Page 49 of Nobody's Fool

“I googled you before I joined the class.”

“Yeah,” I say. “You mentioned that before.”

“They say you were fired for breaking rules. You endangered a witness by chasing him onto a rooftop—”

“PJ Dawson.”

“—and you also acted in an illegal manner that led to a death.”

“There a question coming here, Gary?” I ask. “Never mind. Let me save you the trouble. Yes, it’s true.”

“Many believe you should have been prosecuted.”

“They might be right,” I say. “In the end, I cut a deal. Resign. Lose my entire pension. In exchange I don’t get prosecuted.”

“I’m sorry,” he says.

“I messed up big-time,” I say. And when I do, he adjusts himself in his seat, eyes fixed on the road. I decide to try a gentle push. “So what’s your deal, Gary? Wife, kids, any of that?”

“Divorced,” Gary says, and again I see something cross his face. “Two daughters. Ellie is nineteen. She’s a freshman at Clemson. Tanya is a senior in high school.”

“Do you see them a lot?”

Gary shrugs. “Not as often as I’d like. They live with their mother in Short Hills. You know it?”

Short Hills is a tony enclave in New Jersey. Big-money town. “I do.”

“Wendy and I raised our girls there. They went to the Pingry School.”

“Expensive,” I say.

“I had my own hedge fund back then. We had a five-bedroom house on Dorset Lane. Wendy and I were married twenty-four years.” He glances at me, then back on the road. “Does your wife love you?”

“Yes,” I say.

“I don’t think Wendy ever did. But maybe I’m being unfair. I destroyed her life. That’s the truth of it. I thought we could get past it. But she couldn’t. That’s why I’m alone now. No job. Wendy is dating an old friend of mine. The girls are embarrassed to be seen with me. Well, Tanya is. Ellie is better about it.”

“I’m sorry.”

He smiles. “I messed up big-time.”

“Want to tell me how?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I did.”

“I’m a pretty good listener,” I say. “Nonjudgmental too.”

“You don’t golf though.”

I hold up my hands in mock surrender. “Don’t hold that against me. And to be fair, it is a dumb sport that takes up too much real estate and time.”

“Can’t argue with that,” he says. “Ever heard of Vine Ridge?”

I think about it. “It isn’t completely unfamiliar.”

“It’s an exclusive golf club. It’s also hosted several PGA tournaments, including the US Open twelve years ago.”

“Okay, yeah, I think I watched that on TV.”