Chapter Twenty-six

After the scuff with the other Chrysler, Vanessa took the wheel of the car and John sat in the back seat spinning theories about Randy and semipacked luggage.

" Drugs. It has to be drugs. "

" No, John, " said Vanessa. " There's nothing in Susan's banking or Visa card patterns that indicates a consistent drain of drug-caliber discretionary cash. "

" You got her banking info? "

" I gave her Susan's Visa number, " said Ryan. " It was in the video shop's computer. I mean, once somebody's got your Visa number, they can pretty well clone you. "

" Not really, " said Vanessa. " In order to clone you they'd also need your phone number. "

" Why do I bother even trying to generate ideas? " asked John. " You two are the most drag-and-click people I've ever met. You're wearing the pants here, Vanessa. Why don't you tell me what we ought to be doing next? "

" Okay, I will. We are currently en route to the North Hollywood home of one Dreama Ng. "

" She's a numerologist, " said Ryan.

" Is she going to give us potatoes, as well? "

" Oh, grow up, " said Vanessa. " Susan's been giving Dreama Ng twenty-five hundred bucks a month for a few years now. " " I told you, it was drugs. "

" Your naivete yet again sickens me, " said Vanessa, adding, " You, who spent maybe 1. 7 to 2 million dollars on both drugs and drub rehab programs over the past six years. "

" Oof. That much? " asked John.

" Probably more. I wasn't able to access one stream of data out of Geneva. " Vanessa continued steering the car with a pinky around a sharp curve. " You know as well as anybody, John, that drug consumption only escalates. It does not remain stable month in, month out over several years. I also ran a. check on Ms. Ng's finances, and, lo and behold, who do you think she signs over her check to each month? "

" Drum roll. . . " said Ryan.

" Randy Hexum. "

" Well, I'll be fucked, " said John.

" A bit less color, if you please, " said Vanessa. " Anyway, we're almost there. I already phoned ahead and made an appointment to get our numbers read. "

" What else have you done that I don't know about? "

" When you two were out unlocking the bumpers a few minutes ago, I phoned my brother Mark, and he is now parked across the street from Randy Montarelli's house, and you're paying him twenty-five dollars an hour plus meals so that he can maybe get an inkling where that luggage is headed. "

" Where were you when I was making The Other Side of Hate? " asked John. " If you'd betn running things, it could have been a hit. "

" No, John. It was unsavable. "

Vanessa and Ryan plunged invisible peacock feathers down their throats. John went quiet. They spun onto and then off the Hollywood Freeway, and parked outside Dreama's apartment building. John had a dé jà vu, but then realized it was actually a flashback to the beginning of his film career. The smell of

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