you quit working for Simpson Oil and Gas.”

  “My god, what happened?”

  “A guy followed me into an ally and tried to shoot me.”

  “How... I mean, what… did you do?” she asked.

  “I shot him.”

  “Did you…”

  “Yes, Christine. He missed, I didn’t. He died of a gunshot wound, I didn’t. It was a very near thing.”

  She was as white as a sheet.

  “I’m sorry you had to hear that, Christine.”

  She blinked away some tears. Then she began to harden her countenance.

  “That little weasel sent someone to kill you, because you took me on a date?”

  “No, Christine, this isn’t about you. Yo
u’re part of it, I’m part of it, and now Lori is part of it, but this is all about Walter. He has to be the biggest and the best. He can’t lose, and he can’t be made to face the truth. He is a sociopath. He lies, manipulates, exaggerates, cheats, and plays dirty to get what he wants. He’ll cut down anyone who gets in his way. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

  “We’ve got to put a stop to this,” Tony said.

  “We don’t have any concrete evidence against him. Maybe, when Mr. Nordstrom gets here, he’ll be able to give us something useful. He’s running late.” I pointed out. “Christine, how did you convince the Murphys they needed to keep Lori away from Walter?”

  She was lost in thought, not really listening.

  “Huh? Oh, that’s just it. I’m not sure they were, convinced I mean. I let them know Walter has a history with us. I told them he’s trying to do us harm, by trying to use Lori against us in some way. They said, as they’ve gotten to know him a little, they’ve come to trust him. To them, he seems very sincere and charming.”

  “It bothers me the Murphys seem to trust Farley, more than they trust y’all.” Tony said.

  It bothered me too.

  “Maybe I could say something to her folks, J.W.” Tony offered.

  “Actually, Tony, that’s a really good idea. Thanks.”

  “Even if her parents can be convinced Lori should stay away from him. She’s both naïve and stubborn. She thinks she’s all grown up and able to make her own decisions. She might not listen to her parents.” Christine pointed out.

  “She also thinks you have something against Walter, personally, Christine.” I said.

  “Well, that’s fair enough. I do, now more than ever.”

  “But, from her teenage girl perspective, she might think you’re just being vindictive. Walter can probably play her like a violin. She is the perfect puppet for his games.”

  We all considered the implications of the situation, for a moment.

  “So, tell me more about this Nordstrom guy.” Tony said.

  “He’s twenty six years old. He’s been working for WWSA for two years, since he got out of the Marine Corp. Until about three months ago, WWSA had him working in Africa as part of a unit providing security for a relief agency. When that contract closed, he was recalled to Tyler, presumably to work on the Simpson detail. He told me Walter hasn’t been able to pay his people on time. Nordstrom says he wants to come to work for me. It strikes me as odd. There are several big security outfits with Federal contracts who would probably hire Nordstrom, in a heart-beat. I’m sure I could get him on with Stryker/Knight Strategic or Sun Eagle Security Systems. If he turns out to be legit, that’s what I’ll do for him.

  “He’s late. You did say six o’clock, didn’t you?” Christine asked.

  I looked at my watch, it was nearly six thirty.

  “Yeah, he is late. Say, Christine, you’d better run along if you’re going to make your yoga class.”

  “Right, well I think I’d rather be here for this interview, if it’s all right with y’all.”

  Tony nodded. “Fine with me,” he said.

  Uh huh, I saw the way Tony looked at Christine. That was interesting, very interesting. Christine had planned to go on to her yoga class, until Tony showed up for the meeting.

  “Sure, Christine, glad to have you here. I warned him to be prepared for some tough questions. Nobody can ask tough questions, like a committee,” I said.

  Mr. Edward Nordstrom didn’t answer any of our questions.

  He never showed up.

  Thirty-Two

  The press was in hog heaven with the Whitaker Trial. We had network and cable television coverage and all the media attention was the talk of the town. Tony and I were temporary pop idols again, the hero cop and his private detective sidekick. We were besieged by reporters and those parasites who love celebrity. I had not missed the attentions of the media over the last few months. I really hated getting it now.

  Christine was overwhelmed with phone calls, most of them from media types or people who just wanted to speak to someone famous. We hired an answering service.

  Tony called on my private line and asked me to come see him in his office. He said it was official business, and we could both avoid the media if I came downtown, to the Tyler Police Headquarters. When I walked in to Tony’s partitioned office, he was reading the newspaper. I could see the front page.

  “I swear, if I see my picture in the paper, one more time, I’ll go see a plastic surgeon,” I said.

  “Lot of good that’ll do you, J.W., you’ll end up looking like a comic cartoon of yourself.”

  “I’ve never seen a photo in which I didn’t look pasty and fat. The media makes no attempt at being flattering.” I said.

  “Get over yourself. Of course, if you looked like me, you’d have no cause to whine.”

  He grinned.

  “Tony, if I looked like you, I’d wear a bag over my head.” I observed.

  “J.W., sit down. I’ve got some bad news for you this morning. Did you see the story about the unidentified DB found in an alley by the waste management people, early this morning?”

  “Male, Caucasian, mid-twenties, single gunshot wound to the head? Yeah, I did. Let me guess, you have identification.”

  He nodded, silently.

  “Is it Edward Nordstrom?”

  “… Yep.”

  “I was afraid of that.”

  Tony nodded again “Now we have a full blown homicide investigation. This should help bring some things into focus, pretty quickly. We have detectives interviewing all of his known associates, including his boss, one Walter Farley, and his boss, Ted Simpson.”

  “Walter brought it on himself.”

  “Whoa there, pardner, we don’t have anything on him, yet.”

  “Not yet, but the guy will make a mistake. He’s a loose cannon. Now, it’s just a matter of time.”

  “J.W., you need to watch your back. Nordstrom’s body was found in the same alley where you shot that guy Hudson. He wasn’t shot there, he was dumped there. Does that send a message?”

  I nodded my silent response.

  “I have a connection with you, J.W., and you’re going to be treated as a suspect because of your connection to the previous shooting in the same alley. I have to bow out of this investigation. You caught a break though; the preliminary on the body suggests Nordstrom was probably killed late yesterday afternoon, or early in the evening. You didn’t hear that from me, J.W. Oddly enough, as it works out, Christine and I are your alibis for that time. I believe Christine was with you all afternoon, and the three of us had dinner together, after Nordstrom didn’t show up for his appointment. I can’t say anymore. I have to direct you to the detective in charge of this investigation.”

  “OK, I understand. Thanks, Tony, I never intended to complicate your life with this mess. I see what you’re doing for me here, and I appreciate it.”

  “No sweat. The department respects you. They won’t get onto me for treating you with some courtesy, especially while all this media attention is going on. Are you ready to give a statement? Go to the third desk on the right, on your way out. Ask for Detective Reynolds.”

  Detective Reynolds was about thirty five. He was at least six feet tall and appeared to be a recovering steroid user. He had the kind of heavy muscling that comes from spending all your free time lifting weights. He also had a pronounced brow and visible acne. His head was shaved, a popular look for cops these days. He had drifted away from the norm though. He sported a dark handlebar moustache, waxed and twisted, with a little soul patch under his lower lip. He had taken off his Jacket and he had his shirt collar unbuttoned with his sleeves rolled up. He wore no tie. The whole effect reminded me of the strong man in the circus. Of course the circus strong man didn’t carry an H&K .40 caliber semi-auto, in a shoulder holster.

  “… So, you’re saying you never actually met Nordstrom, but you did speak with him on the phone. On what days and at what tim
es did you speak to him?”

  “I spoke with him only one time, the day before yesterday. He called me. We set an appointment time for 6 PM, yesterday evening. We were supposed to meet in my office. He didn’t show up for the appointment.”

  “Did he say why he wanted to meet with you?”

  “He indicated he wanted a job.”

  “Are you hiring?”

  “I’m often in need of people, usually part time, but these days I have more work piling up than there are people to do it.”

  “Where were you, from say, 4:00 pm until about 8:00 pm, yesterday?”

  “I was in my office from about 2:30, until about 7:00 pm. Then I went out to dinner with friends.”

  “Did anyone see you at your office?

  “My Office Administrator, Christine Valakova, was constantly there. I had appointments there with an insurance company representative at 3 PM, another appointment at 4 pm with the client of an attorney for whom I do some work. Like I said, I was at the office from about 2:30 until about 7:00 pm.”

  “I’ll need the names and contact numbers for those people.”

  “OK, I’ll be happy to provide them.”

  “You said you went out to dinner with friends. Who did you have dinner with?”

  “… With Christine and Tony Escalante. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Tony came to the office at about 5:45.”

  “Detective Lieutenant Escalante?” He asked.

  “That’s right. He and Christine were both with me from about 5:45 until about 8:30 last night. Of course there were a lot of people at the restaurant who saw us together. We seem to attract a lot of attention these days. Oh, I also have the credit card receipt.”

  “OK, no further questions at this time. I expect you’ll be available if we need to ask additional questions?”

  “Yes, I will, Detective Reynolds. I’m not going anywhere.”

  As I was driving back to the office I reflected on how Walter Farley had come into our lives. I started wondering about how he had come into the life of Ted Simpson.