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Mildred Wattle slept soundly that night but Henry Burdett laid awake until morning, intermittently cursing his sister.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A Treacherous Ride Home
The day after Braun’s death, the coroner concluded that he had expired from “natural causes”. Chief Braddock, after discussing the situation with Meacham, had sent out another detective to complete a cursory examination of the hospital room to gather any evidence of foul play. Nothing was found, not even any fluids on the pillow case which briefly confounded the coroner but did not prompt him to raise any suspicions or complete an autopsy.
Driving home from the Institute later that same day, Gwen Meacham was thinking about Braun and feeling guilty about the relief she felt that he had finally died. Yes, he was a detestable man but he had been Woody’s grandfather and she wanted to believe that he has some redeeming qualities. She had told Woody the grim news and he had hardly showed any emotion.
As she descended Round Top Hill, she was jolted back to the present when the steering wheel started to tremble. Gwen grabbed the wheel tightly with both hands but the vibrations became violent and she felt a chilling fear spread throughout her body. She tried to steer to the side of the road but had no control as the car careened toward a tree at the edge of the park, the same tree where Woody had hidden the gun that had created such havoc in Parlor City a year ago. She was staring at the tree, frozen and helpless, when the car suddenly lurched left. She looked over her right shoulder before being enveloped in total darkness.
***
When Gwen awoke, she saw Billy leaning over her with Woody in the background. She had facial contusions and a separated shoulder but was otherwise okay. Her head was throbbing but she was fortunate not to have suffered a concussion. It took her a few moments to realize that she was back at the Institute, lying in a hospital bed.
“You’re going to be okay, dear. Nothing serious but the doctor says that for the next few days you will feel like you were in a fight with the tree and got pummeled. Here’s Woody,” Meacham said gently before stepping back. Woody approached the bed and knelt down by his mother’s side and wept silently as she pressed his hand.
Meacham was working hard to stay calm but was seething inside. He had been at the Institute earlier and was told that Gwen was still out from the sedative but that she would be coming out of it in a few hours. Before picking up Woody and heading back to the Institute, he drove to Belvedere Motors where he had been immediately accosted by Glen Perkins before he could walk to the service area. They had been friends way back to high school but Perkins could tell immediately that his buddy was not in a sociable mood. Well, he was going to feel even worse in a few minutes.
“Billy, sit down before I tell you something that I know is going to make you furious” said Perkins. “My mechanic came to me as soon as he discovered the cause of the accident. There was nothing wrong with the steering assembly – it was the wheel, Billy.” Perkins paused and Meacham, initially puzzled, detected a look of almost frightening concern on his friend’s face. “And?” Meacham demanded. “Okay, here it is straight. Two lug nuts were missing from the right rear wheel and the other two were loose, tightened just enough for the car to drive a short distance before……” Perkins paused and then took a deep breath before continuing. “We can’t be certain but someone appears to have tampered with her car, Billy, hoping the tire would come off, my guess as it descended Crazy Hill. Sorry, but that’s how I see it, pal.”
“Don’t let anyone near the car, Glen”, Meacham said calmly, staring intently at his old friend. “I’ll get someone over here to take pictures and interview the mechanic. And not a word of this to anyone, okay? Tell your mechanic that if word leaks out, I will come looking for him.”
“Billy, the good news, if you can see it that way, is that the back of the car on the passenger side clipped the tree and spun her around. Be thankful she didn’t hit the tree head on” Perkins said solemnly. Meacham took a deep breath and sighed. Walking to his car, he wondered if that damn tree had a curse on his family or if more sinister forces were at work.
***
Meacham sat in his car for a few minutes outside Belvedere Motors chewing on his lip. First, Braun croaks and then the next day Gwen’s car is apparently sabotaged. Somebody is sending a message and is willing to risk committing murder to drive home their point. But who? And why? Billy needed to have a conversation with the Chief. There was no way he could sit back and watch another detective pursue this case when his family’s safety was at risk. Meacham was getting that feeling again, the same one that came over him when events at the Institute just a year ago had led to murder, suicide and overall mayhem in the town he loved. Was it all happening again?
***
Before leaving the Institute, Meacham talked to Mrs. Kosinsky and arranged for Woody to stay with Jerry for a few days while Gwen recovered. When he dropped him off, a call came through from the Desk Sergeant. Someone was sitting outside Chief Braddock’s office and had an interesting story to tell – but only if Billy Meacham were present.
***
When Meacham walked in, Sgt. “Wacky” Donahue flipped the switch on the PBX and said “He just walked in, Chief. Yessir!” and pointed to the back. Meacham hadn’t even stopped his brisk stride through the outer room of the station. Donahue recognized that look and knew not to crack wise.
Meacham stopped abruptly when he saw Roscoe Peterson sitting outside the Chief’s office, head down and hat in hand. Meacham hadn’t seen Peterson, had no reason to, since helping the orderly retain his job at the Institute last year. He was now off probation for running booze to wealthy patients and his record was clean. Labeled a “snitch” by some, Peterson knew that he was still indebted to “The Man”, much to his chagrin and despite what others might say.
“I need a few words with the Chief, Roscoe, so sit tight just a little longer”, Meacham said, his emotions now under control. Peterson was wearing his meek demeanor and added a deferential smile for good measure. He just couldn’t help himself.
Meacham told Braddock what he had learned at Belvedere Motors and a heated exchange followed, the gist of which was unintelligible outside the Chief’s office. Then, the clamor ended abruptly and Peterson had the temerity to turn his head and look through the glass partition in the door. He saw the two men talking amiably. Meacham then turned to the door and motioned for Peterson to come in.
“You’ve got a clean record now, Roscoe, so we want you to know that the Department is no longer looking over its shoulder to see what shenanigans you might be up to. Let me go further and say we consider you an asset to the Department and that anything you see or hear, at the Institute or elsewhere in town, that you think is worthy of our attention, we are counting on you to step forward – like you have today.” When the Chief finished his little rehearsed speech, Roscoe smiled wanly, sensing correctly that the hook was now stuck in so deep and so firmly into his jaw that he would never be able to wriggle free. In time, he would come to understand that he was now a creature of the Parlor City Police Department.
“Now, Roscoe, why don’t you tell Det. Meacham and me what prompted you to stop by today?” the Chief continued with a benevolent smile on his face.
When Roscoe finished relating what he had witnessed at the Institute the night of Braun’s death, Meacham and the Chief nodded their heads but displayed no emotions. Meacham walked Peterson out to the front and arranged for a car to drive him back up to the Institute. When Peterson asked to be dropped a few blocks away, Meacham understood and decided to say, “Listen, Roscoe, we know you have gone out on a limb for us more than once when it would have been just as easy to remain silent. That won’t be forgotten if you ever find yourself in trouble, okay?”
Peterson managed his second weak smile of the afternoon and limply shook the hand that Meacham extended but the image in front of his eyes as he walked out the door was that of a fish flapping violently as it was hauled into the bottom of a boat.
***
“Okay, Billy, I have a feeling you are hatching a plan,” Braddock said when Meacham walked back into his office. “But remember, we can’t go off half-cocked on this thing”, he added, purposely emphasizing the word “we”.
Meacham was pensive as he stroked his chin and chewed on his lip for the second time that day. He instinctively reached in his shirt pocket and then patted it for a few seconds, searching for the pack of Camels that was no longer there. “First, I want a guard posted outside my wife’s room starting right now, Chief. Something tells me that Braun’s death and her car being tampered with are connected. Peterson says Mildrake was off-duty so why would he be at the Institute that night – not to mention go into Braun’s room? I’ll confirm Mildrake’s shift status before we bring him in for questioning.”
Meacham paused when the Chief picked up the phone and held up his finger for silence. He was looking out the window thinking of Gwen when he heard the Chief say, “Yes, around the clock guard until she checks out. Strictly plain clothes” and hung up the phone before turning back to Meacham and adding, “The Mildrakes live in The Projects. Father died a few years ago and the family went on relief. The Mother cleans houses and who knows what else to scrape by. Not sure who arranged it but someone felt sorry for the family and got Bobby a job as an orderly up at the Institute. He certainly couldn’t have walked in there on his own and got hired.”
“Okay, Chief, so the family has a benefactor and my hunch is that it is our old friend Wattle. It is just the kind of favor he would do while Mayor and look for payback later. And here’s another thing that’s bothering me. That toadie Burdett may have authority as Coroner but don’t forget that he is Wattle’s brother-in-law and made a damn quick ruling on the cause of Braun’s death. It just doesn’t feel right, Chief” said Meacham, still gazing out the window with his lips now pressed firmly together.
“I see where you are going, Billy, but don’t reach too far, too fast, okay? I’ll talk to the Mayor and Burdett but remember, not everything is a conspiracy” the Chief cautioned. “I’ll be careful. Just put a little heat on Burdett and see what happens, that’s all I’m asking” Meacham said calmly before walking out of Braddock’s office.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Where’s Bobby Mildrake?
Edna Mildrake limped to the door in her boxy black shoes, wearing a large floral apron splattered and caked with stains from hundreds of hours in front of the stove. She opened the door to see Billy Meacham standing there. She knew who he was and sagged noticeably, preparing herself for bad news. Bobby had only been gone for a few days and even though she chipped at him constantly for the smallest things, she was lonely without him. She hadn’t been told why Bobby had to leave town and had been afraid to ask questions.
“Is Bobby home, Mrs. Mildrake?” Meacham asked politely, flashing his badge. Relieved that he did not bear ill tidings, she rallied somewhat and, trying to evade his question, said, “Why you’re Billy Meacham, aren’t you? I saw your picture back a piece when they made you Chief.”
“That’s me, Ma’am, but I’m back to detective again. About Bobby, is he home?” asked Meacham again. “Why no, he’s not. He’s visiting his sick cousin for a bit. Is there a message for him or can I be of help?” Mrs. Mildrake had been prepped to deal with snooping neighbors but she had not been told to anticipate a visit from the police.
“Doesn’t it seem rather odd that he would leave his job and tell no one? I was up at the Institute earlier and they seemed quite surprised by his disappearance. His job might not be waiting for him when he returns. I wonder if he thought about that possibility before taking off.” Meacham was staring at Mrs. Mildrake but she was looking down, avoiding his gaze.
Fussing with her apron, she finally said, “Oh, dear. I told that boy to advise his boss, detective, but he is so forgetful like a lot of today’s young’uns. You can be sure he’ll get a good scolding from me when he gets home.” Mrs. Mildrake’s pathetic attempt to act upset and indignant even sounded absurd to her but Meacham had her flustered and she had blurted out whatever came into her head.
Meacham turned away and started to open the door. Mrs. Mildrake sighed, relieved that her ordeal was over when he turned back to her and asked, “Where did you say Bobby’s cousin lives?” Mrs. Mildrake looked flustered and blurted out, “Up in Skeetstown, Detective. But he can’t be reached. You see, they don’t have no telephone.”
“And who might they be, Mrs. Mildrake?” asked Meacham, lingering over the word “they”. Bobby’s mother had not been prepared for any kind of grilling, certainly not by the police. If it had been anyone else, she would have shooed them out the door by now but she was starting to panic as she felt her heart pounding. It took her a few seconds to figure out what Meacham was asking before saying, “That would be the Neidermeyers, detective. Yes, the Neidermeyers but, like I said, they don’t have no telephone.” Mrs. Mildrake was almost breathless when she finished and felt relieved when Meacham opened the door and said, “When Bobby returns, will you have him contact me at the station?”
***
Since he was already in The Projects, Meacham decided to pay a visit to the Clintock twins. But first, he put a call in to Fogarty to check out the Neidermeyers up in Skeetstown. The Neidermeyer name rang a bell for Meacham but he couldn’t remember why. Skeetstown was a dreary, rundown mill village about ten miles west of Parlor City. With only 500 inhabitants, it shouldn’t be difficult to locate the Neidermeyers.
Meacham found the Clintock twins in the backyard with a stripped down Chevy propped up on cinder blocks, the wheels nowhere in sight. When he asked them if they knew Bobby Mildrake or had seen him lately, they grunted something that sounded like “nuh” and Meacham didn’t press any further, knowing that Rudy Gantz had trained them to be unintelligible whatever the question.
After their recent encounter at Devil’s Corner, Meacham had learned that the twins had secured part-time jobs at a salvage yard on the outskirts of Parlor City and that Rudy was employed at the local auto parts store, all compliments of the new Juvenile Division’s efforts to find jobs for young thugs coming out of the reformatory. Meacham was much more cynical than he was a year ago and chuckled derisively when he thought about these three car buffs with access to an endless supply of automobile parts. Well, like he kept telling himself, Rudy and his boys were no longer his problem.
***
Bobby Mildrake was not entirely witless and was starting to have doubts about what he had done. Here he was stashed in Patchinville at the house of a man named Neidermeyer. Mrs. Wattle had insisted on it, telling Bobby and his Mother that it would only be for a few days. Eager to please and easily intimidated, Mrs. Mildrake had quickly acquiesced after two twenty dollar bills had been slipped into the pocket of her ubiquitous apron. At one time, Edna Mildrake would have been too proud to take hand-outs from anyone, especially in such a surreptitious manner. But times were very tough now. She was sick of putting cardboard cut-outs in the bottom of their shoes to cover the holes and watering down the milk until it almost took on a thin, grey tinge.
Bobby didn’t doubt that smothering Woodrow Braun was a proper act and he had done it willingly and without emotion. But he regretted what he had done to Gwen Meacham’s car and had actually contemplated apologizing to her before Mrs. Wattle stepped in and whisked him out of town. Neidermeyer had not been at all friendly and had left the house soon after Mildred Wattle dropped off the boy. Alone in a stranger’s house, Bobby was anxious to get home and missed the reassuring routine of his job at the Institute.
***
After his fruitless conversation with the verbally-challenged Clintocks, Meacham was prepared to drive over to Skeetstown to question Bobby Mildrake. When he called Fogarty for an address, he learned that there was no record of any Neidermeyer living there.
“Billy, you remember Neidermeyer from a year ago during the investigation of Mayor Wattle? Former councilman close to the mayor who allegedly rece
ived pay-offs from the late Woodrow Braun. He’s still living over in Patchinville – and the only Neidermeyer in the area.” House is right off County Road 22 right before you reach Rozelle Eddy. Oh, and the Chief asked me to pass on a message. Braun’s death certificate is being changed to read cause of death unknown. Looks like the Coroner will be doing an autopsy after all. What’s that all about?” “I’ll fill you in when I get back, Fogie. Keep the Braun information to yourself for now”, Meacham said before clicking off.
Meacham drove toward Patchinville, his mind churning fast as he turned over possible connections between Wattle, Neidermeyer and the Mildrakes. As he approached Patchinville, he saw someone hitchhiking on the opposite side and quickly made a U-turn. In another minute, Bobby Mildrake was sitting in the back of Meacham’s unmarked car for the ride back to Parlor City, oblivious as to the identity of the driver.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Just Like the Old Days
Meacham sat in the Chief’s office with his hands clasped together on his lap, looking straight at his boss. Braddock was leaning forward with his elbows on the desk with his thumbs under his chin and his fingers clenched in a fist on each cheek staring back. The silence would have been deafening to an outsider and if anyone had looked in on the pair he would have thought that both men were either hypnotized or in a stare-down. The reality was that they had developed a rare chemistry a year earlier that enabled them to communicate at times without words.
What had flashed before them both at almost the same time were the calamitous events of a year ago when, working together, they had bucked the system, forced a corrupt Mayor to resign and uncovered a murder connected to a massive financial swindle. Those were heady but scary days.
The detective had just finished his initial interview of Bobby Mildrake and was the first to speak. “What’s that French phrase, Chief, when you sense something happening all over again?” Meacham asked. “Déjà vu”, Billy. “I know how you feel, kid” he added.