CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

Benny and Laslo didn’t speak until they were clear of the FBI fences and in Laslo’s car.

“What the actual fuck?” Benny asked.

“I assume you mean on Arslan. So, so strange. How could he have someone—family, lover, I don’t know—in this Vanuatu place and nobody at Saugatuck ever heard of it?”

“Well, ‘nobody’?” Benny said. “I don’t think that’s right. Helen sure knew because that pompous prick Parker put it in his fancy illustrated reports.”

“Which are not in Arslan’s file,” Laslo said.

“But that doesn’t mean they weren’t, at least at some point. Where’s the photo our guy in Cummerbund Valley saw? We’re supposed to believe Rob pulled all kinds of shit out of the file but not the photos? Or Parker’s reports? Tough to swallow that.”

“Yup,” Laslo said. “I really liked him. But now I don’t know what to think.”

“Same for me, but somethin’ doesn’t smell right. Let’s just run it straight up the middle and go talk to Rob. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Laslo said, steering away from the curb.

Benny pulled out his phone. “And lemme call Nora while we drive back.”

She answered on the first ring, her groggy voice coming through the speaker.

“Hey, Benny, everything all right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Benny said, “sorry to wake you.

“I gotta get Sophie up for school anyway,” Nora said. “What’s going on?”

“We just did our video session with Jeremy Parker in Abu whatever.”

“Dhabi,” Nora said. “How’d it go?”

“Weird, which is why I called. We talked about Jepson, Falcone, and Arslan, the three he covered on travel. No biggie on the first two. Jepson’s clean, but he spends a lot of time hugging baby seals or who the fuck knows. Falcone’s a piece a shit, banging teenage girls all over the world. No shocker there. Laslo’s gonna make sure the Bu follows up on that part. The weird one is actually your guy Rob.”

“How so?” Nora asked, coming fully awake.

“Parker covered him on three trips to Australia and New Zealand. All fine, except each time Rob took a side trip to this little island country—and Laslo’s gonna have to help me here—Vanna White or some shit.”

“Vanuatu,” Laslo said loudly, enunciating the syllables.

“Right,” Benny said. “That. And every time he went to the same fancy house, middle of nowhere overlooking the ocean. House is owned by a woman Parker said has no connection to anything. You ever hear of Rob having a squeeze in Vanna whatever?”

“I’ve never even heard of that country.”

“Well Rob sure has. He keeps goin’ there and I’m thinkin’ we need to know why ASAP.”

“Why so urgent?”

“’Cause Parker says he wrote reports—including lots of photos—on all of Rob’s trips there and none of them are in Helen’s files. Put that together with your predecessor saying he saw a beachy picture in Rob’s file and we’re thinking somebody is tryin’ to hide somethin.’ If there was nothin’ to Rob’s little side trips, why’d Parker’s reports go missing? Look, Nora, I know he’s your friend, but I’m not feeling the love there anymore.”

The line was quiet before Nora went on. “Rob’s a good, good person and I really do trust him, Benny. Let’s take a breath here and not jump to conclusions all right?”

“Hey, hey—” Benny began before Nora cut him off.

“Rob has been a loyal friend and someone I could always count on to have my back at Saugatuck. At this point, I don’t know what to think.”

“Hey look,” Benny replied, “I’m not sayin’ Rob is dirty here, but I am sayin’ we need to put it to him directly. ’Cause either he’s dirty, or somebody’s fuckin’ with him, too. So we’re gonna go clear this up at the office right now. He’s always in early. Let’s meet up there.”

“Okay,” Nora said. “Let me know. I’ll be in after I drop Soph at school.”

“Roger that,” Benny said.

Nora swung her legs over the side of her bed and sat up, staring at her phone. This place is going to be the end of me. Rob’s my friend, for God’s sake. She scrolled in her contacts and thumbed Rob’s cell number. It went to voicemail. “Hey Ironside, Nora here. Just want to give you a heads up that Benny and Laslo want to meet up this morning—first thing. Some stuff has come up about you. I’m sure it’s a nothing-burger, but let’s all meet at the office ASAP to clear things up. Benny and Laslo are headed there now and I’ll be there as soon as I drop Sophie off at school. It’d be good to not have any hanging chads on this thing. Talk soon.”

Nora sat on the edge of her bed for a long time before finally pushing herself up to go wake Sophie.