Split Image

34

JESSE GATHERED THEM in the squad room: Suit, Molly, Peter Perkins.

"We got a couple murders in town," Jesse said. "Let's talk about them."

"Moynihan and Reggie Galen knew each other in jail," Peter said.

Jesse nodded.

"They pretty much ran their wing of Garrison," Peter said.

"They were tough guys, and they started out watching each other's back."

"What was their connection?" Jesse said.

"They were white," Perkins said.

"And the trouble was racial," Jesse said.

"Yes," Perkins said.

"Often is," Jesse said.

"People at Garrison told me that they were both pretty scary. And they both had a rep, and they both had outside connections. Word got around. After a while, they were in charge."

"Leadership qualities," Molly said.

Jesse smiled.

"Know who the outside connections were?" Jesse said.

"Nope."

"They got out at the same time?" Jesse said.

" 'Bout a month apart," Perkins said.

Jesse nodded.

"Anything else?" he said.

"All I could find out at Garrison," Perkins said.

Jesse walked to the end of the squad room and looked out the window at the Public Works parking lot.

"Okay," he said, looking out the window. "One of the outside contacts who belonged initially to Knocko was a big construction guy on the South Shore named Neal Bangston. His twin daughters married Knocko and Reggie."

"Jesus," Perkins said. "So, what's it mean?"

Jesse turned.

"No idea," Jesse said. "Suit?"

"The two daughters, Roberta and Rebecca, are identical twins," Suit said. "And they promote it. Dress alike, same hair-style, same hair color, same makeup." He looked at Molly. "I think. Go everyplace together. Drive the same kind of car. You can't tell 'em apart."

"Usually," Perkins said, "twins are, like, the other way. You know, dress different and stuff."

"Well, these twins don't," Suit said. "And when they were in high school we found out that they used to have sex with each other's boyfriends and stuff like that."

"Known in high school as the Bang Bang Twins," Jesse said.

"Known and loved," Perkins said.

"Oh, don't be so piggy," Molly said.

Perkins grinned.

"So we figured it would be a good idea to see if they were still doing that kind of thing," Suit said.

"Because?" Molly said.

"Because we didn't know," Suit said.

"Where have I heard that before," Molly said.

Suit ignored her.

"They both went to Paulus College," he said. "Roomed together, of course. So I went over there, talked with people, got hold of some alumni from their class… and, yeah, they were still Bang Banging in college."

Suit went to the coffeemaker and poured some coffee. He offered the cup toward Molly; she shook her head. So he kept it and walked back to the conference table.

"What about me," Perkins said.

"Get your own," Suit said. "We lost track of them for a time, and then they surfaced, marrying Knocko and Reggie about four months apart."

"And they were connected to the twins' father," Molly said.

"Yeah," Suit said. "Jesse can tell you about that."

"Got a lot of this from a state police detective in the Norfolk DA's office," Jesse said. "With a little help from Rita Fiore."

"She's such a little helper," Molly said.

Jesse outlined what Traxal had told him.

"Ah," Molly said. "That's why you're so interested in the twins' sex life."

"If they were still Bang Bang," Jesse said, "it might have something to do with the murders."

"Yes," Molly said, and looked at Suit.

"Know anything about that?" she said.

Suit smiled and nodded.

"In fact, I do," he said.