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"Who’s he?"

"He’s kind of a gangster"

"Oh, God, not another one"

"Up here, he’s like, he’s into a lot of things He’s on the Ely City Council and he owns a couple of businesses, a couple of outfitters, the strip club where Fenelon’s girl works, Claire de Lune They say he used to control all the gaht up until the Indians opened the casino at Fortune Bay and took most of the profit outta it Now they say anyone up here dealing drugs or sellin’ girls, he gets a piece At least that’s what they say Don’t know for sure I do know he got busted a while back, got busted for running stolen car parts across the border and launderin’ the profits through his businesses Only right after the charges were filed they went away and nothing caot to a gangster"

"What were he and Fenelon talking about?"

"Couldn’t say, cuz they, whenever I got close to the table to serve ’e Heard ’e it is"

"What?"

"Brand--he’s into everything, like I say, and people say, they say he alants to put his ‘brand’ on everything, you knohat I mean?"

"What did he say?"

"He said, ‘My toys, ht take that attitude Anything else?"

The bartender said nothing ca hi that he would see some money, soon Afterward, I punched LUNATIC into the keypad of my cell--the word see Chad Bullert answered on the fourth ring I gave hih not for long

"I need twenty-five hundred in cash," I told him

"Why?"

"Down payave hireed to have someone stash the money at the Chocolate Moose, where I could pick it up the next evening, but not before chiding, "You’re pretty free with the government’s money"

"Do you kno much I pay in taxes?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah … Do you think John Brand is connected to the guns?"

"More likely hi car parts across the border intrigues me"

"What else do you know about him?"

"He has political connections"

"So do we I’ll look into it"