Page 47 of Last Resort

“So the idea of mobsters being superstitious—it’s not just bringing over tales from the Old Country?”

“Those tales were rooted in unholy things they brought with them,” Castelammare said. “There’s a reason I never wrote the sequel book, which was supposed to be about mafia magic. I can take a hint.”

Ben wondered what kind of warning the writer had received to scare him so thoroughly.

“Last question. Was there anyone at the time who would have taken Edwin’s betrayal personally?” If they were branching out to look at mafia ghosts, Ben figured he might as well narrow the field.

“Well, his employer at the Commodore Wilson wouldn’t have been fond of him,” Castelammare replied in a dry tone. “It was rumored Jepson had investors with links to the Mob. Not exactly mobsters themselves, but ‘mafia-adjacent.’ Business owners who profited from having an ‘arrangement’ with the Mob without actually getting their hands dirty.”

Ben knew the type from his days in Newark. They were complicit but hard as hell to prosecute.

“Anyone else?”

“Nucky Johnson, the mafia king of Atlantic City, was by all accounts a ‘gentleman gangster.’ He maintained plausible deniability and let his lieutenants handle the rough stuff,” the writer said. “If you read the book, you know that my theory was he didn’t like there being a casino outside of Atlantic City that he didn’t control, and he really didn’t like it when it became profitable.”

Castelammare cleared his throat. “If you’re looking for spurned lovers or double-crossed business partners, I didn’t turn any up in my research. Edwin married, but they had one child and were estranged most of the time. Galen also produced a child, but he wasn’t exactly a family man either. I never heard that Tom had either a wife or a child.”

Ben’s eyes widened. “Wait—how many children did Galen have?”

“One, to the best of my knowledge.”

“Any credible bastards?”

Castelammare laughed. “Mobsters aren’t known for abstinence, but if there were other children linked to Galen, no one mentioned it.”

Ben’s heart raced. “Thank you. I’ve taken up enough of your time. By the way, I enjoyed your book.”

“Glad you liked it. Now if you would, please lose my number. I’d like to live out the rest of my years in peace.”

Ben ended the call, adrenaline surging.Galen had one child—Tom. Tom didn’t have siblings. If there’s no brother or sister, he’s not anyone’s uncle, and Holden Carr isn’t really his nephew.

Thoughts spinning, Ben sent a follow-up email to Teag, saying he needed to know more about the Bone Men.

Ben had some knowledge about mafia witches. He and Erik had tangled with some in the past. It didn’t surprise him that organized crime would look to improve their odds of success with a supernatural edge. Dark magic also provided harder-to-trace ways to handle enemies and rivals.

He’d heard others in their friend circle of ghost and monster hunters mention paranormal cartels, but he hadn’t needed to pay attention, so the details didn’t stick in his memory.

Vampires and werewolves—and some high-powered witches—have longer lifetimes than regular people, verging on immortal. I can imagine that would lead them to protect themselves and their interests using the powers at their disposal. They can afford to play a long game. They also prize privacy and security.

It’s not bad enough to have the mortal mafia—now they’ve got magic and monsters.

His phone chimed, and Ben grabbed it, expecting Teag. Instead, Chief Hendricks greeted him.

“Nolan. We’ve got the guy who killed your renter. Can you bring your cousin down to the station?”

“Is it Holden Carr?”

“No.”

“Carr isn’t actually Tom Raines’s nephew. Raines didn’t have siblings,” Ben blurted.

Hendricks was silent for a moment. “Interesting. Come down, and we’ll talk. See yousoon.” His emphasis made it clear he expected a quick response.

Ben sighed and dialed Sean. “Hey. Chief Hendricks says they caught the killer, and he wants us to go down to the station. How soon can you meet me here? I got the feeling Hendricks doesn’t want to be kept waiting.”

“Give me fifteen. I was packing up to head back to Wildwood,” Sean replied.

“You got it.” Ben ended the call. He thought about calling Erik and decided to wait until he found out what Hendricks would share about the murder.

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