ch3 pg 15-16

I sat at my desk and watched the rain form ringlets in the water that had gathered on my lanai. Something an old girlfriend said came back to me: when the rain falls, the grass gets wet. I never quite figured out what she meant, but it seemed to meam something now.
Samantha hadn't known who the juice was being paid to. The juice money was "donated" to a known group as operating expenses. Whether it was gambling or just a bar and grill, you had to pay to operate. Who Greenie was paying off to business was probably part of the problem. If they found out about what I think Greenie was up to, then it was big trouble. I wasn't looking forward to checking it out.
I reached for the phone. "Mark, I'm going to need the Rover in a couple of minutes. Do me a favor and see what Kua is up to."
"They're all pretty busy today Mr. Darling. You know the rain and all, keeps the guests inside." Mark paused. "I don't think Kua has much to worry about at the moment. I'll see if I can find him."
Kua worked hotel security. He was also and ex-cop. I was about to get back into the game and it would be nice to have some help.
"Also have the kitchen pack us some food. We'll be gone for a few hours."
The cold tiles of the bathroom floor sent a chill up my back as I stripped down and entered the shower. The steam began to fog the glass as I stood under the hot water.
Standing under the shower cleared my head. The steaming rain falling down on me brought things into perspective. A couple of things bothered me: the disappearence of Greenie and the arrival of such a large sum of money. If you were a bookie, you just didn't disappear in the middle of the playoffs and bowl games. This was your money time.
If Greenie had sent Samantha the money, what was it for? Why send it to her and not just hand it over? You put it in the mail if you wanted to hide it for a few days. If that was the reason, what had made him do it? It seemed to me that it was either part of a payoff or part of a lay off.
The fact that Chucky was missing meant that he probably had something to do with this too. He was probably in the same situation as Samantha. He would be laying low, waiting for Greenie to make the next move.
Maybe the juice money he paid wasn't enough or maybe Greenie wasn't paying it all. Those were all good enough reasons for him to make an exit.
The steam drifted out of the bathroom as I toweled myself off. I brushed my teeth and watched the mirro clear as I shaved. Samantha and her story had me worried. It was so full of holes you could have driven a truck through it. I remembered that it was never good to believe the first version.
What parts of her story were made up and what parts were true? Small details and things she had forgotten would start to come out later. Maybe even whole parts of her story would change. What little she told me would have to be enough for now.
Jeans, a tee shirt and a windbreaker seemed to be the appropriate dress for the day. Anything more formal would have meant business in the islands.
I checked myself in the mirror and saw a thirty eight year old guy of medium build who looked like he needed a haircut. I was getting too old to be running around this rock looking for missing gamblers. Then again, everyone needs a hobby.

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