Nathan March Investigations - Book 2: Murder, After the Fact - episode 11

episode one
episode two
episode three
episode four
episode five
episode six
episode seven
episode eight
episode nine
episode ten

Book Two
Murder, After The Fact

Episode Eleven

“I hope you’ll forgive me for being so inflexible Mr. March, but when it comes to my immediate family, I can get a little unreasonable I’m told,” said Vincent Bertrillo who along with two gentlemen be brought with him were now in the company of Nathan, Mickey and three of the biggest bodyguards Bertrillo had ever seen.

“Good businessmen always strike while the iron is hot, and like you my family is always a top priority, so consider yourself welcomed,” said Nathan.

“I have a son Mr. March who is difficult sometimes. Anthony is what the ladies call “a dog.” As a teenager he couldn’t keep away from the girls for any length of time. At every school even military schools, his good looks and silver tongue had him deflowering half the community’s virgin daughters, to the disgrace of myself and his very sensitive and overly-medicated mother. With lots of cash an understanding was always reached with parents, and Tony was moved to yet another new school.

“Even knowing all that, I want you to believe he’s a good kid and he spits out the truth even to the cops, I swear.

“Some years ago this lady, this lying snake of a woman called Collette Dickenson, instructs my psychic-believing wife to empty herself of all her concerns. Over many weeks Anna spills out stories about our boy and his misadventures, trusting this Collette lady completely.

“Then comes an audio copy of one of her sessions and we’re on the hook for $30,000 a month for eternity. Reason being Anthony fell for a fifteen-year- old and he was sleeping with her regularly, with her consent I assure you.

“This psychic reminds us that this love of Anthony’s just happens to be the daughter of a prominent businessman like myself, who would do harm to my entire family, were he to believe there was anything going on between my daughter and his son. Also there was the crime of statutory rape to face,” said Bertrillo.

“Pardon me for asking this but it just occurs to me that you have specialists in your employ who have skills that might have dissuaded Mrs. Dickenson from continuing her threats against you,” said Nathan.

“The thought occurred to me, however before such an endeavor was considered Collette informed me that her dear friend, a leader of the Russian Mafia operating here in America out of New Jersey, wanted to share the fact that he would regard any harm coming to her, as an assault on a member of his family, and therefore he would react accordingly.

“After I checked it out it seems Collette Dickenson was an off again on again playmate of this esteemed and terrifying gentlemen. So I started sending money as ordered.

“Evidently someone else got tired of making payments and threw caution to the wind and killed the lady. So just when I figure I’m out of the worry game, in come the Hart sisters with the news they have a flash drive which contains Anna’s confessions to Collette. This information they told me, had fallen into their hands, and they swore that no duplicates of it existed.

“They even played a little over the telephone asking for a one-time payment of $100,000.00. They were none too bright, so we got some funny money and paid them, which I hoped would put them away once they got caught passing it. I played the recording and there was mention of Anthony, but mostly just talk about me and Anna, asking if Colette could confirm that our marriage would last.

“I never set the Hart girls up to be hit, never. They weren’t going to say I gave them the funny money in exchange for stolen information, which they were using to blackmail me because, even they weren’t that dumb.

“But very recently someone else a lot slicker made it clear they were in possession of other information collected about my son by the physic and now they wanted money transferred to a new bank account. The info was legit and with Anthony’s life on the line for certain, I paid.

‘Meanwhile I learned that my son and this young lady have been keeping company all this time and celebrated her eighteenth birthday by spending a week together in Atlantic City using phony I.D.’s. When I confronted my genus progeny he said she was it for him, case closed.

“Mr. March you know how things work. My organization does police itself and if someone gets out of hand, usually they are stopped, if you get my meaning. I can’t retire because I can’t pay if I don’t stay, and my whole family will be killed the minute my enemy learns the truth about his daughter and my son. I need to have this albatross off my neck, that’s why I’m here. Friends of mine tell me you’re just the guy who can help me,” said Vincent Bertrillo.

“Mr. Bertrillo, it seems to me that your son and this young woman after some time together, still find each other desirable. If he’s been faithful to her as well, he probably is in love. I believe it’s you and the young lady’s father that are preventing them from being together. So you both have to ask yourselves are your differences so big they won’t allow your children’s happiness by a union that will bring you both grandchildren some day?” said Nathan.

“Funny thing is Anna and I began the same way, sneaking around and my father and hers ended up friends until they died,” said Bertrillo.

“It’s an old story going back to Romeo and Juliet,” said Nathan.

“Except someone’s getting rich off of it,” said Bertrillo.

“Not any more Mr. Bertrillo, that part I can help you with by telling you to cease all payments as we are about to stop the blackmailer and return all confidential information we obtain to the victims,” said Nathan.

“I believe it’s time for a sit down with Anthony’s would be in-laws. Whether it works out or not, I would like you to know that I have a long memory and I like to pay back favors. Should you ever need my help, you have it Mr. March, for as long as I live,” said Bertrillo.

“At your first grandchild’s college graduation, use your resources to help him to walk his own chosen path, and that will be payment enough,” said Nathan.

As Mr. Bertrillo took Nathan’s hand he said thank you so sincerely, that even Mickey and the men from the PTA sensed a friendship had begun despite the differences in the two and their ideologies.

When Mr. Bertrillo left the estate Mickey approached Nathan.

“Nathan I didn’t understand your last comment to him,” said Mickey.

“Being a better father and grandfather will deflect a lot of bad karma for Mr. Bertrillo, and even pull him out of a lifestyle that he inherited and will no longer force on his own son or grandson. That Mickey is called a win-win situation,” said Nathan.

---

George Lopez found Naomi at the picnic bench by the front entrance to the estate. Her dark hair contrasted with the yellow caftan she wore, which made her eyes sparkle and her face glow.

“Well I’m home for the night, and I was wondering if you’d like a quiet dinner alone upstairs,” said George.

“Sounds wonderful,” said Naomi leaning into the warmth of his arm wrapped around her so gently.

“Are you feeling alright,” said George noting the dreamy look she wore.

“I’m feeling wonderful thank you my love,” said Naomi.

“Oh I like the way that sounds, “My Love,” I never knew I’d ever get goose bumps hearing a woman call me that,” said George.

“I do want to discuss something important first, if that’s okay,” said Naomi.

“Of course,” said George.

“George you’ve already asked me to marry you and I said “YES,” and I meant that. However I wonder how much we’d anger your family if we eloped very soon,’’ said Naomi.

His laughter made Naomi turn to face him, not sure his laughter was a good sign.

“You are perfect for me, do you know that? I have been preparing my family for years for the news of my elopement because no way was I going through with what I saw my cousins go through during a big family wedding. So we need to concentrate on making your family accept the news, not mine,” said George.

“Nathan already gave me some advice on that,” said Naomi.

“I see, well what’s the plan my love,” said George.

“Although you haven’t met my staff at Solutions, I was on the phone with them a short while ago. They called Nathan for his input, and they came up with a wonderful site for our elopement, which they will implement with a twenty-four notice,” said a jubilant Naomi.

“I think I’m going to like your staff,” said George.

“We need to pick our two witnesses and anyone else we feel is necessary to our elopement, like your two partners John and Sam and Mickey of course since he brought us together. Also a wonderful photographer who does excellent videos and lastly we need to choose where we will honeymoon,” said Naomi.

“I choose Nathan for my best man that way I won’t make any of my brothers mad, I’ll make them all mad instead,” said George laughing.

“I choose Reggie for my maid of honor because her home is where I found the courage to make my love for you known,” said Naomi.

“The honeymoon we can discuss later, because anywhere we are together is fine with me,” said George.

“Holding the stone hanging from her gold chain, Naomi smiled lovingly into George’s face “My love this is the diamond from my mother’s engagement ring and if you’ll help me pick out a setting we both like along with our wedding bands, I would like it be the engagement ring I wear behind a wedding ring for eternity,” said Naomi.

“I like that idea too,” said George covering her mouth with his, sealing their plans together.

---

The paralegal secretary at Bishop and Bishop Law Firm treated Ed Pesky shamefully asking him to take a seat in the small conference room, and then pulling the drapes so no incoming clients could see this tiny man, sitting there in his mismatched wool jacket and linen slacks.

When the others arrived she personally led them into the main conference room where there was fresh coffee, a latte machine, cold drinks as well as an array of wonderful pastries.

Nathan and Reggie arrived and found the conference room but there was no Eddie in sight. Excusing himself Nathan was returning to the reception area when he saw the light go on in a small room off the corridor. When he stepped inside there sat Eddie looking like a sixth grader all alone. Immediately he brought Eddie to the correct meeting place and returned to the reception area.

“I want you to know that I am going to mention your behavior toward one of Mr. Bishop’s newest and most valued clients, so that you can experience the humiliation you just put him through,” said Nathan.

“He should have told me who he was,” said the paralegal defiantly.

“You’re a bigot and something tells me you’ve been told that before. If I were you, I would beg his forgiveness just so that you can live with yourself and then pack up your things, because I still intend to have you fired,” said Nathan.

“Nathan, Nathan March, is that really you,” asked Michael Bishop coming up behind him.

“Good to see you Mike, I’d forgotten you moved your law offices from New York to Atlanta,” said Nathan.

As they walked toward the conference room chatting to each other, the young woman hit the off button on her computer. Next she pulled out a plastic bag filling it with an extra pair of flats and some cosmetics that had occupied space in her desk drawer. Her final act was to pull off her security badge leaving it on the desk and then she took the elevator down.

Nathan never did say a word knowing that her inexcusable absence from her desk when clients were in house, and her no show the following day, would be enough to render her permanently unemployed.

---

Morty Schulman’s distant cousins were left a tenement house that badly needed repair and when they learned that a $600,000 investment was needed for those repairs, they asked the lawyer to get it sold as is, and send them the money.

Eddie Pesky was given the bulk of Morty’s estate which when disclosed clarified that the man didn’t believe in loaning money for risky ventures like the one he and Armand Oulette took part in, but he did have more than enough money to repay his debtors so that they did not have a reason to have him killed.

Listening intently to the instructions Eddie learned that he was to take 10% of the money for dispersing Morty’s millions among charities of his choice. In addition, four buildings all brick in good condition and occupied with good tenants, were left to Eddie with the hope that he’d use them to provide monthly income for himself and his family.

Reggie hugged Eddie as he sobbed unable to believe his new status in life, and so openly grateful for his new start.

Mike Bishop assured Eddie that he’d be available to him so that Eddie could have his best judgment on the charities in most need. When Nathan spoke to Eddie about Mike Bishop’s excellent reputation for honesty, Eddie agreed to meet with Mike the following week to get started.

After the meeting finished, as Eddie climbed into his car he called to Nathan. He wanted to know if Nathan knew of someone who was down on their luck and immediately Nathan thought of Trudy Hobbs and her need for money for beauty school and a place of her own. When he finished telling Eddie about her circumstances, Eddie knew he’d found someone he could help for the rest of his life. Redemption as the Rabbi had spoken of at Morty’s service was about second chances and Nathan knew Eddie wasn’t going to squander his.

---

With her lover Connie home, Brenda Mayhill felt alive again as she put down a paint brush being used to paint inside a cupboard in the kitchen in their home in Inverness, Nova Scotia Canada. This was far from the mental work they accomplished last night to complete months of planning together, to run a uniquely sophisticated Internet Bartering network from home.

The details had them up late adding to their business plan knowing what a perfect endeavor it was for them both. Brenda’s law degree and well developed sense of order coupled with Connie’s people skills and her bottom line sensibilities, was the perfect blend to make it all work.

But today was the fifth anniversary of their first meeting. It was on a cruise to Jamaica, a cruise during which Connie nursed Brenda’s seasickness and shyness for the first five days of a ten-day vacation. From the beginning they were magic together and Brenda knew that Connie Roth with her long sandy hair, expressive eyes and killer laugh, would be in her life from then on.

Over time Connie had adapted to the conservative nature of Brenda and Brenda grew to appreciate Connie’s ideas that kept them dreaming of a day when it became possible for them to be together.

Marriage changed things, they both agreed so neither party was in a hurry to get legally attached, although both hoped it would happen one day. With her husband Brenda had constantly found excuses to avoid sex, but the physical side of their relationship was so fulfilling Brenda found herself the aggressor, to Connie’s delight.

So today they’d planned a wonderful celebration of five years together by first making a visit to Walker’s Beach where they were sure to find several colors of jewelry-quality sea glass including blue, white, green, amber, aqua, and purple to send to the friends they’d made on that fateful cruise that originally brought them together.

Then there would be a wonderful dinner at the Maddox Cove, a restaurant it was rumored that served the best seafood dinners in the world. Later at home with a glass of wine and a slice from a German chocolate cake hidden in the back of their refrigerator, they would both settle down for a night of reliving memories of a time when Connie, a divorcee, came home alone and Brenda endured a married lifestyle she hated for years. All of that was over and now they were living out their dreams together.

---

Enjoying their company, Sam Weiss made Lena and Martin smile every day. Here was this handsome young brute of a man, typing away on at least three working computers, as gently as a little waif. The man was so brilliant he bowed them over with his applications of computer wizardry, which they had realized had endless possibilities being designed nearly daily.

Although he was assigned to investigate murder victim Troy Holden and suspect Andrew Fisher who was a candidate for Congress, Sam also ran checks on all six of the deceased as well as the six suspects and in between he did anything Nathan, Detective Ryan or Mickey requested.

Believing that the Attorney Mayhill and Troy Holden’s murders were more entangled than the rest, Sam and John decided to work them that way. This allowed John to work on suspect Colin Darcy, while Sam checked out suspect Andrew Fisher. Then as evidence was gained on the other four suspects the common thread in it all, which Nathan always spoke of, had to eventually reveal itself.

Martin’s leaning over Sam’s shoulder was becoming common place but Sam picked up on the fact that Martin had something serious on his mind, this time.

“Got a clue for me Martin?” asked Sam.

“More a question for you,” said Martin.

“Okay, let her rip,” said Sam.

“I’ve been wrestling with some information I’ve been withholding and it has the ability to obstruct facts in this case. First of all please remember that this confession is coming to you from a friend,” said Martin who sat down and paused for several seconds before he spoke again.

“First of all Sam let’s just suppose I am a political candidate and I am being blackmailed by someone who has information that would do serious damage to my campaign. In today’s society my being of mixed race wouldn’t do me any harm, nor would my sexual preference threaten anything, even an incident of infidelity or charges of fraud wouldn’t necessarily derail a political campaign permanently. However a serious character flaw such as addiction, or an inherited mental illness or maybe a troublesome family secret would do the trick wouldn‘t it?” asked Martin.

“That’s possible,” said Sam trying to follow a very animated Martin.

“If I tell you about Andrew Fisher, will you promise to let it bring only good and not harm to him?” asked Martin seriously.

“If he isn’t our murderer, I can promise you that,” answered Sam.

“No, he’s not guilty of anything except reflecting the same honesty and sincerity he got from his father. In order to explain, I need to tell you about my best friend all through high school, a boy named Randy Atwell. He wasn’t as well off as many of us at Broadhurst High were, but he had a great set of grandparents who raised him to be disciplined and to believe in his own abilities and his own opinions. So the idea of him becoming a convicted murderer for killing a pervert, who tried to rape him in a theatre bathroom, just seems so bizarre.

“The pervert was brought up on charges three different times for lascivious conduct but always got released for lack of evidence, because he was the son of a politically astute Atlanta police officer. For defending himself, a jury sent Randy to prison where he was stabbed to death only four weeks later at the age of twenty-three.

“Randy told me when I visited him during his lengthy pretrial jail time, that he had fathered a child and that he had signed away his parental rights to ensure his son‘s future success as a prominent member of society. Other than the grandparents on both sides, no one outside of an obstetrician and me knew that Grace Lewis was pregnant with Randy’s child, at the time of her wedding to Malcolm Fisher.

“There was no wedding ever planned more swiftly and perfectly than the Fisher wedding. Also no other baby boy born was ever born under more secrecy than Andrew Fisher. Rumor had it that it was because he was the first grandchild of very wealthy grandparents, who feared kidnapping attempts and no one ever discouraged that rumor.

“Grace and I remained good friends and then she and Collette Dickenson began spending lots of time together. A note I received a couple of months ago written by a very distraught Grace stated that her husband Malcolm Fisher whom she had confessed everything to on receiving her first blackmail note from Collette, was still paying to keep Andrew’s parentage unquestioned by the public, while Andrew fought for a seat in Congress.

“I wanted to kill my ex-wife but she convinced me weeks ago that she would return everything she had on the Fishers to them, and I believed her and wrote to Grace telling her about Collette’s promise. Andrew had won a congressional seat by a large margin and he is slated to win re-election this term by an even greater plurality,” said Martin.

“His birth father made all that possible by giving him up, and that to me signals a peaceful hereafter for Randy Atwell,” said Sam.

“You know Sam you do possess abundant wisdom,” said Martin.

“Hang around Nathan and John long enough and a lot of wisdom rubs off on yeah,” said Sam earnestly.

When Nathan heard Martin’s explanation from Sam later, he and Detective Ryan agreed there was no motive for the Fishers to murder Collette so no investigation was necessary where they were concerned.

---

Colin Darcy was Colin Darcy’s biggest fan and the narcissistic tendencies John Barry learned of, did not end there. The only time John witnessed sincerity in Colin’s voice or behavior was when he asked directly what it was that Collette Dickenson had on him that was worth $10,000 a month.

“Young man you had better understand who it is you are talking to and the hell on earth I can unleash on you with one phone call,” said Darcy nearly purple with rage.

Reaching for his cell phone and handing it to Colin Darcy, John said “By all means make that call, and then I’ll ask you again about your relationship with Collette Dickenson,” John added.

“I let you into my office because you threw around the name of Nathan March, someone I’ve tried to interview for years. Before I know it you have the audacity to question me about a third-rate psychic’s activities,” said Colin barely able to control himself.

John’s demeanor remained calm and a growing compassion for this wounded shell of a man, made John’s voice lower as he noticed the line of Darcy’s blonde toupee become obvious because his scalp was so soaked with perspiration, that the hairpiece had become wet.

“Mr. Darcy you’ve been paying a blackmailer named Collette Dickenson for some time and now you are paying her unknown protégé to keep a secret that may or may not come out rather abruptly. I’m here to ascertain what you had to gain by disposing of Collette,” said John.

“No way you are going to convince me that I’m the only idiot who gave her the information she would turn around and use as blackmail material,” said Darcy now on his two feet and pacing anxiously.

“We’re here together to discuss your dilemma, and the way in which you may have chosen to solve it,” said John quite sure he wouldn’t like Colin Darcy under the best of circumstances.

“Forgive me if I lack trust in your words,” said Colin, finally retaking his seat and surrendering to his own fatigue.

“Okay, I don’t care anymore. I have had three marriages and two kids, none give me any sense of family or comfort. I’m not good at sharing yet I hate the single scene and for the next ten years I will pay over two million dollars in support to people just as anxious as I am never to see me or be seen by me again.

“I met Collette at a fundraiser during my Merlot period, when I couldn’t stay sober for any length of time because a twenty-five year old maxed out four credit cards of mine on her way back to Japan and a family reunion financed unknowingly by me.

“My soul was so heavy I was crying myself to sleep at night over the mess I’d made of my life. Aware of my vulnerability Collette quickly moved into my condo for about four months and although the sex wasn’t so great she did convince me that she cared. When she announced it was over, it was done by cell phone as she waited for ride back to Atlanta. Like the lush that I was I had told her about the way I took the talk show with PBS out from under the number one contender, a fabulous looking, well-educated, newsman by the name of Nelson Ames,” said Colin.

“I know that name, I was a teenager when he did all those specials we had to watch for civics class,” said John.

“That’s him. Nelson was hot and everyone knew he was certain to take the job with PBS, but not me. You see I’ knew Nelson’s play mate, was a twenty-three year old named Ricky Lombardo. They met during a trip to Italy five years earlier. Ricky was playing the role of driver and bodyguard to Nelson because being known as gay at the time, meant you didn’t work in this industry. Nelson knew this and so did Ricky who adored him.

“I learned all this from my agent who frequented the gay scene. He made sure I knew Nelson was the only one standing in the way of the PBS job that would restore my credibility and journalistic integrity. Of course I threatened Nelson with exposure if he didn’t bow out. He did so without any hesitation, to protect his young lover. Ricky realized why Nelson did it, so he was distraught blaming himself for the mess.

“Nelson’s phone calls to Italy went unanswered, and having lost a job he was born to have, he blew his brains out. At his funeral I had the note he’d wrote to me just hours before he died. That was decades ago.

“Collette’s blackmail was no more than I deserved, however I wasn’t surprised when she was murdered. What goes around does come around. In a way Nelson Ames also murdered me, because his suicide took from me any sense of worth, and any authentic human emotions that validated my membership in the human race.

“Nelson Ames was a gift to us all. With his wit and soulful manner he made us look at painful issues and want to change them. My actions robbed us of a voice that would have lovingly reminded us to behave justly toward one another each day. I took him from dispensing hope to a weary world, toward a senseless death because he finally got lost himself,” said Colin Darcy.

“So I pay with cash and live every day with heartache in my soul, for an act of greed and jealousy, I’ll never be able to forget,” he added.

John felt the heaviness of Colin’s confession and knew he couldn’t leave things this way.

“Colin, Nelson Ames sounds like the kind of person who would forgive, if asked. You need to do that and right now is the time. It only takes authentic sorrow for the harm you did to dissipate and release you. Luckily for you, you’ve got the influence to do something spectacular to honor his life that certainly would make amends. Tell his story and restore his integrity,” said John.

In the parking lot of the TV studio sobbing freely, Colin Darcy received John’s cell phone number and address and his promise to help Colin move away from the bleakness that once filled his life, toward a solution to the haunting memory of a grave mistake.

On the drive home, John Barry remembered the expression on Colin Darcy’s face when he asked for forgiveness from Nelson, and then asked help from the God of his understanding. Colin’s own words touched John’s spirit because they were genuine, as was the emotion behind them. This narcissist of the highest order had renounced his own self-interest in confidence, because someone, an absolute stranger, made him feel fully accepted.

“Well done,” was said by Nathan, several hours later that day during his conversation with John as they sat at the picnic bench, the site where soul to soul conversations were now becoming the norm.