King 8
Zarra didn't drop off the face of the planet. In fact, he didn't even move out of Paterson. But he did abandon his family, taking up residence with the local eccentric that had helped Hutchenson achieve success.
Creeley Jackson, born July 17, 1928 in what was not yet known as Paterson General Hospital, went through local schools, attended the local community college, but never really got the degrees that allowed him to take his place among the educated elite of the city.
"He always scrounged around," Hutchenson told me during our interview. "He liked the roots of things and spent a great deal of time digging through dusty volumes at the libraries here in the city and up on at the hill at William Paterson College. He was possessed with knowing everything there was to know about every part of Paterson's history, going back as far as written records went, and when he expired those, he sought out whatever folk tales he could get from the Native American tribes, often traveling to the archives in Newark."
Hutchenson said Jackson had everything necessary for a first class historian except the degrees and the social skills.
"He was blunt to a fault and offended most people who came into contact with him," Hutchenson said. "I tolerated him because I saw all he had to offer and knew that I could exploit it. We're being brutally honest here, since I owe him and by default owe Maxwell Zarra something because Creeley was so fond of the boy."
"Fond in what way?"
"In the wrong way, but also he felt sincerely fond of the boy," Hutchenson said. "Creeley's sexual exploits are a matter of public record, I'm sure."
"Only a few charges here and there," I said. "No one ever brought them to fruition."
"Those were different times," Hutchenson said. "People feared scandal, and would rather allow a child abuser to remain in the community than to admit their child was a victim. There are rumors that he abused his own son, something that caused his marriage to break up."
"When was that?"
"Sometime in the late 1950s," Hutchenson said. "I can't give you a more precise date than that."
Court records showed the uncontested divorce granted on Sept. 15, 1960. Court records also showed a change of Jackson's son's name, apparently an inspiration by the wife, Maribeth, who refused to allow the boy to bear the burden of the father's guilt. So on Nov. 2, 1960, the court officially make Puck Jackson, Puck Fetterland.
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"Did Zarra know that Jackson was Fetterland's father when he moved in?" I asked .
"Apparently not," Hutchenson said.
"How the hell did the two of them hook up?"
"After Maxwell's acquittal, he left his family's house."
"They let him?"
"They couldn't stop him. They were scared to anger him. He apparently had never forgiven them for leaving him in the jail, and for a host of other things, such selling off most of his Uncle Charles' possessions, including the car. Maxwell managed to gab his uncle's guitar and some letters the man had written home from Vietnam, but all else was lost to him, and he became bitter about it."
"So where did he live?"
"He didn't live anywhere for a while, sleeping in box cars or wherever else he could during that first winter. Apparently, he spent some time at the Great Falls park, sleeping near Hinchcliff Stadium. That's where Creeley found him."
"What was Creeley doing there?"
"He worked for the city."
"As what?"
"At first, as a maintenance person. I had arranged for the job, knowing perfectly well he would not perform well in that capacity. But I felt guilty, I suppose, for using his research. We had shared the same office at the college, until Creeley's habits forced the administration to let him go."
"Sexual?"
"Not so much that as his completely radical opinions. He had theories of history that did not sit well with the modern educational process."
"Such as what?"
"Such as his belief in witchcraft."
"What?"
"He claimed he was a warlock and actively practiced his faith."
"You mean performing sacrifices and such?"
"No, he was more fundamental than that, and engaged in more historic wicca and Native American rituals. But he refused to claim it was research when the Administration confronted him. With so many conservative values at the college at the time, the board believed him a Satan worshiper and he did nothing to dissuade them from the belief. He also engaged in ritual use of cannibals, and other drugs, which he flatly refused to relinquish."
"So these habits outweighed his intellectual accomplishments?"
Hutchenson let out a long sigh. "As I told you previously, Creeley did not seek credit for his work. If anything, he preferred to work without notoriety, and allowed me to publish some of his findings. For him, the ideas were more important than the credit."
"So you received the attention, he should have received?"
"Yes, and various posts that went along with it. I used his material to achieve higher positions in this college and several other local universities and achieved additional degrees -- even eventually received my Ph.D. based on his research."
"So when he got fired, you were in a bad position?"
Hutchenson stared across the desk at me, cringing a little as my statement uncovered a more fundamental reason for his maintaining contact with the discredited Jackson.
"Yes, I needed him to continue his research," Hutchenson admitted. "That's why I have him money and supplied him with the necessary tools. And after I was elected to the city council, I exerted influence to get him a job, even though I knew he would not do it well. Later when federal SETA money became available, I arranged for Creeley to serve as the official tour guide for the Great Falls district, a function that he was not only qualified for, but also deeply enjoyed."
"So at some point in 1968, Jackson found Zarra at the Falls?"
"It must have been late in the year," Hutchenson said. "I remember getting the call from Creeley asking me for money to buy the boy clothing. I remember having great concerns over the fact that Creeley had taken in the boy."
"You took it for one of his sexual exploits?"
"Yes, but I was wrong about that," Hutchenson said. "While I'm still not certain whether or not Creeley acted against his own son, I'm almost positive he never made a move on Maxwell."
"Because he feared his ability in the marital arts?"
"No, there was a great affinity between the two I could never explain," Hutchenson said. "Creeley educated Maxwell, and made go back to school, even take up classes at the college. It was as if Creeley had found the son that he had always wanted, an intelligent, thoughtful boy as opposed to the son he actually bore."
"Then he talked to you about Fetterland?"
"Not significantly."
"Because he knew about your connection to Fetterland?"
"No, I kept that as secret."
"Surely, Zarra must have told Jackson about the night he and Fetterland came to your home."
"I don't think Maxwell remembered me from that night when I drove them to the mountain. He was too high at the time and fearful about something that had happened. I was also careful not to allude to the night in any way during my visits to the loft."
"The loft?"
"Creeley had a loft over a furniture store on Main Street."
"That same one Zarra lives in?"
"Yes, Creeley left it to Maxwell when he moved out of the city in the early 1980s."
"And why did he move if he had so much here in Paterson and you needed his research so much?"
Hutchenson took a deep breath. His eyes registered another painful score.
"Creeley's research became less and less useful as the years went on," Hutchenson said. "His interest grew less historical than mystical, and so our interests parted."
"But you kept him employed?"
"Until the federal government revoked the SETA funds, and I would have found another way to fund his position, except..."
"Except for what?"
"Fetterland found out and threatened to kill me if I did Creeley any more favors."
"He hated Jackson that much?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't he kill Jackson then?"
"I've pondered that point for years," Hutchenson said, looking legitimately puzzled. "I kept coming back to the idea Puck was afraid to go after Creeley directly."
"Afraid? Why?"
"Of Maxwell," Hutchenson said. "Considering what occurred at the falls the other night, maybe he had a right to be."
"What about Zarra? What did he do all that time besides shelter under the old man's wing?"
"Nothing significant," Hutchenson said. "He was intelligent, but not intellectual. He sought out the arts rather than study. I know he maintained his martial arts skills, practicing at a local center twice a week. He also participated in the local arts scene when it existed, reading poetry and playing his guitar. Some of his music is very interesting, although not particularly fitting in with my tastes."
"What did he do for a living?"
"He had an assortment of jobs that I can recall, all menial labor. I remembered he worked constructing furniture at one factory, and then as a shipping clerk at a candy company. He worked several warehouses for a time, before ending up at the eatery on Main Street. He had dreams of taking his music to Nashville, and told me numerous times that he was saving money as a `grub stake' for when he went there."
"When was the last time you spoke with Zarra?"
"A year or so ago," Hutchenson said. "After he took in a roommate."
"You mean Jack Shaw?"
"Yes. Maxwell wanted to know if it was a good idea to take a roommate in like that."
"And what did you say?"
"I asked him about the man's background."
"And he told you?"
"Maxwell didn't know much which bothered me. This Shaw had apparently drifted into Maxwell's life the way Maxwell had into Creeley's, and Maxwell was just superstitious enough to believe it was an omen. You see he found this Shaw character wandering around the Falls. I advised against the move, but Maxwell -- being as stubborn as he is -- did what he wanted. I suspect this helped get him into the trouble he's currently in."
"How do you figure that?"
"Well, considering everything I've read in the newspapers about what transpired with those two..."
"Let's leave the newspapers out of this for the moment," I said. "You must have had some other warning or concerns about Zarra towards the end."
"Of course," Hutchenson said. "Maxwell seemed to be delving into dark areas."
"Such as what? Magic?"
"No, I would have been more comfortable with such a case. For all of Creeley's bad intellectual habits, he rarely encountered real danger in delving into wicca and witchcraft. No, the boy had this mistaken belief in the purity of the underworld -- that art could find truth in marginal people. So he often visited strip clubs and wandered the city, talking to prostitutes and pimps. I warned him against such foolishness, but he believed no one would actually hurt him."
"Do you mean because he was so efficient at martial arts?"
"No," Hutchenson laughed. "I don't think he understood just how lethal he was in that regard. He certainly never saw himself as tough. No, he believed no one would think to hurt him. Can you believe such a naive attitude from a boy who had seen so much and spent so much time on the streets of Paterson?"
"It does seem a bit of a stretch," I admitted.
"A psychologist might say Maxwell was in denial," Hutchenson said. "But I don't believe that. I sincerely believe Maxwell is one of the true innocents of this world -- which explains to me how he got mixed up with that stripper in the first place."
"And what do you know of her?"
"Only what I read in the newspapers," Hutchenson said. "The newspapers told me everything I needed to know. She seduced Maxwell. She's the reason Maxwell faces murder charges now."
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