Deadly Distractions, A Stan Turner Mystery Vol 6

by William Manchee

CHAPTER 42

  DEFECTION

  Sitting around in my condo when there was so much work to do on Dusty's case was driving me crazy. I wanted so badly to go to the office and help Stan. The deal with the D.A. was clear, however, I couldn't set foot in the office. It was so unfair—for me, for Stan, and for Dusty Thomas. I was busy feeling sorry for myself when the noon news came on. The lead story was about the CDA's march on Washington.

  "Earlier today thousands of protestors from the Citizens Defense Alliance marched on Washington to voice their protest over the federal income tax. After numerous speeches denouncing the Internal Revenue Service and Congress for enforcing what they say is an illegal tax, tens of thousands Americans burned their Form 1040s. It was a site reminiscent of draft dodgers in the 60s.

  "Although the crowd wasn't as large as CDA President Raymond Farr had predicted, it was a significant show of strength for this previously obscure organization. Experts credit the Dusty Thomas trial in Dallas, Texas for the growing strength of the tax protest movement. The trial is set to start next week in Dallas and the stakes are high for both Dusty Thomas and the government. A loss for the government would strike fear into the hearts of many IRS revenue officers and encourage tax protestors.

  "Although the CDA has financed the Dusty Thomas trial, attorney Stan Turner denies any connection to or sympathy with the CDA. Turner, however, has not convinced the government of his independence from the CDA and consequently he and his partner, Paula Waters, have been under investigation for some time.

  "In fact, recently Stan Turner's military record has been under scrutiny. In 1970, Stan Turner faced a court martial when his drill sergeant was found murdered. He was later cleared of the charge, but later implicated in a drug-related incident that resulted in the suicide of his alleged girlfriend, Rita Andrews.

  "Speculation is that Stan Turner may have developed anti-government sentiments during these difficult times in the Marine Corps. Turner, of course, denies any anti-government sentiments and says he supports the federal income tax.

  "Security was high in Washington today as the CDA has a history of violence and advocates the overthrow of the federal government. Fortunately, there hasn't been any violence so far today."

  The news story infuriated me. I couldn't believe the press was out there digging up dirt on Stan. I felt so bad. It was all my fault for involving the CDA. I had to do something, so I put in a call to Stan.

  "Did you see the news?" I asked.

  "No. I've been pretty busy," Stan replied.

  "They're digging up your military history."

  "What?"

  "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

  "Oh, God. I never thought that would come up again."

  I told Stan about the news report. He was very upset as he knew it would devastate Rebekah to have that chapter of their life rehashed.

  "Let me help you. I can't stand just sitting around. Isn't there something I can do?"

  "I'd love your help, but if you violate the terms of your bail, they could revoke it."

  "I'll take the chance."

  "Well, there are a few loose ends you can follow up as long as you do it by telephone. Don't leave the condo! Use a fictitious name. I don't want to have to visit you in jail."

  "Okay, no problem. What do you have for me?"

  "Don Harris had a business partner in a venture that went sour. Find out all you can about it and see if his partner will talk. His name is Ronald Green. The business was called Integrated Graphics.”

  "Okay, what else?"

  "I wonder what kind of a relationship Don Harris' has with his wife?"

  "I don't know. I guess it depends on whether or not she knows about Jill."

  "My guess is she does and there may be other girlfriends. If you could somehow talk to her that would be great. She may be trapped like Jill and looking for help extricating herself from the relationship."

  "How do you think I should approach her?"

  "I don't know. You'll think of something."

  "Thanks, Stan. I'm so sorry about the CDA. You were right. It was a big mistake getting them involved. I was so stupid—"

  "It's water under the bridge. Don't worry about it. Just get to work. I feel like we are on the verge of a breakthrough."

  "Really? I hope you're right."

  Stan's optimistic demeanor picked me up. I immediately got to work on Integrated Graphics. I looked in the telephone book, but there were too many Ronald Greens. It would take hours to find the right one, assuming he even lived in the Metroplex. It had only been a little over a year since the breakup of the partnership so I took the direct approach. I called Don Harris' office.

  "Is Ronald there?"

  "Ronald?"

  "Ronald Green? Doesn't he work there?"

  "No, he is no longer employed here."

  "Oh, do you know where I can find him?"

  "No, but I have a forwarding address I can give you."

  "Wonderful. What is it?"

  She gave me the address and I thanked her. The address was in Irving, so I called information to see if I could get a telephone number. Unfortunately, the number was unlisted. I took a deep breath and called Jodie. At the office we had a criss-cross directory. If I had an address, I could find out the telephone number at that address. Of course, if the number was unlisted, it wouldn't show up on the cris-cross directory but I could get the telephone number for addresses nearby. Jodie gave me the name and address of all of Green's neighbors. After two phone calls, I got lucky and found someone who knew him. I told her I was a reporter and wanted to interview him. She promised to go next door and leave a message. I hoped Green would be curious enough to call me back.

  While I was waiting, I called a friend at the district clerks office and had her look up the lawsuit. It was a petition to dissolve the partnership filed by Ronald Green. He alleged Don Harris had breached the partnership agreement by failing to devote his full attention to the partnership business. Green asked the court to dissolve the partnership, liquidate the assets, and distribute them to the partners. Of course, he wanted most of the assets himself to compensate himself for Harris's alleged breach of the partnership agreement.

  The case never went to trial and it was eventually settled and dismissed with prejudice. The file didn't disclose the terms of the settlement. The lawsuit didn't surprise me. Don Harris' graphics business was obviously just a front for something. I hoped Green could shed some light on what that was. In the meantime I started thinking about how to approach Harris' wife, Charlotte. If I called Don's house, I had to be sure he wasn't there. I called Paul Thayer, who was running a 24-hour surveillance on Don, and asked him to call me when Charlotte was alone. Later that afternoon he called and advised me that Don had left home and Charlotte was by herself. I dialed her number and she answered on the second ring.

  "Hi. Mrs. Harris? I'm a friend of Jill Murray."

  She didn't respond so I continued. "I think you know Jill. Most wives know when their husband is cheating on them."

  "Who are you?"

  "Like I said. I'm a friend of Jill's. She's in hiding. Don tried to have her killed. You may be in danger too."

  "How could I be in danger?"

  "Don's world is about to come crashing down on him. You probably know too much and he may have to get rid of you."

  "They can't make a wife testify against her husband."

  "Right, but the key word is make. If you wanted to testify, you could."

  "This is crazy. Who are you?"

  "Okay, I'll come clean with you. I'm working on the Dusty Thomas case. Stan Turner believes your husband actually killed Bobby Tuttle."

  There was a moment of silence. "What do you want from me?"

  "If you'll help us prove our case, we'll make sure you don't go down with your husband."

  "You don't know my husband. I'll end up dead if I help you."

  "We can provide protection."

  "Right. Like you did for Jill?"

 
"So you do know about Jill."

  "Yes, I know my husband isn't a faithful man. I took him away from his first wife. I was naive to think that he would be faithful to me."

  "Will you help us put him behind bars? You know that's where he belongs."

  "How? If Don finds out I've even talked to you, he'll kill me."

  "Leave the house right now and I'll put you up in a hotel and provide 24-hour security."

  "Right now?"

  "Yes, do it while you can. Now that you've talked to me, Don will notice something is wrong. You have to leave immediately."

  "But where should I go?"

  I told Charlotte to go to the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas and wait in the lobby where there were lots of people. Then I called Paul Thayer and arranged for security. He promised to have someone there before she arrived. When I hung up with Paul, I called Stan to tell him the good news. He was ecstatic.

  "What did she tell you?"

  "Not much. You'll need to go down to the Fairmont and talk to her. She just agreed to help. I don't know what she knows, if anything."

  "That is fabulous, Paula. Thank you. I'm going to head down to the Fairmont right away."

  After hanging up with Stan I fixed something for lunch and waited for Ron Green to call me back. I was feeling pretty good about recruiting Charlotte as a witness until I got a phone call from Don Harris.

  "Where is my wife? Where did you take her?"

  "I didn't take her anywhere. She left of her own free will and volition and I don't blame her from what I've heard about you."

  "You and your partner are treading on thin ice. I'd be very careful if I were you."

  I swallowed hard. "It's too late. We know you killed Bobby Tuttle and now with the help of Jill and your wife we can prove it."

  "Neither one of them know shit. You've got nothing. Now, where is my wife?"

  "I'm not telling you. I know what you'll do to her."

  Hearing from Harris shook me up. I wondered if he would send someone over to kill me. I called Bart and told him what had happened. He said to lock the doors and windows and not to open the door to anyone. After hanging up I did what he said and then waited anxiously. Around two o'clock the telephone rang. I answered it. It was Ron Green.

  "Thank you for calling, Mr. Green. My name is . . . ah . . . Donna Wade," Paula said. "I'm a reporter and we are investigating Don Harris. I understand you two used to be partners?"

  "Yes, we were. Why are you investigating him?"

  "His name has popped up a few times in the Dusty Thomas murder case and we're trying to find out as much about him as we can."

  "We were partners in a graphic arts business. I know he had several other businesses but I'm not really familiar with them."

  "Was S & T Packing one of them?"

  "Yes, it was."

  "Any idea what kind of business that was?"

  "Is this off the record? I don't really want to get involved."

  "Sure, I'm just looking for information. I'll keep your identity confidential."

  "I can't prove this, but I suspect S & T Packing exported more guns than grapefruit."

  "Guns?"

  "Harris is a military man—a weapons expert. I heard him all the time on the telephone talking about selling guns and military equipment. I think he used S & T Packing as a cover for that purpose. In fact, he was spending so much time doing this that he was neglecting the partnership. I finally got fed up and told him I wanted to split up the partnership. He wouldn't agree to it, so I finally had to file suit. Eventually he gave in and we settled the suit and split up the partnership."

  If it was true that Don Harris was selling guns and military equipment, that would give him an even greater motive for killing Bobby Tuttle. It wasn't the People's Mission that Don was worried about. It was his illegal gun running operation. If Bobby Tuttle kept digging into his affairs, he would have most likely uncovered Don Harris' real secret.

  As I was digesting this new information, the doorbell rang. I looked over at the door and wondered who it could be. Had Don Harris come to visit me or take me out? I hoped it was Bart but it didn't seem like it had been long enough for him to make it over to my place. I held my breath as I inched toward the door and peeked through the peephole.