Redemption (Amos Decker #5)(105)

“But again, no source for his wealth other than the net worth figure?”

“Well, it was his money. That was verified. He might have inherited it.”

“I assumed when he died that the loan rolled over to his widow?”

“No, it didn’t.”

“Why not?”

“It was a construction loan that was rolled into a five-year loan with a fixed interest rate. But Katz paid the whole thing off about six months after the restaurant opened.”

“How did he do that?” asked Decker.

Tinsdale studied the screens once more. “It’s not entirely clear, but it seems like he raised some private money from investors and used that to pay off the loan completely.”

“And did he take out any more loans with the bank?”

“There were two lines of credit for a million each that he took out around the same time. He fully drew down on both and then paid them off. Then he bought an old factory building for about three million with an eye to turning it into retail and living space. He took out a loan for that too. It was finished after he died.”

“Is the loan still outstanding on that one?”

Tinsdale moved through some more screens. “No. Katz paid that one off too.”

“When?”

“Let me see. It says here it was paid in full one year after he took it out.”

“But you said the building was finished after he died,” said Decker.

“That’s right. They were only about halfway done when he was killed.” Tinsdale shrugged. “Apparently he had another round of investment money come in and they took the loan out.”

“And did Don Richards work on all these deals?”

“That’s right. He was sort of Katz’s go-to person.”

“Has Rachel Katz applied for any loans from the bank?”

“No. She doesn’t even have a personal account with us. I think she has some deep pockets behind her. Doesn’t need a commercial lending source anymore. She seems to be rolling in money right now.”

“Nice job if you can get it,” said Lancaster dryly.

*



Outside, Decker looked to the sky. “We were led to believe that the only deal Katz and Richards worked on was for the American Grill. But that wasn’t the case. There were the lines of credit and the old factory building.”

“Okay, but what did we get out of all that except that some people have all the friggin’ luck, and all the money?” asked Lancaster.

“When somebody keeps paying off big loans unusually early because they got ‘investment money’ rolling in from shell companies, it tells me one thing.” He looked at his partner.

Lancaster nodded. “David Katz was cleaning money.”

“Exactly. And I wonder if Rachel Katz took over the laundry business when he died.”





Chapter 67



DECKER AND LANCASTER WERE SEATED across from Bill Peyton in his small office at the American Grill. Peyton was a big man, about six-two, two-twenty, with thick shoulders and muscular arms. His gray hair was cut in a bristly flattop turning silver at the temples. In his early sixties now, he looked like he could bench-press a truck.

“Thanks for meeting with us,” said Lancaster.

“No problem. How is Ms. Katz doing?”

“She hasn’t regained consciousness,” said Lancaster. “But the doctors are still hopeful.”

Decker slid a photo out of a slip of plastic and handed it across to Peyton. “Do you recognize this man?”

Peyton fingered the photo. “No, who is he?”

“The man who attempted to murder your boss. He was killed during the encounter. His name is Eric Tyson. Former military.”

“No, never seen him before, certainly not here. I can ask around to the staff and see. But the fact is, Ms. Katz didn’t come here much.”

“But she still owns the place,” pointed out Lancaster.

“She does. But in the grand scheme of her empire here, we’re small potatoes.” He grinned briefly. “And she trusted me to run the place, just like her husband did.”

“You’ve been here from the get-go,” said Decker.

“That’s right. David Katz hired me.”

“I guess you’ve run restaurants before?”

“I know my way around the business.”

“It can be challenging. Lots of restaurants fail.”

“Yes, they can. And we’ve had some new competition come in. But we’re holding our own.”

“Were you around when the place was being built?” asked Decker.

“I was, yes. David brought me on early enough, so I could have input in the process.”

“How was David Katz to work for?”

“I always found him professional and focused. Later, I found his wife to be the same.” He looked at his watch. “Anything else?”

“What will happen to the business if Rachel Katz doesn’t recover?” asked Decker.

“I have no idea,” said Peyton. “I guess that depends on what’s in her will and what her relatives want to do. I hope we don’t get to that point.”

“Absolutely,” said Decker. “Well, thanks for your time.” He pulled out another photo of Eric Tyson from his pocket and handed it to Peyton. “And let us know if anyone remembers seeing that guy around.”