Behind the Dragons (Book 4 of Billionaire Bad Boys Series)

11

Brandon took the last bite of his sandwich as he watched the plane door open and the stairs unfold. It was his family’s private jet. It had been almost a week since Naomi came to stay with him. His hours were crazy, so he hadn’t much time to spend with her, and after that close call in the hot tub, he had been avoiding Naomi as much as he could. His investigation had come to a standstill for a few days.

After Kobee’s close call with the Black Dragons, Brandon had decided to call in the big guns. He’d made a call to his brother Lucas and their Aunt. Both had married law enforcement officials. His Aunt had married a much younger man before Brandon was even born. An FBI narcotics agent who had brought down huge drug cartels in his day and six years ago his older brother Lucas had married himself an undercover DEA agent who had since then retired to raise a family but still had some high-powered connections in the agency.

His Uncle, by marriage, lived and worked out of New York but his sister-in-law had to fly in from Sana Monica. Brandon had called Maxine the same night Kobee had been rushed to the hospital. He had asked her to look into the Black Dragons for him. He had never thought that she would have come all this way to bring him the results of her search.

When Maxine had called Brandon to tell him she was flying in Brandon had called up his Uncle and brought him along to pick Maxine up from the airport. Maxine stepped off the plane and into the sun. She was an incredible Mexican beauty that his family knew from way back. She and Lucas had gone to school together at one point. She looked as sensational now as she did the last time Brandon had seen her. Her dark brown hair was long and tied back in a long braid that draped over her right shoulder. She was dressed in a stylish, high-powered grey pantsuit. Her dark sunglasses perched on top of her head. Her caramel complexion was flawless.

“Yum,” his Uncle snickered popping a chip into his mouth as he leaned against his Harley. Zeke, like Maxine, had once been an undercover operative. He had lived years under deep cover with some of the most dangerous biker gangs and even now, after almost two decades at a desk he still hung on to the culture. It was a part of him. He was in his early fifties but could still hold his own in a fight. He still had the long blond hair and the three-day-old five-o’clock shadow. He wore the torn jeans and the leather jacket. He didn’t wear the colours anymore, but Zeke was still a badass. “She looks so fine I could eat her up.”

“You’re a married man.” Brandon reminded him.

“Married but not blind.” Zeke grinned finishing his personal sized bag of chips. “Don’t worry man, she’s hot, but I dig older women.” He said standing up straight to greet Maxine as she reached them. “Hello, beautiful.” He said kissing Maxine on the cheek. “You took off the baby weight nicely.” Maxine had just had her fourth child a few months ago, and Zeke was right she looked great.

“Oh, such a charmer.” She grinned at Zeke. “Hello, Brandon.”

“Max, I must say I was surprised when you called and said you were coming up. Where is Lucas?”

“He’s working. He and his publicist are plotting his next jump.” She said hugging Brandon hello.

“Did you bring the kids?”

“I left them with the nanny. This is a business trip.” She said handing him a file folder. “I did a little digging on the Black Dragons. I still got some pull in the agency.” They turned around, and Brandon laid the file open on the hood of his car for all to see. He skimmed the file while Maxine talked. “So, the Black Dragons are barely a blip on the agency’s radar.”

“Same goes for the FBI,” Zeke added, “there are no federal eyes on them. They’re nobody.”

“I got a little more from my DEA contacts.” Maxine resumed. “Zeke’s right they are nobodies on the national level. There are three chapters. Yours here is New York, a chapter in Sana Barbra, and a founding chapter in Orlando. Though there are three of them, they don’t seem to be affiliated. They exist independent of one another. Except for the mutual colours, there is nothing that ties them together.”

“So, there should be no retribution from other Black Dragons if this chapter goes down?” He deduced.

“I wouldn’t say that.” Zeke piped up. “Gang mentality is a tricky thing. If they go down publicly, it might incite a sense of loyalty that wasn’t there before. You could end up uniting the chapters out of sheer principle. It could end up like chopping off a hydra’s head. You take down one and three more spring up.”

“He’s right it may not be so easy.” Maxine agreed with Zeke. “You need to be careful when dealing with gangs, even small ones. From what I can tell the Black Dragons are looking to be the next Yakuza. They don’t nearly have that kind of weight behind them, and they are finding it hard to flourish in California and Florida thanks to already established gangs. But here in New York, there’s little competition, so they’ve been thriving.”

“What you got to do is figure out who’s giving the orders. You take him down, and it won’t stop the gang, but it will certainly cripple them. They’ll have to restructure, and in doing so, a small-time fish like your client will slip through the cracks. They’ll forget about him.” Zeke promised.

“How can you be sure?” Brandon asked.

Zeke scoffed peering at Brandon over the frames of his designer shades. “I’ve been doing this gang stuff for forty years. Twenty years at a desk, fifteen years undercover, and five years as an actual gangbanger. I know how gangs work.”

“How do I take him out?” Brandon asked. He needed their experience.

“If he’s dealing drugs like you say I’d see about getting the local narco unit to focus on them. Use the law.”

“My problem is that the local cops have no interest in pursuing the Black Dragons. They want to prosecute my client.”

“Well, I could make a few calls, get some of my FBI buddies to pay the narco unit a visit. Local law enforcement always becomes more territorial when the Feds take an interest in their jurisdiction. It might light a fire under their asses.”

“If you like we could pay a visit to the Black Dragons you’re having trouble with and give them a warning. Let them know that they ought to lay low before they draw some federal attention.” Maxine suggested.

“No, I have to disagree with Max, tipping your hand would be a bad idea,” Zeke said shaking his head. “You got to hit them and hit them hard and fast. Take them down before they realize what’s happening. Otherwise, you give them time to regroup and hide evidence.”

Brandon understood Zeke’s advice, but he liked Maxine’s suggestion. If only there were some way to get the Black Dragons to back down without giving them a heads up. He had to talk to three of them to see if he could somehow convince them to confirm Kobee’s alibi. “Here’s my problem. The Black Dragons are my client’s alibi, but they won’t confirm it because it means they would have to admit to dealing drugs. They threatened my client’s sister, saying they would kill her if the cops came down on them. So, what do I do? How do I confirm my client’s alibi without getting his sister killed?”

Both Maxine and Zeke shared a thoughtful look as if they could communicate without speaking. It must have been a law enforcement sort of thing because he couldn’t guess what they were thinking. They both had an incredible poker face.

“I think you’re going to have to accept the fact that there is nothing you can do.” Maxine finally said.

“Any investigation is going to take time,” Zeke said. “More time than your client has. You’re not going to get his alibi confirmed, and I suggest if you go after them to put him and his family in witness protection. You’re pooched bro; they’re holding all the cards on this one.”

“On that Zeke and I agree,” Maxine said. “I can talk to a few people; get the ball rolling on an investigation, but it’s not going to help your client.”

Brandon didn’t want to accept their answer, but they were seasoned pros, and he valued their experience. So, there was nothing he could do without making things worse which meant he needed a new game plan. He couldn’t talk to the Black Dragons, and he couldn’t confirm Kobee’s alibi for a jury. So, he would have to give them an alternate suspect. He needed to know more about the victim, about the people in her life. More often than not such crimes were committed by people the victim knew.

He had to speak with the victim’s family. That was going to be an awkward conversation. Brandon gave up his original plan and resigned himself to his new strategy. In the meantime, “How about lunch on me before you fly home?”

“Sounds good to me.” Maxine smiled. “We could eat.” She said cryptically with her hand over her belly. It had been so subtle Brandon had almost missed it completely.

“No way.” He grinned looking down at her. He placed his hand over her belly and laughed. “Already? You just gave birth. That’s it I’m going down there and putting an electric fence between you and Lucas.” He teased then hugged her. “Well let’s get you fed then, we can’t let my future niece or nephew go hungry.” Brandon looked at his watch. It was possible Naomi would be on her lunch break too. Maybe he should invite her to join them. “Do you two care if I invite someone else?”

“It’s your dime bro,” Zeke said mounting his bike. “I’ll follow you.” He then looked at Maxine. “You want to ride with him or me?” He asked with a flirtatious smile.

“Well, you of course gorgeous.” She said climbing on the back of his bike and wrapping her arms around Zeke.

Brandon rolled his eyes, they were both shameless flirts, but both completely and hopelessly in love with their spouses. He would have normally protested a pregnant woman riding on the back of a bike with a man known for reckless driving, but the truth was Zeke handled his bike like a NASCAR driver handled their cars. She couldn’t have been safer. Besides that, left his passenger seat available for Naomi, whom he most certainly didn’t want riding with Zeke.

Zeke had a bad boy appeal that women responded to, and when it came right down to the bottom line, he was a threat when it came to Naomi. Brandon didn’t want Naomi falling for Zeke’s roguish charm. He wanted Naomi to look to him, to look at him the way she had that night in the hot tub. He’d been keeping his distance, Brandon wanted to close her brother’s case before he put the moves on Naomi, he didn’t want Kobee between them, but he didn’t want someone like Zeke between them either.

He’d like to say Zeke wasn’t Naomi’s type, that he was way too old, but Brandon had seen it happen over and over in his family relationships that should have never worked conquer the age barrier. There were a good fifteen years between his parents, and they’d been happily married for thirty-four years.

After leaving the airport, Brandon headed straight to Juilliard in the hopes of stealing Naomi away from her practice. The whole way over running through his mind what excuse he would use to tear her away from school for even an hour. He couldn’t tell her there was good news, because he had none. He had to revise his strategy and approach this case differently. He had no idea what he was going to say to Naomi, but he was good at thinking on his feet. He’d come up with something.

***

Naomi pranced across the floor, spun and then leaned forward lifting her right leg high behind her. Her dance partner’s strong hands encircled her tiny waist, and as she stood up straight he lifted her off the floor, and they turned as one before he placed her on her feet once more. It was flawless, but Mrs. Colt found things to nitpick. Everything from her posture to how she pointed her toes. She even went as far as to say Naomi was putting on weight which was throwing her dance partner off balance.

“Forget her,” Holton whispered as Mrs. Colt wandered off to criticize another pair. Holton Hollows had been her dance partner for months now, and Naomi got the feeling he wished there was more between them than the music. “I think you look great.” He said wiping the sweat off his brow with the hem of his shirt. “She’s just jealous that she’s lost her figure.” He said with a smile.

Holton was a good-looking man, with short golden locks and dark eyes, he was no older than her, and she liked him very much but not as much as he seemed to like her. Mrs. Colt, in her frustration, broke for lunch. And all the dancers were towelling off and reaching for their water bottles.

“We have spectators,” Lidia said appearing beside Naomi. She pointed to the windows. The rehearsal room lined the main street so they often had people stop to watch but this time there was a familiar face.

Brandon was standing on the street watching her through the window with two other people he seemed to know. A beautiful Latin woman and an attractive but dangerous looking fellow in jeans and a biker jacket. They were talking and when Brandon noticed Naomi noticing him he tapped his watch. He wanted her to come out.

“I got to go,” Naomi said gathering her stuff.

“You know him?” Holton asked with annoyance that she was leaving with another man.

“That’s Brandon, my brother’s lawyer.” She explained.

Holton frowned, but Lidia’s smile grew as she took Brandon in. “Oh, so that’s Mr. Wonderful. He’s cute, who’s the guy with him? He’s cute too.”

“I don’t know.” She confessed, but she was sure she was going to find out.

“Is that his girlfriend?” Holton asked.

“No,” She snapped, surprised by her reaction she cleared her throat and changed her tone to one more pleasant. “No, I don’t know who she is.”

“Then how do you know she’s not his girlfriend?”

“Because he said he didn’t have one.”

“Like guys don’t lie about that.” Holton scoffed.

“If he were lying about having a girlfriend he wouldn’t bring her by here, would he?” Naomi snarled picking up her bag.

“Why, are you supposed to be his girlfriend?” Holton asked.

“No. We’re just working together to clear Kobee.”

“Why, he too cheap to hire a legal aide?” Holton said crossing his arms. “I don’t like the look of him. He looks like a sleazeball.”

“He does not.” She said slinging her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll be back in an hour.” She said leaving the rehearsal room. It took her a moment to navigate the halls and make her way out to the street. Brandon met her at the entrance with a smile. “You looked great in there.” He said as she came out the doors. “I was watching you dance. You dance well.”

“Mrs. Colt doesn’t think so.” Naomi sighed running her hand over her tightly pulled back hair hoping it still looked as it had when she pinned it up. Whenever Brandon was around Naomi became obsessed with the way she looked. She so wanted him to approve. “She says I need to drop five pounds. I’m throwing my partner off balance.”

“Ridiculous, you look sensational.” He said with a pleasant smile. She could feel the blush in her cheeks. Then the man in leather and jeans cleared his throat obviously with a teasing smile. “Oh, Naomi this is my Uncle Zeke Tucker.” He introduced them.

Naomi shook Zeke’s hand. “It’s a pleasure.” He said with a wink.

“And this lovely lady is my sister-in-law Maxine Sanchez.” Maxine shook Naomi’s hand. Naomi was happy to hear she wasn’t competition.

“It’s very nice to meet you. We were watching you dance you’re very good.” Maxine said.

“Naomi is assisting me in her brother’s defence.” Brandon explained. Naomi was confused why he was sharing this information with his family. “Zeke here is with the FBI, he works as a profiler now, but he used to be an undercover narco agent, and Maxine was a DEA agent until she settled down to start a family.”

“DEA?” Naomi asked.

“Drug Enforcement Administration,” Maxine explained.

“Max has taken down some serious Mexican cartels trying to expand into the US. While Zeke specialized in biker gangs.” Brandon explained.

“So narco means…?”

“I took down drug trafficking rings,” Zeke said with a smile.

“I asked them for their professional input on how to deal with the Black Dragons.”

She saw their usefulness now. It was clever. “And what do they think?”

“Let’s go to lunch, and I’ll tell you all about it,” Brandon suggested.

“I can’t be gone long.” She only had about an hour before Mrs. Colt resumed class.

“There is a sub shop around the corner,” Zeke suggested.

“I could go for a sub.” Maxine smiled.

“Then a sub you shall get beautiful.” Zeke laced his arm with Maxine’s and escorted her toward the sandwich shop with Brandon and Naomi trailing behind them.

“Are those two…?” She began finding the two of them close.

“No.” Brandon chuckled. “They are both happily married. They have this s****l banter that goes back and forth. It’s harmless. Max is pregnant again with their fifth baby. My brother can’t figure out how to use a condom.” Naomi laughed covering her mouth with her hand to hide her amusement. She didn’t want to be rude. “I’m not surprised we come from a big family; I think Lucas wants a big family too. I know I would like one. A wife and a couple of kids, no more than ten or twelve.” He joked playfully.

She liked that he had strong family ties and aspired to be a family man himself. She came from a small family and would have liked a bigger one. “I wouldn’t mind a few kids.” She said as they walked along. “Not right now,” she added quickly, “but someday. When I’m done dancing.”

“You can have children and dance. My Mother did it, and she’s one of the best.”

“I think kids would ruin my figure,” Naomi said as they strolled around the corner.

“That’s a myth. Look at Max, she’s had four, and she looks great. It’s all about what you do after you have the baby.” He said following Maxine and Zeke into the sub shop. “What would you like it’s on me?”

Naomi skimmed the menu board thoughtfully. “So, you have anything low-cal?” She asked the woman behind the sneeze guard. The woman pointed out a few options and Naomi made a choice. The staff put together their order and then they found a little table to eat at. “So, what’s the plan? What do the pros say about the dealing with the Black Dragons?” She asked watching the rest of them start eating.

“You don’t,” Zeke said between bites.

“Our advice is to let the officials deal with the Black Dragons,” Maxine said. “We’ve brought them to the light of day. They’re now on the FBI and the DEA’s to do list. They’ll put together a task force and investigate them.”

“But what can we do?” She asked with frustration.

“Nothing,” Zeke said. “You can only make matters worse. I say stay out of their way. Let the cops deal with them.”

“But they’re my brother’s only alibi.” She protested. “We need them.”

“You’re not going to get them,” Maxine said. “I looked into them, and they’re not going to help you. Persisting will only tick them off. Better to let it lay.”

“So, what do we do?” She asked Brandon; she hoped he had another strategy. “You said we needed them to clear Kobee.”

“We have to take a new approach to this case. We’re going to give the jury doubt. We need to give them a feasible alternate theory. We need to give them another suspect.” Brandon explained. “I need to know more about the victim and the people she knew. I need to speak with her family.”

He had to be kidding. “That’s not going to be an easy conversation.” She said. She knew the family, she’d grown up in the same neighbourhood and they were a proud traditional family. They were not going to want to talk to the man defending the man they believed killed their only daughter.

“No, but it’s one I’m going to have to have.”

“You’re going to need me.” She said unwrapping her sandwich.

“It’s going to be intense. You don’t need to be exposed to the hostility.”

“They don’t speak English.” She lied.

“They run a corner store they must speak some English.” He argued.

“Ok the husband speaks some English but his wife, not a lick. Their son is the one to talk to; he was born here like me. His parents are immigrants like mine. They are very old school. They are not going to want to talk to you.”

“The witnesses didn’t want to talk to me either, but they did.”

“You’re going to strong arm the victim’s family?” Maxine asked. “That’s low Brandon. You’re better than that.”

“I’m not going to strong-arm anyone. I’m going to be understanding and pleasant and make them talk to me.” He said with a smile. “People love to talk to me. I’m a likeable person.” They all chuckled but said nothing. “Ok I’m a Sanchez, and I always achieve my goals. They will talk to me.”

He seemed so confident she almost believed he could do it. “Just remember to be nice,” Maxine stressed. “You Sanchez boys are always so standoffish about things. You don’t have good people skills.”

“I have great people skills,” Brandon argued. “I make my living off having great people skills.”

“No, you make a living because you’re smart and persistent.” Zeke teased.

“And I have great people skills.” He insisted. He then looked at Naomi as if waiting for her opinion. She didn’t know his family all that well, or at all, but from what she knew about Brandon, he was pushy but in his line of work pushy was useful.

“You have useful skills.” She heard herself say. The whole table laughed, and Naomi smiled. It was good that he could laugh at himself. “Ok, so we talk to the family.”

“I’ll pick you up after class, and we’ll talk to the family tonight.” He suggested. It was going to be a long awkward night.

***

Brandon parked his car in the parking lot outside the mini-mart with Naomi in the seat next to him. They had gone home so Naomi could change. It hadn’t taken long, and now they sat outside both quiet as they stared at the store. Brandon had been running through his mind all afternoon what he would say. Zeke had taken Maxine back to the airport while Brandon went back to work, but he couldn’t focus. He was fixated on the coming interview. Even now he still didn’t know what he was going to say.

Brandon picked up the file from his dashboard and skimmed the pages referring to the victim and her family. He didn’t want to seem callous by referring to her as the victim, so he was making sure he knew her name before he went inside. Kako Nakamura, the file had her school picture. She had been a very pretty young woman. It was a shame she died so violently.

He put down the file and then looked at Naomi. She looked nervous. “Can you do this?” He asked taking her hand in his. Naomi looked down at their hands, their fingers threaded with one another.

“I can do this.” She said looking up at him with a worried smile. “For Kobee.”

“Tell me what you know about the Nakamura.”

Naomi took a breath and began. “I know that they come from a small town in Japan. They came to the US twenty years ago looking for the American dream. They started in a laundromat until they saved up enough money to buy the mini-mart. I know Mr. Nakamura’ name is Joji and his wife’s name is Hisa. They have an eighteen-year-old son Yoshi. He works at the store when he’s not in school. I know that Yoshi has been accepted to the local community college to study as an accountant. I know that the family had high hopes for Kako; that she wanted to be a doctor and was already working on her college applications. She was a very bright very talented young woman.”

“What kind of relationship did Kako have with Kobee?”

“They didn’t have one. They went to school with each other, but they didn’t have the same classes. Kobee asked her out a few times, but Kako always said no. Her parents didn’t want her wasting her time with boys when she should have been studying, and I don’t think they liked Kobee because of his gang affiliations.”

“What was Kako like?”

“She was shy, quiet, smart. She was very dedicated to her studies. When she wasn’t studying, she was practicing the violin.”

“So, what was she doing alone at night on the street?”

“I think the cops said she was coming home from a study session at the library, but I can’t be certain.” She said.

Brandon took a calming breath and looked back at the store. Well, it was now or never. They got out of the car and headed inside. There were two customers inside. Brandon waited for them to leave before he approached the husband and wife behind the till. A young man was stocking shelves. Though they were all busy doing something all eyes were on Brandon and Naomi as they approached the counter.

“Evening Mr. Nakamura,” Brandon began, “I’m-”

“We know who you are.” The stock boy spoke up. “You’re a snake.” The boy hissed. “You’re defending the monster that killed my baby sister.”

Suddenly the woman started yelling at him in Japanese and pointing at the door. He didn’t understand the words, but he understood the tone. She wasn’t saying anything nice, and she was demanding they leave.

“Look I’m not here to make trouble. I’m truly sorry for your loss, but I have a job to do.” He said hoping that Mr. Nakamura would be more reasonable. “What happened to Kako was tragic but let’s not compound the tragedy by convicting the wrong man. My client is an innocent; don’t you want the real killer to pay for what he did to your daughter?”

“Kobee Lee is the real killer. The cops say so.” Yoshi growled. “And you are a dog to be profiting from my sister’s death.”

“He’s not profiting.” Naomi snapped bitterly. “He’s defending Kobee for free because my brother didn’t kill Kako.”

Brandon placed a hand on Naomi’s shoulder silently telling her to stand down. She was too emotional. This wasn’t the time or place for hostility. “I understand your feelings. I’m a man of justice, and I wouldn’t be defending Kobee if I thought for a moment that he committed this crime.”

“The police said-” Yoshi began.

“The police are wrong.” Brandon cut him off. “I have personally investigated this case. It’s a travesty. The police have no evidence to tie Kobee to the murder.”

“They have witnesses.” Mr. Nakamura finally spoke.

“The witnesses have been discredited.”

“I’m sure we have you to thank for that.” Yoshi snarled.

“Yes, you do,” Brandon admitted proudly. “I want to see the right man punished for this crime and I will not rest until the right man gets the death penalty. I want to stand by your side in the excursion room when they put that needle in his arm, but Kobee is not the right man.” They looked like they didn’t know what to say. Mrs. Nakamura asked something, and her son answered her in Japanese, most likely filling her in on what had been said. She then snapped and pointed to the door again. “What did she say?” He asked Naomi.

“She says you’re the scum of the earth and she hopes you get hit by a bus and to get out of her store,” Naomi said sadly. “Brandon, I told you this wasn’t going to work. They don’t want to hear the truth.”

“The truth?” Mr. Nakamura snarled. “The truth is that my only daughter is lying in a grave because your brother couldn’t handle rejection. She was a sweet girl who never hurt anyone. She didn’t deserve to die.”

“Mr. Nakamura, I want to help you I do. I need to know a few things. A few minutes of your time is all I need. Help me help you.” When no one said a word, Brandon continued. “Can you tell me why Kako was alone on the street at such a late hour?”

Mr. Nakamura lowered his gaze and Brandon could see the pain in his face. “She was at the library that night. I told her not to stay out so late, but she had lost track of time. Kako called from the library to say she was coming home. The bus stop is a few blocks away. I thought she would be fine for that short walk, but when she didn’t come home, we got worried. I should have gone to pick her up.” He said trying not to cry.

“So, she didn’t do this often?”

“Kako was a good girl.” Yoshi snapped.

“Did Kako have a boyfriend?”

“No.” Mr. Nakamura said.

“Did she hang out with any boys, perhaps a partner for a project at school, anyone at all.”

“My daughter was beautiful; a lot of guys would come around trying to pick her up, but Kako was dedicated to her studies. She didn’t have time for boys.”

“Have you ever noticed any guys paying considerable attention to Kako, anyone that may have been overly aggressive with their attention?”

“No.” Mr. Nakamura said shaking his head, but Brandon couldn’t help but notice the uncertain look on Yoshi’s face.

“There was this one guy. He’d follow her from the bus to the store after school. I would walk with Kako to help keep him at bay.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell us that?” Mr. Nakamura asked.

“I didn’t want you to worry. Nothing ever happened I made sure of it.” Yoshi explained.

“Was it a boy from school?” His father asked.

“No.” Yoshi shook his head. “This was no high school student. He’s a grown man. He’s a Black Dragon. He’s one of Kobee’s friends. I’ve seen them together on the corner selling drugs.”

“What’s his name?” Brandon asked.

“I don’t know.” Yoshi shrugged.

“What does he look like?”

“He’s a big guy, really tall for an Asian, over six feet. He’s always wearing baggy clothes. His hair is short in the back and long in the front, it’s always in his eyes.”

Brandon couldn’t help but think that sounded a lot like Kobee. “Would you say he looks like Kobee Lee?”

Yoshi thought about it for a moment, “Yeah he sort-of does, he looks like an older version of Kobee.”

“His name is Tadashi Ueda.” Naomi said.

“You know him?”

“Unfortunately.” She scowled. “He’s a Black Dragon. I wouldn’t say he and Kobee were friends, but they ran with the same crowd. I’ve seen them together. Tadashi is a real creep. He’s been in prison a few times for violence against women. I heard he did nine months for cutting up a hooker. He’s not a nice guy, but he does sort of look like Kobee. I could see someone confusing the two in the dark.”

Interesting, perhaps the cops should take a closer look at Tadashi Ueda. He sounded like he could very well be their guy. “Do you know where he lives?”

Naomi shook her head no. “I’ve just seen him on the street; he came over once when Kobee came home for a change of clothes. He didn’t stay long, but he certainly made an impression. I didn’t like the way he looked at me.”

Brandon couldn’t remember if Tadashi was one of the guys that had been with Kobee that night. He’d have to consult his file again. Either way, he was done here. “Thank you for talking to me. I know it wasn’t easy, but I do hope it helps us put the right man behind bars.” He said nodding at Naomi to follow him out.

They got into the car, and Brandon opened the file on his dashboard. He quickly looked it over. Nope, Tadashi wasn’t one of the guys with Kobee that night. So that left Brandon wondering just where Mr. Ueda was that night. He certainly sounded like the right size to have pulled this assault off, and if someone saw him from the back at night a hundred feet away and walking in the opposite direction, he could be confused for Kobee. He sounded like the right guy. He had to talk to the cops. Someone needed to bring this information to light.