Pariahs (eBook)

Monday, Two Days Earlier

A man and a woman were each driven to a complex of buildings in Metamora. Metamora is just northeast of Peoria, in the heart of the state. A few miles to the east is where the ‘Mother Road, Route 66’ rolls thru central Illinois .The village is home for one of the regional offices of the Illinois State Police. There are several towns that make up the greater Peoria area. It was late on an early September day, the weather was a mild 70 degrees.

The building was part of a sprawling group of offices and garages. Dozens of cruisers filled the parking lots. The pair was ushered into the office of Captain August Swanson. They sat quietly, sizing each other up while trying not to stare. They barely nodded an acknowledgement of the other.

She wore a black business suit and heels. There was a black fedora in her lap. The shoes were polished and probably new. She took pride in her clothes. But he thought they were out of place on her. Of the two, she looked very professional. She looked comfortable wearing a suit but the man thought it was for appearances only. She looked like a woman who didn’t take guff from anyone. She wouldn’t seem to mind getting her hands dirty if needed. He found her attractive, not in a traditional sense of beauty, but one where she exuded confidence as a woman. He wondered if she had a sense of humor or was all business. He found something enticing about her but couldn’t tell why.

He wore an old brown sport coat that didn’t quite fit. He couldn’t button the jacket and it was out of place, covering a denim work shirt. The mismatched clothes, khaki slacks, and boots made her think he might be a maintenance worker. She wondered why she didn’t she see a work cap. He wore a newsboy cap that seemed out of place. He clearly worked with his hands; they were rough with broken nails. He looked as if he lived a rough life. His face showed some damage. His days of being a youthful pretty boy had evolved into a rough and ready working man look. For now, he was someone to ignore, they had to be together for different reasons.

If he was there for a maintenance issue, why was she here? She wondered if he had any other clothes. Her small stature and suit made him wonder if she was here for a secretarial position.

The office was a man’s office. There was no female touch. The photos were of hunting trips or sporting events. There were no plants or art work. The man recognized the name of a Hall of Fame player. There was a hint of smoke from a pipe, sweet, not unpleasant. The desk was one of a man of importance, large and made of expensive mahogany. The chair was leather and looked comfortable. The in-box and out- box showed he handled a lot of work. He had files on every corner of the desk. He clearly did his own work. The office wasn’t one to show who was more valuable.

“I hope you had a good weekend without any travel issues”, said Swanson as he entered the room and shook hands. “I see you are looking at the baseball. Jim Thome, one of baseball’s greatest home run hitters, is from Peoria. I got his autograph at a charity event, just after he was elected to the Hall of Fame. Swanson was around sixty, overweight from too much desk time. He had on his State Police uniform, proudly displaying his gold bars. “I trust neither of you have spoken to each other, as per your instructions. And I’m sure you are wondering why you’re here and who is sitting in the next seat”.

Swanson continued, “You both are in witness protection and are too valuable to be mowing lawns and answering phones”. The pair were perplexed and were studying each other.

The Captain went around his desk and sat down. “I’ve been looking for a couple investigators like you two for some time”. The pair looked at each other with a quizzical look. “I want to tell you about my background. I was with the US Marshal Service for twenty years. I left the service to move to this area for family reasons. I’ve been overseeing this region of the State Police now for 15 years. I know how Marshal’s do their job and what makes for good police work. I also know how investigations should be done”.

Swanson went on, “I realized that I needed good, no make that, dogged detectives. I can’t keep a good one as they tire of the travel that comes with this job. I’m told they are given the choice of keeping the job or the spouse”. The pair now realized they were being given a job. One they weren’t supposed to be doing. Neither really looked like a detective.

Her dress didn’t look like someone who was comfortable tracking criminals. But, the look on her face spoke the truth. She was tough and could get mean. He was a bit turned on at the thought of her getting rough. He had the look of a plumber or electrician. But he gave off an underlying sense of trouble and danger. He was someone who worked the old-fashioned way of tackling crime. He would admit to being a dinosaur when it came to technology. His choice of clothes made her laugh to herself. ‘What kind of cop is this?’ she thought.

Swanson went on, “You can’t image how much effort was put into finding you, moving you here, all the while protecting you at the same time. I studied case files and court reports on each of you. I realize you’re in witness protection and need to protect that fact. The Marshal Service doesn’t put their protected into occupations that might lead to their discovery. But for you two, everyone is making an exception. We’ve worked out many things that we believe will allow you to do what you do best and stay out of the public eye”.

The pair was now surprised at what they had just heard. She started, “Am I to understand that WITSEC has such control of our lives that we can moved around, to where ever we are needed? And that we don’t have a say in the matter”?

They stared at each other with a new interest. He wondered how tough this small woman was and wanted to find out. She was already for a fight. He could see weariness in her eyes and face. What had she been through? How much strength did she have left?

His appearance made her realize that he was one to confront trouble head-on and wondered how he had fared. His face showed the fights of the past and the inquisitive eyes hinted that he wasn’t someone to give up. He must have come out on top in most his battles. The slight grin on his face said all that she needed to know about him, he could be a handful to work with.

The Captain went on, “I’d like to introduce you two to each other. Joseph David Clayton, this is your new wife. Beth Christine Clayton, meet your new husband. It was decided the best way to protect you both was to make sure you had someone close who would have your back. Those are your new names. There is a marriage certificate on file with the state showing you two are legally married.

The WITSEC people were opposed to you coming here. However, you two are too good to be working dead end jobs. I also can’t imagine you would enjoy another type of job and would find a way to do what you seem to love. I’m convinced that you can protect yourselves and not bring undo attention to each other”.

For the first time, the newly named Joe spoke. “I take it you we have been assigned to you. And that we are to work together as man and wife and detectives”.

Beth asked, “Is that what this is about, we are now working for you as detectives? I don’t know this man or if I can trust him. How come we were not given any option to say yes or no”?

“You do understand that your agreement with WITSEC gives them the authorization to move you if necessary. I agree you should have been told as to what was going to happen, but we didn’t want word to be leaked out. I am under a time constraint and needed to fill vacancies as quickly as possible”.

The pair, now known as the Claytons, looked at each, trying to work out what their new lives would be like. Beth didn’t look happy, Joe was bemused.

“The Marshal Service has been extremely careful in getting you here. Many things have been in the works to make this possible and to give you a new home. All of your assets have been transferred and transferred and moved thru multiple transactions so you have all of your own money. Your pension funds were paid out and added to your new accounts. You have new state ID’s and social security numbers. You are set for life in your new, old, career”.

Beth was still a little shocked, but asked, “What’s the job entail?”

Swanson explained, “My personal investigators mostly work throughout the central part of the state, from the river to the Indiana border. We have investigators in each of the 20 districts throughout the state. They work in counties of their district. But you could be called on to work anywhere within Central Illinois. Your classification would almost be on the level of an FBI agent. You would work with any police force, sheriff’s department, my troopers, district detectives, and any agency that needs help. Many of the small towns and counties don’t have experienced people handling tough cases. There are literally dozens of...