Delivery in the Rear Ch. 02

I was staring at Joanne. "Truck 164... for real? You're sure?"

"Uh, yes sir." Joanne said. "I can check with him, if you like."

"Let's do better than that..." I said, generating stares of interest at me from Joanne... and from the Green Crowbar, Cindy Ross.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Joanne escorted Joe Walton to the Main Conference Room. I'd decided to talk to him there instead of Interrogation-A in order to make Walton more comfortable. And I was right to do so: Walton seemed nervous.

"Hello, Mr. Walton." I said. "Come on in."

"Uh, call me Joe." he said. "What's this about, Commander?"

"I'll explain everything." I said. "This is FBI Special Agent In Charge Jack Muscone. He's investigating the murders of your fellow drivers, Mr. Gonzalez and Mr. Mansell."

"Oh yeah, that." said Joe. "That was... horrible. Gonzalez has two small kids..."

"Yes, I know." I said. "I'm very sorry that all this has happened. Here, have a seat." Walton sat down in the chair nearest the door, his back to it. I went around and sat opposite him, Muscone to my left.

"So we're hoping you can help us with a few things, Joe." I said. "I understand you drive Truck 164?"

"Yes sir." said Joe.

"What's your normal route, Joe?"

"From the City to our hub here in Town." said Joe. "It's on North Street, just north of the Post Office."

"The old Post Office, or the one in the Federal Building."

"The one in the Federal Building, sir." said Joe. "I drop off most of my packages there for delivery."

"Do you make stops along the way?" I asked.

"Sometimes, sir." said Joe. "If there's not a heavy load, I might take the Hillside packages and drop them off on the way. And sometimes I make stops in the City along the way, but not very often."

"I see." I said. "Okay, so I understand you were delayed getting out of the Distribution Center on Monday, is that not right?" I asked.

"Yes sir." said Joe. "My truck was loaded with all those Peach Computers gaming systems. Then I was stopped and asked if I could take one extra package to an address in the City, and pick one up from that site. It wasn't far off my route, and I could continue on and catch the University Highway from there. I'd just been handed the box, which was one of those gaming systems, when the recall of all trucks came in. So I was held in place from that point."

"Interesting." I said. "Did you notice anyone getting onto your truck, getting or hiding in the back of it?"

"No sir." said Joe.

Jack Muscone said "Joe, who wanted you to take that package? Mr. Granger?"

"Oh, no sir." said Joe. "He was surprised, and kind of mad, that I'd been delayed."

Muscone said "So who asked you to take that extra package? His secretary, Marilyn?"

"No sir." said Joe. "It was Mr. George. He's the CEO's assistant. I couldn't say no to him. Neither could Mr. Granger."

Despite our every effort, Jack and I looked at each other upon hearing the name.

"So let me make sure I heard this right." I said. "You were going to deliver one package, then they'd have one for you to pick up?

"Yes sir, that's right." said Joe.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

They weren't kidding about Police patrolling the University Highway. I had three Police vehicles get behind the Black Beauty and attempt to pull us over despite the blue light on top of the car. Our attempts to get on the radio didn't help, but the black car behind us with blue lights and FBI agents inside did help the officers pulling us over understand that we were not kidding around.

Getting to the City, we first went to the Federal Building and the FBI offices there. Lindy Linares was in her office.

"Lindy," I said, as Jack went to talk to his boss, "I need something, and it is huge."

"I need something huge from you." she said flirtatiously. "Okay, what?"

"Have your CSI guys uploaded digital photos of the papers from the 'Opelika Software' site?"

"Yes." Lindy said. "Which one do you need?"

"I hope they got literally every scrap of paper from there." I said. "I'm looking for a shipping label, maybe filled out and ready to be put on a box, but not on a box yet. The address would be in my home County."

"I'll look for it while you go keep Jack out of trouble." Lindy said with a grin. I chuckled and thanked her... and told her that something 'huge' just might indeed come her way soon, if I had my way...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mr. George was sitting in one of the FBI's conference/interrogation rooms. The company's lawyer was sitting beside him. Across the table were me and Jack Muscone. Mr. Blassingame and the DepDirector were in the DepDirector's office.

"Mr. George," I said, "I appreciate you coming in and talking with us. We understand that Truck 164 was delayed in leaving the Distribution Center, as the driver was going to deliver an extra package. We understand that you gave the driver that package?"

"Yes, that's true." said Mr. George.

"Sir," I asked, "did you know what was in that package?"

"It was a Peach Computers package." said Mr. George. "It was one of those new systems that had come out."

"Do you know where it was being sent?" I asked.

"No, it had an address on it, but I don't remember what it was." said Mr. George.

"That's fine." I said. "But I do need to know: if it wasn't you doing it, who asked you to have the driver deliver that package?"

"Oh, Mr. Blassingame, sir." said Mr. George.

"Did Mr. Blassingame offer an explanation? Was it for his family?"

"I... I don't remember what he said." said Mr. George. "He said something about securing one of the games for a friend."

"Gentlemen," said the lawyer, "I'll have to ask you not to press on what Mr. Blassingame actually said, as Mr. George can't remember well, so it would be heresay and speculation."

"I understand." I said soothingly. "So Mr. George, this package... it wasn't one of the boxes shipped in as part of the huge release, was it?"

"Uh, no sir," Mr. George said. "Mr. Blassingame handed me the box himself, said the driver was waiting for it. I took it down and gave it to him, and just then they had the recall of all the trucks. Then we found out about the other drivers..."

"Okay." I said. "I appreciate it very much. Agent Muscone, do you have anything?"

"I think you covered it." said Muscone. "I am going to have to ask Mr. George to give us a written statement of what we just discussed..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Look guys," said the DepDirector, "that's not just any employee. That's the founder and CEO of SPS, the largest trucking and package delivery service in the region. You've got to handle him carefully."

"Yes sir." said Muscone. I just looked at the DepDirector with an 'Oh really?' look... after arresting the BigPharmaCorp CEO in front of some of its Board Members, I wasn't too shook up by big names and big titles.

The DepDirector had asked Mr. Blassingame to the conference room, where the lawyer waited. Jack and the DepDirector sat in.

"Thank you, Mr. Blassingame," I said, "for sitting with us for a few moments. I'll get right to it: your assistant Mr. George handed a package to the driver of one of your trucks. That truck didn't make it out to the road because the recall order came out and the truck was held back. That package came from you, I understand?"

"Uh, yes, I remember giving Mr. George a package, and he took it down to the distribution areas."

"Sir, what was in that package?"

"One of the Peach Computers gaming systems." said Mr. Blassingame.

"Separate from the hundreds of others?"

"Yes." said Blassingame. "When they all came in earlier that morning, much earlier, one was directed to me. My secretary wanted one for her nephew and niece, so she put the address label on that one, and I had Mr. George take it to the distribution floor."

"I see." I said. "So your assistant affixed the address label?"

"Yes, she would've done that." said Blassingame.

"Okay." I said. "We'll need to speak with her, then. Is she at work, in your office now?"

The lawyer piped up and said "Sir, she's left for vacation already."

"Ah, that's right." said Blassingame. "Yes, she has family in New England. Boston area. She's already taken time off, and won't be back until after Christmas."

"Do you have an address where the FBI there can interview her?"

"You're mighty persistent." said Blassingame.

"It's mighty important." I replied. "I'm searching for the killers of two of your drivers, and your assistant might be able to provide us with important information.

Blassingame said to the lawyer "See if you can find an address for her. I don't know exactly where her relatives live. Maybe you can get her cellphone number for the FBI?"

"Yes sir." said the lawyer.

I saw Cindy and Lindy through the glass wall of the room, patrolling the hallway outside. It did not take much observation to see that my partner was impatient and excited.

"Okay, sir, thank you very much." I said.

"Why don't I take you to lunch." said the DepDirector to Blassingame. Jack and I excused ourselves and went out. We followed Cindy and Lindy to Lindy's desk.

"Here it is. Shipping label." said Lindy, handing me the digital photograph she'd printed off.

"Well, Captain Ross," I said with a smile, "let's test your knowledge of our Town. Where is this?"

"On the border of the Warehouse and Industrial Districts. North of Ward Harvester, but south of Downtown." Cindy replied happily.

"Spot-on." I said. "We will need to have a conversation with Captain Croyle when we get home. Call her now, and ask her to put the SWAT Teams on high alert."

"So what's going on?" asked Jack Muscone.

"They had a saying 400 years ago, Jack. They would say 'I'd rather be lucky than good.' We may be exceptionally lucky, and may actually be able to haul in the killers."

"Of Rodriguez and Mansell?"

"Maybe." I said. "But also... the killers of T-Square's Regiment man... Holden."

"Damn!" said Cindy. "So what is this about?"

"Riddle me this, Green Crowbar!" I said. "A Forest Service Ranger spots a fire from his tower and calls in the firefighters. They call another tower to triangulate, but when they go to the site, there is no fire. They call back, and the Rangers say they still see the smoke and give the same directions to it. So what is going on?"

As they looked at me dumbfounded, I said "The answer to the riddle is the answer to what we are facing. Let's go!"

To be continued.

So, dear readers, what is going on here? Who killed the two drivers? What is going on with the hi-tech equipment? And what is the solution to the Iron Riddler's riddle? The surprising answers are in the next exciting chapter. Hang on!