Chapter 42
THE CHAUFFEUR
Paula's assignment to prove Congressman Manning and Speaker Potts had conspired to commit murder was pretty daunting. But hopeless causes, according to the press, were my specialty, so I couldn't let the difficulty of the task get me down. I called Paul Thayer and asked him to come to my office for a little brainstorming session. I needed to know everything he'd learned about Manning and Potts and to get some direction as how to proceed from here. He arrived late that afternoon.
"Paula says there were four of them involved in these dummy corporation’s scams."
"Right. Manning, Potts, Captain Chamberlain, and Don Baker."
"Were you able to track any of the money?"
"Yes, it seems to have ended up in Panama."
"So our little foursome was borrowing money and then giving it to the Contra Rebels in Nicaragua?"
"That's what it looks like."
"Did they plan to repay the loan?"
"Yes, I think they expected to repay it with proceeds from arms sales to Iran."
"They must have been working with Robert Huntington. He was selling arms to Iran. It couldn't be a coincidence. They must have been working together somehow."
"Something must have gone wrong," Thayer said.
"I guess so. I suspect it was the Congressional investigation and all the controversy over Oliver North's document shredding last November."
"That could be."
"I have an idea how we could find out for sure," I said.
"How's that?" Thayer asked.
"I bet Olivia could help us out."
"Olivia?"
"Yes, the contact we have in Congressman Manning's office."
I called Nicole and asked her to contact Olivia. She said she'd call her and arrange a lunch date. The next day Olivia called me from a pay phone at the Omaha Corral Bar and Grille. I related our theory and asked if she could confirm it. She said she couldn't, but she knew who could.
"Manning's secretary, Christine Bassett just went on maternity leave. She's lives in Red Oak, Texas. I happen to know she's going to be home tonight."
"How do you know that?"
"The Congressman asked me to call her. Her sister answered and told me she'd be out all day, but to call back tonight."
"Do you think she'll talk to me?"
"She might talk to you, if you turn on your Texas charm. Don't go in there like a bulldog detective. She might get spooked."
"Okay," I said. "She's probably our only chance at sorting this thing out in time to help Jimmy Bennett.
"Well, you've got to gain her trust."
"Right. But why should she talk to me? She'd be betraying Congressman Manning."
"Let me tell you something about Christine. She's very honest and forthright. I don't think she knows what the Congressman is up to. She probably suspects he's involved in some kind of illegal activity but doesn't want to face that reality."
"I see. She's an unknowing accomplice, so I'm just letting her know what she's involved in for her own good. . . . I'll give it a try."
"Good luck."
That evening I drove my new Nissan 300 ZX south on I35 to Red Oak. After exiting the freeway, I stopped at the light. There had been a lot of air pollution during the day so the sunset that evening was a fiery red. For a moment I wished I was a worry free photographer who could spend his days looking for treats like this from mother nature. Wouldn't that be the sweet life? I looked down at the directions to Christine's house that Jodie had prepared. The light changed and I continued on my way. It didn't take long to find it. It was a modest, brick track home, nicely landscaped, with a two-car garage in the front. There was a new Pontiac Firebird in the driveway.
Christine answered the door and looked at me warily. "Yes," she said.
"Hi, I'm Stan Turner. I'm an attorney—"
"Yes, I've seen you on TV. What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you. May I come in?"
She squinted and then shrugged. "I guess. What's this about?"
Her stomach was large and it was obvious she was in the last stages of her pregnancy. She showed me into her living room and pointed to a big brown chair.
"So when are you due?"
"Twenty-one days. I can't wait to have this baby. I feel like a double wide with legs."
I laughed. "Yeah, I bet. I've got four kids so I'm familiar with what you're going through."
"But it's worth it, right?" she moaned as she sat down awkwardly.
"Yes, it is. Soon all this agony will be but a distant memory."
"Thanks for the encouragement. So, how can I help you?"
I guess you know Paula Waters and I are defending Jimmy Bennett. He's accused of killing—"
"Don Baker and his girlfriend. I've read about that in the papers. But what does that have to do with me?"
"Well, Don Baker and Congressman Manning were good friends—actually more than good friends."
"I knew they were friends. The Congressman banks at Metroplex Savings and Loan. I know that, but that's about it."
"Well, Don Baker, Congressman Manning, Speaker Potts, and a Navy captain, Stuart Chamberlain were partners in several corporations."
"Really. I didn't know that."
"United Recycling was one of them. Have you ever heard of it?"
"I've seen the name before, but I never knew much about it."
"What about Continental Exporters?"
"I don't know that one at all."
"I know this may be hard for you to believe, but United Recycling was used to illegally channel money to South America to help the Contra Rebels in Nicaragua."
"I've heard about that happening, but that would be in violation of the Bolan Amendment. Congressman Manning wouldn't have anything to do with that."
"I know it's hard to believe, but you must have known something was going on. He couldn't keep this a total secret."
"He wouldn't do anything illegal," she repeated.
"Think about it. Congressman Manning is a strong conservative who has been warning the American people for years about the Communist threat in Latin America. He's been a longtime advocate of extensive aid to the Contra Rebels. President Reagan has made it known that he wants to help the rebels. Manning probably figured he was doing the right thing and following the unwritten orders of the President."
"I don't want to do anything that might hurt the Congressman. He's a good man."
"I don't either. I just want to uncover the truth. Innocent lives are at stake."
"What do you think the Congressman did exactly?"
"I don't know. Maybe nothing. But with Congress coming down hard on Oliver North and Poindexter and everyone else involved in selling arms to Iran or aiding the Contra Rebels, I'm afraid the business arrangement among the four I mentioned may have become strained."
She thought for a moment and then said, "I did overhear an argument a week or two before Don was murdered."
"Really? Tell me about it."
"It was late in the afternoon. I was packing up to go home when Don Baker showed up. He insisted on seeing the Congressman immediately."
"Did you overhear anything they had to say?"
"I didn't hear the entire conversation, but they were yelling and I know Don was upset about the federal regulator's demand that the Metroplex shareholders put in another two million dollars in capital."
"What was Manning's response to that?"
"He said he couldn't get involved because he had an obvious conflict of interest. Baker didn't like that answer much. He said the Congressman better figure out how to make the OTS go away."
"Did Manning say he'd do anything?"
"He said he'd find some investors to put up the money. He couldn't risk direct intervention. He didn't say why."
"Did he find any investors?"
"Yes, a week or so later he arranged for several of them to fly to Dallas. In fact, now that I think about it, your clien
t, Jimmy Bennett was supposed to pick them up from DFW Airport and entertain them."
"Really?"
"Yes, I remember the Congressman saying that Jimmy was very good at loosening up potential investors. I guess he really knew how to party."
"I've heard that too. So, did the investors come into town?"
"No, the weekend got canceled because of the fight between Jimmy and Don."
"Where was the Congressman that weekend?"
"He was in staying at his Virginia house. He stays there while Congress is in session."
"I know this may sound . . . well . . . like I'm impugning the Congressman's integrity, but I'm not really. I've just got to check this thing out from all angles."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I need to know who handles problems for the Congressman."
Christine squinted. "I don't know what you mean?"
"Well, you know. If things don't go just right, who does he call."
"That depends. If it is a political matter, he'd talk to his administrative assistant. If it was a legal issue, he'd call his attorney."
"What if it was something he wanted handled very discreetly."
She thought a moment. "That would be Skip."
"Skip?"
"Skip Henderson. He's an ex-NFL football player who injured his knee his first year of professional football. Skip's father and the Congressman went to college together at Texas A&M. The Congressman felt really bad about what happened, so he hired Skip to be his chauffeur and to do odd jobs."
"Odd jobs?"
"You know, like picking important people up from the airport, delivering sensitive materials, entertaining constituents, whatever the Congressman needed done Skip was there to accommodate."
We talked at length for some time. Christine assured me she knew of no illegal activity and would never be a party to any such thing. She asked if she needed to get an attorney. I said it was probably premature to worry about that now, but that I would keep her posted on what I found out and advise her if she needed to do anything. I told her I was working with the FBI and the Dallas Police and I'd let them know she would cooperate in any way she could. She thanked me and I left.
When I got back to the office, I called Paul Thayer and briefed him on what I'd learned. I told him to start looking into Skip Henderson. For starters I needed to know if he was with Congressman Manning the weekend of the murder and, if not, where was he? Paul said he'd get right on it and report back as soon as he found out.
Black Monday, A Stan Turner Mystery Vol 7 Page 42