The Iniquitous Investigator (A Nick Williams Mystery Book 8)

by Frank W. Butterfield

  We'd dropped off Aunt Velma and Mrs. Jones at the airplane near the private terminal. Normally, Captain Morris didn't like to fly at night but he'd said this was too important. I'd agreed and expressed my deep gratitude when we arrived.

  As we said goodbye inside the plane, Mrs. Jones had hugged Carter for a long time before letting him go. While we drove home, I told Carter what she'd said to me about reading the story in the newspaper. He'd been quiet ever since.

  The frenetic energy of the previous twenty-four hours was gone. I listened to his heart beat and felt the rise and fall of his chest. After a long while, Carter opened his arm and made a movement to sit up. I pulled away, sat up myself, and watched as he stood and walked into the bathroom. After relieving himself, he walked back into the bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed with his hand on the post for a long while. I watched him, wondering what he was thinking, but not wanting to interrupt.

  Finally, he got back in bed. He slid down on his left side and motioned for me to lay next to him. I did that and he began to run his hand through my hair. Very gently, he kissed me on the lips. There was nothing urgent or intense about the kiss. It was a simple thing, full of tenderness and love. I kissed him back and, before I knew it, we were in a tight embrace and laying right against each other.

  He began to make an odd sound and I realized he was crying. I pulled him even tighter, with my arms around his neck, and found that I was doing the same thing. Through the tears, he kissed me all over my face, holding it with his hands. The longer we faced each other like this, in the dim light of the park lights, the more the tears flowed.

  The night after our house had burned down a few weeks earlier, I'd had a similar experience. But I'd been all alone. At that moment, I was embraced with my husband and we were finally together. And, beneath all the tears and the emotion, there was a freedom and a love that was astonishing in its depth and its breadth.

  Chapter 4

  1198 Sacramento Street

  Wednesday, July 7, 1954

  Just past dawn

  Morning light was filtering in through the windows when the phone started ringing. It was on Carter's side of the bed, near the bathroom. After about three rings, he picked it up, cleared his throat, and said, "Hello?"

  About a week earlier, Pacific Telephone had installed some new extensions in the house. One of those was in our bedroom. There was also one in the office and a third in the kitchen.

  There was a long pause. Carter let out a sigh. "How is she?" he asked.

  Another pause. "Thanks, John." I was guessing this was Carter's cousin who lived in Albany. John's mother was the third Carter sister, Maria, who died during the war. He was a police officer for the City of Albany. And in the life. "I'll give you a holler once I know what we're doin'." He waited another moment. "Love you, too." With that, he put down the phone and asked, "You awake, son?"

  "Yeah. He didn't make it?"

  "No. But he held on long enough for Velma to be there."

  We laid next to each other for a long while. Finally, I said, "Hand me the phone. I'm gonna call Kenneth."

  Carter pulled the phone across the bed and put it next to me. While I called Kenneth at home, Carter got up and walked into the bathroom.

  "Hello?" That was Kenneth. He sounded sleepy.

  "Hi, it's Nick. Sorry to call you so early."

  "That's fine. What's up?"

  "Carter's Uncle Leroy in Albany just died of a heart attack."

  "I'm sorry to hear that, Nick. Please give Carter my condolences."

  "I will. Can you call the Dougherty County D.A. and let him know we'll be coming into town?" When we'd been there the previous August, I'd been busted for practicing without a license. The D.A. had dropped the charges provided I gave notice before entering the state again.

  "I can. And I'll call the Marin County D.A., as well. He's going to have to approve you leaving the area. That's a condition of your bail. And that applies to both of you."

  "Right."

  "I'll call Georgia first, since they're up and at work. But I might not know anything from Marin until noon or so. If you were thinking of flying out there today, you'll have to wait."

  "Call me as soon as you know."

  "Will do. And tell Carter how sorry I am."

  "Yeah." I put the receiver back on the cradle. I got up, walked around the bed, and put the phone back on the table. I could hear the water running in the shower. I stopped to relieve myself and then got into the big claw foot bathtub with my husband.

  . . .

  We each left the house in our own car. Carter was going to pick up Carlo Martinelli, one of his arson investigators. They had a meeting with the new fire chief down in Atherton. I drove down to the office, which was barely far enough for the engine to warm up along the way.

  When I walked in, Marnie was at her desk and on the phone. She said, "He just walked in. I'll check and call you back."

  I walked into my office, put my hat on the rack, and then asked, "Was that your mother?"

  "Yeah. I'm sorry about Carter's Uncle Leroy. And Velma. It was so quick."

  I walked back over to her desk. "Yeah." I sighed. "What'd you wanna ask me?"

  "Mother wanted to know if you and Carter were flying out and if they could go with you."

  I sighed. "That's a good question. The terms of our bail don't allow us to leave the area. Plus, I have to get permission to enter the state of Georgia."

  "Why's that?"

  I explained and she smiled wanly. "Yeah. That makes sense."

  I turned to Robert, who was reading the Chronicle while sipping his coffee. "Is the DC-7 here?"

  "No. But I bet you could use that Convair I went to look at yesterday. It comes with a crew. I was gonna ask you about buying it this morning."

  "What do you suggest?" I asked.

  "I'd say yes. Captain Morris suggested a friend, Captain Harris, look it over with me. He pulled in a mechanic who works on the Convair 240 for American Airlines. They went over the ship and all the logs. They both gave a thumbs up."

  "Did you pay them for their time?"

  "Sure. The usual. Two hundred each."

  "Good boy." I looked at Robert and smiled.

  "What?" he asked with a grin.

  "You're really getting this airplane thing down, aren't you?"

  "I guess."

  "What are the terms?"

  "They prefer cash. Ninety-five thousand firm."

  I nodded. "That's fine. Set it up. And see if they'll let us lease it today or tomorrow with the crew. Even if Carter and I can't go, at least my father and Lettie can use it."

  I looked over at Marnie. "Do you wanna go?"

  She nodded and said, "I think Robert can handle things for a couple of days."

  "Yeah. And there's someone who can backstop him. This is an idea I've had for a while. I'll talk to Mike about it."

  . . .

  A few minutes later, Mike was sitting across from me. We were in Carter's office so we could have some privacy. I had explained about Uncle Leroy and that Marnie would be gone for a few days.

  "So, I want you to put Ben White on backup for Robert." Ben was a former cop who had worked in the Central District Station. He was also Carlo Martinelli's lover. They were both the same age, right around 30, a couple of years younger than me. "And I want Robert to train him how to be a receptionist and secretary."

  Mike tilted his head. "You want to do what?"

  I nodded. "You heard me."

  "But Marnie is the secretary."

  "I know. And isn't Ben still complainin' about how she gets paid more then him?"

  Mike scratched his head. "Sure. But he's a baby. We all know that."

  I nodded. "Yeah. And it's time he understood why Marnie gets paid more. She works harder than anyone else. I really don't pay her enough but when I've tried to give her a raise, she always refuses. I think she's afraid of making more dough than Alex." He was the guy she'd been going with since before Christmas. I ha
dn't heard for sure, but Carter was convinced they'd be getting married before too much longer.

  Mike rolled his eyes. "Well, if you want to do that, it's fine with me. They just got back from another trip to Beverly Hills. I'm beginning to wonder if they might move down there."

  I nodded. "Ben has always had one foot in and one foot out, if you know what I mean."

  "Sure. He's always been like that. That's why he shoehorned his way into doing T.V. and movie liaison work for the police department. I think he was really counting on being the consultant for The Lineup." That was a T.V. show that had started on radio but was making the move and would be airing in the fall. They had been shooting all over the City and, word was, the S.F.P.D. was supplying the stories and getting script approval.

  "I just want him to get a taste of what Marnie is doing."

  "What if he balks?" asked Mike.

  I sat there for a moment. "Handle it however you want. I want him to do this. If he doesn't, then that's up to you."

  Mike sighed. "We've haven't had to fire anyone, so far."

  "Yeah. And I'd prefer not to. Let's just do one thing at a time."

  Mike nodded.

  . . .

  When I walked back into my office, Marnie said, "That Kenneth Wilcox wants to talk to you."

  I nodded and sat down behind my desk. "Can you get him on the line?"

  "Sure thing, Nick."

  "Thanks, doll."

  I looked at the stack of letters that Marnie had put on my blotter. As I was half-way through the first one, Marnie said, "I got him."

  I picked up the receiver on my desk and said, "What'd they say?"

  "Dougherty County says fine by them. They just want you to stop by the sheriff's office as soon as you get there. But that's a moot point, as far as you're concerned."

  "Why?"

  "Marin D.A. said a flat-out no to you leaving. Since Carter is family, they'll let him go but he has to be back by Monday morning for the preliminary hearing."

  I sighed. "I figured as much."

  "What are you going to do?"

  "Stick around here. And send Carter to Albany." I could feel a lump forming in my throat.

  "Sorry, Nick."

  "What time is the hearing?"

  "It's set for next Monday at 10 a.m. in San Rafael."

  "What do you think is gonna happen?"

  "Honestly, I don't know what to think. Before I called over there this morning, I was still expecting to hear that the case had been dropped. I can't figure out what Bill Weissech, the Marin County D.A., is playing at."

  "Was he the one at the arraignment?"

  "No, that was his deputy, Roger Garety."

  "Garety? I remember the name for some reason."

  "He was a deputy D.A. in San Francisco from 1949 to 1951. He's probably only a couple of years older than you. Real ambitious. Has his eye on higher office, that's for sure."

  "That's where I know the name. What happened when you called?"

  "Garety handed me off to Bill Weissech. He's very calm and doesn't ruffle easily. I've seen him in action a couple of times although my cases usually get handled by Garety. Weissech was adamant about you not leaving. When I asked him if he was going to toss the case on lack of evidence, he told me flatly that he was proceeding. He's hard to read."

  "Does this have anything to do with the Examiner?"

  "It has everything to do with them and the garbage they've been publishing these last couple of weeks. Do you know how busy I've been since then? The cops did a sweep weekend before last. We picked up ten new clients. Then the Shore Patrol got involved and busted several bars in the Tenderloin, including the Crystal Bowl and the 1228 Club."

  "You get any clients from that?"

  "No. They only grabbed servicemen. But they scare the hell out of everyone else. It's getting rough out there."

  "Carter says he thinks Sergeant O'Connor knew who we were."

  "I agree." He paused and was quiet for a moment. "The more I think about it, the more I think that's the only reason O'Connor arrested you two and that's also why Weissech wants to go through with it. Since it's a preliminary hearing, neither you nor Carter will take the stand. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure it ends there so you don't have to testify. Once he has you under oath, I'm really afraid of what Weissech will try to do."

  . . .

  Carter called in a little before noon to let Marnie know they were on their way back. They arrived at the office about half past noon. I'd asked Marnie to order in sandwiches and Cokes for us.

  Once Carter was settled in and munching on his tuna melt, I filled him in on what Kenneth had told me.

  "I'm not going."

  I shook my head. "You have to go."

  He said, "Nope. Remember Sacramento? Remember what we said?"

  I nodded.

  He put his sandwich on my desk and leaned over, looking at me. "When you left me at the hotel on that Monday morning and drove home, I felt like a part of me had been cut out. I don't ever want to have that feeling again."

  "I only did what I thought was right."

  He shook his head slowly. "No. You ran off because you were afraid, son."

  I looked at him for a long moment. I listened to the bang of the keys on Marnie's typewriter. "Maybe you're right. I wanted to head off the pain at the pass. I couldn't imagine spending two weeks without you, so I wanted to go ahead and get it over with."

  Carter sat back in his chair and regarded me for a long moment. He motioned to me. I got up and walked around the desk so I could sit in the chair next to him. Taking my hands in his, he whispered, "It's taken me a long time to figure out that we never have to do that kind of thing again. It's you and me, son."

  I nodded. He reached over and kissed me lingeringly on the lips. After a long and wonderful moment, he pulled back and smiled at me.

  I didn't want to break the mood but it was on my mind so I said it. "You're gonna have to call your mother."

  Carter leaned over and grabbed his sandwich from the desk. "I know. As soon as I'm finished with this sandwich, I will."

  "You can always tell her that the Marin County D.A. won't let you leave."

  Carter shook his head. "Nope. I've never knowingly lied to Mama."

  "What about when you and Henry skipped town back in '39?" Henry Winters was Carter's best and oldest friend. They grew up together, left town as soon as they could, and were lovers for the first few years they lived in San Francisco. Henry was now Robert's squeeze. He was also an engineer and was managing the construction of an office building for me that was ahead of schedule and where we would be moving in November.

  "I didn't lie to her. I didn't tell her anything. It was Henry's grandmother who told her."

  "OK. You know what you're doing." I didn't completely believe that, but he was my husband and I had to.

  "Meanwhile," I stood up and walked over to the partition wall. "Robert? Can you get things set up for a flight to Albany on that Convair as soon as they can get ready? Marnie, my father, and Lettie will be on that flight but Carter won't." I saw Marnie nodding approvingly out of the corner of my eye.

  "Sure thing, Nick." He picked up a notebook and started flipping through it.

  "Marnie?"

  "Yeah, Nick?"

  "Ben White is gonna work with Robert while you're gone to cover the phones and whatever else needs to be done. Can you make out a list of things he needs to know?"

  There was a dead silence in the room.

  "What was that?" asked Carter from my office.

  "Everyone heard me right."

  Robert stood up and said, "Uh, Nick. I don't know if this is a good idea."

  "Why?"

  "Well, Ben is--"

  Marnie blurted out, "Ben's a whiny brat, that's why."

  I laughed in spite of myself. "Yeah. So, now's the time for him to sink or swim. He's a good investigator." I didn't really know that. I just knew that Mike had no complaints. "I already cleared this with Mi
ke." I turned to Robert and said, "Look. If, after a day, he's making things harder for you, then just let me know and I'm sure that you can handle things on your own for a couple of days."

  Marnie said, "Of course he can. He doesn't need Ben sitting around here complaining about paper cuts."

  I laughed again. "Fine. Let's do this and see what happens."

  "But, why?" asked Marnie.

  "Because I want him to understand what your job really involves. I don't think he has any idea."

  "You don't need to put Robert through all this to find that out. I can tell you, Nick. He doesn't have a clue." She was getting heated. "Not a goddam clue."

  I looked at her for a moment. "OK. Maybe--"

  Robert interrupted me. "It's fine, Nick. I'll take care of it. Don't worry."

  . . .

  By half past 3 in the afternoon, we were driving across the Bay Bridge, on the way to the Oakland airport. Marnie, my father, and Lettie were in the backseat of the Roadmaster. Carter was sitting in the passenger seat and not saying anything.

  "Carter, you're a grown man and I wouldn't want to--"

  I jumped in and said, "Then maybe you shouldn't."

  Lettie said, "Nicholas, please don't interrupt your father."

  "Thank you, Leticia. I know I don't have a leg to stand on here, but family is important, Carter. Your mother and Velma deserve your presence."

  I looked over at Carter who was grinding his teeth and looking straight ahead.

  Lettie said, "What did your mother say when you told her?"

  I replied, "She hung up on him."

  "Oh."

  Carter turned in his seat and, in a very calm voice, said, "Nick is my family. If Nick can't leave, then I'm not going. That's all there is to it."

  My father said, "You Joneses are mighty stubborn."

  I looked in the rear-view mirror at my father and said, "You have no idea."

  . . .

  The silver Convair was waiting for us at the far end of the airport. Captain John Kilpatrick, the chief pilot of the three-person crew, was a short lean man with gray hair, gray eyes, and a big smile.