“Neo, anything from Douchebag’s phone?” I asked. Ryan’s nickname had been arrived at by unspoken agreement.
“He’s got a Grindr profile and apparently the action is hotter in Wisconsin than I would have thought.”
“Really?” Breck asked. “Do tell?”
“All those college students,” Danny said sagely.
“He’s sleeping around?” It figured. I wonder if Eric knew. Should I mention it to him? “Anything else?”
“Seems to be in some kind of financial straits,” Wesley continued. “He brings in a decent amount but I’m not finding much cash at all. Money comes in from some investments and he does actually seem to have some clients in his business, registered in Nevada, by the way. But a lot of cash withdrawals, also in Nevada and other Indian casinos,” Wesley said.
“Gambling debts?” I asked.
“Looks like,” Wesley said. “I’d guess big stakes poker, sanctioned and unsanctioned. Found a few online accounts, too.”
“Anybody after him for it?”
“Nothing concrete but there are a bunch of text messages between him and your stepfather about some investor named Symanski.”
“Do you know that name?” I asked.
“Negative. I did a quick search and didn’t get much on the guy, but I’ll keep looking. There are a bunch of phone calls to a blocked number in the last few weeks. I’m going to follow those.”
“Symanski,” Danny said thoughtfully. “I know that name.”
“From where?” I asked.
“I’m pretty sure he was Eric’s fourth at golf.”
Shit. The name wasn’t ringing any bells. I wracked my brains. I was usually excellent at remembering faces but all I had been able to see was Eric. Ah, but the recording device in the sunglasses might have caught something. However shitty the quality was from the tiny fisheye lens, it would be better than nothing. “Neo, you still there?”
“Where else would I be?” Wesley answered.
I loved working with smartasses. It was so much fun. Next job, I was getting minions. So much easier. “It was a rhetorical question.”
“Oh, big word,” Breck said.
“Technically, that isn’t a rhetorical question,” Danny said.
“Not the point, babe,” Wesley said. “What do you need, Chaney?”
“Do you have the recordings from my glasses from the golf tournament?”
“Um, let me check. Yeah, uploaded, but I haven’t looked at it.”
“I need you to see if you can get a good look at the fourth guy.” I knew Wesley would have pictures and profiles of Eric, Bob, and Ryan. Symanski was an unknown element.
“You think he’s up to something with Douchebag?” Leo asked.
“Yes. I do. Call it grifter’s intuition.” The guy’s face was almost coming into focus. Something about him nagged at me like a sore tooth.
“I got some kind of vibe off of him, too,” Leo said. “He just had that look.”
Cops and Feds were as good at spotting criminals as we were at spotting them, so I trusted Leo’s hunches.
“I’ll check him out,” Wesley said. “Anyone got a first name? No. Oh, hey, Chaney, heads up. Douchebag is in your vicinity.”
“I’m sitting in a parking lot.”
“Don’t know what to tell you, his phone shows him in near proximity. I don’t have actual eyes on either him or you all the time.”
“Thank god,” I said under my breath. I scanned the parking lot, but didn’t see Ryan or his car. Oh, good Lord, what if he was in the bank with my mother?”
“I’ll keep an eye out,” I promised. “And you try to get some sunshine, Neo. It’s a gorgeous day. Take your boy and go to the river or something. Breathe fresh air for a change.”
“Gotta go, boys. My mother is back. Let me know if you learn anything exciting. I’ll check in when I can.”
“Please can we listen to her yell at you?” Breck asked.
“Goodbye,” I said. “I’ll see you all tonight.”
My mother had a frown on her face as she got behind the wheel.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Besides you saying I kicked you out? I just ran into Ryan. I never liked that kid.”
“You and me both,” I said, and we shared a look.
“Maybe this time Eric will dump him for good,” she said. “I’ve been strongly encouraging him to for years.”
“Why hasn’t he? What does Eric see in him?”
“Oh, you know Eric,” she said.
“I don’t,” I admitted. “Not really. Not grown-up Eric.”
She pulled carefully out into traffic. “I guess you wouldn’t. Eric hates change. Ryan is the only consistent thing he’s had in his life. And for a gorgeous professional athlete, he has surprisingly low self-esteem.”
Huh. That was a very succinct assessment. All of a sudden, I was insanely jealous of the years of confidences