“Because I like. Is nice house for me.”
“You never earned enough money at Haig’s to buy this house.”
Siwecki shifted uneasily then smiled. “I win money on horses. I save it up for when I retire.”
“Why do you get money from Mr. Oakes?”
Siwecki growled. “Who are you, mister?” And he stood up, his face contorted with anger, his big hands closing and opening.
“I’ve told you, Mr. Siwecki. I’m from Washington. Please sit down.”
Siwecki clenched a massive fist and held it aggressively. Nolan didn’t move.
“Mr. Siwecki, it looks to me as if you are likely to be charged with a number of serious offences. I suggest you don’t make things worse for yourself.”
“I told you. I told you they’d bring us to trouble.”
Neither of them had noticed the woman come into the room and her voice surprised them both. Siwecki turned aggressively towards her. He spoke angrily in Polish, and the woman spat back at him, her eyes flashing. She slammed the door as she went. Siwecki turned back to look at Nolan.
“What is it you want, mister?”
“Who paid you to fix the strike?”
Siwecki’s face looked as it must have looked a hundred times as he negotiated with some recalcitrant employer.
“Who are you from, mister?”
“I told you. I’m from Washington.”
“Is many people in Washington. Who are you?”
“My name is Nolan, Mr. Siwecki. I already told you. I am investigating the strike at Haig Electronics. You were the union negotiator.”
“So what is that you investigate. It happened. It is finished years ago.”
“I believe that it is possible that the strike was contrived in order to influence the election of a State Governor. And as you know, Mr. Siwecki, that is a very serious offence. If you were a party to this you could be charged on many counts, including the 1925 Corrupt Practises Act.”
Siwecki looked at Nolan’s face speculatively. Then he said in a whisper, “How you know about this thing?”
“It’s my job, Mr. Siwecki. I’m an investigator.”
“So you ask I give you information to incriminate myself ?”
“If you testified, Mr. Siwecki, you would be protected.”
“And if I not tell you?”
“Then sooner or later you’ll go to jail, Mr. Siwecki, if you are guilty.”
Siwecki looked at him, as if he might read some solution in Nolan’s face.
“Maybe they kill you first, Mr. Nolan.”
“Who might do that?”
The dark eyes looked at him shrewdly. “If you know these things then you know which peoples I mean.”
“You’d better tell me, Mr. Siwecki. If any more crimes were committed in connection with this business you would be an accessory to those crimes, too.”
The old man put his head in his hands, rocking from side to side, moaning softly. Nolan knew that Siwecki was really frightened now.
“I will arrange for you and your family to be protected, Mr. Siwecki.”
The old man looked up at him. “You want a name, or what?”
“Who gave you the orders?”
“Andy Dempsey.”
“And who paid you?”
“He did.”
“How much?”
“Twenty grand for the union, and five for me.”
“Did he say why it had to be done?”
Siwecki looked at him with a twisted smile. “They didn’t need to tell me, comrade. It was put up for Powell.”
“D’you think Powell knew?”
“I don’t think he did at the beginning. He didn’t talk like he did. But in the end I think he knew, but he didn’t say anything.”
“Was Dempsey the top man?”
Siwecki looked towards the door as if he feared another intrusion. Then he looked back at Nolan.
“Are you FBI?”
“No. D’you want to talk?”
“Not to a mystery man.”
Nolan pulled out his CIA ID card and showed it to Siwecki who leaned forward and read it carefully, scrutinizing the words and the photograph. He looked up at Nolan.
“Can you give me a deal if I tell you more?”
“Are you a Party member, Siwecki?”
“Yeah.”
“Is Dempsey?”
“Yeah.”
“Oakes?”
“No, but they got something on him. He fixes things they want, for money.”
“Will you testify to this?”
“Jesus. They’d kill me.”
“You’ll get protection from the FBI and my people.”
“Mister. They got people everywhere. I’d wanna go somewhere else outside this country.”
“We’ll see what we can do, but you’ll testify, yes?”
“OK.”
“Will you swear a deposition tonight?”
Siwecki shrugged. “If you want.”
Nolan walked into the hallway and opened the telephone directory to look up Gary Baker’s number. With his finger against Baker’s name he dialled. There was no answer. He hesitated and then checked the number against Angelo M. He dialled and a soft voice answered immediately.
“Yes.”
“Are you alone, Maria?”
“Sure I’m alone.”
“It’s Nolan. I’m trying to contact Gary urgently. There’s no answer from his home number. Have you any idea where he’ll be?”
There was silence at the other end. Then she said, “He could be at the office but he wouldn’t answer the phone.”
“Thanks, Maria. See you.”
“Tonight?”
“Maybe. We’ll see. I’m still working.”
He hung up and went back to Siwecki who was talking to his wife.
“Mr. Siwecki. I’m going downtown to the DA’s office and one of his men will come back here to take your statement. He’ll identify himself properly. You stay here quietly with your wife and wait for him. He’ll be here within the hour. When he’s finished I shall come back for you both and take you to a guarded house just outside of town, OK?”
Siwecki shrugged helplessly. “OK, mister.”
The swing doors crashed behind Nolan as he hurried up the corridor. There was a light on in the last office in the DA’s section and Nolan walked in.
Gary Baker was dictating to a middle-aged woman and he turned, still speaking, to see who had come in.
“… and police officer Hagerty confirms that the accused was dead … Nolan. What’s going on?”
“Gary, I need you to take a deposition from a guy named Siwecki. It’s more than just important, and it’s more than urgent.”
“Is he outside?”
“No. It’ll have to be done at his home.”
“Why not here?”
“I don’t want a defence to be that he was harassed or pressured late at night in circumstances that could frighten him or influence him.”
Baker stood up and lifted his jacket from the back of the chair.
“Miss
