"The backer." It comes out of the man in a rush, the same word the rat in the trees gave up, the word that turned Evan to ice on my dock. "The new money. That's all anybody knows, I swear to God, Will passes it down, we don't get names. But they've had eyes on her since the party. Since you. They want to know what she is to you. That's it. That's everything. They just wanted her brought in so somebody could look at her, ask her some questions, see if she's..." He stops.
"See if she's what," Evan says.
"Leverage." The word drops into the dark and sits there. "Whether she's worth anything. As leverage. On you."
For a long moment nobody moves. The sea hushes behind us. Somewhere far off a gull calls and goes quiet.
Then Evan lets him go.
"Tell whoever sent you," Evan says, stepping back,
