An obnoxious rich kid from Long Island. I haven't seen him in years, but just the suit is enough to confirm that nothing has changed. He's still an asshole.
"It's been a long time, huh?" says Kenny. He waits for an answer, but Charlie and I don't take our eyes off Shep.
"Thought you guys might like a little catch-up time," Lapidus says, and it sounds like he's setting us up.
"Old friends and all that…" Quincy adds.
Charlie raises her head. He knows that there is a catch here. As a rule, Quincy hates everyone. Like all big shots, all he cares about is money. But today... today, we are one big family. And if Lapidus and Quincy are personally escorting Kenny around the bank... surely it must be a job interview.
Before anyone can open their mouths, Lapidus follows our gaze to Shep.
"And what are you doing here?"
Lapidus asks, and his voice sounds pleasantly surprised. More dissertations on Tanner Drew?
"Yeah," Shep says dryly. All about Tanner Drew.
"Okay, why doesn't he save it for later," Lapidus says. Let's leave these guys alone.
"Actually, this is more important," Shep challenges.
"Maybe he didn't get it," Quincy says. We want these guys to be left alone. —At that point, the discussion ends. The big shot eats the boy.
"Thank you again for what you've done," Lapidus tells me. He leans into me and whispers. And trust me, Oliver, helping us find Kenny would be a perfect way to round out your applications to the School of Business Administration.
Charlie and I sit in silence as Shep reluctantly escorts Lapidus and Quincy out the door. Just as they're leaving, Shep turns and gives Charlie a piercing look that pierces her heart. The door slams shut, but there's no mistaking it. We have done nothing but prolong the suffering.
-Than? Do I look good or do I look good? Kenny asks as soon as the trio have left.
Charlie is still in shock.
-What are you doing here? - I ask.
"Nice to see you, too," Kenny says, sitting down on the other side of the desk. Are you always so nice to visitors?
"Yeah…no…Sorry, it's just one of those days," I stammer. I try to stay calm, even though it's obvious I'm not succeeding.
Kenny says something else, but I can't stop thinking about Shep. I look at Charlie and our eyes meet. There is nothing worse than the fear reflected in your brother's eyes.
"Okay, tell us what's going on," I say to Kenny. What position is the interview for?
-Interview? Kenny laughs. I'm not here looking for work... I'm as a client.
I am thrown out of my seat.
That's all Kenny needs to see. The big asshole smile.
"I assure you that the real estate business is really exciting," he adds with the same smile. Seventeen million... and that's just the beginning. Where else can you get fresh money like this? I mean, without getting arrested, of course.
The instant the door closes behind Kenny, I sink into my seat. Charlie is on his feet and moving around the room, unable to sit still.
"Maybe we should call Shep," he says, still moving. He is still my friend... he will listen to reason...
Give me just a minute...
"We don't have a minute, you know he'll be here any minute…and if we just sit there…I mean, what are we still doing here?" It's like removing the ring and waiting with the grenade in our pants. He—" He turns to me, prepared for a discussion, but to his surprise, he finds only silence. Than? -Question -. What have I done now?
"Repeat what you said."
"About the grenade in our pants?"
"No... before that."
Think for a second.
"What are we still doing here?"
"Right," I say, my voice now flying down the runway. How do you explain that?
-I do not understand.
"What are we still doing here?" I ask as I lift him from my seat. Shep caught us trying to steal three million dollars, but does he tell Lapidus? Do you tell Quincy? Does he call his secret service buddies? No no and no. He leaves the office and postpones the conversation until later.
-Y? Charlie says with a shrug.
—What is the first rule of Law Enforcement 101?
"Be a power-sick fucking bastard every time you catch someone?"
"I'm serious, Charlie, it's page one of the manual: 'Don't let the bad guys get away.' If Shep smells something wrong, he's supposed to immediately go to the boss.
I see you're beginning to understand. Maybe he's giving us a chance to explain what happened.
"Or maybe he..." He cut me off mid-sentence. I raise a suspicious eyebrow. Do we know this guy well, Charlie? "Come on…" he says, rolling his eyes. Now do you think that
Shep is the thief?
"It makes perfect sense if you think about it. How else could he have found out about the original Duckworth fax?
"He told you, Sherlock, he saw how he came...
"Charlie, do you have any idea how many hundreds of faxes arrive at the bank each day?" Unless Shep spends all day monitoring every fax that comes into the building, there's no possible way of finding out. So either someone tipped him off before that fax got here... or somehow...
"…he knew the fax was coming down," Charlie says, completing my thought. He opens his mouth. His body goes rigid, as if the blood is freezing in his veins. Do you really think he...
"You don't know him at all, do you?"
"Well, we see each other and talk during work...
"We have to get out of here," I say. He quickly led me to the door.
-Now? Charlie asks.
"The longer we sit here, the more chance we'll be taken for expi—" I open the door and look up. There is a figure at the entrance of the office.
With his chest in my face, Shep advances forcing me back. Once he's inside, he closes the door. He studies Charlie and then fixes his gaze on me. His thick neck keeps his head arched brutally, but it's not an attack…he's sizing us up. weighing. Calculated. It's like one of those silences that occurs at the end of the first date, when decisions have to be made.
"I'll share it with you," Shep says.