Return to Murder

by John Osipowicz

  “What was on that inner cover?” Flip asked. “It might be something Larry got into right before his death since he separated it in the book from the parts related to the Jessup family.”

  “There’s only a first name at the top. Who is Hiram?”

  “Oh, my gosh, I hadn’t thought about him for years. He’s almost like a myth connected to the town.”

  “Sometimes to me this whole town seems like a myth. Tell me about Hiram.”

  “Back about a dozen years ago, a young kid, maybe two years old was found wandering the streets. He had on a good pair of pants and shirt, and almost new shoes. Nobody knew where he came from. Ma Blessing took it upon herself to take care of the kid and eventually wanted to adopt him. One time when I was having a drink at the bar Walt brought up Hiram’s name. I guess through his affair with Ma he also became acquainted with the kid and liked him. That day the kid was found wandering the streets, all he could tell about himself was that he was called Hiram. He seemed to have no knowledge of where he came from. That night at the bar, Walt told me that Ma Blessing has come to him long ago to see if he could help her find where the kid was from. At that time, Walt was one of the few people in town who had a computer, so he let the kid play with it to see what would happen. For three or four years the kid merely played games on it, but then with his schooling in town teaching him to read and write, one day he typed in the words Old City Market.”

  “That’s some place not too far from here?” Todd asked.

  “On the contrary, very far. When Walt himself googled it, Charleston South Carolina came up. The kid could be from somewhere around there. The kid himself could supply no additional information. Either he couldn’t or wouldn’t tell. He seemed to get a little scared when Walt tried to push his memory.”

  “Where is the kid now? He’s not at the rooming house.”

  “After Ma was killed, Clem said he would be unable to take care of what was becoming a most volatile pre-teen. Apparently Ma had been able to mostly calm the boy, but with her gone Hiram became wild. Who takes care of him now is one of our best social workers at the Calypso Clinic. At first Hiram went to Erin for therapy and counseling, but within a year she herself adopted him now that Clem had given up the kid. Erin Brock never married and is an only child, so I guess she was glad to have a companion at this stage of her life. Her parents had her when they were older, and they are now deceased. I’ll give you her address. But what notes did my brother write on that last page of the notebook about Hiram Brock? Erin wanted to give him her name, and he accepted.”

  “There are only a few sentences. There is a list of three names: Barber, McPherson, and Everson. And then Larry writes, Too costly to pursue. From what you’ve just told me, I guess he meant he couldn’t go down to Charleston to keep investigating this kid.”

  “I have been criticizing my brother unjustly. He seems to have done a good beginning to try to solve the two murders. And now you can take it up where he left off.”

  “Only with your help, Flip.”

  “Yes, maybe I can make Larry proud of me wherever he is now.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The next morning Todd and Flip were ready to start on their quest for the killer. At least Flip was ready because he knocked on Todd’s door at a little past six A.M.

  “Flip, I don’t think killers get up this early,” Todd said at the door with only his one eye open. “Maybe tomorrow we could begin closer to eight.”

  “Sure, anything you say, Boss. With Larry gone I feel alone in the apartment. I didn’t sleep well last night. But the McDonald’s is open at this time. We can grab a great breakfast.”

  Flip’s idea of a great breakfast was two bags of fries, a large strawberry shake, and a cherry pie. “Flip, I know I’m not your mother, but with that kind of eating you won’t live too long.”

  “I eat like that all the time, and I feel fine. Larry and I never knew our mom. Our dad told us she took off soon after I was born. Larry wasn’t even three. Larry told me she was nice, but our dad was mean to her. He was mean to us, also, calling us names and giving us beatings. He died in a bar fight when I was ten. He worked at the canning factory and had saved some money; that helped Larry and me to survive at the beginning. It’s terrible to say, but I was glad when Reb died. Larry said he wanted to become a preacher to help people who were having a tough life. I guess he influenced a lot of people because when our previous sheriff died of cancer, the town wanted him to be sheriff. They even got up a petition. Larry figured he could do both jobs. But then when our coroner was killed in a boating accident, again the town looked to Larry to take over. That’s when he told Wendy she would have to help him, in what he called the dead jobs.”

  “From what I heard he knew things about being an undertaker. How did that come about?”

  “He was the one who was most abused by Reb. Larry would often defend me, and then he’d get twice the beating. He said if he could be an undertaker, every time he would see a coffin going into the ground he would think it would be Reb, our dad. Even the caskets in the church services, again for Larry it would be Reb in there. So he did some studying. Then five years ago when our drinking water was poisoned and Larry got to see all those dead bodies, he told me that he didn’t need to imagine Reb in the coffins anymore. He was over it.”

  “I have to say, Flip, you don’t seem as angry about how your dad treated you.”

  “Like I said, my beatings were not as severe as Larry’s, and I always knew that Larry would be there to protect me if things ever got real violent. The month before Reb died in that bar fight, Larry actually punched him back. It didn’t hurt him, but it sure surprised him. Larry really got beat up that night.”

  “So why did you want to go into law enforcement. It wasn’t to rid yourself of your dad’s memory.”

  “I guess I was just accustomed to following my brother. He did it, so I did it also. I knew I couldn’t be an undertaker or a preacher, but I could try to catch the bad guys.”

  “But now that Larry’s gone, you don’t have to keep doing this.”

  “I guess that’s true. I never really thought about what I wanted to do. I’ll have to think about it.”

  “You can start by not calling me, Boss. Just Todd is fine.”

  “Sure, Bo--. . .uh, Todd. But like I said I want to be with you until we can catch Larry’s killer. Then I’ll decide if I want to stay longer.”

  “I’m glad to have you as a partner, Flip.”

  After breakfast Flip directed Todd to where the Jessup family lived. They drove three miles into a wooded area. Todd was totally surprised what he saw there. In the middle of the forest a large area had been cleared away. The land had been leveled, and there stood three sturdy looking ranch homes, quite unlike some of the shacks Todd had seen surrounding the town. Encircling these homes was a twelve-foot high wrought iron fence with spikes at the top of it. The doors to the gate were closed.

  “Those homes are positioned at angles to each other as if they do represent an entire family,” Todd said. “It reminds me of the Kennedy compound up at Hyannis Port.”

  “I don’t know who that is,” Flip said.

  “He was President of the United States in the 60’s. He and his brother were shot to death.”

  “Oh.”

  “When you went to school, did they teach you any history?”

  “I liked all the teachers. I could tell they wanted us to learn stuff, but I wasn’t very good at learning. I didn’t remember much about what they told me. I think they just passed me on so I wouldn’t keep embarrassing their efforts.”

  “What do you like to do as a hobby or for fun?”

  “I like to draw, but they didn’t have any classes like that in school. At home Reb would rip up my drawings telling me I was a sissy. I hid some of the stuff I did.”

  “Do you still have those?”

  Yeah, Larry liked my pictures.”

  “You’ll have to show them to me.”

  “S
ure Boss, I mean Todd.”

  Todd drove the car up to the formidable gate. “How do we get in there?” he asked Flip.

  “I don’t know. No one ever tries to call on the Jessup clan.”

  “Why are the Jessups thought of so badly around here?”

  “I never knew why. The only thing I could figure was that they were so much different from everyone else.”

  “Did they ever do any harm to people in the town?”

  “Not that I know of. They keep to themselves almost all the time, and people here don’t like that. Also, none of them worked at the canning factory or Wal-Mart like most folks did.”

  “How did they make their money? They had to spend some to clear out this forest part, and also their homes are not shabby looking.”

  “People whispered around that they peddled drugs, but I don’t know anyone who ever had any proof of it. Larry was on the alert for that, and he never caught any Jessup selling the stuff. They were a mystery to the town. People wanted to find out more about them, but no one ever succeeded in doing it.”

  “I see there’s a button by the side of the gate. Why don’t you push it and see what happens?”

  “Oh, no. I’m not going to push it. Not at all. There were stories that the entire fence is electric. And touching any part of it could kill a person. Children were not allowed to play even near this forest area. We were told that monsters lived behind these walls.”

  “I think I’ll push that button and see what happens,” Todd said.

  “What happened was a voice over the intercom saying, “Yes, could I help you?”

  “I’m the new sheriff in town. Could I talk with your family for a few minutes?”

  “Sure, I’ll be right down.”

  “Well, Flip, I haven’t been electrocuted, and it seems someone is coming down to let us in.”

  “I closed my eyes right before you pushed it. I didn’t want to see you go up in smoke. But now I’m surprised. I was as afraid of the Jessups as anyone. Maybe they’re not too bad.”

  “If you come to believe that idea, Flip, spread the word.”

  Now approaching the gate was not a guard with a gun, but a gray-haired woman possibly in her beginning fifties. She asked Todd for some I.D., and after she looked at it she opened the gate. “Please come in, Detective Henson. Hello, Flip. I’m sorry to hear about your brother. It seemed like the always tried to do some good for the town.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  She put out her hand to Todd. “Good to meet you. I’m Milly, the witch-like mom of this cult, as I’ve heard us Jessups referred to. This is Gilly’s and my house here on the right. That’s my daughter’s house on the left, and Gilly’s brother Willy lives back there.” She pointed to a place near a pond. “Willy runs the gas station as you come into town, but both Gilly and Lily work on the computer from home so you’ll be able to meet them today. Come right this way.”

  Todd could see the astonishment on Flip’s face that this feared woman appeared so normal.

  The three homes were brick and looked sturdy enough to withstand any fierce Midwest winter. Inside was compact and clean with living room, kitchen and a small dining area. The hallway probably led to a bathroom and bedroom. Todd could see it all in one glance.

  “Could I get you some iced tea?” Milly asked.

  “No, I don’t want any,” Flip said.

  “I’ll have glass,” Todd replied and under his breath he whispered, Flip. It’s not going to be poison.

  “I guess I’ll have a glass,” Flip conceded. After Milly walked into the kitchen he added, “She seems nice.”

  “Yes, but be careful, she might bring a knife from the kitchen and try to stab you.”

  “I know, Todd. I deserve that.”

  “The whole town deserves it for treating the Jessups like creatures from Hell. Possibly one of them is the killer, but we have to prove it, not decide ahead of time.”

  “Maybe I’m learning the first rule of being a good cop.”

  Milly was back with the iced tea. Before Todd could ask a question she started in. “I suppose you’re here about what I’m calling The Clockwork Murders, the ones that occur every May 10th at ten for the last three years?”

  Todd said, “The Clockwork Murders. That’s a good title for what’s been happening.”

  “I run an on-line news column for the local paper. That’s what I’ve been calling the killings. I know most of the rest of the town suspects us Jessups of every kind of criminal act, so I suppose that’s why you’re here. Flip, your brother talked to me already once about the first two killings.”

  “We’ve read Larry’s notes about that interview,” Todd said. “I want to ask you about your fight with Ma Blessing.”

  “Ma was not the positive force her last name implies. She always told me that she wanted our entire family to move away, and then the last few years she’s advanced to name-calling. I wasn’t going to tolerate that, and I told her for the first time what I thought about her. My language was salty, to say the least. She took a swing at me. I’m faster than I look and so I avoided the punch. As she was winding up to try to hit me again, I gave her one punch which put her down. I thought that would be the end of it, but a week later she jumped me from behind and I had to do my one-punch thing again.”

  “That’s not what Larry’s notes stated. According to his notebook, Ma won both fights, and therefore you might have wanted revenge against her.”

  “I see. The truth is, Detective, when he interviewed me he did not ask me about the fights. We talked more about why we Jessups are so separate from the rest of the community. For those notes, possibly what Larry was relying on was the hearsay in the community about the fight. I can’t prove my words to you, but it truly was one punch and down each time with Ma eventually lying flat.”

  Flip interrupted, “What answer did you give to my brother as to why your family is so separate?”

  “It’s not been our plan to do that, but when personal computers became popular we invested in them. We got thoroughly into the internet, and as we got older Gilly and I started to make some investments from family money that we inherited. We were very successful and have continued making new investments. Thus, we haven’t much needed to leave our homes especially since the community out there is so hostile to us.”

  “So why don’t you all just leave and go somewhere else?” Flip got a deep frown from Todd for that question.

  “This is our home area,” Milly said. “Gilly and I almost single-handedly cleared out this part of the forest, and then when our on-line profits started coming in we replaced the shacks that were here with the homes you now see. Would you want to leave something you were proud of? I want to stay in what we have worked hard to build.”

  “I think I understand. Sorry, ma’am.”

  “You two are doing what almost no one does, talking to us,” Milly said. “Robert Frost wrote a poem once called, Building Wall where a neighbor each spring rebuilt the wall that the winter had eroded. Each year he did that he said to himself, Good fences make good neighbors. That’s what this town does each spring—they rebuild the wall.”

  Flip wasn’t quitting. “But you people are the ones who have this wall surrounding your houses.”

  “When we first built these homes, at least once a week there was vandalism to the outside plus hate signs were put up. We built the wall for our protection. I’ve told Gilly, if it looks like the town is beginning to accept us more, this wall is coming down. He agrees, but so far that acceptance hasn’t happened yet. At the moment Gilly is at the General Store getting supplies. You can talk to him when he gets back if you wish. I’ll phone my daughter and you can visit with her right next door in the meantime.”

  Back outside, Flip asked, “Why didn’t Larry talk with Milly about those fights?”

  “Your brother might have been more prejudiced than you ever thought, and he took the word of the community as the gospel truth.”

  “The other possibi
lity is that Milly was lying to us.”

  “I guess that’s possible, but let’s keep going with the rest of the family and see what we find. She said Gilly’s gone to the General Store for some supplies and we can talk to him later when he gets back. She called their daughter Lily as you heard, and she’d be glad to talk to us. So here we are now at the house next door.”

  This house already from the outside was fancier with the wide porch, stained glass windows and an oak door. Lily met them on the porch. She had the same thinness as her mother but seemed frail and brittle compared to Milly’s more vibrant appearance. Todd wondered if she had been ill recently.

  “Welcome. Milly said you were coming. We don’t get many visitors.” She looked at Todd. “Milly said you’re investigating these murders we’ve been having lately. I don’t know if I can be of much help, but please come in.”

  “Once inside, before Todd and Flip could even sit down, Lily said, “I’ve just made cupcakes. They will put weight on you like lightning, but they’re so good going down. They’re my specialty. You have to try them.”

  It didn’t seem that they could refuse. She also brought each a cold glass of iced tea. The house had a similar layout to Milly’s except two walls leading to the kitchen had been knocked down making the entire layout open. Paintings of winter scenes decorated the walls; Milly’s paintings, by contrast, had featured ocean views and beaches almost exclusively. The picture that stood out here was a photo of a bright red Piper Cub airplane. Lily noticed Todd looking at the photo.