Page 28 of Rules of Engagement

"Let's get to it," said Delgado. He scraped back his chair.

"One more thing," I said, motioning for him to sit down. "I realize I'm at a disadvantage as to how each of you know Solomon. I mean, really know him, not just the nice, neat, little version of how he met you through work or you were old buddies. I need the real background stories. I need to know everything."

"I think you know my story already," said Lucas. "He caught me hacking. He could have sent me to jail, but instead, he put me on the right path to develop an actual career. We stayed in touch and when he set up the agency, he asked me to join."

"What were you hacking?" I asked.

"Um..." he paused.

"No secrets," I reminded him.

"Banks," he said softly. "I ripped off a bunch of money."

"How much?"

"A few million. Okay, five hundred million."

Delgado whistled. "I knew you were good but not that good!"

"I'm not that good," pointed out Lucas. "I got caught and I got lucky. If it weren't for Solomon, I'd be wearing orange and living in a five-by-five cell for the rest of my life. Instead, I have a job, a fiancée, and I can go outdoors whenever I want."

"Anything else to the story?" I asked.

"Like what?"

"Where were you living at the time, for one thing?"

"Los Angeles."

"Solomon, too?"

"I don't know. I never asked. I guess I figured he did."

"How did he get whatever charges you faced dismissed?"

"No clue. Knew people in the right places I guess, and, no, I don't know exactly who they were. I was too grateful to ask."

"When was this?"

"Eight years ago."

"Do you know who Solomon worked with?"

"I saw a couple guys but I wasn't formally introduced. They picked me up one day, very quietly, and took me to a black site and Solomon showed me all the evidence they had against me. He gave me a choice and I took it."

"What happened to the money?"

"I handed over the account numbers and passwords and let them deal with it."

"Do you know if it was ever returned?"

"No. I knew better than to ask anymore."

"If that money disappeared, someone could have five hundred million reasons to want to ensure it stayed hidden. They would also want to eliminate anyone who knew anything about it," said Fletcher.

"Eight years later?" I asked. "Seems a long time to suddenly remember that Solomon might know something. Lucas, can you look into it? See if anything comes up?"

"Do you want me to look through his emails in case someone contacted him?"

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