The Secrets of Ethan Falls

by J. W. Lucas

  “Still, I would think that would be worth some follow-up,” I said.

  “I don’t know what happened, but it doesn’t matter. About a week

  later I got word that the guy hung himself in the Abbot County Jail.” “WHAT? What was he doing locked up there?” I asked in disbelief. “Awaiting trial,” he said. “The State system is overcrowded, sometimes prisoners are held in the County Jails.”

  I didn’t know what to say, but my brain was telling me that there

  was a strong probability that this wasn’t a suicide. “Was there an investigation, Jon?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I heard that the Abbot detectives did one. They said it was

  suicide, case closed.” I made a mental note to ask Dan Petrone if he was involved in the death investigation.

  “Daryl, we’re spinning our wheels here, what’s your plan?” he asked bluntly.

  I told him that as soon as we get the search warrants I wanted to get into Dr. Greene’s office and then the Courthouse.

  “Good I want to get a look at his helper. He could be the meth cook that we heard about, Hussein.”

  “Jon, I want to execute the Courthouse warrant late at night. I could use some support to make sure that the parking lot is secure. It would blow everything if an Abbot Deputy on rounds found us in there.”

  “Okay, I can have a couple of my guys park in the lot. If a Deputy comes along, they can tell him they’re working a case. I’ll go inside with you.”

  “Perfect, thanks,” I wanted a strong backup if my plan was discovered, and Sgt. John Michael seemed more than willing, adding, “a couple of Abbott deputies hassled some of my guys working surveillance a few weeks back. There’s a lot of bad blood between our departments, but don’t sweat it. We’ll make it work.”

  “Jon, if we find that the Courthouse is bugged like I think it is, we’ll need a search warrant for the Building Sup’s house, Billy Barnum. Ever hear of him? His house is next door to the Courthouse.” “The old ham radio guy? You know who he is, don’t you Daryl?” he asked.

  “No, I haven’t had a chance to talk with him yet. He found Judge Moran after he was shot and called 911.”

  “You need to know Daryl that the guy’s rich. He owns the property that the militia camp is using, and the surrounding land. It was in his family for generations, and he’s reportedly the last of his family still alive.”

  “What? I didn’t know that! If he owns the militia land, is he involved?” I asked. Now my mind was racing.

  “I don’t know, maybe he’s leasing it out. I know all this because of a case I did two years ago. There’s a lot of old camps and barns on that property, and we found a grow operation and stash house up there. Weed. They had about two acres of crop growing. High quality, hydroponics, the whole works. That was a great case,” he said and took a long swig of his beer in remembrance of the case.

  “Christ Jon, how the hell can all of this stuff be going on up here?” I asked.

  “Plain and simple Daryl. A corrupt Sheriff’s Department. It’s been like that ever since Hunter took over and brought his buddies in from Jersey.”

  “You mean Carpa and Manning?”

  “That’s two of them, there’s a few more, Carpa is supposedly related to Hunter, I don’t have much on Manning, just some stories that he got tagged in a corruption case while he was on the job on Jersey. By the way, these are the guys who are making the reported big drug busts.”

  My brain was in overdrive, the cast of characters all seemed to be stepping into the spotlight.

  “Jon, I’ve got to get going, thanks for the education. I’m just waiting to hear back from Meisner that he got the warrants, and I want to try to coordinate our work with the team that’s working on Savage’s death so that we don’t trip over each other.”

  “Okay, sounds like we’re talking about early next week. I’ll give Capt. Merrill a call. I know that his team was working on search warrants for the Sheriff’s headquarters in Hamilton and the Ethan Falls substation for some reports, records, and evidence. He’s going after them big time. I’ll call you when I know more,” he said in agreement. We shook hands, I dropped cash on the table for our beers, and I headed back to Mandy’s condo. I was worried about her and hoped that her talk with Yo-Yo this afternoon hadn’t upset her too much. I pulled into the condo lot and unlocked the door with the key Mandy had given me. I was surprised as soon as I walked in; the smell of something good was cooking in the kitchen. Mandy came into the living room and gave me a kiss.

  “How’d your meeting go?” she asked. I told her that it was productive, and that I was pleased with the support I was getting. I asked her how she was doing, she took my hand and we sat on the couch.

  “I was upset about Yo-Yo, not what he did for us, but about what is going to happen to him. I’m worried that you’re going to drag him into all of this, and that makes me wish that I had never gotten him involved.”

  “Mandy, I promise you that Yo-Yo won’t be dragged into this. I would never hurt him. I needed him to tell us, or rather show us, who gave him the drugs and needles. He’s obviously impaired, but he’s truly gifted. I‘ve never witnessed such artistic beauty in my life. And to see him draw like that is something that I’ll never forget.”

  “Thank You Daryl, I knew in my heart that you would protect him, just like you’re protecting me. I love you.”

  “I love you too Hon. Hey! Is that something boiling over on the stove?” I asked, pointing to the kitchen.

  “Oh Jeez!” she said as she jumped up. “The potatoes are boiling.”

  She ran into the kitchen and I heard her holler; “I made us a pork roast, and we’ll have mashed potatoes and a salad.” I went into the kitchen and saw that she had set a table, complete with candles in the small dining room.

  “I wanted to show you that I can cook too,” she said with a laugh. “Boiling over onto the stove isn’t a good first impression! Have a beer; we’ll be eating in about fifteen minutes.”

  Dinner was delicious, and when we finished and cleaned up, we sat in the living room to watch TV. We were quiet together for about an hour when my cell phone beeped. I looked and saw it was from the Medical Center. It was almost eight o’clock.

  “Daryl? It’s Kaitlyn. We’ve had a problem and I think you need to be aware of it.” Kaitlyn Mason sounded scared.

  “Are the Judge and Lindsey all right?”

  “Yes, they’re safe. But we had a very serious security breach. Two men tried to visit Mr. Moran and when they were turned away at the Information Desk they somehow managed to get into the employee parking area of the garage. Security noticed them on the camera and some guards went out there to find them. When they got there, they were gone. A short while later they showed up in the ICU waiting room and tried to get the nurse’s station to buzz them in. When they refused one of the guys tried to pry the door open. Security saw what was happening on their cameras and sent some guards up there.”

  “Did they get the guys?” I asked.

  “Just one,” she answered. “When the emergency code was announced on the overhead pager they ran down the stairwell. One of the guys made it outside, Security caught up with the other one at a basement exit. He pulled a gun on them but thank God; the guys tackled him and got the gun away from him before he could shoot. The guards got a little banged up, but the intruder got the worst of it. The police are here now, and they’ve arrested him.”

  “Do you know who the guy is?” I asked.

  “No, but Danny Monroe is here with one of his detectives and he said the guy is from New Jersey. They’re treating him in the ER for some cuts and bruises and then they’re taking him to jail. Daryl, one of the guards said his gun has a silencer on it.”

  “Kaitlyn, I’m shocked, but I’m grateful for the great work by your security people. Is Dan Monroe with you? I’d like to speak with him.”

  “No, he’s in the ER and I’m in my office. I can give him your number and ask him to call you.”


  “Thank You Kaitlyn; please do, as soon as you can.”

  “I will. Daryl, I’m worried. A gun with a silencer? That’s something that you see on TV. Our staff is really scared now and I’m very worried. I’ll go find Danny and give him your message.”

  “By the way, it’s late. Are you still working?” I asked.

  “I did a presentation for a medical group and I was just getting ready to leave when all this happened.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry you had to deal with this. Thank you for being there,” I said with as much gratitude I could muster at the moment.

  “I’m glad I was here! Talk to you soon,” she said and ended the call.

  “Everything all right?” Mandy asked, sensing that I seemed dazed by the call.

  “No, everything is all wrong.” I explained to her what Kaitlyn had told me, and I saw the fear in her eyes. This was starting to get out of control, and I was worried that there was more violence to come.

  “Daryl, get out of this. Let the FBI or the State Police deal with this. I’m scared. I want to go back to Stockbridge with you. I feel safe there.” My girl was falling apart and honestly, I couldn’t blame her.

  “I can’t stop Mandy. This is my job. But yes, we can go down to Stockbridge, tonight if you want to.”

  “No, not tonight, it’s too late. But let’s go there tomorrow.”

  “Okay, I’m expecting one more call. I don’t want it to upset you even more, I can go into the other room if you want,” I offered.

  “No, I’m going to bed. You should get some sleep when you’re done with your call,” she said as she got up and started up the stairs. “And please check that the front deadbolt is locked.”

  Det. Chief Dan Monroe called about twenty minutes later.

  “Mr. Richardson, Dan Monroe.”

  “Thanks for calling so quickly Dan, please call me Daryl. Thank you and your men for your quick response to the hospital.”

  “You’re welcome. But the real thanks go to the security people. They had a lot of guts to subdue the guy with the gun and hold him for us,” he said.

  “I agree, Kaitlyn said the gun had a silencer.”

  “Yeah, it did.”

  “Any ID on the guy?” He paused for a moment and said “No.”

  “No ID? No license or wallet?” I asked.

  “Daryl, you’re asking a lot of questions. I have questions for you. Lots of them. We need to meet and talk.”

  “Tell me when and where?” I responded.

  “Tomorrow morning, eight-thirty, police headquarters.”

  “I’ll be there,” I said and heard the phone call click off on Dan’s end. It was obvious that Dan Monroe was not a happy man at the moment.

  I checked the front door lock and went upstairs to bed. Mandy was

  sleeping, and I did my best not to wake her, but she did.

  “Daryl, I’m sorry I’m so scared, but I am. Please just hold me and let’s go home tomorrow,” she said as I sat on the edge of the bed.

  “We will. Just get some sleep and we’ll talk in the morning. I have to be at the police station here in North Bellington tomorrow at eight-thirty for a short meeting,” I said as I laid down beside her.

  “Okay, I’ll wake you at seven,” she said as she curled up against me. It took me a long time to turn off my brain and fall asleep. On Thursday morning I woke at seven and after a light breakfast with Mandy, I drove to the police station. I informed the Desk Officer of my meeting with Dan Monroe, he asked for some identification and I slid my Federal ID under the bulletproof glass divider. He gave it the once over and slid it back, I saw him make a phone call and he said the Chief would be with me in a few minutes.

  Dan Monroe came into the lobby and I was surprised to see that he was a big man, at least six-feet-four with an athlete’s build. We shook hands, and he led me into a small interview room.

  “Daryl, Kaitlyn filled me in on what she found out about your background on Google. I’m impressed, but I’m not sure I understand your connection to the Morans.” I told him I knew the Morans from law school and about Lindsey’s call to me after the judge was shot.

  “I understand that you’re a criminal law consultant to the Department of Justice. Are you up here on official business?” I had just met Dan, but Kaitlyn Mason said he was great to work with, and I thought that he could be trusted.

  I explained how my initial inquiry into Judge Moran’s shooting suggested a connection with the unsolved murder of Susan Peterson and the anonymous letter the government authorities had received. Judge Moran had been assigned to look at all of it, and his being shot had led to a Federal Grand Jury probe.

  “It’s about time someone took a hard look at Hunter’s operation,” he said.

  “Dan, my role in the joint Federal-State investigation is to see if there’s a connection between the Peterson girl’s murder and Judge Moran being shot and try to identify a suspect. After hearing about the intruder with the gun at the hospital yesterday, I’m concerned that this was a hit attempt, and I’m wondering if these guys were trying to fix the failure of the first time somebody tried to kill the judge.”

  He looked at me for a few seconds and said, “Daryl, the guy we have under arrest had no ID on him, no wallet, but he had a little over five-grand in cash in his pockets. I got a lead that he was from Jersey when the ER doctor who was cleaning him up after the fight with the hospital guards noticed that he had two large scars on his chest. He told the doc that he had been shot in New Jersey about ten years ago.” “After we booked him we scanned his prints to Washington, and we got a hit on him. He has a lengthy rap sheet with arrests for attempted murder, loan sharking, extortion, aggravated assault, narcotics, and gambling offenses in his resume. Apparently, he’s a pro, Daryl. I think you’re right. This was an attempted hit on Judge Moran.”

  “Who is this guy Dan?” I asked.

  “His name is Pasquale ‘Patsy’ Carpanara. He’s fifty-three years old. His arrests are primarily in Newark and Jersey City, and he’s done about eleven years in prison off and on. His last release from custody was about a year ago. He’s on parole.”

  I leaned back in my chair. “Dan, there’s something you need to know.” I learned that a Jersey Officer, Giovanni Carpanara, was involved in a corruption scandal.” I explained the manipulation of names to how I thought he was John Carpa.

  “Daryl, I think you’ve stumbled onto something here. I did some research myself last night after one of my detectives mentioned that he knew about my going over to the hospital when Carpa caused the disturbance. He told me that Carpa is supposedly Sheriff Hunter’s cousin. I found out that JB Hunter’s mother’s maiden name is Carpanara, and that Hunter actually grew up in Jersey. The dots seem to connect on this, don’t you think?” he asked.

  I couldn’t believe that the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together, but we were still a long way from completing the picture. “Dan, I was told there were two intruders at the hospital. Any leads on the other guy?”

  “No, he got away clean. Hospital Security went through their camera footage of the parking lots, but we couldn’t tell if he left on foot, or what car he may have been driving. They do have some still shots of the two guys from the footage at the employee entrance and the ICU door, but the second guy’s face isn’t visible. Security’s going to go through the other cameras’ footage to see if they picked these guys up as they were moving around.”

  “Dan, I need to tell you that Judge Moran was shot twice, two different caliber bullets. According to the surgeon who removed them, one looks like a nine-millimeter, the other possibly a three-o-eight.” “Two bullets, two shooters,” he mused, “could be our two guys from yesterday tried the first hit.”

  “Could be, but the real question is why Judge Moran? What did they or whoever hired them think the Judge knows?”

  Detective Captain Danny Monroe didn’t have the answer, and neither did I.

  I told him that the Abbot Sheriffs hadn’t done a sear
ch warrant to get the bullets from the hospital and that I expected to have a Federal warrant to seize them within the next twenty-four hours.

  “Dan, with all that’s happened, what can you do to protect Judge Moran at the hospital?” I asked.

  “We’ve had a uniformed officer stationed outside of his room since last night. Kaitlyn and the Security Manager Tom Hines said they would hire private duty officers to guard him until he’s discharged. Kaitlyn said that may happen as soon as Saturday.”

  “That’s great Dan, thanks for that. I have one more question. The gun that Carpanara had last night, you said it was a nine-millimeter?”

  “Yeah, an older model Browning. Nice piece. The serial number has been filed off.”

  “What kind of bullets were in it?”

  “Copper jackets. Hollow points. Why?”

  “Judge Moran’s surgeon told me that he thought it was odd that the two bullets he removed were both soft lead not copper jackets.” “Hmm, that is a little strange. Not exactly a hit man’s preferred bullet.”

  I didn’t comment, stood up and thanked Dan for his time. I told him that the Grand Jury probe had a few other areas of interest that I couldn’t disclose to him, but I assured him that I had made him aware of everything that had some involvement with his department. He said he understood and thanked me, and we exchanged business cards with our cell numbers.

  “Daryl, you seem like you have a handle on this. If I can help you with anything, give me a call. I’ll keep you posted on what we find out about Carpanara’s partner.” I thanked him again and went out to the parking lot. As I got into the Challenger I felt my phone vibrate and I saw the incoming call was Lindsey.

  “Daryl, I’ve been trying to reach you for an hour. Kaitlyn told me she called you last night after those two guys tried to get at Forrest. Daryl, I am scared out of my mind. Please, please, help us!” Lindsey Moran was in full panic mode.

  “I will Lindsey, I promise. Where are you now?”