The Phyllis Files Ch. 01

"Lieutenant Hanson, what can I do for you and these ladies?" Snow said. He bade them to sit down, which they did. Snow peered hard at Phyllis.

"I know who Lieutenant Ross is, and of course Lieutenant Hanson." Snow said. "But I have no idea at all who you are, Detective..."

Phyllis introduced herself and added "I've only moved to this town recently, to be with family. I'm assigned the duties of looking into cold cases, and Lieutenant Ross has been kind enough to assist me."

"The Town & County Police often ask me to work with them when they need to visit the campus." Bill Hanson said.

"I see." said Snow. "And you wanted to ask some clearing-up questions about Linda Ferris, you said?"

"Yes." Phyllis said, taking charge. "By the way, your assistant out front, her name was 'Lilac.' She was involved in the protests? If so, why not invite her in so that we can speak with both of you at the same time, and save a few moments?"

"Er, yes, she was one of us." Snow said. He called Lilac into the office, and she sat down at the side of the desk.

"So you two were leaders of the Progressive Citizens of GreenWorld? In what capacity, president? Chairman?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, we were part of the original leadership council." Snow said. "We didn't have formal titles, those are for the bourgeoisie and the rich capitalists."

"I see. And to refresh our memories, why were you targeting Crown Chemicals? Why not BigPharmaCorp, which was just up the river from Crown?" Cindy asked.

"Crown was polluting the river, no matter what the tests said, and we thought we might make better headway in getting them shut down." Snow said. "By the way, I understand the Statute of Limitations, and everything we did then is way past being prosecutable."

"Except for murder, Mr. Snow." Phyllis said, her voice cold and cutting. "There is no Statute of Limitations on the murder of Linda Ferris, which we are investigating. But you are correct about the rest of it, and we're really not interested in any of the rest of it in the capacity of other crimes."

Cindy asked, keeping her voice neutral, "So after some of your people were killed crashing the fences, what did your leadership decide to do?"

"Some of us wanted to take up arms and attack them again." Snow said. "But we knew that would be a bloodbath. Besides, most of our group abhor guns. They should be completely outlawed and only in the hands of Government authorities, don't you agree?"

The women did not rise to the bait, but Cindy Ross sprang her trap: "Mr. Snow, records show that you yourself owned a gun. What happened to it?"

"Oh, I think I gave it up in a buyback program, years ago." Snow said as Lilic glanced at him a bit harshly. "I hated having it and couldn't wait to get rid of it."

"How well did you know Linda Ferris?" Cindy asked.

"I didn't know her very well at all." Snow said. "I knew her husband, he was a chemist that helped us by running tests to prove the companies were breaking the law and polluting the waters."

"Miss Lilac?" Cindy said, her eyes wandering to the geeky redhead girl and fixing upon her. "Did you know the Ferrises?"

"I knew her and her husband." Lilac said, her voice short and as uncooperative as she could convey.

"Did people that knew her like her?" Cindy queried.

"Not really. She smelled bad, really bad. She wasn't so much an environmentalist like most of us; she was a feminist and protesting that the company was dominated by men. She was a real bitch, we called her the 'Fat Bitch' behind her back."

"Did either of you know that Linda was going to try to poison the waters?"

"Yes." Gordon Snow said without hesitation. "We knew her plan. She was supposed to spill the chemicals, then we were going to call the Press and have them film us taking water samples for testing, which would come up positive."

"Did either of you supply Linda with the chemicals?"

"No, I don't know where she got them." Snow said.

"Uhhh, neither do I." said Lilac, her eyes cutting to Snow and then back to the policewomen.

"Were either of you there at the Crown plant that night?" Cindy asked.

"We were in the area." Snow said. "But only Linda went around back and snuck onto the grounds. Then we heard gunshots and we fled."

"Who is 'we'?" Phyllis asked.

"Myself, Lilac here, and another man named Brent Crow. And before you ask, I have no idea where Brent is now; we lost touch over the years." said Gordon Snow.

"So all of you ran away, didn't try to ascertain what was going on with Linda Ferris?" Phyllis asked, her voice a bit accusing. "Miss Lilac, is that the case?"

"Yes ma'am." Lilac said. Phyllis noted the change in her demeanor. She was quiet, looking more nervous.

"Where were you, Miss Lilac, at the time of the gunshot?" Phyllis asked.

"There...was more than one shot, if I remember correctly." Lilac said, deftly avoiding the trap she had been placed in. "And I was near the water treatment plant, but outside the fence."

"And the others were with you?"

"Er, yes, yes, they were nearby. Gordon was near me and Brent was closer to the parking lot where the cars were." Lilac said.

"Mr. Snow," Cindy asked, beginning to bear down, "what happened to your career after this incident? Has it hurt your getting a professorship?"

Snow sighed. "I have to admit that my association with the PCGW, especially participating in its leadership, has... not had the positive effects I had hoped it would. It seems that many of my colleagues are not as committed to the cause, and certainly not as willing to give their lives for the cause like I was willing to, as I had hoped."

"Hmm, I see. And Mr. Snow," Cindy asked, bearing down harder. "Perhaps you can help me to understand something that is bothering me: I would imagine that a decade ago you were a young man in good physical condition?"

"Er, yes," Snow said, "I was a college student at the time, and I was in relatively good shape."

"So," Cindy said, getting to the point quickly and brutally, "I don't understand why you allowed an overweight woman who was a chain smoker to cover 75 yards to the water treatment plant, cover 75 yards back to where the fence was cut, in the dark, weighed down with flasks of chemicals... when someone in better condition such as either one of you would've done the job much more quickly and efficiently."

Lilac looked over at Gordon Snow, but his face was smooth and showed no signs of discomfiture. "All I can say, Detective, is that it was Linda's plan and she wanted to go in herself."

"And why not--" Cindy began, but stopped when Phyllis interrupted her.

"Just one last question for both of you." Phyllis said. "Do either of you know someone besides the people at Crown who might have had reason to wish Linda Ferris harm?"

"Er, why no." Snow said, his face a mask of perplexed confusion. "I've always believed that the Crown security people simply shot Linda dead instead of detaining her, then worked with the FBI to cover it up."

"You think there was a cover-up? And why would they just shoot her? She was so out of shape that she could not possibly run away from them." Phyllis asked.

"Tensions were high, and I think the Crown criminals shot first and thought about it later, if at all." Snow said. "And of course the bourgeoisie always cover themselves when they use brute force against the People. But they know that their filthy sins will catch up to them; to this day the filthy rich executives of Crown Chemicals maintain bodyguards and luxury bulletproof limousines to protect them from the Justice that surely will befall them one day. Their CEO even had bulletproof glass put into his small house on the mountainside just above the University here. He died of natural causes, unfortunately, but the rest will someday pay for their crimes."

"Mr. Snow, Miss Lilac, we really appreciate your time as well as your candor." Phyllis said, standing up to end the interview. The police officers excused themselves and left.

"Let's have lunch together and talk about that interview." Phyllis said as they walked to their car. She was clearly excited. "It was scintillating, don't you agree?"

"It was indeed interesting." Lt. Hanson said. Cindy was thoughtful.

----------------------------------

"Laura, it's wonderful of you to join us." Phyllis said as her daughter-in-law Laura Fredricson joined them at the table. They were eating at one of the bistros on the Town Square, sitting outside in the warm sun, and Laura had come up to their table.

"So, how can I help with this cold case you're working on?" Laura asked, sitting down.

"We need 'scoop', or 'dirt' I might say, on Gordon Snow in the Environmental Sciences Department, as well as his secretary, one Miss Lilac." Phyllis said.

"Ah yes, the 'eco-terrorist couple', as they're called behind their backs." Laura said. "Their reputation with the PCGW group goes further than they realize. But if you want some dirt, the only thing I have is that Gordon Snow got fired from the school he was at previously for having inappropriate sexual relations with his female students. His girlfriend Lilac still has no clue about that, nor that he's likely having sex with female students here. He's a bit more careful now, of course."

Phyllis insisted on not talking further about the case until their meals were eaten, preferring to discuss family and friends and grandchildren and small chit-chat. Laura excused herself as they finished their meals, and Lt. Hanson said he had to get back to his Campus duties. They left together, which was Phyllis's cue to get back into the case.

"So, Cindy," Phyllis said, "what did you think of Mr. Snow and Ms. Lilac?"

"I was shocked that he came out and admitted being near the scene the night of the murder." Cindy said. "That's some arrogance. The Statutes of Limitations notwithstanding, it's stupid of him to say anything. I also saw that Lilac was fine until one point when Snow admitted they were all there. Wonder why she suddenly got nervous?"

"Yes, we need to talk to Miss Lilac again, but separately from Mr. Snow." Phyllis said.

"What did you observe, Phyllis?" Cindy asked.

"Oh, Mr. Snow provided me with a veritable wealth of observations." Phyllis said, her eyes twinkling. "First of all, does anyone really expect us to believe that Linda Ferris cut that fence all by herself? Certainly others had to help, which means they all were around back and at the place the fence was breached, not around the side where the water treatment plant was. So they are either lying about who was there, or about where they were. I suspect it was about where they were, that they were all at the fence breach area."

"Is that why you cut off my questioning?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, dear." Phyllis replied. "You were about to ask why they didn't breach the fence near the water treatment area, and not have to cover all that distance. And if they were standing in that area undetected, they should've been able to attack the fence at the water treatment facility without being immediately caught. Yes, that stands very well to reason. But I wanted them to think that I believe their story of being in a separate place from Linda Ferris."

"So you think they're lying?" Cindy asked.

"Oh absolutely." Phyllis said. "And so far the little ideas I'm working out have not been eliminated by the facts we're learning."

"Which you're not telling until you're ready." Cindy said.

"You've seen all that I've seen." Phyllis replied.

"That's what Don always says, too." Cindy said. "So what is our next step?"

"Why don't you meet Inspector Maxwell in the City and interview the woman's husband," Phyllis suggested, "while I have a few words with Ms. Wurtzburg. I also need to call my son."

Part 6 - Press Relations and Family Relationships

"Mr. Ferris, we appreciate your time." Cindy said after introducing herself, then introducing Britt as being with the SBI.

"I'm glad to help, but I am curious as to why you're bringing up this old case?" Ferris said, peering through his glasses at the women.

"We routinely glance back at cold cases." Cindy said. "And some possible new information has come out about the death of your wife. If I may ask, were you in Town the night your wife was killed?"

"Yes, I was in Town." Robert Ferris said. "Linda and I were staying in a communal home that the PCGW leaders had rented. A bunch of us slept there in sleeping bags during the weeks of the protest."

"So, just to get this straight in my head, it was leaders of the movement staying there? Do you remember any of their names?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, it was where the protests were planned and the press releases put together." Ferris said. "It's hard to remember all of their names, but Linda was friendly with a girl named Lilac, and there was a guy named Snow... Gordon Snow, maybe? Then there was a guy name Brent, he didn't seem to have the stomach for the protests, and another girl... Mary or Marie, perhaps."

"Did you go with your wife to the Crown Chemicals plant the night she was killed?"

"No." said Ferris. "I stayed behind and waited. We were going to skip town after Linda dumped the chemicals in the water treatment plant. But she never came back, and the next thing I know I was being seriously questioned by the police and the FBI for three days while the rest of those sniveling little cowards ran to the four corners of the earth."

"Do you know where your wife acquired the chemicals that she was found with when she died?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Robert Ferris said. "I heard later that some of them were radioactive and were dangerous for her to be carrying. I'd have never let her get near stuff like that."

"Mr. Ferris, what you've said to this point has been generally corroborated." Britt Maxwell said. "So I'd like you to be honest with us and tell us who you think might have had cause to harm your wife, besides the Crown Chemicals people."

"I... I always thought the security people shot her." Robert said.

"Maybe they did." said Cindy, "But your wife was the one who actually took the risk of running the mission. Do you think there was anyone else that might have wanted to see her come to harm?"

"Specifically, no. But..." Robert paused, then continued in a rush, "one reason I disassociated from the PCGW was because of the way they acted after her death. They were using her death as publicity to advance their own cause, riding it to the hilt. I began to see that they didn't give a damn about her dying, but loved the controversy and issue that came out of it. I loved my wife and she had died for the cause, and they... just didn't care..."

"I can understand how you felt." Britt Maxwell said. After a couple more questions, they wrapped up their interview and left.

On the drive back to Town, Cindy said "That was an interesting comment about them using Linda Ferris's death for publicity. I wonder..."

"Yes?..." Britt said.

"I think I know where Phyllis was going with her idea." Cindy said. "Let me run this by you..."

------------------------

"Thank you for meeting me, Ms. Wurtzburg." Phyllis said as Bettina met her at the Starbucks coffee shop at the County Mall, which was northwest of Town and served the more affluent people that lived in the area.

"Please, call me Bettina. May I call you Phyllis?" Bettina said, almost gushing. "I am so glad to finally get to talk with you in a setting other than some party."

"First," Phyllis said, "you understand that this meeting and all that is said is 'deep background'?"

"I'll take that." said Bettina. "At least it's not 'off the record'."

"So let me ask you some questions first." Phyllis said. "We're looking into a cold case, the one about the woman that died about a week after the Crown Chemicals riot."

"Ah yes, I remember that." Bettina said. "I had just started as a reporter with KXTC. I found out really quick that we local reporters weren't worth a damn when it came to the national reporters. They literally pushed people down and out of their way to get to the front of the line. I have to say, though, that it saved my life."

"How so?" Phyllis asked, to keep Bettina talking.

"Well, one of the national news crews pushed to the front when the rioting started." Bettina replied. "And then the Crown Chemicals people opened fire. They had guns by the hundreds. Remember that national news anchor Walter Jensen? He was shot dead, and his cameraman was blown away also. I've always believed that they were specifically targeted, but a lot of protesters were shot and they were lucky that only 24 died."

"So how did the Media take the killings of their own?" Phyllis asked.

"Bad, Phyllis, we took it very bad, very personally." Bettina said, her voice lowering a bit. "It definitely biased the coverage from then on. We were hoping to somehow get the Crown bastards, but the truth of the matter is that they were clean and always had been."

"So what do you remember about Linda Ferris being killed?" Phyllis asked, sipping her coffee.

"I remember a lot of people being skeptical when the FBI exonerated the Crown Chemicals security people." Bettina replied. "But I knew it was true because I heard from some of the national reporters that the U.S. EPA was pushing the FBI to find something so that they could go after Crown. But the FBI really did find nothing, and they firmly held their ground on that, not playing the EPA's corrupt political games, so I have to say that I believe them."

"Did the news people work with the PCGW to make the most of the Ferris killing?" Phyllis asked.

"Oh, you bet they did." Bettina replied. "At the national level, anyway. What I remember is that by the time Linda Ferris died, we were being pushed to calm things down in the Town and County, and the politicians were beginning to talk about merging... which happened not too much later. The national media gave the Ferris death a couple of days, then a couple more after the FBI report came out, trying to work the angles to help the PCGW. But the story was dying by that time. The PCGW got a lot of donations around that time, but the story moved on, as it always does."

"Anything else you can remember from that time that might help us?" Phyllis asked.

"Only that the Fat Bitch, as the murdered woman was called, was not well liked by her PCGW colleagues. They didn't have much to say about her after she was killed, except to call the company murderers and such. She was a supporter, but her lodestone was feminist causes, not the environment. I always wondered if she wasn't set up."

"Thank you, that's very helpful." Phyllis said. "So, what can I tell you in payback, under deep background, of course."

"Something juicy about your son, the Iron Crowbar." Bettina said, her eyes sparkling. Phyllis made some observations as Bettina continued. "For example, with the election coming up, what does your son plan to do if the wrong people are elected? He could be out of a job... or worse."

"Well," Phyllis said, "my son has done very well and has caught the attention of the law enforcement community at every level. He'll have no problem finding good employment elsewhere. But even if the so-called wrong people win, I'm not sure they want to take on the Iron Crowbar... far worse people have gotten badly hurt doing that."

"I'm hearing that the interest in him at the Federal level is not all positive and that your son should watch his back." Bettina said, as much as a warning as an inquiry. "Any deep background on that?"

"Like I said," Phyllis replied, "taking on the Iron Crowbar can be very dangerous to a bad person's health. And for all the enemies he has at the Federal level, he also has some very good friends."

"Thank you." Bettina said. "By the way, anything you can do to get me an interview with him, even off the record, you'll get my undying appreciation."