Chapter 20

Donald, who was driving, and Mickey pulled up in front of the Halstead building in central downtown Tucson.

“So, we’re going to do some investigative work for Melanie and crew here?” said Donald. “I mean you can clue me now, right?”

“Hmm,” said Mickey. “You’ll see, and this one, like I said, is a big one. I couldn’t tell you in advance because Melanie has to be in on this from the gitgo. No negotiation.”

“Okay, let’s do it,” he said.

The elevator still worked, so we took it to the ninth floor.

Melanie had been told we were coming, but not what for; she would be now, in the conference room of Halstead LLC.

“Follow me,” said Melanie and the two detectives followed her.

“Okay?” said Melanie.

Donald was staring, and Melanie was nodding like the Halstead official that she was.

“Mel, Don, what I am about to tell you only three other people know: Stephanie, Herbert, and Barbie Halstead; and again, well, me,” said Mickey. “Now you two will also be in the know. I have to ask you to agree to keep this information between us and only between us. Except, Mel, Stephanie says it is okay to clue Andrew, but before you do, if you do; you must also get him to agree to eternal silence about it.”

She looked at each of her listeners in turn, and each nodded their agreement in turn.

“Mickey, I don’t mind telling you that you are making me very nervous,” said Melanie.

“Me too,” said Donald. Mickey ignored them.

“The two of you and Stephanie, and Jack all went to school together back in the day. Mel, you were a close friend of Stephanie’s, and Don you were not a close friend of Jack’s. Fair assessment?” said Mickey.

“But Jack and I are close now,” said Don.

“Yes, that is true and that is one of the reasons that what I am about to tell you is okay with Stephanie and Jack; and, I might add, me,” said Mickey.

Her hearers, clearly perplexed, looked at each other, then Mickey.

“Mickey?” said Donald.

“Twenty-five years ago, Jack Danson was convicted of killing two bangers, druggies among other things,” said Mickey. His hearers nodded.

“We know that,” offered Don, “But he’s served his time. He’s a good man.”

“For sure, he is a good man,” said Melanie.

“Mel, Don, you are both right. He is a good man now, and, was then as well. He was and is also an innocent man,” said Mickey.

“Huh?” said Don.

“Huh?’’ said Melanie.

“He didn’t kill those two baddies. Stephanie did,” said Mickey. “Jack protected her. He took the fall for her. He loved her too much to see her go to prison maybe for life, or maybe worse. He knew he’d get second degree, and did it anyway,” said Mickey.

“But, the court, the cops, his confession,” said Melanie.

“All wrong, and all a set up by Jack to protect his woman,” said Mickey.

Suddenly the room was very quiet.

“He spent seventeen years in prison,” said Melanie.

“In maximum security prison,” added Donald.

“Yes, and yes,” said Mickey. “I figured it out over a long period of time; well, I was a police detective, and he made me keep his secret, and I have; just as you two will from now on.” The two friends of Jack nodded their agreement to keep his secret.

“That man, that asshole! Keeping me, us, in the dark all of this time. I wanna punch him in the mouth and kiss him and I don’t know which I want to do more,” said Donald.

“My God,” said Melanie. “I love my Andrew, but I know for a fact that he would never do that for me. I don’t know if any man I ever met would.”

“Jack would,” said Donald, but he said it very quietly.

“I can’t imagine how Stephanie lives with herself,” said Melanie.

“She’s able to do so because Jack has told her she had to. That’s how she is paying him back; she has no choice. It’s more complicated than I’ve laid out here: there was Barbie, and the fear he had that his wife could have gotten the death penalty. He knew Barbie would need her mother more than her father, and that played a part in his decision. But in the end, it was the truth that he felt he had to do it for his woman because he is a real man. I mean a fucking real man!” said Mickey, and she started tearing up.

“No goddamn doubt about that,” said Melanie, “no goddamn doubt!”

“Mickey, why now? Why tell us now?” said Donald.

“It’s kinda what Melanie said a few minutes ago. Stephanie needed to tell you. You are close friends of the both of them and she wanted you to know because it was hard on her being around you, especially you Donald. She wanted you to know just how good a man Jack really is. She convinced him that you had to know. Actually, I think they argued about it, but in the end she won.”

“Does Leah know? I know they’re getting back together,” said Donald.

“No, and she may never. I can’t say for sure, but there may still be some trust issues. I mean she did cheat on the man. Stephanie thinks that things are looking good, but she’s keeping a watchful eye, as will I be,” said Mickey.

“And as will I,” said Donald. The two women nodded.

“Mel can you get away to drive back with us?” said Donald.

“Oh yeah,” she said. “I need to talk to the man too and Stephanie. But I will need to drive my own car.”

“Of course,” said Donald.

Mickey dropped her husband off at the PI digs in Phoenix. Melanie’s Buick was right behind them. The two graduates from Emanuel Solis High School gathered themselves before going inside.

Stephanie saw them and new that Mickey had done her job. “So?” said Stephanie.

“You were married to the greatest guy I ever knew,” said Melanie.

“Ditto that for me,” said Donald.

“And for me too,” said Stephanie. “He’s in.” Stephanie nodded toward his office down the short hall. “But before you go in to see the man, can I have a word?” The visitors nodded.

“It was his command that kept you two in the dark. The situation twenty-five years ago was very different and very complicated. I wanted you to know, but he said no. I mean we were all in school together. I trusted you guys, and so did he, but he was adamant regardless. Just wanted you to know,” she said.

“Mickey did tell us that you had to argue with Jack about letting us know,” said Melanie. Stephanie snorted.

“Yes, well we did have a few words. But you will be the last to know, unless you tell Andrew,” said Stephanie. “He did okay that. Anyway, that’s all I have to say.” She nodded toward the hall and the visitors started down it.

I was surprised, but I wasn’t surprised. I figured they’d be by, but not the very next day, but here they were.

“Asshole!” said Donald.

“Ditto that for me,” said Melanie.

“It was complicated,” I said.

“Complicated shomcomlated,” said Donald.

“Ditto that for me,” said Melanie. I snorted.

“The truth is, it was self-defense. But given the circumstances the cops would never have bought it. She’d been threatened that she was going to be gangraped. But when she got to the motel there was just the one guy there—at first. But then the other guy appeared after she was undressed. They did her, and fell asleep while she showered. When she came out of the bathroom, one of them was waiting for her to do her again. She had the gun in her pocket and her hand was on it. When he went for her, she pulled the trigger killing the first guy. She pulled the gun out and shot the second guy when he went for her. The gun was my spare gun that I kept in the house. The bad guys didn’t expect that and anyway she shot them down.

“She called me and the rest is history as they say. I could not let her rot in hell. I had to do something and so I did,” I said.

“I love you Mister!” said Melanie.

“Me too,” said Donald. “I will always have your back, believe it.”

“Me too,” said Melanie. She was actually crying. “How you must have suffered knowing she was with another man, Herbert.”

“That was hard, really hard, but it would have been worse if she’d have had to go inside for twenty years or maybe life. Way worse,” I said.

Melanie came to me and wrapped her arms around me. I saw Stephanie standing in the doorway behind them. She was crying too.

It was a week later, September 10th 2015, and I got the news from Herbert himself. He seemed very proud. My faux-nephew was accepted at the academy. He’d already graduated from Chandler CC, and was now in training to be what he’d mentioned wanting to be a couple of years before. I had to smile at the news.

“Yes, he said he wanted to be just like you. Said he was very proud of you, Jack. And, I have to say so am I,” said Herbert.

“What about you,” I said, half tongue in cheek.

“Money isn’t everything. It’s useful, but sure as hell not everything. Character is the biggee. I want my boy to have character. And, you’re a pretty good role model for that particular trait,” said Herbert.

“Thanks,” I said.

“How are you and Leah getting on?” he said.

“Good, very good actually. I think she’s trying to make up for some stuff. I’ll take what I can get for now, you know, while the getting’s good,” I said.

“Yes, I guess,” he said.

The big man and I were getting along quite well. Partly because I now had a woman of my own and a pretty one too. She was a bit younger than me, ten years younger, but she seemed satisfied with me and what I brought to the table. And Financially we were in good shape as well. Married a year and a half: a nice condo, two cars, and $41,000 in the savings account. I was taking home a couple thousand a week, well, most weeks, so we were in the black for sure. Oh, and so were my employees. And, yes, Stephanie did collect a paycheck. I would not let her not do so: she earned it, every penny.

At any rate, I did accept leads from the big man and from other sources as well, and my two detectives were more than competent to handle them. And, as I soon found out they were covering my back quite nicely thank you very much.

The Hard Hat was Stephanie’s and Herbert’s favorite hangout on the fairly rare occasion that they hung out anywhere. She’d gotten off work a half hour earlier and was waiting for her busy husband to show up; well, it did take time to make the kind of money he did.

She was situated in a back booth next to another booth separated from hers by a lattice partition. She could see well enough through the lattice work barrier to see the man kissing the woman beside him. Oh, the woman? Why Leah Danson. And the man? Why Willy Mayfield. True love was wonderful thought Stephanie at that moment even it was a matter of having to cheat—again—on an unsuspecting husband.

Well she did work for a private investigation firm. The detectives for the firm were about to get a case to be working on.

“Willy, we can’t meet like this anymore. The man, my husband, would not understand, not again. He forgave me once, but twice is not going to be happening; and, the same goes for you,” said Leah Danson.

“I love you, Leah, and you love me. We have to find a way. You’ve got a job. I’ve got a job. We can get along just fine!” he said.

“You seem to forget that my husband is the one who got us the jobs we’ve got. We’d lose them real fast if we screwed him over,” she said.

The two conspirators did not notice the woman in the booth next to them get up and leave. It likely would have made no difference, but it might well have hurried things up. Oh yeah, at least that.

“You’re not kidding,” said Donald. Mickey was just shaking her head.