Page 46 of My Rock Star Neighbor
The man shrugs.
We both sit down, although Maddie places a handkerchief from her bag on the seat first.That bag really does have everything.Except for an extra protective cover for me.She takes out a notebook and what I hope is the pen recorder.
“How long have you been an inspector for the Infrastructure Department?”she asks.
“Two months,” he says.
“What did you do before?”she asks.
“Is that relevant?”
Yes.I want to know if you were a boxer—or a hired assassin.
“It might be,” Maddie says.She must be used to hostile subjects.
“I got the job, so I had the necessary qualifications,” he says.
“What made you want this job?”she asks.
“Why does anyone want a job?The pay and benefits seemed alright,” he says.
She asks a bunch more warm-up questions, but he doesn’t seem to be getting any friendlier.I leave to order drinks because the bartender is glaring at us.I give the bartender double the amount of the bill.Maybe the prospect of high tips will keep him on our side.I place two sodas on the table and another beer for this guy and sit back down.He raises his glass to me.
Maddie clicks her pen.“Are there any pay incentives to find violations?”
I guess we’ve moved past the warm-up.
“No,” he says.
“What’s your connection to Ophelia?”she asks.
“I don’t know anyone named Ophelia,” he says quickly.
“That’s not what I heard,” she says.“Nor what the evidence shows.”
“What evidence?”he huffs.
Maddie pulls out a piece of paper.“Here’s a list of bars that were cited for violations in the past month and yet cleared upon a second inspection by you once they offered to let Ophelia play.Funny how they match.And the bar owners tell me that’s not a coincidence—that you said you’d ‘overlook’ these issues if they gave Ophelia and her band a chance.”
He stares at her.“How did you figure that out?”
Go, Maddie.I should have brought popcorn.I finish my Diet Coke.Maddie hasn’t even touched her soda.She’s completely focused on this interview.
“I have my sources,” she says.
“Are they going to admit that they were willing to pay a bribe?”the inspector asks.
“Sometimes it depends on who comes clean first,” Maddie says.“Or who shares who’s behind the scheme.”
“It’s pretty obvious who’s behind this scheme, isn’t it?”he asks, a sneer disfiguring his face.
“Too obvious,” Maddie says.
He shrugs.“It’s not like it was a big ask.Most of them offered her some completely dead time spot.”
“Are you saying Deputy Commissioner Galliano is behind this?”Maddie asks.
“I’m not sayin’ anything.”
