Callahan hesitated for several moments. He was in a tight spot. To tell Raines about the recording was
to admit that there was an illegal tape in Tagliani?s house.
“I?m sorry, sir,” Callahan said, firmly but pleasantly, “1 can?t tell you that. Not right now. The thing
is, it worked as a double. He lost so big Sunday, his odds were way up for today?s race.”
“He went off at about fifteen to one,” Raines said. He took another sip of brandy but his dark eyes
never left Callahan?s face.
“That?s right, but he was posting $33.05 until a few minutes before post time. According to your man
at the hundred-dollar window, a bundle was laid off on him just before the bell and his odds dipped to
$26.00 and change.”
“Do you know who placed the bundle?” Raines asked.
Callahan shook his head. “It was several people, spread across both windows.”
“Who was responsible?”
“Could?ve been anybody from the groom to the owner. Thing is, sir, we can?t prove any of this.
Except we know the loss on Sunday was fixed.”
“We can prove the horse was dosed with Butes,” Raines said angrily.
“Yeah,” said Callahan, “except it isn?t against the law in this state.”
“Well, it?s going to be,” stormed Raines. “I?ve always been against the use of Butazolidin on any
horse up to forty-eight hours before a race. I know horses, Callahan.”
“I know that,” the big man answered.
“But I don?t know the kind of people that fix horse races and you do. I need some proof to use on
Thibideau so this won?t happen again.”
I decided to break in at this point. Callahan was playing it too close to the vest.
“Mr. Raines, Pancho here?s reluctant to discuss this because it involves some illegal evidencegathering. I trust you?ll keep this confidential, but the fact is, we know the race was fixed, but we are
powerless to say anything about it. The proof is on a tape which is non-admissible.”
He stared at both of us for a few moments, toyed with a pipe on his desk, finally scratched his chin
with the stem.
“Can you tell me who was involved?”
“A man named Tagliani,” I said. If he knew the name, he had either forgotten it or was one of the
better actors I had ever seen in action. There was not a hint of recognition.
“I don?t think I?m familiar with—”
“How about Frank Turner?” I said. “That?s the name he was using here.”
I could see Callahan?s startled look from the side of my eye but I ignored it.
The question brought a verbal response from Raines.
