The Last Train From Scottsdale

Chapter Two

Millie brought Wilson his steak and he ate it in silence. Even from where I sat I could feel the cold hatred he had for me. I'll never understand how a man of his caliber rises into a position of authority. Political animals, like Wilson, multiply every year. It seems the reliable, courageous ones are being weeded out. This job of Police Chief was only a springboard for him. In a few years he'd be Deputy Mayor, and then he'd take the present Mayor's chair when his golfing buddie moved up to State Representative. Wilson finished his meal, put some money on the table and left without saying another word. Millie and I watched him storm out the door.


" That was nice," Millie scolded. " You have better manners, you know."


" I'm sorry, Millie. I'm ashamed of myself for letting him get to me like that."


" He's not worth it, Lester. The creep makes me car sick."


I was drinking a glass of ice water when she said that and it went up my nose as I tried to keep from spraying the counter. Millie pounded my back as I gagged and coughed. Tears clouded my vision as I gasped for air, and we held onto each other laughing our rears off.


I pulled out my wallet and started to pay her. But, she raised her hand to stop me.


" Lester, I haven't laughed like that in a long time. It's on the house." she grinned.


I got up to go and she took my hand. " You take care of yourself, big boy." She said with a wink." And it wouldn't hurt a bit if you wrote me once in awhile. Promise?" She said crossing her heart.


" Promise." I said crossing my own. " Pinkie swear. " I kissed my little finger and held it out to her. She did the same and our pinkies touched. Then, she did something I wasn't ready for. She reached up and kissed me square on the mouth.


" That's for luck, big boy." she said, drawing back. " And a reminder of what you could have if you decide the big city's not your cup of tea."


Needless to say I was speechless. I felt my ears turning red, and all I could do was give her an idiot grin as I patted her shoulder and walked out.


The rain hadn't let up. It was what the farmers call a "Soaker Rain". It could last as long as two days and turn their fields into quagmires; making them impossible to till. I


looked down the street at the depot and decided to take a turn around the town before I went back to it. I never liked waiting rooms. I headed up the street wondering if it was raining in New York, and if Allison was out in it, like me.


Allison Renee Holbrook was her name. She was my brother's daughter, and I loved that little girl from the first time I laid eyes on her at the hospital. My brother, David, and his wife, Dorothy, had their problems. But, it wasn't Allison. Never Allison. She could charm anyone with just a smile. At least, she had me around her finger. Every child I saw during her childhood I compared to her, and none matched her; in looks, poise, and personality. Allison loved life like no one I've ever known. Being her bachelor uncle I was in a unique position to help.


David drove a tow-motor at the plant for fifteen years, and when it closed he was out of work for over two years. Those were tough times for them. There for awhile my younger brother went off his head and he was coming home drunk every night. I happened to stop by one evening and found Allison out in the back yard curled up on the glider crying. Her sobs tore my heart to shreds as she told me her mom and dad had had a big fight and her daddy roared off in his pick-up, headed for the tavern. I dried her eyes and carried her inside, where I laid her on the couch and assured her everything was going to be alright.


I found his truck at the second tavern I went to. The stench of stale beer and cigarette smoke roiled out of the open doors as I walked in. Dave was sitting with some barflies at a booth when I spotted him. There were a dozen or more beer bottles on the table in front of him as he laughed and took a pull off a fresh one.


" Let's go," I said as I abruptly appeared, causing the barflies to jump and David to spill his beer on his shirt." Outside now!"


" Get lost, brother. I ain't going anywhere with you." He sniggered, and one of the others chuckled.


What happened next was relived over again and again by the gossips all over town . I reached over and pulled him out of his seat. He tried to break free and swung his fist at my head. I spun him around and locked his arm behind his back. Bringing him up on his toes I waltzed him out onto the sidewalk and into my car. As soon as I let go of him he lunged at me. Out of reflex my fist connected with his jaw and he collapsed back into the car seat. He was out most of the way back to his house, and I helped him out of the car into the living room and onto a chair.


" Dorothy," I said calmly." Bring me some cold wet towels." She was back in a flash, and we sobered him up over a three hour period.


His jaw was swollen and bruised, but not as much as his pride. " Damn, Brother!" He exclaimed. " You didn't have to knock me out."


" You didn't have to make a jackass out of yourself in front of Allison, either." I retorted. " You're going through some bad times, but you make it worse boozing it up with that crowd."


" Oh, yeah. Big brother's got his hand on the world's problems." He sneered." It's so easy for you to judge me. You haven't had to stand in line at the unemployment office. You haven't had to go to the trustee for food stamps, or the welfare office for help with heating and rent."


" No," I said calmly." I haven't. I know it's eating at you. But, you don't have to make that little girl feel as bad as you do. She's the one thing in this household that needs both of you more than anything else. That little girl deserves a father that cares about her; not some drunken loser feeling sorry for himself." I backed away, wiped a hand over my face, and took a deep breath. It wasn't my place to give a sermon either. But, I'd be damned before I'd see that little angel cry over her daddy again.


" Be warned, little brother. I'm shutting off your water. Tomorrow morning I'm contacting every tavern and bar in town with your picture and a promise to close them down if they serve you. I'll have the Board of Health on them, like white on rice. You won't even be allowed to sit at the bar. Sober up, and smarten up. " I said as I left.


As it turned out, my escapade churned the rumor mills all over town. I was walking along the front of the local beauty parlor a week later when Ida Walters, one of the hair dressers, rushed out and stopped me.


" I heard what you done, Lester, about David and all." She said, giving me a meek smile. " I was wondering if you'd do the same for my husband, Herbie."


I let her down with all the kindness I could muster, explaining that it was a family thing and I couldn't do it for everyone.


Not long after, David got a job at the water treatment plant. Things settled down and


my fears for Allison subsided. I watched her grow both physically and mentally. She was just sixteen and a sophomore in high-school when David and Dorothy were killed in an accident. There for awhile, after the shock, I worried about what she'd do. How she would handle it. I found out she had the heart of a lion. She came to live with me, and the last two years were filled with ringing telephones, nylons on the shower rod, and a joy I wouldn't have traded for all the gold in Fort Knox. Hattie McDaniels, my weekly housekeeper, watched her hurry off to piano lessons one afternoon and said.


" Lester, you're the luckiest man I know. That pretty little girl fills your life with happiness."





Boy, did she hit it on the head. I was passing my old apartment and I looked up at the familiar windows. Alot of happy times were spent there with her and her friends. The sleep overs, and school projects they worked on all seemed to rush through me as I walked on.





The County Courthouse loomed ahead as I climbed the wide steps and entered the rotunda. Sounds echoed; resounding over the polished marble. I remember one Christmas season when Allison made me promise to be here at noon sharp for a surprise. I showed up a few minutes early and took in the festive decorations. The Christmas tree was over twenty feet tall and covered with lights, balls, and garlands of all sorts. Just then, Allison and the rest of the High-School Concert Choir showed up.





Gathering in their different sections, the Choir Master, Mister Grimes, blew into a pitchpipe, and I heard them softly hum in tune. He raised his hands and they began to sing an ancient cathedral hymn, 'Oh Magnum Mysterium'. as their volume increased the sounds of typewriters, voices, and walking stopped. Looking up I saw faces appear over the rails on the upper floors. For twenty minutes the choir sang Christmas carols as county employees applauded between each song. Then Allison stepped forward and in the hushed center of the floor she sang ' Oh, Holy Night' with the choir taking up the chorus. Their parting number was 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' as they filed out amongest cheers and requests for more.


" How did you like the concert, Uncle ?" She asked me when I got home that evening.


" Terrific." I said. " You guys ought to record what you sang today and make an album."


She looked at me as if I'd hit her." Darn it, Uncle. You spoiled my biggest surprise. We are making a record this week. How did you know?" She demanded.


I assured her I didn't know, and that as good as she sounded it was only natural that somebody would come up with the same idea. She didn't believe me at first. But, she accepted it. I still have ten copies.


The Prosecutor's office was running slow today. Rain always slows crime down. Linda Mason, the Prosecutor's secretary, was typing away as I came in. She glanced up and smiled.


" Hello, Lester." She said pushing her glasses up on her hair and swiveling her chair away from her desk." How've you been? "


" Is Frank in? " I asked. " I'm leaving today and thought I'd stop by to say so long."


" Yeah," She said. " I heard you pulled the pin." She knew about my forced retirement and disliked Wilson, making her an automatic ally. " Frank's here. Just go on in."


Frank Nettles had been the County Prosecutor for ten years. He was one of the few political animals I trusted. I was invited to his house many times over cases we worked on, and even just for dinner. His wife, Jessie, was a superb cook. That was evident when Frank stood up to greet me. His round face was nearly lost in excess weight. Folds of flesh creeped over his collar. He had to weigh over three-hundred pounds.


" Lester, " His face was grave as he briefly took my hand and we sat down." I've about given up on ever seeing you again. I called your number ten times in the last two days."


" I've been getting my affairs in order this week." I said as I returned his testy stare.


Like most good Prosecutors, Frank had little patience when it came to something as annoying as not making a simple contact." What's so important?"


Before answering, Frank reached over to the intercom, pushed down the talk button and spoke. " Linda, hold all my calls for the next thirty minutes. Unless there's a fire, tornado, or earthquake I don't want to be disturbed." He flipped the button back up, took out a cigarette and lit it. A calm, resolved look came over his face.


I have seen that look before. It usually meant he had discovered something really important in a case and his mind was racing to organize and prepare on how to handle it.


" I got a call from the State Attorney General's Office two days ago." He said as he blew smoke at the ceiling. " They're working on a case involving several State Representatives, and County Officials. There's been a lead to here in Scottsdale, and the Attorney General, herself, has asked me to look into it. Ordinarilly, their office would send someone down to dig. But, Marcia Black and I went to law school together, and she wants me find someone outside the tent who can investigate this case."


" Outside the tent?" I asked." Frank, I'm getting ready to leave Scottsdale for good. My train leaves in an hour or so."


" That's even better, Lester. When Marcia asked me if I knew anyone I could trust with this I immediately thought of you." He stubbed out the smoke and leaned on his massive desk toward me." There isn't anyone in this town I know who can keep their mouth shut, except you."


" How big is it? " I was getting that old feeling again when Frank and I worked together. " County wide, or more? "


" A hell of alot more, Lester. I was beginning to worry that you'd leave town and I'd never get to talk with you about this." He reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a thick file marked ' CONFIDENTIAL' in big bold letters across the front." I was reviewing this just before you came in. Normally I keep it in the office safe." He laid the file on the desk and placed both hands on it. " This was hand delivered to me by Marcia, herself. Before I open it and go any further, Lester I have to know if you're interested." His grave stare bored into me.


Yes, I was very interested in going back to work. Up until now all I was looking forward to was a boring job of rattling door knobs and staying awake until my relief showed up. The job would pay well and enhance my upcoming pension from the Department. But, there was no real investigative action. It only took a second for me to decide.


" I need to know what kind of powers I'll have: Who's tags will I carry? Will I be allowed to carry a piece? And who will I report to?"


A smile came over Frank's pudgy face. He knew he had me hooked. " You'll report only to me. Your credentials will be from the State Attorney General's Office as their investigator. Actually, your leaving Scottsdale will be a perfect cover for the time being.


You'll need to go to the Attorney General's Office in Indianapolis and meet her. Can you do that tomorrow?" I Nodded." Good. I'll set the appointment for nine AM." He rose from his chair and so did I. " I can't tell you how much better I feel now that you're on the job, Lester." He said as he shook my hand. " Call me after your meeting and we'll set up a place where you and I can meet outside of Scottsdale.