his reputation as a marksman.
“ ‘Brian’s driver recovered nicely, but to the surprise of absolutely no one had no idea who could’ve shot him—and couldn’t help us at all to find out who drilled Brian. After the chauffeur got better, McKeach showed his compassionate side by making him the manager of a Brighton liquor store his late employer’d controlled.
“ ‘Further—we know that shortly afterwards, McKeach teamed up with Nicholas Cistaro, a.k.a. the Frogman, and they conspired with each other and with divers other persons whose names are unfortunately unknown, to do and commit sundry illegal acts, including bankrolling major shipments of illegal drugs and providing safe warehouses for the storage thereof, and—–’
“And so on,” Naughton said, “far into the night. The problemis we
can’t
do it that way, frustrating though it is. We have to go through the grand jury and we have to have witnesses who helped McKeach do bad things, but’ve now had a change of heart. Usually people undergo such changes because they’re very proud of the tans they cultivate at the beach every year, and believe us when we tell them if they don’t talk they’re never gonna see the sun shine again. They become upset, and want to tell us about what they did with such people as McKeach, and what they saw them do to others.
“So, in order to hook him we’ve gotta find people who know what he’s done because they helped him plan it and then helped him do it, or did it for him, on his orders—and convince them to testify for us. The only way I know of doing that that I ever saw work—even it doesn’t, always; some people’re too proud to become finks—is to make them more afraid of what we can and will do to them, if they don’t talk, than they already are of what McKeach can and will do to them if they do.
“Mighty hard to do, and that’s a big advantage for him. Potential witnesses know whatever pain we may inflict on them if they refuse to help us, we won’t maim or kill them—or their loved ones. And, with good reason, they’re
convinced
that if they do help us, McKeach is not only capable of doing such things but absolutely certain to do them. He will kill them himself or have someone else kill them, to prevent them from harming him if he can or to punish them after they’ve harmed him. Even if he has to reach out from prison or the grave to do it—both of which they believe he could do without breaking a sweat.
“When people really do think that, there’s no way we can make them believe that we can protect them. Where McKeach’s concerned there’s no such thing as a Witness Protection Program. They believe he
can
and he
will
find them, get at them from wherever he is—wherever they or their loved ones are—and retaliate against them, if they go up against him. That’swhy we’ve never had any witnesses, simple as that. His henchmen and his lackeys, disgruntled prat-boys and spiteful ex-girlfriends—they won’t
have
that lovely, law-abiding change of heart. No one’ll dare help us. Proof’s in front of your eyes—he’s devoted a mere quarter century or so since he did his last stretch to blatant criminal activities, day after day and night after night, right under our very noses, and we haven’t laid a glove on him.
“It’s an aura that he has. A lot of people who dislike McKeach—and a lot of people who fear him—he’s never done anything to, personally. They’ve just been hearing stuff about him ever since they were young kids—this all-encompassing
power
that he has, to do evil. The people who repeat these stories without having any idea of whether they’re true—they’re doing McKeach’s work for him.
“And there’s a hell of a lot of them. Sometimes it’s like they’re like Seventh Day Adventists or Jehovah’s Witnesses—everywhere you look in Greater Boston, there’s another one. If his name comes up when you’re talking to someone in the main Registry
“ ‘Brian’s driver recovered nicely, but to the surprise of absolutely no one had no idea who could’ve shot him—and couldn’t help us at all to find out who drilled Brian. After the chauffeur got better, McKeach showed his compassionate side by making him the manager of a Brighton liquor store his late employer’d controlled.
“ ‘Further—we know that shortly afterwards, McKeach teamed up with Nicholas Cistaro, a.k.a. the Frogman, and they conspired with each other and with divers other persons whose names are unfortunately unknown, to do and commit sundry illegal acts, including bankrolling major shipments of illegal drugs and providing safe warehouses for the storage thereof, and—–’
“And so on,” Naughton said, “far into the night. The problemis we
can’t
do it that way, frustrating though it is. We have to go through the grand jury and we have to have witnesses who helped McKeach do bad things, but’ve now had a change of heart. Usually people undergo such changes because they’re very proud of the tans they cultivate at the beach every year, and believe us when we tell them if they don’t talk they’re never gonna see the sun shine again. They become upset, and want to tell us about what they did with such people as McKeach, and what they saw them do to others.
“So, in order to hook him we’ve gotta find people who know what he’s done because they helped him plan it and then helped him do it, or did it for him, on his orders—and convince them to testify for us. The only way I know of doing that that I ever saw work—even it doesn’t, always; some people’re too proud to become finks—is to make them more afraid of what we can and will do to them, if they don’t talk, than they already are of what McKeach can and will do to them if they do.
“Mighty hard to do, and that’s a big advantage for him. Potential witnesses know whatever pain we may inflict on them if they refuse to help us, we won’t maim or kill them—or their loved ones. And, with good reason, they’re
convinced
that if they do help us, McKeach is not only capable of doing such things but absolutely certain to do them. He will kill them himself or have someone else kill them, to prevent them from harming him if he can or to punish them after they’ve harmed him. Even if he has to reach out from prison or the grave to do it—both of which they believe he could do without breaking a sweat.
“When people really do think that, there’s no way we can make them believe that we can protect them. Where McKeach’s concerned there’s no such thing as a Witness Protection Program. They believe he
can
and he
will
find them, get at them from wherever he is—wherever they or their loved ones are—and retaliate against them, if they go up against him. That’swhy we’ve never had any witnesses, simple as that. His henchmen and his lackeys, disgruntled prat-boys and spiteful ex-girlfriends—they won’t
have
that lovely, law-abiding change of heart. No one’ll dare help us. Proof’s in front of your eyes—he’s devoted a mere quarter century or so since he did his last stretch to blatant criminal activities, day after day and night after night, right under our very noses, and we haven’t laid a glove on him.
“It’s an aura that he has. A lot of people who dislike McKeach—and a lot of people who fear him—he’s never done anything to, personally. They’ve just been hearing stuff about him ever since they were young kids—this all-encompassing
power
that he has, to do evil. The people who repeat these stories without having any idea of whether they’re true—they’re doing McKeach’s work for him.
“And there’s a hell of a lot of them. Sometimes it’s like they’re like Seventh Day Adventists or Jehovah’s Witnesses—everywhere you look in Greater Boston, there’s another one. If his name comes up when you’re talking to someone in the main Registry
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