The Day Steam Died (24 page)

Chapter 49

“You established a historical district and set about returning the graceful old homes back to their original charm and beauty.”

Payback

Ann and Alice usually sat around the kitchen table and talked after dinner and having put the kids to bed. She shared the kind of day she had at the office. Alice told her what the kids were doing at school and about something fun they did that afternoon. But this evening was different.

“You seem distracted, edgy. What’s the matter? You haven’t said two words since dinner. Ann. Ann! Are you listening to me?”

“I’m sorry Momma. I need to go back out to the office for a little while. Will you listen for the kids? I won’t be gone long. Please,” Ann begged.

“It’s awfully late, and I don’t like you going by yourself. Just last week a woman was murdered in the parking lot of a drugstore.”

“I heard about the murder, but our building is lit up like a baseball park. I’ll be back in an hour.”

“You’ve never had to work overtime before. What is so important that it can’t wait until morning?”

“I was cleaning out Marie’s desk today and found the key that might open the door to put Mr. Sam Johnson and his son in prison. I have to do it tonight because I don’t know when Joey will be back from Washington. The information I need is in his office and I need to get in there tonight.”

“Stop! Do you hear yourself? Have you lost your mind? What are you thinking? Are you willing to risk your life and your family for a grudge you’ve been carrying since high school? Grow up, Ann, and leave what’s past in the past.”

“Momma, I don’t want to argue with you. You may have forgotten what happened, but I’m the one that was raped and humiliated. Tank and his father tore a hole in my soul that may never heal. He not only violated me but destroyed my youth and a relationship with someone I loved very deeply. They shouldn’t go unpunished for what they did back then and what they’re doing now. I’ll be back as quick as I can.” Ann grabbed her mother by the shoulders, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and then hurried out the front door.

Chapter 50

“By building a shopping center, you brought new shops and stores. You didn’t let Bankstowne die as so many predicted.”

The break-in

The evening breeze swayed the surrounding trees casting dancing shadows and spawning dust devils in the secured building’s parking lot. A dozen flood lights cast broad shafts of light that bleached the gray walls a stark white. Ann parked under the protective tree line shadows on the edge of the parking lot. She’d studied the revolving cameras before leaving work that afternoon. There was a fifteen second gap in the overlapping sweeps of the two cameras on the front corners of the building.

She wrapped a black scarf over her face and watched the cameras movement waiting for the exact time to move. “Wait, wait, wait, now!”

Ann sprinted for the front door, seeming to outrun her multiple shadows cast by the lights. She inserted the key and swung the door open all in one quick motion.

Once inside, she located the security alarm keypad. Only ten seconds to disarm the security system or she would have a lot of explaining to do. Her heart refused to stop hammering against her chest from fear, not just poor athletic condition.

With the security system disarmed, Ann carefully picked her way through the office toward the warehouse door, following the oval beam of her flashlight scurrying across the floor. The sound of the key opening the warehouse door lock echoed through the empty building. Ann stepped into the warehouse. Her second step caught her left foot on an unseen object that threw her to the floor. The flashlight bounced and rolled across the floor, sending flickering shards of light in all directions before it stopped and blinked off. The brunt of her free-falling body was absorbed by outstretched arms before she slammed onto the wooden flat that had tripped her.

“Dammit!” Writhing in pain, Ann rolled off the flat onto her back and cradled the stabbing pain in her right wrist. “Great, where did my flashlight land?”

Disoriented by the fall, Ann waited until her eyes adjusted to the blackness. With the help of the red Exit light, she was able to get her bearings and located her flashlight. Using her good left arm, she dragged her body over the rough cement floor to retrieve the flashlight. A deep sigh of relief accompanied the beam of light when she tapped it on the floor.

A cursory self-examination revealed a bloody knee behind her torn jeans, scrapes and splinters on the heels of her hands, and a wrist that felt like it was broken.

Her injuries made her trek across the building to Joey’s office door more difficult. Ann mustered all her courage and forced the new key into the lock. A sharp twist opened the dead bolt. Seconds later she was inside.

Her flashlight danced around Joey’s office. This must be what Ft. Knox security looks like she thought. There were monitors covering every inch of the building, inside and out. She felt violated.

A typewriter, copy machine, and FAX machine surrounded Joey’s desk. Paperwork was neatly stacked in piles sorted by task. A small desk lamp was light enough for Ann to examine those papers.

“Jesus, I don’t believe it,” Ann blurted out. The lower case letter ‘o’ in his daily work report and a list of things he wanted to discuss with Sam jumped off the page at her. “Oh my God, this type matches the broken letter that was on the suicide note.” A feeling of nausea overcame her on already shaky legs. She had to sit down.

“I knew it, I knew it,” she continued talking as if someone was with her. “I knew Marie wouldn’t take her own life no matter how sick she was. Damn you.” She punched the copy machine on to let it warm up while she scanned the rest of the office. She had to hurry before the damaged flashlight died.

A bank of monitors blinked when they changed angles of surveillance. Her car wasn’t visible. She prayed her dash to the building wasn’t caught on tape. The control board was a maze of dials and switches. Next to the control board were shelves full of dated video cassettes.

Her failing flashlight raced across the racks of video tapes until it stopped on January 3, 1966. Ann yanked the cassette and shoved it into the VCR. She fast forwarded to the scene of the two reporter’s visit. The rear license tag on their car was grainy. A magnifying glass from Joey’s desk enlarged the numbers enough for her to record them: NCS-1221. She ran the tape again to get a better look at the reporters. The image was too grainy to clearly see their faces. That allayed her fears of being identified if her break-in was caught on tape. Tomorrow she would track the shadowy reporters down with their tag number.

The copier’s green start light came on. A smile crossed Ann’s face when the machine spit out a crisp copy of Joey’s work sheet with his signature and agenda with the damaged lower case ‘o’ in the text. “I’ve got you now, you bastard.”

Chapter 51

“Those new shops and restaurants will open their doors as new industries move in to take advantage of the skilled labor pool available to them.”

Evidence found

The doorbell snapped Alice’s attention from
Perry Mason,
her favorite TV show. If that was Ann, why would she ring the doorbell? She approached the door cautiously and pulled the sheer drape aside just enough to peek through the beveled glass side panel. Shocked at the sight of her daughter outside, she swung the door open.

“My God Ann, what happened to you? I told you not to go out there, it was too dangerous!” Alice put her arm around her limping daughter and helped her through the door to the living room couch.

“I tripped over one of the wooden flats in the warehouse. You can’t believe how dark it was. That building doesn’t have any windows, but I didn’t dare turn the lights on.”

“What were you doing in the warehouse?”

“I had to get into Joey’s office to see what is in there that he’s so protective of. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw all those surveillance monitors. He watches everything we do. And look what else I found.” Ann held up the copied pages from his desk.

“What are they?’

“Look closer, Momma, do you see the broken letter ‘o’ in the body of his report? That’s exactly like the ones in Marie’s so-called suicide note. That note was typed on Joey’s typewriter and planted in Marie’s typewriter.”

Alice’s hands flew over her mouth to stifle a scream. “Do you really think Joey wrote that note?”

“Not only did he type the note, he must have forced her to take an overdose of her heart medicine. He murdered Marie, Momma!”

“Oh, Ann, I don’t know what to think. If he finds out you know about the note, you’re in real danger. Let’s call the police right now. Show that to Detective Connell.” Alice paced in front of the couch. “Why did you have to stick your nose into all this? Why couldn’t you just leave well enough alone?”

“I’m not calling the police, not just yet. I want to plan this out very carefully. Right now I need to get cleaned up and soak my wrist.

Ann came back downstairs after checking on the children. The scraped knee had stiffened and her wrist looked like she had a goose egg under her skin. Alice brought her a cup of coffee and sat silently while Ann soaked her wrist in a pan of warm salt water. Detached from her immediate surroundings, she stared into space, trying to organize the thoughts wrestling with each other in her mind.

Alice broke the silence. “Ann, I beg you, go to the police first thing in the morning before he gets back from Washington. They can arrest him when he gets here and keep him from hurting you or the children.”

“No, Momma, he isn’t the only one I want. He doesn’t know it, but Joey is going to help me get to Sam and Tank. His murder investigation will allow the police to search his office. I couldn’t open his locked files, but the police can with a warrant. The police will find out how they’ve been illegally shipping millions of cigarettes up north. They’ll discover that our illustrious state senator and his big shot father are crooks. That’s what I want.”

“I don’t know, Ann, this whole thing sounds awfully dangerous. I just want you and the children to be safe, that’s all.”

“Don’t worry. I was careful. He won’t ever know I was in there and has no idea I have a key to his office. It’s ironic.” Ann almost chocked up on her words. “Marie is going to get justice from the grave by having that key make. She was probably saving it for the right time. She knew I would find it if she died first.” Ann cried softly for her friend and knew what her next move had to be. “I’m exhausted and need to get some sleep. I have a big day planned for tomorrow. Goodnight, Momma.”

“Goodnight, dear.” She gave her daughter an unusually tight hug and whispered, “I know you think I’m old and insensitive about what happened. I’m not. I just love you and your children so much. Please get some rest now and go to the doctor tomorrow.”

“Okay, I’ll get it checked. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay.”

Ann’s body screamed with pain at every movement. It was all she could do to hobble up the steps to her bedroom. Memories of her former life washed over her as she climbed up the spiral stairs. She wasn’t sure if she was meant to have a happy life, but she was sure now that she would have justice.

Chapter 52

“New growth will encourage more recreational facilities, expanded educational facilities and homes being built.”

The day after

Ann arrived at work earlier than usual the next morning. Her bandaged wrist was covered by a long sleeve blouse. She had no intention of going to the doctor—there was too much to do. Tylenol had eased the pain in her wrist, but the medicinal odor from cream she’d applied to reduce the swelling escaped into the room. She couldn’t worry about that now. The bandage on her scraped knee was hidden by her slacks. It was wrapped so tight she felt like it would rip open if she tried to walk normally.

Ann limped to the warehouse door, took a deep breath, and unlocked the door. She clinched her fist and strode through without any sign of a limp. The crew had already moved the wooden flat. She continued her painful effort not to reveal her injuries walking across the warehouse floor.

Ann’s nerves began to fray; she wasn’t sure she turned off the copy machine. Did she leave Joey’s trip note on the copy machine? She had to let herself in and make sure she’d replaced the papers exactly where they were on his desk; the video cassette was re-filed in its proper place and check to make sure the copy machine was off. He would notice if anything was different or was out of place.

Relieved that Joey wasn’t back yet, she headed straight for his office door, avoiding being seen by Ronnie or the crew of workers. They stamped the cases, getting ready for another day of loading the increasing number of box cars that seem to get added each month.

A quick glance back at the work crew assured her they were too busy to be paying any attention to her. Ann summoned up all her courage. With key in hand, she turned to unlock Joey’s office.

“What are you doing out here, Ann?”

Ann jumped and turned to find Ronnie standing right behind her. “Damn it, Ronnie, do you make it a habit of sneaking up on people? You scared me half to death.”

“Nope, just wonderin’ what you’re doing out here,” Ronnie replied matter-of-factly.

“Nothing in particular. It gets a little lonely in there now that Marie is gone. Thought I’d come out here and see what’s going on. I have more responsibility now and should be more aware of what you all do, that’s all.”

“We’re doin’ the same thing we’ve been doin’ ever since you came here, just more of it. If you’re lookin’ for Joey, he ain’t back yet. Don’t know when he will be. Knock yourself out, though. Watch all you want. I’ve got to get back to work.” Ronnie turned and yelled at the forklift drivers to be careful not to damage those boxes. “You have a good day now.” He nodded to Ann and shuffled off toward the dock.

Still shaken by Ronnie sneaking up on her and not sure if she left Joey’s office the way she found it, Ann returned to the front office. There wasn’t anything she could do about it now. Seated at her desk, she took several deep breaths to calm down. She opened her purse that could have doubled as a saddle bag and fished patrol Officer John Cartier’s card out.

She dialed the number, expecting to hear Officer Cartier’s voice on the other end. “Dispatch, how can I help you?” a husky female voice rose above the sound of other voices in the background.

Startled at not hearing Cartier’s warm voice, Ann stammered, “Uh, yes, I’m trying to reach Officer Cartier.”

“What’s the nature of your call, ma’am?”

“I need to talk to him about the Marie Short’s case.”

“Ma’am, I can connect you to Detective Connell. He was lead on that case.”

“No, I just need to speak to Officer Cartier. He gave me his card and said if I ever had any questions to call him. Can you help me?”

“Is this an emergency?”

“No.”

“If this isn’t an emergency, all I can do is page him and give him your number. He’s on patrol now.”

“Thank you. That will be fine. My name is Ann Blackmon and the number is 692-7268.”

“I’ll page him. You have a nice day, ma’am.”

Ann busied herself trying to organize Marie’s file drawer while checking to see if she could find any other evidence in the process. Lunch approached and Officer Cartier hadn’t returned her call.

Her nerves had been on edge ever since she broke into Joey’s office. A hot bowl of chicken noodle soup was just the thing to calm her down. The office’s electric hot plate had a pan of soup bubbling in a matter of minutes.

Her phone shattered the office silence, nearly causing Ann to spill the soup she was pouring. She knew she was playing a dangerous game that could get her into serious trouble if Joey had the slightest suspicion of what she was planning.

“S & T Distributing.” Ann spoke sharply, wincing when she unconsciously lifted the receiver with her injured wrist.

“Ann, have you gone to the doctor yet?”

“No, Momma, I haven’t,” she said, disappointment dripping off her words.

“I wish you would get that wrist looked at. It could be broken. It could get—”

“Momma, I don’t have time to argue with you. I’m expecting an important call. I’m sorry about being so grouchy lately. I’ve just got a lot on my mind. Why don’t we all go out and have pizza for dinner tonight? How does that sound?”

“Fine, but I’m worried about you.”

“I know, but don’t be. See you after work.”

As soon as Ann hung up, the phone rang again. She picked it up before a second ring, with her left hand this time.

“S & T Distributing,”

“This is Officer Cartier. May I speak to Mrs. Blackmon?”

“This is Ann Blackmon. Thank you for returning my call.”

“What can I do for you, Mrs. Blackmon?”

Ann sucked in a breath and adopted her most charming tone of voice. “I have a favor to ask. Can you take a license tag number and find who the owner is?”

“Sure. I have a friend back at the department that owes me a favor. I can have it for you tomorrow. Is that soon enough, Mrs. Blackmon?”

“Yes, of course. Thank you very much. And please, call me Ann.”

“No thanks necessary. That’s part of my job. I’ll call you in the morning. You have a good day, Mrs. . . . excuse me, Ann.”