The Copper Frame Read Free Page A

underside of his desk, and got the pipe going again. “There are always racketeers looking for a ripe town to pluck. Particularly a tourist town, where there’s a ready-made clientele for gambling and vice. Your dad and I always managed to keep that breed of vulture out of Iroquois, but now he’s gone, and I’m leaving office too. Frankly, I’m worried about the town’s future.”
    â€œBecause you think the new race track might be an opening wedge for racketeers?”
    â€œUh-huh. You know who’s behind that promotion?”
    â€œSure,” Saxon said. “The Upstate Harness Racing Association.”
    â€œThat’s just a corporation name.”
    â€œWell, I saw the names of the directors in the paper, but I don’t recall any of them. None were familiar.”
    â€œOf course not,” Foley said. “They’re all out-of-towners. They’re just names, too. The money behind them was put up by Larry Cutter.”
    Saxon’s eyes widened. “The racketeer who was run out of Saratoga Springs last year for running a wide-open casino?”
    â€œUh-huh. Know where he is now?”
    â€œSure. We get the Buffalo intelligence reports on the movements of known racketeers. He’s living in Buffalo, but he’s not operating there and he’s not about to. The Buffalo cops are just waiting for him to make a wrong move so they can pounce.”
    â€œHe won’t make any wrong moves within the city limits of Buffalo,” Foley said. “If you were a racketeer with a lot of expensive gambling equipment in storage and a cadre of idle hoods on your payroll, what would you do?”
    Saxon said slowly, “I guess I’d look for a friendly town where the officials would let me resume operations for a cut of the take.”
    â€œExactly. And what could be a nicer place than Iroquois? Only twenty-five miles from Buffalo, yet in another county. Cutter would have all greater Buffalo to draw on for casino patrons, and still would be out of the jurisdiction of both the Buffalo police and the Erie County sheriff’s office.” The mayor frowned down at his pipe, which had gone out again. He decided to give it up and set it in a ash tray.
    Saxon said, “If you knew this, Ben, why didn’t you mention it during the campaign?”
    â€œBecause I found it out only yesterday. Your dad told me.”
    â€œDad knew?” Saxon said in surprise.
    â€œUh-huh. He was tipped off by the Buffalo intelligence squad yesterday morning. I’m surprised he didn’t mention it to you.”
    â€œWe didn’t see much of each other yesterday,” Saxon said. “I came on duty at four and he left at five. The desk was pretty busy for a while, so we didn’t have a chance to talk.”
    The mayor leaned on his arms on the desk and stared into Saxon’s face. “There’s a reason other than offering sympathy that I sent for you, Ted. If Larry Cutter is planning to move into Iroquois, he has to get two people on his side first: the mayor and the chief of police. I don’t know much about Adam Bennock. Maybe he’s as honest as Abe Lincoln. But just in case, I’d like to make sure we still have a chief of police as incorruptible as Andy Saxon.”
    Saxon raised his eyebrows. “If you’re thinking of me, I appreciate the compliment, but the city council appoints the chief of police.”
    â€œPermanent appointment, sure. But according to the city charter, the mayor is empowered to appoint an acting chief in the event of the permanent chief’s disability or death.”
    â€œWhat good will that do?” Saxon asked. “Bennock swept in a majority of council seats with him. After the first of the year, they’ll appoint whoever he wants.”
    â€œYou don’t understand politics, and you also underestimate your popularity,” Foley said. “You’re not just Andy Saxon’s son. The