by Allan, Dale
“I’m sorry, please continue,” Luke answered.
“I’d been sleeping in that spot for a few weeks when I noticed the trucks. They arrived at about eight each night and would leave around ten.”
“Ten in the morning?” asked John.
“No, ten at night.”
Hearing this, Luke began to doubt the legitimacy of his story, but he waited and listened politely.
Feeling bad that he was responsible for setting up this meeting, John questioned in disbelief, “They only stayed for two hours a night?”
Undeterred, Blade continued. “That’s what made me curious. Another guy named Shorty, who slept not far from me, also thought something was weird. One night when we were both awake, he began talking to me about the reason that they were working at night and why such strange hours. When he said he was going to ask them a few questions, I told him not to go. He was determined and ignored my warning. When he returned, he told me that they showed him a work permit and that one of the workers handed him a fifty. He was so excited to get the money that he didn’t tell me any other details. When one of the workers looked and saw me, something didn’t feel right, so I moved my sleeping spot to the other end of the park that night. That was the last night that anyone ever remembers seeing Shorty. He disappeared.”
Luke found the story interesting but doubted its relevance to his brother’s death. He thought to himself that Shorty probably took the fifty, got drunk, and moved to another area, and that maybe there were electrical restrictions that required the construction crews to work at that time of night. When Blade couldn’t tell him Shorty’s real name, he knew that he had no way of verifying the information. Aggravated, he stood and headed toward the door until Blade said something that made him stop.
“Father Luke, do you know what year it was?”
Luke turned. “No.”
“It was 2004. October of 2004, to be exact.” Luke’s heart was pounding, but he didn’t respond, so Blade asked, “Do you know what happened in October of 2004?” Luke knew very well the biggest event that happened in Boston in October of 2004. He stared at the man and said nothing until John asked, “What the hell are you talking about?”
Luke spoke up. “The Red Sox beat the Yankees in seven games.”
Not understanding the big picture, John said, “So?”
Luke continued as he stared at Blade. “The Sox were down three games to none and went on to win the series four games to three. Then, after an eighty-six-year drought, they finally won the World Series.”
John replied, “So what?”
“All of the games at Fenway were played at night,” Luke continued. “The first home game set a record for the longest nine-inning game ever, and the next two games both went into extra innings, ending late at night.” Still not understanding, John shrugged, and Luke explained, “I bet Blade is going to tell us that the construction crews only worked during home games.”
Blade smiled, exposing his rotten teeth. “Very good, Father. They must have known that the local police who normally patrolled the Common would be assigned to Fenway Park for extra security. We could hear the games from their truck radios, and as soon as they ended, the workers quickly packed up their equipment and left.”
Intrigued, Luke walked back, sat down, and began documenting everything that Blade had told them. When he finished writing, he asked, “What was the name of the construction firm?”
Blade thought for a few minutes. “Sorry, but I don’t know.”
“Please, try to remember. It’s very important.”
“I’ve been trying to remember for the past few days, but I can’t.”
Feeling defeated again, Luke asked, “Please think. Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“I don’t know if this means anything, but I remember that the trucks had a moon painted on the side.”
“A moon?” John asked
“Yes.”
Luke passed a piece of paper to Blade and said, “Can you draw it for me?”
The old man scribbled on the paper for several seconds and handed it back to Luke.
Looking at it, Luke declared, “That’s not a moon; it’s a crescent.” Standing up, he asked a critical question. “Was there a star next to it?”
“There might have been. I’m just not sure.”
“Do you remember what color it was?”
“I think it was green.”
Luke spent the next twenty minutes going back over everything that Blade said, while reviewing his detailed notes. No new information was uncovered, but John and Blade promised to ask some of the elderly park residents if they knew Shorty’s full name. Before taking Blade back to the Common, Luke pleaded with him not to use the money for alcohol.
WHEN LUKE PULLED UP to the house, returning from dropping off Blade, he was anxious to log on to the computer and try to find the name of the construction company that had done the work in the park. Wanting to be alone, he asked John, “Do you know anything about cars?”
“What do you mean?”
“My truck won’t start, and I was wondering if you could figure out what’s wrong with it.”
John laughed and pointed at it. “That’s your truck?”
Luke smiled. “Yeah. What’s so funny?”
“Sorry, Father, it’s just that when I saw you driving the Mercedes, I figured that the truck belonged to the gardener.”
“Well, do you think you can fix it?”
“I don’t know, but I can try. I used to work on old cars.” Looking at the truck, he added, “That thing is so old I’m sure it’s not computerized.”
Luke handed him both the car and truck keys. Reaching into his pocket for money, he gave him two hundred dollars, adding, “There’s a toolbox in the garage. See what you can do, and if you need anything, just go get it. I’ll tell the guards to open the gates for you.” John smiled and hurried over to the truck. As Luke opened the front door to the house, the other man called out, “Thanks, Father!”
Luke walked into the library and logged on to the computer. Deep in thought, he heard something and looked up to see Deborah standing in the doorway. She asked excitedly, “Did you tell him?”
Confused, Luke asked, “Tell who, what?”
“About the job?”
He smiled. “Not yet. I have one more test for him. He’s going to try to fix my truck. I gave him the keys to the Mercedes and two hundred dollars.”
“Do you think that was a good idea?”
Still smiling, he replied, “I guess we’re going to find out.”
She looked out the window. “Lori’s here.”
Luke looked and saw Lori’s white Caddy pulling through the open gates. He was happy that the two women who knew Aaron best were becoming such close friends; they needed each other. After greeting Lori and receiving an earnest hug, he excused himself and continued his investigation. He did Internet searches on everything from homeless people killed in the park to construction company permits. Looking out the window every now and then, he saw John working on the truck.
The last time he looked, the Mercedes was gone. He wondered what John was doing. Did he take the car to his mother-in-law’s house to show his family? Or was he on his way to Florida? Luke really didn’t care, as long as the other man was safe. Luke had never really valued material things, and he could happily return to his room at the rectory without missing the opulent lifestyle he’d been living.
After more searching without success, Luke stood up and stretched. Seeing that the Mercedes was back in the driveway, he smiled. He walked out the front door and heard his truck running. John was revving the engine from under the hood and didn’t notice Luke until he was standing right next to him.
Slapping him on the back, Luke yelled over the roar of the engine, “Great job!” John stood up and smiled, with grease covering his face and hands. Taking a rag off the truck’s fender, he wiped his hands and hurried over to the Mercedes. Carefully reaching inside, he handed Luke receipts fo
r everything he had bought, along with the change. Luke said, “Thanks! Give me a second and we can go for a ride.”
Luke ran back into the house to grab a jacket and find Deborah. Not seeing her, he walked to the hallway and called her name. “We’re in here, in my room,” he heard her say. Luke walked into her bedroom but still didn’t see anyone. Noticing a light coming from the bathroom, he walked cautiously toward the open door, asking, “Are you dressed?” Deborah and Lori laughed, while Lori added, “Do you want us to be?” Deborah giggled and said, “Yes, you can come in.” Peering into the doorway, Luke was confused. One of them was sitting in front of the expansive makeup mirror, with the other standing behind doing her hair. The confusing part was that they both had blonde hair. As Deborah stood and smiled, Luke was struck not only by her beauty but also by the fact that she and Lori now looked so much alike.
“What do you think?”
Without hesitating, he said, “You look beautiful.” Catching himself, he quickly added, “You both look great.”
Deb fluffed her hair and said, “You know what they say—blondes have more fun.”
They all laughed. Deborah explained that Lori had bought the wig for herself after her husband suggested that she dye her hair blonde; she wanted to see what it would look like before she agreed. Lori suggested that if Deborah wore the wig and sunglasses, she could go shopping or out to lunch without being hounded by the press. Understanding that she had been confined to the house more than anyone, he replied, “That’s great!” Deborah quickly added, “Would you like to join us?”
“No, thank you. John fixed my truck, so I was going to ask you for the key to Aaron’s office so we could stop by and take a look.”
“So he didn’t steal the Mercedes?”
Luke laughed. “Not yet.”
“The key should be on the same keychain as the car key.” Excited, she added, “Did you tell him yet?”
“No, I was going to surprise him after we looked at the office building.”
“Margaret is still working there, answering the phones and all, so you might run into her.”
Luke said, “Have a great time,” before he turned and walked out the door.
JOHN DROVE THE TRUCK along the congested roads toward downtown Boston, and Luke was gratified to see the look of satisfaction on his face as the motor hummed. Although Luke was trying to enjoy the moment, he was preoccupied with how to determine the name of the mysterious construction company. Obviously, something was not right. When all the nonconnected events relayed by Blade were linked, it created a picture that was hard to ignore. Adding in the crescent logo and its color, Luke knew it was too much to be a coincidence.
He knew that the color green had a special meaning in the Islamic faith. Some people claimed that green was the favorite color of Muhammad because he wore a green cloak and turban. Even the Qur’an said that the inhabitants of paradise wear green garments of fine silk. And during the Crusades, green was the color worn by the Islamic soldiers. Based on everything pointing back at Islam, Luke made a mental note to visit Jami and see if she could provide any insight.
They turned onto State Street in the financial district, then Luke pointed to a small side street and said, “Turn here.” The impressive three-story brick building they faced was more than two hundred years old and contained ten offices. Aaron had purchased the building when the property was undervalued, so the rents from the building’s inhabitants more than paid the mortgage.
“You can park in the lot in the back,” said Luke.
John asked, “What are we doing here?”
Luke smiled. “John, how would you like to work for Deborah?”
John was excited and confused at the same time. “Doing what?”
“This was my brother’s office building. There are nine tenants, and Aaron’s office is on the third floor. When Aaron worked here, he managed the building. If a toilet broke or the air-conditioning wasn’t working properly, he would call a plumber or whoever he needed to fix the problem. Now that he’s gone, there’s no one to take these calls. Also, Deb needs someone she can trust to pack up his office and get it ready to lease.”
John was overwhelmed. “Really?”
“Hey, I figure that if you can fix this old truck, you can do anything!”
John laughed nervously. As they entered the building, he handed the truck keys to Luke. Thinking for a second, Luke handed them back, saying, “John, I want you to keep the truck.”
“You’re kidding me.”
Luke put his hands on John’s shoulders as they faced each other. “No, I’m not. Now look who’s laughing at that old truck.”
John smiled, not fully believing what he was hearing, and replied, “I’ll pay you for it.”
Still standing in front of him, Luke looked directly in his eyes and said, “No, I want you to have it. It’s a gift to start your new life.”
They took the elevator to the third floor and stepped out into an impressive hallway. Luke knew this building well, having visited Aaron here often. As he approached the glass doors to the law offices, he noticed Margaret sitting behind the cherry desk, talking on the phone. When he opened the door, she looked up and began to cry. Flustered, she hung up the phone and tried to regain her composure as she stood to welcome Luke. He smiled and walked behind the desk, where they embraced. “Luke, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe he’s gone. I sit here every day expecting him to walk through that door. When I saw you, for a few seconds I thought you were Aaron.”
Luke smiled. “I understand and I miss him also, but you know that he wouldn’t want us to be sad. The best way to honor his memory is to live the way he did.” She smiled and wiped the tears from her face. “He was always happy.”
He apprised her of Deborah’s plan to have John work in the office for the next several weeks, telling her that any tenants with problems should call John. She immediately replied, “The doctor on the first floor just called a few minutes ago and said that one of his sinks is leaking.” Before Luke could speak, John said, “I’ll go take a look.”
Margaret asked, “Do you know where to go?”
John smiled. “Is there more than one doctor on the first floor?”
She shook her head. “No.”
The phone rang and Margaret hurried to answer it as John headed out the door. Luke walked into Aaron’s office. Sitting down behind the desk, he saw a picture that made him smile. He remembered the day but didn’t think he’d ever seen the photo. It was a black-and-white shot of Aaron and Luke blowing out candles on their seventh birthday.
After looking through everything in Aaron’s desk and file cabinets, Luke walked around the office. He noticed that a small room next to the bathroom contained a cot. As he sat back down in Aaron’s chair, his hand inadvertently nudged the mouse attached to the computer. A second later, the screen illuminated, displaying a document that Aaron must have been working on before the bombing. Examining it closely, he saw what looked like an organizational chart. It displayed names, titles, and comments about each person that would be involved in his run for the Senate. The first name under Aaron’s was Lori Simpson, with the title: Chief of Staff. The comments next to her name read, “A great person, great organizer, and outstanding leader.” As he continued reading, he recognized many of the names from Aaron’s phone contacts. Seeing Ablaa Raboud, Jami’s sister’s name, he stopped scanning and read the title: Special Adviser. The comments that followed were heartwarming: “The kindest and most loving person I’ve ever met, she’s an inspiration to me.”
Luke gazed toward the window, lost in thought. If Blade’s theory was correct, Ablaa couldn’t have been involved in the bombing because the explosives were put in the ground years ago. If she had any idea that the stage was going to blow up, she wouldn’t have been there. Picking up his cell phone, he called Jami and arranged to meet with her in the morning.
JOHN DROVE HIS NEW truck through the mansion gates and Luke got out. As the motor idled, he walked to the dri
ver’s side and told John, “You’re welcome to stay here tonight.”
John smiled. “Thank you so much, but I think I’m going to take a ride by my mother-in-law’s house to check on my wife and kids.”
Luke nodded and handed him the key to Aaron’s building. “There’s a cot and a bathroom in the office if you need a place to stay.”
“I can’t thank you enough.”
Before he could drive away, Luke reached into his pocket and handed him a hundred-dollar bill. John protested. Determined to give him the money, Luke said, “I would have had to pay someone more than that to fix the truck.”
John laughed. “But you gave me the truck.”
“That was after you fixed it.”
Both men were laughing now. John finally gave in and took the money after Luke conceded that it could be a loan.
As Luke entered the house, he noticed that it was very quiet, with no sign of anyone. With his parents now living back at home, the huge house felt empty. He went to the kitchen and saw Abel and Alessa playing outside with one of the maids. Thinking about John, he opened his phone and called Jim Hathaway, Aaron’s financial adviser. Jim agreed to meet with John and get him on the payroll. While discussing the details, he asked Luke, “How much do you want to pay him?” Not knowing what would be fair, Luke explained the job responsibilities and asked Jim’s opinion. “I would say about forty thousand a year.”
Luke thought for a few minutes and said, “Let’s make it sixty.” Before hanging up, Luke asked Jim to do him a favor.
“You name it, you got it.”
Luke grinned. “When you meet with John, can you try to figure out if there’s any way he can get his house back? The bank foreclosed on it.”
Jim agreed.
Luke headed into the library and logged on to the computer again to do more research, but he came up with no leads. Distracted by voices in the distance, he looked out the window and saw the two blondes, Deborah and Lori, laughing as they walked from the car with their arms full of shopping bags. He smiled and went to open the front door for them. Each one hugged him as they entered the foyer. Hearing the commotion, the children rushed in. But rather than running to greet their mom, they ran over to hug Luke.