Greywalker - Kat Richardson [99]
“Hey,” Michael called over his shoulder. “Bring me some when you’re done. I could use a bite, too, you know. Us boy wonders have to keep up our strength!”
“Right, Mikey. I won’t let you starve,” Will called back.
“It’s Michael!”
We walked back through the house to the kitchen. Will offered me sandwiches and coffee, too. I took a cup of coffee and watched him sit at the kitchen table to eat. I stood against a counter and sipped for a few minutes in silence as he got through half a sandwich.
“All right,” he started, sitting back and leaving the rest of his lunch sprawling on the plate, “now that I’m no longer faint with hunger, what did you want to discuss?”
“First, I wanted to say I’m sorry, Will. I—”
He cut me off. “Don’t start that. I don’t need the extra stress.”
“Yeah. Michael told me Brandon didn’t show up. What’s up with that?”
Will threw his hands into the air. “I have no idea! He’s completely unpredictable and irresponsible. He didn’t show up today, doesn’t answer his phone. No one’s seen him. He’s even bailed on the Ingstroms without notice, and he knew Chet Ingstrom for years. No idea what he’ll do next. You saw that tantrum he pitched at the warehouse. That’s not the first time that he’s flown off the handle recently over something minor. And we’re not the only people looking for him, either. When I get my hands on the slick bastard, I’m going to shake him until he tells me what’s going on.”
“Who else wants him?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but he must be in deep trouble. The guys who’ve been coming around looking for him are the sort who break legs. I don’t want it to get around, though. It could really kill us.”
I looked at him over the rim of my coffee cup and speculated. “Is it Brandon you’re trying to protect? Or yourself ?”
“Myself ! Brandon’s a jackass. We had an agreement, but now it looks like I’ve been left with the baby, again. I put equity into the business and if it goes under, or gets confiscated, then what? How could I take care of Michael if I’m flat broke and out of a job?”
“Will,” I started, frowning into his eyes, “what did you invest in?”
“The auction house.” He narrowed his eyes, eyebrows quirking into Ws on his forehead. He pushed his spectacles up and stared at me. “What are you talking about?”
I touched my cheek, remembering the first blow that had started me into the Grey. “I’ve seen this sort of thing before, and I’d say it’s even money something criminal is going on.”
“Like what?”
I gave a helpless shrug. “Drugs? Fraud? Tax evasion? Money laundering?”
He was appalled. “Why? How?”
“It’s an easy business to hide things in—the value of an item is what you say it is, after all. Or what someone pays for it. And one of you does a lot of traveling, don’t you?”
“I do, or I did until recently. Then Brandon took it over. I thought he was giving me a break to spend more time with Mike.”
“That could be a cover for a lot of other activities. Has the business pattern changed suddenly? More profits? Less? Different type of goods or clients?”
Will looked askance at me. “Business has been improving. . . .”
“And I’ll bet Brandon’s standard of living has suddenly gone up, yet he can’t justify making you a partner, in spite of the money you’ve invested. Yeah, I’ll bet it’s doing just great for someone. And other people have noticed.”
“You think the guys looking for Brandon are cops?”
“Could be cops, feds, unhappy partners at the other end, loan sharks. . . .”
Will thought about it and shook his head, aghast. “Do you really believe that, Harper? That I could be a . . . a fraud or a drug dealer—or a fall guy?”
I didn’t meet his glance. Instead I put my coffee cup down and started to leave. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I came to ask you a favor, but it wouldn’t be right now.”
“No. No, no . . . I’m not letting you walk out on me again.” I started to flinch, but he only caught my hand and turned me back. “It took way too long for you to come back. Don’t just walk out. Please.”
I kept my eyes away from him.
“You wouldn’t have said all this