time and then in eighth grade, right before high school, they moved to Seattle.”
“What did they do?”
“Something in business. Real estate? I don't really know.”
“They still live in Seattle?”
“I have no idea. I know that's where they moved, but we didn't really stay in touch.”
“How did you connect again?”
“We just ran into each other in LA. I recognized him. We started talking.”
“What did he say he was doing?”
“He said that he was doing day trading. He had a lot of investments. We made plans for him to invest with our hedge fund.”
“Wow, that's a lot of clients for you,” I say. “Liam and Craig.”
“What are you getting at?”
“I'm just wondering if it makes sense to get so involved with your friends and family? Like what happens if you lose their money?”
“You’re worried about Liam losing money… Why exactly?” he asks, folding his hands across his chest.
“I'm not worried about that. Craig… He works hard for that money. He and Lindsey barely see each other.”
“Yes and that's exactly why I'm going to make him a millionaire so that he doesn't have to be such a workhorse for your father.”
I shake my head.
“I know that this is not what you’re really upset about, Emma. I know that this is a difficult situation that Lindsey's going through, but please don't worry about their finances. We take very good care of our clients.”
I shake my head, taking in everything that he’s just said.
I hate how intertwined he is with my family, but at the same time, I also know that Alex knows how to make money and that's probably a good thing.
“So, tell me what you think?” he asks.
“About what?”
“Liam. Do you think that he really made up being that famous writer? That would be… fucked up.”
“I don't know,” I say, shaking my head. “I don't know what to think.”
“Why don't you look up his full name?” he urges, tapping the top of my laptop.
Reluctantly, I agree.
I want to do this privately, but I also need his help. He may know something that I don't. In any case, he may be able to narrow down the list to the right Liam Linville.
I type his name into Google and go through the search results.
On the first page, the second from the bottom up, I read about a Medicare scam out of the state of Washington.
“Click on that one,” Alex says immediately.
“Liam Linville,” I read out loud, “The nephew of one of the largest nursing home chains in the Pacific Northwest testified against his uncle on the stand and became a whistleblower in what became one of the biggest Medicare scam cases in the western US.”
I don't like Alex reading over my shoulder, but I can't stop myself from continuing to read the article.
It goes on to say that Liam Linville testified in court against his uncle and then disappeared. The article is more about the case than Liam, but the word disappeared throws me for a loop.
“What do they mean by that?” I ask.
“I don't know,” Alex says, shaking his head.
I click on the next article that I find through Google and this one also mentions the fact that he had testified against his uncle and then was never heard from again.
A follow-up article mentions that he was difficult to reach but also states that he wanted privacy.
“Do you think that he just took off?” I ask.
I don't want to keep talking to Alex about this, but he's the only one here and the only one who has any answers.
Those other two did mention that he went missing or disappeared. Then again, he's an adult.
He's allowed to not answer phone calls or lose contact.
I bite my lower lip and think about it for a moment. It takes a lot for a journalist to actually use the word disappeared.
I mean, why mention that anything has happened at all?
I wonder what led them to believe that. I wonder why they used that particular word, but then didn't really elaborate on it in the story.
I make a mental note to reach out to the journalists who wrote the stories. If anyone were to have any answers, it would be them.
I continue to go through the next two pages of search results, but don't find anything else of significance.
“Well, I didn't see that coming,” Alex says, leaning against the wall.
There's a calmness to him that puts me at ease. I hate the way this makes me feel.
I'm still angry with him. He's becoming more and more entrenched and entangled