Page 32 of Cooper

“Well, the feds haven’t been able to locate the funds yet. And he’s not talking, even though the sharks that he swindled the money from are after his wife and child. He’s not talking. There’s more to the story, but everything is under embargo. My guess is he’s made some deal with the devil, and he’s trying to figure out how to bust out, so that he can go and retire with the money he’s got socked away. He’s probably got a friend in a low place, under some deal, but again, he’s not talking.”

I take a moment to digest the levity of the situation. “No wonder she’s been so guarded. I don’t blame her.”

“Yeah. I’d say. Any word that gets around with the surname ‘Titan’ and she’ll be figured out. Those money-hungry assholes will be all over her like white on rice. She should have fucking twenty-four hour security, and I’m glad that you asked me to research this one, because clearly the feds don’t have enough eyes on her. She needs more protection than what she was given. It’s just thank God that you stepped in when you did.”

“Yeah. A low profile was a good call on her part. I’m guessing all the feds did was give her some new identification, shipped her off to another state and called it a day. They’re probably more worried about shoving all their resources into finding that money.”

“I’d bet on that, man.”

“That’s why she’s staying the hell away from her ex. And that’s why she won’t let Bean see him.”

“Florida State Prison is not a place for minors.”

“Definitely not.” I sniff. “At least they got her way the hell away from Florida. If it were me, I’d go to goddamn Canada.”

“They may relocate her, depending on how the situation unfolds. Like I said, it’s embargoed, and it looks like Titan’s not talking. Until he does or until they find the money, those girls are best concealed under false names, as they are.”

“How the hell did he embezzle all that money? And how did he convince her to do it?”

“Trust. She trusted him. He gave her the account numbers, she moved the money. They were a small business and he got hungry. One of the businesses that he took the money from wasn’t big enough not to notice and squealed. Another one of the businesses did a hell of a lot more than squeal; they came after him and threatened her and her family. Either that or she figured it out and reported him. Like I said, the whole thing is embargoed, but those are the scenarios that the media has painted. It makes sense that she squealed on him, otherwise why else would they place her and the kid in the program? The sharks think she knows where the money is.”

“That’s where I’d bet my money. But poor London doesn’t know shit about where that money is.”

“Yeah, he had her embezzle it, and he found himself a nice offshore account, without the ball and chain knowing about it. The snake.”

“I knew that she was cut out for more than being a godddamn waitress. Damn. She deserves so much better than this.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, you’re giving her a thousand times better treatment than that asshole ever did.”

Something occurs to me. “Wait a minute. They were divorced. How the hell does this fit in?”

“Divorced or not, they owned a business together, man. You can’t just walk out when you’re an owner.”

“I guess that’s true. It makes sense then that he wouldn’t have any scruples about fucking her over like this then.”

“Yeah, but the kid, too? That’s fucking cold.”

“I didn’t say I agreed with it.”

“Same. Anyway, the guy’s going to burn in hell in prison, unless he’s got someone needling their way in to get him exonerated or something. He hired one hell of a lawyer, so who knows. But if he’s stolen money off of sharks, he’s as good as dead, too. Why he got himself involved in a deal like that is beyond me. This lawyer friend of mine said that his net worth was over five million. Sure, most of it was tied up in the business, but it’s dissolved now, and if he’s as slimy as he seems, he probably had his own money hiding out somewhere, giving his ex-wife little breadcrumbs here and there, fudging up the papers.”

“Yeah, but if she’s a genius, how come she didn’t figure it out?”

“Maybe she did. Maybe she’s the one that called him on it. She’s the one that asked for the divorce, man, and something tells me it’s about way more than a lack of marital bliss.”

“But she’d be entitled to some of that company money, wouldn’t she?”

“Apparently, she didn’t want any of it. She severed all ties with him. I guess she didn’t want any of his blood money, and I don’t blame her.”

“She’s got nothing. She’s tending bar at Mingles for less than minimum wage. Under the table. Yet she’s a goddamn genius. Fuck, that hurts.”

“London sounds like a smart girl. If she’s working under the table, her records are null. They don’t exist. If she’s getting paid and paying everything in cash, there’s no paper trail. It’s the only way to go.”

“I unloaded her shit at my place. It didn’t fill three vehicles. She says she’s got some stuff in storage.”

“Maybe she was even smarter and socked some dough away in one of them storage places, man.” Jenkins says with a scoff. “That’s what I would do.”

“I’m just scared that Bean will say too much. She's already told me enough. I have half a mind to pull her out of school for a while. Until things settle down.”

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