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Gray carried me across the street into Grant Park. After setting me down on a bench, he sat beside me. The park still had some pedestrian traffic, couples walking around and groups of kids playing, but none were near us.
“Where do we start?” I asked. A thousand questions bounced around in my brain.
“Good question. How about the beginning?”
The beginning of the mess for me was when I left Gray in Mexico. That’s where I started. I told what I did and where I went. I told him about landing in Chicago and making the pub my first stop but finding it closed down because of the murder. I told him about meeting Jax at the Dark Horse, about Ben being at the table when I returned from the bathroom, about working for Peter and seeing the two sets of credit charges, and about giving Peyton a copy of the profit and loss statement. I told him every detail of my life. My bet with Peter and his rules. Ben kissing me. That one didn’t go over well, but he couldn’t really say anything since we were technically broken up.
I finished up with snooping on Peter’s computer and every detail of my exchange with Ben. Looking back, I could see that Ben was just as surprised by my presence in the apartment as I had been by his. I took his startled reaction as an aggressive move. I solely reacted by instinct when I hit him in the nose with the heel of my hand. I felt a twinge of remorse until I remembered that he had broken into Peter’s home. I had a right to defend myself and the place.
“Out of all the questions not answered, my biggest one right now is why Ben used the rock to break my window. Why didn’t he just let me leave? I was already in the car.”
“That’s your most pressing question?” Gray chuckled.
“Yes. Ben never attacked me. I hit him in the nose, I threw the vase. I ran. He tried to make it clear he just wanted to talk to me.”
“But, the rock was too far?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe during the debacle, he changed his plan.”
“What do you mean?” Gray pulled my legs across his lap, elevating my foot and bringing us closer. “The night of the dinner on the rooftop deck at Peter’s, he changed his plan. I was watching him throughout the speech Anais gave. When he realized she was pointing the finger at him, the gears started churning. He flipped the table to give himself an escape, to regain control of the escalating situation.”
“Two questions. One. Why do you think Anais insinuated it was him?”
“Maybe she truly thinks it was him,” Gray said.
“Maybe she needed to give a new direction to the investigation. Liam was sitting at the table, too.”
“You think she knew the police were starting to look at Peter?”
“It’s a valid point. Anais is the ultimate mama bear when it comes to protecting Peter,” I said.
“What’s your second question?”
“Do you think the ruse of arresting Ben in front of all of us came about because of Anais pointing her finger at him?”
“Maybe. I think Ben and Liam are playing fast and loose with the case. They seem to be using underhanded tricks instead of actual evidence.”
“Okay. So, what’s the evidence?”
“Large funds are passing through the restaurant. We know for a fact. You thought it was an escort service, but that didn’t pan out.”
“Thanks for the reminder. How do you explain the list of girls, dates and times I found on Peter’s computer, then?” I stretched my back. My muscles were tightening up from the hard bench and lack of movement.
“What if that’s all for show?” Gray raised his hands in question.
“I don’t follow.”
“The evidence points to an escort service being run through the restaurant. Follow me?” I nodded yes. “What if it is just a ruse? What if it is nothing but old-fashioned money laundering. The numbers are big enough to pass some serious money through there. On the surface, it looks like high-dollar hookers, but after an investigation, it’s nothing.”
“Let’s go down that route. Let’s say it is just a cover. Problem one: where is the dirty money coming from?”
“Problem two?” Gray asked.
“The girls are actually getting paid. I printed the checks myself.”
“Did you match up all of the sales to the amounts paid out or did you assume the numbers in the computer were correct?”
“I assumed.”
“How many checks?”
“Other than the standard employee checks? Four large ones.”
“How many girls were listed on the website?”
“Probably thirty?” I guessed.
“Maybe the four are the cover?”
“Meaning?”
“Those four take a portion. They are part of the ‘scheme.’ The other women listed never get chosen for a party, but are listed for show.”
“So, what happens if an investigation starts regarding an escort service?”
“Those four are questioned. They lie about working private events. The others get questioned, but they have nothing to offer because they have never been chosen.”
“Okay. I think I’m following. What’s our next step?”
“Peter’s computer.” We answered at the same time. We needed to compare the lists of girls and dates with the actual money coming in. I was lucky to get into it once. The question would be if we would manage it again.
“You never answered my question about who needed the money laundered?” I’m so far out of the criminal loop, the only option I could conceive of was a Walter White: Peter was cooking meth. I ignored that option as quickly as I thought of it. I didn’t even voice it out loud.
“You said the restaurant was failing when we left?” Gray asked.
“Yes. Well, maybe not failing but definitely struggling. A lot.”
“Maybe Peter was forced to get into bed with someone. The mob is still pretty active in Chicago.”
“How would he even start something like that?”
“Subtle inquiries. A friend of a friend of a friend. It happens.”
“We have more questions than answers.” I rested my cheek on the back of the bench. The metal was cool to the touch. “Back to Ben and Liam. Devil’s advocate here. What if we misunderstood what he was saying to us in the gallery?”
“What do you mean?” Gray shifted in his seat. Moving sideways too to face me.
“Liam and Ben have been friends for a long time. Liam told me that himself. What if he didn’t send Ben into Peter’s this afternoon. What if Ben is working on his own?”
“How does that make sense?”
“Ben runs a security company for high-profile clients. What if Ben is working on behalf of a client, not helping Liam? Ben and Liam would still have similar goals, but not the same ones.”
“Why are you suggesting this?”
“When I talked to Liam at the police station, he seemed genuinely shocked when I said Ben broke into Peter’s condo.”
“He could’ve been shocked because you were there,” Gray suggested.
“Maybe, but my gut says it wasn’t that. Plus, tonight when we were talking, Liam never said he sent Ben there, but my gut says he knew more tonight than earlier today.”
“Your gut has been busy.”
I gave him a sarcastic, “Ha, ha,” dragging out the two words. “You know what I mean. Where do we go from here?”
“We need more information. Primarily on Ben and Liam.”
“How do we get that?”
“I know a guy.”