Riverboat Gambler Ch. 01

"Why did you change your name?"

"It pleased me to do so." said McAllen. "It's not illegal to do so, and I don't have to explain my reasons."

"Most reasons for a name change like that are sinister ones." I said, "If your reasons are good, it'd be a good idea if you did explain them. But let's move on and then come back to that. Do you know this man in this photo?" I again showed him the photo of McCovey.

"Yes, I was playing poker with him last night." said McAllen. "His name is Tom, and that's all I know."

"How long have you and Tom here been playing poker?" I asked.

"For years." said McAllen.

"How many years?" asked Muscone.

"I don't recall exactly how many." said McAllen.

"Did you ever know him before playing poker?" I asked.

"No."

"Are you sure?" Jack Muscone asked. "Not even when you were an Airborne Ranger in the Army?"

"I can tell you weren't one." said McAllen, with a sly look on his handsome face.

"How's that?" Muscone growled, his beady black eyes narrowing. I couldn't help but grin.

"Because," I said, "the words 'Airborne Ranger' are redundant. The 'Leg Ranger' is a figment of our imaginations."

"You're a Ranger, too?" said McAllen with a half grin on his face.

"Airborne." I said. "I never got to go to Ranger School. But let's get serious, Jace. You never knew Tom here in the Army?"

"Not that I can recall." said McAllen. "He wasn't in my unit, and I don't recall meeting him."

"You don't recall." I said sardonically. "You sound like an ex-President's wife being questioned about Whitewater. But I digress. Let me ask you this: you came out of the Army and came to Southport, even though you're originally from upstate New York?"

"Yes."

"Why was that?"

"Business opportunities." said McAllen.

"Commander," said Forest Gillis, "how is that pertinent to anything? It's really no one else's business why he came to Southport. I could just as easily ask why you moved to the Town & County."

"Same reason, business opportunities." I said. "But I do have very pertinent reasons for asking. Jace, do you know a Dave Dunn? A Dave Paxton? A Carl Clovis? A Carl Sage? A Devon Schlussel? Or a Don Grundfeld?"

McAllen's eyes narrowed as I read the list. He then turned to his lawyer, then turned back and said "I'm not going to answer that question."

"You're invoking?" asked Jack Muscone.

Forest Gillis said "Let me have five minutes with my client."

When we came back, Jace McAllen invoked his Fifth Amendment rights.

Part 8 - Rising Tensions Lift All Boats

"Well, you fucked up again." said David Rovers as we came into the hallway. "He invoked." He and Parsons had been watching and listening in with the others. The EAD was nowhere to be seen.

"He had that right from the get-go." I said. "And we got some very good information out of him, Rovers. Or was your head so far up your fucking ass that you didn't hear anything?" Eugene, Jerome, and Martin Nash chuckled.

"Don't bother with him." Parsons said to Rovers. "He's just a fucking turd. Not worth it."

"One more word out of you, Parsons," said Jack Muscone, "and you're off this case."

"Better be sure." said Parsons.

"I am sure." said Muscone. "This is my case. You're no longer welcome to work with us on it. Go run to the EAD if you want, but you're off this case. You too, Rovers."

"Whatever." said Rovers. They went back to their desks as the rest of us went to Jack's office space.

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

"So what were Parsons and Rovers working on all day, while we were getting data?" I asked as we all went over the case.

"Near as I can tell," said Muscone, "they were concentrating totally on Jimmy 'The Creek' DeAngelo and possible associations with Orrin B. Taggart."

"And that's going to help find the murderer." I said sarcastically, and derisively.

"I'm not sure they really care about that." said Muscone. "I think they're looking for something so they can just shut down the Riverboat Gambler and the River Rose, especially if they think they can get Media headlines to attack Orrin B. Taggart with."

"That's not what they're doing." said the EAD, who'd just come into the room without knocking. "They're looking for motives for the murder, to see if the victim was murdered by a pro as a paid hit."

"Which any rookie Detective can tell you that it wasn't." I replied.

"They're also looking to see if those other suspects were part of the bank robbery ring from all those years ago." continued the EAD.

"Isn't that frickin' obvious?" I asked sardonically.

"Long after you've gone back home, Commander," said the EAD, pretending to be 'patient' with me, "they'll still be working on that, trying to get convictions, and some justice for a pharmacist that was shot dead in cold blood. They're looking for proof, a case we can take to Court and get a conviction."

I said nothing, just shaking my head.

"I'm putting Parsons and Rovers back on this case." said the EAD. "I want you guys to work together instead of working against each other. Before you say anything, Commander, I've already put them on notice. They've messed up a few things, and they know they're in trouble. But we're all on the same team, here, and working for the same goal."

"Are we?" said Eugene Graham, speaking up. The EAD looked at him, totally shocked.

"On behalf of the Southport Police Department," said Eugene Graham, "I'm here to say that we are disgusted with the FBI here in Southport, we have been for years, and what I've seen of Parsons and Rovers is the reason why. We're not on the same team, the FBI has never treated us as if we're on the same team with the same goals. I only agreed to work with you because I respect Mr. Muscone, and I was glad to work with the Iron Crowbar again. But that's about to end, and I'm going to ask my superiors to go to Court and get jurisdiction over this murder."

"Can you prove the murder was done in Southport's jurisdiction?" asked the EAD.

"Yes." I said. "I can."

"So you know something, then, Commander." said the EAD. "Why don't you share it with us?"

"I know that the River is completely within the borders of our State before it empties into the Big River, so any murder on the water is my State's jurisdiction." I said. "I know that the murder could not have occurred while the Riverboat Gambler was on the Big River, which is a State Line and therefore of questionable jurisdiction. And I'll make that case to the Court in support of Lieutenant Graham and the Southport Police."

"Is that what you want to do?" asked the EAD, keeping his voice cool, but the flush on his neck showing his obvious irritation.

"Don, why don't all of you let me have a minute with the EAD." said Jack Muscone. "After we're done, we'll go to dinner, on me..."

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

Eugene Graham recommended a very good steakhouse for dinner. As he, me, Martin Nash, Jack Muscone, and Jerome Davis settled in to eat, Muscone said to me:

"Don, I don't know what's going on." he said. "I don't know why the EAD is protecting Parsons and Rovers like he is. He knows as well as we do that they were Les Craig weenies, and they've been showing up with the Swamp Frogs way too often."

"What I do know," Jack continued, "is that he threatened my job. He told me that he was upset that I was trying to take Parsons and Rovers off the case, even though it's mine and this is my jurisdiction as Special Agent In Charge. He said that once this case was resolved, he was going to start an OPR... on me. Now I can fight him like hell, and I will But there will be fallout, especially for Martin... and for you."

"Jack, Jack, Jack." I said. "Don't you know by now that I take care of my people? And you're one of my people, especially being engaged to one of my Angels. Let not your heart be troubled, my friend. It will be all right."

I then became introspective, not even hearing myself repeat "It will be all right..."

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

It was 10:30pm, and everyone was flagging as we typed away at our laptops. Finally, Jack Muscone said "Guys, this will wait until morning. Let's go get some sleep. We've got reservations at the Comfort Inn for you Consultants."

"Save your money; they can crash at my place." said Eugene Graham.

"That would be safer." I said. "Jerome, you can crash with Eugene. I'm going to stay here while I'm on a roll."

"Sounds like you've solved this thing, Don." said Muscone.

"Nooooo," I said, "I'm not sure who the murderer is. But I can say that this thing seems to be complex because there are three riddles wrapped into one: the murder; the old bank robbery ring and the pharmacy shooting; and the entire Riverboat Gambler operation."

"Here are the questions I'm asking myself, and asking all of you, too." I said:

"Why did Tom McCovey shoot the pharmacist?"

"Who got him acquitted?"

"Who funded Jimmy 'The Creek' DeAngelo to start the boating casino operations?"

"What was the deal, pun not intended, with the poker games?"

"Why was McCovey a winner all the time, and there was always one big loser at his table?"

"Why did some of the losers suddenly stop playing the game?"

"Obvious question: who killed McCovey?"

"How did the killer kill McCovey and not be seen by anyone?"

"And what was the motive for killing McCovey?"

In their tiredness, everyone began chuckling.

"Not a very long list, Commander." Jerome Davis said humorously.

"Tune in tomorrow to 'Days of Promise' for the answers." I said.

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

2:00am, Sunday, January 13th.

"Ah, there it is!" I said as a record came up on my computer screen.

"Got something?" asked Muscone, who was dozing in his chair.

"Yep." I said. "At least I think so. I need some air. I'm going up to the roof."

I went up to the helipad on top of the Federal Building. The building was six stories tall, good enough to give a nice view of the Dagny Piers to the south, the boats in their docks, the black water of the River. To the southwest I could see the outline of the confluence of the rivers, a black contrast to the copper lights of Southport. The docks were lighted well, and busy even at this hour.

The coppery streetlights, which cast everything in an orange-red-brownish hue, reminded me of Baltimore at night. Both Baltimore and Southport seemed forbidding in the lights, and I could sense that Evil had the upper hand in controlling the city. That was unfortunate for the People of this area. This city needed cleaning up. And I knew where to start...

To be continued.