The Lock Artist

Mike turns 18 while he’s living with the gang in Los Angeles in February of 2000. They gift him a Harley-Davidson motorcycle for the occasion. He lives in a small apartment attached to Julian’s garage, but he reflects, “this was as close to a real home as anything I could have hoped for” (171). Julian meets wealthy targets through his business as a fine wine salesman. The wine shop also functions as a money laundering operation for the gang. When they are not running cons, Ramona and Julian work in the wine store, Gunnar works as a tattoo artist, and Lucy—who has never been able to hold down a job—paints. Julian sets Mike up with a new fake identity, alias Robin James Agnew, with a California driver’s license.

One day, Mike responds to a call on the green pager, but the caller does not understand that Mike cannot speak, so he hangs up. Mike responds to another call on the yellow pager and reaches a man who identifies himself as “Harrington Banks, […] Harry” (173). Banks allegedly met Mike “at that junk store in Detroit” (173). Mike remembers him: He had come into the store to ask some questions and then stayed outside, watching from his car.