by K C Gillis
Vitali’s smirk morphed into a sneer. “I think Mike will do what’s best for him and his family when presented with the right opportunity.”
“On that, we definitely agree. I just wonder if his preference is to sell to a stranger with, how should I put it, a questionable background. I bet he’d much rather sell to a friend. Someone he’s known for decades. Maybe not right away. But eventually.”
“Maybe to a friend not about to get buried in legal trouble. I’m not sure Mike has one of those.”
If the situation had been less important to Jordan, she would have really enjoyed the sparring between the two men. By her scorecard, it was pretty even. Jordan needed to tip the balance.
“You know, Senator,” she said, “I might take you up on your earlier offer. Maybe I should give you a chance to better explain your side of the story about what happened to those fish. Maybe there’s a different angle to the story.”
Both adversaries turned toward Jordan.
The senator responded calmly, easily adapting to the change of subject. “That’s a conversation I’d love to have.”
Vitali was less calm. “There’s no way you’re serious,” he said. “Not after Nicky helped you.”
“What I do with the material is up to me. It’s not like either of you are model citizens with clean hands in Copper Lake.”
“Be careful who you mess with. My family has a long reach.”
“I know about your family,” Jordan said. “But I’d be more worried if I were dealing with your father.”
Jordan played a hunch that demeaning Vitali relative to his father would strike a chord. It did. She must have tapped into a deep-seated feeling of inadequacy. Vitali’s face went red. Jordan could see him seething, wanting to lash out. Instead, he and the big man with him walked away.
“Damn,” Chisholm said. “That was perfect. Did you know he had daddy issues?”
“Not at all. But given who his father is, there was a good chance my comment would hit a nerve.”
“Were you serious about revisiting your story?”
“Sorry, Senator. Just part of the game. I needed to prime Vitali to lose control. Feeling inadequate and thinking you’re still an option for Mike should do the trick.”
Chisholm’s generally happy demeanor turned ashen. A look that definitely wasn’t flattering. “You’re playing with fire. If you’re not careful, you could get burned.”
“You’ll have to excuse me. I don’t want to keep Mike waiting.”
Nicky Carlucci had taken up a relaxing position on the grass about thirty feet behind the main dock. From his spot, he had a clear view of the fireworks barge. The marina crew had completed most of the preparations for the evening’s event. There was one staffer sitting on a chair on the barge, which was anchored off the north side of the marina docks.
Nicky had planned to remove the fireworks that Malone had tampered with from the barge, expecting Vitali would be successful in convincing Mike to sell. But the barge hadn’t been left unattended, not even for a moment. Without intervention from Nicky, there would be an accident. He could live with that. But if Robbie pulled off the marina purchase, he’d be disappointed if any more damage was done. If Robbie didn’t get Banfield to sell him the marina, it wouldn’t matter.
In any case, Nicky had a flare gun. And he was a good shot.
The chief didn’t want to take the call from Chisholm. Vitali and Mike were on the verge of their meeting, and he needed to be ready for anything. But ignoring the call would result in Chisholm and Emberly hounding him in person.
“What is it, Chris?”
“Jordan Reed must still have the chemical samples on her. Find a way to get them.”
“Jesus, Chris, when am I supposed to do that?”
“The next time you see her. Get them, or start looking for a new job.”
“Fuck,” the chief said after Chisholm hung up.
49
Jordan joined Travis and Rachel in the room beside Mike’s office. The video feed was live on Travis’s laptop, the thirteen-inch screen forcing the trio to huddle together.
They could see Mike and Alice sitting in Mike’s office, Mike behind his desk and Alice beside him. Before the meeting, Mike had told Alice that her job was basically to be quiet. But if Vitali spoke to her directly, she was to support Mike.
“Where’s Vitali?” Jordan said.
“He’s not there yet,” Travis said.
“He should be. He was ahead of me.”
“Are you sure? We haven’t seen him yet.”
“Strange. I wonder where he went?”
Before Jordan had a chance to ponder Vitali’s absence further, there was a knock on the half-open door of Mike’s office, and Robbie Vitali stepped inside. Jordan could see he was still flushed from their earlier meeting, but he appeared to have regained most of his composure.
Mike stood up from his desk and came around to offer his hand. “You must be Robbie Vitali. This is my wife, Alice. Please, take a seat.”
“Nice to meet you both. I didn’t expect to meet your wife, but it’s definitely welcome. I should also say I’m glad we’re able to meet in person. I should have come here sooner.”
“I agree,” Mike said as he closed the door and took a seat at his desk. “While I can appreciate the efficiency of sending your lawyer to meet with me, I would never agree to do a deal with someone I’ve never met.”
“A mistake on my part.”
“Well, you’re here now.” Mike paused and cleared his throat. Jordan worried Mike would back away from the plan. He didn’t. “Let me start by saying that my position is basically the same.”
“Even without hearing what I have to offer? I can assure you it exceeds the offer my lawyer extended.”
Alice interjected. “I’d actually like to hear the offer. Do you mind, Mike?”
It had taken Alice less than a minute to go off script. Jordan saw Vitali smile at her early influence on the meeting, making Jordan wonder if he had hoped or planned for such an opportunity.
“Fine, Alice,” Mike said. “Go ahead.”
“Thanks, Mike. As you recall, the original offer was five million up front, net of inventory, plus five percent of the profit of the overall development for ten years. I’m now willing to increase the upfront to five-and-a-half million. The profit sharing will remain. I imagine the cost of product inventory you have on hand to be maybe another million or so.”
Jordan knew Mike hadn’t shared the details of the previous offer with Alice. Jordan saw her eyes widen at the offer. Mike would never be able to get her to stop nagging him to sell the marina.
Alice seemed to try to hide her giddiness upon hearing the offer. “That certainly sounds reasonable.”
“I would classify it as generous,” Vitali said. “It reflects the potential of the marina, not what it’s worth on paper today.”
“I agree,” said Mike. “It’s a generous offer. But there are two reasons I won’t sell you my marina.”
Vitali squirmed a little in his chair. “Really? I assume you’ll tell me what they are?”
“Sure. There’s someone who can explain the first reason better than I can.”
That was Jordan’s cue. As Mike walked to open his office door, Jordan left the room she was in. She had forgotten about the man who accompanied Robbie Vitali, but he was standing against the wall opposite Mike’s office. He gave Jordan a strange look as Mike’s office door opened and she went in.
“I believe you know Jordan Reed,” Mike said.
Jordan registered Vitali’s displeasure. “We’ve met. But why is she here, exactly?”
“Because she knows more than anybody about how you’ve been orchestrating accidents at my marina to try to make me more willing to sell it.”
Vitali’s right fist clenched at Mike’s statement. Alice’s face contorted in confusion.
“What do you—” Alice began.
Jordan cut her off, not willing to risk Alice venturing further off sc
ript. “I’m sure you remember our earlier meeting?” Jordan said. “It took place because you wanted the recording I had of Punch Malone. Where he confessed to crimes and named others involved. In case his name isn’t familiar, he’s the guy the chief got to handle the marina accidents that happened in the last week.”
“Yes, I remember our meeting. But I don’t know anything about some phantom recording. And honestly, I never heard the name Punch Malone before. I have no idea who he is. Why don’t you bring him in? Then he can tell us all what he told you.”
“I haven’t been able to reach him.”
“Maybe he reconsidered?”
“Maybe. Did Nicky pay him a visit? Where is Nicky, by the way? I thought he’d be here.”
“I’m not sure. He doesn’t need me to manage how he spends his time.”
“It doesn’t matter how you try to explain away any of this,” Mike said. “I trust Jordan when she tells me Punch Malone confessed. That he was causing these accidents to pressure me to sell the marina tells me that you are behind everything.”
“Maybe it was another potential buyer? Maybe the senator?”
“Not a chance,” Mike said. “I’ve known him since we were kids. He has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, but violence isn’t one of them. At least not when it comes to me.”
“So you accuse me without knowing anything about me?”
Jordan helped Mike. “You’re in the casino business, right?”
Vitali looked straight at her. “Yeah. So what?”
“I think we all know that casinos operate on the fringes of the law.”
“You watch too many movies.”
“I don’t need to when it comes to your family. Do you know how many times they’ve indicted your father for extortion and money laundering?”
Vitali’s anger showed signs of returning. “I don’t count. He’s never been found guilty.”
“My point is that your family has what I’d call curious business practices. That makes you a pretty good suspect for the kind of accidents that have happened here.”
“Is that your only reason to suspect me? I’m not my father.”
“Not at all. While he’s not here to tell you himself, Punch Malone said the person pulling the chief’s strings was in the casino business. Again, that points to you.”
“Tough to believe without hearing it firsthand.”
Jordan had hoped not to need her last point. The chief deserved no protection from her, but airing someone’s dirty laundry made her feel slimy.
“There’s actually a more direct connection between you and the chief. He’s not just an acquaintance of yours, is he?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean he’s a customer. Of your casino. Or should I say the casino your daddy lets you manage?”
The deepening red of Vitali’s face signaled a rise in his anger. Jordan would have bet it was the reference to Vitali Senior.
Vitali’s words came out like venom. “You obviously have more to say, so spit it out.”
“I know the chief has been a regular customer for almost two years. I also know that he has amassed a six-figure debt to the casino you manage. How am I doing?”
Vitali’s response continued his pointless deflection. “I don’t discuss customers.”
“Fine. Then tell me how you handle people with heavy debt?”
Vitali appeared to be fighting for control of his words. He barely succeeded. “We work out an arrangement for them to pay what they owe. Kind of like a bank.”
“But not really like a bank. How long would someone have to pay back a couple hundred thousand dollars?”
“It’s hard to say. Each case is unique.”
“I’m sure that’s true. But for the chief, you agreed that if he helped you secure the marina, you’d forgive his debt. Right?”
“As I said, I don’t discuss customer situations with outsiders.”
“Should we call the chief in? How about his kid, Derek? I bet at least one of them will confirm this.”
Robbie Vitali sat in complete silence, his hands shaking. He seemed to have run out of deflections.
Mike used the momentary silence to hammer home his first point.
“I won’t sell my marina to a criminal, especially one who thinks damaging the property he wants to buy is a good business practice.”
“If you believe I’m responsible for the accidents that happened here, what’s to say they’ll ever really stop? I mean, what would happen if every summer, maybe around the Fourth, maybe some other time, there were more accidents? I’ve heard these mishaps took most of your resources to deal with. And they weren’t serious accidents. No one got hurt. What if something truly dangerous happened? Do you really need that complication? Why not relieve yourself of the burden?”
“That sounds a lot like a threat,” Mike said. “But I’m not stupid. I see the attractiveness of cashing out. Which brings me to the second reason I won’t sell you the marina.”
Before Mike could answer, Alice responded. “Wait a minute. Is it true Brian has been working for this man to cause these accidents? And that Punch helped?”
“It’s true,” Jordan said. “Punch admitted it to me. Plus, the chief threatened me earlier. It’s all true.”
“Of all the things Brian could do to hurt me, I never would have expected this.” Alice directed her next comment to Vitali. “No one wants Mike to sell the marina more than I do. Hell, I came in here specifically to get Mike to agree to sell it to you. Especially once I heard the price. But now that I know you’re responsible for what has happened here, you can go to hell.”
Jordan had misread Alice. While she was a wild card and had wandered off script, she had just wound up Vitali’s anger even more. How he was holding himself in check, Jordan had no idea.
Vitali scowled at the couple. “Your opinion doesn’t matter. You’re not even a part owner of this place. Let your husband speak.”
“You remember Senator Chisholm, correct?” Jordan asked. “You know he’s interested in the marina. He has a group of investors backing him.”
Vitali forced a smile. “He won’t be much of an option for long. Not if this reporter does her job.”
“I’ve heard some of what’s going on at that site the senator has a stake in,” Mike said. “But I haven’t heard his side of things. Maybe he’s about to get into some trouble. If he does, then he’ll probably lose his backers. But I know him. Money aside, he still cares for Copper Lake. If I were to sell, I’d put him at the top of my list.”
Vitali stood up, finally unable to control the anger that had been building.
“You let me come up here just so you could accuse me of some stupid little accidents and tell me you’d rather sell to someone else? Is that how little you respect my time? Do you know who the fuck I am?”
Kaboom. Vitali exploded. Jordan almost had what she needed. Mike just had to stick to the plan a bit longer.
Mike didn’t let her down. “It’s not disrespectful to want you to hear it directly from me. I don’t do business with criminals.”
Vitali’s voice trembled with rage. He stood beside his chair, leaning on it as if he wanted to drive it into the floor. “You should know not to play games with someone like me. It’s a good way to have a nasty accident.” Robbie Vitali paused, rocking the chair onto its back legs before continuing. “You may have been inconvenienced by the little accidents that happened. They were so easy to plan, they almost weren’t worth the effort. But they’re nothing like what can happen to people who cross a Vitali. You should have done more research on me. You think you can make a fool out of me without consequences? You’re wrong. It’ll be your funeral.”
For an instant, no one said a word or moved a muscle, Robbie Vitali’s words hanging in the air. He had just given Jordan what she needed. No one could listen to what Vitali just said, with the context of the recent accidents, and not believe with absolute certainty he had just threatened Mike. Vitali had even dropped a more s
ubtle threat earlier, before his anger had fully erupted. She hoped Travis had the recording ready to play back.
Vitali went to the door of Mike’s office and turned to face the group. “This isn’t over.”
Jordan needed to make sure Vitali didn’t leave yet. “You’re right. Before you leave, there’s something you should see.”
Vitali froze with his hand on the doorknob. He slowly turned around and looked at Jordan like she was a piece of trash stuck to his shoe. “There’s nothing you could show me that I’d want to see.”
It had barely been a minute since Vitali’s last threat. Possibly enough time for Travis to have extracted the relevant clips. Jordan stalled to buy a bit more time, speaking slowly. “You might want to see this.” Jordan hoped she had given Travis enough time. She picked up the remote for the flat-screen TV and turned it on. After a few seconds, the screen came on, followed by Travis’s meeting highlights.
The video clip was no more than thirty seconds, but it captured both instances where Vitali had incriminated himself. A skilled lawyer could argue that the first one was too subtle. But Vitali’s outburst at the end of the meeting clearly implicated him in the marina accidents and captured a more direct threat.
The look on Robbie Vitali’s face was pure rage. Probably because he wanted to strangle Jordan, Mike, or the both of them.
“You little bitch. Was this whole meeting a setup?”
“Guilty. What Mike said was all pretty much true. He doesn’t want to sell the marina. To you or anyone else. We just needed you to do exactly what you did. Incriminate yourself.”
“You people don’t know who you’re dealing with. What do you really think this will get you?”
“It’s simple. Go away. Leave Mike and the marina alone. Accept that he won’t sell to you. If you agree to do that, he’s willing to forget about the previous accidents. It’ll be like nothing ever happened. And don’t think there aren’t already multiple copies of this video stored in places you’ll never find. This evidence won’t disappear.”