Chapter 8

Following Farlow

It was Thursday afternoon. It had been just over a week since I asked Hanratty to contact the people on the list I gave him. He had finally managed to contact everyone on the list. He had no idea what I was looking for but it was obvious that he knew the information he gave me was important. He could see how it all tied together.

"You know, getting this information was like pulling teeth. These people didn't want to talk to me about this," Hanratty said. "They had been told not to tell anyone about the deals. So, what do you think is going on?"

"I am not sure. This all looks legal but I just sense that there is something sinister going on here. Two of these deals haven't been completed yet," I said. "I am going to keep an eye on these and see what happens."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Have you talked to Ross about this?"

Hanratty smiled. "I told Ross that you were looking to reopen the investigation into Donald Boland's death."

"Why did you tell him that?"

"When I looked at this list I noticed that the only address missing was 5219," Hanratty said. "I wasn't sure if there was a connection or not but I didn't feel comfortable telling Ross that I was contacting all of these people so I feed him the idea about you still trying to prove that Boland was murdered."

"Good job. You'll actually make a pretty good cop some day."

"Will I be as good as you?"

"Oh, no. But you might be better than Ross," I joked. "What did Ross say?"

"He was pissed. He was almost foaming at the mouth when he said, 'That was a fucking suicide.'"

"Maybe that will keep him off the scent for a while. If he asks you for an update, tell him I'm not making any progress."

"Will do."

I was supposed to have a dinner date with Carrie that night but she had called to cancel. She said that she was going to have to work that evening. She said it was a real estate deal but that was all she could tell me. Carrie was planning to go to Philadelphia to visit her parents over the weekend so we had to plan our next date for the following Thursday.

At 8:30 that evening I drove out River Road and parked in the driveway at the Boland's house. From there I was able to watch the activity around 5107 River Road. 5107 River Road was the home of William and Carolyn Patterson. From where I was parked I could see Carrie's car parked in the Patterson's driveway. The car in front of Carrie's appeared to be Stephen Farlow's car. I had not followed Carrie out to the Patterson's house but I knew she would be there. Well, I didn't know she would be at the Pattersons' house but I was pretty sure she would be at one of two addresses on River Road. Like I said, I wasn't following Carrie but her car helped me locate the house I wanted to watch.

Carrie and Farlow were in the house for nearly an hour. When they came out Carrie got into her car and drove away. I didn't move. It wasn't Carrie I was interested in. I assumed that Carrie would be headed home anyway. I waited until Stephen Farlow pulled out onto River Road and headed north into the city and then, staying well back so that he would not spot me, I followed him.

Farlow drove to the Brodricksburg Inn. I gave him ten minutes to get inside before I got out of my car to follow. My hope was that Farlow was there to meet his client. The one putting options to buy on properties along River Road. My thinking was that Farlow's client might be responsible for Donald Boland's death.

There was no way I could go into the bar and not be recognized. My hope was that Farlow and his client would just ignore me. After all, they had no reason to believe I was interested in what they were doing.

When I walked into the bar there were only a few people there and Farlow was not among them.

"Shit, I lost him."

"Hey, Hobbs, how ya doin?" It was Ralph, the Inn's bartender that spoke to me.

I was trapped. I couldn't ignore Ralph. I wanted people to think I was just there to have a drink, not because I was following someone. I walked over to the bar and sat on a stool.

"I'm doing okay, Ralph. How are you?"

"Couldn't be better. What can I get ya?"

"Give me a Yuengling."

When Ralph brought my beer he asked, "So what brings you out here tonight? Don't usually see you here without your wife."

"Carrie had to work and I just needed to get out of the house."

"Glad ya came in. It has been slow tonight."

"I thought Thursday nights is when all of the movers and shakers came out here," I said. "That is why I came here. I wanted to drink with the rich and famous."

I was joking but I hoped that I might be able to get some information from Ralph. I hoped that he had seen Farlow come through and might mention that without me having to ask too many questions.

"If that's what you are looking for, you picked the right night but you are too late."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The rich and famous were here for dinner but they left a few minutes ago."

I wasn't sure if the information would be helpful but I asked anyway. "Who did I miss?"

"Congressman Freewater, Mayor Gargas, George Kasperek, Glen Buske, Robert Kelly and Richard Mitchell were here for dinner."

I felt a cold chill run through my body. The significance of these people being together was not lost on me. The fact that Richard Mitchell, Carrie's boss, was there really bothered me.

"I am sorry I missed them. How long ago did they leave?"

"They left just before you came in. Mr. Farlow came in and then they all went off to one of the meeting rooms upstairs."

Trying to keep the excitement I was feeling out of my voice, I said, "Sorry I missed them. I would love to have gotten their autographs."

Ralph laughed and then said, "You can always come back next week."

"Why?"

"Well, they meet here every Thursday. They don't always have dinner first and not all of them come every time. The Congressman only comes once in a great while but the rest are here every Thursday. I call them the Thursday Night Club."

Ralph wandered off to take some drink orders and I thought about what I had just learned. I was beginning to see the full pattern and it scared me. These men were powerful and I didn't have evidence that they had broken any laws. For the first time since I started investigating Commissioner Buske, I felt like I was in over my head.

I was just finishing up my beer when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"So what brings you out here, Lt. Hobbs?" Captain Ross said.

"I was on my way home from the gym and decided to stop in for a beer." I lied. "What brings you here?"

"I was supposed to meet some friends here but I guess they didn't make it yet."

"Can I buy you a beer?" I asked.

"No, thanks. I need to make a call to see what's keeping my friends."

"In that case I am going to head home."

Ross moved over to where Ralph was mixing a drink and I put a dollar on the bar for a tip and got up to leave. As I walked away I heard Ralph say, "They're already upstairs."

When I got to the door I looked and saw that Ross had taken a seat at the bar. I guessed that he might be the Sergeant-at-Arms for the Thursday Night Club members.

I decided to keep what I had learned at the Inn to myself until I could decide what it all meat. It might have just been a meeting of friends, although I doubted it. I also wondered how Ross fit in. Was he a member of the Thursday Night Club or was his appearance at the Inn just a coincidence?

My original investigation of Commissioner Buske had taken a strange turn and was now overlapping my investigation of Mr. Boland's death.

I didn't sleep very well that night as I tried to understand how the different players fit in. By four o'clock in the morning I had put things together in my mind in the only way they seemed to fit. I still needed a couple more pieces of information to confirm my theory. The problem was that even if my theory was correct I still didn't know how I could prove that anyone had broken the law and considering who I was dealing with I had better have lots of proof or I would be the one in deep shit.

Hanratty Reports to Ross

When Hanratty came in Friday morning, I didn't mention anything about my being out on River Road the night before or anything that had happened afterward. I was sure that Captain Ross would want to talk to him and I wanted Hanratty to be able to truthfully say that he didn't know what I was up to Thursday night.

The morning was pretty much routine. Hanratty suggested we hit the streets and we did. After breakfast we cruised by the schools and then checked out a couple of items that had been on the OAR that morning.

When we got back to the station after lunch I went to my desk to make a phone call and Hanratty disappeared for a while.

"Pennsylvania Department of Parks and Recreation, Peter Alston speaking. How can I help you?"

"Mr. Alston, this is Lt. Hobbs of the Brodricksburg Police Department. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me," I said.

"I'll try."

"If the city of Brodricksburg wanted to buy some land that is a portion of one of our state parks, how would they go about it?"

"I really don't know. I have never heard of that happening before. I think you will need to ask Mr. Wrestler. He is the head of Pennsylvania's Department of Parks and Recreation. Unfortunately, he is out of the office today. He should be in on Monday. Can I have him call you?"

"If you would," I said and gave him my cell phone number.

Hanratty came over to my desk as soon as I put the phone down.

"Ross was all over me," Hanratty said. "He asked if I knew why you were at the Brodricksburg Inn last night. I told him I wasn't sure but I thought that you might have been meeting Carrie there for dinner."

"Good. What did he say to that?"

"Bullshit."

"That's all he said?"

"Yep. He is a man of few words," Hanratty said. "So, you got anything else for me?"

"Not right now, let's take a ride. We can take another pass by the schools before three o'clock.

The FBI's Impatience

The weekend was uneventful. Carrie called me from her parent's home on both Saturday and Sunday evenings. The residents of Riverview Apartments played volleyball again on Sunday but I didn't play. My ankle was feeling a lot better but I wasn't ready to put that much stress on it yet so I sat and watched and later I took a dip in the pool.

It was raining Monday morning when I got to the station. Chief Pasiak was in his office early and flagged me down as I passed by.

"Just wanted to let you know that Agent Van Horn was in again. I believe he thinks we are not doing anything about Commissioner Buske. I assured him that we have investigated the matter thoroughly and as soon as we can prove any wrongdoing we will go to the DA for an indictment."

"Do you think he bought that?"

"No. I don't think he has a lot of confidence in you."

"Well, screw him. What has the FBI done about CSC? Nothing. I know what Agent Van Horn is up to and I don't see any reason I should be in any hurry to help him."

"I am certainly glad I was able to cheer you up this morning," Chief Pasiak said as he laughed at my anger. "So where do we stand in the investigation?"

"This may be something bigger than just a bribery scandal involving the Commissioner of Works. I am waiting for a phone call that might answer the last of my questions. Until I get that answer I am not ready to say anything more."

"Okay, Brian. Hopefully it won't be much longer. I would like to get this behind us before the end of the year," the Chief said.

"Me too."

Mrs. Boland

Hanratty was waiting for me at my desk.

"Saw you meeting with the old man again. Ross isn't in yet. Should I tell him about your meeting when he gets in?"

"Yeah. That should get his day off to a good start," I said. "Are you ready to hit the street?"

Hanratty said, "I am always ready for that."

Hanratty and I got back to the station at 12:30 PM. Ross was sitting in his office and I saw him give Hanratty a little nod. As soon as we were past the office Hanratty said, "I think the Captain wants me to stop by for a chat."

"Go make his day," I said.

When I got back to my desk I placed a call to Mrs. Boland at her daughter's house.

"Mrs. Boland, have you by any chance remembered the name of the man that called your husband about selling your farm?"

"No. I'm sorry. I wish I could be of more help."

"Do you think that you might recognize the name if you heard it?"

"I don't know, I might."

"Okay, I am going to mention some names and you tell me if any of them are familiar."

"Okay."

"Glen Buske?"

"No. I know Glen and his wife. It wasn't Glen."

"Carl Gargas?"

"The Mayor? No, it wasn't him."

"How about Robert Kelley?"

"No."

"George Kasperek?"

"Kasperek? That might be it. Yes, I think that was the name. Kasperek," Mrs. Boland said in an excited voice. "Does that help?"

"Yes, it does. Thank you very much."

"Did he have something to do with my husband's murder?"

"I don't know yet but I am going to find out."

Pennsylvania Department of Parks and Recreation

It was 3:15 when Alan Wrestler called me back.

"Mr. Wrestler, what I am trying to find out is how a city can go about buying land that is part of a state park."

"Can't be done. The only way land from a state park can be sold is if the legislature approves the closing of the park. At that time the land would be put up for public auction."

"Do you happen to know if anyone from the city of Brodricksburg ever contacted your department to ask about the possibility of buying land that is part of the Fort Brodrick State Park."

"As a matter of fact I do remember that. It was my first year as head of the department. I don't remember the man's name but I remember that he said he was the Superintendent of Schools in Brodricksburg."

"Robert Kelley?"

"Yes, I think that was his name, but I can't be positive because it was about six years ago. He asked about buying 300 acres of the park. He said he wanted to build a three-school campus there."

"What did you tell him?"

"Same thing I told you. There was no way we could sell him that land."

"Would you happen to have a record of that call?"

"It would be in my calendar notes in the archives. It would take a while to find it."

"I am not sure if we will need your notes but I'll let you know," I said. "You have been a big help. Thanks.

I was feeling a little apprehensive as I left the station that evening. I was in the middle of a big mess and I wasn't sure how I was going to get out of it. I decided that it was time to lay the whole thing out for Chief Pasiak and I planned to do that later in the week.

Agent Kyle Van Horn

I was staring into my nearly empty refrigerator when the phone rang. I was hungry and debating what to do about dinner as I picked up the phone.

"Lt. Hobbs."

"What do you want now?" I said as soon as I recognized the voice.

"I just want to tell you what your wife is up to tonight."

"And what is she up to?"

"She is meeting her lover tonight. They will be at 37 Third Street at eight o'clock."

"Why should I care?"

"Because she is making a fool of you. She is telling everyone that you are getting back together soon but she has no plans of ending her affair with him."

"So, who is this lover of hers?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

"His name is Glen Buske."

"The Commissioner of Works? I don't believe that."

"Didn't you get the pictures I sent over to your office today?"

"No. I didn't get any pictures."

"Well, you'll have them tomorrow but why wait. If you want to catch your cheating wife in the act, just be there at eight o'clock tonight," the caller said and then hung up.

I almost laughed. Apparently my mysterious caller didn't know that Buske was a closet homosexual. I did wonder about the pictures she mentioned. I looked at the clock and it was 7:30 PM so I picked up my keys and headed out of the apartment.

I was about two blocks from my apartment when I saw him. I was being followed. The driver obviously had been trained in how to tail a car but not well enough to fool me. He stayed back behind a couple of other cars but I immediately noticed the way he moved around in his lane to make sure he could keep me in view.