After the Fall
Chapter 21
Journal of James Beckett
Dearest Johanna,
It's been a week since I wrote to you. I spent some of my evenings attending extra meetings. I'm ashamed to say that I missed a couple last week. Things have been bustling at the office too, Barack O'Hara threw himself wholeheartedly into gathering information on Creation First. He even bought a few drinks in a gay bar located not far from the Creation First offices, something I could never do.
O'Hara reported that the situation is even worse than we imagined. Creation First is taking every step to make work unbearable for LGBTQ employees, as those with varying sexual identifications are now called. They will cut staffing so that projects cannot be completed without skipping breaks and meals and working late. They have refused comp time and declined to schedule vacations. If work is not completed on schedule, the blame falls on the employees who were given impossible assignments in the first place. Even in that area of the city, such behavior on the part of management is hardly limited to Creation First, but as far as O'Hara could make out, they are far and away the worst offender.
Many members of the LGBTQ community are digging in their heels and refusing to be bullied. I applaud them for that. Some are already complainants in my suit, and O'Hara is managing to get others to join, or at least contribute supporting statements. The young man is quite an organizer. All of that has created extra paperwork, but I am more than happy to handle it, as is Tricia.
I've been keeping Reba up-to-date on any nonconfidential information. She is very excited to hear that things are picking up steam. She has passed things on to Don, as well.
Katie's work continues to move along slowly. Rick barreled through finishing his Nikki Heat book and getting it into Black Pawn. Apparently, Gina is mollified, at least for the moment. Rick has more time to help Katie now. He would have liked to put his followers on tracking down the right Russell, but any publicity he might generate could serve to alert the subject, so he is keeping the investigation quiet.
So far Katie has interviewed 10 Carlie Russells. She had Rick with her for three of the sessions and either Ryan or Esposito with her for the rest of them. As I understand it, both detectives are being supportive, bordering on over solicitous. Ryan's wife had some life-threatening complications during the birth of their second child. That makes him extra vigilant. From some comments Rick has made from time to time, Esposito has always been protective of Katie, to the point where Rick suspected that at some point, they had a relationship. If that was the case, Katie has never mentioned it, and in any event, she has no interest in any man but Rick. If anything, the love in their eyes when they look at each other has only increased with her pregnancy. It is beautiful to see my little girl so happy.
I attended Alexis' and Gus' housewarming yesterday. They really have done an admirable job making the apartment their own. I imagine that Alexis had to obtain permission to do so, but she not only painted, she put up wallpaper. You remember what a mess that was when you and I tried it in our early years before we had the money and the sense to hire a professional. These days, there are step by step directions for everything both online and at the big home improvement stores. Alexis, as she does with just about everything, made it her business to learn all the ins and outs of paper hanging. She also managed to obtain paper that is compatible with the vintage of the building. I assume that was the result of an online search, too.
The place looks inviting but with an air of dignity. It still has old-fashioned moldings, which the kids managed to restore. Like a lot of the older kitchens in New York, theirs doesn't have much in the way of cabinets or counter space, but it does have an old-fashioned pantry. That makes sense with having a maid's room. Alexis discovered a solid old table in a thrift store that she's using instead of a counter. She loves to cook. I believe she must have gotten that from Rick, although he claims he learned to cook in self-defense because Martha is much more competent on a stage than at a stove. From what Alexis has told me, that is also true of her mother and of Gina. Katie's culinary skills, when she cares to use them, must be a break for Rick. Gus claims that he can throw together a meal, or as a student and a musician he would have starved. But the young man is also wise enough not to venture into Alexis's territory uninvited. I was just as cautious when you were in the midst of preparing one of your magnum brunches. Rick told me that the first time Katie cooked for him when she was staying at his loft after a serial killer blew up her apartment, she smacked his hand with a spatula when he reached for something before she was ready to serve. I can remember you doing the same to me. Like mother, like daughter.
Harry B.'s wedding is next weekend. Reba will be going with me. It goes without saying that I will keep my peace about any Friends of Bill, but I doubt that she will ask. I have confided to her that I am an alcoholic and that I am an adherent of the program. She has experience with keeping confidences. She has kept them for Don and his friends, when necessary. She will understand about things I have to keep to myself.
There has been some news about Victor Baron. First, on the amusing side, the man tried to hide the fact that he was losing his hair, with a massive combover. Why with all his money he didn't have one of the Fifth Avenue surgical artists remedy the problem over the years, I can't figure out. The prison officials decided that the complicated style he affected could be used to conceal contraband, so over his protests, his hair was cut short. It took about an inch off his height, most likely more than that off his ego.
He was also involved in a fight at Rikers, and the story is that he touched it off. The man has been entitled all his life. As you well know, there is a hierarchy in prison. I suppose he thought that he would be at the top of it somehow, but of course, he is not. Behind bars, he doesn't have the means to buy himself a position. He is neither strong or skillful enough to battle his way to dominance. But his attempts at the sort of bullying behavior he has practiced over the years persisted. He managed to infuriate one of the gangs. He did not come out of it well.
From the last news story, I read before writing this, Baron is in the infirmary. He has both a broken arm and a fractured jaw. It will be some time before he is able to talk again. After the way he has used his words to wound so many for decades, it is poetic justice. As the wheels of the legal system continue to turn, there may be more to come.
Forever love,
J.B.