“Why did Roland continue this vendetta against Ken Upham?” I asked,
“Berger said that Roland couldn’t stand having anyone threaten his property rights. Roland also had some mixed up idea that his lawsuit furthered the group’s cover as an environmental club.”
“Anyone who looked at his decaying house and yard would know that the environment was the last thing on his mind,” I said.
“After talking to Berger, I contacted Lewis Devore, and asked him to come in voluntarily for an interview about the murder. He claimed he didn’t have transportation, so I sent a car to pick him up and bring him to Jimmy Parson’s office. About thirty minutes into the interview, he admitted that he was a member of the neo-Nazi group. He said he knew nothing about Roland’s murder. I told him that Travis was being questioned and had already told us that Lewis shot Roland.”
“How did Lewis react to that?” I asked.
“He slammed his fist into the table and said Travis was a lying bag of shit. Then he told me that Travis was the mastermind who decided that Roland had to go, and that they could make the murder look like a Jewish plot by painting the swastika on Roland’s forehead. Lewis agreed to help him. Travis had some other Jewish symbols that he wanted to steal to leave at the scene.”
“I don’t remember hearing about religious objects left at Roland’s house.” Dash said.
“They didn’t have time to get the items they wanted. Travis thought they needed to silence Roland before he shot off his mouth. Lewis was supposed to bring a yarmulke that they were going to put on Roland’s head, but Lewis got spooked when he tried to get inside the temple.
“While I was interviewing Lewis, I had my assistant pick up Travis and bring him to the office. What a piece of work he is; tattoos on all the parts of his body that showed, probably more in private areas, a shaved head and biceps the size of grapefruits.”
“Did Travis make a statement? Dash asked.
“Sort of. He said he and Lewis went to Roland’s house to talk him out of going any further with his lawsuit. He said the old man actually got in a fight with them and that when Roland realized that they were overpowering him, he pulled out a revolver. According to Travis, the gun went off during a struggle and Roland died instantly.”
“Maybe that is what happened,” I said.
“No way. Roland was shot three times. Once in the leg and twice in the back. I guess he was trying to run from Travis and Lewis, and of course, they did paint the swastika on his forehead after they turned his body over.”
“So where are these two goons now?” Dash asked.
“They’re sitting in Jimmy’s office in handcuffs waiting for transport by the marshals to a federal holding facility”
“Isn’t this going to become a state case?” I asked.
“I intend to bring an indictment to a grand jury for attempts to overthrow the government and for hate crimes. I guess I forgot to tell you that Travis lost his cool when I placed him under arrest and yelled that the Nazis in this country had lots of cells just like Roland’s and that soon they would be taking over the entire country and this time they’d do everything right. He said the average citizen was sick and tired of the liberal establishment and their control of all the banks and newspapers.”
“What about the rest of the members of this cell? And please, tell me that they don’t all live in the Upper Valley.” Dash said.
“Over the next couple of days, I plan to have all of them interviewed. There may be more arrests. Travis and Lewis live in Claremont. The members are scattered over the Upper Valley and beyond Don’t worry, Dash. They’re not your next door neighbors, but they’re close enough to make you wonder who else might have feelings of sympathy for their hate mongering. You just never know.”
I headed for the door as soon as Curtis finished
“Where are you rushing off to?” Dash asked.
“I’ve got to call Jeff and Sophie Goldstein, and tell them not to worry about being charged with a crime. Now all they need to worry about is whether there are any other neo-Nazis in their neighborhood.”
CHAPTER
SEVENTY-THREE
The Goldsteins were ecstatic that they were no longer under suspicion and that the Nazi group had been uncovered. Their enthusiasm waned when I pointed out that this group was operating under everyone’s collective noses. Sophie said that maybe this wasn’t the healthiest place to raise their young child.
“No place is perfect. The Upper Valley looks like a very good place to grow up; that is if you like cold weather,” I told her.
We told each other what a pleasure it was meeting and other platitudes. I realized Dash was standing right behind me waiting for me to hang up.
“Mother told me about the phone call from Tom and the strange man hanging out at your place. I’m going to follow you home,” Dash said.
“I really don’t think it’s necessary. I think Ken Upham was going to ride by and see who it is,” I said.
“I’ll feel better if I see that everything is okay. After all the weird things that have gone on in the past weeks, anything is possible.”
Dash fell in behind me in the now famous black Subaru. I was anxious to get back and retrieve Sam and have a little down time. We pulled into the familiar gravel road and as we approached the house, I saw two cars parked in the circular drive. One was Ken Upham’s Lexus. The second car was unfamiliar. Dash and I added our two cars creating the look of a cocktail party.
Dash came around to my door as I got out of the Explorer. “I think that large red Lincoln is a rental car by its license plate.”
“Good detective work,” I said. There’s a Hertz sticker on the window.”
I heard Sam barking inside just as Tom opened the front door. “Mary, just a minute. I need to talk to you before you come in.” Tom closed the door and joined Dash and me.
“Is something wrong? Please tell me that Sam is okay,” I said.
“Sam is fine, but I better prepare you for your uninvited guest. I came back here with the dog after Daisy let me know that Ken was coming over to check out this guy. We talked to him together.”
“Well, spit it out. Who is it and what does he want?”
“It’s Carlos Martin. He explained that you wouldn’t want to see him, but he’s here to break some news to you.”
“This is a crock of shit. He could have left me a message or something.” I was so caught off guard by this news that I actually began to tremble.
“Mary, we’ll get rid of him, if that’s what you want, or we’ll stay with you. It’s your call,” Dash said.
“Please, go in with me. Is Ken there, too?”
“Yes, he thought you might need him. He’s in the living room with Carlos. Carlos is very charming and Sam is crazy about him.”
“Oh, he can be charming. That’s Carlos to a ‘T’. I charged through the front door.
Ken and Carlos were seated in front of the fireplace chatting away like old friends. A wave of panic swept over me, or maybe it was just raw lust when I saw Carlos, so macho, so handsome. My heart was pounding.
Carlos stood up when he heard us. “Mary, please don’t be angry. Don’t send me away before I have a chance to tell you why I’m here.”
Ken stood up and walked over to me. He put an arm around me. “I’m afraid Carlos has some bad news. Let him explain. We’re all here for you. Carlos, this is Dash Mellman, an attorney and friend of Mary’s. Dash and Tom and I are going to be in the kitchen when you need us.” Ken led the way and Tom and Dash followed him.
“Mary, please sit down,” Carlos said.
“Thank you, I’m fine. Just tell me what was so important that it required a trip up here. How did you find me, anyway?”
“Catherine had to tell me and Lucy gave me all the directions. Carlos crossed behind the sofa and stood in front of me. “Your father has had a heart attack. I’m here to help you get home to Miami as quickly as possible.”
Carlos reached out and steadied me.<
br />
“Is he, is he?” I couldn’t get the awful word out.
“No, no, he’s alive, but it’s serious. They’re going to do surgery the day after tomorrow. Your mother needs you. Your brothers and their wives are with her at the hospital, so I knew I was the one who had to get up here and tell you in person.”
“When did this happen?”
“Yesterday early morning. Around six o’clock”
“Why didn’t Mom call me?”
“You didn’t exactly leave her any contact information and her hands were full. She got your dad to the hospital in Boynton Beach. His cardiologist in Miami arranged for his transfer by helicopter to the University of Miami hospital. Jonathan called me to help. Your brothers didn’t know how to reach you either, and they were all too upset to think clearly.”
“Well, I appreciate your going to all this trouble. I’ll get packed and start back at once.”
“I have all the arrangements made. Here is your plane ticket. I’ll drive you down to the airport in Manchester. That’s where I flew in. I’ll help you pack your car and as soon as I get you to the airport, I’ll bring Sam and your car back to Miami.”
“How soon does the plane leave? I can’t ask you to take that long drive back.”
“The best reservation I could get you is tomorrow morning at eight. Nothing else connects tonight. Don’t worry about the drive. You didn’t ask me. I want to do this for you.”
I sat down on the sofa. My legs felt like they were made out of water.
Carlos sat down next to me. “I’m going to get you something to drink. Are you all right? Something else, Mary, I need to talk to you about why I lied to you. I know it’s not the time right now, but please promise me that you will give me a chance to talk to you, to explain everything to you. There are other reasons why you are so needed back in Miami.”
Carlos left the room. The room seemed to be whirling around. A thousand thoughts rushed at me. No wonder I kept thinking about Dad the last two days. I pictured him working at the market late into the evening after my grandfather died. I remembered Mom yelling at him that he was eating at odd hours and trying to get him to eat healthy. I remembered him saying that he had three kids to educate and he was going to be sure we had what we needed. I thought how he looked when I passed my driver’s license exam after he spent countless hours teaching me to parallel-park.
I remembered his last birthday when we had a family picture taken, and how he said he couldn’t believe he had three attorneys as his kids. He said, “Mary I can understand. She always loved to talk your ears off, but how did I fail Jonathan and William?” I remember Mom laughing and how he put his arms around her.
I raced into the hallway and dialed Mom’s cell phone but got no answer. Next I tried Jonathan and then William with the same result. So I started again with Mom and left each of them a message with the phone number here. I apologized for not being there and told each of them I’d be back tomorrow. I looked at the plane ticket I was still clutching and read off the flight number and noon arrival time.
When I returned to the Great Room, Carlos was holding out a glass of wine. Tom, Dash, and Ken were standing together.
“I know about Dad, and I’m going to take Carlos up on his offer to take my car and Sam back to Miami. I’ll be leaving early tomorrow, and I won’t get a chance to tell people here good-bye, so I hope you’ll do that for me,” I said.
“You’ll get a little chance to see some of them,” Ken said. “I took the liberty of telling Rita. She and Hal and Margaret are coming over with dinner. There’s going to be plenty so everyone plan on staying for dinner.”
“That’s so thoughtful. All of you have been good friends while I’ve been here.”
“This is what friends are for. We’re used to helping each other,” Dash said. “But Mary, I’m not going to be staying. Walk outside with me. It’s best if we say good-bye now.”
“Please, I want you to stay,” I said.
Dash had already started into the hallway, so I followed him. We headed out the front door and into the driveway without speaking. Dash opened the door to his car and then turned back to me.
“I’ll miss you, Mary, but I watched you and Carlos and I can see there is a magnetic attraction between the two of you. I just want you to know that if you ever change your mind and want to come back here, you’ve got a job and someone who cares about you right here in High Pines. Also, yesterday I sent a check to your office in Miami to cover the work you did while you were here.”
“That’s not necessary. I enjoyed working with you. I wish you’d stay to dinner,” I said.
“I feel a little uncomfortable with Carlos giving me the eye every time I talk to you. I’ll be thinking about you and hoping that your dad is up and about very soon.”
“Thank you for everything, Dash. Say goodbye to Daisy for me. You’re a great guy. I know you’ll meet someone as special as you are.”
“I thought I had,” he said and put his arms around me. Then he jumped in his car and sped away.
CHAPTER
SEVENTY-FOUR
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to start packing,” I said when I returned to the house. “I’ll load up my car and just take an overnight bag on the plane, if you don’t mind driving back with a stuffed SUV, Carlos. I tried to get Mother or my brothers and no one answered their cells. Where do you think they are?”
They’re probably at the hospital and either they don’t want to disturb your dad, or they can’t get cell service in some parts of the hospital. I don’t mind taking your things back for you. Can I help with anything?” Carlos asked
“Yes, thanks, let’s get Sam’s crate in first. And fold the back seats down.”
Carlos followed me out to my car with the crate. “Mary, who is this Dash guy?”
“You have no right to ask me about any of my friends, Carlos. Dash is a good lawyer who I worked with while I was here. He’s a good friend.”
“I could see that when he gave you that very long embrace.”
“You were spying on me? I can’t believe you. I’m grateful that you came all this way to help my family, and I’ll always be glad to help your family, but that’s it. You gave up any right to pitch one of your jealous Latin machismo tantrums when you lied to me to sneak out with Margarita. Nothing has changed about our now non-existent relationship.”
“I wasn’t spying on you, exactly, and I’m glad you’re willing to help my family. Just give me a few minutes to explain to you why I was having dinner with Margarita that awful night.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to talk to me while we drive down to Manchester in the morning. For now, I have packing to do, and cleaning up Lucy’s house and visiting with friends before I leave, along with worrying about my dad. He’s always been the super strong person in our family. He has to get well.”
“He is strong. I know he’s a fighter. He’ll fight to regain his health. I don’t have to stay for dinner here. Why don’t I just leave you to do what you have to do. I can come back later to see if you need any help.”
“You can stay for dinner, of course,” I said as I hurried back inside.
“It is so cold here,” Carlos said as he followed me in and retreated to a seat near the fireplace.
I sorted through laundry, throwing towels into the washer and trying to put the kitchen back the way it looked when I arrived here. It seemed impossible that I’d been here only a few weeks. I had begun to feel completely at home in this house.
I put my boots and sweaters in the car along with books, and the few things I had bought at the flea market. The car was looking crowded already. Sam followed me in and out of the house for a while. I realized he was out of sight and hurried through the house looking for him. It only took minutes to spot him sitting next to Carlos in front of the fire. Carlos was rubbing his head and Sam was making his contented purring noises. It hadn’t occurred to me that Sam missed having Carlos around. Carlos was a part of his everyday lif
e since February. Maybe Sam felt as abandoned as I felt during the week before we left Miami.
The front door opened interrupting my thoughts. Rita, Margaret and Hal came in carrying bags and trays. Luscious smells filled the front hall. I hugged each of them.
“Now, Mary, you just sit down or keep doing whatever. We are going to lay out this spread and then we’re all going to sit down to supper and some good cheer for you to take back with you.” Margaret said. The three of them bustled around the kitchen while I watched them and thought about how lucky I was to have a whole group of new friends.
We ate the delicious stew and salads from Hal’s store, a spaghetti casserole and an apple pie from Rita’s freezer and wine from Ken’s cellar. Hal repeated the story of my stay in the wrong house, for Carlos’s entertainment. The laughter and companionship drove thoughts about Dad out of my mind for a little while. It seemed strange to have Carlos sitting here chatting with my new friends. I couldn’t help looking at him and seeing that he was looking back at me most of the time.
Everyone helped clean up the kitchen and empty the refrigerator. Hal promised to contact the caretaker that looked after Lucy’s house and to double check that he cleaned the house thoroughly of any leftover dog hair.
As everyone gathered in the front hall for goodbye hugs, Ken pulled me aside.
“You’ll never guess what news I have,” Ken said. Since he was wearing a dazzling grin, I knew it couldn’t be bad news. “Your friend Riley Simmons and two of the other selectmen from the village called me to come to a meeting. They’ve offered me the job of acting sheriff until they do a thorough search. They said if I will accept the job, I can reorganize the office as I see fit. What do you think?”
Barbara Levenson - Mary Magruder Katz 03 - Outrageous October Page 25