Detective Tumbler and the Man in Brown (Detective Tumbler Trilogy Book 2)

by Jason Balistreri

  CHAPTER ONE: MEETING MR. ADDLER

  “I have to ask you a question, Detective Tumbler. Did you ever truly feel threatened by Carmen?”

  “He killed my partner and broke into my house so you could say I felt threatened.”

  “I know what he did, burning your business down, accepting a contract to kill you, the murder of your partner, but besides your inadequacy it also points to the flaw in his plan.”

  “What’s that?” Marshall asks, he is tied up; he hopes that he can just keep him talking a bit longer.

  “He mistakenly thought you would kill yourself. He thought he knew you well, he studied you after all but I have studied you too and I’ve observed that you’re more likely to drink yourself to death than put a bullet in your head or your heart. He was a killer yet he spared you, don’t you find that odd?”

  “I’ve asked myself many times why he did. He could have killed me in my sleep.”

  “I think I’ve figured out why he truly didn’t finish the job and it wasn’t what he told you.”

  “He told me that the two of you were dead.”

  “We were off the grid, we didn’t associate with him any longer but he lied to you if he told you we were dead.”

  “Are you going to tell me your real name?”

  “You don’t like my handle? Being anonymous allowed me to hunt for so long. It allowed me to set a trap you were all too willing to fall into. The only thing I’m troubled by is whether you fell into it because you have a death wish or whether you had another motive. Perhaps you are here on purpose but to me it doesn’t change what I will do to you. Unlike your encounter with Carmen, I am a man that prefers a more hands-on approach.”

  “I’ve seen your work, I know.”

  “Unlike Carmen, I don’t have the personal history with you so let’s cut straight to the end. Would you want to detect why I’ve got you suspended over the pit?”

  “I thought you were going to send me down the well to find your son.”

  “A few more drinks and I might be entertained by your banter. Once you start bleeding, you’ll be the next sacrifice, just like all the others.”

  “What do you get out of it?”

  “My power grows.”

  “You really believe that?”

  “Blood opens a portal for all manner of things to cross over. Even ancient civilizations knew this.”

  “I don’t believe in any of that.”

  “After everything you’ve seen, you still want to cling to your belief that all is logical and natural?”

  “Everything you’ve done has a logical explanation.”

  “I’m not interested in your theories. See the thing you don’t understand is you think you’re unique, you think you have it all figured out but so many others have been in the same spot that you’re in now and while you may be more loquacious than all of the others the interesting thing is that you’re all the same, people want to be different, they want to be special but none of us are. Everyone is the same and that is why, once I open you up, you’ll start screaming just like all the others. When I play the recording later, you’ll sound just like the others, you all bleed the same, you all break the same.”

  “I won’t be screaming for you.”

  “You’ve seen my work, the body responds almost instinctively. If you do have a death wish, there were far less painful ways to go about it. If you made this choice, I can’t say I understand why, it will be terribly painful and dreadfully slow.”

  “The same could be said about your diatribe.”

  “Then let’s get to the best part, the part where you finally get to know what I’m all about. I’ll get to know more about you too, I’ll probably know you better than your ex-wife or any of your partners.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it.”

  “Defiant to the end?”

  “Of course.”

  “You told me that you wouldn’t scream. The thing is, detective, in the end, everyone screams.”

  CHAPTER TWO: MAKING THE BLUES MORE MISERABLE

  “I figured I would check up on you, see how you’re handling the pressure,” Jack tells Marshall.

  “I’ve never been fazed by pressure.”

  “How are you handling everything else then?”

  “Do you really want to know?” Marshall asks, he orders a shot of whiskey and a beer from the barkeeper.

  “I know you’re not taking care of yourself.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “How many days have you been down here this week?”

  “This week? Three, I guess.”

  “And it’s Wednesday.”

  “I know what day it is, shit.”

  “I’m just trying to look out for you.”

  “Is that why you’ve had a tail on me for a month?”

  “I’m just trying to make sure you make it to the trial without any inconveniences.”

  “The trial is months away. Were you going to have a tail on me for six months? Your boy’s lucky I recognized him. If I thought the Shields sent him, I would have shot his tires out.”

  “At your pace, you’d be too drunk to even hit the car.”

  “I don’t lose my aim when I drink.”

  “It’s not going to make it go away, Marshall.”

  “I’m not trying to make anything go away.”

  “Then what are you doing?”

  “I’m making it all bearable.”

  “I know Gina meant everything to you but she wouldn’t want to see you like this.”

  “If she was here, I wouldn’t be like this.”

  “I think you need to rebuild your office.”

  “I’m working out of my house.”

  “But I think that’s part of the problem. You’ve got to have a place to go to work besides your house.”

  “I’m not ready for that yet. It’s too soon.”

  “Do you need my help on those two cases you’re working?”

  “No, but I’ll need to come by and look at your files.”

  “Come by whenever you want. Just make sure you’re sober, you’re always out before the other detectives arrive and I don’t want them thinking I’m loading up on whiskey at five a.m.”

  “I can track down what I need on my own then.”

  “I told you that you can come by the precinct, you’re always welcome, just be sober.”

  “I should never have told you about the cases. I need this all to stay secret.”

  “I won’t tell anyone what you’re doing. Besides, you never actually told my any details about the cases.”

  “It’s just, I wasn’t hired to take on either of these cases. It’s not how I normally work.”

  “Once you get back on your feet, you can get back to taking on clients like you used to.”

  “Just because I’ve been hitting the bottle doesn’t mean I haven’t been working.”

  “I know, I wasn’t trying to imply that you weren’t. You’re playing it close to the vest, I understand.”

  “Once you look at what I’ve been working on, you’ll understand why I can’t talk about it here.”

  “Come by the precinct and we’ll talk.”

  “I’ll make sure I’m not smashed.”

  “It’s been a rough winter, huh?”

  “Worst one I can remember.” Once the bar closes, Marshall shakes Jack’s hand out on the sidewalk.

  “Let me give you a ride home.”

  “I’ll be fine. I make the walk every…I make this walk often.”

  “It’s slick out, you could
fall and crack your head open.”

  “It hasn’t happened yet.”

  “Just get in the car.”

  “Fine, you’re like having a mother around.”

  “Somebody needs to look out for you.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “That’s debatable.”

  “Look at you, you closed down the bar with me and you have to work tomorrow.”

  “I didn’t have to keep a tail on you. It’s not necessary when I’m watching you myself.” Once the short drive to Marshall’s house is over, Jack puts the car in park.

  “I’ll come by the precinct Friday morning.”

  “Thanks, Marshall.”

  “Why are you thanking me?”

  “You’re my friend, I needed the company.”

  “Spoiler’s gone soft. We’ll do this again.”

  “Take care, man. See you Friday.” Marshall walks up to his house, he fumbles around in his pocket for the keys, he opens the door and hears the wood creak as he enters, he shuts the door, takes his gray hat off and removes his snow-covered shoes. He tosses his keys on the counter and takes his phone out of his pocket. He runs his hands through his blonde hair as he sits on the couch and looks at the kitchen, the hairs stand up on his arms, he walks up to the bedroom, he takes his belt off, he sits on the corner of the bed, he watches the white snow blanketing his lawn, he sees the ice on the power lines, he looks at the barren black tree outside his window.

  When he sees her, he turns to look at her. “I know you’re not really here,” Marshall says softly.

  “You just haven’t decided if I’m the product of your guilt, a ghost, or the by-product of drinking heavily.”

  “I don’t believe in ghosts.”

  “I know, I also know that you’re afraid that if you quit getting sauced, I’ll stop showing up.”

  “You’re right. I don’t know what it all means but I don’t want it to stop.”

  “It doesn’t have to stop. But when you want it to, I’ll go away.”

  “Why would I want that?”

  “So you can move on with your life.”

  “You’re the only thing keeping me tethered.”

  “So where do we go from here?”

  “I don’t know, I found the ring you left in the picture frame. I put it on a chain and I wear it. Initially, I just left it in the little envelope. I figured you would want it to stay there.”

  “Then you thought that wearing it would bring me closer to you.”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “You kept all my stuff.”

  “If you had family left, I would’ve given it to them.”

  “I know, he’ll help you out, Spoiler I mean.”

  “What’s it like, where you’re at?”

  “It sounds strange but all I see when I’m not here is the forest.”

  Marshall looks at her eyes, he shakes his head. “I fucked up, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “It is my fault. I could have saved you.”

  “You didn’t know what he planned.”

  “I could have done so many things differently.”

  “You want to know something?”

  “Sure, go ahead. You can tell me whatever you want.”

  “The forest is the same but the people, they change.”

  “Are the people different every time?”

  “Some are the same, but others leave, new ones come in. No one ever returns though.”

  “What do you think it means?”

  “I’m in a place that’s in between, in between what? I’m not sure.”

  “Maybe you need to have an issue resolved before you move on.”

  “I’m not sure what needs to be resolved. Carmen killed me; you killed him, that sounds like a resolution.”

  “I can figure it out.”

  “If it gets resolved, I won’t see you anymore.”

  “I don’t want you stuck in limbo, if that’s what it is.”

  “I don’t want to go back there either but I get to see you, it seems like a fair trade-off.”

  “It’s not fair that you’re stuck there. I’ve never believed in heaven but if there is a place like that, then you belong there and not in that forest. I’ve seen that forest before.”

  “How did you see it?”

  “It was in a dream, the people looked like blue shades, there was a fire, you were there in the dream too.”

  “How did it end?”

  “You got out but for me, it ended badly.”

  “There has to be a way that it will end well for both of us.”

  “Not in this life.” Marshall turns back to her and she is gone. He lies down on the bed, he looks up at the ceiling for an hour thinking about Gina, then about both of the cases, he looks at the window and feels the chills again. He goes back downstairs to the couch, he lies down on it and pulls a blanket onto his legs, then he pulls it up until it covers him completely. Ten minutes later, he is asleep.

  “I have an appointment with the district attorney,” Marshall tells the receptionist as he enters the office lobby.

  “Are you Marshall Tumbler?” she asks.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “It should just be a few more minutes.” Marshall takes a seat; he pulls his flask out of his suit pocket and takes a swig.

  An aide opens the door, he’s a large African-American man in a black suit, his voice is very deep. “Mr. Solomon will see you now.” Marshall follows the man through the door and down the hall to the office of Guy Solomon.

  “Detective Tumbler, how are you doing?” Guy asks as he shakes Marshall’s hand.

  “I’m surviving.”

  “This is Melinda Setzer, she’s an excellent attorney.”

  “Nice to meet you ma’am,” Marshall says, he sets his hat on his lap.

  “I’ll get straight down to business. Last time we met, you gave us the case file and I have to say, you provided us with nearly everything we needed.”

  “I know.”

  “The cops found the murder weapon when they arrested Barnabus, a weapon that he pulled on you, we have your confrontation with him on videotape thanks to you, we spoke to Abner Frost to corroborate your assertion about the car Barnabus used. We can’t call him to the stand, though; Barnabus’ lawyers would tear him to pieces. We have talked to the fraternity brothers who lived in the house where you found the bodies. He has no alibi for his whereabouts when they were both kidnapped and killed. We’ve talked to the Willowells and, I guess, that’s one of the main reasons why we have you here.”

  “Just tell me what you need.”

  “We read the diary.”

  “I did too, I told you that.”

  “The diary presents many problems,” Guy explains.

  “What type of problems?”

  “The diary details what Daniel Shield did to his daughter. He is the mayor now,” Melinda interjects.

  “Daniel Shield is a child molester; he should have never won the election in the first place. Many people, myself included, don’t believe that he actually did.”

  “The point is that this will turn the trial into a circus, even more than it already would have been,” Guy continues.

  “I still don’t see the problem.”

  “We have Paul Sirgas who has agreed to testify along with John Geiger and Billy Weeks. We have Mr. Kessler, we have the Willowells. We’ve seen the tape that you provided. He never admits to the murders but what he does say is damning enough. We can’t call on Abner Frost but we can put Barnabus in the black BMW that night and in Lawrence. Our problem is Barnabus won’t talk. We have the motive, we have the murder weapon, we can place him at the Willowell home and we can place him in Lawrence where he hid the bodies,” Guy explains. “The problem is that we may need you to testify.”

  “I’ll testify.”

  “A family as powerful as the Shields will go to no ends to make sure you don’t make it to the stand.”

  “Cather
ine Shield already tried to kill me once.”

  “Do you have any proof of that?”

  “Just the words of a dead man.”

  “She hired Carmen Parnassus to kill you?” Guy asks.

  “Based on what Carmen said, yes. If you really want some fireworks, call Catherine Shield to the stand.”

  “We have discussed it.”

  “If all you’re concerned about is whether I’ll make it to testify, I can take care of myself.”

  “That’s not our only concern.”

  “Listen, I know as D.A. the last thing you want is the mayor out to get you.’

  “I’m not concerned with Daniel Shield or what he thinks of me. Truth be told, I can’t stand the man,” Guy explains.

  “We can’t have you showing up to trial under the influence,” Melinda tells Marshall.

  “I can always just get drunk after I leave the courtroom,” Marshall replies.

  “We’ll coach you up before you take the stand,” Guy assures Marshall.

  “I’ve testified many times, I don’t get rattled on the stand.”

  “This will be different. They will come after you. They will dissect your past.”

  “I’ve been through this before, it won’t work.”

  “We’ll prepare you anyway,” Guy says confidently.

  “Whatever you say.”

  “We’ll keep in touch. Chester, will you show our guest out?’ Guy asks.

  “Of course I will. Mr. Tumbler, follow me,” Chester says, he was the large African-American man who showed Marshall in. Marshall shakes Guy’s hand and then Melinda’s, he puts his hat back on and follows Chester.

  “You look familiar, Chester, what’s your last name?” Marshall asks once they are in the hall.

  “Swanson, I’m Chester Swanson. I don’t think we’ve met before.”

  “I don’t forget faces. Perhaps it was when you were younger.”

  “I don’t believe so.”

  “How long have you worked for Mr. Solomon?”

  “Four years, going on five. This is my fifth.”

  “That’s a long time,” Marshall remarks.

  “Have a good day, Detective Tumbler,” Chester says as he leads Marshall to the front door.

  When Marshall arrives back home, he looks over the case files on Frederick Fiord and Jackson Addler, he opens Frederick’s file first, he looks at a copy of the building permit for the cabin the woods, he remembers the wooden figures that he and Spoiler confiscated from said cabin, Marshall tracked his activity in Joplin, outside of Springfield, as far north as Kirksville, active in Rolla, and poplar Bluff. These were the places he went to after Spoiler and Marshall raided his cabin in Kansas City. He always dwelt on the outskirts of every town he was in, he always amassed followers and he always disappeared. Marshall pulled all financial records tied to Frederick Fiord and found very little in the way of resources. There were murders committed in each town while he was there but the murders were always committed by groups of people, some resulted in arrests, none of the arrests provided any details about Frederick Fiord. Most of the murders were gruesome, dismemberment was common, most of the bodies were found in wooded areas, if they were found at all, many times all that was left were the heads of the victims, many of the murders remained unsolved, the only tie was that Frederick was in town when all of the murders occurred. Marshall had yet to find a tie to Carmen Parnassus yet he knew that there must be one, there was also likely a tie to Paul Parrotta but Marshall had yet to find that connection either.