by Dan Kelly
“The sixty-four dollar answer is in the trunk of my car parked where we all parked before sneaking into these woods.”
“Okay, Popeye. Get a move on. Make it happen. From what Red has told me about the list of things Jillian has prepared for discussion, to say nothing about what the Chameleon might have put together, Jillian and the Chameleon should be in the cabin for at least a couple of hours. I hope your friend is home.”
Popeye leaves just as Jillian’s voice comes over the receiver plugged into Chuck’s ear that is tuned to the closed circuit frequency of the bugs hidden in the cabin.
Chapter 33
“Well, Mr. Carducci, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you. I was beginning to think something had happened to you or you had changed your mind about me trying to help you. If you’re having second thoughts, we can end my involvement right now.”
“No, no. Everything’s cool. I was just making sure that no one was around to interrupt us.”
“Okay then. Let’s get started.”
At first, Jillian does all the talking, but gradually the Chameleon relaxes and soon begins to participate in earnest. An hour and a half later, Popeye has returned with Cadbury and his bow and arrows and has shot his communicator into the trunk of a big Maple tree about twenty feet from the ground. Jillian has just brought the list preparation segment of the meeting to a close and is beginning to segue into the real purpose of the meeting, getting the Chameleon talking about what he has been doing to destroy Red and why he feels so strongly that Red’s brother Nate fouled up the investigation of the fire that killed his brother.
“Well, Mr. Carducci, I believe we’ve come up with an impressive list of questions and suggestions to present to the Chicago Arson Investigation Department.” How do you feel about what we’ve done here today?”
“I think it’s a good step in the right direction, but a very small step. I want to thank you again for your willingness to try to help me get justice for my brother and for the time and effort you’ve put into developing a way to bring pressure to bear on the people who are re-investigating the fire. I think we’re going to have a very tough uphill battle though, so I’m going to continue to do things that will put Red Borman in a bad light and, hopefully, generate enough pressure on whomever he’s working for to fire him, whether it be from my interfering with the casino’s operations or from the gambling public who doesn’t like what they are hearing about what’s happening at the casino.”
Jillian’s thinking, “Sorry, Red. I thought I could get you a respite. I thought he’d lay off while we were trying to influence the fire investigation.”, but says, “Since I arrived in Bettendorf after you began your campaign against Red, can you give me a summary rundown of what you’ve done to date, so I don’t get blindsided in any conversations I might have with the Chicago arson team? I mentioned some of the things I was told about on my web site, but I don’t know how accurate they are and if there are others that I know nothing about.”
Apparently thinking it’s a reasonable request, The Chameleon readily obliges, but his frustration over his repeated failure to accomplish what he has set out to do becomes clearly evident in the steadily increasing strident and angry tone of his voice as he covers his attempts, one by one, to bring Red down.
“Mr. Carducci, I can identify with your frustration and will do my very best to bring about a more thorough investigation into the fire that killed your brother. Why are you so convinced that the initial investigation was badly handled?”
“When I learned that my brother was one of the victims in the fire, I conducted my own investigation by talking with some of the tenants who survived and heard a lot of complaints about how the building was maintained and how long it took to get something fixed. One of the questions I asked was ‘Do you agree with the arson squad’s conclusion that the fire was accidentally started by lightening?’ Some thought it was possible, but most thought it was far fetched. More than a few of the people I spoke with said that there were a lot of problems with the electrical wiring in the apartment building, circuit breakers kept popping and sometimes when something was plugged into an outlet sparks would shoot out. I also found out that the owner, a guy by the name of Clyde Crowley is married to the daughter of one of Chicago’s councilman which made me think that political pull came into play and a cover up put into place.”
“Wow and none of this came out in the initial investigation?”
“Not a peep.”
Jillian was quiet for a moment and then she said, “Mr. Carducci, why aren’t these things on the list you brought today?”
“I already brought them up to Red Borman’s brother and he told me that what I was suggesting was pure conjecture and I didn’t have a shred of proof to back it up. Of course, he would say that if he was part of the cover up and he’s right. I have no proof.
“We’re suggesting that the arson investigators now looking into the fire speak with the survivors for their opinion as to how the fire started. Let them draw their own conclusions. That will have more weight than anything I could say.”
Jillian’s thinking, “Man, this guy is definitely no dummy and he truly believes that there is something fishy going on. Unfortunately, he believes so strongly that his assumptions are right on that he’s become unhinged to the point that he’ll do just about anything to make the apartment owner pay for his deliberately setting the fire or for being negligent in repairing the faulty electrical system that could have caused the fire. If this man isn’t stopped, he could become violent and even kill somebody.”
“You may be right, Mr. Carducci. We’ll just have to wait and see. I think we’re done here. I don’t want to take any unnecessary risk of someone seeing us together, so I’m going to use the bathroom then stay in the cabin a little longer to compile my notes before I call the arson investigators. It probably would be best if you were to leave now and reduce the risk of someone coming along and spotting you and me together and getting nosy. I’ve already managed to develop some celebrity and don’t want to put you in you in an uncomfortable situation where someone’s curiosity might cause trouble for you. You’re very good with disguises, including the one you’re wearing now, but sometimes accidents happen and your true features and identity might be revealed. Let’s not take any chances.”
“That’s a good idea. In the future, if you want to speak with me put two dashes followed by two at symbols at the bottom of your latest commentary on your web site. I will call you at the Go For It. If you are in, I’ll give you a number to call that will be a secured line. If you are not in, I’ll leave this message. ‘Ms. Prevot, your scarves have arrived. You may pick them up at your convenience.’ If you receive this message, it means that I will call you again at 9:00 a. m. the following morning. This may be a little contrived, but it’ll serve the purpose, dealing with phone taps. If your phone is tapped, tracing the number you call will be impossible. Since your offer to help me was extended on a web site open to the general public, the authorities are probably aware of it and monitoring all of your communications at the Go For It.”
Having said this, he rose and headed for the door. As the door begins to open, Chuck starts blowing the whistle and Popeye releases Cadbury. As the door opens wider, the Chameleon sees Cadbury running towards the cabin and then right on by alongside the cabin with the Shepherd taking off after the Lab. He calls out to the Shepherd, “King, come back here.”, but is totally ignored.
The Chameleon is on full alert. He instinctively knows there’s something amiss and his reaction time is amazing. He runs around the other side of the cabin and into the woods. The guy moves like greased lightning and the surveillance team is a little slow to react. It was only seconds, but it was all that the Chameleon needed. The members of the surveillance team that were directly behind the cabin where the meeting took place were hidden about sixty yards into the woods, but the Chameleon only had to go about five yards in to reach his means of escape, a Choppy. The men in the sheds that had be
en placed near the cabin were also slow to react because they thought the guys in the woods directly behind the cabin would grab him.
The Choppy is probably one of the best known and most popular single seat helicopters ever produced. It’s purchased as a kit, is about six feet high and 15 feet long, can carry a payload of up to 300 pounds, its top speed is 85 miles per hour and it can reach altitudes as high as 8500 feet. The Chameleon had a camouflage cover over it and before anyone could get to him, he had the cover off, slid it out into the open area, started the engine and he was up, up and away. He had modified it, so there was no engine noise whatsoever, just a soft hiss.
Popeye’s thinking, “This guy is definitely one for the books. No one heard him arrive in it or saw him covering it. He might even have flown it in the day before. Damn! What we thought was a great plan has turned into an even greater fiasco.”
The next thing Popeye hears is Chuck’s voice coming over his communicator. “Okay everybody. Stay put. He may be still in the area and come back to check things out. I don’t know if he spotted any of the surveillance team or not. He might just have been spooked by the dogs. If that’s the case, Jillian may still have her credibility intact and we can use her again to try to set something else up. Don’t anyone move until I give the all clear.” Fifteen minutes later he did just that.
As they all gather in the open area in front of the cabin, Jillian comes storming out steaming mad and asks in a very unfriendly manner, after all she was sticking her neck out big time to help put the Chameleon under lock and key, “What the hell happened? Who screwed up?”
Chuck responds with, “No one screwed up, Jillian. The Chameleon is like a bottle of nitroglycerine. The slightest jiggle, the smallest thing out of kilter can set him off.”
Popeye said, “If anyone’s to blame, it’s me, Jillian. It was my idea to use the Lab to lure the Shepherd away. I never thought the Shepherd’s failure to obey the Chameleon’s command to return would set him off like that.” Popeye filled her in on all the details and then apologized for the plan blowing up in their faces.
Jillian’s anger quickly melted away and she went over to Popeye and gave him a big hug.” Hey, big guy, that was some good quick thinking and might have worked on anyone else but the Chameleon. I’m sorry everybody. I shouldn’t have assumed that one or more of you fouled up. It’s just that I was so sure we were going to nab this guy and the only reason we didn’t was because, well, you know.”
Chuck said, “No apologies needed, Jillian. Had any of us been in your shoes, we would have reacted the same way.”
Jillian wasn’t so sure about that, but was grateful for the kind words.
Chuck said, “Okay, troops, back to the station. Popeye, after you and Jillian have told Red and Bill what has gone down here have him give me a call to set up a meeting for all of us to get together to discuss what our next step should be. This guy has really gotten under my skin and I want in on everything until we put him away. Maybe all is not lost, especially if the Chameleon didn’t see any of the surveillance.”
“Will do, Chuck.”
As the group disbursed, Popeye, with more than a little trepidation, headed for the back of the cabin to try and roundup the dogs. Mating dogs can be a little testy when interrupted and the Shepherd might be a one person dog and not go for anyone else touching him but his master. “At least I know his name. Using it, might settle him down.”
Popeye needn’t have worried. Apparently, the dogs had already answered the call of nature and were lying down under a big Oak tree eyeing each other. He called out to Cadbury first and she came right over to him. When she did, the big Shepherd quickly rose, barked at Cadbury and then stared and snarled at Popeye as he put a leash on Cadbury and tied it to a nearby tree. Keeping a close eye on the Shepherd with his peripheral vision, angry dogs feel challenged if they are stared at, Popeye mumbles to himself, “I sure hope he doesn’t decide to attack. I’d hate to have to shoot him. He’s too fine a dog for that.”
Much to Popeye’s surprise, when he slapped his hand on his thigh and called the Shepherd by name, “Come here, king. Come here boy.” the big dog stopped his snarling, trotted over and stopped about two feet in front of him and looked up at him with an inquisitive look in his eyes, as if to say, “Who the hell are you and how do you know my name?”
Cautiously, Popeye lowered the back of his hand to the dog’s snout and let him sniff. Slowly, he worked his hand to the dog’s head and began to pet him and scratch him behind his ears and under his chin. The dog ate it up and began licking his hand. “Well, well, well. You’re a pussy cat at heart aren’t you big fella? Something tells me, though, that if you understood what I just said you wouldn’t like being compared to a feline.” Chuckling, he untied Cadbury’s leash, ordered King to heel and they all walked back to Popeye’s van and drove back to his friend’s house.
King and his friend hit it off right from the start. Popeye didn’t even have to ask him to take care of the dog until Popeye figured out what to do with him. “Popeye, if no one claims him, I’ll keep him. He’s one fine animal.”
“I think you’ve got another member of the family. I don’t think the Chameleon will try to find him. To do so, he’d have to risk exposure and that would endanger his vendetta against Red Borman, the fella I told you about, and he’s not about to do that.”
Popeye headed back to the Floating Fantasies wondering what it was going to take to capture this guy.
Chapter 34
Around 3:30 p.m., Red, Bill, Chuck, Popeye and Jillian are sitting in Red’s office going over the events that unfolded earlier that morning. Red’s saying, “This guy lives a charmed life. Who would have thought we would be foiled by a bloody dog?”
Popeye responds with, “This guy doesn’t leave anything up to chance. He makes his own luck. He brought that dog along to sense things he couldn’t, for protection, for diversion, to help him address the unforeseen. It worked too.”
Jillian, who’s been vey quiet speaks up with, “As I’ve noted before, this man is exceptionally intelligent. Talking with him was quite an experience. I’ve never met anyone quite like him. He scares the daylights out of me, but I kind of feel sorry for him though. He wholeheartedly believes that justice has not been served as far as his brother is concerned and is determined to get his revenge. I believe his determination makes him a very dangerous man. If we don’t put an end to his escapades soon, I’m convinced someone’s going to get hurt.”
Red lets out a soft exasperated sigh and says, “Well, people, where do we go from here? Chuck, do you think the Chameleon spotted the surveillance once he was up in the helicopter?”
“I think there’s a good chance he didn’t. When he bolted from the doorway of the cabin, he was moving. It took him no more than twenty seconds to reach the hidden helicopter, rip the camouflage cover off, slide the thing into the clearing, climb in and start the engine. It took another five seconds for him to clear the tree tops and maybe another minute to disappear over the horizon. He was hell-bent on getting out of there as quickly as possible and I don’t think there was enough time for him to check out what was on the ground.”
Red turned to Jillian and said, “Don’t get mad at me now, but after what has transpired I think it’s appropriate for me to ask if you want to stay in the game, take the chance that the Chameleon didn’t spot the surveillance from the air and will still want to work with you. If Chuck is wrong, chances are the Chameleon will stay true to his eye-for-an-eye philosophy and be harboring bad thoughts about you and want to hurt you or at the very least want to put you in harms way.”
“I’m staying in, but we’re going to have to get a lot better at anticipating what the Chameleon might do if we’re ever going to take him out of circulation.”
Bill said, “The first thing we’ve got to do is see if he will respond to Jillian putting the agreed upon contact code at the bottom of her daily comments on her web site tomorrow. We’ve got to find out if Jillian’s cred
ibility is still intact with him. If it is, then we’re going to have to keep up the charade of Jillian trying to influence the conduct of the reopened fire investigation.
