by Maxwell Cynn
“Iced Tea,” he said. “It's a mix of five different liquors. I didn't think about it when you ordered.” He poured her another cup of coffee. “When I came back you were on your second and you'd made a new friend.”
She avoided his gaze and stared into her coffee. “I'm so embarrassed,” she said softly. “I don't drink. And I got you into a fight. That man was huge. He could have hurt you.”
“He was big, but slow. He had a cast iron jaw, though.”
“He knocked you across the room. Is anything else hurt?”
“I'm just a little sore. I've been in worse scraps.”
“Did you find out anything from the girls, at least?”
“Deputy Mechum, the same one who found Dunhill's body, had a thing for young colored girls and he likes to get rough.”
“He was the arresting officer as well.”
“It gets more interesting all the time,” Jack mused aloud.
“You think he convinced the girls to lie about where they saw Dunhill and Locklear?”
“It wouldn't be the first time I've had suspicions about Mechum.”
“You know him?”
“We've met once or twice.” Mechum had been a stumbling block to Jack and Daniel's investigations more than once. He had even threatened them if they didn't back off. Jack had a suspicion that he was on the payroll of the Chicago mobsters.
Helen picked up the ice pack. Jack's hand was shades of red and purple, darkening toward black.
“Can you move your fingers?”
He flexed his fingers slightly and winced in pain.
“I don't think anything's broken. It just hurts like hell.”
“Your left doesn't look as bad, but it's swelling too.”
“I didn't get as good a shot in with the left,” he said with a pained smile.
“Well I'm sure his face is more damaged than your fists.” She reached out and touched the bruise that had darkened on Jacks cheek. “He got you pretty good too.”
“He caught me off guard with the first one.”
“Well,” she said, pouring them both another cup of coffee, “Goliath's name is Jesse Greer. He told me Miss Dunhill was a regular. He wasn't there the night she was killed, but he's known her for quite a while and said she had been seeing Locklear steadily for the past few months. Her family knew about the relationship, but didn't approve.”
“So you weren't just flirting with Mr. Greer?”
She smacked Jack on the shoulder in mock anger, then laughed. “Actually I was getting drunk and picking up colored men, but as long as we were talking I thought I'd ask. Then you had to come along and spoil it.”
“I'm sorry. Next time I'll let 'em have you.”
They both smiled and sipped their coffee. Jack had never known a woman he felt that comfortable with. It was so easy to laugh and joke with her. Even though they had just met, it seemed like they had known each other for years. She seemed so comfortable, so relaxed, so familiar somehow.
“I am sorry you got hurt, Jack. Thank you for saving me.”
“Anytime.”
A knock on the back door, at almost two in the morning, startled them both. Jack jumped to his feet and Helen almost spilled her coffee. Jack spun around and saw a familiar face peering in the small panes of glass that filled the top half of the kitchen door. He walked to door and opened it.
“Hey Jack,” Steve said. He smiled and walked in the door. “I saw the light on and wanted to make sure Catherine was okay.”
Steve was in uniform, holding a large flashlight in his left hand.
“Come on in Steve. Have a cup of coffee.”
“Hi, Steve,” Helen said, sweetly. She stood up and retrieved another cup from the pantry and poured Steve a cup.
“Hey, Helen. I'm sorry, am I interrupting?” Steve gave Jack a questioning look.
“No, come on in. Do you like cream or sugar?” Helen asked.
Jack smiled and waved his friend inside.
“Black, thanks,” Steve took off his leather jacket and set the flashlight on the counter. “Damn, Jack. What happened to your face?”
“I got into a little misunderstanding with a rather large colored gentleman.”
“He was defending my honor,” Helen interjected. She set a fresh cup of coffee on the table for Steve.
They all sat down, Helen between the two men. Steve eyed the ice-pack then noticed Jacks hand.
“I guess he looks worse?”
“He was taking a nap when we left,” Jack said wryly.
“Black Jack Spaulding.” Steve laughed, holding his hands up like a boxer. “You still have that deadly right hook. Did Jack tell you he was national champ in college?”
“No, but it doesn't surprise me after the way he dispatched that man tonight.”
“Fastest hands in the South,” Steve said, tapping Jacks shoulder with a playful jab. “You've heard of the one-two punch? Jack was the master of the one-two-three,” he said. He demonstrated in the air with a right-left-right, adding a “Pow” to the last right.
“Well it's getting rather late,” Helen said, standing. “I'll leave you boys to discuss fighting style.”
They both stood and watched her put her cup in the sink and walk out.
“Goodnight, Helen.” they said together.
After she had left the room, Jack looked hard at Steve. “You know Helen?”
“Sure,” Steve said, as if it were obvious. “Well, you probably don't remember her. She's friends with Suzy.”
“Your little sister?”
“Yeah. They were in the same class, a few years behind us. She used to come over to the house a lot when we were kids. I haven't seen her since she went off to college, until recently. She sure grew into a fine woman.”
“Yes. A very interesting woman.”
“So, where did you take her that got you into a fight?”
“We were over in Biddleville at the Excelsior Club.”
“What were you doing taking her over there?”
“She's a lawyer now, Steve. She works with Nathan. He's defending that Lumbee they arrested on the Dunhill murder.”
“I heard about that. I guess you're working the story.”
“It's turning out to be an interesting story. What do you know about a Deputy Mechum?”
“Nobody can prove anything, but he's dirty. He shakes down some of the coloreds, from what I've heard. So what were you doing over in Biddleville after dark?”
“The deceased was last seen at the Excelsior Club, with her boyfriend, the young Lumbee. But the official report says they were at the Crown Club.”
“They're covering up that she was in a colored club,” Steve said knowingly.
“And that she was involved with a Lumbee.”
“The Dunhills are a powerful family, Jack.”
“And Mechum isn't above doctoring the report for a price.”
“Was he the arresting officer?”
“Yes. He found the body and he made the arrest. Some of the witnesses have found new employment at the Crown.”
“Damn,” Steve said. “So you plan to blow apart the cover-up?”
“I'm considering it,” Jack said and smiled. “I'm also helping Helen out. She thinks the Lumbee is being framed.”
“So it's not just the family keeping their daughter's indiscretion quiet. You think the Sheriff's Department is railroading the Lumbee to get a quick conviction.”
“If you're going to make up a case, why not create a good one? The Lumbee's an easy mark, all the witnesses are colored, and the arresting officer isn't above abusing the law, so it's an easy conviction and no one really cares. Not even the colored community is going to get fired up over some Lumbee from down east. The DA will probably offer Nathan a deal and it'll never go to trial.”
“You think Nathan will tell his client to take the plea?”
“That depends on what Helen and I can dig up before he meets with the DA. As the case stands it's not a sure bet either way, but if it goe
s to trial it's going to be murder one. If Nathan's not sure he can win he might suggest his client plead crime of passion and take man-slaughter.”
“Do you think the Lumbee is innocent?”
“I think the whole case smells foul. The family wants to make it go away more than they want justice. A trial is going to air a lot of dirty secrets. And the Sheriff is happy to oblige and play hero. It is an election year.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“I don't want to get you into trouble, Steve.”
“Hey, the brass was steamed over the Sheriff's Department grandstanding and freezing us out of the investigation. If Locklear is innocent, and we grab the real killer, the Chief will love me.”
Jack told Steve everything he knew or suspected so far in the case, then he went quietly to his room. It was almost four in the morning by the time he laid down to sleep, but he set his alarm to seven so he could pull together an article before his deadline at ten. He was very careful in what he reported about the arrest and called the investigation “ongoing,” though he knew it had all but ended with Locklear's arraignment. He hinted at the affair between Locklear and Dunhill, and her presence at a colored jazz club, but walked a very thin line along the accepted official account, while he brought much of it into question. It was a good piece. Not his best, but it said what he wanted to say without actually saying it.
He wrote out his short article by hand and took it in early to Sally.
“Can you type this up for me?” he asked sweetly.
“Sure, Jack,” she said, a little surprised. Then she noticed his hand. “What happened to you?”
“A little disagreement. Nothing important.”
“You need to go have the doc look at that. I'll get this typed up and give it to Bill right away. Have you soaked it?” She held his hand and looked at it intently. She looked up and noticed his face. She stood. “He got you in the cheek, too. Jack...” she trailed off into a sad sigh, stroking his cheek.
“I'm fine. Nothing broken. I'll be good as new in a day or two. Thanks for typing this for me.”
“Anything you need, Jack, just bring it in and I'll type it for you. You need to rest that hand. And soak it in some Epson Salts.”
“I will,” he promised and hurried out before she noticed his other hand.
Chapter Ten
Jack spent the morning chasing down all of the witnesses listed in the case. They'd each nervously held to their testimony, even though it was obvious they were lying. He'd grown more frustrated as the day went by. He could tell the witnesses were afraid of something, or someone, and he believed that someone to be Deputy Sheriff Mechum.
He met Helen at Tanner's Grill for lunch. The small diner was a favorite of locals. The fried bologna sandwiches had a slice of bologna almost half an inch thick smothered in mayonnaise and the hotdogs were the best in the Carolinas.
“I think he constructed a case and then intimidated the witnesses to back him up,” Jack told Helen as they ate. “I'm surprised he doesn't have an eye-witness to the shooting. What I can't get is why. This is more than a cover-up to help the family. Maybe he's going for promotion. Maybe he's going to run for Sheriff. Did you get anything else out of Locklear?”
“He's scared, Jack. I can't get him to open up. He just sticks to the same story.” She threw her arms up in exasperation.
“Did you ask him about Mechum?”
“He claims he didn't know Mechum before the arrest.”
“You don't sound like you believe him.”
“He's hiding something, Jack.”
“You still think he's innocent? Maybe he's hiding something because he killed the girl.”
“No. I don't think he killed her, but I think he knows who did.”
“So he's protecting someone else?”
“I don't know.” She tilted her head back in frustration, then looked at Jack again. “He's scared. But he's not telling me everything.”
Their waitress brought more sweet tea. She was a cute little colored girl, Jack thought, a little young to be working. She should have been in school. He shook it off, thinking he was just getting old. He watched Helen eat her sandwich. He tried to imagine her younger, hanging out with Steve's little sister. He remembered the two girls running around, giggling, when he was at Steve's house, but he couldn't reconcile that gangly little girl in his memory with the beauty sitting across the table from him.
“I was surprised that you know Steve,” he said casually, then took a sip of his tea.
“I guess you don't remember Suzy and I annoying you two.” She smiled. “Maybe that's good.”
“Not until Steve reminded me. I would have never made the connection.”
“I saw you at Steve's wedding, but I didn't speak. I didn't think you would remember me. Your friend Daniel was there too, I think. I read the article you wrote about him. What happened?”
“We were investigating bribery and corruption in local government.” Jack looked down at his plate. “Daniel was following the Chicago Mob angle and I was sticking to the local bootleggers. Mine was a blind alley, I already knew most of it, and most of them, but I think he found something big. There's a war brewing between the old bootleggers and the mobsters. I think the mobsters are trying to push the good ole boys out, so they can have total control. Unfortunately, Daniel took whatever he had to the grave with him. I have some idea where he was heading with his part of the story, but I haven't found who killed him yet or what he had on them.”
“I don't remember him, growing up. He wasn't from Charlotte, was he?”
“No, he was from Chicago. Damn carpetbagger.” He laughed. “That's why he took the mob angle. We all know who owns who in town, but these new guys are a wild card. The old bootleggers just run the clubs, pay a few bribes, no real harm. The mobsters are bringing in all kinds of crime, or controlling it at least, and they are a lot more violent. Bootleggers might rough someone up, but they don't just shoot a man in the back of the head.”
Jack paused. His voice had begun to crack. He looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. Helen gently covered his hand with hers. He looked into her eyes and the pain in his almost broke her. He looked down, then back up to her and the pain was gone from his face. So controlled, so strong, Helen thought.
“He was a damn good reporter. He was about your age.”
“You make that sound so young, Jack. You know there's not that many years between us.”
“Maybe I'm just feeling old. You still keep up with Suzy?”
“Yeah. She's married and living in Fayetteville.”
“Steve told me she married a Lieutenant or something. I was up in Boone on assignment and couldn't go.”
“I was one of her bridesmaids. I didn't think I remembered you being at the wedding.”
“Daniel had a thing for her.” He smiled at the memory. “When he first came to Charlotte they went out a few times. It just tore him up when she got engaged.”
“I remember she told me she was dating a writer and a soldier at the same time. She was always the popular one.” She laughed and Jack joined her. “I told her it better not be you...” She trailed off and looked down, embarrassed.
“Steve would have killed me if I'd tried to date his sister. Of course, I never could think of her as anything but a kid. He didn't mind Daniel so much. I guess it was different once we were all grown up. Daniel was just another one of her boyfriends.”
“I had such a crush on you, growing up.” She spoke softly, not meeting his eyes.
Jack wasn't sure what to say. He fiddled with his glass of tea nervously. The woman across from him was miles away from the annoying little girl he remembered, but part of her was still there in her shy smile, her embarrassed blush, and her furtive gaze. He remembered her being underfoot whenever he was with Steve at his house. The two girls would stick to them like gum on their shoe wherever they went. Suzy, just to be a nuisance, but Helen...
They were only a few years younger, but at
that age they seemed like little kids to the young men preparing to graduate and go off to college. The age didn't amount to much at all anymore. He had dated women younger than Helen. She was probably twenty-three, he mused, a college graduate, soon to be a lawyer. It may have been a big difference between thirteen and eighteen years old back when they were in school, but hell, Suzy already had kids and her husband was a year older than Jack.
“I haven't thought about those days in a long time.” He struggled to break the uncomfortable silence. “Steve and I were inseparable.”
“So were Suzy and I. I guess we all grew up and grew apart. I've only seen her a couple of times since her wedding. I was in Greensboro, and she moved to Fort Bragg. We kinda lost touch.”
“Steve and I were still pretty close until recently,” Jack said sadly. “When Daniel came along he just fell in like a natural. It was like the three of us had always been friends, and always would be.”
“What happened, Jack?”
“Daniel and I didn't want Steve to get hurt, or get in trouble with his job. He took it wrong. He thought we didn't trust him, or didn't want him around anymore. But he had a family and responsibilities. Hell, Daniel got killed. What if that had been Steve? So we kept him out.”
“Have you told him that?”
“I've tried, after Daniel died, but he said being married doesn't change anything. He said he could have still watched our backs even though he's wearing a uniform, maybe even better. I know he can, and would. But what would it cost him if things went bad? At least Daniel was like me, all we had to worry about was each other.”
“Don't you think Steve still worries? How do you think losing Daniel made him feel? How would he feel if he lost you?”
“I know. He's got a lot of guilt that he wasn't there to help, and anger we didn't let him. But what if it had been him? Nobody gives a damn if I get whacked, but Steve has a family.”
“He cares, Jack. A lot of people would care.” She squeezed lightly on the hand she was still holding and he looked up into her eyes. They were swimming with fear and unshed tears.
“Hey,” he said, forcing a happier mood and patting the back of her hand. “They're not going to get me like they did Daniel, and they are sure as hell not going to hurt Steve.”