Bess
"How?"asksLutek.
"We can't deepfake him back," says Jeanette. "He knows that trick already. Right?"
Elly snorts. "I don't know. He is pretty stupid."
"So how on earth are we going to scam him?" Ed asks. "It's really not something in our field of experience." He throws a glance at Carlos. "I'm assuming."
"Well," I say, "He's got the hots for Elly."
She raises a finger. "I'm not going to seduce him or pretend to seduce him. It's too demeaning."
"No, I agree. We wouldn't put you in that position, Elly. But we could use you as bait."
"Uh uh, no way. I am not at all comfortable with that. Come up with something else that leaves sexual predation out of the equation."
"Okay," I say. "Fair enough."
Lutek scratches at his ribs. "What do we do, then?"
We all descend into a heavy silence.
Jeanette's fingers beat a drum on the arm of her chair.
Lutek strokes his chin in a pincer motion with this thumb and forefinger. The movement scrapes his stubble.
Carlos sniffs.
I roll my eyes. "Can everyoneshut upfor a minute?"
"Nobody's saying anything," says Elly.
"And yet, you're still being exceptionally loud."
"We could..." Lutek looks thoughtfully at the concrete floor, then shakes his head. "No."
"We could try and win it from him," says Carlos. "I once made a wager with Prince Philip that I'd make a better mount than his filly at the Royal Charity Polo Cup. We beat the other fellows by an unprecedented score and raised several hundred thousand pounds for a badger rehabilitation centre."
Elly clucks her tongue. "Could we just beat it out of him? I'd be happy to place a well-targeted kick or two."
"I bet you would," says Ed.
"No. No violence," I say.
Elly lifts one corner of her mouth up. "What about the threat of violence?"
"You'd have to scare someone pretty thoroughly to get them to part with the kind of money that buys Maseratis," says Ed.
"I don't think any of us has that kind of power within us," says Lutek.
"Anyone know any computer hackers?" asks Jeanette. "We could reach into his bank account or wherever he's keeping the money and steal it back?"
Nobody says anything.
Ed lays a hand on my arm. "I think we just have to go to the police. Let them sort it."
I hold up a finger. "Wait. I think I have an idea. Something one of you said just now..." I trail off and stand to pace.
