Page 108

I WAS SURPRISED how quickly my grandfather showed up at the office, especially since he’d even taken the time to put on his full vestments and had brought a little satchel with everything he needed. He was ready to get to work immediately.

My grandfather and Walter chatted for a moment before I led Seamus to the conference room.

I took my grandfather aside. “I’m afraid this isn’t normal circumstances. This guy is super dangerous. He’s told me he won’t try anything crazy if we leave him alone with you in the room. That said, I want you to stay on the opposite side of the conference table. We’re leaving one of the blinds open so we can look in on you. Anything else you need from me?”

Seamus shook his head. “As long as you realize I’ll never say anything about what he tells me in there.”

“I don’t need you to tell me anything. I’d like to know the extent of the guy’s victims list. I’m hoping if he thinks he’s right with God, he’ll try to make it right with us as well.”

My grandfather gave me a sly smile. “If he sets himself right with God, he doesn’t need to worry about being right with anyone else.”

I patted him on the shoulder and walked him to the door. Trilling greeted him, then left the room to give Doyle privacy.

Doyle sat quietly at the end of the conference room table. I said, “Kevin, this is my grandfather, Seamus Bennett. You can quiz him about if he’s going to talk. But I can already tell you he won’t. I’ve told my grandfather not to get any closer to you than the end of the conference room table, and I’ll be watching from outside. Does all that sound reasonable to you?”

“What about Communion?”

“When you take Communion after your confession, I’ll have to come in and stand here while you do it.”

Doyle said, “That sounds fair.”

I left them in the conference room and sat at an empty desk right outside. Walter Jackson approached me almost immediately and squeezed into the chair next to mine. He looked anxious. That wasn’t like him.

“What d’ya got for me, Walter?”

He shuffled a few pages around. He signaled for Rob Trilling to join us. I took a quick glance into the conference room. Doyle had his head bowed but was talking. I turned back to Walter.

Walter cleared his throat a couple of times, then said, “I found something I didn’t expect in his background.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Doyle was raised in Brooklyn.”

“We knew that. It was in his DoD file and we’ve already talked to him about it.”

“His father’s oldest brother and family appear to have lived in the house next door. They had three girls and one boy. All would be cousins to our man, Doyle.”

“Walter, we’re on the clock here. Can you get to the point? Is there anything important about his cousins?”

Walter shifted his bulk in the chair uneasily. “The oldest of those cousins is a Celeste Doyle, who now goes by her married name: Celeste Cantor.”

I couldn’t speak. I just stared at Walter Jackson. I knew he hadn’t made a mistake. This was the sort of thing he’d check from five different angles.

Everything immediately became clear. I knew what this was all about now. The Land Sharks had done something bad. And Celeste Cantor was eliminating everyone—former colleagues and criminals alike—who could derail her campaign.

Trilling looked just as shocked as I was. Then I said, “We have to move fast. She’s going to find out pretty quick he’s in lockup. If Doyle agrees to help us, we might be able to bag Cantor and make a decent case.”

Trilling said, “Do you think he’ll help?”

“I do. I don’t think he would’ve asked for a priest otherwise.” And I really believed that.