Crooked River (Jack Francis Novel)

by MP Murphy

  “But who is the one being followed? Why are we even talking about this? I hope you were smart enough to lose the tail. Now, why are you really here?”

  Shaw seemed really at ease today, almost happy, and it had Kershaw a little worried. “It’s about the money you owe me.”

  “What about it?”

  “I haven’t received the funds you promised me.”

  “Ah yes, about that. I have decided to hold onto the money until you have completed your job for me. All of your screw ups recently have gotten me thinking that I need to see these tasks followed through until they are finished up completely.”

  “I get paid before the job. You know how it works Shaw,” Kershaw was yelling now. “I want my money now or I will let everything unravel on you!”

  “No threats Lee. You don’t have the means to back them up. Besides, the way I see it you can’t afford to let things unravel. You are being followed remember.”

  “I want my money. This is not how we do business. You pay me and then I do the job you pay me to do. That’s how it works.”

  “That’s how it used to work and maybe in the future it can again, but only after you regain my confidence.” The whole time Shaw remained calm, which was very uncharacteristic of him. “In fact, if you’re not content with this arrangement, I will have to find someone else to work with in the future. Lee, let me point out the obvious to you. If you are being followed, then you must be a person of interest to somebody. Now I would suggest you go and clean up the mess you’ve made before you find yourself in jail or dead.” There was a definite threat to the last part.

  “I really think all this,” Kershaw looked around the office, “is going to your head. Do you seriously believe that if they can pin anything on me then they won’t find a way to get you too? You’re not as untouchable as you may think Shaw.”

  “All this, as you say, has gone to my head and I love it. As for my involvement in any activities, you are the only one who knows about them. So how exactly will anyone find out if you are dead?”

  “I thought you said no threats.”

  “Unlike you, Lee, I have the means to back them up.”

  Kershaw was stuck and he hated himself for it, but he hated Daniel Shaw even more. He wanted to shoot the man dead right where he sat behind his big, rich desk. Shaw had placed himself in a powerful position and Kershaw had no leverage to work with. He got up from his chair and grabbed his umbrella.

  “Oh Lee,” Shaw said.

  “What?”

  “The man following you, I would suspect it is Jack Francis.”

  “Yeah that’s what I figured, but how did you know?”

  “I keep myself informed. Now you may want to do something to get him off your back. I would start by leaving through the garage entrance.”

  “Why is that,” Kershaw asked.

  Shaw pointed to a bank of screens behind Kershaw. One of them was zoomed in on Jack Francis playing a slot machine. “Be careful Lee. He seems to be a persistent man.”

  Chapter 40

  The past few nights had consisted of little sleep so as I went to bed, I was looking forward to a long peaceful rest. However, nothing ever works out like you plan, and to my dismay, the phone woke me up around two the next morning. I noticed the rain still doing its dance along my window as I answered the phone with an unpleasant tone. “What?”

  “I’ve got something you might want to see,” I heard Colin’s voice on the other end.

  “It better be good you woke me up.”

  “Just trying to repay the favor from the other night.”

  “We’re even now,” I grumbled.

  “Sure, now wake up and put some clothes on.”

  “I don’t wanna,” I whined into the phone like a baby. “It better be good if I’m going to go out in the rain.”

  “I already told you it was. Now head over to the west bank of the Flats and meet me by the Norfolk and Southern Railroad Bridge. You won’t be able to miss me.”

  “Alright, I’m on my way,” I moaned, hanging up the phone and reaching for a pair of pants on the chair next to my bed.

  It took me five minutes to get ready and most of the time was used up waiting for a pot of coffee to brew. I threw on an old rain coat and with coffee in hand I went down to the street to meet the cab I had called. The cab driver seemed as unhappy as I was to be out in the rain at such an hour, but who could blame him. He never even blinked when I told him to drive me to a railroad bridge in the Flats. I would have found it odd considering the once thriving party district was now nothing more than a ghost town. Maybe he already knew something I didn’t.

  By the time the cab crossed the Cuyahoga River and was winding its way down into the Flats, there was no doubt as to where I was going. Most of the river bank shimmered from the spotlights and flashing colors from emergency vehicles. The lights were ricocheting off of the wet roads and old warehouse windows, creating quite a spectacle. The cabby did his best to make his way as close as possible but was ultimately stopped by a Cleveland Police road block. They had cordoned off a large area keeping out any unwanted reporters. Journalist would flock like vultures anytime this many flashing lights came together.

  I paid the driver, got out of the cab, and was back in the rain where I started looking for Colin. I pulled my coat tighter around me trying to stay dry, while I waited outside the barricade for a young black and white to go find Colin for me. The kid was fast and within minutes Colin was whisking me through the ranks of public servants.

  “This better be good,” I mumbled to him as we made our way to the river bank.

  “Oh it is.” Colin pointed through the rain towards the river where I could make out a car being pulled from the water. It was a silver Mercedes.

  “Is that Madeline’s?” I asked apprehensively.

  “Nope, it belongs to Chelsea.”

  Chapter 41

  “A diver called it in,” Colin said, as the car sat on the gravel bank. Brown, river water drained from the vehicle and mixed in with puddles of rain. “They were welding some of the supports for the bridge below the waterline. C.P.D. got the call.”

  “What took them so long to pull it out?” I asked.

  “They had trouble getting a salvage crew out here, and with all the rain it wasn’t an easy job to begin with.”

  The techies were now beginning to gather around the car anxious to give it the once over. “How did you end up here so quickly?”

  “A buddy of mine with C.P.D. took the call, and after they confirmed the plates he called me. Apparently the car has been missing since Chelsea’s little night in Bratenahl.” Even through the rain Colin must have been able to read the expression on my face. “I’m guessing Captain Gilmore forgot to tell you.”

  “Must have slipped his mind.”

  “It seems Chelsea told him she left it in the Warehouse District where she was out at a club. The old man filed a report the next day when they couldn’t find it parked anywhere. He had Douglas call it in.”

  “Is it possible the Captain wasn’t able to make the connection between the missing car and the blackmailer?”

  “He might be getting old,” Colin said, “but his mind is still good. If he didn’t tell you about the car then he did it on purpose.”

  We stared in silence and watched a couple of local detectives try to pry the trunk open. The electronics had been fried by the river water causing a slight problem when trying to pop the trunk. After a few minutes one of the salvage crew walked over with a crowbar and motioned to the two detectives to step aside. Like an old pro, the trunk popped open on the first try. “We’ve got a body!” A grizzled voice yelled from the crowd huddled around the car. It was like a call to the pigs at feeding time as everyone on site rushed to get a look. Nothing seems to attract human interest faster than a little death.

  Colin and I pushed our way through the rest of onlookers, which was comprised of mostly black and whites who rarely get to see a body. Finally, it was the two of u
s and a couple of forensic guys staring into the trunk. To my relief the body belonged to a man. The fire prone waters of the Cuyahoga had not been much help in preserving him. The man’s skin appeared soggy as if it would slide right off of the bone, and where it was mostly a pale color, it was also somehow purple at the same time. His eyes were lifeless and rolled back into his head and his hands were shriveled up like prunes. Matted, botchy hair nearly covered the entry wound at the back of the skull, and when I noticed the clothes on the body, I knew we had found the missing victim from Chelsea’s photos.

  “It’s the body from the pictures,” I mumble to Colin so no one else could hear. “Same entry point and same clothes.”

  “I’ll get you an official I.D. on it as soon as I can but to save you some time, I’m pretty sure I know who it is.”

  “Levi Zeitlin?” I asked.

  “That’s my guess. Even in such bad shape it looks like him.”

  “Unfortunately for Levi, I now have a strong lead to follow. Find a motive for killing him and I guarantee I can figure out this whole mess I’ve found myself in.”

  “Good luck with that,” Colin scoffed.

  “What, you don’t want to help?”

  “You’ll have the full help of my expertise, unofficially of course.”

  “Of course.”

  Chapter 42

  The man looked through the unattached scope of a sniper rifle at the scene below him on the river bank. He was perched in an abandoned warehouse on a hill above the flood plain. He dropped the scope from his eye and began to smile to himself. The flashing lights below bounced across the shadows of the building and reflected off his dark eyes, a piercing black. The body was to have never been found, at least that was how his employer wanted it, but he was tired of Cleveland and now he had his own motives. What he wanted always took precedent and he was not afraid of repercussions from Lee Kershaw, old man Gilmore, or anyone else for that matter. Nobody had any idea who he really was or even a hint of what he was capable of. Well, they did have a small taste and it was probably enough to keep them from ever trying to hunt him down. Tonight though was about one thing and one person. It was time to fry the big fish.

  He pulled a cell phone from his pocket. The man grinned as he remembered taking it from the lifeless body of Levi Zeitlin. When he began to dial the phone the irony only gave him more confidence.

  “Hello,” Daniel Shaw answered.

  “Good evening Mr. Shaw.” The raspy voice with the hint of a European accent was gone. Tonight the man spoke like an average American, Midwest accent and all.

  “Who is this?”

  “I’m an employee of yours Mr. Shaw.”

  “I’m sorry it’s a little late to be speaking with employees and especially on my private line. How did you get this number?” Shaw’s voice was demanding and authoritative, but deep down inside the man reeked of concern.

  “How did you like my coffee mug, Mr. Shaw?”

  “The what,” Daniel Shaw paused when realization hit him. “You, I will kill you if I ever get my hands on you. Nobody threatens me you slimy little bastard.”

  “Now, now Daniel,” the man scolding him like a child, “we need not lose our temper. We need to stay nice and calm so we can have an adult conversation.”

  “Go screw yourself. Who the hell are you anyway?”

  “Calm yourself and maybe we can talk a little business. Maybe even answer a few of those questions I know you have.” The man was as cool as always and was finding real enjoyment in Daniel Shaw’s outbursts.

  “There will be no business. Not with you or anyone else who threatens me.”

  “Fine if that’s the way you want it. Oh, before I go you might want to know that the local cops with the help of a few Feds are currently pulling Levi Zeitlin’s body from the trunk of Chelsea Gilmore’s Mercedes.”

  “That’s not possible,” Shaw said in disbelief.

  “It’s quite possible. Look out your office window Daniel,” intentionally using his first name to establish who was in charge. “I’m sure you’ll be able to see the lights down the river from where your office is.”

  There was a long silence as Shaw looked north out of his office window catching the reflection of police lights along the river. “You are still getting nothing out of me. I told you I do not deal with threats.”

  “That’s fine with me, Daniel. You can go right ahead and play the tough guy if you want, but when those nice detectives start looking for a motive your name will eventually come up. Think about it and I’ll be in touch. Oh, Daniel one last thing…”

  “Screw you.”

  “Not very nice, Daniel. Its time you learned that you’re not as untouchable as you might think.” The man hung up the phone and tossed it out of the warehouse window. It fell four stories down onto the pavement with a shatter. He put the scope back up to his eye and watched his handy work below. There among the crowd he noticed Jack Francis nosing around where he didn’t belong.

  Chapter 43

  Lee Kershaw had nearly lost his appetite as he put his phone down on the bar inside the Inn of the Barristers. Daniel Shaw had been throwing down orders from the heavens with all the ego of a man fueled by power and anger. A smile crossed Kershaw’s face as he thought about where such continued behavior would lead Shaw. If Shaw was a man in a normal position then he would have been destined to get his, but it wasn’t that simple with someone as high up in the pecking order as he was. However, even though the phone call from Shaw was ruining his mood, the half-eaten sandwich in front of him was calling him. Business could wait, he thought, as he picked up his paper and continued his lunch. At least there was no one here to follow him today.

  The rain had changed into a misting as it slowly began to taper off. The past few days had brought spring like weather into the city but it wouldn’t last. September was only a few days away and there was still plenty of time for more heat, Kershaw thought, as he stepped outside to leave the bar. He pulled his phone out the moment he hit the sidewalk preparing to do Daniel Shaw’s bidding. Kershaw knew it was well past time to find a new source of income.

  “What is it now,” the raspy voice answered. Kershaw thought it may have sounded a little Czech.

  “I’ve got something for you.”

  “How interesting,” the man’s voice came out snake like.

  “Jimmy DeLuca…”

  “Yes, I know you have already requested that one.”

  “And someone else too.”

  “I was waiting for this one. Let me guess the woman is it? Alex, I believe is her name.”

  Kershaw was a little surprised by the man’s correct answer, but then again he had all kinds of tricks up his sleeve. “Yes, Alex too,” Kershaw said paining at the words leaving his lips.

  “It would appear as if someone has suddenly decided to do some house cleaning. You do realize with these two taken care of, all that is left is you Kershaw?”

  There was silence across the phone for a moment as the weight of the man’s words settled around Kershaw. “And you as well,” he finally was able to reply.

  “Oh, I’m not sure I really count seeing that I only exist to you. Besides I wouldn’t worry yourself. You are Daniel Shaw’s go to guy. I am sure he will want to keep you around.”

  “Who said anything about Daniel Shaw?”

  “Only trying to strike up some conversation,” the man laughed as he pictured Kershaw squirming on the other end of the phone. “I prefer my clients to think things through first. Have you Kershaw? Have you really thought this through all of the way?”

  “I am aware of what needs to be done,” but Kershaw was now a little unsure. Things were beginning to spiral and pile up all at the same time, and he would love to deflect some of it in another direction.

  “Alright, if that is all, I will take care of Alex and Jimmy for you.”

  “One more thing,” Kershaw spurted out quickly before he was hung up on.

  “It’s already becoming a very expensi
ve tab you’re running.”

  “You’ll get yours,” Kershaw answered.

  “I always do.” The man’s voice was cold and threatening, leaving Kershaw with a stark reality of who he was dealing with.

  “I need you to get Jack Francis off of my back,” Kershaw told the man.

  “And how am I supposed to know who that is?”

  “You know who I’m talking about, or at least you are fully capable of finding out. I don’t need you playing games with me on this one.”

  “Very well, I was only trying to give you a hard time,” laughing at how tight Kershaw’s nerves were, he continued, “By getting him off your back do you mean to add him to the list with Alex and young Jimmy?”

  “Not yet, there is too much of that going on already. See what you can do by other means.”

  “I am most certain that Mr. Francis can be handled.” The man knew that Jack Francis was now following the Zeitlin lead he had left in the river. It would have him out of Kershaw’s hair for a little while. “Kershaw,” the man said.

  “What?”

  “Watch yourself. A man like Daniel Shaw is likely to be very unstable,” and with one last rotten laugh, the call ended.

  Chapter 44

  Layered somewhere between the dead bodies and the blackmail was one simple fact that continued to slap me across the face. Almost no one involved was being straight with me and it was making my job a lot harder to do. The whole Gilmore family, whom at first seemed to be the victims, now appeared as problematic as the criminals they accused. In fact, only out of the criminal element was I was beginning to find a reliable person— Alex, who was slowly building up some trust with me. Colin was the most reliable person involved, which went without saying. For years he had been my most trusted friend and even with his wife Katya’s connections to Captain Gilmore, there was no doubt as to where he stood. He was my best resource for accurate information but it could be severely limited due to his position with the Bureau.