Page 475 of The Sinner: James

“Where did he fight?”

“Mostly at an old cotton mill outside town.”

I ponder.

“You said someone had hooked him up with this. What does that mean?”

“Someone with a lot of influence has been his connection to this world. Tiago is a newcomer, and he’s young and has no history of fighting. So that person must’ve seen him and introduced him to the circuit.”

“They must’ve gotten a cut.”

“Possibly.”

“Boatloads of money, I guess. At least, until our boy bailed out on them.”

“That’s a high probability too.”

“Any chance he left the country?”

“If he did, he must’ve used a fake passport.”

I take a drag and put my cigarette out, blowing the smoke out.

“Have you located his address?”

He tips his eyes to his phone.

“Yes. His place is a few streets from Abby Newtown’s residence. I checked the apartment. It’s clean. Everything is in order, and it doesn’t look like anyone has spent much time in there. I have the key if you want to look for yourself. The landlord had no problems with him.”

He pauses.

I wait for him to continue.

“For a few British pounds, he had no problem dishing out on Tiago either. But Tiago was squeaky clean at least according to his landlord. He’d paid his lease in advance and never brought people home. There are no signs of forced entry or a scuffle. Nothing. Even the bed is neatly made. The whole place looks like it was cleaned by a professional.”

“Any belongings?” I ask.

“The usual stuff. Some books, clothes, a tablet, and a laptop.”

“Anything of interest? Search history on his computer? Travel destinations? Anything like that?”

“Most of it is bare-knuckle fighting related. The first legal US championship that was organized in Wyoming last year. Underground circuits. And some porn.”

“Emails?”

“Nothing personal. Bills, the usual marketing crap, and a few emails between your mother and him. I have a copy of them here.”

“Bank accounts?”

“He only has one checking account. The balance, however, doesn’t reflect the amount of money he’s supposedly made with his boxing. There are no cash withdrawals before his disappearance.”

“That’s because he tried to get away with his money. If, in fact, he’s managed to get away. Three weeks is a long time to be gone without a trace. Who runs this underground circuit?”

“Aside from the organizers, a few shady people.”

His gaze meets my eyes as he continues.

“The fights may be above the board and legal. That doesn’t mean certain people don’t see them as an opportunity to make some extra money. I came across a couple of names. Two Armenian brothers, Aleksander, and Sevan Azarian. They own the places hosting the fights and some other businesses, restaurants, and clubs. They run their business empire with an iron hand.”

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