The dying five, p.16
The Dying Five, page 16
“Haven’t you heard of Flint, Michigan?” Shelly said, a hint of anger in her voice. I nodded and a sinking feeling filled my stomach. “The government can’t keep up with regulations and testing, I should know. And if they can save millions by using Green Playscapes and letting go of thousands of city and county groundskeepers, they’ll ask for forgiveness later when people mysteriously get sick.” Shelly’s face reddened. “They’ll cover it up as long as possible knowing they didn’t do the proper checks beforehand. Peterson and Moore both knew that, and by the time everything was out, they’d have their millions and be long gone to the Caribbean.” It was the first time I’d seen Shelly so heated. There was much more to Shelly than I knew.
“Scott told Elaine that Mason had instructed him to ‘take care of things’.” I drove my eyes into Shelly’s. She didn’t look away. “Governor Mason?”
I expected Shelly to respond, but Stephen was the one who picked up the baton. “Peterson and Moore are both large contributors to Mason’s campaign.” I wasn’t surprised and wasn’t sure how this was relevant to the situation.
“So what?” I asked. “Didn’t you work for his grandfather, Cyrus Mason, when he was governor?” I kept my gaze on Shelly, hoping she would give in and tell me something. “Was he dirty?”
Shelly sat quietly for a moment, then let out a long sigh. It was time to let me in. “He wasn’t squeaky clean. But then again, none of them are. It’s politics,” she said. She’s a hard nut to crack, I thought she was going to give me the full briefing.
Shelly looked at Stephen for guidance. I was getting a little irritated being kept in the dark. “What’s the deal?” I said with consternation. “What do you know?”
Stephen nodded. Shelly sighed again. “When Elaine said this goes all the way up, yes, she meant the governor, but there’s more to it.”
“What more could there be?” I asked. “He runs the state. He has pull with the other governors and is probably aiding Peterson and Moore in brokering these deals to get Green Playscapes everywhere.”
“That’s part of it, yes.”
“What’s the other part? Please, this secrecy is ridiculous.” I wanted to thump my fists on the table but knew how that would look. My frustration peaked and my head was pounding from the onset of a headache.
“Callie, we don’t want TD5 to get involved in anything that will get them hurt,” Stephen said. I thought about this for a second. I understood this, but at the same time, we hadn’t been discovered yet. We were still under the radar. And wasn’t it up to us? Shouldn’t we be able to make our own decisions? This wasn’t our first rodeo.
“So, what, we’re just going to drop it all now? No one would go for that. Eric was killed. Shana was kidnapped. We’re getting close. We can do this. Look at what Mary just accomplished. I think you two need to have faith in us that we can do this and stay safe. It’s the last hurrah for us. And shouldn’t this be a group decision? One we make together, not one you make for us?”
“Okay, Callie. But we need to get the group back together to decide,” Shelly said. I nodded in agreement.
“What’s the missing piece? What are you not telling me?”
Shelly threw up her hands, finally relenting. “Governor Mason isn’t just aiding and abetting this Green Playscapes fraud deal,” Shelly hesitated before going on. I thought she might change her mind, but she continued. “He’s getting ready to announce his presidential run, and he’s using environmental safety and cost savings as his platforms. He’ll be lying through his teeth, but his supporters will believe him and cheer him on.”
“Holy crap,” I said. “That is all the way up.”
“Exactly,” Shelly said.
“So, what now?” I asked.
“The next step is up to me,” Shelly said with resolve.
Chapter Forty
My Dearest Nephew,
I have now officially been undercover. And if I do say so myself, I played my part perfectly. I’ve kept you shielded from what your dear Aunt Mary went through in her younger years, but I will say it prepared me for my assignment. I believe you’d give it five stars, John, like everyone gives your books.
Here’s the rub, though, John. I was certain my ruse was going to catch the killer. We had no doubt that the set-up was going to reveal who shot the bullet that killed Eric, or who hired the shooter that killed Eric. From what I now understand, we came up empty on that. But don’t despair, John, because we did get some good information. Fraud, deceit, kidnapping, for starters. Those things tend to go hand-in-hand with murder. But you know that. I don’t have to tell you, John.
We will be meeting again soon for a full report. Callie said there is a big piece of the puzzle we all must consider before deciding whether to continue solving Eric’s murder. It’s very exciting, isn’t it, John? An even bigger piece than two wealthy people trying to defraud the EPA and make money selling a groundcover treatment that makes people sick? What could be more dire, John? It doesn’t matter what bomb they’ll drop, John, I’m on the case, and nothing will keep me from finding out who killed Eric Graham. The story must be brought to its conclusion, dear nephew. We both know it.
Wish us luck, sweet John. I think we’re going to need it. I’ll report in again soon.
Your Adoring Aunt Mary
Chapter Forty-One
Shana didn’t want to leave Pop Pop to go to Elaine’s. He was having a particularly bad day, in and out of sleep. He’d stopped eating the day before and Shana knew he was nearing the end. Pop Pop had been her rock, her best friend, her mentor, and her biggest cheerleader. Shana’s father was in the military, something Pop Pop was very proud of, and when he was killed during a deployment to Afghanistan in 2008, Shana and her mother had gone to live with Pop Pop and Gramma Marj, Pop Pop’s second wife. When Shana was in college, her mother had met Tom and remarried, moving to California. He was also in the military, but mostly did desk work in San Diego. Shana’s mother was waiting for word to come and see Pop Pop before he left to go home to heaven. They had his homegoing planned, and the pastor had been coming to Shana’s to visit Pop Pop daily. Shana had told TD5 that this visit to Elaine would likely be her last because she would be focused on spending every minute with Pop Pop she could. TD5 loved him too and Mary was particularly sad about Pop Pop’s deterioration. Callie said she’d be by tomorrow, and Shana had suggested they all come to say goodbye soon.
Shana and Elaine decided to meet at Elaine’s office. Since Shana technically worked for Elaine, her visit wouldn’t be suspect to the others at Higgins, Coben, and King. Elaine said if her office were bugged, which she was confident it might be at this point, they could use the conference room of the marketing company on the floor below the firm’s.
Shana texted Elaine that she’d arrived and would take the elevator from the parking garage to the marketing company’s floor, just to be safe. Elaine texted a thumbs up. Shana quickly texted Gramma Marj to check in on Pop Pop. You’ve been gone for ten minutes, she texted back. He’s sleeping. Don’t worry. See you soon.
Elaine was standing in the hall when the elevator doors opened. Although Elaine was dressed for success, Shana could see the toll everything was taking on her. Shana felt a pang in her heart, but she quickly shook it off. Elaine had choices. She made bad ones. And now, here she was, suffering the consequences. There was only one way for Elaine to make good, and it was going to be difficult.
Elaine led Shana to an empty conference room at the end of the hall. It was a typical meeting suite, with an executive oak table and comfortable high-backed office chairs. Marketing ads covered the walls for various products, some of which Shana herself used. She wondered how much marketing truly motivated her to buy one thing over another. Skip, the marketing guy from Green Playscapes, had once tried to educate her on how to draw people in, but he couldn’t even draw her in talking about how to draw people in. She figured marketing for Green Playscapes was a good fit for Skip, given they had one product and one tagline. “They say the grass is always greener. Our grass is always safer.” Skip spent most of his time playing card games and watching sports on his computer. Of course, she knew what he got paid, which was commensurate with his skill set. She also knew he tended bar on the weekends at Louie’s on Massachusetts Avenue for more money. He was sort of a doof, but Mark hadn’t canned him yet. Shana wasn’t sure why.
Elaine had no idea what she was walking into. She was bait once before, and she would have to be the messenger again. Only this time, the stakes were higher. Stephen had coached Shana, per usual. She was at the point where she just wanted this all behind her. She got the show started.
“Elaine, tell me what happened at your meeting with Scott and Georgia.” Shana didn’t see any reason to beat around the bush. This first part was the test. Whether she passed or not, Elaine was going to get a shock.
“I did as you said. I asked them if they killed Eric. I actually accused them of killing Eric. I didn’t keep it together, though. I got a little hysterical. Scott shut me down, like always. He can ruin me, and he knows it. Georgia didn’t say much, she just tried to calm me down. They both denied killing Eric. Strangely, I believed them. I left that meeting feeling I’d gone from the frying pan right into the fire. If I wasn’t afraid before, I’m afraid now.”
“What are you afraid of, Elaine? If you don’t think they killed Eric, they’re certainly not going to kill you. You are their link to getting this deal done, right?”
Elaine fidgeted with her pen and legal pad. “I wish I could turn back time. This is a nightmare I can’t wake up from.”
“Speaking of nightmares, I was abducted.” Elaine’s eyes shot up. A loud gasp escaped her gaping mouth, and she quickly covered it with her hand. Shana told the story of how Georgia Moore’s son had posed as a mechanic and courted her, and one night on a date with him, she was roofied and taken to an abandoned warehouse, questioned, roofied again, and dumped. She explained it slowly, emphasizing each scene and watching Elaine’s reactions.
“Oh my god, Shana. Why didn’t you tell me? Wait, never mind. I’m sure I hadn’t garnered your trust.” Shana used silence to communicate her agreement. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. That must have been terrifying.”
“We’ve both been terrorized, Elaine. And it’s time to put a stop to it. It’s time to do the right thing.”
Elaine returned her eyes to her legal pad. She was fighting back tears, the weight of it sinking in. “There’s only so much I can do,” Elaine said. “I keep telling you, this is way above me.”
“Mason, you mean?”
“How did you...” Elaine’s eyes bulged, and her voice wavered.
Shana pulled out her phone and played a portion of the audio from Elaine’s meeting with Peterson and Moore. It was the part when Peterson referred to Mason’s demand to “take care of it”. Shana wondered if Elaine would ask how they obtained the recording, but she didn’t. Elaine sagged in her seat like a ragdoll. Shana suspected if Elaine wasn’t trapped between a rock and a hard place already, the rocks were now giant boulders and she was preparing to be crushed.
Shana explained to Elaine what was next. If Elaine did as instructed, she might just get herself out of this mess. Elaine’s defeated expression revealed she knew she had no choice.
Chapter Forty-Two
It was the second time in as many weeks TD5 were gathered around one of their own. Charles was no longer alert, so they’d have to say their goodbyes on their own terms, not his. They’d moved him from Shana’s to his own living room, and Marj busied herself getting TD5 bottles of water and cookies. No one felt like eating.
Charles’ breathing was raspy and shallow. Shana told them he’d not eaten in a couple of days, and he’d not fully woken up since the day before. The Courseview nurse was there, checking his slowing pulse. I was there to comfort family and friends that gathered. Shana’s mother had arrived, and was in the kitchen with Shana, Marj, and their pastor. I suggested TD5 say their goodbyes now so the family could have his last hours in privacy.
Mary’s eyes were spilling with tears. I hadn’t seen Mary cry since we’d lost Talia, and I felt a sharp stab in my heart. I wondered if Charles knew how special he was to us. In the van on the way over, we’d all decided how we’d say goodbye.
Mary went first. She took her hand and rubbed it on Charles’ belly. “I wish that people like me would find friends like you, Charles. You are the best. You made me feel loved and accepted.” Mary pulled her hand away and used it to wipe away her tears.
Shelly went next. She placed her hand on his stomach and made small circles. “Charles, I hope that whatever is on the other side is peaceful, kind, and loving, just like you.” Shelly stepped back. It was Stephen’s turn.
I held my breath. Stephen’s expression was difficult to read. I’d seen him take to TD5, growing in connection and affection. He wanted to protect them from danger, and it often came across as micro-managing, causing rifts. But these last couple of weeks we’d seen a different Stephen, a warmer Stephen. Stephen 2.0. He stepped to the side of Charles’ bed. He took Charles’ hand in one of his and placed his other hand on Charles’ stomach. He gently patted Charles’ tummy. “You taught me a great deal, friend, about what it means to accept and be accepted. We had our moments, but let me tell you, I’ve never known anyone as good as you. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.” Stephen turned his face away before I could see the tears fall, but I knew they were.
Chapter Forty-Three
Losing Charles hit Stephen harder than he’d expected. He hadn’t called someone a friend in many years, and even then, he didn’t mean it the way he’d meant it when he’d called Charles his friend. He couldn’t bear to go to the funeral. Charles was really dying, and had really died, and Stephen felt like a fraud. He knew he should have gone, but he’d had his chance to say goodbye, and Charles would have understood. At least he thought so. He’d asked Callie how things went, and she said it was a beautiful and powerful homegoing. Stephen didn’t believe in an afterlife, but if there was one, Charles would certainly be on the top rung, telling the angels jokes and giving the other souls chances to make belly wishes.
Stephen pulled out Eric’s laptop, another secret he’d kept. He’d never told TD5 he was the one who took it, and they’d all but forgotten about it, thankfully. It’s why he had to mirror Shana’s computer, to throw everyone off the scent regarding his access to the inner workings of Green Playscapes. It had worked, no one was the wiser, except Shelly. He and Shelly had been monitoring Green Playscapes for months before Stephen had faked some medical records and became a patient at Courseview, and within an hour of Eric being shot, he’d heard about it via his channels and made a beeline to the Green Playscapes office. He’d made a mistake, leaving a light on, and Shana had caught it. But he was able to shut down the cameras before entering, and he made sure he wasn’t seen.
Taking the laptop and not confessing it was something else he felt guilty about. Why, though? He’d never felt guilty about lying or conniving before he met TD5. What made him feel differently now? It was a silly question. He knew why. He’d been hiding away in his barracks, doing his deals from behind a screen. TD5 were real people, with life stories that tore off the emotional armor he’d built. They accepted his idiosyncrasies without too much judgment, and they showed him that friendship was possible for him. Julia had been his only real friend until now. He’d met others he called friends, but they were pawns in whatever scheme he’d been plotting at the time. He wished he could talk to Julia and tell her how her death and TD5 had changed his life for the better.
There was more he’d kept hidden, and he was debating about whether to tell TD5, which at this point would just be Mary and Callie. When Eric died, he’d said to Shana “He knows.” Stephen was the “He”. Once Stephen and Shelly uncovered Scott and Georgia’s plan to defraud millions and had devised a way to catch them with TD5’s help, Stephen decided to give Eric one more chance to come clean. That would have negated the need for TD5, and he would have made a clean exit from the group. He’d sent Eric a series of five emails, one a day, at the same time each day, from an untraceable IP address. The emails detailed what he knew about the fraud, just enough for Eric to be terrified that someone could make the entire plot public. Stephen had given Eric three days to go to law enforcement, or the State Attorney General, a friend of Shelly’s. The three days came and went, but Eric remained silent, then he was killed. Stephen knew if that laptop was discovered, and someone saw the emails, they would try to track them. Impossible, Stephen knew, given the archaic technology used by the police, but he still wanted to make sure.
Stephen and Shelly had hoped Eric would come clean but weren’t surprised when he didn’t. When he was murdered, the water went from hot to boiling, and they decided to move forward with the plan to use TD5 to get the evidence they needed, then they could go public through backchannels.
Ironically, during those months Shelly and Stephen were colluding, Shelly had gotten her own terminal diagnosis. She’d survived breast cancer in her fifties. Now it was back, and it had spread. She could have fought it, gone through treatments, suffered, but she decided to let it take its course. She saw what Larry had gone through, and that his quality of life was much better when he became a patient at Courseview. Stephen was a fraud, but Shelly, she was the real deal. At first, the walker was a prop. But now, Shelly had grown accustomed to it, and it’s been helpful on her bad days. Stephen wondered why TD5 hadn’t asked Shelly if she was really dying, given that her membership in TD5 also seemed like a charade. Perhaps they intuited Shelly’s illness.
Stephen’s thoughts turned to the next several steps of their plan. He began typing on Eric’s laptop, sending an email from Eric’s Green Playscapes account to three people. An email from a dead man, this should shake things up, Stephen thought, and smiled.
