seymoure

Sven-Frickin’-gali

“He was like an--like an explorer in a wild country where no one had ever been before. He was searching for the truth, he almost found a great truth, but for one instant he was careless.”

-James Clavell

We decided to let Chester go first, while I checked out a new doctor and we went through my medications VERY CAREFULLY.

I have not mentioned (that I can recall; of course, I am getting older) my single greatest ability. The thing that has saved my life more times than I can count. It also makes my work as a detective a bit surer.

I read people. If I can meet someone, look into their eyes, they have a very hard time putting something over on me. Now, if I want to believe something I can talk myself into it. That has often been my downfall. But, if I see through unveiled eyes, they don’t get away with lying to me.

The nit-wit doctor I read as a fool, but the drugs and other factors let me not look deep enough to see he was dangerous.

This doctor was okay. He could have flaws, but giving up on what he basically believed wasn’t part of his makeup. He was also a competent physician.

This is why I have never harbored a traitor in my organization, nor have I hired out to someone who was going to use my services illegally. Some think of it as luck; I know it is vision. I can gamble very well also. When you take bluffing out of the game, your odds go up right away.

We brought in recording equipment and a court reporter; a first-rate secretary from our offices had been flown it to take every word down and then transcribe everything else. We were not going to miss anything.

Harry started Chester with the flight out and took us through everything that passed his eyes or entered his ears from that point on. It is amazing how much a human does in an average day, much less the anything but average ones we had been living.

It took three sessions, at four hours each, to sum up what we were going to get from Chester. I slept through most of it, thanks to medication. They were determined to get me up and on my cast in a day or so. I was more than happy to get out of the hospital and into the very nice hotel suite we arranged.

We had dinner brought in while Harry summed up what was major in what he had discovered. He hit on the Walt Simonson connection, which Len had been looking into since about the second session.

“The ‘RV’ was Rev, or Reverend,” he gave us in the most matter-of-fact terms. “This guy is the head of one of those mega-Church of the Month places. They call themselves ‘The Holy Order of the Promise of the Soul Purge.’ They appear to be one of those ‘The end of the world is coming, so give us all you own, and we’ll point you toward the gate of Heaven.”

“Barton met with him several times,” I said, “Wonder what kind of insurance policies must be issued to a place that expects the end of the world soon?”

“There is another connection. Sarah Browning was a former office worker for the church.”

The room got very quiet.

After kicking off the spasm of silence, I asked, “We got anything on Terry Mahoney?”

Max piped up, “I was able to make a couple of calls and got something very interesting. Mahoney was an alias, for a P.I. named Mitchum, Barney Mitchum. I’m tracking down his home and office. Should have them by morning.”

“I wasn’t looking for one of us, that’s what held us off. If I had met the guy I would have known at the very least, that he was using a phony identity,” I wanted to slap myself. “This is why we need others to bounce ideas off.”

“It was even closer than that, Boss” Max smiled.

“Okay, tell me how stupid this is going to make me feel,” I prodded.

“You were the second P.I. that Eddie Jarvis hired…”

“You’re kidding me!”

“Barney Mitchum, aka Terry Mahoney was the first detective he brought into the case. He wasn’t as lucky at surviving as you are, or…”

“Or,” I continued, “he just didn’t have any associates good enough that they could lengthen his life.”

I put my hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Well, in the morning we’ll see what else I’ve missed.”

At this point a male nurse came into the room, preparatory to setting up my cast to set for the night. He was carrying a pile of towels and a bag of plaster with some tools.

I didn’t have a good feeling about this guy.

“Bad juju,” I whispered to the guys, they circled the nurse. The guy got the idea at once.

He sat the pile of articles on a stand, including a large knife that was not for medical purposes. He put his hands up and, after a momentary pause, shot for the window.

As luck would have it Max was the powerful roadblock that stopped him with a single tackle.

“Another one?” I exclaimed, “Who are these people and what are they afraid I’m going to find out?”

“They seem to have enough foot soldiers who are willing to give it all up to kill anyone who gets near their secret,” Len said. “They don’t seem to have a limit to the number of folks who will throw themselves in front of any tanks just rumbling down the road in their direction.”

“I’ll be glad when I can get out this bed.”

“I don’t think that is their idea,” Harry chuckled. We all joined in. Not the best reason to laugh, but at least a reason.

Back to the Beginning

Continue on to Chapter 24