I wouldn’t have suspected Guy Tremblay. He’s been playing a solid long game.
Betting numbers are looking good for all four locations and so far it has felt like a rock-solid decision to have him lead the team to get them finding ways to get customers to play with more of their money in my clubs.
I’m pissed. Not only does Guy have the ability to charm the pants off the ladies, but he also charmed me into giving him more access than the average person to all my clubs.
And knowing Guy as I’d thought I’d gotten to do, I’m not at all surprised that based on the video footage that doesn’t have any sound, but despite that, the lips moving and body language on the tape suggests Guy is the mastermind here.
It looks to me like it wasn’t Hoffman in charge. Guy is the one that’s running the show. Issuing orders to Stephanie, to Amber, and likely gotten information from Iadanza. Hoffman was just sitting there taking it all in. The date on the footage with Guy shows it was three nights before I ran into Iadanza at that same club. I was at that club because I’d been invited there to take a meeting with a sales rep for a company that Guy himself told me about, someone he knew who runs mystery shopping campaigns. Guy recommended that newer startup company to help me assess how things are going when I’m not around. I figured the services have been useful, but now I’m guessing that sales rep is connected to all this as well.
And funny, all that put the bug in my ear that made me use mystery shopping as a method to get Iadanza out of town. And he took the bait regardless of the fact that all this was going down in their plans.
“Guy brought me that bottle of expensive scotch the day I was drugged and got me to open it by talkin’ me into having a drink with him,” I say to Jag.
Jag blows out a breath.
I look to Carlson. “That way it’d be open for Stephanie Whitley to dose it, knowing I’d likely go back to that bottle sooner than later. Probably figuring I’d hit the bottle tonight rather than December 26. Probably not counting on me even bein’ here over the holidays until today.”
Guy knew nothing about the plan for upgrading the security systems and knew nothing about the tip from the cops on a heist being planned. I’m relieved I haven’t let him into shit further than I have. Another year of working for me with the kinds of results I’d been getting from him, he undoubtedly would’ve worked his way deeper into my inner circle.
“Yep,” Jag says, touching his index finger to his nose.
Carlson pipes up. “So, Guy Tremblay got a job and learned all he could about your business over the past year so that he could plan to fuck you over.”
“Got into a position of trust with me in my personal life, too,” I say, “And got me to pay someone he knew with a mystery shopping company to poke around my business and get information that would give them even more intel about my organization. What this has to do with Hoffman and his stepsister, with Raymond Iadanza, I don’t know yet. And I feel like I’m missin’ something. I created the concierge management job. Chances of him doing something at Genesis might’ve made more sense than this.”
I ponder all this including wondering what his connection to Iadanza is.
“Give us a couple hours and we’ll try to figure it out,” Carlson says.
“I’m already on it,” Jag replies and moves across the room to do something on his laptop in a position where we can’t see over his shoulder.
Carlson gets an irritated expression but gets on his phone.
“I’ve suddenly got a feeling I need more security at Genesis for that charity poker game tonight, Jag. Call it a hunch, but could this shit here be a diversion? There’s a lot of money in that.”
“Let’s divert a couple resources,” Jag says, continuing to do something on his laptop. “I’ll split things up. Got extra cops here tonight so I’ll move a couple of my guys to work with Tony over there.”
***
It’s just about opening time. I’m acting as manager tonight without Craig, who, according to Nino, went straight home after I fired him and hasn’t left his house since. No one has come nor gone since then and no sign of Stephanie Whitley so far. No funeral arrangements for Hoffman either where we might catch up with her and the rest of his crew along with no sign of her coming or going from Craig’s place.
She’s scheduled to work tonight, so if she doesn’t show in the next fifteen minutes, it could be that the plan is off. Or that they’re coming at it from a different angle.