For All Nails #123: Waste Management
by David Mix Barrington
Marian Paroo was a precoccupied woman. Her regular duties were not very onerous this Wednesday morning -- keeping half an eye on the high-school students in the corner, fetching the last month's supply of the Flaglerville Daily Liberal, New York Herald, EUM Hoy, and Mexico City Times for Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, and fielding a few stray queries from other patrons. That left her plenty of time to worry about the big school board meeting tonight, where the youth gambling problem was finally going to be discussed.
She liked the Jacksons, a couple in their thirties, clearly quite fit and healthy and quite in love with each other. Mr. Jackson sailed around the Caribbean on his boat, but had a keen interest in current events -- he had been stopping in for years to catch up on the papers whenever he returned to this, his home port. His new wife (Esther?) was Scandinavian, Marian thought. In fact, they seemed to be speaking her language now, and quite animatedly too. She might even have to quiet them down at this rate, for all that Mr. Jackson was a generous Friend of the Library. What could be so interesting in an old out-of-town newspaper?
- New York Herald
- Page C2, City section
- 26 September 1974
ARSON VICTIM IDENTIFIED AS RADICAL PUBLISHER
Militia sources say that the man killed in last Sunday night's suspicious fire in Lower Midtown was a well-known figure in radical and Jeffersonist literary circles. Steven Taylor, 37, was publisher of the Justice Press, best known for the best-selling and controversial historical monographs of Joan Kahn. Miss Kahn herself was reportedly able to identify Mr. Taylor's body in spite of the effects of the fire, which appears to have been deliberately set in Mr. Taylor's offices by persons so far unknown. Mr Taylor was also shot several times [...]
Miss Kahn's theory that Mexican secret agents were responsible is "being given due consideration" by the NYMFB, CBI, NYMM, and NYPM, FN2 according to sources familiar with the investigation. Declining to be identified, a law-enforcement source pointed out that other potential suspects include Mr. Taylor's contacts in Jeffersonist circles known for their violent rivalry, and also radical anti-Platonist FN3 groups. Mr. Taylor was a well-known public supporter of a male domestic partnership ordinance similar to that recognizing Sapphist partners in Brooklyn...
"Oh, Jesus, Phil, I killed this poor asshole!"
"Astrid, ssh... I doubt anyone here knows Swedish, but we are in a library, remember. You didn't kill him, you just tried to get information we need, that the world might need."
"It's that [expletive] Scott-Adams, I'm sure of it. This kind of [expletive] has Michael Scott-Adams written all over it." As a native speaker, Astrid naturally had a greater command of Swedish invective than did Felipe, who was her devoted student as well as her devoted recent husband. (Even in the library Felipe's concentration was improved by Astrid's use of the same intense whisper she employed for their "language lessons" in bed.) He didn't recognize very many of her specific Swedish profanities, but their general drift was clear from context.
"Who's Scott-Adams?"
"Michael Scott-Adams, he's one of F & F's [expletives] in the CNA, they must have made him station chief in New York. I met him a couple years ago. A physical coward, if you can believe it in this business. Always greasing the boss, making himself look good, never with the [expletive] guts to take a job on himself. I was thinking some fucking professional would be doing this. He probably hired some local [expletives], to save money. And now this stupid Jeffie is dead, and it's my fucking fault! They burned down a fucking building to destroy the body, and didn't even destroy the [expletive] body!"
"Well, we'd better find out how the investigation went. Here, you take the odd-date Heralds and I'll take the evens..."
- New York Herald
- Page R1, Region section
- 30 September 1974
NJ MILITIA ARREST SEVEN IN MURDER PROBE
(Secaucus, NJ) -- Seven men with extensive criminal records were arrested here Saturday in connection with the apparent murder of Patrick O'Rourque, 46, and Giancarlo "Fingers" Cianci, 52, both of New York. The two victims were discovered Thursday in Skralenburgh, FN4 New Jersey, partially concealed in the ferrocement FN5 foundation of the new University of New Jersey sports stadium currently under construction there. Both decedents were well known to the militias -- in particular Cianci had three previous convictions for burglary.
Deputy Province's Attorney Gordon Clapp soon announced an extensive indictment detailing how the so-called "Secaucus Seven" forcibly detained the two victims at separate locations in Hoboken, holding them inside a delivery locomobile in which they were then strangled, brought to Skralenburgh, and deposited at the construction site. It seems clear from the specificity of the charges that at least one of the suspects is cooperating with authorities. Militia sources say the murders are probably connected to the Orange Order or other criminal organizations [...]
"Here we go, Astrid, these might be your man's outside contractors."
"Hmm... Yeah, looks right. Two career yeggs, one a burglar, offed for no particular reason right after the fire. If [expletive] Mike Scott-Adams paid for this job too, he kicked the duck again. You can't just hire the Order to do this kind of shit any more in the CNA, damn it! There're so many CBI informants up and down their organization that you can't trust anybody. Well, now Mike's going to see just how good his cutouts were. With seven hired thugs singing like birds, they'd better really have only known what they needed to know--"
"Actually, Astrid, I don't think Mike needs to worry about it any more..."
- New York Herald
- Page C14, City section
- 4 October 1974
BUSINESSMAN DIES IN FREAK ACCIDENT
The New York Municipal Militia have ruled out foul play in the death of Scott Michaels, 43, an account executive employed by United Dry Goods on Broad Street. Mr. Michaels apparently fell into the path of a road-levelling machine on West 4th Street Tuesday morning [...]
"Yeah, that's him all right. And professionally done, too, I'll bet it was F & F itself cleaning up after his mess. At least it saves me the trouble of going to New York and killing the fucker myself. So there's four people dead, then, and one of them completely innocent."
"Did your people get the secret information at least?"
"Nope. Our regular update from F & F just said 'negative report on your request investigation in nyc'. Destroyed in the fire, maybe? Unless maybe they did get it and F & F doesn't want to tell us about it. FN6 Felipe, are we in the wrong business?"
"I don't know, my love. We work for the big people, and the big people aren't gentle with the little people who get in their way. But somebody's got to do it."
"Do you think that librarian would mind if you held me for a minute?"
"Marian? She's an old friend, I don't think she'll mind at all..."
Forward to FAN #124: The Two-Headed Snake.
Forward to 4 October 1974: It's a Nice Day to Start Again.
Forward to Caribbean: En Vivo de Martinica.
Return to For All Nails.