Текст книги "The Simple Truth"
Автор книги: David Baldacci
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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 26 страниц)
I see your point. I guess youve all been lucky that no ones tried to do something like this before.
Well, if you want us to go about our normal routines, then I suppose that the dinner honoring Judge Wilkinson will go forward tonight, Knight said. Murphy sat straight up in protest. Beth, if nothing else, I think the murders of two Court personnel would dictate that the dinner be put off.
Thats easy enough to say, Tommy, but you didnt happen to plan the event. I did. Kenneth Wilkinson is eighty-five years old and he has pancreatic cancer. I wont risk putting it off, unfortunate as the timing may be. This is very important to him.
And to you as well, correct, Beth? Ramsey said. And your husband?
Thats right. Are we going to have another debate on legal ethics, Harold? In front of all these people?
No, he said. You know my feelings on the subject.
Yes, I do, and the dinner will proceed.
Fiske was fascinated by the exchange. He thought he saw a hint of a smile pass across Ramseys face as the man said, All right, Beth. Far be it from me to attempt to change your mind on any matter of importance, much less those bordering on the trivial.
["C37"]CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Tremaine set the Army helicopter down in the grassy field. As the circling of the copter blades slowed, he and Rayfield looked over at the sedan parked near the edge of the tree line. They lifted off their seat harnesses, climbed out and, torsos bent forward as they passed beneath the blades, headed toward the car. When they reached it, Rayfield sat in the front seat while Tremaine slipped into the back.
Glad you could make it, said the man in the drivers seat, turning to face Rayfield. The colonels jaw fell. What happened to you?
The bruises were purplish in the center, leaching out to yellow around the edges. One clung to the side of his right eye, the two others spread out from his collar.
Fiske, he answered.
Fiske? Hes dead.
His brother, John, the man said impatiently. He caught me at his brothers apartment.
Did he recognize you?
I was wearing a mask.
What was he doing at his brothers apartment?
Same thing I was, looking for anything that the cops could use to find out the truth.
Did he find anything?
Nothing to find. Wed already gotten Fiskes laptop. He looked at Tremaine. And you got his briefcase from his car before you killed him, right? Tremaine nodded. Where is it? the man asked.
A pile of ash.
Good.
Is this brother a problem? Rayfield wanted to know.
Maybe. Hes an ex-cop. He and one of the other clerks are snooping around. Hes helping the detective investigate the clerks murders.
Rayfield started. Murders? More than one?
Steven Wright.
What the hells going on? Rayfield demanded.
Wright saw someone come out of Michael Fiskes office. He also heard something he shouldnt have. We couldnt trust him to be quiet, so I had to bluff him out of the building and kill him. Were okay on that one.
Are you nuts? This thing is totally out of control, Rayfield said angrily. The man looked at Tremaine. Hey, Vic, tell your superior to stay cool. I think Nam took away some of your nerve, Frank. Youve never been the same since.
Four murders, and you say stay cool? And Harms and his brother are still out there.
So weve got two more bodies to go. The two most important. You understand that, dont you, Vic?
I do, Tremaine answered. The man looked over at Rayfield with a pair of very cold eyes. Rayfield swallowed nervously. I guess theres no going back now.
Youre right there.
John Fiske and this clerk: What are you doing about them? If Fiske is on some mission to find his brothers killer, he may be a problem.
He already is a problem. Theyre on a real short leash. And theyll stay there until we decide what to do with them.
Meaning? Rayfield asked.
Meaning we might have four more bodies to go instead of two. *����*����* Sara sat in her new office. Chandler had declared the space she shared with Wright off limits, but he had allowed Court personnel to move Saras computer and work files to this overflow space. She had taken the list of state prison agencies Fiske had given her and started calling. At the end of a half an hour she hung up the phone, depressed. There was no one with the last name Harms in any prison in any of those states. She tried to remember any other helpful word or phrase from the documents she had seen, but she finally gave that up. Suddenly she had a mental flash: the letterRsticking in her mind. Harmss first name started with anR; she had seen that in the filing. It was maddening that she couldnt remember anything else. She stood, and thats when it caught her eye. She had just grabbed a stack of files with her abrupt move and hadnt noticed it until now. It was theChancebench memo. The one she had told Wright he had to work on last night until he finished. A handwritten note was attached asking Sara to review it. She sat down and her head sank to the desktop. What if there really was some psychopath targeting clerks? Was it just chance that Wright had been killed instead of her? For a minute she sat there, frozen. Come on, Sara, you can beat this. You have to beat this, she urged herself. Using every bit of resolve she could marshal, she stood and walked out the door. A minute later, she entered the clerks office, and went over to a clerk who was manning one of the Courts computer database terminals. The question she was about to ask was one she had asked earlier, but she wanted to be absolutely certain.
Could you check and see if theres any case at the Court with the name Harms as one of the parties?
The clerk nodded and started tapping buttons. After about a minute he shook his head.
Im not finding anything. When was it filed?
Recently. Within the last couple of weeks or so.
Ive gone back six months theres nothing coming up. Didnt you ask me about this a while ago?
Before Sara could answer, another voice spoke.
Did you say Harms?
Sara stared at the other clerk. Yes. Harms was the last name.
Thats strange.
Saras skin started to tingle. What?
I got a call early this morning from a man asking about an appeal and he used that name. I told him we didnt have any case filing with that name.
Harms? Youre sure? The clerk nodded. How about a first name? Sara asked, trying to suppress her excitement. The clerk thought a moment.
Maybe starting with anR? Sara prompted. The clerk snapped his fingers. Thats right. Rufus, Rufus Harms. Sounds like a hick.
Did the caller identify himself?
No. He got pretty upset.
Anything else you can remember?
The man thought a bit longer. He said something about the guy rotting in a stockade, whatever that meant.
Saras eyes opened wide and she started to race out.
Whats this all about, Sara? Does this have anything to do with the murders? the clerk asked. Sara kept going without answering. The clerk hesitated for a moment and then looked around to see if anyone was watching. Then he picked up his phone and dialed a number. When it was answered, he spoke quietly into the receiver. Sara almost sprinted up the stairs. The reference to thestockadehad shown her that there was a big hole in Fiskes list. She reached her office, grabbed a card from her Rolodex and dialed the number. She was calling Military Police Operations. Fiske had covered both the federal and state prison populations, but he had not thought of the military. Saras favorite uncle had retired from the Army as a brigadier general. She knew very well what a stockade was: Rufus Harms was a prisoner of the United States Army. She got through to Master Sergeant Dillard, the corrections specialist on duty. I dont have his prison ID number, but I believe hes incarcerated at a military facility within four hundred miles or so of Washington, she said.
I cant give you that information. The official procedure is to send a written request to the deputy chief of staff for operations and plans. Then that department, in turn, will send your request to the Freedom of Information Act people. They may or may not answer your request depending on the circumstances.
The thing is, I really need the information now.
Are you from the media?
No, Im calling from the United States Supreme Court.
Right. How do I know that?
Sara thought for a moment. Call directory assistance for the general number for the Supreme Court. Then call the number they give you and ask for me. My name is Sara Evans.
Dillard sounded skeptical. This is highly unusual.
Please, Sergeant Dillard, its really important.
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds. Give me a few minutes.
Five very long minutes later the call was put through to Saras phone. You know, Sergeant Dillard, Ive gotten information from your office before about military prisoners without going through the FOIA process.
Well, sometimes the people here are a little generous with the information.
I just want to know where Rufus Harms is, thats all.
Actually, it wouldnt really be a problem with any other prisoner.
I dont understand. Why is Rufus Harms so special?
Havent you been reading your newspaper?
Not today, no, why?
Maybe its not real big news, but the public ought to know, for its own safety if nothing else.
The public ought to know what?
That Rufus Harms escaped. In concise sentences, Dillard filled her in on the details.
Where was he incarcerated?
Fort Jackson.
Where is that?
Dillard told her and Sara wrote down the location.
Now I got a question for you, Ms. Evans. Why is the Supreme Court interested in Rufus Harms?
He filed an appeal with the Court.
What sort of appeal?
Im sorry, Sergeant Dillard, but thats all I can tell you. I have rules to go by too.
All right, but I tell you what. If I were you, Id hold off working on his appeal. The courts arent open to dead people, are they?
Actually, they can be. What exactly did the man do?
Youll have to check his military file.
How do I do that?
Youre a lawyer, arent you?
Yes, but I dont do a lot of work with the military.
She could hear him muttering a bit over the phone.
Since hes a prisoner of the military, Rufus Harms is no longer technically in the United States Army. Along with his conviction he would have been given either a dishonorable or a bad-conduct discharge. His military records would have been sent to the St. Louis Military Personnel Records office. Hard copies are kept there. Its not on a computer database or anything. Harms was convicted about twenty-five years ago, so his records should have been transferred to microfilm, although the personnel office is a little behind on that process. If you or anyone other than Harms wants his records, you have to use a subpoena.
Sara wrote all of this down. Thank you again, Sergeant Dillard, youve been a huge help.
She had map software on her computer. Sara brought the screen up and, using her mouse, drew a distance line from Washington, D.C., to the approximate location of Fort Jackson.
Almost four hundred miles exactly, she said to herself. She hurried upstairs to the Courts third-floor library and went on-line via one of the computer terminals there. None of the law clerks office terminals were connected to phone modems for obvious reasons of security and confidentiality. But the library terminals had on-line access. Using an Internet explorer service she typed in Rufus Harmss name. She looked around at the hand-carved oak paneling as she waited for the computer to sprinkle its technological pixie dust. A few minutes later she was reading all the latest news accounts on Rufus Harms, his background and that of his brother. She printed out all of these. One of the stories had a quote from the newspaper editor in Harmss hometown. Using an Internet telephone directory, she looked up the mans number. He still lived in the same small town near Mobile, Alabama, where both brothers had grown up. The phone was answered after three rings. Sara introduced herself to the man, George Barker, still editor-in-chief of the local paper.
I already talked to the papers about that, he said flatly. His deep southern drawl made Sara think of braying coon dogs and clear jugs of shine. Id appreciate if you could answer a few questions for me, thats all.
Who are you with again?
An independent news service. Im a freelancer.
Well, what exactly do you want to know?
Ive read that Rufus Harms was convicted of killing a young girl on the military base where he was stationed. She glanced at the news accounts she had printed out. Fort Plessy.
Killed a littlewhitegirl. Hes a Negro, you know.
Yes, I know, Sara said curtly. Do you know the name of the attorney who represented him at the trial?
Wasnt really a trial. He did a plea arrangement. I covered the story some, because Rufus was local, sort of the reverse of the local boy makes good.
So you know the name of his attorney?
Well, Id have to look it up. Give me your number and I can call you back.
Evans gave him her home number. If Im not there, just leave it on the answering machine. What else can you tell me about Rufus and his brother?
Well, the most noticeable thing about Rufus was his size. He must have already been six-foot-three by the time he was fourteen. And he wasnt skinny or lanky or anything. He already had a mans body.
Good student? bad? In trouble with the police?
From what I recall, he wasnt a good student. He never graduated high school, although he was real good with his hands. He worked at a little printing press with his daddy growing up. His brother did too. Why, I remember one time the press at my newspaper broke down. They sent Rufus over to fix it. He couldnt have been much moren sixteen. I gave him the manual for the machinery, but he wouldnt take it. Words just mess me up, Mr. Barker, he said, or something to that effect. He went in there and within one hour he had the whole damn thing up and running, good as new.
Thats pretty impressive.
And he was never in trouble with the police. His momma wouldnt have let him. You got to understand, this is one small town, no more than a thousand souls have ever lived here, even fewer today. Im pushing eighty, still run the newspaper. Nobodys been here longer than me. Now, the Harmses lived in the colored section of town, of course, but we still knew em. Now, I dont have colored folk over to my house, but they seemed like good people. She worked at the meat processing factory here just like most everybody else. Cleaning crew, not one of the good-paying jobs. But she took care of her boys.
What happened to their father?
He was a good man, not prone to drink or wild living like so many of their kind. He worked hard, too hard, because one day he just didnt wake up. Heart attack.
You have a good memory.
I wrote out his obituary.
What about his brother?
Now, Josh was a different story. Around here, hes what we call a bad black. Hotheaded, arrogant, trying to be better than he was. Now, Im not prejudiced or anything and I dont tolerate the use of thenword in my presence, but if I did use that particular word Id use it to describe Josh Harms. He rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.
I read that he fought in Vietnam and was actually a war hero.
Sure, thats right, Barker conceded quickly. He was the most decorated war hero to ever come out of this town, by a long shot. People were damn surprised about that, let me tell you. But he could fight, Ill give the man that.
What else?
Well, Josh actually graduated high school. Barkers voice changed. But where he really showed up everybody was in sports. Im a one-man shop here and I cover all the news. Josh Harms was the greatest pure athlete I have ever had the privilege to see. White, black, green or purple, that boy could run faster, jump higher, stronger, quicker than anybody else. Now, I know the coloreds can do all that really well anyway, but Josh was truly special. He lettered in just about every sport there was. Do you know he still holds about a half dozen state athletic records? He added proudly, And you know Alabamas got more than its share of great athletes.
Sara sighed. Did he play at the collegiate level?
Well, he got a slew of scholarship offers for football and basketball. Bear Bryant even wanted him at Bama, thats how good he was. Probably wouldve been a star in the NBA or the NFL. But he got sidetracked.
How so?
Well, you know how so. His government asked him to defend his country in the war against communism.
In other words, he got drafted and was shipped to Vietnam.
Thats right.
Did he come back home afterward?
Oh, sure. His momma was still alive, but not for long. See, right about that time was when Rufus got in all that trouble. I actually think Rufus volunteered for the Army because of Josh. Maybe he wanted to be like his older brother, you know, a hero. Really I think he just wanted something to go right with his life for a change. After his daddy died there wasnt anything for him in this town. Of course, it ended up going about as wrong as it could. Anyway, Josh came to see me, to see if there was anything I could do. You know, the power of the press, but there wasnt anything I could do.
Did Rufus killing the girl surprise you? I mean, had he ever been violent, that you knew?
He never hurt anyone that I know of. A real gentle giant. When I heard about the little girl I couldnt believe it. Now, if it had been Josh, I wouldnt have blinked twice, but not Rufus. But with all that, the evidence was clear as could be.
Did Josh keep living there?
Well, now you take me to a particularly troubling part of this towns history.
Whats that?
Id rather not say. Sara thought quickly. What was the journalistic phrase? It can be off the record.
Is that right? Barker sounded wary.
Absolutely. Its off the record.
I want you to know that I just recorded what you said. So if I read in some newspaper what Im about to tell you, Ill sue you and your paper for every last cent you got, he said sternly. Im a journalist, I know how these things work.
Mr. Barker, I promise that whatever youre about to tell me will not be used in any way for a story.
All right. Actually, I guess so much time has passed that it doesnt matter anymore legally, anyway. But you can never be too careful in this old world. He cleared his throat. Well, the story of what Rufus had done got around town, no way it wouldnt. A bunch of boys started drinking, got together and decided to do something. Now, they couldnt do anything to Rufus, he was in the custody of the United States Army. But they could do something about the other Harms living here.
What did they do?
Well, what they did was they burned Mrs. Harmss house to the ground.
Good God! Was she in it?
She was until Josh pulled her out. And let me tell you what, Josh went after those boys. They went at it right up and down the towns streets. I watched it from my office. You know, it mustve been ten against one, but Josh put half of them boys in the hospital, until the rest beat him up bad, real bad. Never seen anything like it, hope I never do again.
It sounds almost like a riot. Didnt the police come?
Barker coughed in an embarrassed fashion. Well, just so happens that it was rumored that a couple of the boys that were in on it, you know, who had burned the house down
Were the police, Sara finished the sentence for him. Barker didnt say anything. I hope Josh Harms sued for all the money the town had, she said.
Well, actually, they suedhim.I mean, the boys he put in the hospital did. Josh couldnt prove anything about the fire. I mean, I had my speculations, but that was all. And the police sort of put together this story about him resisting arrest and all. It was ten peoples word against one, and a coloreds word at that. Well, the long and the short of it was he spent some time in jail and they took everything he and his momma had, little enough that it was. She died soon thereafter. What happened to both her boys, I guess, was too much for her.
It was all Sara could do not to start screaming at the man. Mr. Barker, that is the most disgusting story I have ever heard, she said. I dont know much about your town, but I do know I would never want anyone I cared about to live there.
It has its good points.
Really like welcoming home a war hero like that?
I know. I thought about that too. You fight for your country, get shot up and then come home to something like that, probably makes you wonder what the hell you were fighting for.
You sound like you knew the truth. Didnt you use the power of the press that time?
Barker sighed deeply. This has always been my home, Ms. Evans, and you can only offend the powers that be so many times, even if they deserve it. Now, I cant say that Im any great friend of the blacks, because Im not. And I wouldnt lie to you and say I championed Josh Harmss cause, because frankly I didnt.
Well, I guess thats partly what the courts are for: to keep people like those in your town from screwing people like Josh Harms. Please call me back with the name of Harmss lawyer.
She hung up the phone. Her whole body was tingling with rage from what she had just heard. But then, how many blacks had she known growing up in Carolina? The generations of squatters down the road? Or during harvest time when her father would bring in the part-timers to help? She had watched these men from the porch, sweat soaking the thin fabric of their shirts, their skin growing ever darker under the bite of the sun. She and her mother would bring them lemonade, food. They would mumble their thanks, never making eye contact, eat their meal and toil on into the darkness. Saras school had been all white, despite the string of Supreme Court cases demanding otherwise. These cases were the twentieth century battlefields of racial equality, replacing the Antietams, Gettysburgs and Chickamaugas of the last century. And some would argue with equal futility. And here at the Court there was one black justice, who occupied the so-called Thurgood Marshall seat, and currently one black clerk, out of thirty-six. Many of the justices had never had a minority person clerk for them. What sort of message did that send? At the highest court of justice in the land? As she hurried down the hallway in search of Fiske, Sara wondered if they would ever really find out the truth. If the Army caught up to the Harms brothers before anyone else, the truth might very well die with them. ["C38"]CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Fiske was standing outside his brothers office while Chandler was overseeing the progress of his evidence-collection team under close supervision of the Courts staff counsel. However, with now two dead clerks, concerns over confidentiality had taken a back seat to finding the killer or killers. When they finished with Michael Fiskes office, they would go down the hallway and start on Steven Wrights. Fiske looked over at his brothers office door and then back at Wrights. He did so a couple more times as an idea began to percolate through his head. He went over to Chandler.
Exactly where was Wrights body found?
Chandler flipped open his notebook and started looking through his notes. By the way, I got your car out of impound. Its at my office in a nice, legal parking space.
Thanks for doing that for me.
Dont thank me. With the tow and fine and all, its gonna cost you about two hundred bucks.
Two hundred bucks? I dont have that kind of money for a lousy parking ticket.
Is that right? Well, maybe I can pull a few strings, you know, do you a favor. But youll have to work it off. I got some painting that needs to be done at my house. Chandler cracked a smile and then stopped leafing through his notes. Okay, here we are. Wright lived about a block from the Eastern Market metro station. His body was found in Garfield Park. Thats at F and Second Streets. Its about a half dozen blocks from the Court.
How did Wright usually get to and from work?
According to several people here, he either walked, took a cab or occasionally the metro.
Was this Garfield Park on his way home?
Chandler tilted his head as he studied his notes. Not really. Normally he wouldve hung a left from Second onto E to go home. He wouldnt have continued on down to the park.
Did he have a dog or anything? Maybe he went home and then took it for a walk in the park.
He did have a dog, but he hadnt been home. At least we dont think he had. And if he was going to walk his dog, Marion Park is a lot closer to his home.
That is strange.
Chandlers eyes narrowed as he thought of something.
But Marion Park has something that Garfield doesnt.
Whats that?
A police substation right across the street.
Whoever killed him might have known that.
The substations not exactly a big secret. We want our presence known there as a deterrent to crime.
Does it look like he was killed at the park, or maybe somewhere else and dumped there?
The grass had blood on it. No shell casings that we found yet, anyway. Shooter probably wouldve used a silencer, unless it was some random robbery. A silencer on a revolver is too tricky. If he used a semiautomatic, then we should find a shell casing unless it was picked up.
Bullet still in the body?
Chandler nodded. Hope we lay our hands on a gun to match it against.
Considering what happened at Mikes apartment, you should probably have someone posted at Wrights.
Gee, now, why didnt I think of that.
Sorry. Any idea when Wright left the Court last night?
Were still checking on that. After regular hours theres only one door open for entering and exiting. That door is constantly guarded and it closes up at 2A.M.After that you need a guard to let you out. You can leave via the garage too, but its also secured. However, Wright didnt drive, so the garage is irrelevant.
Then someone must have seen him leave.
My people are checking with the guards on duty last night.
Doesnt this place have surveillance cameras?
You mean in the courtroom? Chandler asked with a smile. The answer is yes, but not everywhere and unfortunately not along this part of the hallway. But were checking the tapes right now to see if theres anything relevant on them. Chandler scanned his notes once more. At that time of night, really the only activity on this floor would have been a clerk working late.
Anything in Wrights background helpful?
Chandler shook his head. No skeletons that we found so far. Motive is going to be tough on this one.
But his wallet was missing.
Yeah, I thought about that. A little too convenient.
Like somebody wants to make us think both murders are connected?
You know, it actually could be some nut with a grudge against the Court.
I believe the murders are connected but not for the reasons everyone probably thinks, Fiske said.
How do you mean?
If Mike was killed for a reason someone doesnt want us to find out about, then killing another clerk and making it look related would be a great way to divert our attention.
Chandler looked intrigued. So whats therealreason someone killed your brother and is trying to cover it up?
Fiske hesitated again. Keeping the stolen appeal a secret was beginning to become very awkward. I dont know, but I might have an idea why Wright was killed.
Other than as a red herring?
Lets say his death might have served a dual purpose.
At that moment Sara joined them, trying very hard to conceal her excitement.
John, can we talk for a minute?
Ms. Evans, Chandler said with a broad smile, I hope your drive to Richmond was pleasant and uneventful.
Lets just say it was different, she said quickly. John, I really need to talk to you.
Can I catch up with you later, Buford?
And you can tell me your theory.
As they walked off together, Chandlers smile faded. He was wondering if he had just lost his unofficial partner to Sara Evans. *����*����* Minutes after Sara had left her office, Justice Knight had stopped by to see her. She started to leave a written message when she saw theChancebench memo with Wrights attached note. She sat down in Saras chair and read the note. After she finished, it suddenly dawned on Knight what she had done. She had instructed Wright to work late, all night if necessary. He had done so, left the building late and someone had killed him. Her precious bench memo. She had never really focused on this chain of events before. A gush of air came out of her lungs so hard it almost choked her. She put the memo down and rushed from the room. A minute later she raced past her astonished staff and locked the door to her office. She looked around the spacious, beautiful room, with even its own fireplace. Here she had sat and contemplated her little strategies, her philosophies of life. And it had cost a young man his life. She threw off her pumps, collapsed in a corner, covered her face and wept. ["C39"]CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Back at her office, Sara spent the next thirty minutes filling Fiske in on everything she had found out. When Barker calls back with the attorneys name, we can talk to him and maybe really start getting somewhere.
That would be nice.
Do you believe Michael went to see Harms in prison?
It really complicates matters that the guys escaped.
Sara had a sudden terrifying thought. You dont think Michael was somehow mixed up in that, do you?
My brother would not be part of anything illegal.
I didnt mean intentionally.
According to the newspaper reports, Harms escaped from a hospital in RoanokeafterMikes body was found. But Im not saying that the timing is just coincidental.
Do you have any brilliant deductions?
I think I know why Wright was killed.
Why? Because he knew about Harms? About what Michael had done?
No, he was killed because he saw something. Something he shouldnt have.
Sara drew her chair closer to his. What do you mean?
Wrights office yourformer office is right down the hallway from Mikes. Wright was going to be working all night.
Sara slumped in her chair. Right. Because I told him he had to.
No, because Knight told you to tell him he had to. Well, his body was found in a park that wasnt on his way home. Chandler told me that he was killed between midnight and two last night. If he was working all night here, what was he doing in that park?
