shot this Morrissey fellow.”
“He was going to shoot me,” Henry said simply.
I tried again. “Do you know why your brother might want Henry dead?”
Wellington looked at me. The steel returned to his eyes. “That question presupposes that he does.”
“Aren’t you curious?”
Wellington finally uncrossed his arms. He turned away and wandered to the window where he stood looking at the bay that lay shining in the morning sun. From there, he could see Sleeping Giant and, in its shadow, Manitou Island.
“Since my brother stepped down as head of Northern Mining, I’ve tried very hard not to be curious about his activities. It’s pointless, for one thing. Hank behaves as he behaves. That’s all there is to it.”
“For one thing?”
He faced us and looked resigned. “He’s brilliant, Mr. O’Connor. But when Roslyn died-that was his wife-when she died, he had a bit of a crack-up. It was a rough time for him. He wanted to step back from everything. The company, the public, even from his own family. I tried to talk him out of it. We all did. His children, me, his friends. But with Hank, once he’s made up his mind, that’s pretty much all she wrote.
“He concocted this scheme, having an actor step in for him, to divert the eye of the media, and he slipped away to the solitude he desired. I believe that at first he thought it would be a short-term situation, just until he felt able to deal with life again. But he found the isolation to his liking. So far as I know, he’s not planning to come back into the world anytime soon.”
“What’s your part in the charade?”
“I have no part except to keep Hank’s behavior as separate from the name of Northern Mining as possible.”
“You have nothing to do with the men who live on the island?”
“Benning and Dougherty? No, Hank hired them when he hired the Ellsworth fellow. I have no part in any of it. Except that sometimes, as when you showed up the other day, I pass requests along to him, but that’s all. Hank takes it from there.”
“I’m still having trouble with Morrissey.”
“I really don’t know anything about him. From what I understand, Hank knew Morrissey from the guide work the man sometimes did. It’s rough country where my brother is, Mr. O’Connor. There are a lot of people who are capable of the kind of behavior this Morrissey displayed.”
“Where is he?”
“I won’t tell you that. It’s Hank’s decision.”
“You’ll let him know I want to see him?”
“I’ll do that.”
“You don’t have much time before I go to the police and everything comes out.”
“From what you’ve told me, it’s all going to come out anyway. What does it matter about the time?”
“One attempt was already made on Henry Meloux’s life. I want answers before anybody else gets hurt. You still have my cell phone number?”
He didn’t answer. He looked pained, as if his stomach had knotted suddenly. Finally he said, “You talk about people being hurt. I care very much about my brother. What he’s gone through, what he continues to struggle with, isn’t easy. I’d prefer that his solitude be respected, but that’s a choice he’ll have to make. If it were up to me, I’d have you tossed out of Canada.”
“You have my cell phone number?” I said again.
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll expect to hear from your brother.”
He looked at me, unhappy and probably angry, and he looked at Meloux. We turned away and left his office.
In the elevator, Meloux said, “That is a man at war.”
“With us?”
“It spills out at us, but it is something else, I think.”
“He’s going to have his hands full when the truth of all this comes out. Northern Mining and Manufacturing will have to perform some pretty amazing magic to give any of it a good spin.”
Pollard and Schanno were drinking coffee in the front-porch swing when I pulled into the driveway. They looked comfortable together.
As we mounted the steps, Schanno asked, “How’d it go?”
“We’ll have to see. Wellington promised to talk to his brother, but he couldn’t guarantee anything. Hank Wellington makes his own decisions.”
“Hank?”
“What his brother called him.”
“I need a drink of water,” Meloux said and went inside.
“How’s he doing?” Trinky asked, her voice low and full of concern.
“Okay, I guess. We learned a little more about his son.” I explained what Rupert had told me about his brother and the Manitou Island setup. “What did you find out about the number Ellsworth gave you?”
“An answering service,” Trinky Pollard said. “Ellsworth leaves a message, the service notifies the account owner, who accesses the message. I’d need a court order to go any deeper. But I did find out that Entertaintec, which pays for Ellsworth’s services, is a subsidiary of Larchmont Productions, which is owned by Henry Wellington.”
“All roads continue to lead to Rome,” I said.
“Wherever that is in Canada.” Schanno shook his head.
“Any coffee left?” I asked.
“Half a pot,” Pollard said. “Help yourself.”
I’d turned toward the front door when my cell phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket. It was Jo.
“Hi, sweetheart,” I answered.
“You’re alive.”
“And kicking.”
“I’d hoped to hear from you.”
“Sorry. It’s been busy up here.”
“How’s it going?”
“Closing in, I hope. I’m waiting for a call from Henry Wellington, so as much as I love talking to you, I need to keep the line open. How’re things on the home front?”
“You mean Jenny?”
“She’s at the top of my list of concerns.”
“She’s doing remarkably well. She’s strong, Cork.”
“She’ll need to be. How’s everyone else?”
“Annie’s working her rear end off at Sam’s Place. And Stevie’s in seventh heaven with Walleye around. Cork, we really need to consider getting him a dog.”
“We’ll talk when I’m home,” I said, aware that I was putting it off again. “I need to keep this line open.”
“Sure. You take care of yourself. And Meloux.”
“I’m on it.”
I poured myself some coffee. Meloux was at the kitchen sink, drinking water from a plastic tumbler. We headed back outside together.
“What now?” Schanno asked.
“Nothing to do but wait,” I said.
We didn’t have to wait long. In twenty minutes, my cell phone chirped. I answered and recognized the voice, the same one that, on my first visit to Thunder Bay, had given me the instructions that got me to Manitou Island.
“I’ll see you, Mr. O’Connor,” Henry Wellington said.
“When?”
“As soon as you can get here.”
