Barbara Levenson - Mary Magruder Katz 03 - Outrageous October

by Barbara Levenson

  “Did Franz know him?”

  “Franz and my dad always said to stay away from him.”

  “That’s not my question. Do you know if Franz was acquainted with Roland?”

  “Papa Franz is no longer clear in his mind. In the last year, he has said that he knew Roland in Germany. We didn’t pay much attention to this because we didn’t know where Roland came from. There was speculation about him, but no one around here was sure.”

  “Your dad said that it was you who got Franz to talk about his experiences as a boy in the Holocaust,” Laura said.

  “He started helping me with some projects in high school and ended up making a great contribution to several history and writing classes. We even recorded a tape of his memories. His whole family was murdered or died of disease in various concentration camps. He was sent to Dachau where he was assigned cleaning work because he was young and strong. He had flash-backs for years about the atrocities he witnessed.

  “One thing that I never forgot was his explaining how close the camp was to the town of Dachau. He told us that the townspeople had to know what was happening there. They could smell the human flesh being burned.”

  “So do you think that Franz believed that Roland was one of those people who lived in that town?”

  “Objection,” I put my hand on Jeff’s arm. “Jeff doesn’t know what someone else thought.”

  “Just a minute, Mary. I want to tell Agent Morris something.”

  Before I could stop him, Jeff waved my hand away. “Just about everyone in this community knew that Roland was a nasty guy. We all knew that he hated Jews and that somewhere in this area there was a group that was carrying out hate crimes. At first there were a couple of incidents, but those events were escalating. I’m pretty sure that the U.S. attorney’s office wouldn’t be here in High Pines if there weren’t some hate crimes or even seditious acts happening here.” Jeff was standing in front of Laura Morris.

  “Jeff, please sit down,” I said.

  “Just one last question,“ Laura said. “Did you suspect that Roland Behr was a member or leader of this hate group?”

  “Of course not. If we knew this, we’d have taken this knowledge to the proper authorities immediately. As it was, the Rabbi met with Curtis Lemay to let him know about the various acts occurring at our temple.”

  “All right, Jeff. Please write down the address of the assisted living facility where your grandfather lives and the name of the nurse that helped you on October twelfth so we can check into this further.”

  “Does that mean that you don’t believe me?” Jeff glared at Laura.

  “Jeff, it’s Agent Morris’s job to fact check. You and I can check with the nurse as well,” I said as I gathered my file and notes. We moved quickly out of the building. I told Sophie and Jeff not to worry. Then I left the parking lot and headed straight over to Dash’s office.

  CHAPTER

  SIXTY-NINE

  Daisy was not on the phone for once. She came around her desk and led me into the library, explaining that Dash was in a client conference. I could tell she was eager to hear how the interviews had gone.

  “The Goldsteins are very nice people. They’ve been through difficult times with Franz,” I began.

  Without divulging the content of my clients’ statements, I asked Daisy if she knew that Franz had been imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp.

  “Oh, yes, I heard him give a talk at a high school assembly when the school allowed the public to attend. But did you know that Jeff and Sophie visited the camp?”

  “What? When was this?” I asked.

  “When they finished college and before they were married they took a few months and backpacked through Europe. They made a special side trip to Germany to see where Jeff’s grandfather had been. Jeff spoke to a forum at the temple. He was pretty shaken by what he saw.”

  The phone rang and Daisy left to get back to her desk. Thoughts swirled in my brain. Could Jeff have actually murdered Roland as retribution? He seemed too smart to do something like that, but he did adore his grandfather This whole case brought back memories of my father talking to my brothers and me about the history of the Holocaust and his taking us through the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach. In our safe and diverse environment, I never gave much thought to what that era meant to Jews everywhere.

  Suddenly I had pangs of homesickness for my parents and especially Dad and his unabashed love for his family. I realized I had been unfair, not letting them know where I was or how I was. I let my anger at Carlos make me act like a spoiled little girl

  I was so deep in thought that I never heard Dash come into the library. He touched me on the shoulder and I jumped as if I’d been shot.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to give you a heart attack,” Dash said. “Are you a little nervous after spending the morning with the FBI?”

  I pulled out my notes from the interviews and gave Dash a quick version of the morning, ending with the nagging feeling that Agent Morris suspected Jeff of Roland’s murder.

  “We need to go over to the facility where Franz lives and start checking out Jeff’s recollection of the night Roland was murdered. We need to see if that nurse still works there and what time she comes to work.” I gathered my notes and picked up my file.

  “I agree, but I think you need some lunch and a calming cup of tea or better yet a glass of wine,” Dash said. “Curtis left a message with Daisy that he’d be stopping by around two, so let’s go eat and wait ‘til we hear what he has to say.”

  CHAPTER

  SEVENTY

  Dash insisted on a fancy lunch at Simon Pearce, a restaurant and glass shop that I drove by many times in the last weeks. The décor was very New England; historic appearing wood floors and spare wooden furniture. An enclosed patio overlooked an active waterfall. Dash explained that the waterfall had powered an old mill that this building once housed. In contrast to the historic feel of the building, the blown glass vases, bar wear, lamps, cups, and plates looked totally modern in design and could have fit comfortably into any South Florida home.

  We were seated in the patio section with the sun glimmering over the fast moving water below us. It had a calming effect or maybe it was the excellent glass of chardonnay. In any event, I did feel much better as we left the restaurant.

  When we arrived back at Dash’s office, Daisy met us at the door.

  “Jeff Goldstein is here waiting to see both of you. He seems very nervous. I put him in the library. He immediately lit a cigarette. I told him no smoking here, but he ignored me,” Daisy said.

  We went directly into the library, now as smoke-filled as a political party meeting. Jeff was pacing to the window and back to the door. Three cigarette butts were resting in a saucer on the table and Jeff was working on number four.

  “Jeff, is everything okay?” I asked, and then felt foolish for asking this when I could see the agitation pouring out of Jeff along with the cigarette smoke.

  “Of course, it’s not okay. That Agent Morris phoned me as soon as I got home and said she just wanted to warn me that I shouldn’t leave town. She said if I did, a warrant might be issued for my arrest. This whole thing is out of control. I want you to do something. You’re supposed to be representing me.”

  “Actually, Mary’s representation was just for the purpose of your interview with the agent,” Dash explained. I think a great deal of investigation would have to be done before any arrests are made, but if this escalates, of course, I will find you excellent criminal counsel. I think this is all premature.”

  I looked at the alarm on Jeff’s face. “Listen, Jeff, Agent Morris is a young agent. I think she’s just covering her ass. She doesn’t want to make any mistakes. She told your dad not to leave town. She probably just forgot to tell you that at the interview. I’ve seen a lot of officers and they all want to appear as aggressive as possible. It’s their way of keeping everyone under their control.”

  Dash nodded in agreement. “Curtis Lemay, the
U.S. Attorney, said he’d be stopping by later this afternoon so we’ll learn more about the investigation then.”

  “Maybe he’s coming to let you know that they’re going to arrest me. I didn’t have anything to do with murdering Roland Behr. You believe me, don’t you?” Jeff looked from me to Dash and back again.

  I’ve heard that same question from many clients; some who are guilty and some who aren’t. I gave my stock answer. “Of course, I believe you.”

  Dash nodded. “I definitely believe you. Now why don’t you go home and get your mind off of all this. We’ll call you the instant we know anything new.”

  Jeff snuffed out his current cigarette. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you,” he said. He grabbed his coat and walked quickly out of the library and out through the front entrance. We heard Daisy call goodbye but heard no answering goodbye from Jeff. We did hear his car rev up and wheels squeal as he shot out of the driveway.

  Daisy rushed into the library and opened all the windows. I wasn’t sure which was worse, the cold air flooding into the room or the stale smoke that Jeff left behind.

  CHAPTER

  SEVENTY-ONE

  Dash picked up some phone messages and went into his office to return calls. I read through my notes from the morning interviews and thought about Franz.

  It felt totally unfair after his early suffering to think that dementia was ruining the end of Franz’s life. It made me realize how short life is. I wondered if I was wasting a part of mine, carrying so much anger at Carlos. I wished I could remove him from my thoughts, but he just wouldn’t get out. I was able to remove his physical presence, but it was proving much harder to erase him from my memory.

  I realized that Daisy was standing in front of me.

  “You’re lost in thought and it doesn’t look from your expression that the thoughts are happy,” she said. “Curtis Lemay is in the reception area. Dash said for me to tell you to come into his office and then I’ll show Curtis in.”

  I moved quickly into the office. Dash motioned for me to sit down. “I hope Curtis has some news. If the feds arrest Jeff, this community will never be quite the same. Maybe I should call Rabbi Goldblatt. He and some of the other clergy in the area should be prepared for the outcome of this investigation. They may have to hold some interfaith sessions or something.”

  “Maybe Rabbi Goldblatt should go sit with Jeff and Sophie. He might be able to keep them calm,” I suggested.

  “A better idea. I’ll call him right now. You go out and chat with Curtis while I make the call,” Dash said.

  I didn’t have to worry about small talk with Curtis. Daisy was holding forth on the benefits of blueberries and anti-oxidants. She was giving him recipes for pies, and muffins. Curtis appeared totally enthralled. He was a good actor, but I guess all good lawyers can be good actors, even me.

  “Curtis, thanks for coming over in the midst of your investigation. I know you must be anxious to get back to Burlington,” I said, pretending real pleasure in his appearance.

  “Actually, I’m close to winding down this investigation. I know Dash will want to hear what I’ve found. There will be arrests today and tomorrow. I’ll be updating Jimmy Parsons since he’s in charge of this state jurisdiction, even though I understand he’s tendered his resignation.”

  Daisy interrupted to tell us that Dash had just called on the intercom for us to go back to his office.

  Dash walked around his desk and shook hands with Curtis. He moved over to the small round table and Curtis and I followed. We seated ourselves around the table. An awkward silence enveloped us. Dash and I looked at Curtis. I felt curious and scared at the same time. I wanted to know what Curtis’s next move would be, but if that encompassed the arrest of Jeff or any of the Goldsteins, I didn’t want to hear it.

  Finally, Dash broke the silence. “I hope you can share your findings with us, and I hope that you can help High Pines heal after this murder and the revelation that a neo-Nazi group has been operating right under our noses.”

  “Well, Dash and Mary, let me first thank you for the cooperation you and the citizens of the Upper Valley have provided to my office. It’s difficult to go into a small community when we know we may have to arrest people that are a real part of the community.”

  My heart sank into the floor. It sounded like he was talking about the Goldsteins.

  “No, thank you for coming to help us,” Dash said.

  Curtis drew a breath. “In this case, I think the community will be glad to rid themselves of the people who have committed and were plotting to commit more hate crimes. I believe you know that Roland Behr’s lawyer was the person who found Behr’s body.”

  “That was Christian Berger, wasn’t it? I asked. I had a run-in with him when he represented Roland in the lawsuit against Fred Upham.”

  “Yes, that’s correct. Berger was the first person I questioned. Berger was hired by Roland and his group on retainer to represent them in any civil or criminal actions. It’s clear that they were anticipating legal troubles.”

  “This was the group that had passed themselves off as some kind of environmental group?” Dash asked.

  “They didn’t give a damn about the environment. They were a collection of far right crazies. Roland was a teenager in Germany during the Nazi era. When we searched his house we found scrapbooks filled with memorabilia and even a picture of Roland in some kind of uniform, sort of like a boy scout with swastikas. How he got to this country and passed himself off as a good citizen, we don’t fully know, but our Washington office will pursue those answers. There’s been talk for a long time about a secret report at the Justice Department.”

  “What kind of report?” Dash and I asked at the same time.

  “It’s all inside gossip so please don’t pass this off as coming from me. There were a number of Nazis admitted to the U.S. after the war. Some were brought in to help with scientific work on rockets and other defense projects. But the story circulating is that a good number of Nazi war criminals were allowed to lie about their past and receive citizenship. It’s possible that Roland Behr and his family fall into that category.”

  “So the defeated got their share of the good life. That’s disgusting,” Dash said.

  “What about the other members of this group?” I asked,

  Berger told me that Roland collected members from all of the surrounding areas.. Some were vigilante types and liked to march and play with guns, but as time went on, younger men began to join. These were guys looking for trouble; guys who resented the so-called liberals in the area.”

  “That’s the majority who live in Vermont,” Dash said.

  “I understand, but there is a certain element that resent anyone with a good job and some money to spend. In bigger cities they join gangs. Up here, they decided to harass Jews. Several of them have criminal records around the state. They came from all corners of the area to meet with their hero, Roland, the true Nazi.”

  “Berger told you all this?” Dash asked.

  “Most of it, especially when I intimated that he was the prime suspect in the murder. He got real talkative.”

  “I can’t stand this suspense,” I blurted out. “Is Jeff Goldstein a suspect?”

  “No, I know who the murderers are. Jeff is definitely not one of them.”

  “Then why was Agent Morris threatening him with arrest?”

  “I went over Agent Morris’s report with her at noon today. We divided the investigation. I assigned Morris to follow up with members of the Jewish community. I handled those directly involved with Roland. I wanted to be as thorough as possible, especially knowing that this community had spent a year without closure in the Brousseau murder.”

  “Agent Morris alienated a number of people in the Upper Valley,” I said.

  “Don’t be too hard on her. I know it sounds trite, but she was just doing her job,” Curtis said.

  Just then Daisy knocked and opened the door. “Mary, I have a telephone message for you. Can you step
out here for a minute?”

  “Please, Curtis, wait ‘til I take care of this. I need to hear everything about your investigation.”

  I stepped into the hallway. Daisy handed me a long note. “Tom Brousseau called. He didn’t know whether you would be here. He said a strange man was parked outside Lucy’s house in a rental car. Tom saw him when he walked Sam over to get his dish and food. The man asked where you were and when you’d be back. Tom told him he didn’t know. The man said he’d wait and he’s still sitting out there. Tom wants to know if he should call the police.”

  “Do you want me to call him back for you?” Daisy asked.

  “Well, he can’t very well call the police. That would be Jimmy Parsons who just quit. Maybe it’s one of Lucy Stern’s friends. Tell you what; call Ken Upham and see if he feels up to riding by there to check this guy out. Let Tom know that you’re getting in touch with Ken.”

  “I don’t like the sound of this. When you get done here, Dash will go home with you. I don’t want you to go alone,” Daisy said.

  CHAPTER

  SEVENTY-TWO

  I hurried back to Dash’s office. I didn’t want to miss a word about the murder investigation.

  Dash was showing Curtis a large headed golf club. “This driver has really helped my game, not that I get enough time to play.”

  “Tell me about it,” Curtis said as he hefted the humongous club.

  “You sound like my dad,” I said. “Come on, Curtis. Put the toy away and let’s hear who is being arrested.”

  “I got a list of the group and their addresses from Berger who also told me that most of the group was upset with Roland for starting the escalating argument with Ken Upham. A couple of them thought Roland was a little off his rocker. When he filed the lawsuit and it hit the papers, the whole group went ballistic”

  “That’s a pretty poor pun,” Dash said

  Curtis smiled. “It’s not exactly a joke. Travis Smith and Lewis Devore, two of the most militant of the group, reamed Roland out at a meeting shortly after the lawsuit hit the papers. Apparently, the story was even picked up by the Manchester Union Leader and by the local Fox News affiliate. Travis made some threats to Roland at the meeting. Berger said those two told Roland he was going to blow their cover by calling all this attention to himself and his demand for privacy.”