“I’m fine. Let’s do things in order. Yesterday you came in to have a talk. What was on your mind?”

“That was yesterday. What’s going on?”

“No, no, no. I’m going home in a few minutes and the last thing I want to do before I leave is get this off my chest. Do things in order. Did you hear from Karen, by the way?”

“Yes. I had more to do after I left you, that’s why she had trouble getting me.” He said he wanted a favor. He wanted to talk to the man who had reported the barroom conversation relating to the subject they had discussed Wednesday morning. Captain Leland remembered. He took his son’s number and said that the man would call him. What else? Was there anything solid on their old neighbor who had been mentioned Wednesday? No. Would the Internal Revenue Service be interested in him? Possibly.

Leland changed his tone and hoped that his father would understand. “I’m thinking of starting a branch office in Port Smith. Somebody suggested that I go to the Port Smith Commercial Trust Company of Merchant Street for my financing. What do you think?”

There was silence. “We can have a conversation about it. There’ll be something you can work out. I’ll talk to you.”

“Let’s hear what’s happened to you.”

His father took a moment. “Scanlon’s gone. He’s at headquarters. Your old friend and I had a series of arguments until late last night. What the hell, I don’t know. I’m trying not to think about him, anyway.