Chapter 10 #3
“And from what Brent found, there has been persistent talk about Consolidated, the company that bought the mine, having ties to organized crime,” Liam finished triumphantly. “I’ve got him looking into what they can find out about this dark witch, Samuel Wilmot.”
“Plenty of articles allege all kinds of improper behavior and business ties between companies and unsavory partners,” Scott said. “It doesn’t usually get the writer killed.”
“The mine project manager and the company president have confirmed Mob connections,” Liam scanned Brent’s email. “Their witch has a track record of dark magic. All that suggests the kind of people they are, and how they handle things that get in their way.”
“They’re still looking for Scott,” Justin pointed out. “This seems wildly over the top for a couple of trade website articles. I’ve read more damning allegations about plenty of other organizations, and they don’t hire hitmen.”
“And if we were talking about business-as-usual corporate America, ruthless as it can be, you’d be right,” Liam said.
“But given the Mob connections, the money involved with the purchase of the mine, whatever their witchy agenda is, and what they stand to lose, they revert to the tactics they know best—violence.”
“Was Brent able to get anything from the videos on Frick and Frack?” Scott asked, referring to the suit guys.
Liam scanned down through the email. “Actually, yes. He got facial recognition on mug shots. Don’t forget, some of the tools Brent uses are magically enhanced, so he can get results that regular folks wouldn’t.”
“And?” Justin asked.
“Leo Rossi and Luka Petrovic,” Liam replied. “Apparently, there’s been a merger of the Italian and Serbian mobs. From what Brent said, these guys are low-level grunts who get sent to do a lot of dirty work and screw up enough that they have long rap sheets.”
“I heard the two men who came to burn the wreckage talking at the crash site.” Scott’s expression turned bleak as he recounted.
“They said that their boss ordered the plane to be shot down to take me out and told them to go destroy the evidence. I gathered that they didn’t agree but couldn’t argue with the guy in charge. ”
“Which means we have a literal smoking gun leading to Consolidated,” Liam said. “There has to be something they were afraid you’d see, more than the mine itself. That’s for the cops and lawyers to figure out.”
“Except that the whole case rests on what I heard them say, when I was a coyote,” Scott pointed out. “That’s not going to hold up in court.”
Becca opened her eyes and cleared her throat to get their attention. “Ghosts can’t testify, either. But they can provide information we can verify through other sources,” she added with a crafty smile.
“What are they telling you?” Liam asked the medium.
“Pass me a tablet and pen,” Justin said. “I’ll take notes while you fill us in.”
“Mark Santoro is the name of the mine manager,” Becca reported.
Liam nodded. “That tracks with what little we could find out.”
Becca had a faraway look in her eyes as she listened to the spirits.
“The ghosts are a mix of spirits from miners who died at the site, Mob guys who worked with or for Santoro, and people who blame him for their deaths. Not his biggest fans, but they’ve got nothing to lose anymore by telling the truth.
“Santoro has ambitions to climb the ladder, but he’s a mediocre performer,” Becca said, frowning as she concentrated on the ghosts’ conversation. “Hot tempered, quick to blame everyone else for his shortcomings, a penchant for getting revenge. Stone cold killer.”
“If the Mob cares about the mine revival succeeding, why put a guy like that in charge?” Justin mused.
“Unless they really want to bury the project and need it to fail,” Liam pointed out. “A guy like Santoro could think it was a big honor and not realize he was being set up as the fall guy.”
“Rossi and Petrovic would be the perfect henchmen,” Justin said. “They’re disposable.”
“Why even bring up reviving the mine if there’s no interest in doing it?” Scott looked confused.
“Maybe they want to unload the property on a buyer who’ll pay more if he thinks it’s a viable concern,” Amy suggested. “These aren’t ethical people we’re talking about.”
Scott looked stricken. “It’s bad enough that we were shot down because someone wanted to get rich on the mine. But if this is all a scam, then Mike and Bill died for nothing.”
“There’s another possibility,” Justin mused. “Maybe you were right that there really is some sort of creature trapped in the mine because the iron serves as a ‘monster prison,’ and Santoro’s witch wants to free it and sic it on enemies.”
Scott’s eyebrows rose. “You seemed to think it was far-fetched when I brought it up.”
“I’ve seen a whole lot of crazy since then,” Justin said. “It’s all relative.”
“We’ll keep digging,” Becca assured Scott and Justin. “I think we can learn a lot more from the ghosts, and that can help fill in the gaps to prove these guys are as bad as we think they are if we go to the authorities.”
“I just want Scott to be safe,” Justin said. “We’ve been lucky so far, but that won’t last forever.”
“Give us a day or two,” Amy replied. “We should have more to go on by then. We can get back together again here at the library the day after tomorrow.”
Justin agreed, but sensed Scott’s tension at the delay. While he would be relieved to have Rossi and Petrovic off his trail, he also knew that, unlike on TV, tracking down the bad guys took time.
Scott was quiet when they left the library together. Justin could see that his boyfriend was unhappy in the set of his mouth and how stiffly he held his shoulders.
“Talk to me,” Justin coaxed.
“Nothing much to say,” Scott replied.
“If I had my way, I’d keep you under house arrest until those two maniacs are caught. I just found you. I don’t want to lose you,” Justin admitted.
When they reached the car, Scott reached out and gently turned Justin toward him.
“I love you, and I appreciate how protective you are. I don’t like being a target.
But we’ve got a whole team on our side now.
If Rossi and Petrovic make a move in Fox Hollow, the sheriff is watching for them.
I have to trust that, or I’ll hide under the bed. ”
Justin muttered something under his breath that suggested he preferred that option. Scott leaned in and kissed him. “Thank you for being you, and for taking such good care of me,” Scott told him. “Let’s go home and get warm.”
That night, despite their previous flirting, both men were too tense to do more than fall asleep tangled up together. Justin was grateful for the comfort it provided.
The next morning, Justin fretted as the time came for him to leave for work. “I wish you’d just stay home,” he told Scott. “The house is warded. You’re safer here.”
“I can’t hide for the rest of my life,” Scott countered gently. “And I’m climbing the walls. I’ll go right to Bear Necessities Coffee and Café, sit in the back corner, and work from there until I come straight home. Plenty of people around. I’ll be safe.”
“I don’t like it, but I understand.” Justin gave Scott a lingering kiss goodbye. “Please, be extra careful.”