Дэвид Балдаччи - The Guilty

“That’s right.”

Robie absorbed all of this and said, “Do you know who the other guy was?”

“Dad never said.”

“I’ll ask you one more time. Do you know who the other guy was?”

“No, I swear. I don’t. I wish I did, but I don’t. I just knew about Wendell.”

“And you communicated with Wendell’s people because you wanted to keep the cash coming in?” said Robie.

“Well, you seen the house and everythin’. It’s all goin’ to hell. Dad’s bank accounts are cleaned out. Son of a bitch spent every last dime he had. I can’t even afford gas for my Porsche. What was I supposed to do?”

“Oh, I don’t know, how about get a job?” said Reel disgustedly.

He said angrily, “Hey, I grew up kind’a rich. Didn’t prepare me for workin’ for a livin’. Not my fault.”

Reel looked at Robie. “Can I just shoot him anyway?”

Robie said, “Where can we find Nelson Wendell?”

“At a cemetery over in Tupelo.”

Robie looked stunned. “You’re saying he’s dead?”

“Yep. He died ’bout a month before my daddy did.”

“So it wasn’t Wendell you were communicating with? And it wasn’t Wendell who sent the goons after you. So who was it?”

“Coastal is looking to go on the New York Stock Exchange.”

“How do you know that?” asked Robie.

“Looked it up.” Pete added defiantly, “I took a semester of business classes at the community college. I’m no dumbass.”

“Okay, Mr. Business, how does that tie into all this?”

“Well, Nelson Wendell ran Coastal right up to his death. So’s I bet the company don’t want all this crap comin’ out about Wendell. It might mess up the deal. Could cost the family billions. And a public shamin’ on top of it.”

“So it’s the family that’s coming after you?” said Reel.

“Guess they didn’t like my proposal. Thought they’d get the pictures and send me on into the hereafter without payin’ me one dime, the pathetic jerks.”

Reel said incredulously, “And this possibility hadn’t occurred to you?”

“Look, this blackmail crap is new to me, okay? My old man made it look easy.”

Reel sighed and looked at Robie. “What the hell do we do with him?”

Robie said, “Why did you come here, Pete?”

“Heard you were here. I need protection.”

“And why is that our problem?”

He started speaking fast. “I’m a material witness. I can talk about stuff that’ll get your dad off. Lots of folks had reason to kill my old man. But if I get killed, all that goes away.”

Now Robie sighed. “Okay, we’ll take you down to the police station where you can make a full statement and they can protect you.”

“But I won’t get in no trouble, right?”

“That’s not up to me, but I suppose if you cooperate they’ll overlook certain things.”

“Look, man, I ain’t goin’ to jail. I can’t be in no box.”

“You’re lucky you’re not in a coffin,” said Reel. “Because you are that stupid .”

“Sticks and stones,” said Pete smugly.

Reel pressed the muzzle of her gun against his forehead and the smug look vanished.

She said, “Let me make this as clear as possible. I don’t care if you get killed. I might end up being the one to pull the trigger, actually. But you are in way over your head. So you better drop the smartass routine and start treating this situation like it’s life and death. And in your case my money’s on death.”

She stepped back, holstered her weapon, turned, and walked off, leaving Pete Clancy looking like he might be sick to his stomach.

“You mean you’re not even going to talk to them?”

Robie was staring at Sheriff Monda.

Pete had given his statement and signed it. He was now in protective custody, which in Cantrell meant he was sitting in a spare jail cell.

The man had not been happy about it, but it was better than being dead, Robie had told him.

Taggert was hovering next to her boss, looking extremely nervous.

Reel was watching all of this while leaning against the wall with her arms folded over her chest.

“Do you know who Nelson Wendell is, or was?” asked Monda.

“Yeah, some über-rich asshole who likes to play with children in a very inappropriate and illegal way.”

“Solely based on Pete Clancy’s word and the admission that he was trying to blackmail those folks.”

“We have pictures.”

“Of a younger man who may or may not be Nelson Wendell.”

“If Wendell was that well-known I think we’ll be able to find folks who can ID him in those pictures,” Reel pointed out. “Are you sure you don’t recognize him, Sheriff?”

Monda glared at her. “No, I don’t. I never met the man. And another thing is the statute of limitations has long since run out on this. Which means he couldn’t be prosecuted for this, even if he wasn’t dead.”

Reel said, “You’re forgetting about those guys who kidnapped Pete and Sara, and nearly killed me and Robie. And they might have killed Sara, too. Those are all new crimes.”

“And we don’t have one shred of proof that those fellows are connected to the Wendell family,” countered Monda.

“But if you investigate you may find that evidence,” pointed out Robie.

“Do you know how influential the Wendell family is in Mississippi, hell, all the way over to Atlanta, for that matter? They’re worth billions. And they give a lot of it away. And all told they account for over a hundred thousand good-paying jobs.”

“Which is all wonderful but not an excuse to commit crimes,” replied Robie curtly.

Monda hitched up his pants. “Well, I don’t have probable cause to investigate them for anythin’. Probably get my ass sued if I tried.”

“Then turn it over to the state police.”

“Same problem. They’re not lookin’ to take a black eye over this, either, based on some old pictures. Hell, they might’ve been doctored for all I know.”

“What about Pete?”

“Pete Clancy is a liar. I’m not riskin’ my career on anythin’ he says! And the Wendell lawyers would rip him a new one on the stand.”

“How about the FBI?” asked Reel. “I doubt they care how rich the Wendells are.”

“You can go there if you want. I’m not.”

“Is there something you’re not telling us?” asked Robie.

Monda looked away but Taggert said, “His wife and his brother and his son are employed by Coastal.”

“That has nothin’ to do with it, Sheila,” barked Monda, giving Taggert a scathing look.

“Are you sure about that?” asked Robie.

“Damn sure. Now if you can bring me some usable evidence, maybe my mind can be changed.” He pointed a finger at Robie. “It’s all well and good for you to want to go after those folks, but you don’t live here. You just flit in and out. But I can’t do that. This is my home.”

Robie looked at Taggert, then returned his gaze to Monda. “Well, we’ll see if we can get enough to change your mind, Sheriff.”

“Okay, but keep in mind if the Wendells come after you, don’t look for any help from me. Not ’less you got some strong evidence they’re connected to all this.”

“Message received loud and clear,” said Robie as Taggert gave him a sympathetic look.

Robie and Reel left the office.

Outside Taggert caught up to them.

“Monda is a good guy, Robie. But he’s caught between a rock and a hard place here.”

“I get that, Sheila. But it’s apparently up to us to do his job.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Check out the Wendells. Any help you can give us on that?”

“Their main house is up in Jackson. But they keep a place down on the Gulf over near Biloxi. Makes the Willows look like a shanty.”