The Guardian (31 page)

“Garbage dumping?”

“Garbage and worse. I expect they’re going to find he would’ve made money fourteen ways to Sunday, from the construction of the docks, to legit shipping, to dumping the stuff that’ll turn the fish colors that Mother Nature didn’t intend. Maybe even some high-volume drug running. We’re talking millions of dollars. It’s looking likely that the company that owned that factory that Jeffers was squatting in and that employed both him and Teague as welders is going to turn up as one of Geiler’s holdings. It’ll take months, maybe years, to pull it all together. The thing is, your place was a good choice for him—nice deep harbor, easy access, but still secluded. Positioned well for roads and industry, and zoning. I figure it was the place he wanted and he was used to getting what he wanted. Who was one little family to stand in his way? The fact that you were going to subdivide would’ve complicated everything and made him jump.”

Byrne looked over at Ross. “Which came first? Your refusal to sell the place to Geiler’s lawyer or Teague’s attack?”

Ross nodded. “The refusal. Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. If I was dead, it would’ve all been left to Greg, and then there would’ve just been one person to convince to sell. It seems we’ve been under assault for that place for a while now; we just didn’t know it. Including Allie’s relationship with me—nothing more than another reason to convince me to sell—money to start a new future.”

The sun was rising as they reached Watertown. Ross was so exhausted that it was physically painful to turn his thoughts to her. Ross wondered if any of what she told him about herself was true.

He rubbed his eyes against the brightness of the sunrise.

Byrne said, “All I know about her is what a friend at the district attorney’s office told me about an hour ago. And this he wouldn’t tell me until I told him Allie was dead. I guess he was afraid of a lawsuit himself. There had been whispers that she’d maybe let a couple of near cases slip through her fingers. Nothing hard enough to justify an investigation, or to even give her a bad reputation outside the office. Let’s just say the DA wasn’t too broken up when she resigned to start her own practice.”

“Organized crime cases? As in Tommy Datano?”

“Not directly. Probably part of Geiler’s own smuggling. How much he and Datano overlapped isn’t clear. Probably never will be. I’d say it’s unlikely Datano was involved in the front end on this thing, because otherwise he wouldn’t have helped you at all. No, we’ll look into it, but I expect we’re going to come down to Allie helping out some part of Geiler’s business, then they meet, and get something going … and figure a way they can pull off a deal themselves. Hell, maybe she brought you folks to them. You never know.”

The light was on inside the store. Ross said, “That’s an understatement.”

“Yeah, but you know a hell of a lot more than her. You want me to go in with you?”

Ross shook his head and got out of the car. “Thanks.”

Byrne let his seat fall back and closed his eyes. “Take your time. Turner can wait.”

The bell rang over the door at the Jacob Family Spa, and the woman at the counter said, “Haven’t we met?”

“We have.” Ross told her his real name, and that he was there to talk about her brother.