Bridgetown's Eleventh Hour

by Shirley A. Roe

  She called Matt and Jack and left both a message. Jack called her first. “Hi Chris, I was taking a nap and Susan went for groceries. What’s up?” She explained what she saw and told him she would keep him up to date as soon as she knew something.

  Jack sat back on the couch, his mind racing. A body? What on earth is going on? I didn’t expect this. Maybe it’s Charles Martin; no I wouldn’t be that lucky.

  Bernie was surprised when Missy called him at work. “Can you pick me up at six, Bernie? I don’t have my car and I need to see Jack right away.” He smiled widely, anticipating time with the lovely Missy.

  “I will be there, see you later.” Bernie whistled as he finished his work for the afternoon.

  Matt arrived home to find Christine pacing the apartment. “What’s happening, Babe?”

  “Where do I start?” Christine looked upset and glanced at the box in his hand curiously.

  Matt dropped the box containing a water filter system for the faucet, on the kitchen table. “I don’t know if this will help, but it can’t hurt. Oh, by the way, there is a ‘Sold’ sign on the Martins’ place. I guess he is off to Ottawa to climb the political ladder. Well, he won’t get my vote.” Matt headed for the bathroom. “Let me shower and then you can fill me in.”

  “Make it quick, we are going to Jack’s for six.” He shot her a puzzled look and closed the door. She continued to pace. Her mind buzzed, There was a body at the chemical plant, the site had been cleared, but now they were digging again, the Martins’ house was sold? Missy called Jack and said she had information. What is happening to my quiet little town?

  At six sharp, the little band met at Bernie’s apartment once again. Bernie and Missy arrived last. Everyone was anxious and the air was filled with excitement.

  “What happened today, Missy?” Jack addressed the petite nurse first, wanting to get to the bottom of this. Susan held Jack’s hand; she knew he could barely contain himself.

  Missy looked at the group, took a deep breath and began. “As you heard, a body was found at Martin and Schultz today.”

  “Tell us it was Charles Martin and make my day.” Jack blurted out.

  “Jack!” the others admonished in unison.

  “Sorry, go on Missy.” Jack looked sheepishly at Susan, who swatted the back of his hand.

  “Sorry to disappoint Jack, but it was Mr. Gerald, the foreman of the hazmat team. No one knows what happened, but he was found in the bottom of the pit. Wait, there’s more.” She put up her hand to the shocked group to stop any questions. “It appears there is an older layer of barrels under the original site and many of them have burst. That is all I know.” She sat down on the loveseat, as Bernie moved to his left to make room for her.

  They all spoke at once. “More barrels, so that is the cause of the water problems?” “The foreman of the hazmat team is dead? But how did he get in the pit?” “Was it an accident?” It was mass confusion for a few minutes as the information sunk in.

  “Okay everyone. Let’s settle down and try to make some sense of this.” It was Susan that regained order. “A man is dead. How did he die, Missy?”

  “I don’t know. An autopsy is being performed and it is all ‘hush hush.’ I found out what I did because a friend of mine works in the morgue and he overheard the officers talking.”

  “I am going to call my friend Larry at Environment Canada and see if we can get more info,” Jack injected. “Of course, he will be gone home now so it will have to wait until tomorrow. The good news is that the source of the contamination has been located and maybe now the leak can be stopped and the water can be cleaned up.” Jack squeezed Susan’s hand, he was very pleased. “Unless it has done some serious leaking into the water table,” he added.

  “I will go back to the plant tomorrow and try to get someone to give me some info.” Christine added. “Maybe Mr. Bernstein from the scrap yard can add something.”

  “I can ask around at work. One of the crew has a brother on the police force. We might be able to get some information from him.” Matt added. They all wanted to help fill in the blanks of this mystery. “And I am sure Missy will have more info soon.”

  “Did anyone call Sarah? She might have information from Dan about the water treatment plant. Of course, the way she defends Martin and Schultz, we probably won’t get far.” Jack looked at Christine.

  “I called her earlier, but she wasn’t home. Her assignment is finished with them, Jack. Let me try again.” Christine went into the kitchen and called Sarah’s number. She wondered why she still felt obligated to defend Sarah, they had definitely drifted apart. The phone rang and the answering machine picked up. Christine hung up without leaving a message.

  “I’ll drop by and see Dan myself on my way to work.” Bernie offered wanting to feel part of the group. “He and I are buddies and he might tell me something.” Bernie smiled at Missy wanting to impress her.

  “Good luck Bern, he wouldn’t tell me shit.” Jack barked. Susan laughed at the group’s back and forth banter. This was a comfortable environment and she liked being part of it. The night went well and they all left feeling like they had finally accomplished something.

  The next morning Christine sat in John’s office, the pictures of the body being retrieved from the pit, were on his desk. “I want to print these Christine, really I do, but I have been told that this is a closed investigation and we could be in trouble if they know you were close enough to take these shots.”

  “I don’t care about a closed investigation. The public has been kept in the dark long enough, John. It is time to get things out in the open and start telling the people of Bridgetown exactly what is going on in this town. I see more and more ‘For Sale’ signs every day and now with the chemical plant closed down for good, many of our citizens are without jobs. Not to mention a man is dead. This is news, damn it!”

  He looked at her carefully. She was filled with passion and she was a great reporter. What should he do? Of course everything she said was right and who really had the right to put a gag order on this? Freedom of the press, was it real or a fantasy? He pondered the situation for a few minutes. Christine bit her lip thinking she may have overstepped her bounds. She waited for him to answer, but her stomach was churning and her hands were perspiring.

  “Alright Christine, go with it. But make sure you have all the facts. I don’t want to print anything that is not the truth, we don’t need a liable or slander suit.” She jumped up and hugged him.

  “Thank you John, you won’t be sorry. I will have the article on your desk by noon.” She skipped from the room leaving him wondering if he had made a big mistake.

  The story ran in the evening edition and it was the talk of Bridgetown. Matt was in the café when he heard people discussing it. He picked up a copy of the paper and gasped when he saw the pictures of the body and the headline. ‘Foreman’s body found in toxic waste dump-Bridgetown’s water jeopardized.’ The byline was his one and only, Christine Hill. He felt proud and worried at the same time. He ordered a coffee and sat down to read the article. Susan took a copy of the paper home to Jack and they sat together on the couch, reading it. Bernie read the paper in the car as he waited for Missy to finish her shift. He had finally gotten up the nerve to ask her to dinner. Professor Sayer and Doc Burns read the paper at the country club during their dinner meeting. Mayor Burton cursed when he read it and called the police chief ranting about the leak to the press and how was he going to explain this. Mr. MacIntyre grinned widely when he read the story. Dan and Edna read the paper in their kitchen and Edna reached for Dan’s hand in support. Only Sarah, who was in Toronto, didn’t know what was happening in Bridgetown. The truth was finally free.

  Charles Martin stood on the balcony of his new condo in Ottawa, his wife soon joined with two glasses of wine. “This is a beautiful city and we have just begun to experience it.”

  “Yes, my darling. This is where our future lies.” The phone rang and Mrs. Martin returned to the living room to
answer it. As far from Bridgetown as we can get. Charles thought.

  “Charles, it is the police!” Charles’ face turned white.

  Chapter Twenty two

  Jack’s contact at Environment Canada assured him that the water problem was being handled and the dump site was being completely excavated. He did confirm that it was the source of the contamination. Not exactly the detailed report he was hoping for, but bureaucracy never changes. “Well at least we know the dump site is being cleaned up.”

  Susan passed him his toast. “Eat this and tell me what else he said.”

  “The water problem is being handled. That is what he said.” Jack was not satisfied. “How is it being handled? I am going to call Dan. I have had enough of this nonsense. I thought Chris’s article would loosen lips.”

  “Loose lips sink ships.” Susan added as she popped a grape in her mouth. Jack gave her a look.

  “Ships be damned, we are going to finish this. Pass me the phone please.” She reached over and handed him the phone. He dialed Dan’s home number. “He should still be home, it’s only seven o’clock.”

  “Hello?” Dan answered sleepily.

  “Dan, this is Jack. I want some answers and this time you are not going to slough me off.”

  “Jack? For God’s sake it is seven in the morning.”

  “I don’t care if it is midnight. I’ll meet you at the café at nine o’clock and don’t be late or my next phone call is to Christine Hill.”

  “Fine, I’ll be there. Bye Jack.” The phone line went dead.

  “Wow, Christine will be happy to know she is now a force to be reckoned with.” He laughed.

  “I am sure she would be pleased to know you are using her name to threaten people!” Susan shook her head. “I assume I am driving you to the café?”

  Dan and Jack sat in the corner booth at the back of the café. “You didn’t hear this from me. I need my job Jack.” Jack nodded. “I am not sure what is going to happen. The feds are all over the water treatment plant. You have to understand, Jack. Mr. Carver was ordered to keep everything ‘hush hush’ by the mayor, and to be fair, he was getting his orders from the provincial government.” Jack asked about the water shut-off. “Some high levels of metal contaminants were discovered in the reservoir and the shut-offs were ordered closed.”

  “What did they do before they turned them back on?”

  “Three new filters have been installed and Mr. Carver is keeping a low profile. I honestly didn’t know what was going on.” Jack could see he was sincere.

  “You must have had some suspicions, Dan.” Dan nodded his head sadly.

  “I was worried about losing my job. Perhaps if I had acted on them, our baby would be alive.” Jack felt a jab of guilt and patted Dan on the back.

  “Sorry about that Dan. It might not have been the water.” Jack ordered more coffee and the two chatted for another half hour. Dan told Jack everything he knew and agreed to keep him informed. He left the café and headed for the treatment plant feeling as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Susan came to get Jack a few minutes later.

  Matt was working when he met an old school chum at the public school. The man was dropping his young son off for school. “Bill, how are you?” Matt brushed his hands together to rid them of dirt and approached the car. The man behind the wheel watched his son disappear into the building.

  “Matt, long time, no see. I guess I’m all right considering I lost my job because of the closure at the chemical plant.”

  “Sorry to hear that. I’m sure you can get something else.” Matt was truly sorry for his old chum.

  “My wife worked at the dry cleaners, but they closed down too. We are selling our house.” The man looked totally deflated.

  “Where will you go?”

  “Back to the big city, we both need to work and the city offers more jobs. It’s a bloody shame, this used to be such a nice town.”

  “Have you heard any more about the plant?” Matt felt guilty asking, but he was fishing for information.

  “The plant is closed for good. Apparently, Martin sold his shares just a week before the body was discovered. He and his missus moved to Ottawa. The new partner is some big Chinese conglomerate and they intended to take the customer list, close the plant down and carry on at their other six locations and to hell with the employees in Bridgetown. We all get to go on unemployment insurance.” The man was depressed and Matt reached over and placed his hand on his shoulder.

  “What about the dump site, who is responsible for that fiasco?”

  “Don’t know and don’t care, I am finished with Martin and Schultz.”

  “Good luck in the city. I really am sorry Bill.” The two parted company leaving Matt feeling very sad and a little angry. It couldn’t be possible that Charles Martin could simply sell the plant and get off ‘scot-free’. That night he told Christine what he had heard. She too, was upset that Charles Martin seemed to have escaped any consequences. Although he had insisted he didn’t know about the dump site; he was only a child when the barrels were buried. She would have to look into that further. Her reporters’ mind began to run through the possible sources.

  Alvin Cooley and his wife were packing for a trip to England when Christine arrived on the doorstep early one morning. He was surprised and a little annoyed to see her. “Yes, Miss Hill. What can I do for you?”

  “I only need a few minutes of your time, Mr. Cooley. I see you are going on a trip.”

  “The wife has wanted to visit her relatives in England for years. Now that I am retired we are going. What do you want?” He seemed to grow more agitated as he talked and Christine wondered just what this man knew about the dump site.

  “You worked at Martin and Schultz back in the seventies, didn’t you? Did you know about the dump site?”

  She wasn’t beating around the bush. Alvin stared at the young woman in front of him. “Yes I worked there and no I didn’t know about the dump site, now goodbye, Miss Hill.” He started to close the door.

  “Did Charles Martin know about the dump site, Mr. Cooley?” As much as he would have liked to dump Martin in this, he didn’t want to implicate himself.

  “No comment, now please leave!” The door slammed and Christine gaped at the green wooden surface just inches from her face. The obvious avoidance of an answer, told her what she wanted to know. So he did know and so did you Mr. Cooley but how do I prove it.

  Bernie and Missy spent a great deal of time together and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company. When the two of them met Jack and Susan for dinner, Missy had news. “Today my friend in the morgue told me that the police suspect foul play in the death. Apparently the foreman had a huge gash on the back of his head but they found dirt in his lungs, which means he wasn’t dead when the hole was filled in. Someone buried him alive!” They all gasped.

  “This is getting interesting. So someone killed him.” Jack rubbed his hands together. He loved a mystery. “But who and why?”

  The next meeting of the group started to connect all of the dots. Matt told them about Charles Martin selling out and leaving for Ottawa, Missy told them about the body and the autopsy report, and Christine reported that she thought Alvin Cooley knew about the dump site and so did Charles Martin, but of course she couldn’t prove it. Susan began to wonder just what Charles Martin’s part in all of this was. She put her theory to the group.

  “If Charles Martin knew all along that the dump was there, he must not have been surprised when you dug it up, Jack.”

  “So you think Martin may have somehow known about the dump site? That would explain why he was so agreeable and wanted to work with me on getting it cleared up. It made him a hero, that scumbag.” Jack was thinking ahead of himself. “And I wonder what he had to do with the foreman’s death?”

  “Whoa now, Jack! He might have known about the dump site but murder?” Christine gawked at Jack in awe. Even she didn’t think Charles Martin was capable of that. “And what would his motiv
e have been?”

  “Apparently the police contacted him in Ottawa and he has an airtight alibi, not that he was under suspicion for a minute. But he and Mrs. Martin were at the country club all evening and besides, can you see Charles Martin killing someone and then filling in a hole!” Missy laughed as she relayed what the police had told her friend in the morgue.

  “Martin get dirty, that would be the day!” Matt added.

  “I thought the dump site was given the all clear. How is that possible if the foreman was dead? Did anyone ask about that, especially since it wasn’t clear at all? There was another dump site under the first; surely the foreman and his men would have known that. And why didn’t anyone report the poor man missing?” Susan raised an interesting question. They all stared at her. It was a good question and one that had not been answered.

  “When I did the article on the foreman after the murder, I learned that he was a single man, with no family and not from the area. Apparently he lived down east, Newfoundland I think, and just came up here for the work. That is why no one missed him.” Christine was trying to remember what else she knew as she spoke.

  “Well, who covered the body? Because apparently he was buried alive, and he certainly didn’t bury himself.” Matt added.

  “Something stinks about this whole investigation. We should get to the bottom of it.” Jack stated, ready to start organizing another investigation of his own.

  “Stop right there, Jack. We are already out of our depth with the water issue. No pun intended,” she snickered. “We are not getting the real story, because it is buried under pages and pages of tight-lipped bureaucratic bull. I am not about to start on another project right now. One at a time. Agreed?” Susan looked at the others, they all nodded in agreement and Jack winked sheepishly at her. She smiled and gave him a peck on the forehead.

  Christine went to the police station but no one would talk to her about the investigation. Several weeks went by before the water in Bridgetown was declared safe to drink. Several people, including Jack were questioned by the police. Everyone in town now bought and consumed bottled water and several had in-home water filters installed. The trust was gone. More ex-employees of the chemical plant were moving out of town and several houses were for sale. Dan told Edna that there was an ongoing investigation and he and Mr. Carver were being called to give evidence next month. Edna was worried about her husband.