Crush - Alan Jacobson [123]
“Actually,” Vail said, “we need to listen and you need to talk—”
“Agent Vail, I told you. I can’t—”
“Let’s do it another way. We’re going to tell you some things and you’re going to nod or shake your head. Don’t say a word.”
Benezra looked away. “This just isn’t right.”
“If I told you your life was in danger, would that change your attitude?”
The attorney’s head whipped back to Vail. They locked eyes. “Are you saying—”
“We need to be asking the questions. First one. You were discussing a lawsuit to remove Crystal Dahlia from the Georges Valley board.”
Benezra sat there a long moment, then nodded.
Vail continued. “You’d also been working with Victoria Cameron on the same issue.”
Benezra’s eyes wandered the room.
Vail rephrased: “You had some discussions with Victoria about this.”
Nod.
“Okay,” she said. “Did Victoria or Isaac say anything that might’ve led you to think they feared for their lives?”
Benezra shook his head.
“Were there any concerns about Superior Mobile Bottling, that maybe they were doing something illegal?”
Another shake.
Vail sighed and looked at Dixon. “Anything you want to ask?”
Benezra leaned forward. “Agent Vail, you’re in the wrong forest. You understand what I’m saying?”
“I do. But I really need you to talk. We need to know what you know. I respect your legal responsibilities. But we’re up against the wall here. We’re trying to save lives. I promise you we won’t disclose where we got this info. We’re not interested in building a case against a suspect. We’re just trying to catch a—a very dangerous person. Before someone else gets hurt. But we just need some answers. Tell us what you know.”
Benezra sat back, then rubbed his face with both hands. A moment later, he said, “Let’s go outside, take a little walk.”
They rose from their chairs and pushed through the nearby glass door, which spilled out onto a long patio with multiple round aluminum tables and matching seats. The vista was clear and the hills rolled on for miles into the distance. A small, blue body of water was visible less than a mile way.
Benezra walked a dozen feet, then stopped and leaned his forearms atop the metal railing. Dixon and Vail did likewise. “I’m not telling you this. Right?”
“Right,” Dixon said.
Benezra nodded slowly, then said, “Isaac and Victoria were very upset because of the AVA issue. You know about it?”
“The 85 percent minimum?” Vail asked.
“Apparently, someone from Congressman Church’s office was involved. He was speaking in favor of the other members of the AVA board, trying to influence the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau. The TTB. Familiar with it?”
“Yeah, it’s come up before.”
“Well, it was improper, to say the least, for the congressman’s office to take sides. It had nothing to do, really, with his district. No reason for him to come down on either side of the issue unless he was politically motivated to do so.”
Vail felt a pang of disappointment. While there could be the seeds of something underhanded—or merely politics as usual—it wasn’t the smoking gun for which they were hoping.
“Interesting,” Dixon said.
But Vail sensed the same emotion in Dixon’s voice that she was feeling herself. Interesting, but not relevant.
“No,” Benezra said. “What’s interesting is what my PI found out. I hired an investigator to look into it. It just smelled foul. I mean, yeah, could’ve just been political horse-trading, but Victoria and Isaac were convinced something wasn’t right. And what my guy discovered was worse than what they’d envisioned.” He stopped, ran a hand across his forehead. “If I tell you what we found, everyone will know it came from me. I really can’t—I need to talk with Todd.”
Dixon pushed away from the railing. “Call him. Keep it short. Just tell him I’m investigating something regarding one of the congressman’s advisors and I’m offering to exchange some information that you think’ll be beneficial to your efforts. That’s all true.”
Benezra dug out his phone. He dialed, spoke with Nicholson, and did as Dixon instructed. He slid the phone back