Everything I had tried to accomplish by my foolish actions was headed for ruin.
36
I was seriously considering making a pitch to Jessup that I’d spill my guts on the condition that a way was found for Callie and Kat to avoid any repercussions from my actions. I was hesitating only to give myself an opportunity to frame my appeal in such a way that Jessup would be inclined to go along. And then my cell phone chirped. I took it from my jacket pocket and looked at the caller’s number. I recognized it as Christine Darrow’s. “You mind if I take this?” I said. “It’s Callie’s lawyer and could be important.”
Jessup gave me a pained look and then nodded.
“Hello, Christine,” I said, putting some distance between myself and Jessup.
“Great news, Jack.”
“I could use some,” I muttered.
“Well, I think you’re going to like this a lot. I’ve just come from a meeting with Mandlin and a senior member of the investigative team looking into Croop’s activities. They now have reason to believe that Croop and RJ Fordham were working together with one Yuri Kristov, procuring women for a human smuggling operation going back at least two years.”
I nearly dropped the phone. “Croop and Fordham were both involved?”
“That’s what they think. They haven’t come up with proof yet but the murder charges against Callie are being dropped. The state has no interest in pursuing a case against her given the way things are shaping up.”
“I can’t believe it. It’s wonderful.”
“You bet it is, my friend.”
“What about the kidnapping charge?”
“I’ll get back to you on that but I can tell you the state is not going to pursue it and they’re not encouraging Fuller to proceed with a civil action.”
“I’ve got to go right now, Christine. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay. Ciao, Jack.”
The news was truly wonderful. It put a whole new slant on the position I had been forced to take until now. With Croop’s guilt suspected independently, Callie was off the hook for killing him and I no longer had to worry about covering up what I knew about Fordham. That, of course, didn’t mean I wanted to admit to killing him. Such a disclosure would still mean I would face serious charges and, with my record, it was not something I wanted to even think about.
I put my phone into my pocket and walked back to where Jessup waited. “Okay, Chief, here’s the deal. I’ve just found out you failed to mention that Croop is also being implicated along with Fordham and this Kristov character in some very serious activities.”
He scrunched up his face in a ‘okay, you caught me’ fashion. “Thought maybe you’d be a little more forthcoming if I held back on that information for the time being,” he admitted.
“I can probably give you some information about this operation that may not be known,” I said.
“Such as?”
“Such as where you might be able to trace the whereabouts of certain missing women.”
“Keep talking, Jack. You’ve got my interest.”
Given what I had just been told by Christine Darrow it seemed very likely that the place I had followed Fordham to up in Canada was connected to the smuggling ring and almost certainly to prostitution. It might be the information the state needed to put their case to bed. I took a deep breath and told Jessup all about following Fordham and what I thought the house he visited may have been.
Jessup patiently absorbed everything I told him. “So why didn’t you come to me with all this earlier?”
“I had no real evidence. I was waiting to be able to come up with something concrete.”
“So, what about the shooting?”
“Don’t know a thing about the shooting.”
“Come on, Jack, I don’t buy that for a minute.”
For the first time since all this began I could now see light at the end of the tunnel. Callie was in the clear. And if I confided in Jessup about the shooting on the condition that Kat and her son and daughter-in-law were guaranteed freedom from prosecution then I was the only one who’d have to face criminal charges. And there was always the possibility a jury might see it my way. “I’ll tell you on one condition,” I said.
“Which is?”
“You see that Kat is released from custody immediately and that no subsequent action is taken against her, her son, or her daughter-in-law for helping to cover up my actions.”
“That’s impossible and you know it.”
“Chief, listen to me. I can clear this whole mess up for you right now. The only thing you have to do is back off on arresting a woman and her family for saving my life.”
Jessup studied my face and then looked off into the distance, letting the wheels mesh. “Okay,” he said finally. “You’ve got a deal. No charges against Kat or her family as long as there was nothing more serious than what you claim.”
“You’ve got to get the State Police to back up that guarantee,” I insisted.
“It won’t be a problem. You’ve got my word.”
I had serious reservations that Jessup would be able to pull off such a guarantee but I had to trust that he’d at least try. I opened the door to the pickup and reached under the seat, bringing out the Glock. I handed it to Jessup. “This is the gun I shot him with. I bought it at a gun show in Lewiston. No idea what the guy’s name was.”
I talked for quite a while. With the exception of lying about the origin of the Glock, and the attempt to cover Callie’s guilt in shooting Croop, everything I said was the truth.
When I was through Jessup shook his head in dismay. “Jesus H. Christ,” he mumbled. “Quite a story.”
“Okay, you’ve got what you wanted. Let me go home and talk to Callie – let her know what’s happened. You can follow and take me into custody as soon as I’m done. Then you’ve got to get Kat released.”
Jessup pressed his lips together and frowned. I had a sudden and horrible feeling he was going to renege on his promise to me.
Then he smiled devilishly. “Kat’s not in custody,” he said. “I lied to you about that.”
37
Son of a bitch, I thought. Jessup had just suckered me into an admission I really didn’t have to make. He had used Kat as bait to force me to open up.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Jessup said after he was through gloating. “You’re gonna go home and celebrate your wife’s reprieve. What you’re not gonna do is say a word to anybody about what we’ve talked about. Got it?”
I was astounded. I expected cuffs, immediate arrest, and a cold jail cell. “Yeah, I got it,” I said. “But what’s going on?”
“I’ve got some things to check out. I’ll be in touch with you before long. In the meantime, no contact with Kat Stedman. Understood?”
I nodded.
He walked to his cruiser and placed my towel-wrapped gun into the trunk. Then he turned the cruiser back in the direction of town and took off at a high speed.
I dialed Christine Darrow’s number and had another talk with her about what we could expect from Mitch Fuller. Then I drove home, all the while wondering what Jessup intended to do and, of course, what effect it would have on my future.
Callie responded with expected joy when I told her what Christine Darrow had reported. She kept asking me to confirm over and over again that she would not have to go back to court. “No, honey,” I repeated for the third or fourth time, “you don’t have to go back to court. You’re free.”
“Explain it to me, Jack. I don’t understand what happened.”
“I don’t have a lot of details. The long and short of it is that the police have good reason to suspect that Croop and Fordham were partners with a guy named Kristov in a prostitution and human smuggling operation. Under the circumstances they don’t want to pursue charges against you. In regard to Mitch Fuller, there is a remote possibility he may initiate a civil case against you for the kidnapping episode but the state is not encouraging it and it’s not lik
ely to go anywhere.”
“What about you, Jack? Is there a chance they’ll find out about what happened with Fordham?”
“I had to admit what I did. Jessup tricked me into thinking they were going to sweat information from Kat Stedman that would have resulted in the arrest of Kat, her son, and her daughter-in-law if I didn’t tell him the truth. I don’t know what will happen next.”
“If you are charged, what will happen?”
“I don’t know. I can certainly make a strong case for killing Fordham in self defense but … my record will work against me. It’s impossible to know how a jury would react to what I did or if they’d be willing to overlook the fact that I tried to hide it.”
“So we’re not home free yet,” she affirmed.
There was no point in lying to her. “I’m afraid not, honey.”
A week went by. And then another. We kept busy. I painted walls and made repairs around the house. Callie made numerous trips into town acquiring pieces of furniture, plants, dishes, and cookware. We tried to act as though the future was not the uncertain thing it was.
With every small improvement in the old farmhouse we fell deeper in love with it. There was a serenity to the place that seemed to fill a deep need in us both. By the end of each day we were exhausted from our labors but content that we were working toward a worthwhile goal.
On a morning of the third week after my meeting with Jessup we heard a car pull up outside. We looked out to see the chief getting out of his cruiser. We exchanged a worried look and went to greet him.
When I opened the door Jessup stood on the porch with his Smokey Bear hat in his hands. There was a look on his face I found impossible to read. Was it resignation that, against his true wishes, he was here to take me into custody? Or was it something other than that?
“Chief Jessup,” I said. “Come in.”
He entered and followed me into the living room where Callie waited. “Mrs. Parmenter,” he said, nodding to her.
Callie didn’t respond. She brought her hands to her chin like she was saying a silent prayer and then sat down on the sofa.
“Have a seat, Chief,” I said. “Would you like a coffee?”
“No, I’m fine thanks,” he said, taking a seat opposite the sofa where Callie sat.
I took a seat beside Callie, held her hand, and waited for Jessup to speak.
“I’m here to let you know what has taken place over the past couple of weeks,” he said. “First of all, Mitch Fuller has decided to forgive and forget. He is not going to initiate an action against you, Mrs. Parmenter. Secondly, the information you gave me, Jack, about the place in Sherbrooke, Quebec, has proven extremely useful. At the request of the Maine State Police the Canadian Mounties conducted a search of the premises and found two women from Maine, reported missing over a year ago. The women were heavily drugged, being held against their wills, and by all indications, being used as prostitutes. There is some indication that Charlene Lamont spent time at this property but she has not yet been located. It appears RJ Fordham was acting as a bagman for Yuri Kristov and procured women for his operation. Croop, we have learned through a forensic search of his computer, was also involved in the operation. Evidence is being gathered that will undoubtedly prove that Kirov, Fordham, and Croop were equally guilty of, among other things, kidnapping and murder.
“The investigation has revealed that Fordham was most likely killed in a shootout with a rival of Kristov’s. As there was no physical evidence left at the scene of his murder it’s unlikely that charges will ever be brought to bear against the person or persons responsible.”
Well, I’ll be damned. Jessup had chosen not to share what I had admitted to. I, too, was off the hook. And to think I had judged him so poorly when we had first met.
“I don’t know what to say, Chief,” I said. “Thank you seems woefully inadequate.”
He came to his feet. “I’ll be honest. I did a lot of soul searching about how to do deal with you. In the end I simply couldn’t see how publicizing what you had done was going to serve justice.”
Callie and I stood, both of us at a loss for words. Suddenly Callie moved to Jessup and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. The show of emotion clearly embarrassed him.
When Callie finally let go of him he dipped his head, then turned and left.
38
Six months later …
After Jessup’s magnanimous gesture our lives eventually assumed a measure of normalcy and our minds turned to the minutiae of everyday life. I met with the investment company that had quietly handled our affairs throughout my absence. It turned out to be a pleasantly surprising meeting. We weren’t rich by most standards but we had enough money to buy the Stiller farm, complete all the improvements to the house and barn we deemed necessary, and acquire a couple new vehicles. There was enough left over that we will never want for anything within reason.
We see the Wilsons on a regular basis. My relationship with Miles, however, was never going to be what it once was if I left the official version of events unclarified. One evening after a momentous meal and way too much whiskey I took him for a walk and told him every detail about what had really happened with Fordham. He admitted he already knew, or at least highly suspected, what had taken place but he, nonetheless, very much appreciated my confiding in him. He promised never to tell Betty about Fordham. She had enough trouble trying to come to grips with what I had done to Reuben Henderson. Telling her about Fordham would have ended any possibility of her tolerating me again.
Charlene Lamont has never been found. Yuri Kristov, the suspected ring leader in the smuggling and prostitution operation, believed responsible for her disappearance and many others, escaped prosecution by fleeing the country. Authorities believe he’s hiding in Russia.
Kat Stedman and Kyle Jessup began dating about three months after the Fordham/Croop case was resolved. We were told the last time we saw Kat that she and Jessup are planning to get married this summer. I see Jessup every now and again when I’m in town. He’s quiet around me. I think he’s a little ashamed of himself for letting his emotions overrule his sworn duty to uphold the law. He has a new deputy, a young guy from Lewiston who works hard to try and earn Jessup’s respect and trust. Given Jessup’s experience with Fordham and Croop, I think the guy’s got a tough job ahead of him.
I watch Callie sometimes as she’s working in the garden or cooking up something special in her kitchen or struggling through a crossword puzzle. She takes a great deal of satisfaction from the simple pleasures of life and I have come to the conclusion that she is, at last, truly happy. She’s not the woman she once was but I don’t think of that as a bad thing. She’s a little more dependent on me than she used to be and, if I’m perfectly honest, it probably strokes my male ego a bit, making for a little less tension in our relationship. She rarely ever displays any undue temper. Whatever demons that plagued her for the years following our daughter’s death and my seven year absence from her life seem to have moved on.
In my own case I know the demons are unlikely to ever completely vanish. I’m often reminded of the terrible things I have not only done but, of equal concern, almost done. Whenever these thoughts bring on a particularly virulent strain of gloominess I take Bix for a long walk, conscious not to let my struggle with the past infect Callie. The beauty and serenity of the rolling green hills that surround us usually has the effect of settling my restive soul, at least for awhile.
My hope is that the troubling images imbedded in my brain will fade as the years pass. I’m even more hopeful that the love Callie and I share will never fade.
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The Shadow's Edge Page 16