“Yes.”
“Then just one more thing. I imagine you and your father are very close, and now that your lover is gone, he’s probably the most important person in your life.”
“I suppose so.”
“With that in mind, you probably wouldn’t hesitate to do anything that would save his life --- even lie.”
Suzanne jumped to her feet. “Objection!”
Before the judge could rule, Calinda spoke. “No, I want to answer that. Do I believe my father killed Jack Carson? Absolutely not! There’s no way in the world he would have murdered the father of his grandchild. I’m pregnant. I’m carrying Jack Carson’s baby.”
A hush fell over the courtroom.
The look on Suzanne’s face told me she had no idea her witness was pregnant.
Whether by design or by accident, Calinda had saved the best for last.
The shocked prosecutor returned to his seat. “No further questions.”
Suzanne rose. “The defense calls Walter Williams.”
The moment I had been dreading had arrived.
After being reminded I was still under oath, Suzanne began. “Let’s talk about your relationship with Jack Carson. How did it begin?”
“One morning, Jack called my home office. He told me he had been working on a story about chemtrails.”
“Let me interrupt just one moment. What exactly are chemtrails?”
“Everyone has seen them,” I replied. “All you have to do is go outside pretty much any day of the week. There will be fluffy trails crisscrossing the sky from horizon to horizon.”
“But aren’t those just condensation trails from the airplanes jet engines?”
“That’s what we’re supposed to believe, but an Air Force pilot, Dale Fox, contacted Jack and told him that the trails were actually part of an ongoing program called Indigo Skyfold and contained dangerous chemicals, aluminum, barium and ethylene dibromide to name a few. Jack told me he had three meetings with Fox, and a fourth was scheduled. Fox was to bring him a sample of the brew being sprayed into our skies, but on the way to their meeting, Fox was killed in an auto accident. He called me to ask George Wilson, my former partner on the force, to take a closer look. He suspected foul play.”
“What did he find?”
“After closer examination of the vehicle, it was determined that the brake line ruptured. Evidence was inconclusive that someone had tampered with the line.”
“Did Jack Carson ever share with you why the chemicals were being sprayed?”
Grant Marshall jumped to his feet. “Objection! This wild speculation has absolutely nothing to do with Carmine Marchetti’s innocence or guilt.”
“Quite the contrary, Your Honor,” Suzanne replied. “Someone killed Jack Carson, but Carmine Marchetti wasn’t the only one with a motive. Walt Williams went to Detective Blaylock as soon as Jack disappeared and gave him a lead to follow. It’s not the defense’s fault that the detective did not pursue that lead. The jury needs to know that there were other factors in play at the time of Jack’s death.”
After a moment’s thought. “Objection overruled! I’ll allow it.”
“Thank you, Judge. Now Walt, did Jack Carson ever tell you why the chemicals were being sprayed?”
“According to Dale Fox, and I heard his words myself on a recording Jack made, the spraying was being done for two reasons, weather manipulation and defense. Fox had been warned by his superiors that the program was a matter of national security and any breaches of confidence would result in dire consequences. Fox talked and wound up dead.”
Marshall was on his feet again. “Objection! The witness already testified there was no evidence that this Dale Fox died as a result of foul play.”
“Objection sustained. The clerk will strike the witnesses’ last statement.”
“Mr. Williams, Calinda Marchetti testified that Jack took several trips out of town. Do you anything about those?”
“Yes, I know of two. His first was a trip to the Pinal Air Park in Arizona. According to Fox, this was a base of operations for Indigo Skyfold. Jack brought back photos of large tanker planes with no markings and aerial photos of a restricted command center. The second trip was a visit with Kristen Meghan, a former Air Force Bio-Environmental Engineer. She had found canisters of the chemicals being sprayed, but was silenced by her superiors who threatened to take her child away. That was a dead end. She refused to talk to Jack.”
“Calinda also mentioned a meeting Jack had arranged with a woman from some chemical company. Did you know about that?”
“I certainly did. The woman’s name was Louise Shipley. She worked for Monsanto at the company’s headquarters in St. Louis. Jack had learned that the aluminum being sprayed was falling to earth and contaminating many of our row crops. Monsanto had applied for and was granted patents to produce aluminum resistant seeds. She was supposedly bringing evidence of Monsanto’s complicity in the chemtrail conspiracy, but she disappeared before she could meet with Jack.”
“So let me summarize, Jack Carson was working on a story that would expose a clandestine government program that had been going on for years. It was a program that involved the spraying of deadly chemicals into our atmosphere, and two people who were feeding information to Jack ended up dead or missing. Is that correct?”
I could have added a third, Frank Katz, but that would have opened another can of worms regarding his manuscript.
“Yes, it is.”
“Then, in your opinion, Mr. Williams, is it possible that Jack Carson could have been silenced to keep him from exposing a secret government program?”
“I think it’s not only possible, but very probable.”
“Thank you, Mr. Williams. No further questions.”
“Cross Mr. Marshall?”
“Yes, Your Honor. I have only one question for Mr. Williams. Sir, that’s quite a story you just told. Something one might see on an episode of X-Files. My question is this --- do you have even one tiny bit of evidence to support your wild theory?”
So there it was. I had all kinds of evidence in the manila envelope in my safe, but to reveal its existence meant I was placing not only myself, but all those I love in danger. If I had to choose between them and Carmine Marchetti, it was a no brainer.
Then, I looked up and saw something that made my blood run cold. One of the men I had seen earlier had a scar on his cheek running from his nose to his jaw line. I couldn’t see it from where I was sitting, but from the witness stand, it was as plain as day.
It didn’t take a lot of thought to spit out my reply. “No, I don’t have any physical evidence.”
“No further questions.”
“You may step down, Mr. Williams.” He turned to Suzanne. “Any more witnesses for the defense, Ms. Romero?”
At that moment Ox stepped into the courtroom. Suzanne gave him a searching look and he shook his head.
I saw her shoulders droop. “No, Your Honor. The defense rests.”
“Very well,” he said, banging his gavel, “due to the lateness of the hour, we’ll convene at nine tomorrow morning and hear closing arguments. Court dismissed!”
After the courtroom cleared, we all gathered in the attorney-client room.
Suzanne was obviously upset. “Ox, you found no sign of Maria Lopez?”
“I wish that were true,” he sighed. “I looked everywhere, then finally remembered she said she kept a room at the Royale Inn. I twisted the clerk’s arm and he gave me the room number. That’s where I found her. She was dead.”
We all sat in stunned silence.
“Dead? How?” Suzanne asked.
“Bludgeoned to death. I called it in and pretty soon the place was crawling with cops. The CSI guys checked the place with a black light and there were so many semen stains it looked like a sperm bank had exploded. The clerk admitted that Maria used the room to entertain her clients. The detective in charge chalked it up to a tete a tete gone bad. They’re looking for some john she might have pi
cked up.”
“John, my ass!” I muttered. “Somehow the government goons found out she was going to testify, whacked her, and made it look like just another dead hooker. But how would they have known?”
“I guess that’s on me,” Suzanne replied. “I had to include her name on my witness list I turned over to the prosecution. They could have gotten the information from there.”
“That’s five.” I said.
“Five what?”
“Five people murdered to keep the government’s dirty little secret.”
Carmine spoke for the first time. “They got my ass in a sling, don’t they?”
Suzanne slumped in her chair. “It doesn’t look good, Carmine. Not good at all.”
CHAPTER 18
With Maria Lopez dead, our best shot at getting Carmine off the hook and laying the blame at the feet of government assassins was down the tubes.
We were just sitting there in a stupor, when I happened to notice the corner of a manila envelope sticking out of Calinda’s bag. It could have been any old envelope, maybe an invitation to lower her insurance rates at Geico, but it got my attention.
“Calinda, that envelope in your bag. May I see it?”
She was obviously apprehensive. “I --- I don’t think so. It’s personal.”
I could read between the lines. “It’s from Jack, isn’t it?”
When she didn’t respond, Suzanne prodded, “Look, Calinda, we’re grasping for straws here. If you have something from Jack, it just might help.”
Reluctantly, she handed me the envelope. It was identical to the one I had received, except it was addressed to her.
I opened it and pulled out a single sheet of paper. The note read:
My Dear Calinda,
I’m so sorry I haven’t contacted you. My life is in danger and if I had called, yours would be too. I must leave town and disappear for a while. When I feel it is safe, I will be in touch. Until then, know that I love you. Jack
Suzanne was the first to speak. “Calinda, why in the world didn’t you show me this earlier? It’s certainly evidence that Jack feared for his life.”
“But it doesn’t say why he was afraid,” she replied. “I thought the prosecution could turn it around and say that Jack was afraid of what Daddy might do.”
“So can we still use it?” Carmine asked, grasping for straws.
“No,” Suzanne replied, “I’m afraid it’s too little, too late.”
An idea had been forming in my mind. “Maybe not. If all of you can give me a half hour to run home and back, I think I might have something that will tip the scales our way.”
“Anything,” they all replied, and I was on my way to retrieve the manila envelope from my safe.
Thirty minutes later, I pulled the envelope from a grocery bag.
“I received an envelope from Jack too,” I confessed, “but mine was certainly different from the one Calinda received. It contained every bit of evidence Jack collected on the chemtrail conspiracy.”
I opened the envelope and poured the contents on the table. “Recorded interviews, photos, everything. Then there was this note.”
If you’re reading this, it means they have found me. There are only two possible outcomes. I will make every effort to disappear and start a new life far away, but there is a very good chance I won’t make it out of town. Either way, I have done all that I can do. The contents of this envelope contain everything I have uncovered about the government’s chemtrail conspiracy. I hate laying this burden at your feet, but now it’s up to you to expose this horrendous program that is filling our skies with poison. Good luck! Jack Carson.
After reading the note, Carmine frowned, “Hold on a minute! When you were on the stand, the prosecutor asked if you had any evidence supporting this chemtrail thing and you said no. This stuff could have got me off the hook. What gives?”
“It’s pretty simple, Carmine. At the time I received this envelope, three people who had come forward with information about the chemtrails were dead and Jack was missing. The people responsible for those deaths knew I was poking around as well, and I received these texts.”
I showed them the texts with the photos of Maggie at our apartment and at work with the messages, ‘Back off!’ and ‘Quit digging.’
“I’m so sorry, but there was no way in the world I was going to risk my wife for you or anyone else. I hope you understand.”
He thought for a moment. “Yeah, I get it. I woulda done the same thing. So why show them to us now?”
“Because I have an idea how we can use the stuff to get you off without endangering anyone. Jack must have mailed the envelopes to me and Calinda at the same time, just before he was caught. No one knows about these envelopes but the people in this room. What if we take all the evidence and the note Jack wrote to me and put it in the envelope he sent to Calinda? Suzanne could present it into evidence tomorrow morning, saying Calinda had no idea what she had until she heard my testimony. Once the stuff is in the hands of the court, it will be public record and Calinda and I will be off the hook with the assassins.”
Suzanne thought for a moment. “Walt, you realize you committed perjury and if we do what you are suggesting we’re all guilty of tampering with evidence.”
“All I know is that this chemtrail conspiracy is real and the government is willing to do anything to keep it a deep dark secret --- including killing five people. It’s not like they’re playing by the rules either.”
Suzanne thought for a moment. “Sometimes you have to give Lady Justice a helping hand. I’m in!”
The next morning, I met Kevin on the courthouse steps.
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be on a honeymoon somewhere?”
“Plenty of time for that later. I was up to my neck in this case too. I just had to see how it turned out.”
“You picked a good day,” I replied, knowing what was coming.
Once the judge was seated, he turned to Grant Marshall. “Your closing statement Mr. Marshall.”
Before he could reply, Suzanne rose, “Your Honor, before we begin closing statements, the defense has some additional evidence to present to the court.”
Marshall was incensed. “Your Honor! The defense rested their case yesterday.”
Judge Weathers turned to Suzanne. “This is highly irregular, Ms. Romero. Why was this evidence not presented yesterday and why should I allow it today?”
“Two reasons, Your Honor. As I’m sure you’re aware, Maria Lopez was on our witness list and was prepared to testify that she had seen Jack Carson abducted. Ms. Lopez was killed yesterday, conveniently preventing her from sharing her testimony.”
Marshall jumped to his feet again. “Objection! Maria Lopez was a prostitute and there was no evidence linking her death to these proceedings.”
“That may be true, Mr. Marshall,” Suzanne replied. “At least there was no evidence the police have found, but the point is that her testimony was a vital part of Mr. Marchetti’s defense. A trial is all about arriving at the truth, and Mr. Marchetti deserves every chance to prove his innocence.”
The judge thought a moment. “I’ll take that into consideration. You said there were two reasons. Please continue.”
“The evidence we wish to present to the court is an envelope Jack Carson mailed to Calinda Marchetti before he was killed. It contains everything Mr. Carson collected during his investigation of the chemtrail conspiracy, photos, recordings, everything.”
Marshall started to rise again, but the judge raised his hand. “Obviously Ms. Marchetti has had this material in her possession for some time. Why is she just bringing it forward now?”
“Ms. Marchetti testified under oath that she knew nothing about Jack’s investigation into the government’s secret program. He purposely kept her in the dark for her own safety. Only after hearing Walt Williams’ testimony yesterday, did she understand the significance of what Jack Carson had mailed to her.”
After considering her pl
ea for a moment, he ordered, “Counsel, approach the bench. Ms. Romero, let’s take a look at this evidence.”
Suzanne joined Grant Marshall at the bench and handed the manila envelope to Judge Weathers.
He opened the envelope spreading its contents on the bench. I watched him examine the photos and read the note Jack had written.
After a few moments, he announced, “The court will be in recess to give me an opportunity to examine this evidence further. The bailiff will notify all parties when it’s time to reconvene. Court dismissed.”
I had been watching the two men I had seen the day before. When the judge made his ruling, the one with the scar whispered to the other and they both made a bee line for the door, pushing people aside.
“Holy crap!” Kevin muttered. “So Calinda had Jack’s stuff all the time. She was sitting on a powder keg and had no idea. If Carmine hadn’t been arrested, all that information Jack collected might never have seen the light of day.”
“Funny how things work out,” I replied, smiling to myself.
It was three in the afternoon when we were notified that court would be in session.
When everyone was seated, a grim-faced judge turned to Grant Marshall. “I understand the prosecution has a motion to present to the court.”
Marshall stood. “Yes, Your Honor, the prosecution moves to withdraw all charges against Carmine Marchetti in the death of Jack Carson.”
Judge Weathers turned to the defense table. “Motion accepted. Mr. Marchetti, you are free to go.”
And just like that, it was all over.
Someone in government, and I would have given my left nut to know how high, had enough clout to order the motion to acquit to keep the evidence of the chemtrail conspiracy from coming to light.
If there was ever doubt in anyone’s mind that the conspiracy was real, this would certainly erase that doubt.
As soon as the judge banged his gavel, Carmine jumped to his feet and hugged Calinda, then Suzanne.
The Chemtrail Conspiracy Set (Lady Justice Book 22) Page 25
