All In A Day's Work

by Gary Resnikoff

  “Okay. It’s all set. You and Tina will get in the backseat. We will re-tape her hands and feet when we get in the car.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

  —Winston Churchill

  Since leaving MaryAnn’s home, Jackson had been wandering around for an hour. The map she’d drawn for him wasn’t accurate, and he couldn’t tell whether he had made a wrong turn or her directions were off. It was also possible that Harold wasn’t home today. He’d knocked on a few doors, but no one had answered. He had been so optimistic just a few minutes earlier; now, he was feeling dejected. Without Harold, he wondered if the police would charge him when he returned to Denver. Why wouldn’t they? He had no alibis, and circumstantial evidence pointed squarely at him. It was all about evidence and public opinion, and both were aligned against him. He had heard that most of the inmates in prison claimed they were innocent, and now, he was faced with the prospect of joining them. But, he told himself, I really am innocent.

  There was no quit in Jackson. Never had been. Not in sports, nor in his career. Optimism was in his blood, and until he ran out of time, he would continue his search. As he rounded the next corner, there was a large, modern-looking log cabin nestled back amongst the pines. It had a huge wooden deck surrounding the upper floor, with an unobstructed view of the lake. Much like his own, but much bigger, newer, and fancier. There was a Range Rover in the driveway. Someone was home. As he started up the driveway, a large yellow lab came bounding out from the yard to greet him. Tail wagging furiously, the dog wanted his attention.

  An attractive woman in her fifties came running out behind the dog.

  “Amber, heel. Amber, heel.”

  Amber didn’t pay her any heed. She had found a new friend and couldn’t care less what her owner was saying. Jackson knelt down to say hello and held out his hand slowly, so the dog could sniff him. She licked his hand and only stopped when he pet her.

  “I’m so sorry,” the woman said. “She doesn’t listen real well, but she is very friendly and doesn’t bite.”

  Jackson laughed. “I can see she is very friendly.” He continued to pet her. “I love dogs. Don’t have one right now, but hopefully, someday, I can fit one back into my life. We always had dogs when I was a kid.”

  “Well, I see she likes you,” the woman said and held out her hand as she approached. “I’m Joan, and this is Amber.”

  Upon hearing her name, Amber jumped up to kiss Bob on the face.

  “Hi, Amber,” he said as he pet her and wiped the slobber from his face. “I’m Bob Jackson. I have cabin on the other side of the lake.” He pointed toward the other side.

  “Bob Jackson from the Consumer Champion Show?” she asked warily.

  He saw a slight change in her expression.

  “Yeah. One and the same.” He grimaced.

  “I used to listen to your show all the time,” she said.

  “Well, you probably heard about all the trouble recently, then.”

  “Who hasn’t?” She replied.

  “Look, I just want to put your mind at ease. I didn’t have anything to do with any of that stuff. Hopefully, it will get straightened out soon. It’s really terrible what is going on now, and I have faith the police will apprehend the killers soon.”

  “We have faith, too. And if it’s any comfort to you, my husband and I don’t think it’s fair how everyone is jumping to the conclusion that you had anything to do with it. It never made much sense to us.”

  “Thanks. That is comforting. I wish more people thought like you.”

  “You can’t be responsible for what other people do or think.”

  “No. That is true. Still hurts, though. Look, the reason I stopped by is I’m looking for a man I met about a week ago by the lake. Tall guy, probably in his sixties. Grey hair. Trim build. Someone told me his name might be Harold. He lost a fishing pole, and I was hoping to find him to return it.”

  “That sounds like my husband, but his name isn’t Harold, and he didn’t say anything about a missing fishing pole. If it wasn’t him, though, he might know who you are talking about. Joel knows most people who live around here. He’s inside; I’ll go get him.”

  A few minutes later, a man came outside with a large grin on his face and his hand extended. Jackson’s heart skipped a beat. It was the man he remembered meeting.

  “Well, hello there. I had no idea when we met last week that you were an infamous celebrity,” he joked. “Glad to meet you officially, Bob. I’m Joel.”

  “Hi, Joel.” They shook hands. Joel had a powerful handshake, the habit of years of being in business and meeting people. He had made a small fortune as the founder and CEO of a successful software development firm. A few years ago, he’d sold the company to one of his biggest competitors with a non-compete clause which had almost forced him into retirement. The new company wanted to make sure he didn’t come back someday as a competitor, and he was all too happy to oblige. A year later, Joel and Joan sold their Denver home and moved to the mountains. The first few years of retirement were idyllic, but lately, Joel was getting restless and was anxious to get involved in a new business venture. A week from now, Joel had planned a trip to New York to look at a business to purchase. If Jackson had waited another week to seek him out, he would have missed him.

  “Joan tells me you think I lost a fishing pole by the lake. Sorry, but it isn’t mine. I haven’t lost a pole.”

  “Actually…” Jackson hesitated, a little embarrassed. “Sorry for the misdirection. I didn’t really find a pole, but I was afraid people would think I was creepy, just looking for some random guy like I was a stalker—or worse, considering all the rumors about me.”

  Joel laughed. “I suppose they would have.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be evasive or sneaky.”

  “What’s up, then?”

  “Here’s the thing, you’ve probably heard all the accusations about me—which, by the way, aren’t true. The fact that I saw you up here last week will help clear me. It seems two of the murders took place while I was up here—the day I saw you, as a matter of fact. So, finding you is wonderful. It proves I couldn’t be one of the killers. You could corroborate my story for the police, and they can focus on finding the real killers.”

  Joel’s face lit up. He loved a good mystery, and he relished the thought of helping Bob out of a jam. “You know, we read and heard about the case—mostly from people gossiping—but it never made sense to us. The thought of you killing off your audience sounded absurd. The times I heard you on the radio, you didn’t sound like the type to go off killing people. A little demonstrative, maybe, but you never sounded like a homicidal killer. Not that I know any, actually.” He laughed again. “It just sounded like sensationalism by the press and the public as usual, jumping to conclusions. To be honest, it kind of sounded like a bad plot for a murder mystery.”

  “I wish it was. The reality is that someone out there is killing contractors and trying to make it sound like I’m involved. But I promise you, I’m innocent. In fact, I find it abhorrent that someone is murdering all these people.”

  “How can I help?” asked Joel.

  “You’re the only one who can place me up here at the time of the murders. I was hoping that you would agree to meet with the detective and tell him about seeing me at the lake.”

  “Of course.”

  “Can I use your phone? I don’t have one at my cabin, and, as you probably know, cell phones don’t work that well up here.”

  “Sure. Come on in.”

  ****

  Baird and Julia drove west on I-70 for the second time that day, this time with Tina bound and gagged in the backseat. She was lying uncomfortably under a blanket next to Julia, who was keeping watch over her with a butcher knife that had been taken from Jackson’s kitchen. Julia reminded Tina she was still there with a little jab with the point of the knife.

&
nbsp; Julia was not happy with the turn of events. Her anger and disgust for Baird was ready to boil over. It wouldn’t take much more for her to explode. She was tired of him yelling at her and barking orders. And now that things were unraveling, she could tell his patience was growing thin. But, so was hers. If she heard him say what a great mind he had one more time, she was sure she would explode. His brilliant planning hadn’t been so brilliant after all. Things were going wrong, and it wasn’t her fault. He wasn’t so infallible as he would have her believe. But she kept her true feelings to herself. Fighting with him would only make matters worse. She would be glad when this was all over, and they could go their separate ways. Then, there was the bitch next to her. She’d hated Tina from the first day they met. As she thought about how successful and self-assured Tina was, she wanted to puke. Oh, and don’t forget good-looking. Everyone always said so, especially Bob. She poked Tina with the blade and took satisfaction when Tina moaned. Maybe in another world, where Tina wasn’t Bob’s girlfriend and wasn’t so perfect, they could have been friends.

  Nope. She poked her again. They were meant to be enemies.

  Oblivious to the torture taking place in the backseat, Baird drove on, lost in his own thoughts. A new plan was needed, and he’d better come up with it quickly. How could he fit Tina into the scheme? She couldn’t survive the day; she knew too much. It was bad enough that he would have to dispose of Jackson’s witness and fit that into the narrative, but how could he explain Tina’s death? A plan was starting to take shape as he drove over the speed limit—but not enough to attract attention. His confidence was starting to recover.

  “You’re probably wondering what this is all about, don’t you?” Baird said to Tina, slightly turning toward the backseat. She was still gagged and couldn’t respond. “Don’t bother trying to answer right now; I know you are a bit tongue-tied.” He laughed at his sick joke. “But not to worry; I will enlighten you.”

  Julia rolled her eyes. “Why bother telling her?” said Julia, irritated by the sound of his voice.

  “Why not? We’ve got a two-hour drive, and I feel like sharing with her. I think she will find it fascinating to learn about good ole Bob. Don’t you agree?”

  “No. But then, you never care what I think. Do what you want; you always do, anyway,” she snapped back at him. She looked out the window and bit her lip. She envisioned the typical murder mystery; how the stupid protagonist always fills in the victim, giving away all the details. The stupid perps stalling the inevitable until something goes wrong and the whole plot comes crashing down. If it were up to her, Bob would already be dead, and there would be no need to track down this witness, and although she had no qualms about killing Tina, it wouldn’t be necessary. She was getting a sick feeling in her stomach that things were about to go terribly wrong. And worse still, she couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

  “Good. Then, I will go on. Well, Tina, here’s how it is: Your boyfriend, Bob, isn’t such a nice guy. You didn’t know that, did you?” Baird asked cruelly. “I know it’s hard to believe. But it’s true. Bob has ruined lots of careers and lives. He destroyed my uncle, as a matter of fact, and Bob just went on his merry way without a care in the world. Oh. I guess I should say, our uncle.” Chris sounded like he was starting to enjoy himself, even though there was a tone of derision in his voice. “You see, Julia and I are cousins. Kissing cousins, ‘cause as you can see, she just loves me. Don’t you, Julia?”

  “Fuck you, Chris. Just tell her your fucking sob story, you creep!”

  “Well, well. Touchy, aren’t we? No, Tina, we aren’t kissing cousins, but we are cousins, nonetheless. Our uncle, Ray, was our favorite uncle. I mean, Ray was so cool. On that, Julia and I do agree. Ray took us to ballgames, the zoo, the movies, you name it. Hell, he was better than my dad—who, I might add, was a real shithead. Julia’s, too. Those two sons-of-bitches can rot in hell, for all I care. Ray was the youngest brother, and he knew his brothers were dicks, so he stepped in and was awesome to us. Great guy. Anyway, we loved our Uncle Ray.” Baird paused and shook his head. He realized he was getting too emotional as a tear rolled down his cheek.

  “You gonna cry?” teased Julia.

  “No, I’m not going to cry. God, you can be such a bitch at times.” He wiped the tear away. “Anyway, Ray was a general contractor in the Denver area. Pretty successful, too. About ten years ago, some bitch called up Bob’s fucking show and complained about Ray. Ray fucked up her dream house; Ray made her cry; Ray was a bad man. Wah, wah. What a whiny bitch she must have been.” Baird paused to pass a slow car in front of him. “So, Mr. Jackson jumps all over it. He starts calling Ray all sorts of names. He’s incompetent; he shouldn’t be allowed to work; he’s the scum of the Earth. You know, the kind of crap Bob is good at. I’m sure you’ve heard Bob go off on a number of occasions. Jumping to fucking conclusions. Ray tried to make things right by this bitch, but she wouldn’t cooperate, and Bob barely gave him a chance to defend himself. He ranted and raved and got some other people to jump in and make lame complaints about Ray. Fucking people started piling on like a bunch of sheep. Ray didn’t give up right away, though. He tried to make things right, but that fucking Bob just wouldn’t give it up. By now, he was calling licensing boards and banks and just making life hell for Ray.”

  Tina could tell by his tone that Baird was getting all worked up. She could feel the anger growing, and every now and then, he slammed his fist down on the steering wheel for greater effect. As his anger grew, he unconsciously increased the pressure on the gas pedal. They were now flying along close to 100 miles an hour, zigzagging through traffic.

  Julia yelled from the backseat, “Geez, Chris, slow down! You need to calm down or you’re going to get us into an accident!”

  “What?”

  “You’re driving like a madman. Slow down!”

  “Geez,” he said under his breath as he realized she was right. He fought his emotions and slowed the car down to 65. Luckily for them, it was still early, and the traffic on I-70 was light as they passed the Evergreen turnoff.

  “Sorry. I’m okay.” He took a deep breath and sounded much more steady when he continued his story.

  “You want to hear the rest of the story, Tina? Sure, you do. But the cat’s got your tongue. So anyway, Uncle Ray lost everything and had to move in with my family. My dad was already gone, so my mom let him take our basement. His business was pretty much ruined, so he spent the next couple of years doing odd jobs for other contractors. Grunt work. Whatever he could find, he took. You gotta understand that before Bob got ahold of him, Ray was at the top of his game. He was in demand. A few weeks of Bob haranguing him on the air, and he was ruined. No one would hire him for any decent project. The next thing he knew, Ray was working on a crew, driving nails for some douchebag who didn’t know half of what Ray knew. He was living in our basement and starting to drink like a fish. Drugs, too. He wasn’t so much fun to be around anymore, so my mom said he had to leave. They fought, and Ray punched Mom and stormed out the door. We never saw Ray again. About a month after she threw him out, we got a call that Ray was dead. He drove off a cliff in the mountains—near here, as a matter of fact. Probably not an accident, since there were no skid marks, according to the cops. End of story…” His voice trailed off.

  “Until now!” he blurted out and turned back toward his captive.

  “Watch the road!” screamed Julia. “You’re going to get us all killed!”

  “Fine. I’m done talking, anyway.”

  “Good,” said Julia as she took over where he left off. “Every time we saw Uncle Ray while he was living with Chris’ family, all he ever talked about was how Bob Jackson fucked up his life.” A tear ran down her cheek. She jabbed Tina with the knife. “Your fucking boyfriend ruined my uncle’s life. Ray talked about getting even with Bob, but instead, he got depressed and killed himself. Chris said he would get revenge for Ray, but I thought he was all talk. I never figured he had it in him to actually do anything. B
ut, lo and behold, one day, Chris said he has a plan to make Bob pay for his sins. We were going to make Bob pay someday.” She jabbed Tina again. “Guess what, sweetie? That day is today.”

  ****

  Joel directed Jackson to the telephone hanging on the wall in the kitchen. He still had Detective Baird’s card in his pocket, and he dialed the number on it. Baird wasn’t his favorite character right now. In fact, he didn’t much like him at all. But the detective was the one who he thought was gunning for him, and giving him an airtight alibi seemed the best way to get him to back off. Baird had shown a bias against him from Day One, whereas Stein seemed more level-headed and reasonable. It would feel good to get Detective Baird to admit that he was wrong.

  He looked around the kitchen as he waited for the detective to answer. If he didn’t answer, Jackson wondered if they should just drive down the mountain to the police station or wait to hear back from the detective first.

  Detective Baird was just making the transition from I-70 to the Berthoud Pass exit when his cell phone buzzed. He took his eyes off the road long enough to look at the incoming number. He didn’t recognize the name or the number on the screen, but he could see it was a Grand Lake area code.

  “Hello, this is Detective Baird,” he answered tentatively.

  “Detective Baird. Glad I caught you. This is Bob Jackson.”

  Chris’ demeanor improved considerably; a smile spread across his face. “Yes, Bob, what can I do for you?”

  Tina tried to moan a warning, and Julia jabbed her again with the knife and covered her mouth with the blanket.

  “I’m up at the lake. I’ve found my witness. He remembers seeing me at the lake when one of the murders took place. He can come down and testify or whatever you need to clear me.”

  “That’s great news, Bob. I was hoping you would call soon. What’s his name?”