Bobby's Diner (21 page)

“I’m Detective Mark Dannon from
Sunnydale. This is Officer Will Cleary from Sunnydale as well. And, these two
gentlemen here are detectives from Phoenix PD, detectives Steve Falk and Tom
Janzen.”

“What can I do for you
gentlemen?”

“We have a couple of questions we
hope you can shed a little light on.”

“Shoot.” As Detective Mark began
he noticed a trash can filled with shredded documents, a box next to it, and
another
 
box next to it all filled with
shredded documents with the shredder idling carefully center the last box to
the left. The long shreds spilled out and over the trash bin and boxes. He had
a pair of scissors on his desk and white-out next to the scissors. Pinzer’s
sleeves were rolled up just under his elbows and his hair looked damp around
the edge of his reddened face.

“Been cleaning up?” Detective
Mark pointed with his head to the shredding effort.

“Oh, that. Just some old papers I
didn’t need anymore.

Old stuff.”

“Is that what kept us waiting
outside, you were spring cleaning?” The questioning started out quickly and on a
bad note.

“No, no. I was on a long-distance
call.”

“With who?”

“Um, um. A guy in Nevada.”
“What’s this guy’s name?”

“What can I help you with
gentlemen? It certainly mustn’t be to learn about my latest sales call, is it?”
Detective Mark felt a pang in his gut, a pang he’d felt many times while
standing face to face with a criminal.

But, this one was more evil than
the usual thug, he masqueraded daily as a business man, the worst kind of
criminal there was.

“Do you know Mayor Harold Pyle?”
“Hmm. A mayor, you say?”

“Yes. Mayor Harold Pyle. Know
him?”

“Well, I believe I’ve heard of
him. But, I can’t say I’ve ever made his acquaintance, no. Why?”

“Are you sure? We have a photo.”
Detective Tom Janzen pulled out a photo from the coroner’s office and held it
up to Pinzer.

“Jesus, he looks dead.”

“That’s ‘cause he is.” “Oh my god
.” “Recognize him?”

“Uh, no, no… I don’t, know…” He
sat slowly in his chair and looked as though he could vomit.

“You’re sure you haven’t met
him?” Detective Mark pressed him harder.

“I told you, no.” Pinzer got
visibly unsettled.

“Now, you see, that’s funny.
‘Cause we think you do know him, Zach.” For the first time Detective Mark got
uncomfortably familiar with Pinzer.

“I’m calling my lawyer.” He sat
down and pulled himself tight against the desk. The interview stopped. They’d
gotten enough information to dig deeper into the connection between Pinzer and
Harold Pyle. Pinzer had lied and the police officers knew it. They still
retained original copies of contracts signed by both men copies of Harold’s.
They would connect Pinzer to the mayor and the mayor meeting with him just
before his untimely
 
death.
 
The
 
other
 
vehicle
 
in
 
Harold’s automobile accident fled the scene, the accident
 
was now under review and they believed it to
be an intentional act of violence and they were going to connect Pinzer to
Harold’s death. That’s when Detective Mark spoke.

“See, Zach, it’s like this. We
know you’re the last person to see the mayor alive. We also are looking into the
car accident a little deeper. We don’t think it was an accident at all.” Zach’s
face was an open book of concern. He held his head up with his hand. “You see,
we have eye witnesses
 
who saw the
vehicle we even have a partial plate. We’re just steps behind the other person
involved and we’re closing in on him, Zach, fast.” Mark continued after a
meaningful pause. “So, you just call your
 
lawyer.
 
We’ll
 
all
 
see
 
how
 
he
 
handles
 
the information.”

Detective Mark gathered his team
together and opened the door to leave. He let them shuffle out in front of him
and moved to go too when he stopped and stopped Willy with him. “Hold on,
Will.”

“Are mornings good for you, Zach?
Or, is it better to meet with you in the afternoon?”
 
The Detective Mark whispered something in
Willy’s ear and Willy went over to the waste basket and boxes filled with
destroyed paper.

“We’ll be confiscating this as
possible evidence.” Willy doled out two of the three awkward containers to Falk
and Janzen and they headed back out through the door passed Detective Mark.

“It’s garbage, right? Just think
of it as us helping you clean your office!” Detective Mark winked and smiled at
Pinzer, then shut the door behind him.

CHAPTER 32

“I’m here today to explain my
involvement with the recent acts of my husband, the late Harold Pyle.” Helen
spoke nervously into the echoing microphone outside at the town’s
community
 
center. She held a shaking
piece of paper in her gloved hand as she talked. “I’m not here to make excuses
for Harold. I only want you to know how deeply disturbed I am about the recent
findings of his involvement with a Mr. Zach Pinzer and a Mr.
 
Terrence “Tweeter” Wilson. It remains the
detectives’
 
findings that Mr. Zach
Pinzer was the mastermind behind the entire plan to purchase property and
businesses in our fine town of Sunnydale. Charges have been brought against
both men in the
 
crime to defraud the
good people of Sunnydale as well as for the murder of my husband, Harold Pyle.

“I’ll never understand what led
Harold to become involved with such an underhanded plot. My only guess is that
money was at the heart of his crime. He received over one
 
hundred fifty thousand dollars in what he
called ‘commissions’. I have a check here in my hand to repay these commissions
plus interest to the good people of Sunnydale. The money will be kept in trust
fund and will be held for the future of preserving the land around our fine
town.

“Again, I’m very sorry my husband
had any involvement in this deceit. After Mr. Chariot and Detective
 
Mark say a few words, I will answer any
questions you
 
have.” She stepped back
from the podium and sat back down into her folding chair on the makeshift
stage. John
 
Chariot stood slowly and
walked up to the microphone. He
 
coughed
before speaking.

“People of Sunnydale, my company
Chariot International Incorporated has become involved with a most
 
heinous crime, the fraudulent transaction and
transfer of land as well as a murder. Zachary Pinzer was the mastermind of this
entire scheme of which I’m responsible only to the extent of
 
allowing certain freedoms from my vice
president. We’ve already begun to establish more stringent internal controls
over the authority of people in positions to act without my say- so. The money
we received back from Sunnydale for the purchase of
 
the land was for over three million dollars.
God bless you and your town for returning the fraudulent payments back to my
company.” Then, he stood back a moment and coughed again into his fist. The
crowd murmured during his pause. A light warm breeze kicked at the skirt of the
podium and puffed through the microphone and out the speakers. He stood back up
to the stand.

“However, in light of the loss
your town has suffered directly
 
because
of my company. I am handing over the check to Mrs. Pyle to put in her
preservation trust as a donation.”

Helen’s hands clasped together in
amazement and her head dropped to her chest. The crowd gasped and a trickling
clap began and filtered through the people until it built into a full-on burst
of applause.

“Furthermore…
 
thank you but it’s truly not necessary” He
spoke over the crowd. “Thank you, please, thank you.”

A sporadic clap lilted off until
the last was heard.

Chariot continued, “When a
business donates money or property there comes with that donation certain tax
benefits.
 
And, so, at the end of this
year after my accountants calculate that benefit my company will be writing
another check for the trust. And, I’m thinking,” The crowd burst quickly into
another set of thunderous clapping. When it died
 
down he continued, “I’m thinking the check
will be a six-digit figure, but again, the accountants need to be consulted
about that.” He chuckled and won over the star-struck audience with his charm
and generosity. Then, he stepped back to his chair next to Helen, handed her
the check, sat down next to her and
 
held
her with one arm around her shoulder in a show of unity. Helen continued to
clap.

After that, Detective Mark got up
to explain the details as much as he was free to. And, then Helen fielded
difficult questions from the audience, but she handled it like a queen. She was
regal and honest, no less than would any woman in a position of authority in
the lime light. She didn’t make excuses as she promised. But, after all was
said and done, she appeared innocent to the entire devious plot.
 
Detective Mark cleared her name. She was free
to leave with a few bruises. After she answered many questions, Helen did
 
the most amazing thing.

“There’s one more issue I’d like
to take up with everyone gathered here today. Roberta? Are you here? Oh, there
you are.” Roberta looked at her mother and Vanessa shrugged her shoulders.

“You know, all of you, that
Roberta Carlisle-Banner is a civil engineer, don’t you? Now you see, that’s
exactly the degree a person managing a town or city should obtain. She’s been
very active her entire adult life in community service and a very active civil
servant in her own right. One day after Harold died and not long after she’d
been shot,” Helen held her hand to her chest when she said these
 
words and looked directly into Roberta’s
face, “we spoke about all sorts of things. One of those things Roberta revealed
to me was a desire to do more for the community… ‘become more active at the
ground level’ were her exact words. Do you
 
remember, Roberta?”

She nodded her head that she did.

“Well, I’m here with you all
right now to propose we all stand behind Roberta Carlisle-Banner to nominate her
officially as the new mayor of the town of Sunnydale.” The crowd stood to its
feet when she put out the notion. Roberta lost her composure and began to weep
but very slightly and held a hand to her mouth. “What do
 
you say, Roberta? Will you consider it?”
Roberta beamed her joy at Helen and slowly nodded “yes.”

“There
 
you
 
have
 
it
 
folks,
 
our
 
new
 
Mayor
 
of Sunnydale!” The crowd roared and the small high school band began
playing a lousy rendition of “Hooray for the
 
Red, White, and Blue.” Vanessa grabbed her daughter’s arm and yanked it
high over her head.

I was standing behind them in the
audience. Roberta and Vanessa were holding hands and slowly moving between
other
 
audience members toward the stage
leaving me where I stood
 
for Roberta to
make some unprepared speech about how she would work her hardest for the
people. When she got up to the podium she looked so very happy. In all my days
here she’d never beamed the way she did that day.

“Well! What a surprise.” She put
both her hands to her heart. Just then, Vanessa leaned into Roberta and
whispered something in her ear. Roberta looked a little surprised but shook her
head to indicate she agreed.

“Thank you all for such a
wonderful moment.” The clapping
 
died down
and she spoke sincerely. “First, I’d like to say how I wish someone else could
be up here with me today. It’s times like this, when something wonderful
happens to you, that you want to surround yourself with loved ones, the people
who accept you no matter what.”

Then, she paused and I could hear
the crowd whispering his name Bobby.

She started up again after a
fairly decent moment of anticipation. “So, I’m going to ask someone to join me
and my
 
mother. Someone who has been so
very important in my life, for better and for worse… someone who is like a
sister to me… who I owe my life to…”

She was staring into my wet eyes
and I could see tears well up in hers all the way up there. “Georgie, will you
come be with me too?” I couldn’t handle it. I just busted out crying like a
little girl but I ran up to be with her, my friend, my sister. She hugged
 
me
 
and
whispered

‘thank you’ in my ear. Vanessa
and I stood together behind her with Helen at my other side. Roberta leaned
into the microphone once more and said, “Thank you. If I’m elected…”