CHAPTER 49

“He’s not here,”

the nurse at the front door said. “I don’t know where he is.”

Hennessy stood at the entrance to Berkley’s antebellum mansion on Murray Boulevard. The sun was shining brightly, and the area was bathed in warmth. Hennessy had been knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell for more than a few minutes before the nurse answered.

“I know he’s here,”

Hennessy stated. He leaned forward and raised his voice. “And I know he’s a coward.”

The nurse didn’t know how to respond. She hesitated and went to say something before someone else called out behind her.

“Alright. Fine.”

Clarence Berkley’s tone was grumpy. “I’ll deal with it. I’m coming.”

Hennessy stood at the door, and the nurse stepped back. Berkley appeared behind her. He stepped around her and indicated that Hennessy should follow him. He led Hennessy down the mansion’s steps and into the front yard.

“What do you want, Joe? To rub it in? To say that you’re this great lawyer who has won again? You embarrassed me on the stand. That wasn’t nice.”

“You set him up.”

“I didn’t set him up. He stole that money. You know that, and I know that. Just because there wasn’t enough evidence doesn’t mean he didn’t do it. The facts are the facts, and no matter how well you did in court, the fact is that he transferred the money from the Foundation into his own bank accounts. What type of man steals from a charity foundation?”

Berkley shook his head. “After he was arrested, Palin asked me if I was involved. Of course, I denied everything, but I was the one who tipped off the police. He came to me, told me all about the money, and I told him I didn’t believe him. When we met the next week, he bought the bank statement. Once I had that, I knew I had enough evidence to take it to the police and get him out of my life forever. Unfortunately, I didn’t count on you spoiling the party.”

“There wasn’t enough evidence to convict him.”

“There was,”

Berkley snapped back. “Any half-brained person could see Palin did it. He’s been doing it for years for various companies. He was blackmailing everyone. And now, he’s going to be on the next plane to Costa Rica, and he’s never going to serve time for all his crimes.”

Berkley looked at Hennessy. “And you won’t get your bonus.”

“You have my money,”

Hennessy stated, not getting drawn into a further discussion about Palin. “Palin said he gave you two-hundred-and-fifty thousand in cash for a down payment on a property in Costa Rica that you never purchased.”

Berkley scoffed. “He’s skipping the country, Joe. I can guarantee that he’ll be on a plane today or tomorrow. He won’t wait for Garrett to smack him with further fraud charges. He’ll go to Costa Rica, wait for the bank accounts to become unfrozen, and then live a very nice retirement.”

“He doesn’t have a passport. It was taken as part of the bail hearing, and it’ll be another week before he gets it back.”

“He doesn’t need a passport,”

Berkley sneered. “He has connections with the Rebel Sons, and they’ll smuggle him out of the country. He’ll tell them he knows too much to be sent to prison, and they need to get him out of the country. They’ll give him cash so he keeps quiet, and you’ll never hear from him again.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Because that big mouth Palin told me about his connections to Stanwell Construction and the Rebel Sons. I didn’t bring it up in the trial because I don’t need that sort of trouble in my life.”

Berkley wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “He’s got the money, Joe. He never gave it to me. He’s got it in cash. He always bragged that he had two-hundred-and-fifty thousand in cash in a go-bag. I can almost guarantee that he’s got that cash with him.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“You don’t, but I bet he sent you here as a distraction. My guess is that they’re already on the road, driving south to somewhere in Florida where they smuggle drugs from. I don’t have his money. Palin lied to you to distract you. My guess is that he’s already on the road. You need to stop him if you want to get paid.”

Hennessy thought about the bikes at Palin’s office that morning and realized it was true.

He turned and walked away from Berkley without another word. The second he reached his truck, he took out his cell phone and called Roger East.

“Where’s he going?”

Hennessy snarled.

“Who?”

“Palin.”

“How would I know?”

“Because he’s running to Costa Rica through your connections. Where is he going?”

East was reluctant.

“East. I’m not going to ask again. Where is Palin going?”

“I’ve always liked you, Joe, and I’ve always hated Palin. That guy blackmailed me once, and I’ve never forgotten it.”

East paused for a long time before he clucked his tongue several times and then continued. “If he’s running with the Rebel Sons, they’re on their way to Jacksonville. The Rebel Sons have contacts at that airport. That means they can sneak money, drugs, or anything else in and out of the country. And if he makes it to the airport, you’ll never see him again. But the Rebel Sons have a clubhouse on the way there, outside Midway, and they’re obligated to stop if they’re driving past. I’ll text you the address.”

Hennessy ended the call and raced to his truck.

It was time to get paid.