“You bet your ass I’m surprised,” Joe said. “Frank never mentioned selling out to me. And Steve Scanlon never mentioned he was interested in buying. Besides, Scanlon runs a much smaller operation than Mayday. Wonder where his money came from?”
“Well, Mr. Serpe, the secrecy does make sense. Maybe Frank was reluctant to tell you because he might have thought you’d be worried for your job. And Mr. Scanlon might have kept it quiet so to avoid a competitive bid. As to where he got his money.”
Bullshit! “I guess that makes sense.”
“When was this sale completed?” Tina wondered.
“Just before Frank was… About ten days ago.”
Joe thought he had found his answer. “And the proceeds of the sale went-”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Serpe, but Frank didn’t sell the company for cash to pay off blackmailers. If anything, it was quite the opposite.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Tina was curious to know.
“About half the proceeds have been used to fully fund the kids’ college tuition accounts and to establish a trust fund for each child. Another quarter was used to satisfy the remaining mortgage on the house, time share, cars and to pay off any outstanding debts you may have had. And any day now, Tina, you should be receiving a bank check for the remainder of the funds, less our fees. You’ve been well provided for.”
Tina lapsed into a stunned silence.
“Was it a fair price?” Joe asked.
“More than fair. Now if there’s nothing else…”
“Just one more question.”
“Yes, Mr. Serpe, I live to serve,” the lawyer moaned.
“What was the name of the law firm that represented Steve Scanlon during the negotiations?”
“Watson, Medford, O’Donnell amp; Stahl. Lois will give you their contact info on the way out.”
“They a big firm?”
“Very.”
“Too big for a two-truck operation like Black Gold Fuel?” The lawyer kept his cool, but doubt turned down the corners of his mouth.
“I couldn’t say. My duty is to serve my client’s interests. If you have questions for Mr. Scanlon, I suggest you ask him.”
Mann stood to usher them out of his office. The question and answer period was now officially at end. To Tina he offered yet another apology for his past indiscretion and expressed the requisite sympathy for her plight. To Joe he offered nothing but an expression of relief at seeing him go. As he left the office, Joe reached back, knocking the golf trophy out of its niche.
“What’s the name?”
“Schwartz, Detective David Schwartz,” Rodriguez said. “What a surprise, a guy named David Schwartz in Brooklyn.”
“Yeah, it’s kinda like finding a donkey named Sean O’Brien in Galway.”
“Or a spic named Juan Rodriguez in the South Bronx.”
“Very funny, Healy.”
“So this Schwartz guy jammed up or what?”
“Nah. I did you a solid, for old times sake.”
“You wouldn’t do a favor for your own mother, Skip.”
“I did plenty for yours.”
“Did she thank you, at least?”
“I couldn’t tell, her mouth was always full.”
Healy was glad to let his old partner rip him, even at his late mother’s expense. It was an aspect of the job he really missed, the sort of strange comradery and affection expressed through the exchange of insults. Oddly enough, the only times he’d felt comfortable since Mary’s death were the rare opportunities he had to talk to Skip and the times he spent with Joe Serpe.
“So, this Schwartz, what’s his deal?”
“They tell me he’s the bomb. You want to know something about the Russians, he’s your boy.”
“Thanks, Skip. I owe you.”
“You bet your ass you owe me. Remember who you call if there’s a case here.”
“How could I forget?”
“These secrets, Donna, what are they about?”
“Cain made me promise not to tell.”
“That’s very loyal of you, because I can tell how hard it’s been for you to keep them. You were a good friend to Cain. The best friend.”
“He loved Frank more.”
“But how about you, Donna? How did you feel about Cain?” Donna flushed red, turning away. That was answer enough. “There are some promises we keep forever,” Marla said. “There are some we can tell when people die.”
“But Cain didn’t tell me what kind of promise.”
“When people tell us secrets, it means they trust us.”
“I know that.”
“It also means they trust us enough to know when to tell.”
“I guess.”
“If it would help find the people who hurt Cain, then you should tell.”
“What if it was about Frank doing bad things?” Donna asked. “Cain didn’t tell anybody but me, because he didn’t want to get Frank in trouble.”
Silent alarms went off in Marla’s head. Confidentiality rules were very murky when it came to the mentally impaired. As important as Joe had become to her and as much as she wanted to help solve Cain’s murder, she would not sacrifice her career. She loved her work and the people with whom she worked. On the other hand, she didn’t want to waste days begging written permission from Donna’s legal guardian.
“Do you remember Joe from the oil company?”
“I’m mad at him.”
“Why?”
“Because he hurt Cain’s feelings. He made Frank take him off his truck.”
“I know that Joe feels bad about that, Donna. He-”
“He’s a liar.”
“Joe?”
“He promised to protect Cain from Mr. French.”
“Sometimes people make promises they want to keep and can’t. You know that Joe used to be a policeman, right?”
“Cain told everybody. It made me crazy how much he told me that.”
“Joe wants to find out who hurt Cain. I’m helping him and another policeman is helping him. You could help too.”
“I could?”
“I know you could.”
“How?’
“By holding onto Cain’s secrets for just a little while longer.”
Friday Evening, March 5th, 2004
