Cactus Island, A Stan Turner Mystery Vol 8

by William Manchee

CHAPTER 38

  VERDICT

  The judge asked the jury to come in on Saturday and continue their deliberations. This meant I'd be spending the weekend in Palo Pinto. Paula and Jodie had left after closing arguments on Friday so I was alone and had decided to catch up on my sleep. It was about 10:00 a.m. when the telephone awoke me. It was Rebekah wanting to know how I was and if I had heard anything.

  “The jury is still out.”

  “How do you feel the trial went?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m worried. Simms’ closing argument was pretty persuasive. Our only hope is that the jury wasn’t listening.”

  She laughed. “Come on. . . . On the news they said it could go either way.”

  “Really? . . . Well, that’s encouraging.”

  “I’m sure it will turn out fine.”

  “I hope so.”

  We talked awhile about what she and the kids were going to do for the weekend and then I asked her how Peter was doing."

  "He was as high as a kite. I can't believe you let him tell his story to the jury."

  "I can't believe the judge let me, but I'm glad he did. It was good for the jury to know what Steven had been hearing at the campfires all those years. I think he really believed there were spaceships landing at Cactus Island."

  "I heard on the news that all the tourists left town."

  "Yeah, it's almost like a ghost town now. The media is still here to get the verdict, but that's about it."

  "Have you seen the news since the jury went out?"

  "No."

  "Apparently you're not too popular with the UFO fanatics right now."

  "I don't know why. I didn't prove Steven didn't see a spaceship. I just explained how he could have been distracted by the drilling rig or something other than a spaceship."

  "I know. But you made it look like that businessman was behind the whole thing."

  "Robert Swanson?"

  "Uh huh. I'd hate to be in his shoes right now."

  "Yeah. He's in deep shit, I'd say."

  "Oh, Jimmy's mother called. She wants to talk to you. She said she's left messages at the motel but you haven't returned her calls."

  "Well, I haven't checked my messages since yesterday after the jury went out. I was so tired, I told them at the desk to hold my calls, except for you and the office, of course. I'll call her."

  After she hung up, I took a hot shower, got dressed, and called the front desk for my messages. There were a lot of them, mostly from people I didn't know. First I called Barbara Falk and apologized for not calling her back promptly.

  "It's okay. I know it's probably strange to be getting a call from me, but I just had to talk to you."

  "It's okay. Listen. I'm really sorry about Jimmy. I know you may not think so, but I am. The fact that I'm defending Steven doesn't diminish the way I feel. This was just a—"

  "I know. I know. You're just doing your job, and that's why I wanted to talk to you. I'm worried about Steven."

  "Steven? Why?"

  "I don't think he's responsible for Jimmy's death and if he gets convicted, I don't know if I'll be able to live with myself."

  "What makes you feel this way?"

  "I don't know if you know this or not, but my ex-husband is Martin Windsor."

  Her words didn't compute. I shook my head wondering if I was fully awake. "Excuse me. What did you say?"

  "My ex-husband is Martin Windsor. You know, the one who is missing and presumed dead—your partner is defending his wife, Cheryl Windsor."

  "What? How could that be?"

  "It's a long story, but you need to hear it."

  "You've got that right. I'm listening."

  "Sixteen years ago Martin and I had a fling and I got pregnant. When he found out I was pregnant he was ecstatic and insisted we get married. So we did, right after Jimmy was born, and we lived together happily for about six years."

  "Uh huh."

  "Then things began to unravel. Martin wanted me to get pregnant again, but I couldn't. There were some complications with the first pregnancy that prevented it."

  "I see."

  "So we began to drift apart and then I discovered Martin was having an affair. He didn't try very hard to hide it. I think he wanted me to find out about it so I'd divorce him."

  "That doesn't make sense. If he was guilty of adultery he could lose everything."

  "He didn't care about money," Barbara said. "He had so much of it and was so good at making it, he wouldn't have cared if I got it or not. His main concern was maintaining his relationship with Jimmy."

  "Really? Okay. So you gave him the divorce?"

  "Yes, and he agreed to support us very nicely until Jimmy was 18. After the divorce I went back to my maiden name, Falk. Since Jimmy was born before we had been married his name was Falk on his birth certificate."

  "Martin didn't have a problem with that? I would think he'd want Jimmy to have his last name."

  "He didn't care about names. He was kind of a strange man."

  "Okay, so what's bothering you about this?" I asked.

  "Jimmy's death and then Cheryl's children being abducted."

  "I see. You think there's a connection?"

  "Yes. You see, I didn't take Jimmy's death well, so I went to a therapist. I'd been having nightmares and couldn't sleep. He suggested hypnosis."

  "Really. So, he hypnotized you?"

  "Yes, and since then I've remembered some things that are quite disturbing."

  A tingling sensation came over me. This was all becoming very bizarre. I suddenly remembered Cheryl telling us about Martin Windsor's aversion to hypnosis. He had told her that if she let herself be hypnotized, she'd die a violent death. I was afraid to hear what Barbara Falk was about to tell me, but I had no choice.

  "Go on, " I said.

  "When Martin found out I was pregnant, he made me change doctors immediately. He took me to this clinic that I'd never heard of before. I wasn't comfortable there at all. The doctor was very secretive, and he and Martin would go off and whisper to each other in a corner."

  "Hmm."

  "When my delivery date got close, Martin insisted I check in at the clinic until the baby came. I protested but he said the doctor had told him it was absolutely necessary because the baby was not positioned correctly in the womb and there could be complications. The strange thing is, after I checked in the hospital, I have no memory of the delivery."

  "What? How could that be?"

  "The doctor said it was traumatic amnesia, and I believed that up until I was put under hypnosis."

  I'd heard all this before from Cheryl—the same bizarre story. It couldn't be a coincidence that they both had a loss of memory. Martin or the doctors had obviously drugged them or did something to impede their memory. They must have. "What happened then?" I asked.

  "Now I remember bits and pieces of the delivery. I see flashes of many men hovering over me. Some of those men were very strange and talked in a language I'd never heard before."

  "Was it Hungarian? I think Windsor was Hungarian."

  "No. It wasn't a language I'd ever heard."

  Barbara told me more, but it wasn't anything I could use for an appeal. It was all too bizarre and I knew nobody would believe it. After I hung up, I called Paula to tell her about the conversation with Barbara. I knew she'd be interested to hear that our cases were related. I wondered why Cheryl hadn't mentioned that Barbara Falk was her husband's ex-wife. Paula's answering machine picked up and I listened to the message, but then another recording came on stating that the mailbox was full. That didn't surprise me since Paula had been in Palo Pinto all week and probably hadn't had a chance to clear her answering machine. I knew I'd have the same problem when I got back to the office. I called her cell phone but there was no answer there either.

   On Sunday I was really bored so I decided to go pay a visit to Doc Verner. After hearing Peter's version of the Cactus Island landings, I wondered about the alleged tunnels under the lake linking
it to the shore, and wondered why he hadn't mentioned them to me. His dogs quit barking as soon as they saw me. They were happy to see me. Doc Verner wasn't.

  "What are you doing here? Haven't you done enough damage already?"

  "What do you mean? Why am I the bad guy?"

  "You singlehandedly destroyed my life's work. Nobody believes in the Cactus Island landings now because of you."

  "But I didn't disprove the landings. All I proved was that Robert Swanson is a greedy bastard."

  "I know that, but the public won't see it that way. If part of it's a fraud, all of it's a fraud."

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

  "So, what do you want?" Verner barked.

  "Well, you never told me about the caves under the island. I was curious if there's any evidence to back that up."

  "Why do you care?"

  "Just curious, I guess. I hadn't heard that part of the story and it surprised me."

  Verner stared at me like I was crazy. "Yeah, there were some reports of caves that went under the lake and made a connection to Cactus Island, but nobody to my knowledge has ever found them."

  "Where did the reports come from?"

  "From seismic testing done by a wildcatter about ten years ago. He claimed he had hired a geologist to do some testing of potential well sites and one of the reports showed a system of caverns that started north of the lake and went underneath it. Of course, it would have cost a lot of money to verify the claim, so nobody ever did."

  "Did you ever go looking for an entrance to the caverns?"

  "Damn right. I spent days searching the north side of the lake, talking to people, and looking through public records hoping to find evidence that it existed."

  "Do you remember the name of the oil operator? I'd like to take a look at those geological studies."

  "I don't know. It's been a long time."

  "Well, if you can find out for me, I'd appreciate it."

  "Why? I didn't think you were a believer."

  I shrugged. "I don't know what I believe anymore, but I do know one thing—I don't like loose ends. I still don't know what Steven saw on September 10 and if he's convicted, I'll need to find out."

  Doc Verner didn't seem convinced that I was serious about solving the mystery of Cactus Island, but he did promise to try to recall the name of the oil operator. I thanked him and left. What I said was true. If Steven was convicted, I'd have to do a lot more digging into the Cactus Island landings, but even if he wasn't, it would be a fun hobby to work on with Peter. He was getting older and it was getting harder to find things to do together. His older brothers might get a kick out of it to. That night I slept well, despite the nagging worry about Steven's verdict. Somehow, I knew it would all work out.

  At 11:31 a.m. Monday morning, in the middle of a late breakfast, the telephone rang. It was the court clerk. The jury had reached a verdict. I got dressed quickly and drove to the courthouse. Reporters were scurrying inside and a handful of tourists crowded the hallway leading to the courtroom. The gallery was already full when I walked in. Carla Simms and her assistant were at the prosecution table and the bailiff was just bringing Steven in the side door. I nodded at Barbara Falk as I walked by and then made my way to the defense table. Steven's mother intercepted me and asked, "What do you think?"

  I smiled. "I don't know. I felt good when the jury went out, but I just don't know."

  I got to the defense table as the bailiff was taking off Steven's handcuffs and we shook hands.

  "Well, good luck," I said. "I hope you've said your prayers."

  Steven nodded. "I have, and I just wanted to say that, no matter what happens, you did a great job and I appreciate everything you've done for me."

  I shrugged. "I just wish I could have found those aliens. Everyone would have been a lot happier with me."

  We laughed and then we embraced. The bailiff said, "All rise."

  Judge Applegate came in and took the bench. "All right. Bailiff, please bring in the jury."

  The jury filed into the courtroom and took their seats.

  The judge looked at Steven. "The defendant will rise."

  Steven and I stood up. The judge looked at the jury and said, "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

  The first juror rose. "Yes, Your Honor. We have."

  The judge nodded. "What is your verdict?

  The juror looked at a piece of paper in his hand and said, "We, the jury, find the defendant, Steven Caldwell, not guilty on the charge of murder."

  Jenny Caldwell screamed and the crowd buzzed with excitement. Carla Simms shook her head in disgust and whispered something to her associate. I shook Steven's hand and then he ran over and embraced his mother. I looked over at Barbara Falk and saw she was smiling.

  "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury," the judge said. "You are excused. This case is adjourned. Bailiff, you may release the defendant. He is free to go."

  The press mobbed me as I left the courthouse. A reporter asked, "Mr. Turner. Were you pleased with the verdict?"

  "Yes. I felt Steven was innocent and I'm just glad the jury felt the same way."

  "Was there ever a moment that you felt you might lose?"

  "Yes, there were many moments like that, and this morning when I heard the jury was ready to come in, I got very scared. You just never know what the jury is thinking until the verdict is announced."

  "What do you think the deciding factor was in this case?"

  I laughed. "Why don't you ask the jurors that? They probably could answer that question better than me. I'm just glad Steven is free and can get on with his life."

  When I got back to the hotel I called Rebekah to tell her the news but she'd already heard about it on TV. Then I called the office to tell Paula because I knew she wouldn't be watching television. Jodie answered.

  "That's wonderful news. Steven must be ecstatic."

  "Yes, he and the family were on cloud nine. They're having a party tonight. We're all invited."

  "Sounds like fun."

  "Can I talk to Paula?"

  "Well, no. She's on her way to Tortola."

  "Tor what?"

  "Tortola. It's in the British Virgin Islands."

  "Why in hell is she going there?"

  Jodie explained to me Paula's mission and said she'd be calling us first thing in the morning before she met with the banker. I couldn't believe she had left the country without talking to me about it first. I immediately began to worry. The Martin Windsor case was an enigma if I'd ever seen one and there was nothing more frightening than the unknown. I was disappointed that I couldn't tell her about Steven's acquittal, but more importantly I wanted her to know that Barbara Falk was Martin Windsor's ex-wife. I didn't know exactly what it meant and how it would affect her case, but I knew it would be important. It was just too much of a coincidence.