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“Good. I hope he’s sufficiently confused,” I say as I click on Julia’s number and bring the phone to my ear.
She answers right away. “What did Rourke want?”
“He’s looking for you. But he won’t find you. Sorry I had to hang up. What were you going to tell me?”
“You’re not going to believe this, Will. My friend at WITSEC gave me the name of an independent investigative journalist who has done extensive research on The Six. I reached out to her through social media. To make a long story short, we put two and two together, and she’s pretty sure your father-in-law is a member of The Six.”
My jaw hits the ground. “No way.”
“It makes perfect sense, Will. Remember, I told you about my visit from Beaumont’s attorney, Landon Whitfield. He knew everything about me, and he threatened to turn me over to The Six. I didn’t realize it at the time, but he said it like he knows The Six personally.”
“Hang on a second while I tell Carter.” Lowering the phone to my chest, I repeat what Julia said.
Carter’s blue eyes bug out. “Put her on speaker.”
We sit down together on the bench, and I click the speaker button on my phone. “Julia, meet Carter.”
Carter says, “Hello, Julia. Your journalist has made an interesting accusation. Who is he? Is he reputable?”
“You tell me. Her name is Delilah Hart.”
Carter falls back against the bench. “Whoa. I know her work well. Of all people, Delilah would know. Can you give me her number?”
“Yes! I’ll text it to you. She’s waiting to hear from you. Or someone. She has a thick file on Clarence Beaumont she’s eager to share. Please keep me in the loop.”
When we get Delilah on the phone, she informs us she’s on the way to Water’s Edge from Tennessee. “I should be there around six o’clock.”
“We’ll meet at Marsh Point,” I say. “I’ll text you the address.”
Marlowe lets out a loud whoop when he hears the news. “Finally! This is the break in the case we’ve been waiting for. If I leave now, I should make it by six.”
* * *
I send Ashton and the girls to town for dinner, and I have Mia’s casserole warming in the oven when my guests arrive promptly at six. Delilah is a beautiful woman with sparkling green eyes that seem to look everywhere at once, as though afraid she’ll miss something. Over cocktails on the veranda, she fills us in on all she knows about my father-in-law.
Marlowe admits, “I knew Beaumont was involved in some heavy-duty criminal activities. But it never crossed my mind he might be one of The Six.”
“Do you think Beaumont knew Julia’s identity from the start?” I ask, taking a long pull off my beer bottle.
Marlowe nods. “I’m certain of it. He pays his people a fortune to find out everything about everyone. And Julia played nicely into his scheme.”
Carter adds, “When she refused to perjure herself, he sent his attorney to offer her a deal, a new life in exchange for her testimony against him. When that didn’t work, he sent the cartel to scare her.”
We move inside to the dining room where we discuss our options for dealing with Beaumont over spaghetti casserole, Caesar salad, and homemade yeast rolls.
“We need to hit Beaumont in his weak spot,” Marlowe says, sloshing red wine around his glass.
Delilah looks up from forking her salad. “What weak spot? I wasn’t aware he had one.”
Marlowe raises his glass to her. “Everyone has a weak spot, Delilah. And Max Rourke is Clarence Beaumont’s.”
Delilah sets down her fork and wipes her mouth. “Please explain.”
“Beaumont likes to hire people who are down on their luck. He offers them a chance in life, which makes them forever indebted to him. Rourke was addicted to heroin and facing prison time for drug-related charges. Beaumont sent him to rehab and set him on his way to becoming a police officer.”
“I’m surprised they accepted him into the police academy with his history,” I say.
“Because he has the police department under his thumb, he was able to bury the addiction,” Marlowe says and sips his wine.
