Page 123 of Fierce-Zander

“One might say they are both compromising.”

“And another would say it’screepy.”

When they got back to her place, she flopped on the couch. “What can I do to take your mind off of things?” he asked.

“Tell me what you found out about Sophia’s case,” she said. “I forgot to ask you yesterday and even today. You mentioned you had news.”

He sighed. “I wanted to not talk about work this weekend. We rarely have time away from it.”

“It’s almost six. By now we are both looking at our computers and figuring out what is going on for work tomorrow if not for the week. You know it. I just want to forget about today. I met my obligation.”

“Fine,” he said. He walked over to the counter and got his laptop out and opened it, then sat on the couch and she moved next to him.

He pulled up some documents. “Those look like bank statements,” Regan said.

“Those numbers that Sophia gave me are bank accounts. Don’t ask and I won’t tell you. But it seems like there are accounts in the Caymans and that this money is flowing in and out of it with a percentage staying there. Then at the end of the month, that percentage is moved to another account in another country. I haven’t figured that out yet.”

He had contacts that could get him information and he’d never reveal it.

“Do you think they are laundering money and that is their percentage to do it?” she asked.

“I don’t want to guess on anything, but that is a possibility,” he said. “I’m not sure how much you want to tell Sophia, but she was right in her paranoid suspicions. Even if she loves her job, if she is worried this could get back to her, she might want to leave now. I’d advise that of you if you were in her situation and I had this information.”

“You wouldn’t tell me to go to the police?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “There isn’t enough information for that and you’d be putting a target on your back. As it is, I don’t like even doing this and having you be my client. I don’t know who they could be cleaning the money for, if that is the case. It could be a drug cartel. The mob. Terrorists. It could be anotherbusiness where they are scamming people. I’m not looking into it either. Not with you being tied to this. What I’m telling you is, something shady is going on and I want you to be done with it.”

“And if I’m not, then what?”

“I can stop doing the work,” he said. “The choice will be yours to go to someone else if that is what you want. The question is, is it that important for you to do that for a client?”

“No,” she said. “It’s not. And I wouldn’t risk it either. You’re right. I think I’ll tell Sophia what I know and that this is all I care to find out. She has to make a decision based on those facts.”

“Good,” he said. “How about we see if we can find something interesting on TV now?”

“I know you want to watch football. Sunday is your day to chill out and do that and you were stuck listening to my father and Lori all afternoon. I can go put together a plate of meats and cheese and crackers and grab you that beer.”

“Chips too?” he asked.

She stood up and laughed. “You can have chips too. I think you deserve them.”

He slapped her ass when she turned. “What a good woman you are. I didn’t even need to ask you about your one-year plan for you to know what I liked.”

“God,” she said. “You’re too good for me. Just the laugh I needed.”

37

PUT IN HIS PLACE

“Can I help you?” Zander heard Betsy ask someone days later after the doorbell went off.

“I’m looking to see if you can help me find a woman.”

“Oh,” Betsy said. “That would be Zander. I can take your information and he’ll get in contact with you.”

“He’s not in right now?” the man said.

“He is,” Betsy said. “But he’s busy.”

---