“His current whereabouts are undetermined. All I can say is that he was released a little more than three months ago from Mississippi State Correctional Facility. I did a superficial check on him and find him operating under the radar, no record of him buying a plane ticket or anything big. No car. Not even a credit card. Which makes one wonder what he’s doing that he doesn’t want to be found. Now tell me. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, my old buddy? And what will you do for intel after I retire?”

“Where was he charged those three times?”

“Let’s see. We got one in Mississippi … the first two were in Florida. So he was operating in the Southeast. I realize you worked for the Florida Bureau office for a while, but you were never involved in drug trafficking investigations. And he doesn’t seem worth your time. He’s a very petty criminal, nothing violent. Seriously, Stinger, what do you have to do with this man?”

“I don’t know. I only know he’s now in Tucson, living somewhere within walking distance of our house. He made casual contact with Carlo first, and has been working himself into our favor like a regular con artist. I questioned my instincts at first, but with what you’ve said about him I don’t think his showing up is a coincidence, or that he’s just your garden variety con. Stuff has happened, a burglary, what may have been attempted murder.”

“Murder. Who?”

“I think he’s after me. I just have to find out why. Where in Florida was he picked up?”

“Hm, offshore between Tampa and Sarasota. That was the second time in Florida. The first time was just on a small possessions charge, but at that time you could get five years. The second he was suspected of already dropping off his load of cocaine he’d gotten from a boat coming in through the Gulf. But he didn’t get a longer sentence that time because all they found was some residue in his boat. Three years that time.” Weiss moved on to something he did not already know. “So tell me, how is everything by you? Has your psychopathic niece tried to poison the dogs again?”

Weiss had been of moderate assistance when I thought Gemma-Kate was trying to kill me a while ago. At the time he was convinced of it, and it was partly his fault I nearly died, but you don’t hold things like that against old friends. “Gemma-Kate is doing fine, keeping up with her classwork, and I told you I’m certain that poisoning thing was just an accident. She’s actually been helpful with this Beaufort, trying to profile him.”

“As in ‘it takes a killer to catch a killer’?” he asked.