“Yeah, the whole bonus package thing for foreign buyers,” said Lonnie, with an edge to his voice that made Nichols look at him uneasily. The spook dealt with unsavory characters on a daily basis, but even he could see that this giant was not someone you wanted to annoy.
“So here’s the 64,000-dollar-question question,” said Garrett. “Where is he now?”
Nichols drummed his fingers on the desk. Then he reached into a drawer and pulled out a file. He opened it and pushed it across the desk. “Man jets between at least four countries that we know of. He holds Canadian, Saudi, and Colombian passports. Probably others. So far, we have no leads as to his current whereabouts.”
Lonnie snorted. “I could find out that much on the waterfront in a couple of hours,” he said. “Never could figure out how you fellas manage to spend so much money.” He looked around the office. “Or maybe I can.”
Garrett tried another tack. “RCMP has Lloyd in their custody. Have you questioned him about all of this?”
“You haven’t heard?”
“What?”
“Lloyd got his solicitors lined up quicker than Don Corleone. He was released for lack of evidence. His body turned up three days ago in a dumpster off Barrington.”
“Shit!” Garrett looked out the window. “How was he killed?”
“Let me count the ways. There were similarities to the death of Big Margaret. Suffice to say, he was tortured. His Achilles tendons were severed, along with another of his favorite body parts.”
Garrett swallowed hard. He’d done a modest amount of behavior modification on Lloyd himself. The man appeared to bring out the worst in people. Clearly, whoever got to the self-proclaimed naturist was considerably more thorough about it than Garrett had been.
“Seems slime-bucket DeMaio has a long reach,” said Lonnie.
“Cleaning up more loose ends,” Garrett said. “You got anybody on Kitty?”
“Two men, and the TV station has its own security. She’s safe.”
“You connect Lloyd with DeMaio?” Garrett said to Nichols.
He nodded. “Through Big Margaret and Madame Liu both. Your favorite public servant in charge of
troubled youth
got around. He was pretty well positioned to provide girls that eventually ended up with DeMaio, though our current thinking is Lloyd didn’t deal directly with the executive. We broke Madame Liu’s organization night before last. We think DeMaio got nervous after you appeared asking questions, so he had Lloyd killed by way of insurance. Probably did Big Margaret in too. Madame Liu had a stronger sense of self preservation. When she heard what happened to the others, she agreed to cooperate in exchange for protection. Unfortunately, she has no more idea how to find the scumbag than we do.”
“You think he could still be in the country?” Garrett asked.
“Wouldn’t be if it was me. Way this thing’s blown up, courtesy of Miss Wells, I’d be hunkering down somewhere south of the border, in one of the countries we don’t have an extradition treaty with.”
“Doesn’t mean he can’t get people to do stuff for him,” Lonnie said. “Long as he’s got money.”
Outside, they walked along the waterfront and considered what to do next.
“You think Nichols was telling the truth about not knowing where DeMaio is?” Garrett asked.
Lonnie shrugged. The waterfront was full of tourists. They veered out in a wave around the big man, then surged back behind him. It was a phenomenon Garrett had witnessed whenever he moved about the city with his cousin.
“Maybe. Maybe he just wants to see what we can find out on our own. You put the fear of God into him with that bit about appearing on Kitty’s show.”
“What are you going to do?” Garrett asked.
“Talk to some people. See what the word on the street is. DeMaio’s careful, but he deals with lowlifes, people would sell out their own mothers for a Tim Horton’s cheese biscuit. I’ll know more in a few hours than Nichols’s whole crew got him in a year.”
“All right. Call me when you need me.” He looked at his cousin. “I’m serious, Lon. Will you at least let me know if you decide to do something?”
He nodded. “Make my excuses to the ladies about tomorrow night. Love to be there and see the chemistry between Roland and his newfound friends.”
They separated and Garrett watched him move off, a stationary wave in a sea of wide-eyed tourists.
Before going home, he decided to check in with Kitty and make sure she was all right. If Lon was happy with her security, then he knew there was nothing to worry about. But he was curious to see her in action at her place of work.
The station was a small, squat building bristling with antennas from its flat roof. He had to show ID to a guard at the entrance and then wait while another man went to see if Kitty would see him.
She returned herself, stood on tiptoe to give him a kiss, and waved him past the guards. She was made up even more carefully than normal. Her working clothes, her hair and makeup were all perfect. She was gorgeous.
“Security seems pretty good,” he said.
She pointed across the street where two men sat in a car. “Station guards handle stuff when I’m inside. Those two in the car are Lonnie’s men. They go with me whenever I leave.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“It helps. I was getting pretty jumpy thinking about DeMaio out there somewhere. I killed five of his men, after all, and pissed off his investors, though I guess they aren’t going to be complaining from Davy Jones’s locker.”
She took him to her office, which was small but comfortable, and they sat on a leather couch.
“I’ve got twenty minutes till I go on the air.”
“Lonnie told me you two have moved in together.”
She smiled. “Kind of a surprise, huh? But I really love him, Garrett. He’s a big, lovable teddy bear. And besides,” she gave him a wicked grin. “He’s big all over.”
“You’re making me blush. I bet that’s the first time anyone ever described Lon as a teddy bear. Anyway, he seems real happy. And I’m happy for both of you.”
She grew serious. “Did he tell you we want to get married?”
He nodded. “He’s a little nervous about it. Lon hasn’t had much luck with women, you know. His size scares them away.”
“One of the things I like, besides the blush factor. Maybe opposites attract or something.”
“How do you feel about his going after DeMaio on his own?”
“Scared shitless. I know Lon can take care of himself. But DeMaio’s filthy rich and has no moral compunctions of any kind. I told Lonnie that. Not to take the man lightly. With his resources he could be anywhere.” She looked at him. “Where do you think he is?”
“Like you said. He has the whole world to hide in. My bet is he’ll lie low for a long time. I don’t think you have to worry about him, and I seriously doubt he’s in Canada. Still, it can’t hurt to be cautious. He can hire people to do his dirty work for him.”
Garrett looked about Kitty’s office. It was small but fashionable, done in muted pastels. He suspected it would be highly effective in impressing important guests. “Have the authorities given you any trouble about those men you killed?”
“I’ve been questioned several times about it. So far, they haven’t found any bodies, which makes any sort of prosecution a moot point. But I’ve been totally up front about what I did and why. With the publicity and the shows I’ve been doing, I don’t think anyone questions my motives.”
He nodded. It was what he would have expected. She had a right to defend herself in such a situation.
“All right.” He stood up. “I’m going home. Little dinner party tomorrow night with the ladies and Roland. I’ve been invited as security, I think.” He smiled ruefully. “They wanted Lonnie too, which may be a sign of the possible level of need.”
Kitty bounced out of her chair and put her arm through Garrett’s. “I can do this now, Garrett,” she said with a big smile. “We’re going to be relatives.”
“Fine by me,” he said. “You’re one gutsy reporter, Kitty. I’ve revised my earlier assessment, and I’m happy as a clam to have you in the family.”
“Funny,” she said, walking him to the door. “I
was
a pushy bitch. Felt like I had to be to get noticed for anything other than my looks. I just don’t feel that need anymore. Maybe what I went through helped put things in perspective. Maybe it’s having Lonnie in my life. Probably both.”
She looked away from him, her face suddenly showing real pain. “I … I want to apologize for that crack I made a while back about your handicap. It was awful and I feel absolutely humiliated every time I think about it. You know, it’s the strangest thing …”
“What?”
“People don’t believe it, but I’ve always felt like my looks are my own handicap. They put me at a disadvantage with everyone I meet because they instantly classify me as a certain type. Over time, I just decided if that’s how people were going to see me, then I might as well take advantage of it. Use what God gave me, if you will. Anyway, the need is gone, and I’m sorry.”
Garrett unhooked her arm and held her by both shoulders. Then he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
“Welcome to the family,” he said with a smile.
61
L
ONNIE STOOD OUTSIDE THE LAW
offices of Wanbolt, Hartless, and Noseworthy, the firm that did much of Global Resources’ legal work. He’d begun checking his sources and had found one interesting bit of information already. People were reluctant to talk about Anthony DeMaio.
This was unusual, since the average source he consulted would generally throw over his firstborn in exchange for a bottle or maybe even just to get Lonnie to go away. It suggested that DeMaio might still be around and close enough to make people nervous.
Why would he still be in Canada? It would be a huge risk. Was it some sort of hubris? The man had been invested with such immense power for so long, perhaps he felt invincible. Or perhaps he intended to get even. With Kitty? She’d said DeMaio was vindictive and maybe borderline psychotic as well.
The thought made him more than a little uneasy. It was a new feeling for him to be in love with someone. The possibility of harm coming to Kitty simply seized his emotions to such an extent that he had to fight being paralyzed by it. He’d never experienced anything like it before. Even the fear he’d felt for Garrett’s life in Afghanistan couldn’t compare.
A foppish-looking fellow exited the law firm and began walking toward him. Lou Liotino. The solicitor Lonnie and Garrett had confronted about Global’s unusual Club Med facilities at Lighthouse Point. Lonnie had felt at the time that Garrett hadn’t gotten everything out of the man that he could have. And he’d immediately recognized Liotino’s fear of him. It was visceral, something he’d seen often enough in his line of work. Liotino would tell Lonnie anything he wanted to know. The man was a complete coward.
As Liotino crossed the street, Lonnie moved in beside him, matching him step for step. The man did a classic double-take and his eyes went wide as recognition suddenly came.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“I want us to keep walking into that park over there,” said Lonnie. “Sit on a bench and feed the ducks.” He put one immense hand on the solicitor’s arm and directed him. He could feel the man wilt and begin to perspire right through his thousand-dollar suit.
“Hey, what is this?” Liotino said, but his voice betrayed more fear than outrage. Lonnie plunked him down on a bench and sat next to him.
“Damn,” he said. “Forgot to bring corn for the birds.” He considered the man cowering next to him as though he were some sort of rare bug. Of course, there was nothing at all rare about solicitors in a city the size of Halifax. As far as Lonnie was concerned, bugs were considerably higher on the evolutionary scale.
“Where’s Anthony DeMaio?” he asked.
Liotino shook his head. “I have no idea. I’m not a full partner. I don’t know everything that goes on inside the firm.”
Lonnie nodded slowly. “That’s going to be a real problem for you. Because you see, I don’t believe you.” He raised one ham-sized hand to forestall the man before he could offer another denial. “Interesting thing. Last man who refused to tell me what I wanted to know also happened to be a solicitor. Same sort of scumbag you are. It took me all of three days to uncover a list of the scams he was involved in and hand the information over to a special prosecutor. He’s doing eight to twelve in Halifax Central Correctional Facility. Well, actually, he only did six months, because solicitors are not the most highly regarded people on the inside. He was so badly abused sexually that he died.”
The color drained from Liotino’s face. His eyes darted back and forth, looking for escape or rescue, anything to save him from this frightening giant sitting next to him.
Lonnie continued conversationally. “What I’m asking is really quite simple. I want to know where DeMaio is. I don’t believe he disappeared without anyone in the firm being able to contact him. Frankly, I think he might still be in Canada. I’m not going to ask you again. Where is he?”
“They’ll kill me if I tell you,” he said.
“I’ll do worse if you don’t. And don’t even think about lying to me.”
Liotino was sweating profusely. “All right, all right. Just please don’t ever tell anyone where you got this from, okay?”
“No problem. We’ll call it attorney/client privilege, so long as the information is accurate.”
“Well, I don’t know exactly where he is …” He raised a shaky hand at Lonnie’s look. “But he’s in Canada, I’m certain of it. I know he’s communicating with the board. They’re scared of him and have been trying to distance themselves from him publicly, but DeMaio’s still calling the shots within the company.”
Lonnie stared at him. “That’s too incredible to believe. Are they nuts? The man is probably one of the most wanted men in the world. How could they possibly allow him to continue to control the company?”
“He’s got something on every board member. It’s how he operates. And they all know that if they go off the reservation, he can get them arrested for any number of illegal acts and maybe even have them killed. So while they denounce him publicly, something they have undoubtedly cleared with DeMaio, they continue to supply him with money. It’s all a mess. I don’t think the company can survive if this comes out. I’m one of three members of my firm who deal directly with the board, and we’ve all started looking for other positions, because if this thing falls apart, it’ll bring down not only Global but my own firm as well.”