The owner's brow twitched. His cloudy eyes glanced at the photo as he asked, "What do you want with him?"
Tom Haik perked up, though a gossiping grin appeared on his face. "His wife insists he's having an affair and hired me to investigate. Someone said they saw him around here."
"Oh, then they weren't wrong."
With undisguised contempt and a trace of envy, the owner said, "That guy's a favored guest of the Stonefield family. Look, that building behind you—there's every kind of pleasure to be had in there!"
Tom Haik handed over several bills at just the right moment and asked, "When was it? You know, I need to take a few Photos so I can explain things to his wife."
As he spoke, he casually patted his camera.
"Well, I can't remember that... Those big shots, whenever their cars pass my lousy little shop, their windows are always shut tight. They whoosh right past like the wind!"
The owner grumbled as he reached for the money on the table.
Tom Haik pressed down on the bills and looked at him with a faint, knowing smile.
"All right, all right. I do know a little more, but you can't tell anyone I told you."
The owner lowered his voice. "That old man from the Stonefield family, the one in the wheelchair—the guy even the president has to offer his hand to first—was actually incredibly polite to the man you're looking for. He even hosted him personally."
As he pulled away the money and stuffed it into his trouser pocket, he nervously looked around before leaning close to Tom Haik and saying:
"Once, when I went behind the alley to throw out the trash, I heard two of their bodyguards say that man could give their old patriarch power