by Brian Meeks
CHAPTER 52
When the door closed, Frankie handed the entire 50K to Sal. “We've decided to give you a tryout as it were. Tommy has become a problem as has the DA. I'm not promising to give you the entire city if you pass. I am giving you an opportunity to demonstrate judgment and management skills. Your first test will be to deal with this problem. Choose your team; do what you think is best. Were it me, I would make it a long slow process, but I leave it up to you.”
Sal was ready. He had thought about this day but hadn’t imagined it would come this soon. He could remember every decision he had disagreed with, every insult he had endured, and all the blunders Tommy had made. He looked at Frankie, then walked over to the group of men who, up until a few minutes ago, had worked for Tommy. He didn't say a word but peeled off a thousand dollars and handed it to each one. When he got to the last man, his driver, he gave him five thousand and said, “You just got promoted. We'll talk about it later.”
“Yes, boss.”
Tommy had been pushed past the limits of reason and started yelling, “You filthy, backstabbing bastard. I will…”
Sal spun around and cracked him across the face with a massive backhand, breaking Tommy's jaw. He crumpled to the ground. Sal said, “Put him in the car. Don't be gentle…gentlemen.”
Frankie liked what he saw. The other bosses did, too, even Anthony. Although he was fuming about not getting Manhattan, he knew better than to bring it up now. Sal walked over to each boss and took each of them by the hand, kissed their rings, and thanked them. When he got to Anthony, he towered over him. Despite this, he still looked humble. He kissed Anthony's ring, then leaned in and whispered, “I know my history. I know about your father and what happened with Manhattan. If I pass my test, and, if you will allow it, I would like to discuss how we can right this injustice.”
Nobody could hear what he said, but the look on Anthony's face told them he had won him over. Sal walked back to the center of the room and kissed Frankie's ring. “Thank you for this opportunity. May I make a small request?”
Frankie liked his respect, though he thought it a little cheeky to be asking for favors already. He wanted to hear what it was, though, so he said, “Tell me what you need.”
“May I have his knife to help in the solving of the situation?”
Frankie roared. “Get a load of this one!” He turned around, and everyone was laughing except Mark McKinley. “You got style, Salvatore.” He handed him the knife.
Sal walked over to the small man in the suit. The man opened the letter so that he could read it. Sal was smart enough not to touch. The letter was returned to the envelope and put inside another one. When he handed it to Sal he said, “No finger prints.” Sal carefully tucked it into his pocket then, using the knife, tapped the DA on the shoulder. “Get in the car.”
CHAPTER 53
Sylvia was homeless, overwrought over the loss of Winston, and more exhausted than she had ever been. Henry put her up in the hotel next to his office. He promised her he would come back and watch over her, but he had to let Mike and Luna know they were all right. He left her crying into a pillow.
Though he, too, was beat, he was anxious to get Mike on the phone. Henry briskly walked up the stairs, and, when he entered the hallway, Bobby was standing there. "Is Sylvia ok?" he asked.
Henry didn't know how Bobby knew what was going on, but he was too tired to inquire, so he just said, "Yes, she is fine. Thanks." Henry noticed that Bobby looked really tired, too. Had he been worrying? "How are you holding up, buddy?"
Bobby's eyes flashed when he heard the word 'buddy.' He was so touched that Henry had shown concern that he was momentarily at a loss. It was a brief moment. "I am great now! I was worried about how things were going. Too bad about Winston; he was a great guy. But it looks like the good guys came out on top in this one."
Henry smiled, "Yep, I guess you are right. Now, if da bums could just beat the Yankees this year."
Bobby shook his head, "I think they got a good chance this year." Then he winked.
Henry couldn't help but chuckle at this strange, little man. He patted him on the shoulder and wandered down the hall to his office. He heard Bobby go back into his office.
Henry picked up the phone and dialed Mike. It rang just once. "Hey, Henry, that you?"
"Yep, it's me." Henry heard Luna in the background. "Tell Luna we are fine."
After Mike relayed the message, he said, "So how did it go down?"
"It worked just like you thought. Your old pal Frankie showed up with an army. All the bosses were there, and Tommy nearly wet himself."
"Did McKinley show?"
"Yeah, he was there. Didn't look so good when I left, though. A small man with thick glasses showed him some piece of paper. I didn't know what it was about but figured it was something you and Frankie cooked up."
"When I talked with Frankie, I mentioned the problem and told him the whole story, but I didn't 'cook' anything up. I am a cop you know. I can't be a party to anything Frankie might decide to do."
Mike continued, "That being said, I think I know who the guy was. It sounds like Mikeyangelo; sort of a play on his middle name, Michael and Michelangelo. I think his first name is Joseph. He is a forger, probably the best forger this side of Sicily."
"So what was on the paper?" Henry asked.
"I have no idea, but I would bet it will show up as evidence. Again, I 'officially' know nothing. But I do know how Frankie's mind works. If I had one guess, it is probably some sort of suicide note or something about Tommy, a 'Should I Show Up Dead' sort of letter.”
They talked for a few more minutes. Henry gave an account of what he imagined was happening to Tommy. They finished the conversation with Mike agreeing to make sure Luna got down to Henry’s office in the morning. He hadn't been there yet, but she knew where it was, so he would have her drive.
Henry went back to the hotel room and sacked out in the chair. Sylvia was fast asleep.
CHAPTER 54
Henry sat in the captain's office. They were waiting for Mike, and the silence was a bit disconcerting. Henry tried to focus on anything but the question he was about to be asked. He could give different answers, all of them with portions of truth, but none of them explained things fully.
Henry liked black and white. He thought of himself as being on the side of the law, but now, well, the law was a grey area. If there had been another way, he would have jumped at it. He didn't have regrets, but he did have misgivings about what he would say to the captain.
Mike knocked and entered. He took the chair next to Henry.
The captain said, "I appreciate the two of you coming in today, especially you, Mike, considering. How's the arm?"
"Getting better by the day."
"Glad to hear it." He paused and looked at some papers on the desk. It was apparent that he was choosing his words carefully. "We are closing a few cases. It seems that our DA was a crook, or, at least, that is what his suicide note said."
Henry considered looking surprised but thought better of it. Mike didn't move. "A few upstanding citizens have come forward with all sorts of details about the gang war killings. It seems the recently departed Tommy 'The Knife' ordered many of the hits. We have no reason to believe otherwise except..."
The word hung there until Henry said, "Except, Captain?"
"Except that the first shots were fired at Tommy, so we don't know who started the war." He looked at Henry. "You have any ideas that you would be eager to share?"
Henry suppressed his smile. The captain had, indeed, chosen his words with care. Henry answered, "I can say with complete honesty that there isn't anything I am eager to add."
The captain looked at Mike but didn't say anything. Mike decided the question was for him, too, "Me, either, Captain." The captain looked relieved and slapped his hands on his desk. "Good then. I guess a few of these will end up in the cold files. I can live with that. Thanks for coming in."
Mike and Henry stood up and sh
ook the captain's hand. As they were leaving, "Hey, boys, let's just keep the details of our official discussion, well..."
"I'm not saying a thing." Henry said. Mike nodded. The captain returned to his desk.
Mike and Henry said goodbye and decided to try to have lunch in a week or so. Mike suggested they invite Francis. Henry didn't understand, but he was glad they were finally friends. It was a good thing.
CHAPTER 55
When Henry and Sylvia walked into the Flatiron building, Mike and Luna were waiting. Henry gave a recap of the events for Luna's sake, though she had already heard most of it from Mike. They were joined by Bobby who wanted to hear the story, so Henry told it again.
The relief on the faces of both ladies was easy to spot, but it quickly changed to glee when their fathers knocked on the door. The stories were told again. Luna and her father insisted that Sylvia and her father stay with them while they dealt with their burnt home. Henry never had a chance to ask about how they got him the clues or learned that it was ok to come out of hiding.
Three days later, Winston was laid to rest.
The body of DA Mark McKinley was found. When the police searched his home, they found a folio with a hand written letter from the DA explaining all the work he had done for Tommy and how he suspected his life might be in danger.
A concerned citizen left an anonymous message that the man who stabbed the DA to death could be found near the docks. Tommy was badly beaten; both eyes were swollen shut, and his tongue had been cut out. He was tied to a crate of rotting fish. Though his arm was still in a sling, Big Mike was in uniform. He read Tommy his rights.
The papers all guessed, correctly, that Tommy had gone over the line with the DA. Nobody ever questioned the letter or how the stabbing was done; it was an open and shut case. What they didn't know was that it was the carelessness with which he had used the DA and the way he had beaten an old friend of Frankie's that had led to his demise.
Henry was paid for the case and thanked profusely. Luna left him a bonus plate of cookies and a promise to make more whenever he wanted. Sylvia brought in a few plants for his office and hired someone to do a lovely stencil over his door: "Henry Wood Detective Agency."
Bobby stopped in to let Henry know that his old phone number had now been transferred to his new phone. The first call was from his old office neighbor, Francis, who invited him for lunch on the paper’s dime.
CHAPTER 56
Henry, Mr. Culberson, and Mr. Alexander gathered at a diner. It was 5 am, and most of the morning crowd hadn't arrived yet. They had been up all night celebrating their reunion with their daughters and the end of the nightmare of the previous weeks. Henry still had a few questions.
"What I am having trouble wrapping my head around is how you found me and knew I would be up to it."
Mr. Alexander said, "We had been worried for most of December. Mr. Culberson said we needed a plan in case we were discovered."
Mr. Culberson replied, "Which we were. I was busy coding the information that had been found when he called me and said someone had been through his office."
Henry asked, "Who?"
Mr. Alexander said, "I don't know. Somebody at the firm, I suspect, but I have no idea. As you figured out, I am meticulous, and the journal was always kept hidden. But I made a mistake when I overheard a couple of the lawyers discussing some work they were doing for Tommy. I went back to my office and quickly wrote down all the details though I didn't include names. I put the piece of paper in my right desk drawer, under three files, and placed a tiny pencil sharpener near the bottom right, such that it was approximately one inch from each edge of the corner."
Henry said, "And if the sharpener were moved, you would know someone had opened the drawer."
"Yes."
"But isn't it possible someone could just be looking for a pencil or something? Couldn't it have been completely innocent?"
"Oh, yes, it is rare, but sometimes my secretary will put something away or look for a file. On this occasion, though, she was taking dictation from me for an interview with a new client. We were in the meeting for two hours. The first thing I did upon returning was to get ready to head home. When I opened the drawer, I was careful not to do it too quickly and, thus, move my marker. I noticed it was gone."
"Gone?"
"Well, it turns out someone had gone through the drawer, lifted the files, and found my paper underneath. They refolded it and returned everything but the sharpener. It was in the back of the drawer under the files."
Mr. Culberson said, "Mr. Alexander called me immediately and was rather frantic. I told him to tell me what they had seen, and he read me the notes. The notes were very general and didn't mention Tommy at all, so I calmed him down. We then decided to meet to discuss our next move."
Their food arrived. Henry worked on a patty melt and fries while listening intently to them tell their tale. "What was your next move?" he asked.
Mr. Culberson took a bite of pancakes and chewed it slowly. Mr. Alexander smiled. He knew Mr. Culberson wanted to tell the next part because it was his idea.
Mr. Culberson said, "I was worried about the safety of our daughters, and I had been contemplating this day arriving from the beginning. Winston knew a little bit about the plans, and I told him our next move. We blew up the lab, and I went into hiding."
Henry asked, "Why didn't you tell your daughters?"
"They are both strong-willed women, and, well, we were worried about telling them. Their safety came first. We agreed that if they knew, they would be in far greater danger. I made Winston promise not to tell Sylvia anything, and I went to a hotel. I had plenty of cash and moved every day for a week until I decided it was best to get out of the city."
"Where did you go?" Henry was on the edge of his seat.
"I ended up taking the train to DC. I met a man who had a place for rent, and he traveled back and forth a couple of times per week. He was very helpful in our plans." He looked at Mr. Culberson.
"So you were still going to work?" Henry was amazed.
"Yes, every day while we figured out our next move."
"What was that?"
"We needed someone to entrust with the journal. But we needed to know they were smart and honest."
"Is that why you kept the codex and journal separate?"
"Yes."
Henry finished his fries and started to work on his patty melt.
Mr. Alexander said, "The first clue was my idea. I reasoned that if you found it and made it to the address where we hid the journal, you were clever."
Henry asked, "But what if someone had bought the cabinet before I found it?"
Mr. Culberson replied, "Somebody did buy it. Me. I purchased it, paid cash, and gave them an extra hundred to hold onto it. I told them I was going to be out of town."
Henry asked another question. "So how did you pick me?"
They looked at each other with sort of blank expressions. "It was fate. I just happened into a guy at a bar one night, and he was telling the bartender about this great detective who had helped him out. I asked him who it was; he fumbled through his pockets and dug out your card."
"Was that the card Sylvia gave me?"
Henry couldn't stand it anymore; he had to ask the one question that had been bothering him more than any other. "How does the closet work?"
They both looked at each other. Mr. Alexander asked, "What closet?"
"The closet where you sent the stuff." Henry didn't say from the future as there were people in the booth next to them.
"Which stuff?"
"The books and the DVD."
Neither man knew what to say. Finally Mr. Alexander said, "What's a DVD?"
Henry could tell they were being genuine. He had assumed the explosion had been part of some sort of time travel experiment. His guess was that Mr. Culberson had been hiding out in the future, but those theories all evaporated. He decided to brush off the question with one of his own. "How did you get the clues to me?"
Mr. Alexander said, "I did the pencils before I went into hiding with Mr. Culberson."
Mr. Culberson also said, "The clever bit in my library - well, I had Winston take care of that for me with instructions not to help you find it. I wanted to be sure you were as clever as we had hoped."
Mr. Alexander added, "The clue we hid at MOMA, well, that was a very clever one. I decided it was worth the risk to come back into town..."
Henry asked, "The clue at MOMA? What clue at MOMA?"
Mr. Culberson looked disappointed, "You didn't find the instructions behind the bear display in the gift shop?"
"No. What are you talking about?"
Now everyone was confused. Mr. Alexander said, "I gave specific instructions about where to hide the clues." Now both Mr. Alexander and Mr. Culberson were arguing about clue placement and that they shouldn't have trusted the guy from DC. They were both getting upset until Henry pointed out that he had figured it out anyway. This seemed to satisfy them. Henry was glad they didn't ask how he had done it.
They finished their food and went their separate ways. Henry was tired, too tired to worry about how the closet worked or who had sent him the clues. If the person or persons wanted him to know, they would tell him. Maybe he would just have to wait until he got to the future to find out.
HENRY WOOD: TIME & AGAIN
CHAPTER 1
The radio was on. Music floated in the background while Henry relaxed with a bit of light hand planing on a piece of walnut. The last couple of months had been perfect. He had taken a few easy cases which kept him in the black: two wives wanting to know if their husbands were cheating on them, and a couple who needed him to find their daughter.