be heard more than a few feet away. He rattled off history: McGuire’s juvenile record, his protection from Clooney, the rape case in Stanford. Ben held on to the money.
“What’s McGuire up to now?” Ben asked.
“I’m just an old fart cop, I don’t know high finance. But that’s what I hear he’s trying to do.”
“Go straight?”
The old man laughed. “Not in his frigging genes to do that. Came back from Stanford all pumped up with these ideas about himself. I’d guess he wants to mix his talent for hurting people with bigger returns. Real estate, construction, all sorts of stuff.” Deegan shook his head. “That financial stuff always threw me, I was better at dealing with the simple shit, people shooting each other.” Deegan brightened, and looked at the money in Ben’s hand. “One thing I can tell you is to watch your ass if he knows it’s you. He’s a real good hater, comes to it naturally. He decides you’re pissing in his soup, he’ll come right after you.”
“Bad news, huh?”
“Oh, yeah. He’s part of the new generation, all right. He never got picked up for it, but there were rumors around before his uncle hustled him off to college that he went in on one of those home invasion things. Sort of shit that the Jamaicans do, but Irish kids are supposed to know better. Blew into Derrick Coughlin’s home, killed him, beat the wife, killed her, and then was moving on to the kids when one of them saw the sense of telling McGuire where Mommy and Daddy hid a big suitcase that they were never supposed to touch. It was the cash from an armored car heist.’’
“He was never charged?”
“The two guys rumored to have gone in with him, Donny and John Gendron, they never got to testify,” Deegan said. “McGuire didn’t even get arrested, far as I know. Right after, his uncle got him out to California. The story goes that Patrick Clooney used to have a full head of black hair until his nephew became a teenager. It’s strange, I seen the two of them together myself: Clooney is kinda disgusted by some of the things his nephew does, but he still takes care of him.”
Ben cocked an eyebrow. “Does that include buying off someone on the force?”
“You haven’t got enough money in your bank account for me to talk about that.”
“Do you know Calabro or Brace? Are they clean?”
Deegan hesitated, then said, “I know them and I think you heard me the first time. As for McGuire, all you’ve really got to take away from our little drink here is that if he loses his temper with you, get the hell out of town. Him and his uncle clean up good.” He winked. “Seems Donny and John’s car blew up with them in it.”
Ben slid the twenty over.
CHAPTER 12
“THAT’S ALL YOU’VE GOT?” KURT SAID, LOOKING THROUGH THE prints. “So what?”
Ben laid his palms up. Inwardly, he seethed. “I know you’d like to see a few shots of him wiring up bombs. So would I. But he’s not doing it.”
Kurt rubbed his face, looking sour. He looked over at Sarah, whose face was unreadable. “And what’s this I hear that Ben interviewed a source without you, Sarah?”
“We’ll work it out,” she said.
Ben sighed. “It was a matter of me doing it alone or wasting another day.” He explained about Deegan’s drinking.
Kurt shook his head. “Let’s keep our strengths in front of us here. Ben, you’re the photographer. Sarah’s the reporter. We’ve already had one disaster with Peter trying to take on your work. Don’t repeat his mistake. And Sarah, check out a pager. Now tell us what you learned, Ben.”
He went through it with them, and both of them sat forward when they heard about the Gendron brothers. “Blew up, huh?” Kurt said. “Let’s see if we can get photos of those two and follow this up, Sarah.” Kurt pursed his lips. “What was your read, Ben? Was Deegan suggesting that Boston Police were letting it slide with McGuire?”
“I couldn’t get a straight
“What’s McGuire up to now?” Ben asked.
“I’m just an old fart cop, I don’t know high finance. But that’s what I hear he’s trying to do.”
“Go straight?”
The old man laughed. “Not in his frigging genes to do that. Came back from Stanford all pumped up with these ideas about himself. I’d guess he wants to mix his talent for hurting people with bigger returns. Real estate, construction, all sorts of stuff.” Deegan shook his head. “That financial stuff always threw me, I was better at dealing with the simple shit, people shooting each other.” Deegan brightened, and looked at the money in Ben’s hand. “One thing I can tell you is to watch your ass if he knows it’s you. He’s a real good hater, comes to it naturally. He decides you’re pissing in his soup, he’ll come right after you.”
“Bad news, huh?”
“Oh, yeah. He’s part of the new generation, all right. He never got picked up for it, but there were rumors around before his uncle hustled him off to college that he went in on one of those home invasion things. Sort of shit that the Jamaicans do, but Irish kids are supposed to know better. Blew into Derrick Coughlin’s home, killed him, beat the wife, killed her, and then was moving on to the kids when one of them saw the sense of telling McGuire where Mommy and Daddy hid a big suitcase that they were never supposed to touch. It was the cash from an armored car heist.’’
“He was never charged?”
“The two guys rumored to have gone in with him, Donny and John Gendron, they never got to testify,” Deegan said. “McGuire didn’t even get arrested, far as I know. Right after, his uncle got him out to California. The story goes that Patrick Clooney used to have a full head of black hair until his nephew became a teenager. It’s strange, I seen the two of them together myself: Clooney is kinda disgusted by some of the things his nephew does, but he still takes care of him.”
Ben cocked an eyebrow. “Does that include buying off someone on the force?”
“You haven’t got enough money in your bank account for me to talk about that.”
“Do you know Calabro or Brace? Are they clean?”
Deegan hesitated, then said, “I know them and I think you heard me the first time. As for McGuire, all you’ve really got to take away from our little drink here is that if he loses his temper with you, get the hell out of town. Him and his uncle clean up good.” He winked. “Seems Donny and John’s car blew up with them in it.”
Ben slid the twenty over.
CHAPTER 12
“THAT’S ALL YOU’VE GOT?” KURT SAID, LOOKING THROUGH THE prints. “So what?”
Ben laid his palms up. Inwardly, he seethed. “I know you’d like to see a few shots of him wiring up bombs. So would I. But he’s not doing it.”
Kurt rubbed his face, looking sour. He looked over at Sarah, whose face was unreadable. “And what’s this I hear that Ben interviewed a source without you, Sarah?”
“We’ll work it out,” she said.
Ben sighed. “It was a matter of me doing it alone or wasting another day.” He explained about Deegan’s drinking.
Kurt shook his head. “Let’s keep our strengths in front of us here. Ben, you’re the photographer. Sarah’s the reporter. We’ve already had one disaster with Peter trying to take on your work. Don’t repeat his mistake. And Sarah, check out a pager. Now tell us what you learned, Ben.”
He went through it with them, and both of them sat forward when they heard about the Gendron brothers. “Blew up, huh?” Kurt said. “Let’s see if we can get photos of those two and follow this up, Sarah.” Kurt pursed his lips. “What was your read, Ben? Was Deegan suggesting that Boston Police were letting it slide with McGuire?”
“I couldn’t get a straight
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