“See? Harder than you thought,” Cain said. “All of our relationships have threads. And it’s going to take some adjusting now that your priorities have changed.”
“Why do you have to be so damn wise all the time?” I muttered.
Cain chuckled. “It’s my burden to carry.”
A familiar figure caught my gaze. Jeff—Justin and Lyla’s father. He was in the corner with a guy I knew was a lowlife and bookie, at least according to Walker. Cash passed between their hands.
“Why do you look like you want to murder someone right now?”
I did my best to mask my fury and focused on my mostly empty plate. “Take a quick look over your right shoulder.”
Cain did as I instructed, and when he turned back around, his anger was showing. “Dante said that asshole was a piece of work. Same M.O. with every woman he dates. Gets them hooked, mooches off them until they’re fed up, and then moves on.”
I straightened in my seat. “He didn’t fill me in on that.”
“I don’t think he thought it was overly pertinent. It’s in the written report he emailed.”
I’d only had time to hit the bullet points of that document, and I’d focused more on Derek. But there hadn’t been much on him other than his criminal record and known associates.
Cain took another quick glance at Jeff. “It’s interesting that he’s placing bets when Dante said he was tapped out.”
“And if he’s in Sutter Lake for weeks on end, he sure as hell isn’t working a job in Portland.”
Cain pulled out his phone. “I’m texting Dante. He needs to do a deeper dive into Jeff’s financials. Maybe there’s some proof that the Foleys are paying him.”
I couldn’t see how. They seemed too smart for that. If they had bribed Jeff and Derek, I was sure they hadn’t written them a check. “It seems insane that people can get away with stuff like this.”
“But it happens all the time. They just think the rules don’t apply to them.”
“We’re going to make sure they do.”
“We’re sure as hell going to try—” The beeping of my phone cut off Cain’s words.
I scanned the screen, my fingers tightening around the device.
Dante:Anonymous source tells me Mr. Foley withdrew fifty grand from his retirement account two days after being notified of Anna’s petition for custody.
I turned the phone around so Cain could read the screen. “Who the hell is this anonymous source?” I asked. “We need them to go on record. Testify.”
Cain shook his head, keeping his voice low. “Anonymous source means he hacked into their bank accounts to get the lay of the land.”
I let out a string of curses. “Any way we can get a warrant?”
“I’ll have to talk to Walker, but I doubt it. Not on an anonymous tip alone.”
I gripped my phone tighter, the edges of the device biting into my palm. “I need to tell Anna. She’ll kill me if I know this and don’t share.” It was the last thing I wanted to do. The last few days had been good. No run-ins with Derek, Justin and Lyla happy, finding our routine.
“Come on. I’ll drive us over to the center. Kennedy’s working there today, and I can always use an excuse to see my wife.”
Typically, I would’ve made a crack about him dragging her off to some dark corner, but the only thing I could think about right now was that I was about to ruin Anna’s day. But I had no choice. I was working on earning her trust, and that meant being honest with every piece of information I found. “Let’s go.”
We tossed some cash onto the table and headed for Cain’s SUV. The drive was silent as I imagined various ways to send Anna’s parents to prison. Anywhere they couldn’t hurt her anymore. Cain pulled into a spot near the front of the community center, and we hopped out, moving towards the Hope House buildings.
Jefferson, the daytime security guard, opened the door from the inside as we approached. “Afternoon, guys.”
Cain gave him a friendly clap on the back. “Holding down the fort?”
“You know it.”
