Casino Moon

65

“I DON’T SEE WHY you find this so unusual,” Frank Diamond said.

“It’s not unusual, it’s irregular,” explained the F.B.I, agent named Wayne Sadowsky.

“Look,” said Frank. “You’ve been my case agent, investigating me for six years and you’ve never found anything. I’m a law-abiding citizen making a valid complaint. I’m entitled to have you investigate it and take action, as you would with anyone else.”

They were standing at the back of the room during the post-fight press conference. Elijah Barton was not present. His brother John stood at the microphone, explaining that Elijah was upstairs with his doctor trying to determine whether any of the blindness or hearing loss would be permanent. Terrence Mulvehill was half slumped over on the dais, wearing a black baseball cap with a white towel draped around his neck. He had a large ice pack pressed against the side of his face.

“All right,” said Sadowsky. “Run it by me one more time.”

“The charge would be fraud and extortion. Mr. Russo set my fighter up with this girl I was telling you about.”

“And why didn’t you file a complaint before the fight?”

“I have certain fiduciary responsibilities,” Frank said evenly. “If I’d had Mr. Russo arrested beforehand, I might’ve endangered the bout and cost my fighter a payday. I had to protect his rights.”

At the front of the room, Terrence was standing at the podium as the photographers snapped flashes at his bruised eyelids.

“And you-all want us to pick this Anthony up tonight?” Sadowsky asked, looking and sounding only slightly incredulous.

“Why not?” asked Frank. “You shouldn’t have any problem getting a warrant. I’ve seen a half dozen federal judges standing by the roulette wheel upstairs.

Sadowsky threw back his shoulders, as though he was ready to go twelve rounds himself. “Well, I suppose we could pick him up for questioning,” he said. “Have you already paid his people for their part in the fight?”

Up at the podium, John B. was smiling with the innocence of a holy fool with a gold-capped tooth and saying his brother could claim a moral victory tonight.

“Of course, they’ve been paid part of the advance,” said Frank, picking up a champagne glass. “But I can find at least five places where they’ve violated the spirit and letter of our contract.”

Sadowsky inhaled and rolled his eyes. “You drive some hard bargain, Mr. Diamond.”

“Well, what do you expect?” said Frank. “The object of this sport is to knock the other guy out.”