William Bernhardt - Nemesis - The Final Case of Eliot Ness

“He confessed to me!”

“Was that before or after you beat him to a bloody pulp?”

Ness turned back to the mayor. “Harold, listen to me. He’s the killer. Ask Edna. She knows. We’ve got to arrest him. Put him behind bars.”

“You’re not doing anything to him,” Congressman Sweeney said.

“If you think I’m going to let you-”

“Even if it were true, you couldn’t charge my cousin. He’s not of sound mind. The proper place for him is a mental institution. I will see that he gets the care he needs.”

“That’s not-!”

Mayor Burton laid a hand on Ness’s chest. “Calm down, Eliot. He’s right. If you try to do anything to his cousin it will only start a legal battle. We’ll lose and you’ll come out looking like the madman.” He turned toward the congressman. “It has to be someplace real this time, Congressman. Not the Sailors’ Home. Someplace with locks on the doors.”

“Understood. I’ll take him far away. I know a place in Dayton. Good doctors. Nurturing environment. But also… tight security.”

“That should do.”

“What are you thinking about?” Ness said, veins standing out in his neck. “This man killed a dozen people. At least!”

“I’m doing all that can be done, Eliot. Calm down and try to use some sense.”

“He threatened my wife. Said he’d kill her. Said he’d cut her up!”

“Well, that won’t be possible now.”

“I won’t stand for this.”

“You have no choice. You work for me.”

“Fire me. I’ll go to the press.”

Congressman Sweeney stepped in front of him. “Then I will also talk, Mr. Safety Director. I will tell what I saw tonight. You, behaving like a madman. A knife poised in the air, seconds away from murder.”

“I wouldn’t have killed him.”

“That’s not how it looked to me. I saw an attempted homicide, plus clear evidence of assault. You could go to jail for a very long time, Mr. Ness. And wouldn’t that be an ironic end to your illustrious career?”

“No one would believe you.”

“After the things you’ve done lately? Flagrant violations of the law. This is the next logical step in your slow sad decline. Everyone will believe it, Mr. Ness.”

Ness fell silent, smoldering. He turned toward the mayor. “I can’t believe you’d let him get away with this. You’re the one who kept telling me the people needed the comfort of knowing we’d caught the killer.”

“Obviously, at that time I didn’t know who it was.” Burton squeezed Ness’s shoulder. “This is best for everyone, Eliot. You keep quiet. Stay out of jail. Frank gets locked up where he can’t harm anyone. Once the killings stop, people will soon forget all about it. Everyone wins.”

“The people should know the truth.”

“War is coming, Ness. It’s already raging in Europe. Soon people will have more important things to think about than some crazed killer in Cleveland. Now take your wife and get out of here.”

Ness stared at him wordlessly. After all this time, all this work. Could it possibly end this way? He didn’t know what to do, what to say.

His wife broke the silence. “Eliot, I want to go home.”

He turned to face her. “Really?”

“Please. Take me home.”

Slowly, limping slightly, Ness escorted her out of the abandoned brewery.

After he watched Ness’s car pull away, Sweeney thanked the mayor for his assistance. “I think we may be able to work together after all,” the congressman said, smiling. “Maybe even during your second term.”

“I’d like that.” Mayor Burton shook his hand, then departed.

After the mayor left, Congressman Sweeney helped his ailing cousin to his car. With the help of his four men, he poured coal oil throughout the abandoned brewery, lit four torches, and handed one to each man.

He pointed toward the brewery. “Light the fire, gentleman,” he said, his eyes like stones. “Turn it to ashes. Every last trace of it.”

Merylo, Zalewski, and Ness sat together at the counter of the diner just down the street from the Central Police Station. It was Merylo’s favorite place; he came at least twice a week. Agreeable of Ness to meet him here, Merylo thought, so far from the office, on his turf. First time that had ever happened.

“Here’s the thing, Peter,” Ness said, as he polished off his club sandwich. “I’m closing down the investigation.”

“What?” Merylo and Zalewski both looked at him bug-eyed. “Why?”

“What’s the point? There haven’t been any killings for a long time.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

“Probably won’t be any ever again.”

“You don’t know that.”

Ness hesitated a moment. “At any rate, I can’t afford to devote so many resources to one dead investigation, and neither can Chief Matowitz.”

“Have you talked to the mayor about this?”

“In fact, it was the mayor’s idea. He wants to put this thing behind him.”

Zalewski wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “Should’ve known. Politics. Do a clean sweep before reelection time.”

“Something like that.”

“I’m just surprised-well, if you don’t mind my saying so-I’m surprised you’re going along with it, Mr. Ness.”

Ness looked away. “No sense in beating a dead horse.”

Zalewski looked down quietly. “No. I guess not.”

“So what am I supposed to do now?” Merylo asked.

“What you always did. Investigate crimes. Current crimes. You’ll go back to reporting to Chief Matowitz. Like it used to be. You’ll be happier, I’d imagine.”

“Maybe so.”

“Here, let me get this.” Ness grabbed the ticket and put a dollar fifty down on the counter. “That should cover it. Enjoyed lunch. Hope to see you boys again soon. And thanks for all your hard work.”

They watched as the safety director left the diner.

“Can you believe that?” Zalewski asked.

“Yeah,” Merylo replied, as he finished off his pastrami. “I can believe it. He’s a politician now. Not a cop. He’ll probably be running for mayor next.”

“So, are you going to do what he says?”

“He’s not my boss. Not anymore.”

“You know what I mean. Are you going to stop investigating the torso murders?”

Merylo stared straight ahead, his eyes fixed on the image in the mirror behind the counter. “Never.”

“… so it’s really a good thing. I can be more use to the country working for the government.”

Chamberlin could not hide his surprise. “Back to the Treasury Department?”

“Not this time. The Army.”

“You’re enlisting?”

“No. They’re creating a special post for me. Where I can be of the most service. You know-war is coming.”

“That’s what I hear.”

“We’re all going to have to contribute. Pull together. Help out any way we can.”

“Of course. Maybe now you’ll have more time to spend with the wife.”

Ness did not answer at first. “Yeah.”

“Well then.” Chamberlin drew his tall frame to attention. “Best of wishes, sir. The Army is lucky to have you.”

“Thanks, Bob.” He started for the door. “Oh, by the way. I wasn’t going to say anything…”

“Yes?”

“But-I know.”

“Pardon me?”

“I know, Bob. I know you were the leak.”

“I can’t imagine what you’re talking about.”

“You’re the one who kept feeding information to Congressman Sweeney. And then he sent it to the press. When he wanted it publicized. The secret interrogation. The Kingsbury raids. It was you.”

Chamberlin looked down at the floor. “I suppose there’s no point in denying it?”

Ness shook his head.