The Savage Son (A Nick Williams Mystery Book 6)

by Frank W. Butterfield

  "I walk slowly down the street and stay in the dark. I hear him muttering in Czech about his love and calling out the name of Zbigniew. I knew this man. He was the government official who lied to us about the farm."

  His skin was now deathly white. His face contorted as he grabbed his left arm. I said, "He's having a heart attack."

  I jumped up and ran to Prissy's station and told her what was going on. She called over the paging system for a doctor. And then she ran with me to where Mr. Kopek was.

  By then, he was stretched out on the ground. Carter was loosening his tie and using his own overcoat to lift the man's legs. A doctor ran around and quickly knelt down next to Mr. Kopek who was now gasping for breath.

  The doctor called out, "I need a hypo of epinephrine and get a stretcher."

  Prissy said, "Yes, doctor," and dashed off.

  By now, a crowd was gathering. Mike took charge and said, "Please stand back. Give the doctor some room." He herded the crowd away as they watched.

  The doctor leaned in and listened to Mr. Kopek's breathing. He put a couple of fingers on the man's neck and waited. I noticed his face was looking worried. He lifted his fingers and applied them again, listening.

  He pulled back and delivered a powerful blow to the center of the older man's chest with the side of his right hand. After repeating this, he checked Mr. Kopek's pulse. He gave two more blows. As he did so the fourth time, I heard a rib crack.

  Mr. Kopek's lip were blue by this point. The doctor was breathing hard but the older man wasn't breathing at all. As we watched, Prissy briskly walked over with a long hypodermic needle and handed it off to the doctor.

  As he looked at the needle, the doctor said to Carter, "Rip his shirt open." I was sure Carter had seen this before because he'd stayed on the floor to be close at hand but out of the doctor's way. He pulled at the shirt and ripped it open as buttons scattered over the linoleum floor.

  Using his finger, the doctor appeared to be counting Mr. Kopek's ribs. Once the doctor found the spot, he quickly pushed the needle into the man's chest at an angle and depressed the plunger. We all waited to see what would happen.

  After about thirty seconds, the doctor sighed. He ran his hand over Mr. Kopek's eyes to close them and then stood up. Carter did the same and walked over to where I was watching.

  Everyone in the waiting room stood there for a moment in shocked silence. Finally, Mike said, "Move on folks. Show's over."

  Two orderlies arrived just about then. They quickly lifted Mr. Kopek's body onto a gurney and wheeled it away.

  . . .

  We were a motley group: Mike, Carter, Sam, Lieutenant Rostenkowski and two of his officers. We sat on one side of the waiting room and quietly talked.

  I had briefed the lieutenant on what Mr. Kopek had said. As I talked, he was making notes. Once I finished, I asked, "Any loose ends, Lieutenant?" Right then, I remembered one. I added, "I have his gun. It's a Luger."

  The lieutenant motioned to one of his officers who walked over. Using my handkerchief, I carefully pulled out the Luger by the handle. The officer took it gingerly using the handkerchief. I also handed him the cartridge.

  Lieutenant Rostenkowski read through his notes. "So we know that Valek was the government official. We know that he and Mr. Z were, you know, that way. We still don't know if he was the one who did it. But, at least we can check his fingerprints, now."

  Right then, Dr. Lemuelson walked up to us. He was shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I wasn't able to save him. Whoever attacked him did severe damage to his internal organs. I'm surprised he lived as long as he did."

  Lieutenant Rostenkowski stood up and motioned to his officers. He identified himself to the doctor and said, "I brought one of my men to get your patient's fingerprints."

  The doctor sighed. "Fine. Come with me."

  . . .

  Sam, Mike, Carter, and I piled into the Buick. Carter drove while Mike and Sam sat in the back. As we headed north on Potrero, Carter put his hand on my thigh and squeezed. It felt good.

  Sam said, "I told Ike about his mother and me being friends in the old country tonight."

  I turned around and looked at him over the back of the seat. "How'd he take it?"

  Sam sighed. "At first, he wasn't happy about it. He thought that Anna and me, you know--"

  Carter asked, "But you never did, right?"

  Sam chuckled quietly. "Never with any woman."

  Carter said, "Me, neither."

  "Or me," I added.

  Mike said, "Or me. Perfect Kinsey six."

  Sam said, "Yeah, well, I told him that. Seemed to help." As I watched, he looked out at the passing buildings.

  "What?" I asked.

  Turning to me he said, "Well, then he figured out that I was the one who had explained to Anna about what Ike's been doing all this time."

  Carter briefly looked in the rear-view mirror and asked, "Did that get you in trouble?"

  "Yeah," was Sam's response.

  Mike said, "That must have been tough."

  Sam shrugged. "We were making up, if you get my meaning, when Nick called."

  I looked at him and said, "Sorry 'bout that, Sam."

  He looked back out the window and sighed.

  . . .

  We dropped Sam off at the Saint Francis. As he stood in front of the hotel, I rolled down my window and asked, "Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?"

  He shook his head. "I should tell her. I've known her longer than anyone. It's gonna break both their hearts but…" He bit his lip. "This is the right way."

  "How so?"

  "It's the old country. You wouldn't understand." With that, he turned and trudged up the steps to the door of the hotel and was gone.

  . . .

  We were in bed and my head was on Carter's big chest. The house was dark and quiet. I could hear rain on the roof.

  Carter asked, "You ready to go to Brazil?" He'd happily agreed to the trip on Tuesday night when I'd asked him about it. He'd said he thought it was an excellent idea. We had already packed up all the warm-weather clothes we'd collected in Ensenada and Georgia during the summer.

  I sighed. "Yep. Be nice to have some warm weather for a change. You?"

  Carter ran his big hand down my back. "Yeah. You know I've never been out of the country before." I knew that from when we'd gotten our passports back in '51. We'd talked about going to Paris but, somehow, it hadn't happened.

  "Other than Mexico," I said.

  "Right. And you've only been where the Navy took you, right?"

  "Yep."

  "Other than Mexico," he said.

  I reached up and kissed him, lingering for a moment. When I was done, I put my head back down on his chest, listening to his heart beating. After the events at the hospital, it was reassuring.

  "Are you ready for tomorrow?" he asked.

  "No. You?"

  "No."

  I said, "We don't have to go."

  Carter wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close. "Yes. We do."

  I sighed. "Yeah, we do."

  Chapter 16

  1198 Sacramento Street

  Friday, December 25, 1953

  12 noon on the nose

  Carter was holding the box of wine and I was holding a box of wrapped packages as we stood on the broad stone porch of my childhood home. I used one elbow to press the doorbell.

  We waited for about a minute before the huge door opened. A stout woman wearing a tweed coat and a checkered wool skirt, and sporting brown alligator shoes in a low heel stood in front of us.

  As we walked into the house, she said, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Williams."

  I replied, "Merry Christmas."

  She looked at Carter and smiled. "Mr. Jones."

  He smiled in return. I was surprised until I remembered that he'd been coming up here once a month since June.

  Turning to me, she said, "I'm Miss Carmichael, Dr. Williams' secretary. Won't you come in?"

  We followed
her inside. The house looked just like it did when I'd been there in May on the day my father killed a man in his office before the man could kill him.

  We walked past the closed door of my father's office and through to the first sitting room. I was surprised to see a massive fir tree standing there covered in blinking lights and festive ornaments. It wasn't the same as I remembered, but it looked right in its place. There was a nice fire burning in the large hearth. Around the tree sat a small mountain of wrapped gifts. I walked over to add ours to the stack as Miss Carmichael asked about drinks.

  Before I could answer, Carter said, "This is wine for Dr. Williams."

  She said, "Follow me into the kitchen, if you don't mind."

  I watched them walk away. I looked around and could feel the ghosts of my mother and my sister. I didn't know if my mother was dead or alive, but I could feel her presence in the room. And, just like the last time I'd been in the house, I could hear Janet laughing just like she'd done when she was two years old.

  "Hasn't changed much, has it?"

  My father had walked in from his office.

  I nodded. "How are you, Father?"

  "Not bad, Nicholas. I see you had quite an adventure last night."

  I nodded. "Was it in the papers?"

  "Yes. All four. Of course, the Examiner is having a field day. But that's Hearst all over." He dismissed the name with a wave of his hand.

  I stood there and looked at the old man. He was healthy. He was holding a pipe in his left hand. And he was happy. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen him like that, if ever.

  "Come into the office," he said. "There's something I'd like to show you."

  I followed him across the marble floor. As we turned to enter the door, I saw Mrs. Wilson and Marnie sitting in the corner by the fireplace. The unthinkable was happening, and it was a huge relief, much to my surprise.

  "Hi, Nick."

  I smiled and said, "Hi, doll. How are you?"

  With a big grin, she replied, "Swell."

  My eyes started to get wet. I looked at Mrs. Wilson and asked, "So, this is your new guy friend?"

  She smiled at me and stood up. Walking across the Persian rug that covered the entire floor and had been made specifically for the room, she reached out her gloved hands and said, "I hope I have your permission to marry your father."

  I smiled and said, "I think it's wonderful." I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

  My father walked over and I shook his hand. "Congratulations," I said.

  He smiled and put his hand on Mrs. Wilson's arm. "I want to thank you, Nicholas."

  "For what?"

  "For bringing this amazing woman into my life."

  "But, I didn't do anything."

  Marnie stood up and said, "Oh, Nick. You always say that, and you're always wrong." She walked over and slipped her arm under my father's. He smiled and patted her sweetly.

  "If you hadn't bought us that house on Collingwood, then we would never have met Miss Carmichael."

  "Oh?"

  "Sure. She lives down the block from us. Mother invited her over to the house while you were in Georgia. They got to talking and it turned out that Miss Carmichael was working for your father. One thing led to another and, even before I knew it, Mother and your father were starting to see each other."

  I looked at the three of them. I felt like I was in a dream, a wonderful dream, and that I was going to wake up any minute.

  Coming back to myself, I looked at my father. "So, when did you propose?"

  "About thirty minutes ago and I was never so happy to hear two little words as hers when she said, 'I will.'"

  I looked over at Mrs. Wilson and asked, "When's the wedding?"

  "We'll have a small wedding here in April, don't you think Parnell?"

  He looked at her with the most ridiculously happy face I'd ever seen and patted her arm. He said, "That's just fine, Leticia. Just fine."

  . . .

  Miss Carmichael left not long after we arrived. She was driving down to San Mateo to join some friends for the rest of the day. As she was leaving, I walked into the kitchen and said, "I hear you live in Eureka Valley on Collingwood."

  She smiled and nodded as she put on her overcoat and pulled on a pair of brown leather gloves.

  "I hope you'll come by someday soon for dinner."

  She said, "Oh, it would be a pleasure. This has been such a wonderful day, already. I'm so happy for your father and Leticia. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, Mr. Williams."

  I smiled and said, "Thank you. And the same to you, Miss Carmichael. And have a Happy New Year."

  She stopped and looked at me with a twinkle in her brown eyes. "You, too." And with that, she slipped out the back door and was gone.

  . . .

  All the wine glasses on the dining table were full of the French red wine that Carter had brought for my father. Everyone was chatting and munching on green onions, olives, and pickles. I couldn't stop looking around the table. Mrs. Wilson was beaming. Marnie was smiling like a schoolgirl. Carter and my father were exchanging banter like any two members at the Pacific Union Club across the street. I thought about my mother and Janet and took it all in.

  Zelda, the miraculous housekeeper who had been in this house through thick and thin since my mother had left, was eating with us as well. Mrs. Wilson had insisted this one time. She was seated next to me. As the kitchen maid brought out the soup, Zelda leaned over and said, "There's something I want to show you, later. Don't let me forget."

  I nodded and said, "I won't."

  . . .

  After lunch, we gathered in the sitting room in front of the tree and the fire. My father brought in a silver tray with five champagne coupe glasses. He was followed by the kitchen maid who brought in a bucket with two champagne bottles on ice. Once she was gone, my father pulled out a bottle and opened it. The pop echoed in the large room.

  He poured out equal amounts into the wide mouth of each coupe. I picked up mine and raised it.

  "A toast."

  Everyone took a glass and raised theirs.

  "To family." I looked around the room and into the eyes of each person. When I came to my father, I said, "To Dr. Parnell Williams and his bride-to-be."

  I looked at Marnie and said, "To the best sister any guy could ever have." She giggled.

  "To Carter Jones, my husband, who I've never loved as much as I do right now." My father didn't smile when I said that but he didn't scowl either.

  "To family!" Everyone chimed in and we drank.

  . . .

  I felt almost giddy when Mrs. Wilson announced that she was ready to open the presents. But then I remembered that we hadn't brought any for her or Marnie. I looked over at Carter, who winked at me and said, "Be right back."

  He got up and ran out the door. My father stood up and said, "I appoint myself Santa Claus." Marnie giggled and my father looked at her with a mock-astonished face which was so comical that we all burst out laughing.

  Just then Carter walked back in with another box. I could see this one had the missing gifts. I asked, "Where did you get those from?" As an aside, I said to Marnie, "Those are our gifts for you and your mother."

  He said, "I got up at 5 this morning and packed them in the trunk."

  Everyone stopped and looked at him. My father asked, "But, I thought no one other than Marnie and Leticia knew about this."

  Carter beamed with pride. "I've been learning quite a lot about being a private investigator from your son, Dr. Williams."

  I was surprised. "How did you figure it out?"

  Carter turned and looked at Marnie. As soon as he did, she turned pink. He pointed and said, "That."

  Marnie put her hands on her face which turned even pinker.

  Carter said, "Sorry, Marnie. It was on Sunday when I asked where your mother was."

  Mrs. Wilson said, "I've told her again and again that she has to learn how to have a poker face."

  I thought for a mo
ment. "But that wasn't when you knew for sure, was it?"

  My husband turned and looked at me. "You're right, Nick. It's what you said that brought it all together in my mind."

  I nodded. I knew exactly when it happened. It was in the car after we left Marnie and on the way to City of Paris.

  In unison, we both said, "Unthinkable."

  Everyone laughed.

  . . .

  Marnie squealed, "I love angora, Nick! And this light pink is just perfect!"

  I smiled and said, "Glad you like it, doll."

  Mrs. Wilson looked over at me and said, "You'll have to come up with a new term of endearment, Nicholas. 'Doll' isn't quite the right word for your sister."

  I felt my eyes get wet all of a sudden. Carter came to the rescue and said, "I think it's just right, Mrs. Wilson. Marnie is the sweetest gift anyone could ever get for Christmas. She really is a doll."

  I nodded as Mrs. Wilson stood up and walked over. She sat down next to me, took my hand, and said, "Of course, dear boy, of course."

  . . .

  "Parnell! That's the watch I was speaking to you about." That was Mrs. Wilson.

  My father had just opened my gift to him. He was quiet for a moment and looked at me. "The last gift you gave me was pipe tobacco, do you remember?"

  The truth was that I didn't. But, I nodded and smiled. "Hopefully, this will last longer."

  He smiled back at me and fumbled with the watch. I wasn't sure, but I thought his eyes were a little wet. Mrs. Wilson, who was sitting next to him on the big sofa, said, "Here, let me help you." She closed the clasp on the watch and said, "There. Now, isn't that handsome?"

  I watched him look at her and saw it immediately. It almost knocked me over. There was a lot of love and affection between them.

  I stood up and walked over to where they were sitting. It did look exactly right for him. My father offered his hand and I shook it. "Merry Christmas, Father."

  He smiled and said, "Now, where's my gift for you?"

  Marnie said, "I have it right here, Dr. Williams." She stood up and walked over with a small box. Carter joined us.

  She handed it to me and I tore off the wrapping paper. I noticed the blue satin box was from Shreve and Company and was similar to the one that held the watch. Mrs. Wilson noticed it, too, and said, "Great minds." We all laughed.