Page 66 of Durango

“Anything violent?”

“No, all white-collar crimes. And Tyler’s father has been accused of similar crimes but never charged.”

As he talks, I stare at a pigeon pecking at crumbs on the ground.

“So, they don’t run an ethical business. I’m not surprised,” I say. “Did you find anything else?”

“I did. The uncle is doing time with a man named Edward Gagnon. He’s a suspected leader in one of the Mexican drug cartels. He’s doing time for attempted murder.”

“Huh, I’m surprised he’s in the same prison.”

Trip laughs. “I was, too. But apparently, Mr. Gagnon had a great attorney. Part of his plea deal was serving his term in that prison. It’s essentially a country club for white-collar criminals, from what I can tell. They have a tennis court and a lot of outdoor time.”

“Is this where you tell me this Gagnon and Tyler’s uncle are somehow connected?”

“Yep. According to the prison notes, the two men have become friends.”

“There are prison notes on this?”

“Everyone has a file, and luckily for you, I can get access to them. Anyway, the warden expressed concern that Gagnon wasgoing to use the uncle, and he requested the uncle be transferred to another prison.”

“That’s odd. Since when would a warden care about the interpersonal relationship of an inmate?”

“According to the notes, the warden had been contacted by another member of the family, expressing this concern. I suspect the uncle told someone in the family what was going on.”

A group of people walk by, and the pigeons scatter.

“Any idea which family member?” I ask.

“No. The request was denied by the governor’s office. I’ve found no connection between anyone in the governor’s office and these two men, but I haven’t been searching long.”

The pigeons return.

“This could be behind how Tyler got roped into transporting drugs.”

“Likely,” Trip says.

I yawn loudly. “Sorry. I’m exhausted. Just got in from Belarus last night. Didn’t sleep much before that.”

“Yeah, I remember how that used to be.”

Trip was a Navy SEAL, too, although he didn’t serve with anyone from our office. He’s known Stormy for a long time and now works with us and the Morgan Thompson Security guys out of the Seattle area. Since I’ve never met Trip, I have no idea how old he is.

“Hey, Trip, how old are you?”

He laughs. “Why? You thinking of asking me out or something?”

I laugh. “I guess that is personal. I was just thinking I don’t know much about you, that’s all.”

He sighs. “Well, one of these days, I might come to the office for a visit.”

“I heard you did once but only met Thunder and Lightning in the parking lot.”

“Baby steps. Hey, I’ll do some more searching and let you know if I find anything.”

“Sounds good. Thanks.”

I end the call and walk back to the house. Inside, Willow is asleep on the couch. I set the food down on the coffee table and watch her.

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