Goliath

by E. A. Briginshaw

  “Maybe they were looking for something more,” Detective Benedetti said, “and your son came home before they could find it.”

  They headed back outside where Robert and David were waiting. “What do we do now?” Henry asked Detective Benedetti.

  “It will take us several more hours to take pictures and dust for fingerprints, but I doubt we’ll find anything,” Detective Benedetti said. “We should be done sometime tonight but I’d suggest you find somewhere else to stay for the night if you can.”

  “I can probably stay at Alex’s place,” David said.

  Robert indicated he could head back over to Taylor’s place for the night and Henry said he’d be staying at his sister’s place. Henry dreaded having to tell his mother about the incident because he knew it would upset her. He told the boys he’d pick them up early the next morning because he wanted to clean the place up at bit before his mother saw it.

  “We need Robert and yourself to sign some statements before you leave,” Detective Benedetti said.

  Robert was already talking to the uniformed officer and making some minor corrections to the report the officer had prepared. David was on his cell phone talking to Alex and confirming that he could stay at his place for the night.

  “If you find anything else missing when you go through your stuff tomorrow, call me to let us know and we’ll file an amendment to the report,” Detective Benedetti said to Henry. “Believe it or not, this incident may actually help us figure out what happened to your brother and Edward Bronson. Something weird is going on. I just don’t know what yet.”

  *** Chapter 20 ***

  Henry received a call from Detective Benedetti later that night confirming that the police had completed their work.

  “Did they find out who broke into your house?” Jenny asked when he got off the phone.

  “No, I’m sure that will take some time, but they’ve completed dusting the place for fingerprints and gathering any other evidence at the scene,” Henry replied. “He said we can take down the police tape surrounding the house and begin the cleanup process.” Henry had been trying to update his sister about the break-in at his house without causing undue alarm to their mother, but he knew she had been listening to everything he said. To his surprise, she seemed encouraged by the news.

  “I think this means that Alan’s still alive,” she said. “I don’t know what he’s got himself involved in but whoever broke into your house and stole his laptop obviously thinks it’s going to help them find Alan. It probably has something to do with all of those stories he was telling us.”

  “I think that was just one of Alan’s bipolar illusions,” Henry said, but even he had to admit the thought had crossed his mind that some of those stories might not have been illusions after all.

  The next morning Henry was up early and headed over to pick up Robert and David at their friends’ places. He had told Jenny to delay bringing their mother over to the house until later if possible to give them time to clean up the place a bit. Henry and the boys started putting the clothes that had been strewn around the rooms back in their closets and drawers. It surprised them how quickly they had the house looking normal again.

  “This doesn’t look too bad,” Henry’s mother said as she came into the house. “It doesn’t appear they broke anything. Did they take much?”

  “The only thing that I know is missing is the laptop that was sitting on the kitchen table,” Henry replied. “But let me know if you notice anything of yours missing.”

  Henry’s mother went into her room and began taking all of the clothes that Henry had carefully folded and put away back out of the drawers and putting them into a laundry basket. She was going to wash everything she owned, as knowing that someone had pawed through her possessions made them feel dirty.

  Henry confirmed with both Robert and David that they hadn’t found anything else missing before he called Detective Benedetti. “It looks like the only thing they took was the laptop,” Henry said. “I guess you can tell the RCMP officers that there’s no point in them pursuing the warrant any more. You know, I thought I saw them parked down the street watching me when I left.” Henry paused before continuing. “You don’t think there’s any chance they’re the ones who took the laptop, do you? They didn’t like that I was forcing them to get a warrant to get their hands on it.”

  “Not a chance,” Detective Benedetti said. “I could tell they were disappointed when I told them the laptop was taken. Besides, they do everything by the book.”

  After talking to Detective Benedetti, Henry called Greg Blackwood to let him know what had happened. Henry was surprised at how upset Greg seemed to be when he told him the laptop had been taken.

  * * *

  Henry was supposed to head to Chicago on Monday, but decided to delay it until the middle of the week to stay around the home-front a few more days. He could tell that everyone was a little spooked by the break-in, him included. Henry called Laura to let her know about the change in plans, although he didn’t tell her about the break-in, just that something unexpected had come up. He had been calling her regularly over the last few weeks but had noticed she seemed a little distant on the phone. He suspected that she was getting run-down by her radiation treatments. Although she was tolerating them pretty well, Henry knew they took their toll on a person, both physically and mentally.

  Henry arrived in Chicago on Wednesday and headed over to Laura’s place after work. He was disappointed that he’d be staying at a hotel rather than at Laura’s, but Samantha had moved back into Laura’s second bedroom again when she returned from her business trip.

  “Hi Henry,” Samantha said as she opened the door to let Henry in.

  “Hi Samantha,” Henry said. “How’s our girl doing?”

  “She’s doing pretty well,” Samantha said. “She had her last radiation treatment last Friday so that’s all done and over with. I’m trying to convince her to think about getting back to work, with limited success.”

  Samantha then pulled Henry in close to whisper something to him. “Laura’s been fitted with a prostheses and is really worried about how she looks so I need you to be really supportive of her when she comes out of the bedroom.”

  A few seconds later, Laura emerged from the bedroom wearing a regular blouse. It had been a while since Henry had seen her without her thick blue housecoat. She gave Henry a brief hug to greet him, but didn’t look him in the eye. Instead, she retreated to the kitchen to empty the dishwasher. Henry and Samantha sat on the stools at the little breakfast bar that faced into the kitchen.

  “So, I bet you’re glad your radiation treatments are over with,” Henry said, trying to start up a conversation.

  “Yes, good riddance,” Laura replied, continuing to put away the dishes. “Your suggestion about eating Rice Krispies sure helped getting over the nausea.” Laura continued to avoid eye contact with anyone and seemed to be taking an incredibly long time putting the dishes away. Everyone knew what was going on, but no one wanted to acknowledge it.

  “So, when do you think you’ll be heading back to work?” Henry asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Laura replied.

  It seemed to Henry that Laura was now just rearranging the dishes in the cupboard as the dishwasher had been emptied long ago. While Laura was facing the cupboard, Samantha tried to signal to Henry to say something nice about how Laura looked. Finally, Laura closed the cupboard doors and turned to face Henry. This was the first time since he’d arrived that she had looked directly at him.

  “Nice rack,” Henry said.

  “Gawd!” Samantha said as she kicked Henry’s stool sending it toppling, and Henry with it. “I said to say something nice and that’s what you come out with? You insensitive clod!!!” It looked like she was going to punch him.

  “Hey, that’s the nicest compliment a guy can give,” Henry said defensively.

  Samantha turned back towards Laura with a worried look and was surprised to see Laura had burst out laughing.
“I feel like I’m wearing a personal flotation device,” Laura said trying to control her laughter. “I think they made it too big.”

  “Not possible,” Henry said.

  “Men and their fascination with big breasts,” Samantha sighed in exasperation. “How would you like it if we talked about you guys in that way? We do, you know,” Samantha continued, giving Henry an evil look. “Size – shape - whether it curves to the left or right.”

  Henry suddenly felt totally inadequate and subconsciously started to cross his legs.

  “Don’t let her scare you,” Laura said, putting her hand on Henry’s shoulder. “You have nothing to worry about in that department.”

  “You two perverts deserve each other,” Samantha said, shaking your head. “I’m going to my room.”

  “Seriously,” Laura said after Samantha had left the room, “do I look OK?”

  “You look perfect,” Henry replied, looking deeply into her eyes. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too,” Laura replied, hugging him tightly.

  They spent the rest of the evening sitting on the couch talking and holding each other. Although they had only been apart a few weeks, they both were beginning to realize how much more complete they felt when they were together. Henry had been careful not to use the “L-word” again, but he was convinced now more than ever that this was real. And Laura didn’t seem as afraid of the word as she had just a few weeks ago.

  * * *

  Henry was surprised when he received a call from Samantha the next day while he was at work. “I just thought I’d let you know that I’ve moved out of Laura’s second bedroom and back to my own place. I wasn’t going to until she was back at work, but she doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to do that. I don’t think she needs me to take care of her anymore.”

  “I’m sure she’ll go back when she’s ready,” Henry replied.

  “I’m not so sure,” Samantha said. “She used to be so focused about her job but now it seems she’s content to just sit around her place all day. I’m concerned that she may lose her job if she doesn’t head back soon.”

  “Isn’t she on some sort of short-term disability right now?” Henry asked.

  “Yes, she is, but I’m not sure how much longer that will last,” Samantha said. “Anyway, you won’t have to worry about me chaperoning your visits with her anymore, but I’d appreciate it if you could encourage her to get back to work. I think it would be healthier for her in the long run.”

  Henry agreed and said he would do what he could. He raised the subject with Laura that evening after supper, but didn’t make any progress as Laura quickly changed the subject. “So, what’s been going on in your life back in Toronto?” Laura asked.

  Henry hadn’t told her anything about the situation with his brother. In fact, he liked being able to escape to Chicago to avoid thinking about it himself, but he started telling Laura about his brother and the missing plane.

  “Edward Bronson’s plane?” Laura asked. “You mean the guy who owns almost half the newspapers and TV stations in Canada?”

  “One and the same,” Henry said.

  “How come I haven’t heard anything about this?” Laura asked.

  “I don’t know,” Henry answered. “It’s been in all over the news in Canada and I even read a few reports on it in the Tribune here in Chicago.” Laura suddenly realized she hadn’t read a newspaper in weeks and even then, had only glanced at the front page.

  Henry explained that his brother had sold Edward Bronson some suits, but he didn’t think they really had a relationship other than that. When Henry told her about the visit he’d had from the RCMP, Laura was really intrigued.

  “Then, last week our house was broken into and someone stole Alan’s laptop,” Henry continued. “That’s why I delayed my trip to Chicago from Monday to Wednesday.” Laura seemed deep in thought as if she was trying to solve a puzzle in her head. “I’m sorry,” Henry said. “I guess I should have told you this earlier, but I knew you had your own problems to deal with.”

  When Henry left Laura’s place that night, he could tell she was worried about him and his missing brother. Maybe he shouldn’t have told her, he thought to himself.

  Henry received another call from Samantha the next day at work. “What did you say to Laura last night?” Samantha asked as soon as Henry answered.

  “Why – what do you mean?” Henry asked.

  “Well, she apparently showed up at work before 6AM this morning researching some story,” Samantha said. “She’s been storming around the office commanding some of the junior reporters to make phone calls digging up additional information. I didn’t even know she was back in the office until I heard a couple of guys in the elevator talking about it.”

  Henry told Samantha about his brother and Edward Bronson’s missing plane. “Well, hang on to your hat partner,” Samantha said, “because when she gets hold of a story, it’s like a pit bull’s got hold of your leg. If you kick your leg, he’ll just bite you harder.”

  “I’m sorry,” Henry said. “I guess I shouldn’t have told her.”

  “Don’t be,” Samantha said. “It’s good to have her back to her old self.”

  After he hung up the phone with Samantha, Henry tried to call Laura at the Tribune but they said she was out of the office. He tried her cell phone as well, but it went to voice-mail. It was much later in the afternoon when Henry’s cell phone rang. He was pleased to see Laura’s name appear on the call display.

  “Where are you?” Laura asked.

  “I’m actually on my way to the airport,” Henry said. “My flight leaves in a little over two hours.”

  “OK, I’ll meet you at the airport bar. I’m sure you know which one.” She hung up before Henry could answer.

  When Henry arrived at the airport bar, he didn’t see Laura. He sat at the same table that he’d seen Laura and Samantha sitting at when he had first met them a few months earlier. When Laura arrived at the bar, she pulled out a file that had about an inch of paper in it and placed it on the table in front of Henry. It was a mixture of printouts of articles she’d found online, some hand-written notes and a multitude of yellow post-it notes.

  “What’s this?” Henry asked.

  “It’s everything I found out so far about your brother and Edward Bronson,” Laura said. “The FBI does have some evidence about a secret network of some kind and Edward Bronson is definitely involved, but I couldn’t find anything on your brother.”

  “The FBI?” Henry asked.

  “Yep. They first became aware of this network when a new route for the oil pipeline from Canada to the U.S. magically appeared while all of the politicians were still fighting with each other as to where it was going to go and who was going to pay for it.”

  “I remember a little bit about that,” Henry said. “Some senators and environmentalists were saying the proposed route would endanger environmentally sensitive areas if they ever had a rupture. Other senators were touting all of the jobs it would create and how badly the U.S. needed the oil. In the end, I think the President just vetoed it, didn’t he?”

  “True, but remember how they magically came up with a new route that avoided all of the environmentally sensitive areas and a new funding formula within a few weeks after that?” Laura asked.

  “Yes, the President and a few state governors endorsed that plan almost immediately,” Henry said.

  “Precisely, well the FBI believes that whole plan was secretly put together by some scientists, environmentalists, lawyers and some people from the oil industry and placed in the lap of the President.”

  “David Suzuki,” Henry muttered when he heard that it involved scientists and environmentalists.

  “Yes, I think that was one of the names I read in the report,” Laura said.

  “How would this involve Edward Bronson or my brother?” Henry asked.

  “Apparently, Edward Bronson was financing this whole thing,” Laura said. “I guess he’s got more mon
ey than he knows what to do with. I couldn’t find anything on your brother.”

  “Did you find anything that mentioned Goliath?” Henry asked. He hadn’t told Laura that part the night before.

  “Yeah, I read that somewhere in one of the reports,” Laura said as she flipped through the pages trying to find where she’d seen it. “Here it is,” Laura continued. “There’s not much here but they think he’s a courier. There’s a whole bunch of couriers with code names like Goliath and Zeus. They’re not directly involved, but they facilitate the exchange of information.”

  “I think my brother may have been Goliath,” Henry said, now looking more worried than ever.

  “Look, if it makes you feel any better, the FBI thinks that Edward Bronson has just gone into hiding, maybe along with your brother,” Laura said, reaching out and putting her hand on top of Henry’s.

  “Why would they have to go into hiding?” Henry asked.

  “Well, after their success with the pipeline project, they are apparently working on coming up with something on gun control,” Laura said.

  “America loves its guns,” Henry said.

  “And so does the National Rifle Association,” Laura said. “The NRA spends a lot of money on lobbying and making sure that candidates from both parties that support their cause keep getting elected. They’re not happy that there’s some organization that they can’t control working on the issue behind the scenes. The FBI thinks that some of the more radical people within the NRA found out that Edward Bronson is financing this network and they may be targeting him.”

  “Can’t the FBI protect them?” Henry asked.

  “They don’t know where they are either,” Laura answered.

  “Maybe if you print this story, they could come out of hiding,” Henry said, grasping for a solution.

  “I can’t use any of this information in a story. My source at the FBI told this to me in confidence.”