“You know,” I said to my brother, “your writing skills haven’t improved with time.”
He stared at the papers in front of him, then back at me, then back at the papers.
“This is an encrypted account.”
“That’s your response to what’s sitting there in front of you?”
“How did you get these?” he said.
“Not important. What’s important is that I did.”
He put his hands out.
“You know what I’m thinking?” he said. “Now it’s his word against hers, because I’ve got sworn statements from her saying that the coach did it. Or didher,as the case may be.”
“And I’ve got a sworn statement in which she recants everything in yours.”
He opened his mouth and closed it.
“You paid her off.”
“Somebody did. And paid a lot more than you did.”
“I don’t even need to guess who, do I?”
I shrugged.
“Our uncle,” he said.
“Well, not yours,” I said.
“Screw him. And screw you.”
“He said that I should remind you that not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Right before he called you the same schmuck you’ve always been.”
“So now you’re the one blackmailingme?” Danny said.
“Twist of the tale.”
I sat down. Danny laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back in his chair.
“So you win this round.”
“And the next one, if you ever try anything like this again. And the one after that.”
I watched him and wondered, not for the first time, how I was possibly related to him.
“Let me ask you something, Danny. Did it ever occur to you to try to work with me? To make this a real family business?”
He snorted. “Oh, wait—you’re serious.”
Then he said, “So are you going to fire me?”
“Nope. I’m going to let you sit at this end of the hall and know that I’m doing your job at the other end.”
“Not for much longer,” he said. “Those league meetings fast approach.”
“You’re not invited.”