“Not him. The payments were made, but not by him. Not by any man. The payments went to bagmen as consultation fees—for example. That’s the way the payments will appear on the books of the corporations that made them. MacIver kept those books. That’s how he knew that it really was sugar.”

“So he kept their books and they paid him well,” Leland said.

“Don’t try to guess ahead,” Mike said. “As I went through the correspondence and memoranda, I had to start lists of names. One list is of the people in the Port Smith municipal departments who had contact with the conspiracy. Another is of the bagmen and other small fry. The third is a list of the principals themselves. There are thirty-eight names on that list and it is logical to assume that MacIver did not know everybody. You’ll see what I mean. There is a fourth list, of people whose roles are unclear. Oh, everything is clear on the surface; it’s just that the nature of the thing makes you start questioning. It makes you sick with yourself. You want to see the financial records of everyone you come across. By the way, number one on the fourth list is your old friend, Herbert A. Davis. His connection would seem legitimate under any circumstance, but there is so much dirt around that you have to ask.

“One more name. On the fourth list, too. Dr. Wendell Roberts, who happens to be MacIver’s next door neighbor—”

“I know. Mrs. MacIver was under his care.”

“He’s the one. I see. You told me that she had been under treatment. His connection with Rainbow isn’t through MacIver. On paper, he wouldn’t know that MacIver was connected with it. They’re so remote on the table of organization that you would have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Now I want to know if you understand the function of the Port Smith Planning Board.”

Leland frowned and sat back. “Under the City Charter, the Board acts as an advisory agency. It makes recommendations for city development. It files reports with the City Council.”

“I want to be sure that you understand it in practice,” Mike said.

“Well, of the nine men on the Board, three must be Catholic. Another has to come from the liberal Jewish community. One or two downtown businessmen. Two or three places are reserved for political payoffs—ex-mayors, campaign contributors. Sometimes the Board does good work, but the determining factor is muscle—the membership shows that. All Catholic cemeteries have traffic lights at their entrances, working night and day. Traffic isn’t the Board’s department, but the principle is the same.”