Going Under_ A Bill Roberts Thriller - Silas Payton Page 0,23

companies?"

"I'm sure of it. He didn't tell me directly, but with the lifestyle he's been living, and the fact that he's always extremely secretive about the accounts he works on, it can't all be from one account. We are all respectful of confidentiality, but he takes it to the extreme. Almost like he's afraid, and hiding something."

"By any chance, do you know if Andrew works on the accounts for the Mayor's office."

There was a moment of silence on the phone.

"Mr. Sawyer, this is important."

"Yes, he does. He was also having issues with that account around the same time, but he didn't give me any details."

"I've got enough to go on tonight. Can you come to my office tomorrow at noon so I can get some more details?" Cliff asked.

"I can, but I'd rather limit my involvement. I don't want these people after me."

"Oh, one more thing," Cliff said. "I'm just curious -- is your boss Italian?"

"Yes, he is. Why?" Adam asked.

"Just curious, that's all," Cliff responded.

After making arrangements to meet the next day, Cliff got a number he could reach Mr. Sawyer should he have any urgent questions, then let him go.

Chapter 23

Bill Roberts

Cliff and Bill were busy hashing out the possibilities of the Italian mafia being involved with the recent events at the ports. It had long been a suspicion, but with no proof. If what they were being told was true, it could mean more infiltration and more power than they suspected. Everyone suspected the Manchesi family as the one with the most power, and for the most part, the police kept clear of them. The police could never get enough on the top people, and the few times they tried, it led to lawsuits and job losses.

Bill knew when organized crime was well run, a lot of important people in a city made a lot of money. When important people are making lots of money, there is a lot of protection, making it next to impossible to get anywhere close to the top. The leaders of the organization are well insulated and rarely do anything risky themselves. They have their minions do the crime and follow orders very specifically. Any liabilities or threats are quickly eliminated.

This latest intel could just be speculation or coincidence, but it could also be a connection they weren't aware of. If there was actually a paper trail, they'd have more to go on. It had long been suspected there was corruption in the political workings of this city, but there was never enough significant proof. One by one, the Mayors of major Canadian cities were being exposed as corrupt with ties to organized crime -- the Mayor of London, the Mayor of Laval, and most recently, the Mayor of Montreal. Could Toronto be the next city to clean house? There was an investigation going on now, but rumours were, they didn't have any real evidence. It was suspected to be thrown out of court.

Cathy was pointing out the fact, there could be a connection between the appearance of the three French dock workers six months ago, the new French business acquaintance of Mr. Elliott, and a supposed change in cash flow into the ports. "Could Mr. Elliott have been working both sides of the organized crime fence?" she asked.

She had just grabbed their attention when her phone rang. She took her cell into the next room so she wouldn't cause a distraction from their current train of thought.

"That's something else I'll have Jim get his contact to look into," Bill said, as he glanced at the clock. Eleven-forty -- I wonder if he's in bed yet. He smiled at the guys. "I'll give him a while longer to get into a deep sleep before I wake him up." He loved teasing his former brother-in-law.

Cathy came back in the room and sat down with a perplexed look. "Bill, that was dispatch letting me know about a call that just came in on 911. It was from a female, reporting the torture and possible murder of a young girl at 210 Gerrard Street East, supposedly going on right now."

"That's the Clubhouse for the Darksiders," Evans said.

"Yes, it is. She also warned that it was heavily armed. They've gone ahead and called in the Tactical Team, sir. Because it's just around the corner, the team will be meeting in the briefing room downstairs in a short while," she said.

Looking at the three faces staring at him, Bill asked, "What are the odds we'd be talking