Heather followed me in. “Harper, I didn’t want to bother you. Charlie and me aren’t together anymore, and, well, I need a job.”
“A job.” I was distracted, and I needed not to be. Heather was trying to talk to me, and I swore to her that I wasn’t going to just dump her by the side of the road. So, I reluctantly threw the appeal brief aside, and looked right at Heather. “A job. Okay. What can you do? What skills do you have?”
She shook her head. “Not many, I’m afraid. But I’m willing to learn whatever you can teach me. I can answer phones or do whatever it is that you need me to do. I can even dress professionally. I went thrift-store shopping and I picked up a whole bunch of suits and dresses and slacks and all of that. I can do whatever, Harper. I just need something right now.” She hung her head.
“How are things going with you and Louisa?” Louisa was never prosecuted for taking the butcher knife in Heather’s case, mainly because I begged the prosecutor to lay off of her. And, on the issue of her assisting the Reverend in his murderous ways, she turned state’s evidence against him for full immunity. So Louisa, legally, was free and clear. That made me happy because I really wanted Heather to get to know her birth mother. That was the only family she had.
Heather smiled. “They’re great, actually. She’s really cool. She said that she’s the happiest she’s been in quite awhile. Ever since the Reverend Moon or whatever-the-fuck-his-name-was killed himself in prison, she’s been feeling like a million bucks.”
I nodded my head. “Killed himself in prison. When did that happen?” My emotions were muted, for some odd reason. I knew that I was inside my head and I didn’t want to be. But this appeal brief, coupled with my Uncle Jack’s case, were totally pre-occupying my headspace. I didn’t even have the mental energy to focus on Abby’s issues, so I really didn’t have the mental energy to care that a scumbag like Reverend Scott killed himself in prison. As far as I was concerned, the fact that he no longer walked the earth was a good thing. It meant one less scumbag to take up precious space and resources. And that was what he was, as far I was concerned – he was a waste of resources and space. He was consuming energy and food and he was contributing waste and trash to our landfills. The fewer people like him were left the alive, the better off the planet would be, in my opinion.
She looked at her nails. “Two weeks ago. Anyhow, mom, which is what I call her these days, because she asked me to, said that when he died she felt a great sense of peace. As if an evil energy was somehow exorcised from this world. That was the word that she used – exorcise.”
“That’s a good word for that piece of crap meeting his mortal coil. I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well with her, Heather. I’m really happy to hear that.”
She nodded her head. “So, what can I do for you? I can try to train for anything that you need from me. Really.”
I sighed. Pearl was really my assistant, but I could use another one. Maybe just somebody who could learn how to type of petitions and motions and things like that. Most of those petitions were pretty standard, really. Motions were more complicated, because they generally weren’t boiler plate and you had to put thought and case law behind them. Then again, Heather showed to me that she had the ability to do legal research – after all, she found my Law Review article. Perhaps she was smart enough to be trained.
I had the budget to hire somebody else, too. What I didn’t have, however, was the patience or time to train her. “Okay, Heather, here’s what I’d like for you to do.” I handed her the appellate brief that Pearl had given me. “Read this appellate brief and find case law that would possibly refute the allegations. Bear in mind that I’m not involved on this appeal. I only got a courtesy copy of this brief, so whatever you find is going to be not necessarily something that I’m going to be able to use. I would like to possibly find out who the other attorney is on this thing, though. It’s going to be somebody who is going to be working for the State of Missouri. Find out who that is, and, if I find that you were able to come up with some really novel cases and novel ideas, I’ll go ahead and send that other attorney those cases. But, really, I’m just wanting to see how good you are in doing legal research.”
Her face brightened. “Oh, I love that! I love that idea! Believe it or not, I love doing research like this. I’m good at it, too – I found your Law Review article, didn’t I?” She rubbed her hands together. “I just need your Lexis or Westlaw password, and I’ll get to work.”
I nodded my head. “I’ll see how you do. I probably could use a research assistant. I have some heavy appeals that I’m working on myself.” Doing appellate work was a small part of my business, but quite lucrative – one appellate brief paid $30,000, and they were easy enough for me to do. I had always considered research and writing to be my strong suits, and I had won a good percentage of the appeals that I had taken on. If Heather could find case law and statutes for me that I could use in these appeals, half the battle would be won.
I scribbled down my Westlaw password and looked at the clock. My heart started to pound as I saw that it read 1:45. I had booked a flight to Eugene that morning, and that flight was due to leave at 3:30. I was losing track of time by getting distracted by Heather and this damned appellate brief. “Heather, I’m so sorry, but I have to run. I, uh…” I didn’t want to tell Heather what I was doing. I didn’t want anybody to know what I was doing. If anybody knew, they would most likely try to talk me out of it. I didn’t want that. I wanted to just interrogate Steven Heaney the best that I could. I didn’t even know what it was that I was looking for. I just knew that there was the possibility that I could find some clues on where to look for Father Kennedy’s killer if I spoke with Steven Heaney.
Maybe. But, then again, maybe I could get some better insight into my Uncle’s psyche. That would certainly be helpful, too.
Or, there was always the possibility that Steven Heaney would make me his next victim. I didn’t think so, though – I didn’t fit the profile of somebody that he would prey upon. If he was a serial killer working with his brother, he evidently was a child predator, and I was far from being a child.
“That’s okay, Harper. When do you need this research project finished?”
“Well, I have to be back into town tomorrow. I have some important pre-trial conferences for a couple of cases I have going.” One of this pre-trial conferences wasn’t Jack’s, though. His case had not yet gone through the Grand Jury, so the trial judge hadn’t even been assigned. As soon as that judge was assigned, I was going to have to get my head together about what my defense was going to be. I still didn’t want to try for a NGRI plea. I didn’t want Jack to be in a mental institution for the rest of his life. I wanted him to be free.
“In town? Where are you going?”
“I’m going to Oregon,” I said. “Just for the evening. I have to be back here by tomorrow afternoon.”
“And who’s watching your girls?”
“Sophia, of course. She always watches them when I have things that I had to do. When I have to go out of town for whatever reason, I have her watch them. I don’t know how I would get along without her. I wouldn’t even want to think about that.”
Heather nodded her head. “I’ll have to meet her sometime. We probably would have something to talk about.” She smiled. “I never, uh, told you how much you mean to me. What you did for me…” She looked down at her shoes. “Going to jail like that so that you could buy some time to get Louisa on that stand…That’s just something that no other attorney would do. I don’t even know how you thought up that scheme, but I’m so glad that you did. If you didn’t, I would be in prison right now.”
“I know,” I said. She was right, really. If Louisa didn’t take the stand right there at the end, Heather would be in prison. There was just no doubt about that. Everything in that case worked against her. Everything. Louisa was the key, and I was forever grateful that she, Louisa, came with me and took the stand when I needed her the most. “But let’s not t
hink about that. You have your whole life ahead of you. And, if you do well on this research project, you’ll have a job here with me. I really could use a research assistant. I love doing appeals, and the key to winning appeals is finding the right case law and statutes. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what you can come up with.”
At that, I got my overnight bag, which was underneath my desk and headed to my SUV. “Pearl,” I said, as I made my way out the door of my office suite. “I have to go out of town this evening. I’ll be back tomorrow, though. There’s a witness that I need to see in Oregon.”
Pearl raised her eyebrow. “Girl, I hope that you’re not going to be meeting a creeper by yourself or something like that.” She shook her head. “You take way too many chances. I hope that you know that.”
I nodded my head and made a snap decision. I was going to email Pearl when I got on the plane to tell her just where I was going to be. I didn’t think that anything was going to happen when I saw Steven Heaney, but I couldn’t be too careful. Pearl was aware that I was going to be back in the office the next day, so, if I didn’t show up, she would know where to send the police after me.
“I know I do,” I said. “But it hasn’t caught up with me yet.” I went over to the desk, which was made of wood, and knocked on it. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I ran out to my SUV and drove off towards the airport. I didn’t know what answers I was going to get from him. I didn’t even know exactly what answers I was seeking. I only knew that he had some answers for me, and I needed to speak with him.
Jack’s life depended upon it.
THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN several hours later in Eugene. I had the coordinates that Anna had sent me for the cabin where Steven was living. I felt nervous, however, as I went into the Avis Rent-a-Car place, where I gave the guy my credit card and found my rental car. It was a small car, a Nissan Versa hatchback in cherry red.
I was going to this place at dusk. The flight was about 5 and a half hours long, so I was arriving at 7 PM. Since it was May, this was just about the time when it was getting dark.
I shook my head. This trip was something that was spur of the moment, impulsive. I had struggled, my entire life, with my impulsive nature. I was forever doing things that were ill-advised and stupid, things that I did without thinking through the consequences. Sometimes those things worked out, as when I went to jail during Heather’s trial, so that I could buy time to go and get Louisa to testify at her trial. If I didn’t do that, Heather would have gone to prison. There was no doubt about that.
But other times, those impulsive moves didn’t work out so well. I hoped that this wouldn’t be an example of an impulsive move that was ill-advised and stupid. It might have been. I didn’t know yet. If it worked out, then maybe things would go well with Jack’s trial. Maybe I could figure out how to speak with Eli – maybe this guy could tell me how to get around Mick’s protective nature and get to Eli. That is, if Steven was aware of the other personalities. I didn’t know if he was.
My greatest hope was that I could get some other answers from him. Answers that might help me figure out who killed Father Kennedy. If that were the case, then this trip to Eugene would be totally worth it.
I tried to quell my racing heart as I made my way off the main road and onto a dirt road. The road ran through a heavily-wooded area. It was totally dark by this point, and I opened up my window and heard the sounds of birds, frogs and crickets. Those sounds were the only sounds I heard, however.
A cabin in the woods. Far from the beaten path. I hoped that the coordinates that Anna gave me were correct. That was another thing that was running through my head - what if I couldn’t find this guy? It was amazing that Anna was able to find him. She was able to find anybody, it seemed. The woman really should be a PI.
About a half hour after I left the main road, I came up on it. It was literally a log cabin, just like Anna had described it. It was made with fat logs that were piled up, one on top of another. It was well constructed, however. It looked as if somebody had built this place with his hands, but that person was talented, because the house looked like it could withstand an earthquake.
I saw a man on aporch swing. He had white hair and he was dressed in a button-down shirt and blue jeans. On is lap was a dog, and he was busy stroking it. The dog was a mid-sized pooch, and looked like a cross between a blood-hound and a Golden Retriever. She had the coat of a Golden Retriever and the long, floppy ears and droopy eyes of a blood-hound.
He looked up at me. “Anna sent you?” he asked.
I nodded. “She did. How did you know about that?” I didn’t even tell Anna that I was coming out here. I wondered how this guy knew to expect me.
“I figured.” He swung on the swing while he continued to pet the dog. “I don’t know how that girl found me, but I can’t say that I was upset to see her. I haven’t had company in over 40 years and it was nice to have another person to talk to for once in my life.”
I studied him. His hair was white, his face was wrinkled, but it his eyes were steely-blue and very clear. He almost looked like he had gotten too much sun in his life, which was why his skin had the consistency of leather. If it weren’t for that factor, however, it was possible that he wouldn’t look old at all. But he was older – he was almost 75 years old. I read in the paper that he was 30 at the time that all those killings happened, and that was 45 years ago. “Are you upset to see me?”
He shrugged. “I can’t say that I know who you are or why you’re here. I only figured that you knew Anna, because she’s literally the only person who has been out here since I built this place.” His blue eyes looked sad. “I haven’t been able to be a part of civilization for almost 50 years. My brother cursed me to this life. I may never forgive him for that.”
I stood there, because he hadn’t yet invited me to sit down. It felt incredibly awkward, but I no longer felt frightened. This man wasn’t intimidating. He was old – I would hazard a guess that his years on this earth were much shorter than the years that he felt. In other words, he seemed much older than his chronological age. And I was curious, genuinely curious, about what he just said about his brother cursing him to this life. What did that mean? I could only imagine that it might have meant that his brother was the one who was the serial killer, and was taking his name and identity. That is what it sounded like to me.
“Well,” he said, standing up. “You might as well come on in the cabin. I have some bathtub whiskey in there. Don’t worry, it tastes better than it sounds. I think that I’ve perfected it over the years, if I must say so myself.”
I followed him into the cabin and he motioned me to sit down on the chair that was right in front of an enormous stone fireplace. I sat down, and he went into the kitchen, which consisted of a cast-iron cauldron and a stone stove that was heated by flames and looked like he probably made it himself out of rocks he found around the property.
He came back in with a bottle in his hand. I took a deep breath. I couldn’t take a drink, of course. As much as I was dying to taste “bathtub whiskey”, which was a fascinating concept to me, I wasn’t going to risk my sobriety like that. I couldn’t risk my sobriety like that. Besides, I needed to have my wits about me if I was going to figure out what I needed to figure out with this guy.
“I’m so sorry,” I said politely. “But I really can’t share this liquor with you. I’m a recovering alcoholic and I haven’t been on the wagon for all that long. It’s not even been a year since I last fell off the wagon.”
He nodded his head. “I get it. Well, I was going to offer this to you. I didn’t want to be a terrible host. I also have stew cooking on the stove. Or the cauldron or whatever it is that you want to call it. Rabbit stew. It’s pretty good. I grow all my own vegetables, of course, and I’ve even learned how to bake bread out of the wheat I’ve managed to grow around here. You’d be surprised what skills you can learn if you really need them.”
“Actually, that would be nice. I haven’t had
the chance to eat dinner, to tell you the truth.” I wasn’t actually hungry right at that moment, but I certainly wanted to be polite. I knew that the best way to bond with somebody was to literally break bread with that person. Especially if that person prepared a home-cooked meal, which is what Steven evidently had done.
“Good,” he said. “Let’s go into the dining room and I’ll give you a bowl of my rabbit stew. It’s not exactly dinner at The Ritz or whatever, but it works. And it’s pretty nutritious, too.” He chuckled. “Anna told me that organic vegetables are all the rage right now, so I guess that I’m pretty fashionable, really.”
I sat down at the table and Steven brought out a bowl of stew. “It’s pretty hot,” he said and then gave me a piece of bread. “Dunk this bread in the stew. That’s how I do it.”
He sat down as well, and took a sip of his whiskey.
I took a bite of the stew, and, I had to admit, it was delicious. It was pungent with fresh herbs, with just the right amount of salt and the rabbit was extremely tender. The stew was chock full of carrots, potatoes, green beans and peas, and the broth was rich and flavorful. I eagerly ate my bowl while I noticed that Steven was watching me carefully as he, too, ate his own bowl of stew.
“Do you like it?” he asked anxiously.
“Oh, my, yes. Yes, I do.”
He beamed proudly. “I hoped that you would. You have to understand that, in almost 50 years, I’ve had just two dinner guests here. You and Anna. I had forgotten how much I craved company. I had gotten used to being completely alone here, except for Stella.”
Stella came to him at the table and whined softly. Steven reached into his stew and, with his fingers, brought out a piece of meat and fed her. She eagerly ate the piece of meat and then begged for more.
“She’s so spoiled,” Steven said. “Stella. I found her out here in the woods, believe it or not. I don’t know how she managed to get this far in. By the time I found her, she was starving and mangy and on her last legs. I didn’t care. She was beautiful to me, because I needed somebody like her to keep me company. I was damned near ready to commit suicide when she arrived at my doorstep and saved me from myself.”
Harper Ross Legal Thrillers vol. 1-3 Page 76
