CHAPTER 13

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Lockett checked his handgun as he sat in the passenger seat of Hennessy’s pickup truck. Parked outside a construction site for a new housing development, the two men watched as a procession of work trucks rolled out of the front entrance.

Hennessy checked his Glock and then looked at Lockett. “This is a terrible idea.”

“Then remind me why we’re doing it.”

“Because everyone is telling me not to do it.”

“That seems like a legitimate reason,”

Lockett smiled. “You’re the guy who pushes the big red button when told not to do it.”

“You know me too well.”

Hennessy said. “We need to talk with Tony Stanwell because I’m not getting any information from Palin. We can’t be surprised at the trial by these guys. And you can guarantee that Garrett is putting together an angle to get these guys in court. But if we push them now, Palin will see how serious we are, and he’ll give us the information we need. We need to know what happens in this business.”

“I can tell you that—they run drugs here.”

“And how is Palin involved?”

“I would suggest he makes the books dodgy so they can cover their tracks.”

“That’s what I need him to tell me. How does he cover their tracks? What accounting does he change? Where does the money go? I need to know it all. Once I know that, I can stop the prosecution from surprising us at trial.”

“It would be easier if Palin just told you.”

“He’s not playing nicely. He won’t talk to me about Stanwell Construction. And if I don’t know the truth about what happens here, it opens us up to exposure in court. Garrett could call several law enforcement witnesses to testify about this place, and I wouldn’t even see it coming. To win the trial, I need to know what happens here.”

Tony Stanwell was a hard man to meet with. Hennessy had tried to meet with him several times but never received a response. The only way Hennessy could convince him was to threaten him with a subpoena, which would mean an appearance in court, something that Stanwell was desperate to avoid. After Stanwell had discussed the situation with his lawyers, he agreed to meet at his location, at a time convenient to him—5 p.m., at the site of a new housing development outside North Charleston.

“Fifty new homes will be built behind that fence.”

Lockett pointed to the tall chain-link fence blocking the public from the construction site. “Let’s not be the first people to be buried there.”

“Agreed,”

Hennessy said. “And we’re just going to talk. That’s all. Nothing more. We’re not making threats, we’re not pushing the boundaries, and we’re not digging too deep. We’re feeling this man out.”

Lockett nodded and stepped out of the truck, tucking his weapon into his belt and hiding it under his jacket. Hennessy did the same. Together, the two tall men strode through the gate at the start of the development and toward the site office—a temporary building at the far left side of the lot.

As they walked toward the building, Hennessy wondered what the neighborhood would look like in ten years. Stanwell Construction had a reputation for cutting corners and doing things cheaply. Their previous developments were all experiencing problems—flooding, sewer constraints, cracks in the walls of the cheaply made homes. Stanwell Construction avoided the blame by bribing the right people and keeping the pockets of those in power full. Despite the history of sub-par developments, Stanwell Construction kept winning bids from the city council to develop new neighborhoods. Hennessy knew how that worked.

As they approached the building site office, two burly construction workers stood outside the entrance, both as tall as Hennessy and Lockett. The men could’ve passed for bodybuilders, and Hennessy had no doubt that steroids were involved. Both men had neck tattoos, and one had a face tattoo.

As Hennessy approached, they stepped toward each other, blocking the entrance to the site office. Hennessy held eye contact with them for a long moment before he said, “We’re here to see Mr. Tony Stanwell.”

The men didn’t move for a moment, until the broader man stepped back. The second man followed his lead.

“The boss said he wants to talk to you inside.”

The first one grunted. “It’s not safe out here, being a construction site. We wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself with all this dangerous equipment around.”

Hennessy led the way inside, and Lockett followed a step behind.

Inside, the site office was a mess. Papers were everywhere, empty soda cans were on the floor, and trash was overflowing from the trash can. The place smelled like cigarettes, whiskey, and male body odor.

Tony Stanwell sat behind the desk at the far end of the room with his expensive leather shoes resting on the plastic tabletop. His relaxed and expansive pose presented the appearance that he was in charge.

Stanwell’s Italian heritage was evident. He had tanned skin, thick black hair, and the top of his hairy chest was exposed by a white polo shirt. A gold chain hung around his neck, and several rings clung to his fingers.

“Mr. Stanwell. Thank you for meeting with us,”

Hennessy stated. “We understand you’re a busy man.”

“You didn’t give me much of a choice.”

Stanwell waved the comment away, feet still up on the desk. His voice was loud and croaky. “Sit down, boys.”

Hennessy folded his tall frame into the office chair, his body barely fitting between the arms of the plastic chair. Lockett did the same next to him and the chair almost crumbled under his weight.

The two burly men from outside entered the room and stood at the room’s rear without a word to each other.

“Were you aware of any illegal activities involving Palin Accounting?”

Hennessy wasted no time in feeling out Stanwell.

“Ha ha!”

Stanwell sat up straight, taking his feet off the table. “This is a legitimate business.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t.”

Stanwell scoffed and then laughed again. He waved his finger at Hennessy. “Palin said you weren’t one to take a backward step, and I guess he was right. But I fail to see what my legitimate business activities have to do with Palin’s fraud case.”

“It’s all connected.”

Hennessy leaned forward. “And like I told you over the phone, you can answer my questions here or in court. I’m going to know the truth either way. How we do it is your choice.”

“You’re either very courageous or very stupid, Mr. Hennessy. You’ve walked into a construction site where concrete foundations are still being laid, and you’re making threats. Concrete covers most things, and nobody will knock down a new building to search for a body.”

“You can talk to me about Palin here, or we can do it in court,”

Hennessy repeated.

“Palin, Palin, Palin. I hate the guy, but he knows too much to be abandoned.”

Stanwell rolled his tongue around his mouth as he considered the name. “We don’t like that Palin has been charged with a fraud that has nothing to do with us. If the allegations are true, we hate it. Stealing from sick kids? That’s terrible. But it has nothing to do with us.”

“One of the prosecution’s witnesses suggested it might.”

Stanwell squinted, surprised by the comment. “Who?”

“One of the redacted witnesses who will testify for the prosecution has said they found links between Stanwell Construction and the Wolfgang Berger Foundation in the accounting files.”

Stanwell stood and leaned his hands on the table. “That’s a lie. We would never steal from sick children, and we want nothing to do with it. Who said that there were links to us?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“You’re bluffing. There are no witnesses who would be brave enough to say that.”

“That’s why their statement is redacted until a week before the trial. The prosecution is going to link you to Palin’s crimes. One of the redacted witnesses is going to point the finger at you. I need to be prepared so I can stop them. If I know what’s coming, I can lodge pretrial motions to keep your business name out of the courtroom.”

Stanwell pulled out a piece of gum from a packet on his desk. He threw a piece in his mouth and chewed it aggressively. He walked to the window at the side of the room. “That’s not good. We can’t have that.”

“If it comes out in court that you’re involved, it could destroy the reputation of the entire business. No council is going to want to approve a development with an organization that steals money from sick children.”

“That’s enough. It’s time for you to go. I don’t want to listen to this anymore.”

Stanwell waved them away. “Watch your step on the way out. This is a worksite, and I would hate it if you fell over and hurt yourself.”

Hennessy looked at Lockett. Lockett nodded. It was time to go. The two men stood and walked toward the exit. The two construction workers were waiting by the door. That wasn’t a good sign.

Hennessy turned back to Stanwell. Stanwell glared at Hennessy before he nodded to the men.

The two men looked at each other and then stepped aside. Hennessy and Lockett strode through the exit, not looking back at the building site.

They had escaped without trouble, but Hennessy was sure danger was to follow them.