Cut and Run (Lucy Kincaid #16) - Allison Brennan Page 0,79
lost a lot of money—apparently several had to leave school because they couldn’t afford to stay. Some kids gambled only what they could afford to lose.” Max eyed Sean. “You’re a gambler, aren’t you?”
“How could you know that?”
“I’m a good judge of character.” She assessed him. He wouldn’t play anything that he could lose. “You count cards,” she said. “Blackjack.”
“Counting cards is forbidden in casinos.”
But he was smiling. Of course he did it, because Sean was one of those guys who liked to game the system—and a system like gambling, which favored the house, Sean would want to beat.
“If I had engaged in such behavior, it was a long time ago.”
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“To Harrison Monroe’s office. He’s in this morning. I’m going to talk to him.”
“Bad idea.”
“Good idea. I’ve been an investigative reporter for more than a decade. Sometimes being stealthy works. But I’ve found that the direct approach is usually the best approach.”
“If we’re right about Harrison Monroe, he has either killed or ordered to be killed six people and threatened others. He ordered an entire family to be executed, I don’t think he’ll have a problem killing a reporter.”
“But he can’t frame someone for my death or disappear my body.”
“Don’t count on that.”
Max was joking; Sean sounded too serious. “Trust me,” she said. “In this instance, going to him and just asking questions is going to help. I have a far greater chance of getting information because I’m going in as family, of sorts. If he’s keeping on top of this investigation, he knows that I came to San Antonio at the request of Victoria’s father because Stan recanted.”
“He could also know you talked to Stan.”
“Stan didn’t tell me much of anything, but going to Monroe and telling him what Stan said could give us more than we have now.”
“This is not going to end well. Your partner David scares me. If you get hurt, I don’t want to face him, or Ryan.”
She laughed. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I’m going to his office because it’s public, and I’m going in alone. But because I recognize that the situation might get dicey, I’ll let you listen in.”
Sean was shaking his head.
“You’re a smart guy. I’m sure you know how to turn my phone into a one-way speaker.”
He held out his hand and she put her phone in it. He did a few things that she couldn’t see, then said, “See this app here?”
She looked. “The Wine App? What’s that?”
“You drink wine like water, so if anyone looks at this they’ll think it’s literally an app about wine. But I created a shortcut. Press it and it turns your phone into a transmitter. I can hear everything on my phone. Record if I want, but I know that gets into a gray area.”
“We’re not using this in court. Record it.”
“We may not be able to let Lucy listen. It would become fruit from the poisonous tree.”
“I really detest rules.”
“Sometimes, so do I, but this one I’m all for—civil liberties and all those pesky rights we hold so dear.”
“No need for sarcasm, Rogan.”
“If you’re in trouble, like he’s talking nice but has a gun on you, say you’re late for a lunch meeting. I’ll be there.”
“How? Just going to sit in their waiting room?”
He smiled. “I’ll be around.”
* * *
Max went to Harrison Monroe’s office without an appointment. She knew he was in because she’d called earlier in the day and tricked the receptionist into giving out the information. But that was no guarantee that he would see her.
Max usually got exactly what she wanted, and today was no exception.
While at first the receptionist balked, Max gave her a business card and said she was here at the request of Grover Mills, the father of a murder victim who had once been engaged to Harrison Monroe. That was a small fib—Max didn’t know if they had been engaged. Grover had told her they dated for four years and had been talking about marriage, but when he took the job in Chicago, Victoria left him.
That may not have been true, either. Max had learned over the years that adult children often kept personal and romantic information from their parents.
She was betting on Monroe’s curiosity, as well as her family name. Most people in the high-end financial world knew of the Revere family. Her grandfather had been a banker, and her grandmother came from the Sterling family, who began with nothing but an idea and created substantial wealth. They parlayed one