Escape Clause

by James O. Born

  Lester stood up, too, sniffling. “I swear I had nothin’ against you. Janzig and Norton call the shots.”

  Tasker nodded and thought about that info. It still came back to Norton. And Renee. Shit. Then Tasker said, “So you guys set me up in the prison. That I understand. What did Professor Kling’s death have to do with it all?”

  “Death. Are you crazy? No one had nothin’ to do with a killing.”

  Tasker thought about tossing him in the water, whether he was being honest or not. “Then why are you guys picking at me with slashed tires? That doesn’t do much to scare me.”

  “The captain told me to do your tires. Said they just needed to keep you occupied until Friday when you have to leave. Said getting new tires would use up some time.”

  “So he just wanted me occupied until Fri—” Tasker froze. How did Norton know he was leaving on Friday? Only one person knew of the timetable. He had to ask the obvious question. “How does Norton know I’m leaving on Friday?”

  The young man shrugged. “He don’t tell me shit. He says harass you, cut up your tires, put sugar in your gas tank, I do it.”

  Tasker had enough info for one day. “All right, Lester. I’ll take you up on your offer.”

  “What offer?”

  “I’ll leave you right here and we’ll call it even. We’ll deal with moving Dewalt’s body another day.”

  Lester didn’t protest.

  “And don’t you tell Norton about our talk.”

  Lester nodded.

  “And you come tell me if he tells you to do anything else.”

  “But he’ll whip my ass if I do something like that.”

  “Then there’s only one thing you have to remember.”

  “What’s that?”

  Tasker reached out and grabbed Lester’s broken fingers again. This time he fell to his knees as he screamed.

  Luther Williams’ right hand gripped the Sig Sauer P-226, waiting for the phrase “license and registration” to come from the trooper. Once he knew there was no going back it was gonna be lights out for this cop. To his surprise, the first thing the trooper said was, “Hi, how’re you today?”

  Luther gathered himself and looked at the young man with his big blond head leaning in Luther’s window like a puppy. “I am fine today, Officer. How are you?”

  “Good, good.” The tall man pulled his head back from the window. “Sir, could you step out of your car, please.”

  It was not a question; it was a command. A polite command but one nonetheless. Luther looked up at the trooper. He looked like a tall Tasker with the same light coloring and pleasant face. His eyes weren’t as intelligent-looking as Tasker’s.

  Luther considered his options. Since he had allowed the trooper to step back, the immediate shot was no longer a sure thing. He had no desire to kill this young man, but his survival instinct was his overriding drive. He put his left hand on the door handle and his right remained on the grip of the pistol.

  The trooper said, “I wanna show you something.”

  Luther slammed the armrest down on the pistol and slid out of the car. This wouldn’t have been a consideration in his younger days. He decided he could always say his wallet was in the car and reach for the gun if he needed to.

  He stepped out and stood up. He was a good three inches shorter than the big trooper. “Yes, Officer?”

  “When you passed me a while back, it looked like your wheel was about to fly off. Now that you’re stopped, I see the problem.” He pointed at the LeSabre’s left front tire. “See.”

  Luther looked at the black wall tire and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “I’m afraid I don’t see, Officer.”

  “Look here.” He squatted by the car and rapped the hubcap with his knuckles. “You got a good dent in your hubcap, and at high speed it looks like the damn wheel is floppin’ around. Scared me pretty good.”

  Luther smiled. “I guess it did. Should I remove the hubcap or just risk that few people will be as observant as you?”

  “I’d yank it off. Might pop off itself and it could hurt someone.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Just give me your tire iron and I’ll pop it off for you. No need you get all dirty on account of this.”

  Luther was stunned. Here he was in what many called “lower Alabama,” a black man, and a white cop was offering to help him. Times had changed since he first arrived in Florida. He scooted to the driver’s compartment and retrieved the keys. As he leaned in, he looked down at the armrest where the gun was hidden. He hesitated. Could this cop have tricked him? He looked through the rear window. The big trooper wasn’t on his shoulder mike to his radio. Luther decided to ride it awhile longer.

  He straightened out of the car and jingled the keys. “Got ’em right here.”

  The trooper stepped back and said, “Where are you heading?”

  Here it was—the start of an interrogation. Luther paused at the trunk. “Tallahassee.”

  “Too busy there for me. Where you comin’ from?”

  “Miami.”

  “Way too busy there.”

  Luther popped the trunk and started to raise the lid when he glanced down and saw the Browning nine-millimeter sitting on the floor of the trunk. He risked a quick look at the trooper and saw he was looking down the highway at a Camaro that had just swooshed by. Luther reached in, grabbed the pistol and shoved it to the side. He slid a rag over it and found the tire iron loose on top of the spare. He snatched it up and closed the trunk.

  “Here you go.”

  The trooper took it, still tracking the Camaro with his eyes. Then he snapped out of it. “Take one second.” He squatted again and used the straight black tire tool to pry the hubcap in several places and then pull it off. He even checked the lug nuts to ensure Luther’s safety. “All set.” He stood up with the dented hubcap in his hand.

  “Here, I’ll take that.”

  “It’s pretty grimy,” said the trooper.

  “Nonsense.” Luther snatched the metal hubcap from his hand. He popped the trunk and opened it only a few inches as he slid the hubcap inside.

  The trooper stepped back toward his car. “Have a safe trip to Tallahassee.”

  “Thanks for everything.”

  “Sure.” The trooper paused. “Why’re you goin’ to T-town?”

  Luther almost made a beeline for his Sig in the car. Was this guy so subtle or was he just chatting?

  Luther said, “My daughter is at FAMU.”

  “Oh yeah. What’s she study?”

  “She wants to be a pharmacist.”

  “Outstanding. Good luck.” The trooper turned and was in his car before Luther. He was down the road before Luther even started the car. Luther took a few breaths to calm down and clear his mind. That was freaky.

  forty

  Bill Tasker waited by the front door of the Gladesville Police Department. He didn’t want to just walk in; he wanted to surprise Rufus when he came out for some reason. The place was small enough that the town’s only detective would have to wander out into the lobby area soon. A few cops had come from the back to the lobby for one reason or another, but not Rufus.

  Tasker hadn’t slept much since his unofficial interrogation of the slow-witted Lester Lynn. The one thing that had spooked him was Lester’s knowledge that he was leaving at the end of the week. Tasker had spoken to only one person about leaving at the end of the week and that was his boss, the director. How had Norton found out?

  Tasker grew impatient waiting for his target to come out. He noticed the door to the inner offices was slow to close after someone came through. He waited until a clerical worker with glasses and hair that looked like an African anthill came out into the lobby. He saw her head toward a soda machine and deposit some coins. Tasker stepped inside and then as she went back through the door he followed right behind. No one noticed him.

  He headed down the main hallway, nodding hello to a public service aide like he belonged in the building.
She smiled back. He turned and in a few steps was in the doorway of Rufus Goodwin’s train wreck of an office. The frazzled detective was reviewing some paperwork at his desk, surrounded by stacks and stacks of paper. He didn’t even notice Tasker until he cleared his throat.

  Rufus’ head snapped up. “How’d you get in here?”

  “I’m a cop. I thought cops could come back here.”

  “What d’you want?”

  “What do you think?”

  “Look, I’m doing the best I can. I thought the nut did it. Now I’m back to square one.”

  “What if I had some info? Would you check out the connection?”

  The detective perked up, his half-mast brown eyes opening ever so slightly. “What d’ya got?”

  “I found out some of the correctional officers at Gladesville are in a corporation together.”

  “So?”

  “This corporation owns some land locally.”

  “Stop with the drama. So what?”

  “The land is one of the proposed sites for the new prison. The site next to the professor’s dig.”

  Luther considered this. “I’m still not sure why this would relate to the murder.”

  “Neither am I, but it’s something we can’t ignore.”

  “I told you there is no ‘we.’ I’m working this homicide.”

  “Then you better start moving on it, because I have a feeling some shit is about to start happening.”

  Rufus rubbed his face and said, “You sure do get stuck on stuff. You ever think where you’d be if you concentrated on your own job?”

  “All the time,” was all Tasker could say.

  Sam Norton prowled the corridor outside the main entrance to the facility. Everything was in order, but the officers needed to see him walking inside the fence or they might get slack. He had enough problems in his life without his officers going soft.

  He walked with a slightly faster gait that morning because Renee Chin had gone out of her way to say hello and check on him. She had appreciated his concern for her and their little talk the day before and now she noticed him as something more than just the captain of the correctional officers. He liked that.

  As he turned toward the stairs for the second-story control tower where he knew Lester Lynn was working, he found the young correctional officer coming out the door, almost slamming into the much shorter captain.

  “Whoa there, boy. Where are you headin’?”

  “Infirmary.” He raised his right hand to show the captain his three heavily bandaged fingers. “Emergency room said the nurse should check the dressing today. I told them I worked here.” He smiled at his intelligence to tell the hospital about his job.

  “What happened?”

  The young man paused. “I broke ’em.”

  “How?”

  “Closed the trunk of my car on ’em.”

  Norton shook his head. “Dumb-ass. What about Tasker’s car? You cut up the tires?”

  “Only one.”

  “Why only one? He can change one tire.”

  “I found him over at the sub shop off 27. I got one tire real good, but he came out.”

  “Did he see you?”

  “Nope. I’m pretty slick.”

  “Well, Slick, why didn’t you call me last night like I told you to?”

  “Lost my phone.”

  “What ’bout the phone at home. Your mama stop payin’ the bill?”

  “No, sir, it was just late, so I didn’t call.”

  Norton glared at him. Was this kid really that stupid? He looked at him closely and decided he was.

  “Okay. I’ll let you know what we need to do next.” He stalked off before the young man could answer.

  Tasker pulled up to the apartment building where Billie Towers lived. The truck she drove was parked in the street. Since talking to Lester and Rufus, he was concerned that everyone in town knew his next move. That would’ve surprised him because he didn’t know his next move.

  He checked the mailboxes posted outside the front door. There were eight apartments. All of the downstairs apartments had names clearly typed on the boxes. They were the longer-term residents. The upstairs apartments had two names filled in with blue ink. One was Lowesen, the other started with a P and had five unintelligible letters. He headed upstairs. The two unmarked rooms were at the top of the stairway.

  He tapped lightly on the first door and then held his hand to the thin door to feel any movement inside. Nothing. He knocked on the door across the hall more forcefully. After a few seconds, he felt the vibration of someone walking. Then he heard Billie’s soft voice say, “Who is it?”

  “Billie, it’s Bill Tasker.”

  She opened the door a crack to peek, then all the way. “What’re you doin’ here?” She had a sly smile on her face like she knew.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Sure.” She stepped to the side to give him free access.

  Inside he surveyed the modest apartment. It had a small living room with a kitchen built into one corner, a bathroom and a separated bedroom that from his angle he could see looked tiny. He settled onto the lone, uncomfortable couch and she flopped next to him, turning to face him with her legs crossed.

  “What’s up?” She let loose with one of her brilliant smiles.

  “You tell me.”

  “Tell you what?”

  “What’s up.”

  “Billy, you’re not making any sense. I told you the other night I didn’t mean to upset your date. I guess she explained how we met at Rufus’ house.”

  “That’s old news.” He looked into her dark eyes and hoped she had nothing to do with the growing conspiracy he had stumbled onto. “What about your new boyfriend?”

  “What new boyfriend?”

  “I know about the captain. Now I need to know about his plan.”

  She looked at him, her throat moving as she swallowed hard. At least the girl wasn’t a skilled liar like some of the crooks he generally had to deal with. He just looked at her and let her come to her own conclusions about what he knew and how he found out.

  “I shouldn’t have flirted with you, Billy. Not while I was with Sam Norton.”

  “Now that we have the bullshit out of the way, can I get some answers?” He watched, but she didn’t flinch. “You just happened to be around asking questions at the right time?”

  She kept staring with her eyes wide.

  “A young girl like you hooks up with Norton and Rufus. C’mon, all I want is the truth, not one of your chameleon tricks where you morph into the girl I’m most comfortable with. You need to talk, and now.”

  She looked off into space. “You just don’t understand, Bill.” “Every time we were together, you asked about my investigation or why I was so hung up on the professor’s murder. How much did you tell Norton?”

  “That’s not how it was.”

  Now Tasker started to raise his voice. “What did Professor Kling do to get killed?”

  Billie was flustered. “I didn’t have anything to do with that. I . . .”

  “You what? How long has that asshole Norton been getting you to do his spy work?”

  She started to cry, but he wasn’t sure if it was sincere or a play for time. She leaned toward him with her head on his shoulder, then blew snot onto his sleeve. She seemed pretty sincere.

  Renee Chin sat in her office thinking about Bill Tasker and what he was doing right now. He wasn’t at the prison and he wasn’t answering his phone. She didn’t want to swing by his apartment because it might look like she was stalking him.

  In front of her were two official reports she was updating and they had something in common: Luther Williams. In one report she listed all the evidence about the killing of the Aryan Knight Vic Vollentius. The other clearly stated that Luther was the only suspect in the Robert Moambi homicide. For an older inmate, the guy had caused a lot of trouble in a short period of time. She had searched through his personal belongings looking for clues as to where he might ha
ve gone, but so far nothing had panned out. The big white woman who visited him was under surveillance because she was the closest link, but Renee didn’t think that would lead anywhere. The cops needed to think outside the box a little more. Luther was unpredictable and his girlfriend was too obvious. He was on the move now and she knew it.

  Although she liked the distraction of thinking about her job, it didn’t hide her feelings for Bill Tasker. Sure, the report might have gotten in the way of a relationship. She didn’t know what he would write or even how he viewed her professionally. That didn’t seem to matter because he had avoided her since yesterday morning when she tried to apologize. It was tough trying to understand a man’s sensitivities.

  Tasker let Billie cry and cry hard for almost twenty minutes before she pulled away. His shoulder and sleeve were soaked with her tears. She stood up and walked to the small kitchen. Tasker followed her with his eyes. She was a suspect now, not just a good-looking girl. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes with a napkin, then slowly sulked back to the couch.

  She said, “Okay, I’ll admit to falling for the wrong guy. He’s a lot older than me, but that’s always been my weakness.”

  “I’m sorry. Which older guy are we talking about?”

  “Sam Norton.”

  “How long you been together?”

  “Almost as long as I’ve been here. Maybe four months.”

  “I thought Renee caught you with Rufus about a month ago.”

  “She did.”

  “The older guy thing again?”

  She shrugged. “Sam Norton needed me to find out if Rufus was serious about Renee. Said it was all business. All I did was test the relationship.”

  “And Norton sent you after me, too?”

  “Not all the time. But, yeah, a couple of times.”

  “What about the professor?”

  “What about him?”

  “You give info to Norton about him?”

  “Not that kind, but I did tell him what we found on the site.”

  “Why did he care?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What’d he want to know about me?”