A Fatal Deception by P. F. Ford

Author:P. F. Ford [Ford, P. F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-14T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

They barely spoke as Dennis drove them back into town, and once back, they decided to stop for lunch. When they were settled at their table, waiting to be served, Norman voiced his thoughts. 'Here's the thing. According to Bradshaw, the Shapiro brothers have a huge drug operation, right?'

'Yes, except Jerry seems to think he's no longer part of it.'

'Whether he's still part of it is neither here nor there, so ignore that for a minute. My point is, whoever runs a drug operation that big must have a small army of people on the ground, and enough money to buy just about any information they want. And yet Jerry says they couldn't identify the guy who tried to abduct Jenny, or the competitor they thought might be trying to muscle in on their territory. Does that sound likely to you?'

'Yeah, I see what you mean,' Darling said thoughtfully. 'D'you think he was lying?'

'Isn't it good business to know who your competitors are and what they're up to? It must be even more important when it comes to heavy stuff like drug dealing. You don't stay on top in that world without knowing who's who and what's what.'

'But if they knew who it was, they would have done something about it, wouldn't they?'

'Well, yeah, you would think so,' Norman said. 'But maybe we're looking at it the wrong way. What if Jerry's telling the truth, and as far as he knows, they didn't find out who was responsible?'

'I don't want to appear thick,' Darling said, screwing her face up, 'but I think you might be in danger of losing me here.'

'Well, think about what we know,' said Norman. 'Jerry says Ben didn't have a problem with him having a relationship with Jenny. Consider that for a minute. Two brothers have been partners in a huge illegal business for a few years, making shedloads of money, and now one of them has decided to bring a girlfriend into their world. If you were Ben, would you be happy about that?'

'They are brothers,' Darling reminded him.

'Yeah, but don't forget – the girlfriend in question just happens to be a woman who's spent half her life working in the legal establishment. Bradshaw mentioned a possible feud, and we know Ben's not exactly the warm, cosy, user-friendly sort of drug dealer, is he?'

Darling's eyes widened. 'You think Ben sent threats to his own brother's girlfriend?'

'Is it so unthinkable? Remember what I said earlier – these people have different morals. What if Ben didn't trust Jenny? Okay, she might have saved his arse from a prison sentence, but that doesn't mean he's happy for her to come along and be part of the family business. He must have been aware of the outcry when Jenny won their case, but maybe he doesn't buy this idea she's been forced to quit the legal profession. What if he thought she could be part of an elaborate plan to finally put them behind bars?'

'So there never was a competitor trying to move in?'

Norman shook his head.

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