Barbara swept out with his food before he could snap anything really clever back at me. He poked cautiously through the strawberries, picked out four or five that apparently didn’t meet his standards, and spooned some yogurt onto the rest. It was because of guys like him moving into the neighborhood that the diner had started carrying things like yogurt and granola. When I first arrived four years ago, you couldn’t get such arty food.

“So what’d you want to talk about, Dick? I know your time’s valuable.”

He swallowed a mouthful of berries. “You went out to see Jason Felitti on Friday.”

“Thank you for sharing that information with me.”

He frowned, but plowed ahead. “I’d like to know why you felt you had to bother him.”

Barbara brought my food. I cut into the egg and stirred the yolk up with the hash. The fries were golden-brown and crisp; I ate a few and then turned to the hash. I thought Dick was eyeing the fries a little enviously.

“I know you’re on the Diamond Head board, Dick. I have a feeling that you handled the legal work involved when Jason bought the company. After all, he’s your father-in-law’s brother, and even in Oak Brook I expect families stick together.” I was studying his face as I spoke, but he’d been through too many high-stakes poker games to show any surprise at my knowledge.

I sketched out the story of Mitch Kruger and of Milt Chamfers’s refusal to talk to me. “So I just hoped I could persuade Jason to get Chamfers to meet with me. Your daddy-in-law been complaining to you?”

Dick gave a tight little smile. “Vic, believe it or not, despite all the ragging you do every time you see me, I don’t wish you ill. I even wish you well, as long as you don’t start disrupting my family or my professional life.”

He swallowed some coffee and made a face. “But Peter Felitti is connected to some very powerful people in this city. He’s annoyed that you’ve been harassing Jason. I gather you even tried breaking into the plant the other night. Peter could put pressure on the cops to hound you every time you try to conduct an investigation. He could even see that you lost your license. I’m just talking to you as a friend. Believe it or not, I’d hate to see you go through that kind of misery.”

“Of course, if you really cared about my happiness you could persuade Peter not to do all those mean things—he is your father-in-law, after all.” I finished the hash, savoring the richness of the egg yolk. “But I’ve got a few worries about you, Dick. Something ugly’s going on over at Diamond Head. Something involving Paragon Steel and some of the retired machinists and who knows what-all else.”