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“Because I wouldn’t have invited you into my office or offered you my expensive booze if I didn’t think you were the best man to provide the services Mr. Mitchell and I need.”
He looked at me with concern and distrust, but I could also tell he was the kind of man who wanted you to know how good he was at being bad. People like him always told on themselves, and I could see he was itching to be impressive.
“Now, let’s get this small talk out of the way,” I said. “We’ve spoken to Adam. I believe you know him?”
“I know Adam,” he answered smugly. “He and I are in business together. Adam Brinkler, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“Okay,” he said, leaning back in his chair as if I’d said the magic word to get him to open up. “So, tell me, Mr. Monroe. Why does your billion-dollar company want me to partner with them?”
“Partner?” I questioned. As I suspected, it didn’t take more than a few words to get this fool to say something incriminating. “I’m not sure I’m following?”
“Well, Adam and I partnered up at his firm to skirt taxes and clean some extra money that a few important mutual friends had lying around.”
I could see it all over his face. He was so fucking proud of himself for being able to assert what a badass he was in his own mind. Who in their right goddamn mind would confess to money laundering five minutes after meeting someone? He made my job too easy. All you had to do with a con man was play to his ego, and this guy was more eager than most to spill his misdeeds. It made me wonder how he’d managed to keep his role in his wife’s murder a secret for so long.
“You’re a very open man with someone you’ve just met?” I said with a smile. “Tax evasion and cleaning money, huh? Those things can put you away for a very long time.”
I changed the tone of my voice to appear a bit intrigued with the services he could offer Jim. This, of course, boosted the man’s confidence, making him think he was in control and that I needed him.
“You seem like the kind of man who could benefit from something like that?” he said, starting his negotiations.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Well, I’m sure you can imagine the taxable income on this global empire that Jim’s got going, not to mention certain offers from influential people he’s gotten on the side. You know, the kind you can’t mention to the IRS?”
“Oh, I know,” he said, interrupting me. “And yes, I can help. I work with a handful of businesses inside and outside the country because of the amount of work I do for important high-profile people, so I don’t want you to think I can’t handle the volume. I work with Adam for personal reasons, even though the firm is small. Now, if Jim Mitchell wants to play dirty to keep his rightfully earned money, a price must be paid to me.”
“And what is that price?”
How was this guy so fucking stupid? I expected him to make this challenging for me, but I guess not. He didn’t vet me whatsoever, and my mind was blown at how quickly he was getting to the brass tacks.
“A partnership,” he stated like he did this every other day of the week.
I arched an eyebrow at him. “Interesting. You expect Jim to give you shares of this company?”
“Why wouldn’t he? He would still see double the profit, more or less, all without paying taxes because of the accounts I have set up on my end.”
“And why should Jim feel confident he won’t end up doing jail time?”
“Let me put it this way,” he said smugly, using the phrase that annoyed me more than any other, “Jim Mitchell has nothing to worry about. It all flows through me.”
“So, you know exactly how to hide from the law, and because you’re sitting in my office and speaking to me as a free man, you do it well enough that you’re not found out?”
“Exactly,” he answered.
“I’m impressed,” I said. “Now, for the real reason I called you into my office today.”
His expression darkened. “And that is?”
“Nervous?” I said, picking up that the bastard was finally uncomfortable.
“I was under the impression we were talking about that already.” He ground his teeth together weirdly and stretched his neck like his collar was too tight.
“Does the name Detective Victor Rosen ring a bell?”
His face went white. Finally.
“Sure. He investigated my wife’s car crash.”
