Free Lonesome Point by Ian Vasquez Page B

want voters, he finds a legitimate city address, moves names of people he knows to that city address, and bam , we’ve acquired some votes through absentee ballots, which as you know are harder to track. Not much about this isunfamiliar to you. What I’m sharing with you today is the identity of the man behind it: Herman Massani. Our fixer.”
    “And you’re worried Gloria Morales fingered him and he’s going to talk. Not to mention, Freddy Robinson is looking for him. And we have no idea who that scumbag is working for. That’s just awesome, Oscar.”
    Oscar raised a hand. “Patience, mi amigo . ” They continued past the back door of the Cuban restaurant, two Dumpsters some yards away, a whiff of garbage. Oscar puffed on his Monte-cristo. “Let’s go this way, to the front.” They stepped up onto the sidewalk, passed a women’s boutique, a UPS Store, and a jewelry shop, Patrick thinking through the mess he was in. He felt it, afraid of this moment, finally asking the big question: “So I take it Massani has actually started to talk?”
    “Seems that way. And when we found out and tried to get hold of him, he disappeared. We reached out to his doctor, a certain Alfredo Garrido, but the doctor had conveniently vanished. But not before admitting Massani into a hospital. That’s why he’s at Jefferson.”
    “Jesus, I don’t have to tell you how far this can go, the damage this can cause. This is awful, this, this is a bombshell.” Patrick tilted his head back and looked up at the sky. “And of all the fucking places he gets admitted into it’s the one where my brother works; I mean, that’s just ridiculous.”
    “Well, you see, that is how Garrido messed up. Massani was in Pine Glade first, up in Boca Raton, and our understanding is something spooked them, probably they learned we had tracked Massani, because we did, and so Garrido moved him. A hospital-to-hospital transfer. Probably they thought that the last place anyone would check is a facility for indigents.”
    Patrick kept thinking that something else was bothering him, but he couldn’t identify it. “Do you know how much Massani has talked?”
    “We don’t know for sure. Our source on the election commission would only say that Massani has acknowledged there may be some voter fraud and he may know a thing or two about it. Sounds like he’s laying the groundwork for a plea deal.”
    “And who else would want to get ahold of him? I mean to say, who is Freddy Robinson working for, did you find that out? Talk to me, Oscar. Bobby Parra is in prison, but what about Carlos and the other brothers, other family members? Do they know anything about Massani?”
    “Slow down and listen to what you’re saying, Patrick. Carlos Parra? Carlos is one of us , one of the dedicated group of men that’s working to put you in the mayor’s office. He is the only Parra who knows we’re looking for Massani, and he’s one of your biggest supporters.”
    “Okay, so Freddy Robinson working for him wouldn’t make any sense, but …”
    “Carlos says Freddy Robinson used to work for his father and his brother, Bobby, but Carlos says he hasn’t had any contact with Freddy Robinson. Doesn’t even know where to find him. Unless Carlos is lying, but him being involved? It would be like he was trying to sabotage himself. Still, there are a couple other brothers and a few other cousins and nephews and businesspartners. So what I’m saying is, Freddy Robinson could be working for any of these people associated with the Parra family.”
    “So Carlos Parra, the common denominator, doesn’t know who Freddy Robinson is working for.”
    “That’s what he says, and he also says he’s very worried about his investment in you.”
    “So it’s one of my opponents in the race? One of my political enemies? Whoever it is, Oscar, it’s these connections—the Parra family, Freddy Robinson, this man Massani—that I’m very uncomfortable about.”
    “Speaking of