by Gayle Tiller
"I don't know, but I will find out."
37
6
Chapter
New Chapter
It was Friday afternoon. It was five minutes to four. Keith should be here in the next five minutes. But knowing Keith, he would be late. In all of the years that I have known him, Keith has rarely been on time for any of our dates.
There was regular time, CP time, and Keith time. If it wasn't job related or community related Keith had a habit of being an hour or more late. Personal relationships took a back seat to everything. Hell, on our wedding day, he was two hours late. Which at that point, any other woman would have called the marriage off. But I was a fool and I married him anyway.
The doorbell rang. To my surprise, Keith was exactly on time. His marriage to Loretta had done him some good after all.
I walked Keith into my office and noticed that he had gained some weight. Maybe he was just sympathizing with Loretta's pregnancy.
Keith was still handsome, but he looked like he needed to sleep for at least a week. I don't know what was happening at the college. But whatever it was, it hadn't been good to him.
I led Keith into my office and sat down.
"So Keith, have you heard about Richard Carpenter's death?"
"Yeah, first Ralph and now Richard."
"Well, I believe that they were both murdered. I don't know who did it or why they did it. Richard Carpenter was to be selected as the City's next fire chief and he left for Oakland. Ralph Woods asked that his departure be investigated and now they're both dead. What's the scuttle-butt downtown?"
"The Mayor is saying it's just a coincidence. Both died from poisonings, but they were accidents. All of the politicians are saying the same thing."
So the Mayor had lied earlier in front of Kristal. I knew that she couldn't be trusted.
38
"What about the Black Firefighters?"
"They think it's murder, but they have no proof."
"Has anyone found a motive?"
"You know all of the problems that the Fire Department has had the last few years. Remember the white firefighter who walked for killing Joshua Gardner who was the vice president of the African-American Coalition. He claimed it was self-defense and the jury, which was all white except for two Latinos and one Asian, bought it. The Fire Department has never been the same. The Black Firefighters distrust everyone."
"What does this have to do with the killing of Ralph and the Chief?"
"A disgruntled white firefighter may have killed them, because he thought that Richard never should have been considered as Fire Chief."
"How many white firefighters are there in the Department?"
"Five hundred. And there are about fifty black firefighters."
Five hundred white firefighters. Hell that could be anyone.
"Keith, so what's your opinion on this case?"
"My honest opinion is that it's a coincidence. There is no motive. When Richard left, Grady became the new Chief. So the white firefighters got what they wanted. So what if Ralph had demanded an investigation. It just would have shown that Richard got a better offer from Oakland. The department just needs time to heal."
"So you are in agreement with the Mayor."
"Look, Jazz, I am no fan of the Mayor. She used be a Republican until she switched parties so that she could win the mayor's race. She can't be trusted and she is no friend of black people."
"But Kristal supports her."
"Kristal will learn. Kristal is just too goddamn blind at times."
"So you are saying that there is no way that Kristal's husband was murdered."
"I know Kristal from working on projects with her. Kristal is really into the media. If it will get her name on the 6:00 news, she'll do it."
"I don't know about that. I really trust her instincts on this and I feel that she does have a case."
"If I were you, I'd stay away from her. She doesn't know how to treat people and in the end you'll only get hurt."
"I know about her reputation. And if you didn't think I could handle her, why did you refer her to me?"
"I never referred her to you. She must be confused. When she came to me about Ralph, I told her that I thought it was just a tragic accident and she should sue the doctor and collect what was due to her."
39
So Kristal lied about Keith referring the case to me. But that didn't mean that she didn't have a case.
"I guess that would be the easiest thing that she could do with her being pregnant."
"Kristal's pregnant?"
"She's about eight weeks. Seems like you and her have something in common."
"What are you talking about?"
"Keith, I heard that Loretta is pregnant. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"Keith, it's almost five now. I have to close this meeting, because I have an appointment at six."
"With who? Are you seeing someone?"
"That is none of your business."
"I really miss you."
"Keith, you have Loretta and now you're going to get the baby that you never got from me."
"Jazz, you're upset with Loretta being pregnant?"
I stared at him and didn't answer. Instead, I asked, "Keith, what do you want from me?"
"Jazz, I know I said this before; but I am going to say it again, I want you back."
"Keith, it's too late to mend our relationship. I'm not interested."
"Why don't you think about it?"
"No, Keith."
Keith looked at me directly in the eyes, gently stroked my face and said, "I will always love you."
My heart almost melted when I heard him say that. I then reminded myself of the late nights waiting up for him and the bad sex. I knew that I could not go back, because there was nothing to go back to.
"Keith, I need to leave."
I removed his hand from my face and escorted him out of my office.
40
7
Chapter
New Chapter
When I met the Firefighters Union President George Stone, I was struck by his plainness. He was a short round white man in his mid-forties with a deeply receding hairline. His teeth were gapped and his eyes were a dull brown. He was the kind of man whom you would never look at twice. Yet, despite his physical unattractiveness, there was something about him that made you feel that you could trust him. He had a whole-some aura about him. He was the all American boy without the all American boy looks.
He led me into a small cluttered office. On his desk, there was a photograph of a African-American woman who was pretty and round. I glanced at his left hand and saw a wedding band.
I asked, "What was the reaction of the white firefighters to the deaths of Chief Carpenter and Ralph Woods?"
George looked at me carefully and asked, "Do you really want to know the truth?"
"Look, I have been a private investigator for years. I have seen and heard everything. And I do mean everything."
George cleared his throat and said, "Some of them don't trust me, because you know my wife is black. But I am still privileged to hear things."
"I understand where you're coming from."
"Anyway, the word is that Ralph was a troublemaker and his loss was seen as a blessing."
"Really. A troublemaker in what way?"
"First, there was his calling for the investigation of the selection of the Chief. That pissed off a lot of people. Ralph had this tendency to call people racists when he didn't get his way."
"Is there something wrong with that?"
"These days calling a white person a racist is akin to calling him a child molester."
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"And what's your feeling on that?"
"The truth is a lot folks have problems with black people. Call it preju-dice, ignorance, or just plain stupidity. But still no one wants to admit to that publicly."
"I hear what you're saying. So how did they feel about Chief Carpenter?"
"There we
re a number of people who were upset when he went up against Grady. When he dropped out of the race, people said he was running back to Oakland to his people, because the only real man who could run the department was one of us."
"Who said that?"
"That's just me paraphrasing of what was said."
"So what actually was said?"
"You're a lady. So really I don't feel comfortable repeating those things."
"Like I said before, I have heard everything."
"Alright. Excuse my language. The real deal was that Carpenter was called a nigger who couldn't cope with the big boys and he was just a pussy."
"Who said that?"
"Look, I can't reveal that."
"Why not?"
"I'll lose credibility."
"Two men are dead and you are worrying about losing credibility.
Gimme a break."
"Alright, put it this way, the man who said it works at Station 46."
Damn, that was the same station where Ralph worked.
"Do you think this guy killed Ralph and the Chief?"
"No, I don't. He's a redneck, a racist, but a murderer, I don't think so.
He ain't got the balls to do that."
"What is his name?"
"Look, I've given you the station number."
"There's over twenty people who work there. Can't you do better?"
"No. You're the detective. You figure it out."
I looked him directly in the eyes and said, "Why are you protecting him? And you of all people. For God's sake, you're married to a black woman."
"Don't pull that shit on me."
"So you're still hung up on protecting your white brothers."
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"Okay, his first name is Dan and there are only two Dans at Station 46
and one is black."
I smiled at him and said, "Thanks for the information. Before you ask, no I won't tell anyone that I got it from you."
"Thanks. But the truth is he isn't the one."
"Then who is the murderer?"
"I have no idea. That's your job to find out."
* * *
When I arrived at Station 46, I knocked on the door. I was greeted by a tall, olive skinned Latino man who was in his early thirties and well muscled. He would have been handsome if his face wasn't pock marked. I said, "I'm looking for Dan."
"Dan Robinson is in. Is that the one you're looking for?"
"Yeah." Shit, and if he wasn't the right one, I could still pump him for information about the racist Dan.
"Come on in. He's studying in the living room. What's your name."
"Jasmine Myers. And yours?"
"Carlos Garcia."
Carlos smiled at me like I was an old friend and took me into the living room.
"Dan, your friend Jasmine is here to see you."
Dan was in his early thirties of average height and he was about thirty pounds overweight. He looked downright bland and sexless. From his looks, he was the definition of a wimp. I couldn't believe that this man was a firefighter.
I extended my hand to Dan and said, "Mind if we talk in private?"
Dan looked like he was afraid of me.
Carlos winked and said, "In all these years, no woman has ever come by for you. This must be important. Go on and talk to her. You can use the Captain's office."
If Dan had been light-skinned, you could have seen his blush. Instead, he looked at Carlos sheepishly and said, "Okay. Let's go into the Captain's office."
We went into the office and shut the door.
"My name is Jasmine Myers and I am investigating the deaths of Ralph Woods and Richard Carpenter."
Dan's eyes glazed over and he looked at me like I had hit him hard in the mouth. His lips quivered and he said, "I don't know anything about their deaths."
I decided to bullshit with him and said, "Well, your name came up."
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"My name? That can't be right."
"A source told me that a firefighter named Dan worked at Station 46
and he wasn't exactly heartbroken about the Chief's death."
"You mean Dan Fulton. I'm Dan Robinson. He's a white guy who works here. He's an interesting person to work with."
"What do you mean?"
"He's just different. He won't shower at the station, because he is kind of a neat freak. He's afraid of catching germs."
"And he's a firefighter?"
"We all have to earn a living. Heck, if I had my way, I wouldn't be here."
"Oh yeah, what would you be doing?"
"Probably working as a kindergarten teacher."
"Why aren't you doing that?"
"Because my father Phillip Robinson was the first African-American firefighter in San Jose and I was his only son. I wanted to teach little kids, but my father said a kindergarten teacher was a sissy's job. He told me that my calling was to be a firefighter and there was nothing else I could do."
I said quietly, "You know Dan, you don't have to live for your father.
You're a grown man and you can do whatever you want you want to do."
"Well, you don't know my father. Anyway, why are we talking about him?"
"Okay, let's change the subject. Do you know when Dan will be in?"
"He's got the next couple days off. He'll be in on Thursday."
Two days was way too long to wait. "Do you have his address?"
"We're not supposed to give out people's addresses."
I squeezed Dan's hand and looked him directly into his eyes, "This is really important. I think you're really a nice guy. Can't you make an exception?"
Dan's eyes lit up and he smiled. He said, "You really think so. Okay, just this once. But please, don't tell anybody."
Jesus Christ. This man probably has never even gone on a date in his life. I didn't want to give him the wrong impression, so I said, "As a private investigator, I never reveal my sources of confidential information."
Dan then punched in a couple of commands on the computer and pulled up the address. He wrote it down on a scrap piece of paper.
He said, "He lives in Gilroy. Here's his address."
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Dan then handed me a wadded piece of paper.
"Thanks Dan, I really appreciate your help."
Dan grinned at me and said, "If you need anything else, let me know."
I could tell from his eyes that he was interested in me. The last thing I needed to deal was the Pillsbury Doughboy's little brother looking for his first girlfriend. I'm sorry but I am not into training anyone on the art of love.
I knew that my next statement would hurt him, but I said it anyway.
"Sure, if anything comes up, you will be contacted by one of my assistants."
Dan's face fell and he quietly said, "Okay."
Then I shook his hand good-bye with a distant handshake. Again, I didn't want to lead him on.
* * *
Forty-five minutes later, I arrived at Dan Fulton's house. To my surprise, three firefighters were hovering outside of Dan's home. I went up to them and said, "My name is Jasmine Myers and I am a private investigator." A tall man in his late forties with graying hair and a slight paunch approached me and said, "God, the word spreads fast."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Dan was just found dead in his bathroom."
Dan was dead? What the hell was happening? First Ralph, the Chief, and now Dan. None of it made any sense.
"He died of the inhalation of ammonia and bleach. Apparently, the bathroom door jammed when he was cleaning it, and he passed out and died."
I asked, "So are you calling it an accident?"
"Not with the deaths of Ralph Wood and Richard Carpenter. Someone deliberately locked Dan in the bathroom."
"Any proof?"
"None at this time, but the police are on their way and believe me, this place will be combed for everything."
Three dead firefighters. Kristal's husband, the Chief, and Dan. Had Kristal killed them
? Why would she kill Dan? Unless, they had some sort of relationship. But the odds of her having relationship with him were highly unlikely. After all, Dan was a known racist.
No, she couldn't have killed Dan. But there were no other clues.
Maybe Kristal had killed Ralph and someone else had killed the Chief and Dan. But that scenario didn't make sense either.
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And if Kristal had killed Ralph and the Chief, why had she come to me? After all, everyone thought both their deaths were accidents. And if she had kept quiet, no one would have questioned their deaths. Unless Kristal was psychotic, her hiring me didn't make sense.
Right now, I had no clue who the murderer was. I just needed something to tip me in the murderer's direction and not a goddamn thing had come up.
By the time, I got back to my office; my answering machine was full of messages from five different television and radio stations. I also had a message from Keith.
I decided that I did not want to deal with the media. I certainly couldn't report that Kristal was on my list of suspects. Or better yet, there was no other evidence pointing to anyone else. No, my investigation was incomplete and there was no point in talking to anyone.
I then called Keith.
"So what's up?"
"Jazz, I heard about Dan Fulton's death."
"So what do you make of it?"
"Everyone is pointing their fingers to Kristal. The word on the grapevine is that she killed Ralph, the Chief, and Dan. She has been taken into questioning."
"Is there evidence?"
"None, at this point. But a search warrant has been issued to search her place."
"That's a waste of time. There's nothing in it."
"The FBI also has been called in. It's really intense."
"So, do you think Kristal killed them?"
"You know Kristal is capable a lot of things. But murder, that's something she wouldn't do."
"Why do you think that?"
"A lot of people don't like Kristal, because of her attitude. A lot of folks think that she is uppity. But I know Kristal and she has a good heart.
She's not the murdering type."
"Keith, there is no one type of murderer."
"Jazz, I know that she didn't kill them and she couldn't have killed them."
"Keith, if she didn't kill Ralph, the Chief, and Dan, then who did?"