Chapter 48

 

Burke could see his boss was surprised by his theory.

“Where does that idea come from, Paul?” Godard said, making sure no one around them was listening.

“A lot of little things that are starting to amount to something big, at least to me.”

Godard said nothing, waiting.

“By most accounts, José López was a successful businessman in the Tarragona region. He did well and then decided to retire. There are stories quoting him looking forward to spending time with his grandkids and with traveling.”

“So what?”

“His wife died in a hit-and-run accident which probably was devastating since it sounded like they were close.”

Godard rolled her eyes in impatience, trying to get Burke to speed up his story.

Too bad, Burke thought, knowing it was going to take more than a few seconds to make the links in his theory.

“After she died, he didn’t go traveling to lose himself or to forget. But that was probably understandable. As for becoming a full-time grandfather, he didn’t do that either although being close to family might have provided him the kind of positive feelings he’d need to get through the loss of his wife. Instead, he got himself some partners, expanded his business, bought a fleet of fishing boats and started operating a big catering company.”

“I’m not following you, Paul,” Godard said, the exasperation in her voice evident.

“Think about it, Suzanne. If you’re going to run a food-fraud ring that involves smuggling, what do you need?” Burke said. “You need the ability to transport various food products by land and sea. If you have a trucking company, that’s a big step. Owning fishing boats also helps. And if you need to shift the food without being noticed, you need a reputable business that’s connected to food – in this case, a catering company.”

“That’s logical,” Godard said.

“So, you need someone who can help on those fronts. But what happens if that person isn’t interested?”

“You find a way to force him.”

“Exactly. And in López’s case, that was his family. By all accounts, he was devoted to his two sons and their families. And that made him vulnerable to people who wanted to use him.”

“Do you know where his family lives?”

“I don’t, but if I had to guess, I’d say they don’t live in Spain. López was a smart man and he’d have gotten them away from here to a place where they wouldn’t be found or where they’d be well protected.”

“OK, but why wouldn’t he go to the police when he was first approached?”

Burke saw Tessier and Chan walking toward them. He turned back to Godard. “I’m only guessing but I don’t think he trusted them enough to be sure his family would be safe. Whoever approached him was scary. And I think he believed some police were involved in the food-fraud organization operating in Spain. He had nowhere to turn.”

“And you think Chef Andres was behind all of his problems?”

“I think Chef Andres got involved somewhere along the line. He comes from a rough background, but he never had the resources or the vision to put together this food-fraud ring.”

“So, someone with lots of contacts and money is behind it?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, but I think the person running this organization had to have more than contacts, money and a criminal disposition. Whoever it is, is ruthless and ready to use others to get results. Chef Andres just saw an opportunity and worked his way into the organization.”

“So, who’s the big boss?”

“Part of me says Tim Fritz.”

Tessier and Chan stopped a metre away. Chan held out her phone to Godard who checked the video they’d done.

“Excellent, Monique, first rate,” Godard said. “You, too, Jules. You have Chef Andres’ name in there without convicting him and that’ll give energy to the story without causing any grief. Go ahead and post it, and tell head office what we’ve done.”

Chan and Tessier moved away once more and Godard turned her attention back to Burke.

“You mentioned Tim Fritz being the brains behind what’s happened,” she said. “I’m struggling with that because Fritz doesn’t seem the sort at all. Smart, yes, tough, no although I can’t say I know him much.”

“I know, but I believe he’s got more wealth that most people think. And if that’s the case, he just has to hire smart people to do the dirty work. As for his ambition, I think he’s got plenty of that.”

“But why did López shoot himself? It’s still not clear to me.”

“I’ve thought about that question a great deal.”

“And you have a theory, right?”

“I do, but I’m not sure if it’s any good.”

“Paul, get to the point,” Godard snapped.

“OK, here goes: I think López felt the threat against his sons and their families was increasing, and he had to do something fast. He believed to eliminate the threat, he had to disappear – or not be alive. That way, his family couldn’t be used against him and, as a result, they’d be safe. But he doubted he could disappear and never be found. That left the second option. So, he shot himself and did it in a way that the world would see.”

“What do you mean?”

“López knew the Vuelta is a big deal with thousands of media hanging around. He also knew the Dalí museum is internationally recognized. So when the Vuelta’s nightly event happened at the museum, he had the perfect place and occasion to attract the greatest attention.”

“But it was clearly a suicide. And that means the police won’t be looking beyond that as a cause of death.”

“Good point and that’s bothered me. But I think Seῇor López was more calculating than that. Despite his belief that some flics could be corrupt, he saw the police, the good ones, pursuing the food-fraud people if given enough information. And I think he did that, collecting evidence against the people threatening him and sending it to the police.”

“So why didn’t he just provide the evidence and forget about blowing his brains out?” Godard asked.

“He couldn’t be sure the police would be determined enough or fast enough to arrest all the food-fraud people. And that would still leave his family at risk. So, to him, suicide had to be part of the equation.”

“What a price to pay,” Godard said.

“I think Seῇor López considered it a fair exchange if it worked. And I have a feeling he was happy to go, to be with his wife again.”

“But is his plan going to work?” Godard said.

“Good question,” Burke replied.