Part 13 (2/2)
”The amazing thing,” I say, ”is that you happened to show up in the same place and at the same time as Marcus and I. Talk about a small world...”
”Amazing,” she admits.
”What exactly were you doing here?”
”I wasn't sure Marcus was covering you, so I figured I'd watch your back, just in case.”
I could give Laurie grief about being here, but I won't. She was here to protect me, to make sure nothing bad happened. It turned out she wasn't needed, but she could have been. Besides, no matter how much grief I might give her, she'd still do it again in the same circ.u.mstances-not that she'll have the chance, since she'll be back in Wisconsin in three days.
”How long will Marcus need?” I ask.
”I wouldn't think very long.”
We start walking back across the baseball field. ”So this is the scene of your greatest imaginary athletic accomplishments?” she asks.
”Yup,” I say. ”Right over there is where I didn't hit the game-winning home run against Clifton. And the very spot we're standing on is where I didn't make a diving catch to beat Garfield.”
”You must be very proud.”
I nod. ”I am. But as great as those fake moments were, I never dreamed that one day I'd be back here with a big ugly guy facedown and bleeding on the hood of my car, with my girlfriend here to protect me. You can't see it in the dark, but my eyes are filled with tears.”
We head back to the car, and Laurie wisely calls out so that Marcus will know it's us. Suddenly the lights go on in the car, and we can see that Marcus has turned them on. Winds.h.i.+eld Man is sitting on the curb, in front of the car. The headlights are s.h.i.+ning right at him, but he doesn't seem to notice.
He looks thoroughly dejected and defeated. Marcus can do that to you.
Laurie asks Marcus to bring us up to date on what he has learned. Bringing up to date is not Marcus's strong point; he's not the most communicative guy in the world. But Laurie is better at drawing him out than I am, and before I know it, one- and two-syllable words are pouring out of him.
Winds.h.i.+eld Man is a low-level member of the Dominic Petrone organization. Petrone is a charming, intelligent man who just happens to control the most powerful crime family in New Jersey. I have had dealings with Petrone in the past; we have even helped each other on a number of occasions. It is not something I've been comfortable with, mainly because there's always a chance that he will get annoyed and have me killed.
Winds.h.i.+eld Man has been a.s.signed to keep an eye on me and report back on my actions. Marcus is positive that he was not sent to do me harm, and Marcus's instincts in the area of doing harm are usually quite accurate.
This conversation is conducted within earshot of Winds.h.i.+eld Man, who seems to show no interest in it at all. He perks up a bit when Marcus inquires what I would like to do with him. The way he asks the question, I a.s.sume my options range from letting him go to dumping his dismembered body in the river.
I opt for letting him go, after Marcus and Laurie a.s.sure me that he will not go back and accurately report what has happened to his mob bosses. To do so would not be good for his job security, or his life expectancy.
We send Winds.h.i.+eld Man walking off into the darkness. ”I'm gonna miss his wit,” I say. Laurie and I get into the car to leave, and Marcus declines a ride. I have no idea how he got here, but he's clearly going back the same way.
It's only a five-minute ride home, and Laurie and I talk about the situation while taking Tara and Reggie for their nightly walk.
”The list of things I don't understand keeps getting longer,” I say.
”What do you mean?”
”Well, for instance, let's a.s.sume Petrone sent someone to kill me on the highway. Why would he then have Winds.h.i.+eld Man just watching me? What have I done in the last two weeks that could have changed Petrone's mind about killing me?”
”I don't think you can make that a.s.sumption. Maybe it wasn't Petrone who sent the shooter on the highway,” she says.
”You think there are other crime bosses out there sending hoods out after me? Maybe there's a compet.i.tion to see who can kill me first.”
She shrugs. ”I don't know. But while it's obvious that Petrone has an interest in this, he clearly isn't the only one.”
”Keep going...,” I prompt.
”Well, there's whoever planted the tap on your phone. Whether it's some secret government agency or just someone with access to their equipment, it wasn't Petrone. And don't forget, there is also the person who murdered Stacy Harriman.”
”That could be Petrone,” I say.
She shakes her head. ”I don't think so-it's not his style.”
”To set it up to look like a murder-suicide? If he was doing it so that he could get Richard out of the way, so he could smuggle something into the country, that was the best way for him. He left no reason for anyone to suspect it had to do with Richard's job.”
”I understand that,” she says. ”But it falls apart with the pills-or the injection. Doing it that way was leaving it to chance. Petrone would have set it up to look like Richard put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. It removes the chance of survival.”
It's a good point, and one I hadn't thought of. ”So how do I find out what interest Petrone has in this?”
”You could ask him,” she says.
Yes, I could.
VINCE S SANDERS KNOWS pretty much every person in America. pretty much every person in America.
And those he doesn't know, he can get to. He has a Rolodex slightly larger than Poland. It has always struck me as an incongruity that a person as disagreeable as Vince would connect himself to humanity in this fas.h.i.+on, but I've come to believe he wants to be able to genuinely dislike as many people as possible.
Vince has always had a relations.h.i.+p with Petrone, and he has occasionally served as a conduit between me and the crime boss. Now that I have decided to confront Petrone and question him about his connection to the Evans case, my logical move is to contact Vince and ask him to set it up.
”Why should I?” he asks.
”What do you mean, why should you?”
”Which part of the question didn't you understand? Why should I get you in to see Petrone?”
”Because we're friends and because it's important to me.”
”You want to try again?” he asks.
”Because it's in connection with the Evans case, and if a big story comes out of it, you'll be the first to get it.”
”Always happy to help a friend,” he says. ”You got a tuxedo?”
”I do.”
”Then put it on; I'll pick you up at seven o'clock tonight.”
I'm not understanding this. ”I need to wear a tuxedo to meet with Dominic Petrone?”
”Tonight you do. Read my newspaper.”
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