Lake Effect

by K C Gillis

  Jordan had done the same mapping in her head and had come to the same conclusion. “That’s one explanation.”

  “If that’s true, that would mean there’s a reason for the chief and Chisholm to be in communication. And that you’re somehow part of the reason.”

  A collection of seemingly disconnected events and bits of information were coalescing into a web. Things were coming into focus. The question was what it all meant.

  One thing was crystal clear to Jordan. “The chief is central to almost everything I’ve seen here. If he weren’t a cop, I’d think he had something to do with the accidents.”

  “Sounds like someone with something to hide,” Travis said.

  “It does. But what?”

  “Your friend Charlie thinks the fish died from overexposure to a growth hormone, right?” Rachel asked. “So this company NeuSterone could be developing some kind of treatment to accelerate animal growth, probably based on growth hormones. Something must have gone wrong, and the dead fish are the result.”

  Jordan continued Rachel’s train of thought. “And if it got out that this company was testing something, and killing large numbers of animals in the process, they might just get themselves in legal trouble. Which could spell the end of the company. So they’re covering up the accident to protect an investment. An investment involving a state senator.”

  “Do you think the senator knows what’s going on?” Travis said.

  “He must. It can’t be a coincidence that this is happening in Copper Lake, his hometown. He must have orchestrated where this company set up whatever it is they have here.”

  “That makes sense. But what about the chief?”

  “That’s the part that doesn’t add up for me. He’s breaking the law to help Chisholm cover up his company’s mess. He’d lose his job if it came out. Maybe even go to jail. That’s a pretty big risk to take. I don’t have a good reason why he’d do that. At least not yet.”

  “What’s next?” Rachel said.

  “We need to find the source of the growth hormone and somehow get a sample. If we find the actual source and it matches with what Charlie gets back from the lab, then we have the story. At least the important part.”

  “That brings us back to the topic of the source,” Travis said.

  “But you couldn’t find any NeuSterone site in Copper Lake?” Jordan said.

  “I didn’t. But you may have.”

  Jordan felt her pulse quicken. “Really? The place with the big gate?”

  “Yep. I spent probably an hour last night going over aerial photography, looking for facilities that could manage large numbers of fish. I focused on the land northeast of Copper Lake, including where you described finding the gate. From above, it’s hit and miss in terms of what we can see. A good deal of the land up there is heavily wooded.”

  “But you saw something?”

  “Yeah. It looks like there are three buildings. The one closest to the driveway where you saw the gate is pretty small, definitely not big enough for what we’re looking for. But there are two other structures partially visible from above. One looks like a large barn. It’s next to the only real piece of open land around there. Some kind of field.”

  “What about the third building?”

  “That’s the one I think is promising. It’s a long building with a flat roof. It must be at least three hundred feet long and a hundred feet wide. Maybe more. It could definitely house tanks capable of holding hundreds of fish. Probably thousands.”

  “Could you see anything else helpful from the overhead views?”

  “Not really. I can’t even see the gate you described. Trees must cover it.”

  Jordan thought back to that day. She couldn’t remember for sure if trees completely covered the gate, but it was possible. “You’re probably right. Can you see any property boundaries?”

  “Nothing specific except the road. The site could be fifty acres or more based on where the buildings are. There are no other structures nearby, so this company may own the whole section of land.”

  Jordan thought back to something Derek had told her. “Derek told me that most of the land up there was state land. If this company is on such a large piece of valuable real estate, I wonder if they bought it from the state. And if they did, why isn’t it showing up as being owned by NeuSterone?”

  “What are you thinking?” Rachel said.

  “The land is, or was, owned by the state. NeuSterone couldn’t have just walked up and bought it. Not easily. Someone had to help from the inside. Someone with influence at the state level. Chisholm is a state senator. This is his hometown. He had to be involved in the land transaction, whatever it was.”

  “Do you think Chisholm is the reason they could get access to land up here?”

  “I do. And since he knows Copper Lake, he knew he could hide NeuSterone from prying eyes.”

  “Unless they screwed up,” Travis said.

  “Exactly. And when you’re trying this hard to hide, someone usually makes a mistake. It’s just a matter of time.”

  “What do you want to do?” Rachel asked.

  “Basically, what we said last night. First, we need to get inside that site and see what the hell they’re doing. Second, we need to check public records on the ownership of the land we think NeuSterone is sitting on.”

  “Are you really planning on breaking into that site?” Rachel said.

  “Unless you know how I can get invited.”

  “You know that’s not going to happen. How do you think you’ll get in? They’ll monitor the gate and probably have an alarm.”

  “I know. I was thinking of getting in from the back somewhere. There must be a weak spot in the fence somewhere, or a place where I can climb a tree and get over.”

  “I don’t know,” Travis said. “It’s pretty risky. If you get caught, it won’t matter what you think is going on there. They’ll charge you, and it’ll be over.”

  “I know damn well it’s risky. If you have a better idea, let’s hear it.”

  “Well, your odds of success would be better if you had some idea of what you were getting into before breaking in. You know, what the building entrances are like, where you could take cover. Hell, even knowing how many people are on the site. We don’t know anything.”

  Travis had a point. The site might be large. For all Jordan knew, there were twenty people working there. “Fine. But I don’t think we have time to do that kind of advance work. Hell, that would require surveys or floor plans or having someone who works there help us.”

  “How about a drone?” Rachel said.

  “What?” Jordan said.

  “A drone. Most of them come with a camera now. They’re supposed to be pretty easy to fly. I’ve seen them a few times lately.”

  Jordan was about to dismiss the idea as impossible and probably stupid, but Travis had a different point of view.

  “That’s actually not a bad idea,” he said.

  “Seriously?” Jordan said. “You’re in favor of using a drone? Really?”

  “It would let us get a look around. Safely. Then you can decide if you still want to get inside.”

  “And where will we get a drone?”

  “There’s got to be a Best Buy within an hour of here. We can get a drone and be checking out the NeuSterone site before lunch.”

  “I suppose you’re going to tell me you’ll fly it?”

  “Unless you want to. I’ve flown one before. Not to mention I’m kind of a video game expert. I’ve even got a VR headset, so maneuvering will be pretty straightforward.”

  “What do you think, Rachel?”

  “I like the idea. It definitely sounds better than you breaking in.”

  “All right. But just because we do this doesn’t mean I don’t have to get inside. We’re going to need proof for our theory.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” Travis said. “But let’s see what’s inside the property first. Let me find a Best Buy and we can get going.”
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  “What about me?” Rachel said. “You don’t need me to get a drone, let alone fly one. Why don’t I dig into the property records?”

  “Great idea,” Jordan said. “Travis, is there anything else?”

  “There is. Nicky Carlucci.”

  “You found something on him already?” Jordan said.

  “I won’t vouch for useful, but I know more than his name.”

  “Educate us.”

  “Well, I confirmed he’s from Jersey. He was tagged in Facebook photos, and it was the same guy who’s here. But that’s not the most interesting thing I found.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “He works in the casino business.”

  “No shit? How do you know?”

  “I played connect the dots. In some of the Facebook photos, there were other individuals whose names showed up. Two of them were Vincent and Roberto Vitali. Father and son. Turns out the father owns several casinos, including one in Connecticut. The son has an address in Connecticut, so maybe he works there or even runs it.”

  “What about Nicky? Maybe he just knows these guys?”

  “I thought about that. I dug into the Connecticut casino and found a bunch of news stories from when it opened three years ago. In every picture that had both Vitalis, Nicky was with them. Right beside them. Every single one. Why would he be with them if he wasn’t part of the business?”

  “I can’t think of a good reason. I wonder what Nicky does for them?”

  “That I don’t know. But there was more than one story about crimes the Vitalis were suspected of. Money laundering. Extortion. Assault. I read one story that suggested they ordered the murder of a casino rival. Maybe Nicky is on the nasty side of their business.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that, Jordan,” Rachel said. “If this is true, that guy is trouble. I don’t think he’s here to enjoy the lake.”

  “Then we better find out what he’s here for,” Jordan said. “Let’s see what we learn and meet back here when we’re done.”

  “Good luck with the drone,” Rachel said.

  30

  Francis Emberly read the summary of the backgrounder his staff had compiled. It was more troubling than he had expected.

  The lawyer who had met with Mike Banfield about selling his marina, Alex Koffman, worked out of Jersey City. He had a solo practice, at least in terms of lawyers. There were a couple of paralegals and a few other staff members, but Koffman was the only attorney listed. That struck Francis as unusual. Most lawyers in the greater New York City area were part of a practice.

  Alex Koffman’s area of expertise was commercial real estate. That, at least, made sense, signaling that the potential buyer was legitimate.

  But what caused Francis real concern was who Alex Koffman appeared to have as a client. Such information was not generally public, but his team had pieced it together. They could only confirm one, but it was a doozy. The Vitali family.

  Just about every businessman in the Tri-State and Boston knew who the Vitalis were. Some would know the family as casino moguls because of Vincent Vitali owning six major casinos. Others would know the family as real estate developers, as they were the lead partner for several major hotel and gambling projects. But the truth was that Vincent Vitali led an organized crime family. And like any good modern crime family, they made sure they owned the right kind of large businesses to support their operations.

  Francis’s definition of a criminal conveniently disqualified himself from that label. He didn’t think of political manipulation, sprinkled with occasional bribery and other incentives, as real crime. From his perspective, that was just how things got done in government. But people like the Vitalis were suspected of doing or ordering the full spectrum of violent crime. Francis knew the names of former rivals of Vincent Vitali who had either disappeared or had unfortunate accidents.

  Now it looked like the senator was lining up to be in direct competition with the Vitali family to purchase East Bay Marina. And if the Vitalis were involved, their plans weren’t simply to buy the marina and spruce it up. They had to be planning something much larger. If he had to guess, Francis figured the Vitalis’ plan was to turn Copper Lake into a casino getaway. There was plenty of undeveloped land in the area to build a casino and add hotels and restaurants.

  It was time to call the senator.

  Senator Chris Chisholm answered on the first ring. “Francis, right on time. I trust the team could uncover who is trying to buy the marina.”

  “I think so.”

  “Who was the lawyer?”

  “His name is Alex Koffman.”

  “Shit, are you serious?”

  “Yes. I have his business card. Do you know him?”

  “Not personally, and I’d rather not. He’s Vincent Vitali’s real estate lawyer. Represented him for all of his deals in the last few years. Word on the street is that he also helps with some of Vincent’s more personal legal situations. The Vitalis may not officially be part of what one would call the mob, but they operate pretty much the same. And this lawyer, Koffman, is never far away.”

  “You know where that puts us, then.”

  “In a potential shit storm. It’s one thing to try to beat out the Vitalis on a deal. I could probably live with losing out. But my investors have already committed resources for the redevelopment. They won’t tolerate failure on this one. At least, if I ever hope to have them as backers in the future.”

  “Understood. So how do we proceed?”

  “I have to accelerate my timing. A lot. I need one more major backer, but I can’t wait. I have to make a pitch to Mike. Maybe if he knows the other potential buyer is basically a mobster, he’ll agree to sell me the marina.”

  “When do you want to meet with Mike?”

  “I can’t get away today, so it’ll have to be tomorrow.”

  “So I assume—” Francis was cut off by the senator.

  “Wait. We might be missing something. Do you know for sure that it’s Vincent trying to buy the marina?”

  “Not with certainty. We just know the lawyer is Vitali’s. We’re assuming it’s for Vincent. Why?”

  “Because Vincent’s oldest son, Robbie, is trying to follow in his father’s footsteps. Last year, Vincent gave him the Stamford casino to manage. I heard through the grapevine that Robbie has been itching to strike out on his own. To show the old man what he can do. The marina could be a play by him.”

  “Would that change your plan to make your offer to Mike?”

  “No. But if it’s Robbie trying to buy the marina, we have the advantage of his inexperience. We may be able to force him into making a mistake, preferably in front of Mike. One that would convince Mike never to sell to Robbie or any other Vitali.”

  “We better confirm who the buyer is. I can make a few calls.”

  “No, let me handle it. I have a contact who I trust. He can also help to plant some misinformation.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Make the Vitalis think they have no chance of buying the marina. That will set them off. Especially the kid.”

  “I assume you have a way to do that quickly?”

  “Oh yeah. My contact can plant information that will get to the Vitalis within the hour. Whether it’s Vincent or Robbie who’s responsible, they’ll think Mike is considering selling me the marina.”

  “That’s pretty risky. Winding up a guy who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt someone. Are you sure you want to go down that road?”

  “I don’t have a choice.”

  “Do you need me to do anything?”

  “Just give Mike a heads-up that I’ll be coming up and would like some time with him. I’ll take care of lighting a fuse under the Vitalis.”

  Francis didn’t want to raise this topic now, but better to plan ahead. “What about Alice?”

  The senator’s frustration at the question was audible. “If she asks, tell her I’ll be up tomorrow. But only if she asks.”

  “Got
it.”

  31

  Jordan used the drive to Best Buy to give Tom an update. As her editor, he had certain expectations from his staff. Since she was technically on vacation, Jordan didn’t have to give him an update. Especially since he didn’t know Jordan was working on a story. When she had shared with Tom details of her encounters during the GenPhage story, he had requested, or maybe ordered, that she keep him informed of what she was doing regarding stories in the future. Giving him an unexpected update demonstrated that she had taken his request seriously.

  “That was some update,” Travis said. “You hardly told him anything. You sure as hell didn’t mention going up against a casino family.”

  “That’s not one hundred percent confirmed yet. No need to worry him about any connection to organized crime.”

  “Good point. Why can’t you just have a normal story?”

  “This was your idea, remember?”

  “I’m trying to forget. I figured this would just be a simple story.”

  Jordan and Travis had good luck on the drone front. Best Buy had three models available, so at least there was a choice. Travis selected one with a powerful camera and a long operating range. Most modern drones had built-in safety features to reduce the chance of a crash if the distance from the controller became too great. There was also a default safe-landing mode. So as long as they were within several hundred feet of the drone, they’d be fine.

  On the drive back to Copper Lake, they planned their attack.

  “What’s the safest place for us to park ourselves and still be within range of the buildings?” Jordan asked.

  “The most promising building is on the west side of the clearing. Let’s assume we can get some cover on that side of the property, and plan to launch the drone from there.”

  “Fine with me. I don’t really care where we go, as long as we can get a look inside those buildings.”

  “Since we’re a bit ahead of schedule, I’d like to get some practice with this thing. I’ve flown a drone before, but not this model. I want to make sure I can control it well enough.”

  “Now you tell me? I could have been in and out of that place by now if you hadn’t talked me into the drone. Let’s go to the hotel parking lot. That should give you enough room to crash.”