JC: Ed Biggers
Part 3: Accretion
Chapter 9
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

Officer Mike Tougas sat in the restaurant of the hotel sipping a cup 
of coffee waiting for Ed to arrive from his suite upstairs. After the 
discussion on the phone, he had investigated the family of Beth 
Hayes. When he discovered the number of times that the family 
had been attacked in the past, many of his suspicions about them 
had been dispelled although he didn't know the reasons behind the 
attacks. 

It was only after digging a little deeper that he learned that this 
family was the John Carter Rescue Squad that had been here 
during the last big earthquake. On the advice of his fellow officers 
he had returned to the scene of the accident and satisfied himself 
that it was an accident. The taste of hot coffee couldn't hide the 
bitter taste in his mouth that he had gotten on learning that he was 
to baby sit this guy. 

Taking a sip of his hot coffee, he was startled when a cowboy sat 
down at the table with him. He asked, "May I help you?"

Ed replied, "Yes, you can Officer Tougas. I want to know every 
detail about my wife's death. I want to see the scene of the 
accident, the car, any and all information about the person behind 
the wheel of the car, and the autopsy report on the driver."

"Excuse me?"

Without batting an eye, Ed said, "I have just gotten off the phone 
with the chief of police. You have been assigned to me until I say 
otherwise."

Officer Tougas sat back in his chair with both eyebrows raised as 
he examined Ed. He was about to say something when a man, built 
like a football lineman wearing a dark suit, approached the table. 
He was carrying a thin briefcase that looked extremely small in his 
huge hands. "Excuse me, Dr. Biggers. I'm Norman Asmaro from 
the LA office of the FBI. I've been instructed to give you as much 
support as you may require in your investigation."

Grateful for the additional support, Ed said, "Thanks, please have a 
seat."

A small woman with bird like features moved into the restaurant. 
She was carrying a briefcase in her right hand and held it like it 
was almost too heavy for her. Her head darted to and fro seeking 
out her prey. Spotting Ed, she moved directly to the table and 
stopped. "Dr. Biggers?"

"Yes."

"I'm Venessa Schally from the LA office of the IRS. I've been 
asked to give you any assistance that you may require."

Pointing to the empty chair at the table, Ed said, "Please have a 
seat."

Once she had seated herself at the table, Ed performed the 
introductions, "Officer Mike Tougas of the LAPD. Norman 
Asmaro of the FBI. Venessa Schally of the IRS. I'm Ed Biggers, 
but I would prefer it if everyone were to call me Ed. I am an 
informal person. Has everyone had breakfast?"

At the nods around the table, Ed called the waitress over and took 
care of the bill. Once that was done, he stood up and said, "Let's go 
to the site of the incident first."

A very numb Mike Tougas stood up looking around at the others. 
Suddenly this didn't seem to be a babysitting job anymore. He 
asked, "Whose car will we be taking?"

"Mine," answered Ed as he headed for the limousine. The rest of 
the family had already headed over to the hospital to take care Dr. 
Hayes. He had promised to take care of the investigation by two so 
that they could return to the hotel for a late lunch.

In the car, Ed asked Venessa, "Did you bring the tax records of the 
driver?"

As she handed him a folder, she answered, "Yes, I did."

Ed glanced through it very quickly. There wasn't a sign of any kind 
of lie anywhere on the form. Satisfied, he handed it back to her. 
Turning to Norman, he asked, "Did you bring any background 
information on the driver?"

The agent opened his briefcase and handed a folder to Ed. As he 
read the report, he talked out loud. "A corporal in the army during 
the Korean Conflict. Received a Purple Heart for a wound suffered 
in action. The past twenty years have been spent as Manager of an 
Auto Parts chain. Just retired a year ago. There's nothing 
suspicious in here."

The agent accepted the folder back and said, "We also did a 
background check on his children. They're all model citizens 
without any hints of financial problems."

Nodding in satisfaction that nothing untoward had arisen yet, Ed 
said, "With luck, we'll be done in a couple of hours."

The limousine reached the site of the incident. Ed stepped out and 
looked around for a second before spotting the yellow police tape 
around the splintered remains of a table. Reaching the area, Ed 
knelt down and examined the area looking for anything that might 
suggest a lie. Officer Tougas approached and said, "This is where 
it happened. The driver lost control over there, drove up onto the 
sidewalk, and then into the table. The car was stopped by that huge 
planter over there."

After walking around and examining the path taken by the car, Ed 
asked, "Why aren't there any skid marks?"

"He never applied the brakes."

Returning to the limousine, Ed said, "Let's see the car."

At the impound lot, Ed examined the car with considerable 
attention to detail. He could find nothing wrong with the car that 
hadn't been caused by the accident. His truth sense told him that 
the car had not been employed intentionally to kill Beth. That 
didn't mean that the driver didn't intentionally run into her, just that 
the car had not been modified to cause the accident.

Standing behind Ed, the other three people were watching him 
work with interest. Officer Tougas asked Norman, "What's he 
doing?"

Norman answered, "I don't know. They told me to expect anything 
from this guy. His husband and him are famous within the FBI for 
the cases they've cracked."

Venessa whispered, "They are famous for breaking big cases in the 
IRS. I've heard they are very difficult to work with because they do 
things in a strange way."

Overhearing the conversation, Ed grinned to himself. John and he 
weren't difficult to work with, they just concentrated on their work. 
Sometimes, that concentration and attention to detail wasn't 
understood by those around them. Turning to the entourage, he 
said, "Let's get over to the coroner's office."

At the coroner's office, Ed talked with the man that had performed 
the autopsy. The man was convinced that the driver had suffered a 
brain aneurysm and lost consciousness. He had died on the way to 
the hospital. Once again, Ed's truth sense verified that the man 
believed what he was saying. Following up, he asked, "Was it a 
sudden development or had it been developing for some time?"

The coroner replied, "It had been developing for some time. There 
was extensive bulging indicating that it had been weak for quite a 
while."

"Did you perform a blood analysis?"

"Sent a sample to the lab yesterday. We won't get the results back 
for several days."

"Thank you for your time."

The coroner cleared his throat and asked, "Can I release the body 
now? The widow wants to make final arrangements."

"Yes, you can. Is she here?"

Officer Tougas answered, "Yes. They had said that they would be 
releasing the body today and she's here."

"I would like to speak to her," said Ed. For now, he just wanted to 
give his condolences to the widow. He had come to the conclusion 
that Beth's death was an accident. The man had been driving and 
he had a stroke thereby losing consciousness. The car swerved and 
killed Beth. It was just a stupid senseless death. 

Officer Tougas looked to Norman and Vanessa for guidance. 
When they shrugged their shoulders, he said, "I suppose it won't 
hurt."

Ed followed Officer Tougas to a waiting room where a woman in 
her mid-sixties was seated. Mike said, "Ed, this is Mrs. Ray 
Nicklaus. Mrs. Nicklaus, this is Dr. Ed Biggers."

The woman turned pale and stood. Noticing her discomfort, Ed 
stepped forward and took her hand in both of his. "I am so sorry 
that we have to meet under these circumstances. I would like to 
offer the condolences of myself and my family on your loss."

With confusion apparent on her face, the woman asked, "Are you 
the coroner?"

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No, I'm not. In cases where a FBI 
agent or their spouse is killed after death threats have been made 
against them, it is necessary to investigate the circumstances very 
carefully. I have given instructions that your husband's body is to 
be released.  I am sorry for the delay."

Mrs. Nicklaus frowned and said, "I didn't know that she was 
married to an FBI agent. Her family must really be upset."

After removing a card from his wallet, he handed it to her and said, 
"If I or any of my family can be of service to you, please call us."

Hands trembling, she accepted the card. Glancing down at it, she 
saw that it was the family card of the Carter Clan. The name of 
every member of the family was on it with his name in bold. She 
saw the name of the woman her husband had killed under his. Her 
hand flew to her mouth as she said, "Oh my goodness. It was your 
wife that was killed."

"Yes. I'm satisfied that her death was an accident and a very tragic 
one at that. Yesterday, you and I have lost loved ones." Ed had 
taken her hand in both of his and patted it gently letting her know 
that there was no anger on his part. Nodding to her, he said, "If we 
can be of service to you, please call us."

"Yes, Dr. Biggers."

After saying goodbye to the woman, Ed led his entourage out of 
the coroner's office. Once in the hall, he turned to the threesome 
and asked, "Is there a quiet place where we can talk?"

Officer Tougas led them to a small interrogation room. Once 
inside, they seated themselves around the table. Ed looked at the 
smallish room with the mirror across the back wall. He had been 
on the other side of the mirror on an occasion or two. Ed broke the 
silence when he said, "I'm satisfied that Beth's death was an 
accident."

Norman Asmaro asked, "How can you be so sure of that after such 
a cursory investigation?"

Ed turned to stare directly at Norman, his gray eyes conveying an 
intensity that made the man catch his breath. Ed said, "I found no 
lies hiding a different kind of truth. All is as it appears to be."

"Okay." The man's voice shook when he answered. 

Venessa had watched the exchange and would have sworn that she 
saw a bolt of light flash from Ed to Norman. She shivered and 
asked, "Does that mean we are done?"

"No."

Shocked, Mike Tougas asked, "Why not?"

Licking his lips as he remembered the sight that he had seen from 
his window last night. Just remembering it was enough to sicken 
him. He answered, "There is another case that has to be solved 
first. After we leave here, I'm going to take all three of you to a 
building that just reeks of evil. I don't know what is going on in 
there, but I want to find out everything that I can about everyone in 
that building."

Special Agent Norman Asmaro, looking around the table, said, 
"You don't know what is going on inside and yet you say it reeks 
of evil."

"Exactly."

Special Agent Venessa Schally sat back with a concerned look on 
her face. After a minute of silence, she said, "We can't go 
investigate a business because someone says that the building is 
evil."

In a very soft voice, Ed answered, "You can when an individual 
who has helped capture four serial killers, brought down a white 
slavery ring, and took out organized crime says that there is a 
problem inside the building."

The reminder of his credentials silenced all discussion around the 
table. The news struck Officer Tougas like a slap across the face. 
His quick check on the guy hadn't hinted anything about that.

Sitting in the back of the limousine, Ed watched the surroundings 
as the driver traced a spiral path starting from the hotel at which he 
was staying. The problem was that Ed didn't know exactly where 
the building that he had seen was located. Seeing it from his hotel 
room didn't give him an address. Ed saw the driver glance at him 
in the mirror with a questioning look in his eye. It was clear to Ed 
that the driver thought he was crazy. 

When the limousine turned a corner, Ed saw the building. Waves 
of blackness rolled off the exterior striking him full force with the 
maliciousness of pure evil. His stomach heaved and his eyes 
blurred. Reaching for the door handle, he shouted, "Stop the car!"

The driver put on the brakes as Ed opened the door and tumbled 
out of the still moving car onto the street. Crawling to the side of 
the road, he started vomiting in response to the evil that he had just 
seen. As the others gathered around him, he pointed in the 
direction of the building and shouted, "There! That building!"

Looking in the direction that Ed was pointing, Venessa asked, 
"What? The old folks home?"

He reached into his shirt and brought out his medallion. Forcing 
himself to look at the sign in front of the building, Ed struggled to 
answer, "Yes. Now get me out of here before I pass out."

In disbelief, the driver and the law enforcement agents stood 
staring at Ed. It wasn't until Ed passed out holding onto his 
medallion that they realized he was serious. Believing this was a 
medical problem, they decided to take him to the hospital. The 
three almost tripped over themselves trying to get Ed into the car. 
Vanessa knelt on the floor of the limousine where Ed lay 
unconscious trying to determine what was wrong with him.

When the limousine pulled into the emergency entrance of the 
hospital, they were met by John Carter. He had been waiting for 
them in the drive to the emergency ward and stepped in front of the 
car as it pulled up forcing the driver to stop the car. Taking his 
time, John opened the door and climbed in the limousine. Without 
introduction other than holding up his badge, he said, "Take us to 
the nearest park."

Opening his eyes, Ed found a grotesquely fat man sitting across 
from him in the middle of a meadow. His lower lip hung down 
obscenely and flapped as he moved. In a voice that bordered on 
feminine, the Two-Sided One said, "I see that you have found the 
abomination."

"How can such a place exist?"

Slowly turning into a fat woman, the Two-Sided One answered, 
"There are many people in the world. Not all of them are good."

Ed lay back and looked up at the sky feeling his strength return. 
"Am I strong enough for this?"

Laughing at his uncertainty, the woman slapped her thigh causing 
the rolls of fat to jiggle. She answered, "Yes, you are strong 
enough for this."

Feeling recovered, Ed sat up and looked at the Two-Sided One. 
Afraid, he said, "I couldn't even look at it without getting sick. I 
don't know if I can do this."

A hint of anger flashed across the face of the woman as she turned 
back into a man. He asked, "Are you refusing this service?"

"No! I could never refuse such a service. I will die, if necessary, to 
rid the world of such a thing. It is just that I fear I will die before I 
can rid the world of that," answered Ed, indignant that his 
commitment would be questioned.

Stomach rolling as he laughed, the Two-Sided One answered, 
"You don't even know the nature of the abomination. Don't 
consider yourself dead, yet."

The observation gave Ed hope. "Thank you."

Reaching between his legs, the fat man started to fondle his cock 
with a negligent gesture. For five minutes he looked at Ed, eyes 
sad and lip quivering. Finally, he said, "We are sorry about your 
wife. It was her time."

Ed asked, "Could you have saved her?"

"Yes, but the alternative would have been far worse for her and for 
the rest of your family," replied the Two-Sided One. Adjusting his 
belly to give easier access to his cock, he watched as tears welled 
up in Ed's eyes.

After a minute, Ed said, "Thank you."

The fat man shifted. As the fat man stood, the fat sagged down 
towards the ground, his cock swelled, and his balls hung down 
between his thighs. His balls swung as he waddled out of the 
meadow. As he disappeared into the trees, he called out, "Get some 
mirrored sunglasses."

Ed jolted awake and sat up with a suddenness that surprised 
everyone gathered around him. Looking around, he spotted John's 
concerned face. Taking a deep breath, Ed looked to the others there 
and said, "I want to know everything there is to know about that 
nursing home. Who owns it, what else they own, and how long it 
has been open. Everything and I want it quick."

Raising an eyebrow at the lack of acknowledgement of his 
presence, John asked, "Are you okay?"

Putting his medallion back under his shirt, Ed looked up at John as 
he answered, "Yes, I am now. Thanks to the Two-Sided One."

Understanding that Ed had visited the Two-Sided One, John 
relaxed and knew that Ed would be okay. Holding out a hand, he 
helped Ed stand. Ed looked around the park, watching the little 
kids at play on the swings, slides, and teeter-totter. Mothers were 
seated on benches watching their children or reading books. The 
normality of the scene helped restore his sense of balance. His 
service to the Gods and Goddesses were for the sake of these kids. 
It was necessary to rid the world of evil that would prey upon 
them. 

Mike, after everything that had happened, was angry. He had 
assumed that Ed's behavior was a result of some illness rather than 
something brought on by what he had seen. He asked, "What in the 
hell is going on here?"

Vanessa and Norman seconded the question. To Ed, it was clear 
that they were frustrated by his inability to communicate what had 
happened. He said, "I'm sure that you think I pointed out to the 
building in the throes of some sort of delirium. It was the other 
way around. I was rendered ill by the building."

Mike shook his head ready to walk away from the whole thing. He 
asked, "And we are supposed to believe someone that jumps out of 
moving car?"

After glancing over at John, who nodded back at him, Ed said, "I 
can see and hear lies. That building that we saw today is one huge 
lie and I don't know the truth that it being hidden, but I know that 
building hides a lie."

Mike, fed up with everything, said, "I don't believe you."

It only took a ten minutes for Ed to convince Mike, Vanessa, and 
Norman that it was impossible for them to lie to him. He took each 
one off to a side and questioned them telling them to lie or tell the 
truth in response to his questions. Simple responses of true and 
false to their answers exposed the lies and verified the truth. Each 
person knew that he could probe them for their innermost secrets. 
By the time he was done, none of the three would ever question 
that gift again. 

As they returned to the limousine, John said, "Ling will not let you 
out of her sight if she hears about this."

With a snort of laughter, Ed said, "After this experience, that 
doesn't sound all that bad to me."

The entourage was getting frustrated by the discussions between 
Ed and John. They could interpret the words, but couldn't follow 
the meaning. In the limousine, Ed took charge of the group. "We 
are going to go to my hotel and lay out a strategy for the 
investigation. This needs to be considered extremely sensitive and 
no one is to know what you are working on. If you need 
information, get nine other things that are totally unrelated. If your 
supervisor asks you what you are working on, then tell them to talk 
to me."

Mike sat back and said, "I'm not a detective. I drive a police car on 
patrol giving out tickets, clearing up accidents, breaking up 
domestic disturbances and occasionally making an arrest. You got 
the wrong guy."

Smiling broadly, John said, "After working with Ed, you will be a 
detective."

Mike looked to Norman and Venessa for support. They both sat 
there looking out the window of the limousine wondering what 
was happening to them. Of the three, Norman was the most 
nervous of working with Ed. Ed had proven to him that he knew 
about a single homosexual affair that he had while in college. He 
turned to Ed and asked, "Do we have a choice?"

Surprised at the question, Ed answered, "Yes, you do. I can get 
someone to replace you with a single call. I will ask that you don't 
tell anyone about anything you've seen and heard today."

Quietly, John said, "Everyone that has ever worked with Ed has 
had a major boost in their career. Things do not make sense now, 
but when everything is over and all of the details are known, then 
you will be happy that you choose to work with him."

The driver dropped Ed, Mike, Norman, and Venessa at the hotel. 
Ed watched as the limousine drove off with John to return him to 
the hospital. Even as limousine pulled away, Ed knew that Ling 
would be showing up soon. Turning to Norman, he asked, "You 
train in martial arts?"

"Yes."

"Good, my wife will need a sparing partner while we are here," 
remarked Ed. 

At the front desk, Ed made arrangements for a room to be 
converted into a conference room with multiple telephones and 
Internet connectivity. As the details for the conversion were being 
worked out, Ling showed up in the lobby and headed directly for 
Ed. John had told her about his episode in front of the nursing 
home and that she was to support Ed during this investigation. In a 
way, she was excited to participate in one of their actions knowing 
that it was going to be a major effort. 

Noticing her arrival, Ed turned to her and said, "I want you to 
handle security for the room that we use as an office. Change the 
locks, install security cameras, and what ever else you feel will be 
of value."

Smiling at the chance to do the one thing that she was the best at, 
Ling replied, "Sure thing."

Norman looked at the diminutive Ling and asked, "Who is she?"

"My wife, our security specialist, and your new sparing partner."

With a quick glance at the large man, a disdainful Ling muttered, 
"He's too slow."

Catching the flash of anger that flew across the agent's face, Ed 
knew that the first match between the two would be interesting. 
Looking at the people gathered around him, Ed knew that this was 
going to be an interesting adventure. The next few hours were 
spent getting things organized.

Stepping into the hospital room, Ed looked down at Dr. Hayes 
examining his color and overall condition. The man looked much 
better than he had the day before. Dr. Hayes, glaring at Ed, spat, 
"Can't a man get any peace and quiet without one of you showing 
up?"

"How are you feeling?" asked Ed with concern evident in his 
voice. The private nurse was seated in the corner watching the 
exchange.

"Horrible."

Shaking his head at the blatant lie, Ed said, "Quit lying to me."

Dr. Hayes sagged in the bed. "I'm bored out of my mind. I'm stuck 
here unable to move and with nothing to do but watch that 
miserable television."

Sitting down in one of the visitor chairs, Ed asked, "So what are 
you going to do about it?"

"What in the hell can I do?" groused the elderly doctor.

Glancing over at the nurse, Ed said, "When John is in the hospital, 
he reads to children."

Dr. Hayes was silent as he thought about it. He remembered the 
discussion about John reading to burn victims. John, Kelly, and 
Ling had given him free reign to complain. Looking at Ed, he 
knew that Ed wasn't going to be like that. In response to the 
suggestion, he said, "I can't move, so how can I go there and read 
to them?"

"You're a smarter man than that," retorted Ed. The nurse shifted in 
her seat, watching the discussion with interest. For almost the 
whole day, she had sat there watching this group of people deal 
with the grumpy patient. 

"Okay, I'll read to kids," replied the old man. Frowning as though 
it was going to be an imposition, he added, "They'll have to bring 
them to me."

From the tone of voice, Ed knew that wasn't an option that would 
bring satisfaction to the elderly man. He suggested, "You have a 
lot of specialty knowledge. There are lots of families with loved 
ones that are ill. Perhaps they could use some help in coming to 
grips with the illness."

"That sounds better." The doctor lay in bed quiet as he thought 
about the suggestion. He looked over at Ed and asked, "Why are 
you guys here?"

"You have been injured and we are here to take care of you."

"I don't need your help!"

"Quit lying to me."

"Bah! You're impossible," spat out the old man. Talking to Ed 
stripped away all of his dignity. 

Turning away from the doctor, Ed looked over at the nurse. She 
was very large with a mole on her face from which black hairs 
sprouted. It was a cliché, but she reminded him of the comedies 
where they brought in the ugly nurse to take care of the patient. 
Smiling at her, Ed said, "I'm afraid that we haven't been 
introduced. I'm Ed."

"I'm Maggie Hopler."

"Pleased to meet you, Maggie. Has he been much of a problem?"

Dr. Hayes exploded, "Don't talk to her! She has all the gentleness 
of a badger."

"Quit lying to me," commanded Ed. Looking at the man squirming 
in the bed, he added, "You're upset that she has to help you crap 
and that you can't take care of yourself. Don't blame her for the 
fact that you've been injured."

Acting as though the doctor hadn't said a word, Maggie answered, 
"He's no different than any other doctor that finds himself as a 
patient."

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the doctor squirm. The 
reports that he had gotten on entering the hospital had been very 
disturbing. The doctor had been badgering the nurses on every 
opportunity and complaining about the meals. Ed said, "Don't 
worry. That shall change soon."

"What are you saying?" asked Dr. Hayes, concerned at what Ed 
had just implied.

"Be quiet, I wasn't talking to you," retorted Ed. Turning back to 
Maggie, he said, "I understand that his wife took care of his sponge 
bath this afternoon."

"Yes, she did and he was much better for quite a while. I think it 
was the treatment of his cock that made the difference."

The doctor blushed in embarrassment. Noticing the reaction of the 
doctor, Ed said, "From now on, you get to choose who gives him 
his sponge bath."

"You mean if he's good, his wife gets to bathe him?"

Looking over at the doctor, Ed smiled broadly, as the full 
implications of the conversation became clear to the elderly man. 
With a short nod, he answered, "Exactly."

"That's not fair!"

"It is very fair. If you go around trampling on people's feelings, 
you shall be deprived of a very nice experience."

"Don't make her my judge!"

"She's the best judge here. You have to learn to treat others with 
respect for the attention they provide you." Ed stood and left the 
room. His exit was accompanied by the yells of the doctor.

 


