a well-smoked cigarette was a familiar sound. Being asked to participate in a case that had all the markings of a police-only investigation was not. If anything, Donny was the one to urge caution, advising Dan to keep a low profile on risky undertakings, but here he was encouraging Dan to step directly into the ring.
“So who is he again?”
“You remember Charles?”
“Sort of. Well, no. Not really.”
“He’s the lawyer I dated briefly after Jorge the Argentine soccer player.”
“Jorge I remember. Oh, yeah. The legs.”
“Right. Getting back to Charles.”
“Sorry. No facial here. Remind me.”
“Good looking. White. Square jaw and all that. Probably not exotic enough for you, that’s why you don’t recall him. Anyway, Charles started dating this guy, Lionel. An accountant. Also very good-looking. They’re the perfect couple. They had the most spectacular wedding on their penthouse balcony in Radio City a couple years ago. It was big enough to hold a hundred people. They’re both very successful, lots of money between them. And believe me when I say they lack for nothing.”
“Oh, I believe you.”
“Good. So when I say that Charles was panicked, you’ll understand why I thought of you. Guys like that normally don’t even sweat when they play handball, but Charles is an absolute mess. He wouldn’t even talk about it on the phone. Insisted we meet in person. With all his connections, he couldn’t think of anyone to call, so I mentioned you.” Pause, with intent. “I sort of offered your services.”
“Nice touch. So what exactly is the problem?”
“I don’t know.”
“Not helpful. Are you saying he wouldn’t tell you?”
“He was too afraid to tell me. All I know is it has something to do with the murder of Yuri Malevski, owner of the Saddle and Bridle.”
“The country-and-western bar on Richmond?”
“That’s the one. They’re a rough crowd to look at, but mostly pussycats when you meet them. They host the Mr. Leather Contest when it’s in town.”
“I heard they closed after the murder.”
“They did. Yuri was killed at his home in Parkdale, but the bar’s been locked up ever since. Apparently the police are looking for evidence of immigration scams, not to mention the usual narcotics aspect and anything else that comes to light. They think Yuri was running all that through the bar.”
“I’m sure they’ll be thorough, since it was a gay bar.”
“There was also a rumour Yuri was making payoffs to someone, so they’ll be looking for that, too.”
“Payoffs for what?”
“Ah.” Dan heard a sharp intake of breath as the cigarette swung into action. “That I do not know. For the answer, we must consult Charles. The reservation’s in an hour.”
The place was packed. Fifteen years earlier, Toronto had barely heard of sushi. When you could find the stuff, it was priced to the hilt. Now it was de rigueur at cocktail hour in all the stylish homes and there was an izakaya — or sake house — on every other corner. From feeling squeamish about raw fish and squiggly things on their plates to becoming connoisseurs in a decade and a half, Torontonians had made the leap and landed solidly on both feet.
Dan sipped his soda water and looked across at Charles the lawyer as he deftly scissored a maki roll with chopsticks and lifted it to his mouth. He was, Dan noted, expertly groomed and outfitted in the image of a successful man. His moustache looked hand-manicured. Donny was right, however. Despite being textbook-handsome, Charles wasn’t exotic enough for Dan’s recall. He’d met a thousand Charleses in his time, each indistinguishable from the next. In his opinion, they put more emphasis on their couture and professional alliances than anything that might reasonably be called a personality. Still, he reminded himself, it wasn’t their fault. They were programmed by their upbringings and choice of career. But this Charles at least was passionate about something: his husband’s security.
“He doesn’t actually know I’m here,” he confided to Dan.
“Lionel’s a very private guy,” Donny seconded.
“Even more than me,” Charles said, smiling broadly. “And I’m the lawyer in the family.”
“How do you think he’d feel if he knew you were discussing his private matters without his knowledge?” Dan asked.
Charles leaned in. “I’m counting on your discretion, Dan. If he felt you were on his side, or at the very least that you wouldn’t say anything about this to anyone else, I’m sure he’d be fine about it.”
A lawyer’s answer.
“And if I were meeting him to discuss your private concerns, how would you feel?”
Charles looked uncomfortable for a millisecond then smiled his winning smile again. His eyes floated lightly over Dan’s chest. “I’d be fine knowing I was in your capable hands.”
Dan caught the flirtation under the remark, but let it pass. “Then let’s talk,” he said.
Donny relaxed visibly and leaned back. Maybe, just maybe, his best friend was not going to be the uptight prude he so often proved. Dan didn’t like to disappoint Donny, but he wouldn’t step outside the bounds of his profession without good reason. Having an attractive lawyer for an ex-boyfriend did not constitute good reasoning to Dan’s thinking.
Charles looked at Dan. “When we spoke, Donald assured me this would be kept in strict confidence.”
Dan shot a glance at Donny: Donald?
Charles continued. “When I told him why I was concerned, he explained that you might be the best person to turn to, all things considered.”
“All things considered?” Dan said.
Charles’s smile crumpled. “Sorry, I wasn’t … when you hear what I’m about to tell you, I think you’ll understand my hesitation.”
“Okay. Shoot.”
“As Donald has told you, Lionel was chief accountant for a bar called the Saddle and Bridle.”
“I’m familiar with it,” Dan said.
“Then you will know that the owner, Yuri Malevski, was found murdered a couple of months ago.”
“Yes. I’d heard.”
“Lionel was also Yuri’s personal accountant.”
Charles paused. It seemed a cue for something.
Dan cocked his head to encourage him to continue. “And?”
“Well …” Charles blinked and smiled again. It seemed to be his default when all else failed.
