Think fast, Adam. “Let me contact someone I know and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“”I wouldn’t leave it too long if I was you. They must be getting a bit concerned to’ve hit on Ben already when the appeal hasn’t even been approved.”
“Does anyone else know what you did? Have you discussed it with anybody?”
Simon shook his head and Adam nodded.
“Right. Take care, I’ll be back.”
Adam made his way out of the prison and churned things over in his mind as he headed to his car. He slid into the driver’s seat and picked up his phone, calling the only person from his past who would be capable of giving him what he wanted.
“Not sure what you want me to do with this, Adam.”
“Jeremy, we both know how the underworld gangs work. It may have been a couple of years since I stood up in court, but I’ve seen the carnage those guys leave behind and so have you. I’m giving you guys the chance to lock away some serious bad guys here.” He paused and when he decided how much information he wanted to share, he spoke again. “I have someone who was involved, in a minor way only you understand, with a fraud case and I’m finding it a bit hard to believe this is all a coincidence with the lawyers who is handling the retrial application being threatened and run off the road. I don’t know how it fits in yet, but his daughter lost her restaurant to an ex-husband. She’s also been threatened, and I know there’s more to this. Simon won’t speak to me until he knows his family is safe. Now do you want in on this or not?”
“What do you need from me?”
Adam tapped his fingers on the steering wheel of his car, keeping an eye on the surrounding area. He had one more stop to make before he headed back home to make sure Lena and the family were okay. “I want you to pick up his wife and kids, keep them in a safe house well away from Sydney.”
“Give me the name.”
Adam paused for a second and told him.
There was a sigh over the line. “Do you have any idea of what you’re getting into here, Adam?”
“No but I’m pretty sure you’ll tell me sooner or later.”
“We’ve had our eyes on them anyway off and on over the years since he was jailed. I know he was involved more than he was saying and it stank from the get go, but there wasn’t much we could do about it without him. Look, we know he took the rap for your ex.”
Why the hell am I the last to know? Adam sucked in a breath.
“Yeah, didn’t know we knew about that one, did you? Your old man thought he did a fast move on that, but it goes deeper than you even want to know. I’ll have the family picked up and move her husband as well. Once that’s done I’ll let you know.”
If that’s the only way is going to happen. “I appreciate it. I’ll keep you in the loop as much as I can.”
“No, Adam, you won’t ‘keep me in the loop,’ as you put it. I’ll be at that interview with Simon whether you like it or not. He’s refused to talk to us ever since he was picked up and we understood that because of the repercussions, but if he’s going to spill his guts to you, I will be there every step of the way. Are we clear on that?”
“Yes, very. Call me as soon as you can. I have to make sure Ben and Lena are safe.” He hung up and ran an unsteady hand through his hair. This had escalated faster than he could have imagined. One more stop to make. On the way to his father’s house, he ran the facts as he knew them through his mind, hoping the judge would clarify things for him.
He was in the study when Adam arrived. “I told you it was more than you probably wanted to know.” His father looked up from his chair by the fire. “Now do you understand why I wanted you out of it? Your pretty Chinese girlfriend had friends in places that you never want to go.”
“You should have told me.” Adam stepped over to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a small shot of Glenfiddich into a crystal tumbler. He ignored the soda and tossed it back in one gulp. This isn’t going to help.
“Hah, as if you would have believed me. Even now you don’t want to, it’s clear in your eyes.”
No, I don’t. “So what did Simon have to do with it?” He stood watching his father, still bitter about what had happened, but with slightly more understanding.
“He introduced her to the company, that is true. But his biggest crime was trying to cover up what she was doing instead of handing her over. Money laundering is a serious business, Adam. How convenient that she worked at the same bank and found someone to take the fall for her. Simon didn’t know what hit him. I pegged it for a set up from the start. It was all I could do to make sure you were safe.” He looked into the flames, watching them lick the timber logs. “I knew what would happen to all of us if they knew I figured it out, so it was safer all round to let him take the fall for it. At least that way his family was alive to see another day.”
“Does he know what you know?” He acknowledge a certain amount of respect for his father.
“Yes. It was the only thing I could do for him.
