Chapter 10: More allegations
October 17, 1968
Shaggy certainly made no effort to hide the sour look on his face as he and Daphne followed Fred and Velma to the Coolsville General Hospital that afternoon after school.
"I still don't get this at all, Fred." Shaggy grumbled as they walked down the street. "Like, you and Velma could've had your interview with the victim and then brief us on what he has to say on the case."
"Well, Shag, I'm sure you both would be interested in hearing what the vic has to say for the werewolf case." Fred said. "Especially since this guy was an ex-cop."
"So I've heard." Shaggy grumbled. "Even so, what makes you think I should be dragged out from the radio station in order to hear the guy out in person?"
"Trust me, Shag." Fred placed his hand on Shaggy's shoulder. "You will definitely wanna hear what the vic has to say, and it's something you wanna be there for in person when he tells us more about it."
"Specifically politics, one that would paint a picture on why exactly your father wouldn't like the idea of us snooping around." Velma added.
Shaggy immediately turned towards Velma at the remark, and she shrugged.
Seeing the reluctant frown on Shaggy's face, Daphne placed her hand on his shoulder as she paused and turned towards him.
"Just give it a shot, Shag." Daphne said. "It'll be worth your time."
There's something about the way Daphne gently squeezed Shaggy in the shoulder that gave him pause, which prompted him to pause his lips as he pondered her last remark.
Finally and reluctantly, he nodded. "Like, then let's get this over with. As long as it doesn't involve something that would see me getting dived into shady places frequented by shady characters."
Shaggy was glancing at Daphne as he made the last remark, and the other three could hear the tone of annoyance in his voice.
"Either way, let's keep moving, gang." Fred urged as he nodded forward. "We don't have all afternoon to do this."
Everyone else nodded as they wordlessly followed Fred's lead, during which Shaggy glanced at Daphne.
He noted that she has her notebook, the type assigned to reporters, in hand, and he was certain that she was going to be ready to write down what the victim has to say when they meet with him.
Even so, Shaggy can see that there's something running through Daphne's mind as they approached the hospital.
He couldn't tell what Daphne was thinking, but whatever it is, it probably wasn't going to be something he would want to know.
It was then that the redhead turned towards him and asked, "What?"
Immediately, Shaggy turned away as he said, "Uh...nothing."
Daphne frowned. "Doesn't look like nothing to me."
"Oh?" Shaggy arched his eyebrows. "What gives?"
Before Daphne could respond, Fred immediately walked in between them.
"Alright, guys, you can cut it." The blonde urged. "Save whatever you both have for later."
Receiving daggers from Fred's glare, both Shaggy and Daphne shut their mouths as they made their way through the main entrance.
In spite of the silence, both Fred and Velma can feel the deep serious tension lingering between the duo.
Upon entering the hospital and after briefly stopping at the reception desk, the gang were steps away from the reception desk when Velma took out a tape recorder.
Fred saw the tape recorder and arched his eyebrows, prompting Velma to explain, "Just figured we would want to be prepared for anything."
The blonde nodded. "Good thinking."
As they approached Benson's room, Velma hit the record button and proceeded to introduce herself and the gang and recorded the current date, time and their location and the subject of the recording.
Benson was lying on his bed resting when the gang arrived at Room 31969, and Fred had to clear his throat gently.
The former police officer stirred briefly before opening his eyes, and then he turned towards the gang as Shaggy and the girls shared glances with each other.
"You again, Mr. Jones?" Benson asked when he recognized Fred.
"Uh-huh." Fred nodded. "I've brought two more friends with me and Velma. They're interested in hearing what you have to say in follow up to our discussion yesterday afternoon about the wolf attack as much as me and Velma are."
Benson had his eyes on Daphne as Fred made the remark, then he nodded.
"Fair enough." The former police officer said before looking at Daphne and added, "You're Daphne Blake, George Blake's youngest daughter, aren't you?"
Shaggy, Fred and Velma all turned towards the redhead as she nodded. "That's me, Mr. Benson. I currently intern at the Coolsville Gazette, and I was hoping you'd be interested in providing an in-depth account on the wolf attack at the park."
"An interview?" Benson frowned.
"Not exactly." Fred quickly said. "We just want to follow up on what exactly you meant during our brief discussion yesterday."
"As in what you meant when you say that there's something screwy about this werewolf business, to be exact." Velma interjected.
"Right, right." Benson nodded thoughtfully. "It's a bit of a long story, though y'all can say that this screwy business all started with this land deal between Vincent Crown and Blake Enterprises two years before Crown's death."
Fred and the girls glanced at each other, then Velma said, "Go on."
"Alright." Benson took a deep breath. "This land deal was set up so Blake Enterprises, specifically its chemical production subsidary Blake Chemicals, could get the right of way they needed in constructing a pipeline carrying natural gas, as back then, the land was owned by Crown Property Holdings."
"I don't suppose the land in question was just some random piece of land, Mr. Benson." Fred remarked.
"No, it ain't." Benson shook his head. "You see, that piece of land wasn't worth much, as there was pretty much nothin' you can grow on, and it has been, what, decades since the land was last used for ranches before the Great Depression of '29."
"The land was vacant when the stock market crashed in '29?" Velma clarified.
"Uh-huh." Benson nodded. "Movin' on. As things turned out, this land was anythin' but worthless, because beneath the surface was one of the largest natural gas reserves in the state, and when both parties found out, they had to renegotiate the purchase price of the land, and Vincent Crown offered to sell the land at the original price in exchange for 50 percent of the revenue generated from the productions of a chemical plant that makes heavy use of the mined gas."
"But something happened that led to the land deal going south." Fred folded his arms.
"Exactly." Benson nodded again. "The land was sold to Barty Daggett below market value, and even though the gas was extracted in massive amounts, the revenue Crown received from the chemical plant operations was far lower than what it was supposed to be. Couple that with the fact that the chemical plant had higher operating costs but lower productivity compared to similar capacity chemical plants, you get a recipe for somethin' fishy goin' on behind the scenes."
"For someone who never worked in the industry, you seem to know a lot about said operations at that particular plant, Mr. Benson." Daphne remarked.
"Because not too long after the land deal was closed and the mined gas was routed to supply the chemical plant, a major theft occurred at the plant." Benson said. "I was one of the arrestin' officers that took part in the bust, and boy, did s**t hit the fan after that."
"How bad are we talking about?" Fred asked.
"We're talkin' about the theft being a inside job involving a network of employees at the plant, a network that goes straight up to management." Benson frowned. "Naturally, when word of the theft got back to Vincent Crown, he was not happy one bit, least by the fact that he was swindled by Barty Daggett and Blake Enterprises."
"He became suspicious that Blake Enterprises may be up to shady business, and so he hired someone to look into the plant's finances." Shaggy offered.
"That, he did." Benson nodded. "Finances, transactions from the agreement, you name 'em. In fact, shortly before his murder, the forensic accountant Mr. Crown hired came to him with numbers that paints a very disturbing picture on the nature of Blake Enterprises."
"One that would suggest that Blake Enterprises has been embezzling funds and engaged in fraudulent transactions with a heavy focus on real estate development speculation." Fred suggested.
"Yes." Benson nodded again. "In particular, under Daggett's leadership, Blake Enterprises has been acquiring land cheap, often with questionable methods, and combine that with the speculation for real estate development, the company has profited significantly from the subsequent development and land sales."
"What sort of questionable methods are we talking about here?" Velma raised an eyebrow.
"You remember how I said that they are cooking up this werewolf business to dismantle my credibility?" Benson asked.
"Yes, what made you think that?" Fred asked. "Perhaps you could further elaborate about what you've seen."
"So about this werewolf that has been snatching girls off the streets lately, it's actually been 'round much longer." Benson said. "First victim was claimed twenty years ago. Fifteen-year old debutante Jamie Biggars, snatched out of her room and just straight up, gone."
"Nobody's ever found her?" Velma prompted.
Benson shook his head. "Zilch. Goose egg. Nothin' pertaining to her resting place or where could she be at."
"And how does these disappearances tie in with Blake Enterprises?" Daphne asked.
"All the land Blake Enterprises has acquired, especially from Crown Property Holdings?" Benson asked. "Funny thing is, prior to the acquisitions, the residents in the area have reported lots of suspicious wolf sightings, and several of the Werewolf's early victims were snatched from those neighbourhoods."
"But after the land was acquired by Blake Enterprises and redeveloped, those snatchings and sightings stopped." Shaggy said.
Benson stared at Shaggy briefly before he nodded, "You got that right. Of course, you wouldn't find the name Blake Enterprises in any of the legal documents detailing the land acquisition, development and subsequent sales, Barty Daggett's too smart for that."
"When you put it that way, it sounds like a lot of real estate developers around here are, one way or another, owned by Blake Enterprises." Velma offered.
"That is indeed the case." Benson said. "The biggest of them all being Black Rattler Management, which Blake Enterprises has a controlling stake."
"How'd you figure that Blake Enterprises was behind those suspicious land transactions?" Fred asked.
"Let's just say that I've got some insurance." Benson replied. "Insurance for in case I fall out of favour with them."
"By 'them', who are you referring to?" Daphne asked.
Benson turned towards the redhead in a manner that seemed like she's insulting him before he said, "I suppose that solves the very mystery as to how you came to intern at the city's biggest paper. Who else do you think profits the most from these fraudulent land acquisitions?"
"Blake Enterprises and the politicians they've got in their pockets?" Shaggy perked up.
"Exactly." Benson nodded. "In particular, Mayor Jones and any city councillor and member of the county board of supervisors that are allied with Daggett."
"You've worked security for Mayor Jones after you quit the police department, Mr. Benson." Fred folded his arms. "You've worked for them for eleven years, so what made you think you're falling out of favour with them?"
"Sure you know about the feds sniffin' around lately." Benson said. "Somethin' about a federal grand jury taking place, one that was convened and responsible for the indictment of Judge Roger Stevens."
"And how the judge's jury-planting was responsible for torpedoing the state's cases against Dixon's Chemicals." Fred nodded. "Were you the one that cracked under their pressure to cooperate?"
"Only because I figured what do I have to lose after the werewolf began popping up again and snatching girls off the streets." Benson responded.
"As extra insurance?" Velma prompted.
"Something along the lines of that, yes." Benson nodded. "It's more of a matter of when the feds get to me after Daggett f**ked up."
"F**ked up, like how?" Fred asked.
"It started with Blake Enterprise's expansion into the pharmaceutical industry in 1941 under Daggett's leadership." Benson said. "Which cumulated into the formation of Blake Pharmaceuticals a year later. The company really took off in the 1950s with its production and sales of depressants and weight loss medications. Throw in the war on fat, and you will see the company profiting substantially from the shift to a low-fat diet and appetite for nutrients."
"And what exactly did you meant by him f**king up?" Velma asked. "Is it on account of the side-effects and addictions of those products?"
"Yeah, though it wasn't exactly how he f**ked up." Benson said. "It has to do with the sources of funding, specifically the investments, he acquired for starting up, and subsequently expanding, Blake Pharmaceuticals."
"What about it?" Daphne asked, getting visibly agitated by the direction of the discussion.
"Let's just say that he's secured backing from questionable folks." Benson said. "The same questionable folks who would have the pull, the connections needed to deploy the Werewolf to make witnesses disappear."
"Like the Mafia?" Fred frowned.
"Yep, though just like Blake Enterprises' ownership of the various developers like Black Rattler, you won't find any of those big names associated with the Mafia in the papers detailing the dealings Daggett has made." Benson nodded. "Whether be the Gotham-based Falcones or Maronis, or the Oakley Gang here, they have covered the debts sustained by Daggett when he started up Blake Pharmaceuticals."
"The same group that also wouldn't hesitate to have Vincent Crown eliminated after he stumbled upon not just the embezzlement and fraud, but also the mob holding Daggett's debts." Velma said, connecting the dots.
"Yes, though it is worth pointing out that while the mob did put a hit on Vincent Crown, a random mugger got to him and his wife first before the Werewolf did." Benson said. "But moving on. Given how lucrative the industry is, combine that with government subsidiaries encouraging combating depression among housewives and nutrients, it doesn't take much before corruption takes hold, and boy, did Daggett dragged Blake Pharmaceuticals into quite the Ponzi scheme."
"How?" Shaggy asked.
"Illegal promotion of prescription drugs whose safety tests has been falsified, bribing doctors to prescribe said medication, and manufacturing more products that would counteract whatever side effects the initial prescriptions were causing, creating a vicious cycle of addiction." Benson explained.
"Yet there has not been much scrutiny over your allegations." Daphne pointed out.
"As long as Daggett is in the State Senate and sits on its health committee, combine that with his connections, you ain't gonna hear a peep about 'em." Benson said. "And with those connections, he has the means to silence any potential whistleblowers."
Then, turning towards Shaggy, Benson said. "As a matter a fact, there was one doctor who caught onto the fraud seven years ago. She stopped prescribing anti-depressants upon finding out about its addictive nature and was continuously rebuffed when she raised her concerns."
As Benson was speaking and stared at him, Shaggy gulped as he began to have a queasy feeling at the pit of his stomach.
"What happened to the doctor?" Fred asked, noticing the way Shaggy started to become unusually still at the mention of the doctor from seven years ago who was to blow the whistle on the fraud.
Both Velma and Daphne likewise have noticed the queasy look on Shaggy's face as Benson continued.
"The doctor was on her way to the Coolsville General Hospital when the brakes of her Falcon failed, and it collided with an eighteen wheeler." Benson stated simply. "She was killed right on impact."
Even as the revelations hit him like a ton of bricks, all Shaggy did was inhale, though the sharpness of his inhale did not went unnoticed by Fred and the girls.
"Holy moly." Fred remarked.
"You know, funny thing is that at the time of the Crown murders, I was the first to arrive at the scene and saw that doctor comforting the victims' son." Benson continued. "Her fiancé was the one that called the police about the mugging."
Then, directly addressing Shaggy, Benson said, "So you could definitely say that stakes in all of this has become all the more personal, son."
As Shaggy exhaled, Benson turned towards Daphne and added, "Same for you, doll. After what Barty Daggett has done while leading your family company, there is a very good chance that when s**t hits the fan, your father may get caught in the crossfire."
While Benson was making the remark, Shaggy glanced towards Daphne, who was only staring blankly at the wall, not blinking nor making any eye contact with everyone else in the room.
"So these murders has to do with the mob silencing any potential whistleblowers who could turn against Daggett." Fred prompted as he tried to get the conversation back on track. "Then, what is this about the Werewolf? Does it have anything to do with Daggett f**king up?"
"Yes." Benson nodded. "While it does good to have it as an enforcer to silence any potential whistleblowers, the Werewolf was also a liability with its continued obsession with girls similar in age and appearance as its first victim, Jamie Biggars."
"And that eventually became a problem for the mob." Velma said.
"That it did." Benson nodded again. "Around that same time, the police were under pressure solving these serial disappearances, which wasn't easy since while all the girls that were snatched shared the same physical appearances as the first victim and were in her age group, they hardly had anything else in common."
"Even if they were living in areas that were subsequently expropriated by Blake Enterprises for development?" Fred frowned.
"Let's just say that the lead investigator had no issues following a different lead or closing the case quick if encouraged to do so from above." Benson responded. "Given that Chief Strickland was in charge of the detective bureau back then as captain."
"I can imagine." Velma nodded. "But continue."
"Eventually, the Werewolf's continued obsession with girls became a strain on it carrying out its work as a mob enforcer, especially after it made the mistake of snatching a girl in March of '57." Benson continued. "That girl, as it happens, was the daughter of a high-level enforcer for the Chicago Outfit, and mob war was only averted as a result of last-minute intervention from the Commission."
"That convinced the Oakley Gang to get rid of the Werewolf." Fred said.
"Yes." Benson nodded. "I was part of the team in the department responsible for taking down the Werewolf, cornering it in a cabin not far from the Fred Quimby Park and shot it like a dog when it failed to heed our commands to raise its hands up and surrender."
"And?" Shaggy asked.
"When we went to retrieve the carcass in the cabin, there was no wolf. Instead, it was simply the body of a man, as if he might've transformed into a wolf."
"Did you use silver bullets on him to be safe?" Fred asked.
Benson laughed. "H*ll, the man's watch was found at the latest crime scene, which was good enough as an identification for me and the lead investigator on the case."
"So the string of kidnappings stopped after that showdown." Daphne interjected.
"It did." Benson nodded. "For a while, anyways. Then, that poor doll's body was found at the park few weeks ago right near where we had that '57 showdown with the culprit responsible for the first string of kidnappings."
"And you're confident that you've got your man back then." Fred stated.
"Of course I am." Benson asserted. "Like I said, the police department are cookin' this whole werewolf business up because they don't like the fact that I've seen things and that I could snitch to the feds if the time comes."
"Basically, you're thinking that these Werewolf appearances are for whoever's behind them to use it, not just to eliminate those that try to get to the bottom of the corruption at Blake Enterprises, but also as a safeguard that will result in many questioning your credibility should the time comes for you to testify in front of a grand jury." Fred said.
"Pretty much." Benson nodded.
"And when the dust settles and assuming all of this fed stuff blows through without any casualties, you're suggesting that Barty Daggett will benefit the most." Daphne stated.
Without hesitation, Benson nodded. "Of course."
The redhead exhaled, and Velma and the boys turned towards each other, during which the former cop continued, "As I've said earlier, Miss Blake."
When Daphne turned towards him, Benson added, "Barty Daggett has involved Blake Enterprises in deep, shady s**t, and should time comes for the feds to swoop in, your old man might get caught in the crossfire."
It was then that Shaggy asked, "Are you suggesting that Barty Daggett, and by extension, Blake Enterprises, have something to do with the car accident that killed my mother in '61?"
The minute Shaggy asked that question, Daphne threw him an accusing look, as if he was intending to demolish her family's good name and destroy her great-great grandfather's legacy.
Daphne then turned towards Benson, who only stared back at her smugly, and then to Fred and Velma, only to be met with blank stares from them.
Eventually, the redhead turned towards Shaggy and said to him in a quiet but accusing tone. "Think about what you had just said."
With that remark, Daphne promptly stormed out of the hospital room, and momentarily flushed with embarrassment by his suggestion, Shaggy quickly took off after her.
"So going back to your suggestion about Daggett f**king up, it's taking money from the mob and letting the mob pick the wrong enforcer, one who turned out to be a loose cannon who went after a family member of a rival mob, one that has the fire and manpower to strip them of their power." Fred said.
"Indeed, not to mention giving the Chicago Outfit the leverage needed over the Oakley Gang, especially when Big Bob Oakley formed his gang as a breakaway from his former employer, the Viti Crime Family, in Chicago following a dispute over the direction their gang was heading." Benson added.
"So if the Vitis have any interest in taking out the Oakley Gang, Blake Enterprises gets taken down as a result of Daggett securing loans from the Oakley Gang primarily to cover the debts in starting up Blake Pharmaceuticals." Velma said.
"That is right." Benson nodded.
(Shaggy's Point of View)
October 18, 1968
I was not sure what possessed me to go after Daphne after she stormed out of the interview with Benson at the hospital yesterday afternoon.
Yet by the time I caught up with her outside the hospital, she told me to stay away from her and that I had no idea what I was saying when I suggested that her godfather and Blake Enterprises had something to do with the car crash that killed Mom.
She must've been uncomfortable with what could be the truth, though that's her decision to decide on whether to accept it or not, the consequences that would eventually follow depends on the choices she makes.
But like it or not, I've been dragged into this team to solve this case, and that sure as h*ll means that I have every right to contribute to the team with my thoughts, even if such thoughts isn't exactly something that others would see eye-to-eye with me on.
Anyways, I've met with Velma after she spent some time at county records doing her research, and she was more inclined to believe my theory on Barty Daggett's involvement in this mess after acquiring what she had gathered.
And what she gathered was quite a doozy, one that would point fingers on just how high the stakes are for Daggett and Blake Pharmaceuticals, and by extension, Blake Enterprises as a whole.
All of that was in combination with the further information she gathered on those four victims she shared with us three days ago, and when we took a closer look at them, we found that there is more between those four victims than what she had initially identified.
First off, Jefferson Kenney, who briefly worked for Duncan Reeves as a minor campaign advisor for the State Senate race two years ago.
He actually used to work for Blake Pharmaceuticals as an accountant, and his tenure there also overlapped with him volunteering at Duncan Reeves' State Senate campaign.
From what Velma had gathered, prior to his disappearance, there were questions raised about the finances of Blake Pharmaceuticals, particularly on the status of the funds meant for the so-called Comprehensive Product Safety Inspection process for the latest pharmaceutical products.
It would seem that Kenney had caught onto the fact that the funds meant for the safety inspection were instead invested into a numbered company registered to an empty warehouse in Watson's Pass, so stands to me that this numbered company existed only on paper.
Considering the fact that Kenney has been snatched away by the Werewolf, what are the chances that he established that the numbered company was a shell company used by the mob to launder their ill-gotten gains and that the "rigorous" safety inspection process at Blake Pharmaceuticals was just a fancy name for them to get their products rubber-stamped for approval without any actual safety data.
Next, Lawrence Nickson, who was involved in the independent third party candidate's campaign for the House.
Nickson was a chemical engineer who worked at Blake Chemicals, and he has made headlines alleging unsafe labour practices at the chemical plant.
It wasn't just the unsafe labour practices Nickson was having issues with at Blake Chemicals. Not long before his disappearance, the chemical engineer has alleged that the company was ripping off its clients with its watered-down products.
In particular, with Blake Chemicals having the contract to produce and supply Chemical X to the National Academy of Sciences on behalf of the federal government, Nickson has alleged that the company has been ripping off the NAS by packaging less Chemical X than what was advertised in the packages.
For instance, as part of its supporting role for the NAS' chemical research, the contract has stated that Blake Chemicals is to provide 10 gallons of Chemical X to the NAS.
However, Nickson has alleged that rather than outright providing 10 gallons of Chemical X, Blake Chemicals has been secretly siphoning at least 4 gallons of the product slated for shipment, substituting it with a much-cheaper but less stable compound to be mixed with the 6 gallons of Chemical X.
Mind you, they still manufactured 10 gallons of Chemical X for shipment, but what happened to the 4 gallons that got siphoned prior to shipment?
It would seem that Nickson was trying to figure that out before his disappearance, and judging from the fact that he got snatched by the Werewolf, I think he has found where the missing 4 gallons ended up at.
And from what Velma gathered, it would also seem that Nickson was getting to the bottom of how Blake Chemicals somehow managed to emerge unscathed from the insider-theft scandal Benson mentioned and was allowed to continue operations.
Something tells me that Daggett definitely had the most to gain from the unsolved murder of the Crowns, since a potential Mayor Crown would have the resources and connections needed to request an official inquest into Blake Enterprise's operations in a heartbeat.
It was an inquest that would've for sure resulted in Daggett getting sent to prison, or at the very least, result in him and the company going bankrupt.
Come to think of it, there is one question that has been nagging me since we started looking into all of this. Like, what prompted Daggett to run for the State Senate if he's making all that money in business?
He never struck me as someone who believes in public service, not with the way he has been disparaging government intervention with his involvement with the likes of the John Birch Society, for example.
And third, Chad Gallant, who was Congressman Moss' legal adviser.
Incidentally, Gallant was, in fact, the lawyer Nickson contacted about his allegations of unsafe labour practices and the embezzlement and siphoning of Chemical X at the chemical plant.
It would seem that Gallant was going to help Nickson whistle-blow on the allegations, and it certainly would've made him a target for elimination by the mob.
Velma also gathered that Gallant served together with Assistant DA Jones during their days in the Navy JAG Corps, and Fred's father felt that he owed it to his friend to look into the allegations Gallant would've surfaced if it weren't for his untimely disappearance courtesy of the werewolf.
The more we went through the details and pieces of information, the more we were starting to be convinced that State Senator Barty Daggett is involved in this werewolf mess, especially since he has the motives and stands to benefit the most from the disappearances.
Even so, neither of us knew the state senator as a man, and since Daphne was still pissed at me for my outburst yesterday, we had to rule out asking her about him in order to get a better lay of the land.
Jeez. And all it took was for me to ask this fateful question to Velma.
"Like, what are you suggesting we should do as our next course of action?" I asked.
Velma turned towards me and seeing the look on her face, I knew I just had to open my big mouth. Again.
When the h*ll am I going to learn?
October 19, 1968
"Name?" The woman behind the desk demanded. Sounds like either someone's been having a rough day or had rotten cheese to eat for lunch.
"Rogers." I replied. Whatever's the source of this woman's lousy mood isn't much of my concern, though jeez, how the h*ll did I get myself talked into doing this?
"First name or last name?" The woman asked. Really? Is she for real?
"Unless you're telling me that I misspoke my own name Roger as Rogers, I'm pretty sure that would be my last name." I said.
The woman glared at me with a scowl on her face as she looked through the list, then she asked, "Norville?"
She said my real name out with a note of derision. What the h*ll is her problem?
But rather than expressing those thoughts out loud, I only nodded and said, "That would be me."
The woman looked at me once more before she checked my name on the list, then she said, "Very well, then. Follow me."
Without missing a beat, the woman stormed off down the hallway faster than what was necessary, and I'd thought I was gonna have trouble keeping up.
A short while later, she lead me to a desk with a rather large stack of envelopes, and my stomach turned.
"Alright, Mr. Rogers." The woman turned towards me. "What you're gonna be doing for the duration of the campaign is to address the envelopes."
She then gestured to the large stack on the left side of the desk as she continued, "All of these envelopes are to be addressed, and the information you would need are in these sheets."
The woman patted on the stack of papers laying on the middle of the desk, and I exhaled. That looks like a long list of voters.
"Now, your job is to write each of these addresses onto the envelopes, upon which..." She gestured to the tray on the right side of the desk, "...you would then place the envelope in this tray, and be sure to cross out or put a check on the address on the sheets here before moving onto the next envelope."
Fair enough. I thought as she allowed me to take a seat behind the desk before she said, "Any questions?"
I shook my head. My only concern was getting a firsthand look at our number one suspect, and the shorter it takes for me to go through all of this, the better.
"Good." The woman proceeded to take her leave. "I'll leave you to it."
Once the woman was out of the room, I glanced to my back before looking at the address sheets, then at the stack of envelopes.
Sheez. You've got to be kidding me.
October 22, 1968
Day three at this lousy place addressing envelopes, and already I was starting to feel like I was going lose it.
Who knew writing random addresses on stacks of envelopes for three hours a day could be boring and tedious? Not to mention the toll this has taken on my right hand from all this writing day in and day out.
"State Senator Daggett is going to drop by here today, so be sure to be on your best behaviour, Norville." The woman from before, who I've since learned was State Senator Daggett's chief of staff, instructed me when I walked in this afternoon.
Sounds like she considers me as a walking exhibit for unruly behaviour that doesn't take professionalism seriously.
Even as those thoughts entered my mind, I only responded, "Right. I take it he's had a busy schedule at the State Capitol at Sacramento and was only able to clear his schedule to come here today, huh?"
"Of course." The woman sneered at me. "After all, we are a very important, not to mention crucial, aspect of his campaign for a seat at Capitol Hill, and he recognizes this, so he does have to find the time to drop by here and show his appreciation."
I only nodded before returning to my work station. Still have dozens of addresses to write on envelopes.
I swear another full day went by before the man himself finally showed up, though I arched my eyebrows when I saw that he was accompanied by Daphne's father George.
"It's been a great honour to have you all on here in my campaign." Daggett smiled as we all paused from what we were doing and listened. "It's because of your efforts and hard work that makes my election to better represent the constituents of the 3rd Congressional District at Capitol Hill possible."
The applause that followed was more scattered, and as I turned around, I thought that the majority of the applause came from his chief of staff. Figures.
"Now, I would need to speak with my associate Mr. Blake in private." Daggett said as he continues to sport that politicians smile before he turned towards his chief of staff and continued, "Alice, care to show us where we can do just that?"
"Gladly." Alice replied as she lead the two men to the small meeting room near the water fountain at the back.
That's it? That's all I'm going to get from that state senator? After everything I've went through for three lousy days, cramped hand or not, this wasn't going to be good enough. I have to find out what Mr. Daggett was going to say, and darned if I was going to let these three lousy days go to waste.
Thinking back about this, it wasn't really that difficult to eavesdrop on their conversation. All I had to do was get a water break and listen into the conversation taking place inside the meeting room.
For someone who's quite the successful businessman, Barty Daggett sure isn't that wise when it comes to investing in more secure meeting locations, because that door wasn't much of a muffler, especially when I could hear every single word that comes out of that meeting room.
"It's already bad enough that those f**king socialists are spreading vicious rumours about me and are organizing these protests against me in my hometown." I can hear Daggett speaking. "Do you really think I should let the feds derail the hard work and progress I am striving to make once I get to Capitol Hill?"
"Maybe you should've thought about that before you pushed ahead with the expansion into the pharmaceutical industry back in '41." Mr. Blake replied. "That almost bankrupted the company, and you do realize that going to Oakley to have that debt covered is going to come back and bite you in the a** with the feds closing in, eh?"
Zoinks, it sure seems like Blake Enterprises isn't doing as well as many would like to think. I thought to myself. Daggett's next sentence was uttered loud enough that I didn't need to press my ear onto the door at all.
"You make it sound like it is my fault that we are in this fine mess, George!" Daggett was almost shouting. "Perhaps you've forgotten that if it wasn't for my leadership and the decisions I've made, your company would've went under after the stock market crash of '29. What would you do if that had happened then?"
"In hindsight, whatever would've happened to me had the company went under, it would be much preferable to what's going on now." Mr. Blake retorted. "You do realize that should all of this comes to light, your political career would be finished and you'll be spending the rest of your life behind bars."
"And what about you, Blake?" Daggett stormed. "You really think you're gonna be walking out of this scot-free?"
A pause went by before Daggett continued, "Do you? Because let's not forget that you didn't speak up when Oakley made the order to-"
"Don't even think of bringing up that wrenched Falcon, Daggett." Mr. Blake cut in. "I've already allowed you to continue to receive the royalties and twenty percent of the company's profits, is there anything more you need?"
I've arched my eyebrows. Daphne's father is also involved in this mess? D*mn. Just proved Daphne's point that any accusations directed towards the state senator would result in her father getting caught in the crossfire.
"Only that you keep that mouth of yours shut." Daggett replied. "Because like it or not, you're also involved in this, and if you're going to squeal to the feds, then you should know that I'm not going down without a fight."
"Is this a threat?" Mr. Blake challenged.
"You're calling my bluff?" Daggett countered.
Another minute went by before Mr. Blake sighed, and Daggett said, "I've figured as much."
Seems like Mr. Blake had shook his head, based on what Daggett said. Whatever it is they were discussing about, though, I didn't have the chance to find out, because it was that moment that Alice decided to call me out on my apparent "laziness".
"Norville!" Alice barked. "I'm sure those envelopes aren't gonna address themselves, so quit hoarding all of the water and get back to work!"
Well, whatever it is I've gathered, I hope it's good enough for Fred and Velma, which in turn would put an end to them assigning me the more dangerous tasks in this.
It's still too far-fetched for us to conclude if Bartemius Daggett or even George Blake is involved in these murders, but one thing is for certain.
George Blake is involved in some pretty shady going-ons, and I not sure if I wanna find out what that is.
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