Page 57 of Crosshairs
This luxurious skyscraper was a far cry from the near-slum conditions of the VA off-site office. The lobby bustled with well-dressed professionals who might take clients to lunch in the array of restaurants on the second floor or show off the unobstructed western views of the Hudson. Not bad for a government office.
I took the elevator up to the fourth floor and easily found the SEC offices. I marveled at the art reproductions on the walls and realized this was one of the few government agencies that actuallybrought inmoney. The fines the SEC levied on hedge funds and banks who’d skirted the law were legendary.
The polite receptionist took my name and then led me down a hallway. I’d called ahead for an appointment and was surprised I could get in so quickly. The receptionist tapped lightly on a solid wooden door, then opened it for me.
I stepped into the wide office with a view to the north. A young woman behind a giant desk was on the phone but waved me into a chair. I took a moment to look around the office and saw the attorney’s personal touches. A full-sized movie poster of Marvel’sAvengers: Endgamedominated one wall; degrees from NYU, including a law degree, hung on the wall directly behind her.
As soon as she hung up the phone, the woman stood to shake my hand. “Chloe Lewis. Nice to meet you.” She had a warm smile that put me at ease.
After we chatted for a few moments, Chloe Lewis said, “What, exactly, can I do for you, Detective?”
I explained that I was investigating the murder of Adam Glossner. I asked her about the article I’d read concerning his company paying huge fines.
The attorney shook her head. “I can’t believe they let him get away with just paying fines. Not to speak ill of the dead, but Glossner personally raided several accounts, and if everything had gone right, no one would have ever caught him. He also hid interests in two different companies that he pushed to clients. I referred the case to the FBI. I assumed they’d go after him, not settle without even an indictment.”
It was an old story. Not just with the FBI but with most law enforcement agencies. With limited resources and manpower, if a case could be resolved quickly, that was usually the route taken.
Chloe Lewis said, “I guess I just expected more from the FBI. They’re nothing like how they’re portrayed in movies and onTV. They let Glossner write a few checks and that was it. I hope he developed an ulcer at the very least.” She cringed, then looked at me and said, “I’m sorry. Is that wrong? I mean, with him being dead.”
“Did you kill him?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then I wouldn’t worry about it.” I liked her relieved giggle.
The attorney went through a few other issues on the case. I wasn’t really listening toward the end. All I could think about was that two victims, Adam Glossner and Gus Querva, may have both had criminal backgrounds. And I needed to look into the rumor Lois Frang had brought up to me about the firefighter. It was the only thing I had at the moment.
CHAPTER 70
I TOOK A moment before I walked into the fire station on Staten Island. After my last encounter with the local firefighters, I wanted to think this through. Despite everything, I would’ve felt more comfortable if Trilling were with me. Having him around was sort of like having your own superhero walking the streets of New York. My pistol was on my right hip. To be on the safe side, I also had slipped a collapsible ASP baton into my front pocket and a slim container of pepper spray into my jacket pocket. I didn’t think I’d have to use them. But I like to be prepared.
The fire station where Thomas Bannon had worked was not far from his family’s house. I’d been in dozens of firehouses over the years, and truthfully, aside from a few structural differences, they all looked and felt about the same to me. Big cavernous buildings to hold the fire engines. Echoes from every corner. Millions of dollars in equipment stacked along the walls or incabinets. And a few easygoing firefighters cooking or doing chores.
This station was no different. The first two firefighters I saw were engrossed in polishing some equipment. They looked up at me but soon returned to what might have been a power saw.
I continued into the administration area, where I found four firefighters sitting in comfortable chairs in a semicircle facing the captain, a tall, fit woman in her mid-forties who was leaning on a counter. It almost looked like they were holding an encounter group.
I waited at the rear of the room until the captain looked up and saw me. I was in an all-weather jacket with no visible police insignia. But the captain was sharp. She said, “Can I help you, Detective?”
I walked closer to the group, men and women in their twenties and thirties, including one man who had to be over six feet tall. All eyes were on me, and I felt a definite hostile vibe.
I had an idea how she knew I was a cop. In my most polite voice, I said, “I was wondering if I could talk with you in private, Captain.”
“That’s not necessary. We have an open-door policy in this station. Anything you say to me, I’ll say to them. In fact, since we’re all gathered here, this is the perfect place to talk.”
She was a cool customer. Clearly the Bannons had talked about their scuffle with me and Trilling at the Bannon residence. I decided I had to plow ahead. If I went through official FDNY channels, it could take time. I was starting to feel like I had a real break in this case. I wasn’t going to ruin my momentum.
I cleared my throat and said, “I’m—”
The captain cut me off. “We know who you are. We also know what you’re doing here. Louise Bannon already told us about your run-in with her brothers. We also know the nasty rumorsthat have been floating around about Thomas Bannon. Am I pretty close to why you’re here?”
All I could do was nod slowly.
The captain said, “But he’s dead. So the rumors don’t mean anything and have nothing to do with why he was murdered. What none of us can understand is why you’re trying to smear the reputation of a true hero, instead of trying to find the shit-bird coward who shot him.”
That comment was greeted with a round of nods and approval from the other firefighters.
The captain looked at the giant man I had noticed as soon as I stepped in the room. She said, “Russ, why don’t you show the detective out. And I’m telling you right now you don’t have to take any shit from him at all.”