"I can't answer that. I'll just say that we met at a time of intense secrecy. I think we were on the same side, but I'm not completely sure."
She didn't think Tyler was sure either, but the door to the gym had just opened, and she straightened in her seat. A man and a woman filed out. A moment later, Spencer came out the door, a backpack over his shoulders, a phone in his hand.
"There he is," Max said.
"Hopefully, Elias isn't right behind him."
"I don't see him. Let's go."
They reached the sidewalk just as Spencer got to them. Max grabbed his arm and pushed him into the nearby alley so that Elias wouldn't see them if he left the gym through the front door.
"What's going on?" Spencer demanded, pulling the AirPods out of his ears.
"We just want to talk," she said, keeping her voice calm. "You're not in trouble, Spencer."
"I don't know anything."
"Then this will be a brief conversation," Max said.
"If Elias knows I talked to you, he'll fire me," Spencer said. "I need this job."
"We're not going to tell Elias anything," she reassured him. "But we need to know about the man in that sketch. You recognized him. I know you did."
"I don't want any trouble."
"Neither do we," Max said. "Tell us what you know. The sooner you do, the sooner you can leave."
Spencer drew a worried breath and let it out. "His name is Jonas. He comes into the gym once or twice a week, but he doesn't work out. He meets with Elias, and then he leaves."
"What's his last name?" she asked.
"I don't know."
"What do they talk about?"
"I don't know," he repeated.
"But you know something," she pressed.
Spencer shifted his weight from one foot to another. "Elias runs high-stakes poker games in the back room on weekend nights when we close at six. They're private, invitation-only."
"And Jonas is part of that?" Max interjected.
"Not necessarily part of the game, but he usually shows up on Fridays and Mondays. I think he might be moving cash or doing other things for Elias. I don't know for sure. I just hear things sometimes."
"Where can we find Jonas?" Max inquired.
"I have no idea where he lives."
"Do you know anything about him that might help us find him?" she asked. "It's really important, Spencer."
"Well, last time he was in, I heard Jonas tell Elias he should come to the Crimson Club, that they have some new girls working. I got the feeling he's a regular there."
"Sounds like a strip club," Max commented.
"It is," she confirmed, all too familiar with that club from her days as a cop.
"I gotta go," Spencer said. "That's all I know."
