pbien.jaws-第35章

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　work　that　out　then。〃
　　　　　　　〃Now；　goddammit！　I'm　sick　of　taking　all　the　shit　for　your　mistakes。〃
　　　　　　　〃Wait　a　minute；　Martin。〃
　　　　　　　〃I'm　serious。　If　you　want　the　authority　for　opening　the　beaches；　then　you　take　the　responsibility；　too。〃
　　　　　　　〃What　are　you　saying？〃
　　　　　　　〃I'm　saying　that　as　long　as　I'm　chief　of　police　in　this　town；　as　long　as　I'm　supposed　to　be　responsible　for　public　safety；　those　beaches　will　not　be　open。〃
　　　　　　　〃I'll　tell　you　this；　Martin；〃　said　Vaughan。　〃If　those　beaches　stay　closed　over　the　Fourth　of　July　weekend；　you　won't　have　your　job　very　long。　And　I'm　not　threatening。　I'm　telling　you。　We　can　still　have　a　summer。　But　we　have　to　tell　people　it's　safe　to　e　here。
　　　　　　　Twenty　minutes　after　they　hear　you　won't　open　the　beaches；　the　people　of　this　town　will　impeach　you；　or　find　a　rail　and　run　you　out　on　it。　Do　you　agree；　gentlemen？〃
　　　　　　　〃Fuckin'　A；〃　said　Catsoulis。　〃I'll　give　'em　the　rail　myself。〃
　　　　　　　〃My　people　got　no　work；〃　said　Lopez。　〃You　don't　let　them　work；　you're　not　gonna　work。〃
　　　　　　　Brody　said　flatly；　〃You　can　have　my　job　anytime　you　want　it。〃
　　　　　　　A　buzzer　sounded　on　Vaughan's　desk。　He　stood　up　angrily　and　crossed　the　room。
　　　　　　　He　picked　up　the　phone。　〃I　told　you　we　didn't　want　to　be　disturbed！〃　he　snapped。　There　was　a　moment's　silence；　and　he　said　to　Brody；　〃There's　a　call　for　you。　Janet　says　it's　urgent。　You　can　take　it　here　or　outside。〃
　　　　　　　〃I'll　take　it　outside；〃　Brody　said；　wondering　what　could　be　urgent　enough　to　call　him　out　of　a　meeting　with　the　selectmen。　Another　attack？　He　left　the　room　and　closed　the　door　behind　him。　Janet　handed　him　the　phone　on　her　desk；　but　before　she　could　depress　the　flashing　button　to　release　it　from　〃hold；〃　Brody　said；　〃Tell　me：　Did　Larry　ever　call　Albert　Morris　and　Fred　Potter　this　morning？〃
　　　　　　　Janet　looked　away　from　him。　〃I　was　told　not　to　say　anything　about　anything　to　anybody。〃
　　　　　　　〃Tell　me；　Janet。　I　need　to　know。〃
　　　　　　　〃Will　you　put　in　a　good　word　for　me　with　Golden　Boy　in　there？〃
　　　　　　　〃It's　a　deal。〃
　　　　　　　〃No。　The　only　ones　I　called　were　the　four　in　there。〃
　　　　　　　〃Push　the　button。〃　Janet　pushed　the　button；　and　Brody　said；　〃Brody。〃
　　　　　　　Inside　his　office；　Vaughan　saw　the　light　stop　flashing；　and　he　gently　eased　his　finger　off　the　receiver　hook　and　placed　his　hand　over　the　mouthpiece。　He　looked　around　the　room；　searching　each　face　for　a　challenge。　No　one　returned　his　gaze　…　not　even　Hooper；　who　had　decided　that　the　less　he　was　involved　in　the　affairs　of　Amity；　the　better　off　he　would　be。
　　　　　　　〃It's　Harry；　Martin；〃　said　Meadows。　〃I　know　you're　in　a　meeting　and　I　know　you've　got　to　get　back　to　it。　So　just　listen。　I'll　be　brief。　Larry　Vaughan　is　up　to　his　tail　in　hock。〃
　　　　　　　〃I　don't　believe　it。〃
　　　　　　　〃Listen；　I　said！　The　fact　that　he's　in　debt　doesn't　mean　anything。　It's　who　he's　in　debt　to　that　matters。　A　long　time　ago；　maybe　twenty…five　years；　before　Larry　had　any　money；　his　wife　got　sick。　I　don't　remember　what　she　had；　but　it　was　serious。　And　expensive。　My　memory's　a　little　hazy　on　this；　but　I　remember　him　saying　afterward　that　he　had　been　helped　out　by　a　friend；　gotten　a　loan　to　pull　him　through。　It　must　have　been　for　several　thousand　dollars。　Larry　told　me　the　man's　name。　I　wouldn't　have　thought　anything　about　it；　but　Larry　said　something　about　the　man　being　willing　to　help　out　people　in　trouble。　I　was　young　then；　and　I　didn't　have　any　money　either。　So　I　made　a　note　of　the　name　and　stuck　it　away　in　my　files。　It　never　occurred　to　me　to　look　it　up　again　until　you　asked　me　to　start　snooping。　The　name　was　Tino　Russo。〃
　　　　　　　〃Get　to　the　point；　Harry。〃
　　　　　　　〃I　am。　Now　jump　to　the　present。　A　couple　of　months　ago；　before　this　shark　thing　ever　began；　a　pany　was　formed　called　Caskata　Estates。　It's　a　holding　pany。　At　the　beginning；　it　had　no　real　assets。　The　first　thing　it　bought　was　a　big　potato　field　just　north　of　Scotch　Road。　When　the　summer　didn't　shape　up　well；　Caskata　began　to　buy　a　few　more　properties。　It　was　all　perfectly　legitimate。　The　pany　obviously　has　cash　behind　it　…　somewhere　…　and　it　was　taking　advantage　of　the　down　market　to　pick　up　properties　at　low　prices。　But　then　…　as　soon　as　the　first　newspaper　reports　about　the　shark　thing　came　out　…　Caskata　really　started　buying。　The　lower　real　estate　prices　fell；　the　more　they　bought。　All　very　quietly。　Prices　are　so　low　now　that　it's　almost　like　during　the　war；　and　Caskata's　still　buying。　Very　little　money　down。　All　short…term　promissory　notes。　Signed　by　Larry　Vaughan；　who　is　listed　as　the　president　of　Caskata。　The　executive　vice…president　of　Caskata　Estates　is　Tino　Russo；　who　the　Times　has　been　listing　for　years　as　a　secondechelon　crumb　in　one　of　the　five　Mafia　families　in　New　York。〃
　　　　　　　Brody　whistled　through　his　teeth。　〃And　the　sonofabitch　has　been　moaning　about　how　nobody's　been　buying　anything　from　him。　I　still　don't　understand　why　he's　being　pressured　to　open　the　beaches。〃
　　　　　　　〃I'm　not　sure。　I'm　not　even　sure　he's　still　being　pressured。　He　may　be　arguing　out　of　personal　desperation。　I　imagine　he's　way　overextended。　He　couldn't　buy　anything　more　no　matter　how　low　the　prices　go。　The　only　way　he　can　get　out　without　being　ruined　is　if　the　market　turns　around　and　the　prices　go　up。　Then　he　can　sell　what　he's　bought　and　get　the　profit。　Or　Russo　can　get　the　profit；　however　the　deal's　worked　out。　If　prices　keep　going　down　…　in　other　words；　if　the　town　is　still　officially　unsafe　…　his　notes　are　going　to　e　due。　He　can't　possibly　meet　them。　He's　probably　got　over　half　a　million　out　now　in　cash　down　payments。　He'll　lose　his　cash；　and　the　properties　will　either　revert　to　the　original　owners　or　else　get　picked　up　by　Russo　if　he　can　raise　the　cash。　I　don't　imagine　Russo　would　want　to　take　the　risk。　Prices　might　keep　going　down；　and　then　he'd　take　a　bath　along　with　Vaughan。　My　guess　is　that　Russo　still　has　hopes　of　big　profits；　but　the　only　way　he　has　a　chance　of　getting　them　is　if　Vaughan　forces　the　beaches　open。　Then；　if　nothing　happens　…　if　the　shark　doesn't　kill　anybody　else　…　before　long　prices　will　go　up　and　Vaughan　can　sell　out。　Russo　will　take　his　cut　…　half　the　gross　or　whatever　…　and　Caskata　will　be　dissolved。　Vaughan　will　get　what's　left；　probably　enough　to　keep　him　from　being　ruined。　If　the　shark　does　kill　someone　else；　then　the　only　one　who　gets　screwed　is　Vaughan。　As　far　as　I　can　tell；　Russo　doesn't　have　a　nickel　in　cash　in　this　outfit。　It's　all。〃
　　　　　　　〃You're　a　goddamned　liar；　Meadows！〃　Vaughan's　voice　shrieked　into　the　phone；　〃You　print　one　word　of　that　crap　and　I'll　sue　you　to　death！〃　There　was　a　click　as　Vaughan　slammed　down　the　phone。
　　　　　　　〃So　much　for　the　integrity　of　our　elected　officials；〃　said　Meadows。
　　　　　　　〃What　are　you　going　to　do；　Harry？　Can　you　print　anything？〃
　　　　　　　〃No；　at　least　not　yet。　I　can't　document　enough。　You　know　as　well　as　I　do　that　the　mob　is　getting　more　and　more　involved　in　Long　Island　…　the　construction　business；　restaurants；　everything。　But　it's　hard　as　hell　to　prove　an　actual　illegality。　In　Vanghan's　case；　I'm　not　sure　there's　anything　illegal　going　on；　in　the　strict　sense　of　the　word。　In　a　few　days；　with　a　little　more　digging；　I　should　be　able　to　put　together　a　piece　saying　that　Vaughan　has　been　associating　with　a　known　mobster。　I　mean　a　piece　that　will　hold　up　if　Vaughan　ever　did　try　to　sue。〃
　　　　　　　〃It　sounds　to　me　like　you've　got　enough　now；〃　said　Brody。
　　　　　　　〃I　have　the　knowledge；　but　not　the　proof。　I　don't　have　the　documents；　or　even　copies　of　them。　I've　seen　them；　but　that's　all。〃
　　　　　　　〃Do　you　think　any　of　the　selectmen　are　in　on　the　deal？　Larry　loaded　this　meeting　against　me。〃
　　　　　　　〃No。　You　mean　Catsoulis　and　Conover？　They're　just　old　buddies　who　owe　Larry　a　favor　or　two。　If　Thatcher's　there；　he's　too　old　and　too　scared　to　say　a　word　against　Larry。
　　　　　　　And　Lopez　is　straight。　He's　really　concerned　about　jobs　for　his　people。〃
　　　　　　　〃Does　Hooper　know　any　of　this？　He's　making　a　pretty　strong　case　for　opening　the　beaches。〃
　　　　　　　〃No；　I'm　pretty　sure　he　doesn't。　I　only　wrapped　it　up　myself　a　few　minutes　ago；　and　there　are　still　a　lot　of　loose　threads。〃
　　　　　　　〃What　do　you　think　I　ought　to　do？　I　may　have　quit　already。　I　offered　them　my　job　before　I　came　out　to　take　your　cal