Chapter 34 #2
“Okay. Well, you’ve seen it. If you only came here to shit on the place, or trash talk Grandma Betty, you can leave now,” I warn.
“I shouldn’t have to come here at all, Richie. I’ve been expecting you to come to the house.”
I recoil. “Why the hell would you expect me to come visit you?”
“To say thank you!” his voice booms. “I saved your ass from prison. You’re walking free right now because I gave you the help you obviously couldn’t get yourself.”
“You think you—”
“You’re damn right I did! Do you think that Greek fella stepped in and beat the DA because he’s nice?
I only deal with winners, and whatever schmuck you had wasn’t getting you anywhere.
Your mother told me you came to visit after I protected you from the sheriff the first time.
You never said a word of thanks then, either!
I swear I don’t know how she raised such an ingrate. ”
“What the fuck is wrong with you? You never helped me. You never do anything unless it benefits you!” We’re both shouting now. “And the second you thought I damaged your property, you made sure your lawyer wouldn’t help me. Not that I—”
“Yeah, after Morris arrested you, I actually believed you did it. And I almost respected you. At least then I thought you had finally accomplished something, even if you did fuck it up enough to get arrested.”
My mouth is hanging open. There are so many things I want to yell at him I can’t pick one.
“It turns out the only thing you’re good at is being a disappointment.”
“I didn’t need any help from you, and I sure as shit never asked you for anything! You can get the fuck out of my restaurant. And feel free to tell mom you’re the reason I won’t visit her anymore. I’ll never set foot in your fucking house again,” I declare.
“Always so sensitive. And whiny. You’re lucky I saved—”
I reach behind me toward the grill, hefting a frying pan in my right hand and lower my voice. “Get. The fuck. Out.”
He stands there, eyeing me for a moment, then shakes his head. “You little shit,” he fires off before turning and slamming the door open on his way out.
I’m still holding the frying pan at the ready when Jackie hesitantly pokes her head out from the back. “Tre, are you okay?”
I let out a sigh and set the pan down. My hand is shaking now that the adrenaline and anger are fading. “Yeah, thanks.”
“I’m sorry,” she offers.
“Yeah. There’s a reason I work here and not with him.”
I drop my plate in the dishwasher on my way to the front of the diner.
I’ve been killing time, waiting for Nick Trowbridge to show up since my shift ended.
Only when I scan the room for him, he’s not here yet.
Special Agent Connor Smith of the ATF still is, though.
He came in for lunch, but that was a couple of hours ago, and the restaurant has emptied out since then.
Is he here to watch me? Or to listen to gossip? Well, I’m not doing anything else…
I go to his booth and slide in across from him. “Hey Connor.”
His eyes widen slightly, but his voice is calm when he replies. “Mr. White. Good afternoon.”
“I haven’t seen you in here recently. Did something happen?”
He smiles ruefully. “As I’m sure your lawyers told you, the ATF had nothing to do with your arrest. But it didn’t seem… polite to come back right away.”
I give him a no-hard-feelings smile. “So you still think you’ll find the answers you want by listening to the local gossip? Good luck with that. People assume you know more about what happened than they do.”
“I just follow the investigation wherever it leads me.”
“Then you don’t have any suspects, I take it.”
“Like I said, my job is to investigate. I leave it up to the prosecutors to decide who the evidence says is guilty.”
“Ah, very impartial. I guess your preconceptions and biases never guide an investigation to focus on any particular suspect, then,” I say with obvious sarcasm.
“You surprise me, Mr. White. Most people who’ve just been arrested either avoid talking to law enforcement or are extremely angry with them,” Connor comments wryly.
“Well, we know I’m not the guy you’re looking for. And, like you, I wouldn’t want to be rude.” I flash him another smile.
“Especially by forcing me to speak to you through your attorney.” He grins.
“Exactly. I’m actually waiting for him to stop by. My shift ended a while ago. I already had lunch, and now I’m just killing time. I figured I’d say hi.”
The bell over the door jingles and I glance behind me to see Nick walk in.
“And here he is now. Excuse me.”
Connor nods as I stand and catch Nick’s attention with a wave.
“Good to see you again, Tre,” he greets when I meet him near the register.
“You too, Nick. Let’s head back to my office, such as it is.”
“Is there anything happening here I need to get involved with?” he asks, inclining his head toward Connor’s table.
“No, he just hangs out here to eavesdrop while he works. I was waiting anyway, so I figured I’d clear the air,” I say as I lead him to the back.
“I did tell you not to talk to any law enforcement without your lawyer present.”
I shrug. “Thanks for bringing my stuff from the jail.”
“Not a problem. I already had a few things to take care of for the Henley and Montank lawsuits, so it was easy enough to finish the paperwork and grab your belongings. I don’t know how you managed for a week without your cell phone.”
I close the door behind us. “Eh, I don’t really use it that often. I’m not big on texting, and I work a lot. Plus, most of my friends come to the diner, so I just see whoever I need to talk to. There’s always the restaurant’s landline if I have to make a call.”
Nick shakes his head as he sets the plastic bag containing my clothes, wallet, keys, and phone on the desk.
“Any news about my case, or fresh charges or anything?” I inquire.
“Nope, nothing. Here, no news is good news. I think you can breathe easy.”
“Excellent. What about the lawsuits against Henley and Montank? Some of the guys have mentioned that construction work is on pause, but nobody’s telling them why or for how long.”
“Yeah, we do have some good news there. One of the reasons I’m in Kalomish was for a hearing this morning.
The judge issued a new, stricter injunction against construction on the gondola system until another environmental impact study can be conducted to the court’s satisfaction.
That’s only as strong as its enforcement—and we know how the sheriff’s department has handled things to this point—but every bit helps.
Plus, the more rules they violate, the more ammo we have. ”
“Hey, I’ll take any win we can get,” I respond with a smile.
Then, I lean closer and lower my voice, even though we’re the only ones in here.
“People have been saying that this property destruction was actually orchestrated by Henley and Montank. Some kind of insurance fraud scheme. Do you know anything about that?”
Nick raises his eyebrows. “This is the first I’ve heard of it. I don’t suppose ‘people’ have any proof, do they?”
“It’s just talk so far. It makes sense, though. It might explain why nobody has been caught, too.” I sit back. “Is there any way you can use that in your court cases?”
“I wish, but speculation without evidence doesn’t help me.
Although… Yeah, I might have an idea after all.
I can’t do anything officially, but I’ll mention the rumor to some journalists I know in Portland.
They can talk to Henley and Montank, their insurers, and various police and federal agencies.
They’ll rattle a lot of cages simply by poking around and asking questions.
” He nods, and his gaze fades into the middle distance as he considers the possibilities.
“Alright, well, thanks again for all of your help with my case. And for bringing my stuff.” I stand and offer my hand.
He shakes it and opens the office door. “Certainly. And thank you for the illuminating conversation. I’ll see you around, Tre.”