“It’s a tight group at the top, and they have feelers everywhere. Sometimes we’ll catch a foot soldier—maybe a hotel maid, a limo driver—but they can’t even identify the next person on the ladder, let alone the ringleaders. They’re careful, smart, they play the long game. If they sniff some dirt, or something comes to them, they go after it like professionals—take their time, do their research, get their facts straight. Sometimes they put years into one rumor. We advise their targets not to pay, but when you’re facing the end of your career and your reputation, I guess it’s hard to see the wider picture.”
“So they pay?”
“Usually. These guys keep their word, and people know it. If the target pays, it all goes away. If they report it to police, the compromising material gets released. They write it off as a cost of doing business. We’ll hear about it later, or second-hand—or from the TV news. The scandals that have made big headlines in the last decade? More often than not, you’re looking at the people who refused to pay.”
“But if you know so much…”
“We’re not talking blackmail notes and suitcases of cash. Their communications and payments are untraceable. This is not the ‘legit’ industry—and I use that word loosely—your shakedown lawyers, your hush-money brokers, non-disclosure agreements, civil settlements for ‘personal injury claims.’ They’re not the Hollywood hustlers with offices in Beverly Hills. ‘Had a car accident? Call 1-800-BANG-INTO-ME.’ ‘Caught herpes from a celebrity? Call 1-800-SCREW-THAT-SUCKER.’This is organized crime.” She went to haul herself from the seat, and appeared to conclude it wasn’t going to work.
“Can I help you there?” Griffin said, approaching.
“I’m pregnant, not disabled!” she snapped. She launched a series of maneuvers that involved turning and pushing herself up until she was leaning over the chair, panting. “We’ve tried to go after the publications and websites that print this garbage, but because they’re not the ones who’ve broken laws, it’s tricky—and again, they don’t have direct contacts, so they can’t finger anyone.” She pushed to standing, and wobbled. Griffin went to catch her, but she stopped him with a dirty look. “The reputable media don’t buy the dirt, but once the story breaks, the fallout becomes legit news, so they carry it anyway. Careers ended. Lives too, sometimes.”
“Toby Fong?” Griffin said.
“I can’t comment on that, but…” Her expression said it all.
“And my sister?” Lana said. “This was her ‘crazy idea.’”
“Listen, if it puts your mind at ease, I believe she simply doesn’t have enough on this gang to be a serious threat. She had nothing to give us that we didn’t already know. They wouldn’t want the mess and risk of silencing her. They tried to recruit her as a foot soldier, sure, but they didn’t send her into a meeting with the boss. Her ‘crazy idea’ was that she could help us set a trap to bring them down. It was the stuff of fantasies—they’re far too careful for that, and we weren’t about to risk years of work in someone who wasn’t credible.”
“But she found out who the ringleaders are! That last text she sent said as much.”
“She certainly didn’t tell me that when I met her. Pretty sure I would have remembered.”
“Maybe she was coming to tell you and someone else got to her first?”
“Have you found anything at all that might help us identify this extortion ring?”
Lana shook her head. “We think the information was on her laptop, or a binder she was carrying around, or both. But we can’t find them.”
“So you have nothing concrete.”
Lana sighed. “Nothing.”
“How about non-concrete? Plastic, metal, Styrofoam? I’ll take anything.”
Griffin shook his head. “As far as we know, Vivien is the missing link.”
The detective crossed her arms. “Can I take a wild guess that you’ve been in contact with a certain pain-in-the-ass celebrity vigilante group?”
“Acelebrity vigilante group?” Griffin said, using his bestI-have-no-idea-what-you-meanexpression.
“I’m not asking you to name names, but I suggest you extract yourself. That lot have more money than sense, and the security team they’ve hired are knuckleheads.”
Griffin raised an eyebrow.Thathe could attest to.
The detective smiled sympathetically at Lana. “My gut feeling is that your sister is staying out of sight until things settle down. But if you hear anything else, for god’s sake, call me, day or night. Lord knows I’m not getting any sleep these days.” She crossed the room, rubbing her belly. “I hope your friend recovers okay,” she said from the doorway. “I used to watch his show, as a kid. What was that thing he said? ‘The city never sleeps, and neither do I.’ I loved that. That man inspired me to be a cop.” She left, closing the door.
“Do you believe her now?” Lana asked.
“I can’t tell anymore. Maybe my bullshit radar has caught so much bullshit that the screen is just brown sludge.” Except for Lana. She didn’t make his bullshit radar ping. The silencein his head when she was around was a relief. He walked up to Darnell’s bed, feeling the gut-punch of shock all over again. “I want to take a look inside his house, see if I can find this discovery he made.” He had a code to get in, and he was sure Darnell would be all for it.
Lana moved to the other side of the bed. “Griffin, do you think there might be something more to this than an accident?”
“I really hope not.”
“God, if I hadn’t dragged him in…”
