"Because they clean the court house," he said. "And, they've got plenty of employees. The point was, I wanted the guy to panic."
I recalled what I'd read in that first news story. During the last couple of weeks, the judge had been accusing all kinds of people of being "out to get him."
Between his strange behavior and the photos popping up in random places, it didn't take long for officials to open an investigation. And when they did, they quickly found more than they anticipated, including several judgments, along with sizeable bank transactions, that didn't make much sense.
I looked to Jack. "So who was blackmailing him? And how did you even know this was happening?"
"It wasn't just blackmail," he said. "He was accepting bribes, too. The guy had a pretty good business going."
"But still, how did you know?"
"It wasn't hard to figure out," he said. "If you saw some of the rulings this guy made, you'd know something was off. Then you see who benefits, and there's your answer."
He made it sound oh-so simple. But I knew it wasn't. "And how did he even come to your attention?"
"Because I’m a curious guy. When I see things that don’t add up, I want to learn more." He gave me a look. "Funny, I know somebody else like that."
"You can't mean me."
"I can. And I do."
"But I'd never do anything likeyoudid."
"Good," he said.
"Why is that good?"
"Because I don't want you anywhere near this."
"Oh, so it's good for you, but not for me?"
"Hell yeah."
I was almost offended. "Why?"
"Because for one thing, I'm better at it. And for another…" He leaned his forehead against mine. "You get in enough trouble already."
I wasn't even sure if he was joking. "Hey, can I ask you a serious question?"
"What?"
"This mission of yours, did it have anything to do with your dad?"
"Maybe."
"What do you mean, maybe?"
"It's complicated."
I had no doubt ofthat. "So you're not gonna tell me?"
"I will," he said. "But first, there's something I want to show you. And it's not here."
Chapter 76
Jack
Becka's mind was racing.
