‘So what’s on your mind?’ he asked her, throwing the paper on to the desk.
Annie glanced at the front page. O. J. Simpson had been charged with the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman outside the Simpson home. And a hacker had been charged for wire and computer fraud. It all seemed removed from reality, about a million miles away.
Gary looked pissed off to see her. His loyalty was to Max; they’d been part of the same gang since school. For as long as she could remember, Gary had despised her. Gary screwed women but hated and mistrusted all of them – and he viewed any deep involvement with them as foolish. Annie wondered if Caroline knew that yet. Well, she’d find out. Gary had always seen Annie in particular as a female bloodsucker, a vampire who would draw the life out of Max, weakening and sapping him. Well, fuck Gary.
‘You’ve been phoning Max a lot lately,’ she said, by way of openers.
‘Have I?’ He leaned back in his chair, linked his hands behind his head, very casual, and stared at her with that pale blue unblinking gaze.
‘Yes, you have. And I’d like to know, about what.’
Now he was smiling, a flash of teeth that was more like a snarl than anything else. ‘You better ask Max, not me.’
‘I can’t,’ said Annie.
‘Why’s that then?’
‘Because Max has gone somewhere. Left with no explanation.’ Annie leaned forward in her chair, her eyes holding his to emphasize her point. ‘He’s just gone. Said he had stuff to do, and took off. I don’t know where to or for what reason, but what I do know is that he’s had a lot of calls from you lately. And so the question remains – what’s he been talking to you about?’
Gary straightened and shrugged. ‘This and that,’ he said.
‘Yeah? Can you be more specific?’
‘Private stuff. You know. Man to man.’
Annie nodded slowly. ‘Private? Well, we’re married, Max and me, so I think you should make an exception.’ Her eyes were hard dark green pebbles as they held his. ‘So tell me what the fuck is going on, Gary, will you?’
‘Hey.’ The smile dropped from his face. He sat up straight and leaned both hands on the desk and stared into her eyes. ‘Don’t come in here flinging your weight about. I run this place for Max, not you.’
‘You run it for both of us, Gary. I told you. We’re married. Joined at the hip.’
‘Yeah, like fuck! He’s gone and you don’t even know where.’
‘Do you?’
‘What?’
‘Know where? Only, what with all those phone calls, I’ve got a feeling that if anyone knows, it’s you.’
