A River Through Two Harbors

by Dennis Herschbach

  Kimi was sitting in a wheelchair near the window, and from her vantage point, she had a view of the Duluth/Superior harbor. She didn’t turn to look at them.

  Bill moved in front of her. Still, she didn’t move a muscle but sat staring straight ahead.

  “I have someone to see you,” he said in his steady voice and rotated the chair so she was facing Deidre.

  “Hello, Kimi,” Deidre said as tears welled up in her eyes. “Do you remember me?”

  All Deidre could see was the image of Kimi lying in a catatonic state, her eyes blank and urine spilling onto the snow when she had totally given up.

  Kimi stirred, and then Deidre spotted what she would describe as instant recognition. The girl grabbed her arm and clutched it to her chest, nearly cutting off the circulation to Deidre’s hand. Then Kimi placed her face against the arm she was squeezing and began to sob.

  “Anna, Anna,” she said over and over. Deidre looked into her eyes and could see a plea, the first expression Kimi had shown since she was rescued.

  “Do you know Anna? Was she your friend?”

  All Kimi could do was repeat, “Anna.”

  Deidre knelt down beside her and placed her arms around Kimi. For a time they stayed that way, Deidre cradling the child, Kimi resting her head on Deidre’s shoulder. She reached up and swept the girl’s long, black hair off her face. She’s beautiful, she thought.

  “Kimi, I have to leave now.” She saw instant panic shroud Kimi’s eyes. “But I’ll be back whenever I can to see you. We can talk. Okay? But Doctor Selenka, you know him, will see you every day. He’s a good man and won’t hurt you. You can trust him.”

  Deidre had to pry Kimi’s hands from her arm. She stooped and kissed the girl on her forehead. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

  The doctor and she stepped into the hall. “I can’t believe what I just witnessed,” he said. “I thought you might be one of the keys, but I didn’t think you’d be the key. I hope we can move on from here. But who is this Anna she kept asking for? Do you have any idea?”

  “Unfortunately, I do,” Deidre said, and then she related the story of the murdered girl she had found.

  Bill took her hand. “Thank you for all you’ve done today. I just hope we can keep making progress now. You’ll continue to see her, won’t you? And if the time comes when I think it would be beneficial for the three of us to be together, may I call you?”

  Deidre assured him that would be all right. The doctor gave her a ride back to the Medical Arts Building and she drove away in her own car. She was headed to Ben’s, and all she wanted was to hold the twins close.

  Megan and Maren were playing outside in the snow when she pulled into the driveway. Dropping everything, they rushed pell-mell to greet her. Deidre dropped down on her knees, and wrapped her arms around them. She could feel the coolness of their cheeks when she kissed them. Then, laughing, she wrestled them into a snow bank, pretending to let them pin her down.

  “Okay, okay. You got me,” she complained in mock fear. Deidre looked up and saw the sitter watching them out of the window, a broad grin on her face. She waved and Deidre waved back.

  “Come with me girls. Let’s go inside and have hot chocolate. Are there any cookies left from Thanksgiving?”

  “No, Daddy ate them all. But we can still have cocoa. Sometimes, we have it with cinnamon toast. Do you know how to make cinnamon toast, Deidre?”

  By that time, they were in the vestibule of the house, stomping off the loose snow and stripping off their outerwear.

  The sitter said, “You girls sure love Deidre, don’t you? And I can tell she loves you right back.”

  Deidre hugged them. “You two are so precious.” She turned to the sitter. “Is it okay that I’m here before Ben? I know it cuts into your hours.”

  The sitter assured her that it was no problem, and prepared to leave. “They need someone like you in their lives. You’re more important to them than you know. Your name must come up a hundred times a day.”

  With that she left the three alone. They had hot chocolate and toast with cinnamon, sang some songs together, played dollies, and cooked a simple supper.

  “Daddy’s home!” they called out in unison when they heard the door open. “Deidre’s here! Come see what she made for supper. Doesn’t it look good, Daddy?” Maren asked in her excited little girl voice.

  “Umm,” he responded. “I can hardly wait.

  Deidre stood back, strangely feeling she should rush up and give him a hug—or something. Instead, she waved a half wave and said, “Good to see you so soon again. Hope you don’t mind that I’ve shown up.” She smiled an awkward grin.

  “Mind? What’s to mind? You’re always welcome here. You know that. Isn’t she girls?”

  His invitation received a rousing, “Yes!”

  After supper, the four of them played a game of Old Maid and then got the girls ready for bed.

  “I have to leave now kids. Got a busy day tomorrow, but I’ll see you soon. Okay?”

  They grumbled and clung to her arms. Too much, they reminded her of Kimi and the way she had not wanted to let go.

  “Hey, let Deidre go now,” Ben said. “She has a job to do, just like I do, and she needs her rest.

  “Tell you what, maybe if you ask really nice, she’d come back this weekend and help us decorate the Christmas tree. How would you like that?”

  Maren looked at her through serious eyes. “Would you do that, Deidre?”

  Deidre’s heart melted. “Oh, that would be lovely. What time would you like me to come?”

  “How about Friday night?” Ben interjected. She looked at him, and he had a crooked grin on his face.

  “Friday night it is.”

  Chapter 19

  Deidre was almost to the east end of Duluth when her cell phone rang. She pulled over to the side of the road and reached for it in her coat pocket, but it wasn’t there. She tried another pocket with the same result.

  I hate all these clothes we have to wear in winter. Never can find anything when you need it, she thought. She located the phone in an inner pocket and pulled it out, along with a slip of paper. Disregard­ing the paper, she saw a message waiting light blinking on the phone. After listening to it for a few seconds, she cut it off.

  “Telemarketer,” she muttered to herself.

  Suddenly, she remembered what the scrap of paper was about, turned on the reading light above the dash, and unwrinkled the note. Written on it was a name, Gerald Colter, and a phone number. Although it was getting late, she decided to call.

  The phone rang several times before it was answered. “Hello,” she heard a tentative voice on the other end. “This is Gerald speaking.”

  “Hi, this is Deidre Johnson returning your call. I know it is rather late. I can call back tomorrow, if you wish.”

  “No! No, this is all right. I was afraid you wouldn’t want to talk to me. After all, the last time you saw me, I wasn’t exactly Mr. Charming. I apologize for the way I acted.”

  “Well, thank you for taking the time to tell me that, Gerald. It’s nice of you.” She wondered why, after so much time, he would want to unburden himself.

  “But that isn’t why I called,” Gerald continued. His voice sounded choked up. “I’m a student at St. John’s University near St. Cloud.”

  “Yes, I know where that is,” Deidre interrupted, thinking he wanted to let her know that his life wasn’t a waste after all.

  “I subscribe to the local newspaper and read about the girl who was murdered in Silver Bay. As I read the article, I discovered that you were working on the case. I need to speak with you immediately about it. I have information that’s imperative you access. Will you meet me so I can show you what I’ve got in my possession?”

  Deidre was dumbfounded. Finally she came to h
er senses. “Why, certainly, but where are you?”

  “I’m in Collegeville, where the university is located. I don’t want anyone to see me talking with you or knowing that I’ve contacted you. It’s asking a lot, but would you drive down here to see me. It’s only a three-hour drive from Duluth, at least half of it’s on freeway. That way chances are no one will see us. I know this is strange, but I have to get this into your hands as soon as possible.”

  Deidre hardly knew how to respond. “Well, sure, if it’s as important as you say. But I’m terribly busy on the case and don’t have time to waste.”

  “Believe me, this won’t be a waste of your time. When can you be here?”

  Deidre did some rough calculations in her head. “Probably ten o’clock tomorrow morning at the earliest. Where can I find you?”

  “I’ll be waiting on the steps of the Abbey church. We’ll be able to find a place we can meet privately without interruption. Believe me, what I have is so important that I must get it to you.”

  After the phone call, and while she was driving home, Deidre had the strange feeling she was somehow being set up. But Gerald’s voice carried with it such a sense of urgency, she decided he couldn’t be faking it.

  After letting Inga know she was home, Deidre took Pete for a long walk. The temperature had moderated, and the thermometer registered closer to the seasonal average, twenty degrees above zero.

  Pete ran ahead of her, checking out every new smell and marking every light post. She wondered where all that marking material came from. He never seemed to run dry.

  Deidre thought she would be able to sleep after a three mile walk in the fresh air, but she was wrong. The last time she looked at the red numbers of her digital clock it was well after midnight.

  When the alarm sounded, she was sure she had just fallen asleep. She reached for the snooze button, and then bolted upright, remem­bering she had to be at St. John’s University in three hours.

  After a quick cup of coffee and a piece of peanut butter toast, she was on her way out of town. A little after seven she called Jill at the office.

  “Jill, I’ve got something important going on. While I’m gone, I want you to search for any business that has the initials RRR. Begin with Lake County and expand your search. If you run across any that seem to be fronts or not totally legit, flag them. I’m not too sure what you’d be looking for. I guess use your intuition. Anyway, pay attention to any that might be associated with our case.” She smiled when Jill responded in her usual irreverent manner. “Thanks, Jill. See you tomorrow.”

  Deidre made a mandatory stop at Tobie’s Bakery and bought a caramel roll and a cup of coffee to go.

  She turned west on Minnesota Highway 23, a twisting two laner that made for an exasperating trip, especially because the driver in front was in no hurry to get where he was going. Deidre wanted to push the gas pedal to the floor, but had to follow the string of cars in front of her.

  At exactly ten o’clock, she stopped in front of the steps of the church at St. John’s Abbey. Gerald saw her and waved as though she were his long-lost friend. He slid into the passenger seat of her SUV.

  “I’m grateful you came to see me. I’ve struggled over this thing for three days, and I’ve concluded we have to talk. I’ve reserved a small conference room nearby. Keep going around this loop,” he instructed. “Go back down the hill three blocks and turn right. You’ll find a parking lot.”

  Deidre looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was preparing to follow them. She still couldn’t believe that Gerald was legit, but she drove to where he said, and they entered a building, going down a flight of stairs to the lower level. Part way down a hall, he stopped at a door and motioned for her to enter.

  The room was small, containing a rectangular table and six chairs arranged two on each side and one on each end. Deidre sat on one of the side chairs. Gerald chose an end seat near her.

  From his pack, he produced a laptop computer and took a flash drive from his pocket. As the machine booted up, Gerald started to apologize again.

  “I know I was a real jerk the last time we met. I also know what I was doing was wrong, knew it then, too. But people change and that was a long time ago. Well, long for me.”

  Deidre interrupted. “Look, this was a long way for me to drive to hear your apology and confession. While I appreciate your efforts, you didn’t need to say that to me face to face. I took what you said over the phone to heart, and, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re remorseful, and I’m happy for you that your life seems to have direction. Why all the secrecy for that?”

  Gerald’s face clouded. “That’s not why I called you. Please let me explain how I arrived at this place in my life. My dad insisted I follow in his footsteps and study law. He has a way of imposing his will on everyone around him.”

  Deidre nodded in agreement, and Gerald continued. “At first, I was resentful and was only going through the motions at the university. In my second semester, I was mandated to take an ethics class taught by one of the brothers. I was intrigued from day one. Never in my life had I been forced to look at the consequences of the actions of others, let alone the consequences of my own actions. I was so taken by that man’s teaching that I took another of his offerings. And so here I am, a senior who’s become committed to trying to make a difference in the world. I look at my father and how he takes from everyone and gives so little in return. The problem is, I see all his potential for doing good swallowed by his greed and power grabbing. Believe it or not, I want to study law, not to take, but to give. It’s obvious to me that money buys privilege. I want to level the playing field. I may not become a bulldozer, but I can do what I can. That’s why I called you.”

  Deidre was baffled. It was as though Gerald had something to say, but he had to first justify why he was doing it. She was totally unprepared for what came next.

  “I was home for Thanksgiving weekend and wanted to check my e-mail messages. Dad had been working in his study but said he needed to get some fresh air. In reality, I think he wanted to get out of the house when Mom and me were both home. He always seems uncomfortable around the two of us, as if he is afraid we might gang up on him and tell him to stuff his autocratic ways. Anyway, I was going to use his computer, but, when I hit the space bar to bring it to life, a file was open and on the screen.” He stopped and swallowed hard. Deidre waited for him to speak when he could.

  “This is what I found.” He turned the screen so she could see.

  Ship

  Flag Date

  In Date

  Out Order

  Espiranto, Liberian

  November 10

  November 12

  3

  Star of India, Liberian

  November 20

  November 21

  1

  Moscvia, Liberian

  November 26

  November 29

  3

  Vestavias, Liberian

  December 1

  December 4

  4

  Ishat, Liberian

  December 10

  December 11

  2

  Aegean Sea, Liberian

  January 3

  January 5

  3

  Soo Locks close Shipping season ove
r Saturday, January 11

  Deidre studied the list, but it meant little to her. “Do you understand what this is about?” she asked Gerald.

  “At first, it meant nothing. Dad was never interested in boat traffic, not even at the docks in Two Harbors. I found this strange. I know it was wrong of me, but I started to snoop around his files. He hadn’t logged off, so I didn’t need his password to open any of them.” Gerald closed that file and opened another. “I found this.”

  Again he turned the computer screen toward Deidre. The file was labeled “Expenses.” It was a spreadsheet, and the columns were headed by men’s names, three of which stood out to Deidre as though they were neon signs: Billy Evers, Anthony DeMarcus, and Jason Leder. Down the left side of the spreadsheet were consecutive dates spanning four years.

  She followed the judge’s column down to the first entry, April 7 of four years previous, about the time the judge’s courtroom management began to change. In the corresponding cell was the sum, $5,000. She traced her way back up the column, noting that the monetary amounts became more numerous and more generous.

  She noted the same pattern for the other two, except that Billy Evers’s payments ended the month before he was sentenced and sent to prison. Deidre was certain this record was meaningful, but she still couldn’t connect the dots.

  Gerald opened another file, this one marked “Shipments.” Again the spreadsheet went back some four years. Deidre noticed that during the dead of winter—January, February, and March—no entries were made. They started again in April.

  Each column was headed by what appeared to be the name of a ship, and Deidre read across. She realized in an instant that some of the ship names she had seen in the first file appeared in the headings.

  Down the left side were dates, the same as she had seen in the previous file. This time the entries in the corresponding cells were much larger, ranging from $15,000 to $60,000.