Chapter 22

I was floored. "Tony got into a fight at work?"

Both James and Anna always described Tony as the calm, easygoing type. How did he end up brawling at the office?

"Yeah, it's weird, right?" James took a sip of his coffee and went on, "It sounds crazy, but it's true. This happened around mid-April, just a few days before Tony quit. Some guy stormed into the office, accusing Tony of sleeping with his girlfriend, and started swinging at him right at his desk. At first, I thought it was a mix-up. I mean, Tony's such a straight-laced guy, always so good to his wife. It didn't add up."

As I stirred my coffee, I said, "Yeah, that's your take, but people can surprise you."

James nodded, "You're right. That day, Tony was acting totally out of character, or maybe his primal instincts kicked in. The guy grabbed a glass and smashed it over Tony's head, blood everywhere. I thought Tony would duck, but no, he fought back. Usually so chill, he just went for it. When I heard the ruckus, I ran out of my office. The guy was already on the floor, and Tony's face was a bloody mess. He looked at me with this wild, almost animalistic stare. Honestly, it freaked me out."

Tony was usually so low-key and reserved, but that didn't mean he didn't have a lot going on inside. From what James said, Tony liked reading and writing poetry, which hinted at a rich inner life. It reminded me of Alan and made my heart ache a bit...

But the idea of Tony having an affair? No way. It wasn't about trusting him; from what Tammy and Anna said, he seemed to be suffering from impotence.

I wasn't sure if this was connected to the case.

"So, how did it all get sorted out? Do you know the name of the guy who attacked Tony?" I asked.

James shook his head, "I don't know. It all happened so fast. The guy was skinny, got up, and bolted. Tony went to a nearby hospital for a quick bandage and then came back to work. Given the department's situation, I didn't want to stir things up, so I told everyone to keep quiet about it."

He looked a bit embarrassed, then added, "I don't know the guy's name, but I heard from some colleagues that he mentioned his girlfriend's name a few times. It was... Lally Rodriguez."

I was stunned. Lally! The witness who appeared during the trial a few days ago! She actually knew Tony! It turned out there was indeed a connection between these people!

I shivered and asked again, "Are you sure? Really Lally Rodriguez?"

"Yes, absolutely!" James confirmed, "I remember now. The guy had 'Lally' tattooed on the back of his hand! It stuck with me because it's rare to see someone with another person's name tattooed. He seemed like a street thug."

So, there was definitely a connection between Tammy, Tony, and Lally. Only Tom was left, and while there wasn't solid proof yet, following these clues would surely lead somewhere!

I felt a wave of certainty wash over me. Looking at James's shifty, somewhat guilty eyes, I suddenly got it. "So, Tony didn't really resign, did he? You fired him. You were scared that guy would come back and cause more trouble, and you didn't want this mess to blow up and risk your job, so you canned Tony, right?"

James shook his head, waving his hands frantically. "No, no, that's not it. I did think about it, but before I could say anything, Tony came to me and quit."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Absolutely. And what he said when he resigned made me realize he always knew about his wife," James said, still in disbelief.

"What did he say?" I pressed.

Tony had known for a while that he got his job because his wife was someone's mistress, yet he had put up with it for so long. Was he just spineless, or was he playing a deeper game?

My curiosity about him was growing. His connection with Lally suggested that on the night of the Entertainment Club incident, he was more than just a bystander; he might have been directly involved.

James tried to recall Tony's words from that day. "He was very calm, like always, sitting in my office talking about Anna. He said he always knew about it and appreciated that his colleagues never brought it up, protecting his dignity. But the fight had caused a lot of trouble for the company, and there was a chance the guy might come back. After thinking it over, he decided to leave. He also asked if people could stop talking about Anna, saying it wasn't her fault."

That sounded like the Tony everyone described-rational, almost too rational. Saying it wasn't Anna's fault-either he really loved her that much, or his own insecurities had twisted him. I wasn't buying it. He seemed pretty worked up about Lally; otherwise, he wouldn't have hit that guy so hard.

"Do you know where he went after he left?" I asked.

James shook his head, looking sincere.

"What about his phone number?" I continued.

"I have it. I'll send it to you right away." James replied, pulling out his phone and calling HR for Tony's contact info.

Finding Tony wouldn't be hard; I could just go to his house. But what he said might not be the truth. If he and Tammy were in on this together, they could spin new lies, and I might not catch on.

Soon, Tony's number was sent to me, but when I called, it was disconnected. Looked like he had changed his number.

This cut off the direct way to find Tony. In a big city like Silverlight City, if I wanted to track him down, I'd have to start with Lally. She'd definitely know where he was.

After thanking James and exchanging contact info, I left Digital Leap Technologies and called Carol, telling her the issue was resolved. I initially wanted to ask about Anna and the company's shareholder, but then I decided against it. It wasn't really related to the case. Tony was already suspicious enough, so no need to dig deeper into their personal drama.

The urgent task now was to find Lally.

Looked like I had to head back to the Entertainment Club.