Chapter Six
Joseph Gregory Osborne entered the squad room with the sharp, purposeful gait of a man with a mission. He didn't stop at John Irvin's desk to ask questions or scan the officers whose heads snapped round when he entered the room; but headed straight to Sipowicz's office. Joe Osborne had learned early on, if you want something done, you went straight to the top.
John Clark whistled and said "that looks like somebody who means business."
"Dunbar," Andy called from the office, "get in here."
"Who died and made you lead on this case?" Russo snickered as Jim gathered his notes.
"The Chief of D's, that's who, he wants me to fall flat on my ass."
It was a good thing Jim couldn't see the faces of Clark, Baldwin and Russo or he would have been embarrassed. All three men were showing annoyance and disgust that Dunbar was still someone the department wanted to get rid of.
"It ain't ever gonna end, it is?" Russo said to no one in particular.
"Is this supposed to be a joke," Osborne said as Jim entered the office.
"No," Sipowicz shot back at the irate man. "Mr. Osborne, this is Detective Jim Dunbar and you're damn lucky he's working this case. Jim, take the chair to your left."
Jim extended his hand and waited for Osborne to shake it. He wanted to gain some control of the interview and so Jim waited patiently until he felt the calloused grip of Joe Osborne in his. It was a small victory, but enough to take the upper hand and now he could sit down.
"I'm sorry for your loss, sir. By all accounts your nephew was a good man."
"More than that, my nephew was a great man and I have no intention of letting him become some gay bashing statistic."
"We've been looking for the link that would keep these cases together. We never knew that young Mr. Stavros was a part of your organization."
"He was a conflicted young man who had only recently found us. Carl and Jeff showed him that there was a place for him in this world. Young gay men from 'macho' traditional communities have difficulty being up to their feelings. Being Greek, gay and blind made it seem like both nature and nurture had let him down."
"How did he find out about your organization? Was it your nephew?"
"No, he actually found out through flyers we post on the college bulletin boards. Hell, we post the damn things everywhere. You know, we have to make sure we put up enough to cover those 'post no bills' signs on the construction sites and vacant buildings around town too. Someone must have read one to him and when George went to the college counselling office that bitch Pederson tried to steer him away from us."
Jim shifted his head slightly towards Osborne.
"Mrs. Pederson has been very helpful with our investigation."
"I imagine she would be, you being blind and all. She's got this thing about helping the lame to walk and the blind to see… no offence. She was fulfilling her Christian duty to help the helpless. I got to tell you, Carl Willets was far from helpless cause if he had been Jeff would never have fallen in love with him" Joe Osbornes voice caught.
"Listen, Mr. Osborne, you are going to be more help to this investigation if you can give us some concrete leads, or better yet, real evidence that we can take to the D. A. You can't let yourself be thrown off track because the victims were close to you. So far Pederson has been helpful and professional and you've flown off the handle with your accusations."
"Hey," Osborne jumped up, his voice filled with indignation, "I came here to help."
"And I'm sure you will, once you get hold of your emotions and logically help us build this case. Would you be willing to give a statement to Detectives Russo and Baldwin and we'll go on from there." Jim relaxed his stance and turned his face to where he believed Joe Osborne was sitting. "I want to close this case. Who ever killed these young men was the ultimate coward, seeking some of the most vulnerable of victims. That's my stake in this case."
Osborne nodded his head, but it was Andy who spoke. "I'll get Baldwin and Russo for you and we'll speak to you again before you leave."
Sipowicz got the ball rolling while Jim waited for him to finish and when he had everything Andy sat at his desk and looked hard at Dunbar.
"You ever thought about transferring to the 15th?"
"I thought you didn't want me," Jim smirked.
"The competition would be good for me. So, what you got up your sleeve, Houdini?"
The parameters of the investigation had changed; new information overlapped with the old ones and bled into unknown territory. There were new avenues to explore, the Trevor Helpline, Joe Osborne and Lisa Pederson had taken on an urgency they never before.
"According to INS files," Junior Clark began, "Lisa Pederson was born Elizabeth Barneveld in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. She married Joshua Pederson of Algonac, Michigan and moved to Algonac and then to Detroit and then New York. Pederson is a lay minister in a non-denominational church based loosely on the Christian Reform Church of the Netherlands. They have two sons, Matthew and Mark, and a daughter, Mary. By the way, the daughter is a mobility and orientation instructor for Lighthouse of New York."
"Why am I not surprised with that," Marty broke in.
"That doesn't prove a thing, Marty," Jim told his squad mate.
"But it's a lot more than we had before." Marty's voice was almost jubilant.
"Don't do anything half way here," Sipowicz instructed, "Who is gonna re-interview Pederson?"
"We got her coming down here after lunch," Jim replied, "with her daughter."
"John and I are going to track down the husband and sons. See if they didn't do anything under Momma's nose."
"Curiouser and curiouser," Baldwin intoned, "this is almost as convoluted as a Sam Spade novel."
"Excuse me," John Irvin called from his desk, "you have a visitor, Detective Dunbar."
"Who is it, John."
"Detective Dunbar," All eyes turned to the young man holding the white cane and being guided to their desks. "It's me, Peter Stecklie; I got your message and came right over."
Lisa and Mary Pederson sat nervously in interview one. It was obvious neither woman had ever been in a situation like this. Good, it helped when the subjects were a little off centre.
Jim entered and sat down at the table while Marty remained standing and took command of the situation.
"I want to thank you ladies for coming. Can I get you anything; coffee or a soda? No. Okay, let's get started." Marty looked closely at a clipboard filled with papers, "You both work with the handicapped. Kind of a family thing, I guess. Can I ask which came first, the guidance counsellor of the O and M instructor?"
Lisa Pederson smiled slightly, "that would be me. I became a member of the counselling staff at NYC first. I was in a few positions there before I found my fit with the handicapped advisory board."
"And I met the students Mom would bring home," Mary cut in, "and realized I was very comfortable being with them. Ultimately it came down to a choice between occupational therapy and orientation and mobility instruction… I chose O and M."
"Well, I got to admit, spending my life around a bunch of Dunbars would not be my idea of a good time; one is more than enough." Marty surreptitiously looked up from his clipboard to see the reaction his jibe got. That got their backs up; now for the next.
"But then, they were queer, too. I can't imagine what it's like goin to bat with two strikes already against you." Oh, Mommy definitely wasn't as upset about that little attack as her little girl was.
"So, do you both still go to church with Pastor Pederson?"
Mrs. Pederson eyes swung towards her daughter before she starts. "I am always there for my husband, as are my sons. Mary does not attend church."
"No, that's not true. I go to St. Albans's Episcopal with my fiancé, Richard Brownlee."
"Detective, this is an old argument and not part of your investigation, is it?"
"Nope," Marty said, "just trying to get to know you better. You see when we get past the first forty-eight hours without a solid lead, we have to back track, and re-examine and re-interview make sure we haven't missed anything. Doing it here, in precinct keeps everything tight. You can see why your co-operation is vital."
The women smiled complacently, doing their civic duty wasn't so bad. Marty smiled briefly as he leafed through the papers on his clipboard.
"I'm missing a few papers. Officer Dunbar would you mind not breaking the case without me," he said with a wink directed towards the Pedersons. "I'll be back in just
a few," and left the room.
"I must apologise for my partner, he's a little rough around the edges." Jim rose from his seat and stretched his neck. "He's Catholic, you know. He not as up on the Bible as he should be."
"Oh, I knew there had to be a reason for his ignorance. It is a pity that Catholic children are not exposed to the word of God on earth."
"Let me see if I can remember the verse," Jim tipped his head slightly to the one side. "Leviticus, I think, "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." and something in first Corinthians too."
"Yes, and more," Lisa Pederson nodded. "I tried to help those poor souls too; but with the permissive society of today these ignorant souls are told it is a good option. Politically correct but morally reprehensible."
"What do you think, Mary?"
"I think that you are both from the Stone Age." Mary said as she twisted in her seat. "It's bad enough I get this at home… I don't need to get it here too."
"She's ready to follow the Lord when its makes you feel good. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked; but when you must take up the sword for the Lord I'm afraid my daughter falls down."
"It is a good thing you have sons," Jim smiled.
"Yes, they are good boys," Lisa Pederson smiled back.
Marty came in at that moment. "Thanks for coming in. I think we have enough now."
"It's been a pleasure helping you," Lisa Pederson smiled.
"Oh, the pleasure is all ours."