Chapter 8: Day of Reckoning

Our wedding was scheduled for late September. It was to be held in the Episcopalian Church in Gig Harbor on a Saturday afternoon. The reception would be at our house. I would arrange for a canopy to give people a chance to be outdoors if the weather permitted. Otherwise, we would try and make room for everyone in the house.

The guest list wasn't huge, but we had added some people that both Mary and I wanted to include. Her boss and his wife, Mika and Katrianna Raikonnen, her aunt and uncle Walter and Gloria Trammel, my boss at Flight Tech Services, two of my army buddies fromFort Lewis, and, of course, Calvin and Vernon McDermott and their wives were all musts. When we tallied it up, there would be two dozen guests invited. I was hoping they all would come. It didn't take long before the replies to our invitation came in. By early August, we hadn't had a single "regrets" come back.

It was late July when Calvin called to let me know what the status of our "justice" plan was.

"The FBI and postal authorities have interviewed Florence Milligan about the missing letters. According to the agent I talked to, she cracked in about thirty seconds, admitting to taking the first one to Sheriff Biggs when she realized the importance of it. He told her to keep quiet about the letter and to tell no one. He also told her she was to immediately give him any and all letters that came from the same person. When she balked, he threatened her.

"According to the agent, Mrs. Milligan was reminded that she had played fast and loose with some of the minor post office regulations and could be liable for federal prosecution. It would have been unlikely, but she was frightened enough that she allowed herself to go along with the sheriff. He also reminded her that Ruel Carter was probably a multiple rapist and killer and it was her responsibility to make sure he didn't go free. The old girl was terrified of prosecution, so she agreed to Biggs's demands. She said there were nine letters in all that she handed over."

"So now we have a witness to what happened to the letters," I said, relieved that it had been so easy to get a confession from the former postmistress.

"Yes, we do, but I'm not so sure how she'd stand up under cross examination. She's a very frightened woman and likely to say anything that might get her off. I don't think we can allow her to be the key to the prosecution. More interesting to me is the unreported income that former Sheriff Biggs is receiving on a regular basis. We've informed the IRS of some suspicious financial activity without revealing what we know. We didn't exactly get the information by legitimate means. I'm hoping the IRS will follow up and in conjunction with the FBI, we might find some further misdeeds of Rolland Biggs."

"Does Biggs know Milligan spilled the beans?" I asked.

"No. They're keeping her out of sight for the time being. They don't want to tip off Biggs that his days are numbered."

"So, what now?"

"We wait, once again. We're close, Ruel. We're close to wrapping this up. The minute they have Biggs, they'll issue warrants for Murdoch and Rachel Simpson for conspiracy. I don't think it's going to be very long now. I think your day of redress is almost at hand."

"Thank you, Calvin. Please let me know as soon as anything develops. I'll let Mary know what you've learned when she gets home."

"You're welcome, Ruel. I'll be in touch. Take care," he said, signing off.

We heard nothing from Calvin before our wedding, and both he, his father and their wives arrived in Seattle three days before the big day. Calvin had no further information on the prosecution, but said he was sure something would break in the next couple of months. At the time, my mind was focused on our wedding and I kept Mary from worrying about anything else.

Mother arrived with Michael Browne, and we could immediately tell there was much more to their relationship than just good friends. Michael was a little older than mother by appearances, but quite handsome and well dressed. He smiled a lot and wasn't shy about interacting with the family members. Juliet had already confirmed that they would be staying in the same room, so there was no awkwardness about that.

The wedding was a simple church service. Mary wore a nice, cream colored dress that was very modest, while Tara had a very similar dress in the same material. William and I were in dark blue suits with white shirts and blue and green ties. We were secretly paying homage to the Seahawks. Calvin stood in as my best man. I couldn't think of anyone I wanted other than him. Mary's bridesmaid was Katherine, a good friend from her office. She was escorted by a good looking young guy that she was dating.

I met Mary's aunt and uncle the night before the wedding. I thanked the Trammels for their support of Mary when she had no one to turn to. They now knew the whole story from Calvin and were well aware they weren't to let anyone know that Mary was alive. Naturally, they were horrified when they learned what Mary's parents had done to me. We had paid for their flight from Columbus to Seattle and put them up in a bed and breakfast in Gig Harbor. They fell in love with the location and decided to stay a couple more days after the wedding. It was small repayment for all they did for Mary.

We had good luck with the weather, and we were able to hold the ceremony outdoors. It was sunny with occasional clouds and a temperature in the mid-sixties. A lot of our guests told us how lucky we were to have a home as nice as this with all the surrounding property and view. They were right. We were lucky. I was lucky. I had my Mary and two fine young children to care for and love.

It was ten days later that Calvin called me.

"How's married life, Ruel?" he asked brightly.

"Terrific, Calvin, but then, we had some practice beforehand."

"I have some news for you. Rolland Biggs has been arrested and indicted with charges for bribery, possession of stolen property, possession of illegal liquor, possession of gambling equipment, money laundering, interference with the postal service, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and intimidation. How's that for a full house?"

"Wow. What the hell was he up to?"

"He and some buddies were running an illegal gambling venture just across the border in Missouri. Apparently, the federal people had been staking out the location and were about to raid it when they were informed of the charges against Biggs in Nebraska. What do you know, one hand finally talked to the other. The feds confiscated a very large amount of cash in a floor safe in this operation. Some of his patrons were running moonshine and he was buying that as well. I think he's up the creek without a paddle, Ruel."

"Do you think they'll put him away for a long time?" I asked. I took nothing for granted any more.

"Yes. The federal charges take precedence, but if he's convicted there, it will be a very long time before he's out of jail to face the other charges. I think we've seen the last of Sheriff Biggs."

"How did he plead?" I asked.

"Not guilty on the advice of his lawyer. He hasn't got any choice but to fight the charges. I've been told that there will be no plea bargain. He's embarrassed the state government already, and they pressured the feds to cooperate. They've set bail at two million dollars, so it's less likely he'll be able to make it."

"Is the story all out in the open now?" I asked.

"Yes. Mary's parents have been charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, misleading the authorities, and perjury at your trial. They are in one big heap of trouble. I don't know how that will turn out, but it will certainly mean some time in prison. Probably minimum security, but prison, nonetheless."

"I don't know what to tell Mary. Maybe nothing. I'm not sure this is a cause to celebrate. When your own parents do this to you ... well ... I don't know how I'd handle it if it had happened to me."

"I know exactly what you mean," Calvin said. "I can't imagine how anyone would react to that kind of betrayal by their parents. I'm glad I'll never have to know."

"Since he's pled not guilty, there will be a trial," I said. "I'm going to want to be there for that. I'll have to arrange for some time off with my boss. I know Mary will too. I'm assuming that her parents will throw themselves on the mercy of the court and plead guilty, though."

"I think that's a pretty safe bet, Ruel. Their lawyer doesn't have a reasonable defense, and would probably plead consideration of their age and circumstances. I'll be interested to see just what a judge will think about what they did to Mary, though."

"Okay, Calvin. If you would keep us informed and let us know when the Biggs trial will take place, please."

"Of course. Always good to talk to you, Ruel. I'll stay in touch."

I hung up the phone, thinking maybe, just maybe, that this whole sorry mess was coming to a conclusion. But there was one more act to play out.

Rolland Biggs was out. Amazingly, he'd managed to raise the $200,000 bail. Calvin was the messenger and assured me that he was being carefully watched by the FBI as a flight risk. Rolland was a crafty old bastard and, while we couldn't guess how he'd come up with the bail money, we suspected he had a stash of cash somewhere out of reach and that might make it more likely he would try and run. It crossed my mind more than once where he could have come across that much money, but the charges against him seemed to answer the question.

It was the last week of November that I got another call from Calvin McDermott.

"Bad news, Ruel. Florence Milligan was found dead in her apartment in Pleasanton. At first they thought she might have died of natural causes. However, since she was a material witness, they did an autopsy and discovered she had been suffocated. She was murdered, Ruel."

I could tell by the tone of Calvin's voice that this was a step too far. While Florence Milligan might have contributed to my conviction, it wasn't out of malice. She was either in fear or truly believed I was guilty of ... something. Now, she was dead and I had little doubt as to who had murdered her.

"Have they taken Biggs back into custody?" I asked.

"No. He's disappeared. He gave the FBI the slip a week ago and hasn't been heard of since. This has turned into a fiasco, with the state pointing fingers at the feds and the feds trying to cover their ass."

"I guess it's reasonable to assume that Biggs murdered Florence Milligan," I suggested.

"That would be my guess. Pointless, really. We had her sworn statement on the record that she gave Biggs the letters. He might not know that, but he must have figured out that she was the only witness to his crime and he had to ensure her silence. Florence paid a very high price for her sins."

"Who else might Biggs come after?" I wondered aloud.

"No one, Ruel. He's on the run and, in all likelihood, will try and leave the country if he can. I'm sure he's got some significant cash stowed away somewhere. How else would he raise the bail money? He'll probably go after that, then try and make his getaway."

"I'm thinking he might come after me ... or Mary. We are the cause of all his problems. Ever since I found Mary, all this has come to light. If he's willing to murder once, he might want to track us down."

"Don't get paranoid, Ruel. He doesn't know where you live and if he's trying to avoid detection, he'll not want to take any unnecessary risks."

"I hope you're right, Calvin. I really hope you're right."

Our first Christmas and New Year's in Gig Harbor was great. I got a bit carried away with gifts for William, and Mary made me take some of them back. Mary took care of Tara's gifts, and we made sure they were approximately equal for each of them. It would be easy to spoil both of them, but Mary was determined that wouldn't happen. But she had saved the best gift for last.

"I'm pregnant, Ruel. You've done the deed," she smiled with that look of love I had seen so many times in the past year.

"Oh, God, Mary. I'm so happy. This is wonderful. This is the best gift I could ever have. Merry Christmas, my love," I said, kissing her with all the love that I could express. "When?"

"July. You are going to be a daddy and the Carter name will live on."

"That's assuming it's a boy," I grinned.

"I won't accept anything else. I have a feeling that your firstborn will be a male. Trust me, a mother knows."

"Did you know with William and Tara?"

"Sort of," she said with a wrinkled brow. "I knew about William, and the ultrasound confirmed it. I didn't know about Tara because I didn't care. Don't get me wrong, but I wasn't married to Brett any more. He was just a sperm donor. When Tara was born, I was delighted. I had both a son and a daughter. That was as good as I could hope for. Now, we start again, my husband."

"Yes we do. I'm not sure I'm ready for fatherhood, but I know you'll help me know what to do and when to do it. Will we be going to those classes new parents go to?"

"You mean Lamaze," she chuckled.

"I guess so."

"Yes ... if you're willing, we will go to Lamaze together. I want that. I want you to be involved in every part of this birth," she said sincerely.

"I'll be there. Count on it," I said with conviction.

My life was better than ever. I was going to be a father this summer, and I already had two wonderful children and my beautiful wife. I refused to call them my step-children. That sounded like they were less than perfect. They were our children, regardless of their biological father. Mary was six months pregnant and showing. She was one of those lucky women who looked even more beautiful when pregnant, if that was even possible. I think I finally understood what people meant when they said a pregnant woman could "glow."