LATER THAT MORNING
“What do the doctors do to you when you’re in there?” Chris asked Pearl.
“The usual,” Pearl said. “Blood pressure, blood work, see if my arms are getting stronger from the exercise routines. They’re good at what they do. I’m the one that’s a pain in the ass to them.”
“I can swear to that,” I said.
“You know,” Pearl said to me, “might not be a bad idea to get yourself checked out, seeing as how we’re here anyway. Be a good thing for the docs to take a look at that lung and see if it’s healing up proper.”
“You’re the one with the appointment, Pearl,” I said. “Not me.”
“That won’t matter to Doc Cantor,” Pearl said. “He’s known us both for years. He’d be more than happy to take a look and a listen.”
“What’s wrong with your lung?” Chris asked.
“I took a bullet to the rib cage same day Pearl got hurt,” I said. “It put a little dent in one of my lungs. Nothing major, just enough to get me to retire. It doesn’t bother me most days.”
“But it does on some,” Pearl said. “Now, I know that’s a fact. Be nice for the doctor to know about it, as well.”
“We got a lot on our plate at the moment, Pearl,” I said. “I need to focus on what’s in front of me.”
“All the more reason for you to get checked out,” Pearl said. “We’re tackling two big cases at the same time, and you need to be at your best. I’ll do what I can, but stuck in a wheelchair I can’t offer you the best backup. Chris here is great at what he does and he adds a lot to the team, but he’s still learning and still a boy. And the rest of the team, good as they are, look to you to lead the way.”
“There’s nothing to worry about on that score,” I said. “I can handle it. The way you’re talking, might as well be me sitting in that chair instead of you.”
“I heard you come back from your run the other morning,” Pearl said. “You were gasping for air.”
“That’s because I had just run seven miles,” I said. “And, in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s hot and humid out. That takes a lot out of you, no matter what shape your lungs are in.”
“All the same, it would make me happy to have Cantor give you the once-over,” Pearl said. “Give me peace of mind.”
I glanced at Chris and could see the concern etched on his face. “Okay,” I said. “When the nurse calls your name, I’ll ask if he has time to take me, as well. If he does, I’ll chuck the clothes and put on that silly gown they give you and let him have at it.”
“Fair enough,” Pearl said, giving Chris a wink and a smile.
“Now that we got that out of the way, how about we talk about where we are on these two jobs,” I said. “Unless you want me to check in with my dentist before the day is done.”
“This new guy, Gregson, seems to know his business,” Pearl said. “He’s been working the computers with Chris here, and they’re finding a lot of open lanes on the accounting firm. These guys spend their days and nights moving money from one place to another. Makes it hard to keep track and shows why no one has nabbed them at it. At least not just yet.”
“With Carmine handing them some cash to invest, we’ll be able to get a clearer picture of how they operate,” I said. “I’m not as worried about that part of it.”
“Which part does worry you?”
“These guys are hooked up, Pearl,” I said. “They can hide it all they want behind the white-shoe firm with the fancy office. But they do serious business with the Russians, the cartels, some of the Italian crews. Toss on top of them the Wall Street high-rollers and some politicians with deep pockets, and you’re looking at a group of people who will not let anyone get in the way of their profits.”
“Which means the firm must have a team of their own set aside to deal with anyone that starts casting a curious eye into their business,” Pearl said. “I mean beyond big-league law firms and high-powered PR agencies.”
I nodded. “They got a fixer, for sure,” I said, “and, on top of that, a crew that gets paid to do their dirty work. Whether they farm these guys out from the mob or the cartels or whether they recruited them on their own, we don’t know. But they are out there, and soon as they get a sniff of us going after them, they’ll start looking our way.”
I glanced over at Chris and saw him hanging on our every word. “It looks like we’re going to be here for a while longer,” I said to him. “The doc must be running late. You want to grab yourself a soda and a snack?”
Chris shook his head. “These people killed my mom and dad,” he said in a low voice. “And I need to know as much about them as you do. And the more I know, the more I can pass on to Bobby, and together we can dig up what we can from our end.”
“If they got coverage to go with all that cash,” Pearl said, “then we’re going to need more than the current crew. We need to go deeper, a lot deeper, if we’re going to take these vipers down.”
I nodded. “And let’s not forget Eddie Kenwood,” I said. “He’s got some muscle on his end, as well.”
“How much cover can the U.S. Attorney give?” Pearl asked.
“In court, if we give her enough to hang both Kenwood’s team and the accounting firm, she will nail their ass to heavy prison sentences. But out on the street, she’s limited.”
“And the chief?” Chris asked.
“He will help as much as he can,” I said. “Especially when it comes to fingering the dirty badges and come takedown time. The rest is up to us.”
“Which leaves us with who?” Pearl asked.
I took a deep breath and sat back in my chair. “Alban,” I said. “Alexandra’s cousin. He’s got the manpower and the means. And he’s not afraid to go after anybody that stands in his way.”
“Reaching out for a guy like Alban is going to cost plenty,” Pearl said. “His crew can fight, no doubt about it. And they are fearless. But at the end of the day, they expect to leave the battlefield with full pockets.”
“Then we’ll make sure they do,” I said. “That accounting firm has got lots of money stashed. We’ll help the feds take down as much of it as we can. But if at the end of the day we come up short a few million here or there, who’s going to complain?”
“Sounds like a good enough idea,” Pearl said. “Plus, combined with whoever the chief and Carmine bring into the mix, it gives us a lot more firepower. But what makes you so sure Alban will come in on it with us?”
“Because it won’t just be business with him,” I said. “It will be personal, and when it hits that stage with a guy like Alban, there’s only one thing to do.”
“What?” Pearl asked.
“Stand back and let the blood flow,” I said.