Ghosts of the Past Ch. 09

When Agents Charles Richards and Tom Seldon returned from Washington just after the new year, they informed their friend, Dawn Estevez, that they had confirmed the identity of her uncle and that he was, indeed, involved in their investigation. She very sadly promised not to inform anyone in her family what was going on until the investigation was closed.

They had also returned with all the authorized documents from headquarters to begin the actual investigation into the import/export company's records. Investigators from the L.A. Bureau office served the subpoenas and gathered up all the company's accounting and shipment records. Unfortunately, they were unable to find any supporting documentation in any of the official records. They were going to have to dig deeper, but they didn't have a clue where to start.

Unbeknownst to them, Barbara North stepped in to help...

**********

As she and her husband were getting into bed one night a couple weeks into January 1957, Barbara had an idea floating around in her head. "Jon... I heard you talking with Tom and Charles at dinner earlier and I heard them say that they'd been unable to find any proof in the company's records. Well... it seems to me that Harold Green and Donald Price would not be so stupid as to keep any records of illegal activities filed with the company's official records. I would think they'd keep those records completely separate and hidden somewhere... wouldn't you?"

"Yeah... Tom and Charles think so, too. But their hands are tied as far as an actual search of the company's premises until more proof can be found. Why are you so interested in what's going on? We're not supposed to know about any of this and we're not supposed to be sticking our noses into it!" Jon reminded his beautiful wife.

"Well... the problem is that I do know about it and I have an idea how I can help. Just hear me out before you say no, Jon," she interjected quickly when he opened his mouth to argue. "I know I can do this and I just might be able to get them the proof they need to get search warrants!"

**********

On Monday morning, January 28, 1957, Harold Green buzzed his new secretary. "Mrs. North, would you step into my office for a moment, please?"

"Right away, Mr. Green!" he heard in her throaty, feline purr.

Damn, but that woman has a sexy voice... It was too bad she didn't look as good as she sounded. But at least she was very efficient... And she appeared naïve enough to keep her nose out things... unlike his last secretary... He just knew that bitch was the one who tipped off the FBI!That's why I had to get rid of her...

Barbara grabbed her steno pad and opened the door to her new boss' office. She walked in and sat in one of the chairs facing his desk, ready to take notes.At least he hasn't paid any attention to my looks... I guess the disguise is working...

Green glanced at the woman sitting in front of him with her blonde hair severely pulled back in a tight bun and her straight, gray dress. Why did all the efficient secretaries have to be so plain? Her body didn't even seem to have much shape to it...Well... You don't need to risk all your money by hiring some little nymph to chase around the office all day, any way! You're too busy and you're too old for that shit...

"This will be a personal memo, Mrs. North, so do NOT carbon copy it... Understood?" he asked sternly.

"Yes, sir," she answered crisply.Hmmm... what kind of personal memo could this be?

Green cleared his throat. "To D. Price, regarding upcoming shipments from Singapore and Panama. First Paragraph... Associates advise that shipments are en route and due to arrive at piers twelve and seventeen, Port of Los Angeles on or about Monday, February eleventh. Associate B. also advises that source contacted for authorization and pick-up of merchandise to be traded. Pick-up is scheduled for February ninth, Benicia. New Paragraph..."

Barbara interrupted him for a moment. "I'm sorry, sir... what was that last word again? I didn't understand it. Beni... What is that?"

Green snorted. "It's spelled B E N I C I A... and you don't need to know what it is. Can we continue now?" When she nodded, he went on. "Source will meet our agents at storehouse near loading facilities for transfer of merchandise to our railcars. Agents will return with merchandise via rail, scheduled to arrive at Port of Los Angeles on February tenth. Exchange of merchandise will take place February twelfth at 0100 hours. Associates will be flying in on February sixth to facilitate transfer with source. Associates will keep us informed as to status. Signed, H. Green. Did you get all of that Mrs. North?"

Barbara glanced up at him through her heavy-rimmed glasses. "Oh, yes, sir, Mr. Green. I believe I got it all. How soon do you need this to be ready for you?"

"By the end of today will be sufficient. I'll be hand delivering it, so just leave the memo on my desk before you leave. Understood?"

Barbara nodded, stood and exited his office to return to her desk.I'm not quite sure what all this means... but it sounds awfully strange. Shipments of merchandise exchanging hands and he made no mention of customs paperwork to be filed and no copy to be made of this memo. This might be important...

While Harold Green was at lunch, she typed two original copies of the memo. She slipped one under a stack of other correspondence that required his signature that she would be filing and mailing. The other one she left on his desk as requested.

She caught Green as he was in a rush to leave the office that afternoon and got him to sign the letters and the copy of the memo she had made. He never paid attention to what he was signing. After he was gone, she slipped the signed copy of the memo into her purse and took it home with her that night. She showed the memo to Jon.

A couple hours later they were at Tom and Lynda's house with Charles and Diana. Tom and Charles scanned the memo. They looked at each other with their eyebrows raised.

Tom said, "The memo says the merchandise is scheduled to be picked up... Benicia. That's an Army arsenal base up near San Francisco. This is it... How in the hell did you get your hands on this Barbara?" Tom asked incredulously.

She grinned. "You are looking at the new executive secretary to Harold Green of Green Worldwide Enterprises! I saw an ad in the paper a couple weeks ago where he was advertising for a new secretary, so I applied and I got the job! When Tony met me and swept me off my feet, I was working as a secretary for a shipping company in Phoenix so I had experience. Evidently, he needed someone right away and I was the only one who had applied that had enough qualifications to fill the job!

"Whenever he was out of the office, I would snoop around and see if I could figure out where he might've been hiding information on this stuff. But I hadn't had any luck on that. And then this memo came up today and I thought it sounded funny, so I made an extra copy and had him sign it on the sly so I could bring it to you guys!" she finished excitedly.

The two men frowned at her. Charles said, "Barb... that was a hell of a risk to take! Do you know how dangerous this situation could've become for you if Green had caught you or even just suspected that you were snooping?!! Did you know that his previous secretary is dead?!! Her body was found floating in Santa Monica Bay a week after she disappeared! Jon... did you have any idea what your wife was up to?" Jon rolled his eyes and nodded. "Why didn't you stop her, for God's sake?"

Jon sighed heavily. "I told her the exact same thing! But she wouldn't listen to me! And I didn't know that the floater had turned out to be Green's former secretary! You're going to have to quit this job now, Barbara. I won't allow you to keep taking risks like this! Have you forgotten that you're putting our child in danger, too?!!" he asked worriedly.

Barbara frowned. "But... if I just quit after only a couple weeks, he might get even more suspicious! I can't just walk out now, Jon!"

Tom frowned as well. "I hate to say it... but she's right. If Green gets suspicious, he might terminate the whole deal and then we'd lose our chance to find out who this military source is that's helping them get the weapons.

"Barbara... you do have to get out of this as quickly as possible. Go in to work tomorrow and tell Green that you had an emergency call from a family member who needs your assistance. Tell him that you'll contact an employment agency and find him a suitable replacement and do that as quickly as possible. You contact Charles and me as soon as that's done. And no more snooping or doing anything suspicious! Understood?!!" he stated firmly.

Barbara looked down as she nodded her head.Well, damn... you all act like you're mad at me when I've finally gotten you the proof you need...

Charles and Tom looked at each other when they saw the expression on her face. They both grinned and then swooped in to kiss her cheeks.

"Thanks, Barb... you're a very brave and smart woman!" Charles praised her.

"Yeah, Barb... we'd still be spinning our wheels if not for this! But don't ever do anything like this again!" Tom chided sternly. "And when you end up getting questioned at the end of this investigation, which you will be, you have to swear that you had no prior knowledge of this investigation when you applied for and got that job. Do you understand, Barb? It could jeopardize our whole case against them if this comes to light!"

"Yes... I understand. Jon warned me about that when he tried to talk me out of it! Don't worry... I can handle this."

**********

The next day, Tom and Charles were meeting with Assistant Director Peter Woods at the FBI office to show him the memo and explain how they got it.

"You swear you men had no knowledge that Barbara had done this?" They both shook their heads. "And she knows that she cannot let on that she was aware of the investigation?" They nodded. Pete Woods shook his head. "I swear... if it hadn't been for your wives and their friends, we'd have nothing on these people! I still wonder sometimes who the woman was that phoned our office in the first place to tell us that they thought GWE was getting into something illegal last October."

Charles stated, "Well, it seems that Green believes it was his previous secretary. He fired her right after we confiscated their company records and then she turned up dead! But I'm pretty sure she wasn't the one. I questioned the woman and I could tell she had no knowledge of anything illegal going on. Besides... the notes said that the person who made the phone call sounded like a young woman. Green's secretary was in her fifties and she did not have a young woman's voice."

"I'm beginning to think it was Green's daughter," Tom said quietly.

"What makes you think so?" Woods asked curiously.

"Well, when I talked to her at the nightclub that night at the Christmas party, I could tell she was very unhappy with her husband. Not just unhappy... she seemed to downright hate the bastard. I got the impression that she never really wanted to marry him. I think this was some sort of 'marriage of convenience' that she was forced into by her father. So, she'd be pretty pissed at both her father and her husband... and if she accidentally overheard them talking about what they were up to..."

"What better way to get revenge than by reporting it to the authorities, hoping we'd investigate and catch both of them and their asses would end up in prison!" Charles finished, grinning at his partner.

Woods raised his eyebrows and nodded. "That makes sense. Except... she'd be putting herself in danger of losing everything, too! Do you really think she'd be that stupid?"

Tom shrugged. "That's true. She made a comment to me that her father never talked to her about the business and that all he wanted her to know about was how to spend all the money he was making for her. She even said that it was all she really cared about, too." He paused as he recalled the look on her face. "But she didn't look very happy when she said that."

Charles frowned as he thought. "Maybe she's a classic case of the 'poor little rich girl.' All she's wanted all her life was to be loved, but all she's ever gotten is money. Maybe she's grown up enough to realize that money doesn't love you back... she doesn't care about the money any more. Revenge against the man who's ignored her all her life and the man who married her just to get to her money is more important. Yeah... I'd bet it was Lisa Price who called us, too."

Woods stated, "OK... that's probably one mystery solved. But how are we going to figure out who this military connection is that's helping them get these weapons from Benicia?"

Tom spoke up. "Sir... I remember a lieutenant in the Army that I became friends with toward the end of the war. His name is Gary Butler. I don't know if he's still active in the military or not... we lost contact after he was sent to Korea. But he was a weapons supply officer and if we could track him down, he might be able to help us figure out how to trace this source."

"That's a good idea, Agent Seldon," Woods said. "I'll call Washington and have them track down this Gary Butler. If he's still around, they'll find him and then you can contact him and enlist his help with this. Good work, men. And tell Barbara I said thanks... but to keep her nose out of things from now on! And you two are going to have to stop discussing your cases in front of your friends! Go on, now! You two have reports to be filed! Just be careful how you word them!" Woods growled gruffly at them, like he was trying to reprimand them.

"Yes, sir!" they barked and then chuckled as they left Woods' office.

**********

Thursday, January 31st, Charles and Tom were relieved when Barbara contacted them to say that she had found Harold Green a replacement secretary and was no longer working for him.

Finally, on Monday morning, February 4th, FBI headquarters in Washington contacted the L.A. office to advise that the Army had finally located a Captain Gary Butler who was stationed at The Presidio. An hour later, Charles and Tom were on the L.A. Bureau's private plane headed for San Francisco.

Just before eleven o'clock, they entered one of the main office buildings on The Presidio complex and approached a civilian secretary. Tom and Charles glanced at each other and grinned.

Yeah...she likes the way we look... she'll probably do whatever she can to help... They laid their sexiest smiles on her.

Tom spoke first as they pulled out their badges and I.D.'s. "Good morning, miss. I'm Agent Seldon and this is Special Agent Richards. We're from the Los Angeles office of the FBI. I'm here to see an old friend of mine. Could you tell me where we can find Captain Gary Butler?"

"Huh?" the woman stammered momentarily, until she realized they'd asked her a question. "Oh... of course... Captain Butler. His office is in the next building... over that way," she indicated, pointing to her right. "He's on the second floor, room two-twenty-two."

"Thank you very much, miss. Have a nice day," Charles said smoothly as he smiled at the pretty young woman again before they turned and walked out. He chuckled after he shut the door behind them. "I still can't get over watching how women swoon as we talk to them! Diana was the first woman who ever reacted to me that way and now I can't help but notice that just about every female we come in contact with thinks we're just the cat's meow!"

"Yeah... what a curse to live with, huh?" Tom muttered as they both chuckled.

They entered the next building, identified themselves and informed the Officer on Duty whom they were there to see. The officer issued them visitor's passes and directed them to the stairway, advising them that Capt. Butler was in his office. They quickly found Room 222 and knocked on the door. They went in when they heard a man's voice loudly answer, "Enter!"

Tom swung the door open and stepped just inside. The blonde man sitting behind the desk looked up at him. He looked several years older than the last time he'd seen him, but it was his old pal, Gary the Gator. Tom smiled widely, "Gator! How the hell have you been?!! WHERE the hell have you been?"

Butler's eyes widened. Then his lips spread in a toothy grin. "Tommy... is that you? Man... it's been years! How the hell are YOU? What brings you here? Are you still with The Bureau? Yeah... I guess you are, judging by the way you're dressed... And I guess this is your partner?" His smiled faded. "What's going on, man? Why did you track me down after all this time and why have you come to see ME?"

Charles narrowed his eyes slightly.He seems awfully nervous...

Tom shook his old friend's hand. "I'm doing fine, Gator. But the years sure seem to have caught up with you! What the hell happened after you went to Korea? I never heard from you again. I had to have HQ track you down through the Army. I need your help with something, pal. I'm glad to find that you're still active military because you may be able to help us track down a traitor."

Butler frowned and tried not to flinch. "A traitor? What's going on, Tommy? Sit down and tell me how I can help you."

Tom introduced Charles to Gary as they sat in the chairs in front of his desk. Then Tom explained their investigation to his old friend. Charles watched Butler intently.I don't like it... This man is hiding something...

Oh, fuck... Gary Butler sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest with his left hand on his mouth and chin after he'd heard the whole story. "Damn, Tommy... I would never have thought Major Williams would be capable of something like this! And you're sure this 'William Bradley' is him?" Tom nodded solemnly. "And you need me to help you figure out who this 'source' he has is? Are you sure it's someone whose still active duty military?"

"Well, they'd have to be, wouldn't they? In order to be able to manipulate the paperwork and have access to weapons on military bases... I don't see how they couldn't be active. In fact... they'd more than likely have to be a pretty high-ranking officer in order to pull off something like this. Don't you think... Captain Butler?" Charles asked.Uh, huh... I saw you flinch...

Tom glanced at his partner.What are you implying, Charles? You don't think that... No way...

Stay cool, Butler... You can still get out of this...just tell them... "You're right, Agent Richards. In fact, I'd begun to suspect something was going on. I've seen some discrepancies in some of the paperwork that's crossed my desk over the past few weeks having to do with an upcoming munitions transfer at Benicia. But I was afraid to say anything because the signature on the paperwork was that of one of my superior officers. The discrepancies didn't seem that obvious at first, but when it kept happening, I began to wonder what was going on. And now, you show up here today with this information, and it all just seems to make sense. What can I do?"

Tom and Charles glanced at each other.This is almost too easy... Tom asked Butler, "You wouldn't happen to be able to get your hands on copies of that paperwork, would you?"

Butler stood up and moved to a filing cabinet next to his desk. "Yeah... I kept copies... just in case I noticed that these 'discrepancies' kept occurring." He pulled out a file of carbon copied reports with red pencil marks where he'd circled the numbers that kept changing on each of the updated weapons inventory lists slated for the transfer. The numbers had been increased each time.

Tom and Charles scanned the reports. All of them were signed by a Major Franklin Barnes. Charles looked at Butler and asked, "Do you happen to know where this Major Barnes is now?"