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

by Jason Balistreri

  “You wanted to shoot me?” Chester asked him.

  “People get killed every day out here,” the man replies. “You think you’re special?” Chester bounced the man’s head off the sidewalk, knocking him out. Chester took both of their wallets; he took all of their cash then tossed the wallets back onto the ground. He got on his bike and started to ride back, at one point he felt his eyes well up and he wiped them with his shirt, he wasn’t sure why he was crying but it was brief, he rode back to the basketball courts at the park, he found Damon and handed him the cash.

  “That’s not bad for broke-ass Saul,” Damon said.

  “There were two of them,” Chester responded.

  “So you did twice the work.”

  “There’s something else. Maybe I should show you in private.”

  “Here, we’re protected. None of these people will rat us out, they know the stakes.” Chester pulled the gun from his waistband.

  “His friend pulled this on me.”

  “Shit, it’s like you were Godzilla and those motherfuckers were Tokyo.”

  “His friend could have killed me.”

  “If he was going to kill you with that gun, he would have had to shoot you in the eye or the temple.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’ve never been around guns, have you? That’s a twenty-two; it’s a gun for girls. This is a .38 revolver, easy to use, easy to clean, it’s yours,” Damon says as he pulls the .38 out of his waistband and hands it to Chester.

  “I’ve never fired a gun before.”

  “You’ll be doing a lot of things you’ve never done before. You’re one of us now, everything will move quickly, just make sure you can keep up.”

  CHAPTER FOUR: GUY SOLOMON

  “What are you thinking about?” Diana asks.

  “Ah, nothing, just a busy day at work. We talked to Marshall Tumbler again,” Guy responds.

  “Marshall Tumbler, where do I know that name from?”

  “I’ve talked about him before.”

  “No, before that.”

  “He was famous for capturing Paul Parrotta.”

  “The serial killer?”

  “Among other things, yes. He also caught the most prolific arsonist in the city.”

  “Then what’s troubling you?”

  “I don’t know what to make of him, the guy wears a fedora for Christ’s sake, this isn’t the 1950’s, he’s turned into a booze hound, I don’t know if he’s reliable or not. He gave us everything of value that we have on Barnabus Shield but he’s also got a self-destructive streak; if the case goes to trial, it could be problematic.”

  “What do you mean if the case goes to trial?”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if Barnabus takes a plea deal.”

  “You always seemed adamant that he would fight it.”

  “A man with his resources can mount an excellent defense, the best crooked money can buy, but if he knows what we can expose about his father, he may change his mind.”

  “He may fall on the sword, so to speak.”

  “He’s not noble enough for me to phrase it that way but when he realizes there is more at stake than his own name, he may roll over and cop to what he did.”

  “If he doesn’t?”

  “Then I’ll take him to the wall.”

  “You said that Tumbler turned into a booze hound, what happened?”

  “A former detective named Carmen Parnassus killed his partner.”

  “Did Marshall know him personally?”

  “Yes, they were both detectives on the force.”

  “Wasn’t Carmen that guy that became a hired killer, the Winter Killer, right?”

  “Yes, that was him.”

  “Marshall shot him in his home; I remember the story on the news.”

  “Yes, the interesting thing is Carmen killed his partner after he was dead.”

  “How’d he do that?”

  “He poisoned her.”

  “That’s terrible, you need to help him.”

  “I don’t really know how to, what can you do for someone that’s been through all of that?”

  “He probably just needs someone on his side. Just be his friend.”

  “If this case makes it to trial, it will bring a lot of heat, even if Barnabus pleads guilty, until he does, we’ll all be under a lot of pressure. If the truth comes out about Daniel Shield, the fallout could be disastrous.”

  “You’ve handled worse.”

  “I think the thing that scares me is there is the possibility that no one gets to know what Daniel Shield did, outside of Marshall and myself. I never liked the man in the first place, but personal politics aside, this city needs to know the truth about the man who runs it.”

  “If Barnabus takes the plea, then what Daniel did will never come out.”

  “Which is why I wouldn’t be surprised if Barnabus took the plea.”

  “But Marshall knows?”

  “Yes, he’s the one who discovered it.”

  “Then you need to protect him and if you can’t do that, then at least be his friend. It doesn’t sound like he has anyone anymore.”

  “I think I know how to help him. Whether he’ll want the help is an entirely different question.”

  “He’ll take the help if you offer it.”

  “Don’t be so sure, people can be stubborn. Marshall Tumbler doesn’t trust anyone.”

  “Then give him someone to trust.”

  The nest day, Guy calls Chester Swanson into his office; Chester takes a seat across from Guy’s desk. “Chester, this is your fifth year here, and I think the world of you.”

  “Are you firing me?”

  “No, I just wanted to gauge your interest in an opportunity. If you’re not interested, just tell me and we won’t pursue it.”

  “What’s the offer?”

  “Detective Tumbler is going to be a witness in the Shield case; he doesn’t have a whole lot of people to trust. He could use someone with your skill set. He can take care of himself but in his current condition, I think he could use the help; I need this man to make it to the stand and until that time, I need you to look after him, just like you’ve done here.”

  “How long would you want me to do this for?”

  “Just until the Shield trial is over. This is all contingent upon what Marshall has to say in the matter. He could refuse and say he doesn’t need the help.”

  “I still need time to see my mother.”

  “How has she been doing lately?”

  “Not well, she can’t handle the chemo.”

  “I’m sorry, Chester. You’ve handled all of this the best that you can. I know you want to be involved in something great, Marshall Tumbler has a knack for solving high profile cases. I think the two of you paired together would be mutually beneficial. He must feel like an outcast, he lost his partner, I think he needs someone who’s on his side.”

  “I’m interested in the opportunity; I’ve never worked with a detective before.”

  “I figured it would be more interesting than what you witness here.”

  “When are you going to talk to him?”

  “I would like to do it soon, when he comes in, I would like for you to be there too. It will be harder for him to say no if you’re present.”

  “What will happen after the trial?”

  “You’ll come back to work for me.”

  “I guess we’ll see what he says.” Guy calls Marshall and they agree to meet the following afternoon.

  “The reason why I called you in was to gauge your interest in an offer. Chester Swanson has worked for me going on five years now. Given my concerns for your safety and his interest, I wanted to see if Chester could work for you until the trial is over.”

  “You shouldn’t be concerned about my safety.”

  “You know there are threats out there.”

  “Threats I can handle. I have cases that I’m actively pursuing; I can’t have anyone slowing me down.”

 
“He would just be there for protection. If money is an issue, I would be willing to still pay his salary; he would just be working for you.”

  “Money isn’t an issue. If I wanted to hire him, I’d hire him. But I don’t trust anyone; I’m not ready to work with a partner again.”

  “It’s your decision. I thought I would make the offer but it’s clear your answer is no.”

  “Let me talk to Chester alone.”

  “I’ll leave,” Guy says.

  “What’s your stake in all this?” Marshall asks.

  “I don’t have one, Mr. Solomon asked me if I would be interested in working for you and I told him I would be. After the trial, I’d go back to working for him.”

  “What made you say yes?”

  “I want to do something that will be remembered. I don’t have kids, probably never will. I just want something that will live on when I’m gone. I know about the work you do, I think I can help you.”

  “If you’re interested in fame, you should go to Hollywood. This is not a glamorous job; you’ll be waist deep in strange people and unspeakable acts. It will change you, sure it presents a way to make a name for yourself but a part of you gets lost as well.”

  “I don’t get frightened.”

  “You will if you work for me. The other issue that concerns me is your past. I know you don’t have much in the way of a record but your gang activity gives me pause. The other thing that concerns me is people in that lifestyle don’t get out, so the question is, how did you get out of it?”

  “The same way I got through that lifestyle, without spending my life in prison or ending up dead.”

  “How did you make it out?”

  “I never got caught because I was good at what I did and if a man wants out, and he’s willing to do what others won’t, he finds a way. You have your secrets you protect and I have mine.”

  “Do you have a driver’s license?”

  “Yes, I do. My car’s a clunker though.”

  “You’ll be driving mine, you have insurance?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Most of our work will consist of traveling all across Missouri, I’m talking backwoods. I’m on the hunt for a mysterious and dangerous man.”

  “My mother has cancer; I can’t be away from her for too long.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I think I could use you but you need some time to get your personal matters sorted out. If you work with me, with the cases I’m juggling right now, you’ll have to be able to travel. I’ll give you my card, when you’re ready, give me a call. If I don’t answer, leave a message,” Marshall says, he stands up and grabs his hat, he shakes Chester’s hand. On his way out, Guy stops him.

  “How did it go?”

  “His mother is ill, he needs time to attend to his personal life.”

  “He wants to work for you.”

  “I’ve got to have someone with a clear head, with what his mother’s going through, he won’t be focused.”

  “The whole point was to help you out.”

  “He will, when he’s ready. I don’t really need the help, I could use him but I don’t need him. Besides, I need to take a closer look at his past before he comes on board.”

  “I already did, he’s clean.”

  “No offense, Mr. Solomon, but I don’t trust anyone unless if they give me a good reason to do so. I’m sure you did your homework but I have to look into it for myself as well.”

  Marshall begins following Chester Swanson the next day, from his apartment off of Roanoke to Mr. Solomon’s office, he puts his earpiece in and listens in on his conversations all day, he watches him eat lunch alone and eats in the same restaurant, Chester never recognizes him though he sits on the opposite side of the restaurant and never puts his hat on, Marshall simply blends in, he waits outside while Chester eats dinner at home, he follows him to his mother’s house, he chooses not to use his listening device then follows Chester to a bar where he orders a Crown and Coke. He listens to Chester make witty banter with the female bartender, no one else speaks to him. Marshall observes as he calls a taxi, he waits an abnormally long time for it, then in the morning he’s back at the bar to pick up his car and heads into work for another day, Marshall had slept in his car in the cold. Somewhere in that second day, he realized that he and Chester were outcasts, Marshall felt no connection since Gina’s death, he saw in this large man that his only connection was his mother and he could see in his walk and in the way he tilted his head when no one was looking, that he was just treading water now, he was like a resident of a town in the path of a hurricane, he was just waiting for it to hit and wipe away everything that mattered to him, the only thing that mattered to him. For a man to leave behind a world of expensive cars, quick deaths, and more drugs than any person could conceivably count, he had to make a sacrifice to give it all up, the price for leaving is death, Marshall had to know how he escaped from it and stayed in the same city no less, then it settles in on him that Guy Solomon had to be a part of it, he had to know how Chester got away, he may have shown him a way out in exchange for his employment but what did that make Guy Solomon? If he wasn’t involved then Marshall wondered if Chester was a man who had crossed a line to get out, that line between those who have taken a life and those who haven’t, Marshall saw him with the same guilt, it was in the way he ate, it was almost like he was waiting for someone to take the plate away so he could unleash what was buried inside, Marshall viewed it as a secret pain, he knew that his drinking was part of it too, he couldn’t stop because he was afraid of losing the vision of Gina and because he was just waiting for someone to fuck with him so he could take it all out on them, some idiot who never learned to mind his own business, this is what he was reduced to and he wasn’t proud of it but he acknowledged it for what it was, it was like every night he made a silent cry for help, that desire to be accepted when he knew he never would be. Marshall knew the line meant everything, it determined what a man was willing to resort to, whether it was business or for survival, he wondered if that was why he was drawn to homicide, because he knew all too well that the capability was in all of us, when he studied the case of the man in brown, he knew he was looking at a man who believed he was above the baser instincts that some of his followers acted upon, even though he told them there were no rules, even though he told them to do what they desired, he was a man who had rules that he followed, he just never let anyone else in on them though he may have let Clara know. When he felt like his operation was in peril he moved on to another town and began the process again, some of the players remained the same, Marshall knew that one of them would be his way in, if the man in brown was incapable of miscalculation, if his timing was as perfect as it seemed on paper; he was always gone before any investigation even began, he shunned technology so he couldn’t be tracked by his cell phone or computer, he left no digital footprint, the only way to catch him was by finding a mistake made by someone in his circle, Marshall knew he would have to go mobile to catch him, he knew his tendencies and knew that right then he was in a small town in Missouri surrounded by his followers, at one time he thought he could stay hidden forever but he knew it was foolish to think that way, after he spoke to them he looked out across the river sparkling in the night, he watched his own breath hang in the air, he knew that none of it could last.

  CHAPTER FIVE: THE MAN IN BROWN

  “People are looking for answers; they want meaning out of life, Clara. I provide them with that. Everyone clings to their technology, they have become obsessed with things, possessions control them but I provide a better way. A return to nature is what this country needs, a spiritual uplift to fill the hole in our culture.”

  “I know you’re a carpenter but what’s the use of the figures?”

  “I’ve always made them since I was a boy. The amazing thing is that after I make them, the people appear. It’s been that way all my life.”

  “Is this why the stories started?”

  “Which ones, dear?”<
br />
  “The stories that you could bring people back.”

  “I never claimed to have abilities like that. I don’t remember exactly who started the story; all I ever claimed to do was give people a glimpse. I have my tricks that I employ from time to time but I’ve never claimed to be able to accomplish the impossible. If people want a glimpse, then they have to follow me. Once they do, they get their glimpse but they don’t always like it. Sometimes I wish there was another way, the method is chaotic and gets messy but it’s the only way I know how.”

  “That’s why we’ve had to move so much?”

  “Yes, if anyone out there knew what we were doing, they’d lock me up. Two detectives came close to finding me, this was before you came along, I made a figure of the one who was coming for me and I left before he arrived, I left them a letter. The purpose was intimidation, I suppose, that and letting him know that I’m smarter and two steps ahead of his thinking.”

  “What do you think happened to him?”

  “He gave up eventually. He used to go to the same woods looking for me, I saw him there once but he didn’t see me. He has no idea about my work and it must stay that way, the followers know and that is all, if anyone else found out they’d take me away from you.”

  “I don’t know what I would do if that happened.”

  “You would lead the people like I do; I’ll show you the way.”

  “Who taught you?”

  “He goes by many names and names are not important, I was creating long before he came along, he just taught me how to funnel my gifts, he showed me the method, I only regret what it requires.”

  “Who was he?”

  “He was a friend when I was a younger man, before all of the wandering, he showed me how to turn it on, he showed me how he used his talents, then he left me alone. I wasn’t the only one, there were others, we knew it was too dangerous to be seen together, we each did our work on our own.”