Bruce DeSilva - A Scourge of Vipers

“Fiona? It’s Mulligan.”

“Huh? What time is it?”

“Did I wake you?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s eleven o’clock Sunday morning. Why aren’t you in church?”

“I attended midnight mass.”

“Are you alert enough to answer a question, or should I call back?”

“Give me a sec.”

I heard her drop the phone and rustle around for half a minute. Then she was back.

“Okay, shoot.”

“Remember telling me that a couple of committee chairmen knew about the gambling bill before the news leaked?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Guys who weren’t on Alfano’s list?”

“Yeah.”

“Who are they?”

“Phil Templeton and Joseph Longo.” Templeton, I knew, was the chairman of the House Corporations Committee, and Longo headed the Senate Finance Committee. “They’re my point men on this,” Fiona was saying. “I’m counting on them to line up support, make the necessary horse trades, and count the votes so we can drive the bill through the legislature.”

“I need to talk to them.”

“About what?”

“Alfano.”

“Why?”

“I think he might have tried to bribe them, too.”

“But you’re not sure?”

“No.”

“The legislature is in recess now,” she said, “but you can find Longo at home in Bristol or in his office at Bayside Construction.”

“What about Templeton?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got something I need to run by him; but his cell goes straight to voice mail, and he’s not answering his home phone either.”

“He’s a bachelor, isn’t he?”

“He’s gay.”

“I hadn’t heard that,” I said.

“He’s not exactly in the closet,” Fiona said, “but he’s private about his personal life. Far as I know, he lives alone.”

“Any idea at all where he might be?”

“No.”

Forty minutes later, I parked Secretariat at the curb outside McCracken’s condo and punched his number into my cell phone.

“Hey, Mulligan. What’s up?”

“It’s a glorious spring afternoon. How about taking a drive with me?”

“Where are we going?”

“To visit your client-the one you advised to go to the state police about Alfano.”

“You figured out who it is?”

“I’ve got it narrowed down to two, and I’m right outside.”

“Aw, hell. Sit tight. I’ll be right out.”

Five minutes later, he lumbered through his front door in a Red Sox T-shirt and cap that matched my own and climbed into the passenger seat.

“It’s Longo or Templeton,” I said. “You could save us both time by telling me which one.”

“Sorry,” he said, “but I’m a still stickler for client confidentiality.”

I smirked and cranked the ignition. Secretariat sputtered to life and galloped south on Route 114.

“Any news about the airport surveillance video yet?” I asked.

“No, but I might have something for you later this week.”

Longo lived in a McMansion in Bristol Highlands, a fashionable neighborhood that abuts Colt State Park. He answered the door in a sky-blue Nike sweatsuit, looked me up and down, and growled, “Oh my God, it’s the press!” Then he laughed heartily, ushered us in, and said, “And who might this be? Your photographer?”

I made the introductions. From the looks on their faces as they shook hands, I was pretty sure Longo and McCracken hadn’t met before.

“So, what brings you two out here on a Sunday afternoon?” Longo asked.

“The gambling bill,” I said.

“Sorry. Can’t help you with that. I don’t mean to be uncooperative, but anything I might say on that subject would be premature. The governor hasn’t even sent it to the legislature yet.”

“I understand that,” I said, “but perhaps you can tell me if you recognize this man.”

I showed him the photo on my cell phone. He studied it for a moment, frowned, and said, “Please come this way.”

He led us down a gleaming, porcelain-tiled hallway that emptied into a sunny family room with a view of a tulip bed and a kidney-shaped swimming pool. He waved us into a black leather sofa, turned the sound down on a seventy-two-inch flatscreen tuned to the Red Sox-Orioles game, and seated himself across from us in a matching recliner.

“I take it you already know something about this, or you wouldn’t be here,” he said.

“That’s right,” I said.

“The scuttlebutt around town is that you’ve got a high-ranking source at state police headquarters. Is that where you’re getting your information?”

Parisi hadn’t told me much, but I figured it was best to let Longo think otherwise.

“You told the state cops about Lucan Alfano’s bribe offer,” I bluffed. “Isn’t that right?”

“Lucan Alfano?” he said.

“The man in the photo.”

“The greasy bastard didn’t give me his name.”

“But you recognized the picture?”

Longo hesitated. “Can we go off the record?” he asked.

“If you insist.”

“I do.”

“All right,” I said.

“In that case, yeah.”

“He offered you a bribe to hold up the gambling bill until the governor agrees to turn sports betting over to private enterprise. Is that right?”

“He did.”

“Did he specify who he had in mind to run things?” McCracken asked.

“He did not. He said he’d let me know who to throw my weight behind when the time came.”

“Can you confirm the amount of the bribe offer?” I asked.

“Twenty-five thousand dollars. But if the people he represented got the contract, he’d slip me another twenty-five on the back end.”

“How did he approach you?” McCracken asked.

“He walked into my company unannounced and placed several bundles of bills on my desk.”

“Then what?” I asked.

“He told me what the money was for and threatened me when I declined to accept it.”

“How did he word the threat, exactly?” McCracken asked.

“He said things would go badly for me if I didn’t agree to his proposition.”

“Clever,” the P.I. said. “It could be explained away as a warning that things could go badly politically.”

“Yes, but I’m sure that’s not how he meant it,” Longo said. “From his tone of voice and the look on his face, I took it as a threat to do bodily harm.”

“What happened next?” I asked.

“I told him to leave, and I called the state police. I spoke to someone in the detective division. I forget the name. But a couple of hours later, Captain Parisi arrived to take my statement.”

“Are you aware of anyone else getting similar bribe offers?” I asked.

“No, but I have my suspicions.”

“Tell me about that.”

“A few weeks after I met with-what was that name again? Albano?”

“Alfano.”

“A few weeks later-it was after that website broke the news about the bill-a couple of legislators who initially voiced support for the governor changed their positions. Suddenly they were insisting that sports gambling should be privatized.”

“Can you tell me their names?” I asked.

“I’d rather not. They could have had legitimate reasons for changing their minds. I’m not one to publicly cast aspersions that I can’t prove.”

“Did you tell Parisi about your suspicions?” I asked.

“Somewhat hesitantly, but yes. It seemed to me it was something he should look into.”

With that, we thanked him, and he led us to the door.

“He was helpful,” McCracken said as we settled into the Bronco.

“He was.”

“So I guess we’re going to go see my client now, huh?” he said.

“Yup.”

“Fine,” he said, “but can we grab an early dinner first?”