Soul of Cole

by Micheal Maxwell

  The water in the tub was growing increasingly cool and he knew he must get out before he got a chill. He rolled to his side, felt for the plug at the drain and pulled it out. As the water subsided, he managed to get to his knees and grabbed the vanity next to the tub with both hands. With great effort and even greater pain, he threw his knee over the side of the tub and felt his foot land flat on the floor. Using his leg and his arms, Michael pulled his other leg up from the tub and stood before the mirror above the vanity. He removed his shirt and let it drop to the floor. The wound was closer to his side than he first thought. He turned ever so slightly in an attempt to see if there was an exit wound. A larger hole showed where the bullet passed through. It was an ugly, but clean, wound. The bullet struck mostly flesh and a bit of muscle in his side.

  In the drawer of the vanity there was a bottle of aspirin. The second drawer down he found a half bottle of old alcohol. He kicked off his shoes, unhooked his belt, unzipped his jeans and let them drop to the floor. Stepping on the cuff of his jeans Michael pulled his leg from the soaked denim. He stood in his shorts and socks and stared into the mirror. “You can do this.” His voice was shaky but in his eyes there was determination.

  As he turned to leave the bathroom he remembered an ace bandage that he bought for a sprained ankle. Retrieving the bandage from the drawer he took the alcohol and aspirin and made his way to the kitchen. Halfway down the hall he began to feel lightheaded and nauseous; he needed to use the wall to lean against to make it the rest of the way.

  He set the bandage, alcohol and aspirin on the kitchen table and went to the cupboard. From the first shelf next to the stove He removed a box of salt. He dumped the bottle of aspirin on the table and poured a small bit of the alcohol over it and began crushing the aspirin with the bottle.

  Satisfied the paste was nearly smooth he poured salt on top, adding a bit more alcohol onto the mix. Again, he remembered his army training. A skinny Medic who looked about sixteen gave a lesson on emergency medical attention of wounds when none was available. His theory was, a chemical burn in the field works as well as flame to cauterize a wound. Seal it; kill any possible infection as soon as possible. Michael hoped the Medic was right, and continued to mix the strange compound.

  A clean dishtowel would have to act as a bandage. There was only one in the cabinet. He groaned and thought how his buddies in Iraq would laugh at his ridiculous attempt at doctoring himself as he tore the dishtowel into four long strips. Michael scooped up some of the salt and aspirin mixture, gritted his teeth, and pushed it into the bullet hole on his side.

  He gasped, clenched his teeth, and rocked back and forth, nearly passing out from the burning pain of disturbing the wound. Scooping up the remainder of the mix, he shoved it into the hole in his back. Panting heavily, he began to wrap the dishtowel strips and then the ace bandage around his abdomen. The task done, he stood, intending to go lay down on his bed. The room grew dark and he passed out hitting the kitchen floor with a heavy thud.

  CHAPTER 14

  “I have to run into town for a little while. Would you like to come along?”

  “Are you going to go to the movies? Getting an ice cream cone? Or, going to the used book store?”

  “No, I have to meet Rebecca Poore at the Center.”

  “I’ll pass,” said Cole. “We are going to have to take your car in and do something about the damage,” Cole added.

  “I still don’t understand someone doing that to our car. How did they know it was even mine? I was several spaces down from the Center in front of the empty building.

  “Well I’ll bet you $500 it was done by someone who knew you from the Center. There were lots of women in that mob. They just stuck their finger through a wad of keys and clawed the full length of our car.”

  “Why would they do that?” Kelly asked bewildered.

  “Because you work at the Center.”

  “Do you really think it’s that simple?”

  “They are simple people, my dear. Look what happened to our car at church. Real nice bunch of Christian people you’ve got there. Who carries a knife that big to church? And do you really believe nobody saw somebody punching four big holes in our tires?”

  “I stuck up for an Indian, brought in a lawyer, and basically made the cops look stupid. There’s a lot of police and Sheriff’s Department people at the church.”

  “You can’t blame the church, and you certainly can’t blame God for some jerk slashing our tires. They may have just seen your car in the church lot. That’s a pretty nasty assumption you’re making.”

  “I’m not blaming the church, just some of the racist jerks who go there. Better?”

  “What is the matter with you? You sound as bad as the Indians. Hate is hate. This is not like you. I’m disappointed.”

  “I’m sorry. I got a bit carried away. You’re right. Maybe I did. The church has nothing to do with it. All the same, it’s pretty scary to have your car vandalized in the church parking lot. People are acting really crazy about this whole Blackbear thing.”

  “Maybe I do want you to come with me.” Kelly sighed and shook her head. “What happened to our little town?”

  “I’m sorry, sweetie. I am just disheartened and frustrated as you are with what’s happening. I shouldn’t have thought twice about going with you.”

  “I still can’t believe that the people of this town could turn on us like that.”

  “Not us dear, me. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “What about the car?”

  “Could have been anybody’s.” For Kelly’s sake, Cole backpedaled his feelings. He still believed it was someone in the crowd that knew it was her car.

  When they arrived at the Children’s Center, Lt. Bishop was already there. They parked next to him and he gave a wave of recognition.

  “Good morning, folks,” Bishop said. “What happened to your car?”

  “Are you being funny?” Cole asked. “It got this treatment while we were sitting in church.”

  “You’re not serious.” Bishop frowned and turned toward the windows.

  “Whole church full of cops, too.”

  “Cole.” Kelly was not pleased with Cole still implying cops were involved.

  “When did this happen?” Bishop jutted his chin toward the damage at the front of the Center. The front windows were now covered in plywood. The banner was gone, but the spray paint was still visible.

  “That is the section that said Native Again.” Cole pointed out. “Two days ago I spoke with one of your men in blue watching the whole thing. He seemed to really be enjoying it. Didn’t lift a finger to stop it or break up the crowd. He joked about calling in the Cavalry if it got out of hand. Looks out of hand to me.”

  “What about that bunch of Indians attacking the station?” Bishop showed deep resentment in his voice. Bishop was unwilling to give an inch. Thinking better of the idea, he didn’t continue, just looked at Kelly motioning toward the door. “Shall we go in?”

  Kelly moved toward the doors, keys in hand. She turned and whispered to Cole. “Not another word.”

  “Kelly, here’s Rebecca.” Cole motioned at the door. He didn’t look in Bishop’s direction. He knew all he needed to about the detective.

  “Oh good, we’re all here.” Becca gave everyone a welcoming smile.

  Bishop moved to the door, briefcase in hand.

  “Good morning, Rebecca.” Cole smiled. Being the last one through the door he locked it behind him.

  “Good morning, Mr. Sage. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Please, call me Cole. It seems my wife needs a bodyguard. I’ll stay out here.”

  Cole’s comment wiped the smile from her face. She frowned and followed the other two into the office.

  Neither Becca nor Kelly wanted to take the seat at Warren Poore’s desk. Detective Bishop placed the brief case on the desk and popped the latches. “Here are your files back.” He took the short stack from the brief c
ase and placed them on the desk. “You have some serious problems here, ladies.”

  “Meaning?” Kelly asked.

  “Well this is a nonprofit organization, and by Oklahoma State Law there’s an annual accountability report due, along with the minutes of all meetings signed by the chairman and the secretary, number one. Unless they’re somewhere else, there are no minutes from any meetings in this material. Didn’t you tell me, Mrs. Sage, that these were all the files?”

  “Yes sir, I did.”

  “Aren’t you the secretary of this organization?”

  “No, that would be Maryann Kopek.”

  “Would she know where those would be?” Bishop asked.

  “I doubt it.” Kelly shrugged. “Her title is more like an honorary thing for being a volunteer. But, I’ll see if she knows where anything is.”

  Bishop took a deep breath, then looked from Kelly to Rebecca. “Well, quite frankly, that’s the least of your worries.”

  Kelly glanced at Rebecca. She was trying to think of anything that could be worse. What was to come next didn’t enter her mind. “What do you mean?”

  “According to our officer from Financial Crimes at the station there are some serious discrepancies in payouts and balance sheets. To put it bluntly, it looks as if somebody has been skimming money from the organization and doing a lousy job of covering it up. I suggest before we get any more involved, you folks do a real thorough search for more records, receipts, or cancelled checks. You need to get this straightened out, like yesterday. You understand what I’m saying? Is there an accountant you use?”

  “I don’t know.” Becca’s head was spinning and she wanted to throw up.

  “Neither do I. I’m just a volunteer, yet I find myself getting deeper and deeper involved simply because no one steps up to do things,” Kelly explained.

  Becca steeled herself and asked the one question she really didn’t want the answer to. “How much money is missing?”

  “It’s no small amount. It’s in the thousands, forty at least, and that’s just a quick police audit. When the State auditors get a hold of this, and if you can’t balance it, somebody’s going to be in big trouble. That is, unless the one doing it was one of your parents.”

  “That could never be.” Rebecca jumped to her feet. “Why would they steal money from what is basically themselves?”

  “I don’t know, but people do it all the time.” Bishop was hardened enough from his years on the force to know that was the case nine times out of ten. “How many people have access to this material?”

  “Just Warren, I thought.” Kelly was trying hard not to think the worst.

  “Do you keep this door locked?”

  “No.”

  “Then anybody has access to it.” Bishop pursed his lips, then sighed. “Look, the door’s not locked. People come and go all day long, including some of the poorest people in the county. You have a bunch of volunteers, and an organization, it seems, that doesn’t report to anyone who would hold them accountable. You have a real mess here, ladies. It is the determination of our financial affairs officer that there is substantial embezzlement of this state-chartered, nonprofit. That is a felony, and we take felonies real serious around here. Do you hear what I’m saying?”

  “If we can find the discrepancies nobody will get in trouble, right?” Rebecca’s question sounded more like pleading.

  “My dear, that’s a very generous thought, but frankly, you’re not going to find anything, anywhere, and somebody is going to go to jail. We made copies of all these books, and our people are digging deeper. I would appreciate it greatly if you would do the same and give us anything you find out.”

  “We’ll do our best, but I really don’t think either one of us is qualified to do the kind of audit you’re suggesting.”

  “You two are all I have, so do your best, but I suggest you get a good accountant or attorney to work on this. We’ll meet up again in a few days to see where it’s all going. Like I said, we have copies of everything. I will let you know what our people figure out.”

  Kelly looked at Becca, who was still standing in the corner of the room. Her thoughts ran to the incredible weight that the poor girl suddenly found thrust upon her. I didn’t sign up for this, she thought. At the same time, I can’t abandon Rebecca either. Her head spun with thoughts and fears. Did Warren steal the money? Ridiculous, Kelly dismissed the thought. He borrowed it! He borrowed money. But, for what? Her mind raced until Bishop broke in.

  “Any questions before I go?” Bishop picked up his brief case and moved toward the door. “I’m not the bad guy here, and I’m sorry to add to your stress at this time of grief, but, you have to get to the bottom of this. I will give you a couple of weeks. Then I have to act.”

  “Thank you, Detective.” Rebecca stepped forward and shook his hand.

  Kelly looked at Bishop with an expression that said ‘I don’t want to be involved’.

  Bishop left the building and the two women sat in silence. Neither spoke for several minutes. The sound of brakes and a honking horn out front broke the spell.

  “I don’t know about you, but I could really use a cup of tea.” Kelly stood and moved to the door.

  Rebecca looked at Kelly and shook her head. “I am so over my head here. Where do we even begin to find what he’s asking for?”

  “When I was a kid my mom kept a budget. On the last day of the month she would sit down with a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. At the top of one side, she put a plus and on the other side she put a minus. Then she would list all the monies that came in during the month. On the other side she wrote down everything she spent. She would add it all up, subtract one from the other and give it to my father. He would look at it and either say, ‘We’ve got money left, or, what on earth have you done?’ Then they would laugh.”

  Rebecca looked at her and said, “And?”

  “I don’t know, I was just a kid. But, maybe that’s a good way for us to start.”

  “Do you think they could be wrong?” Rebecca asked.

  “Everybody makes mistakes. Maybe they didn’t understand the system being used. You only have to be off a column or two. But let’s have a cup of tea before we get started. You put on the kettle. I’m going to go out and talk to my husband.”

  Kelly went outside where Cole was sitting on the hood of the car.

  “Do you really think somebody is going to attack your car again?”

  “If you’d have asked me that last week, I would have said don’t be silly. This week the response is the same. Funny thing with words, how a simple phrase can have two completely different meanings, yet be the same. So, what did the cop say?”

  “He said somebody has been embezzling money from the Center.” Kelly threw her hands up as if to say, ‘What next?’

  “I knew he was in there too long to just be returning a bunch of paperwork. So, now what?”

  “So now Becca and I are going to go over everything with a fine tooth comb. Would you like to go home and come back for me later? This is probably going to take awhile.”

  “What do you two know about finding an embezzler? Shouldn’t you call in a CPA?”

  “Yes, but I have an awful feeling I know who it is and I would just as soon Becca find it for herself.”

  Cole moved to the driver side of the car.

  “Aren’t you going to ask who it is?”

  “I don’t want to know.” Cole opened the car door. “I think this is a case of, better leave it to the professionals. Of which, I remind you, you are not one. I love you Kelly, your heart’s in the right place. Now, let’s work on your head.” Cole gave her a broad smile and winked.

  Kelly returned to the office and Becca stood holding two steaming mugs of tea. “I got us chamomile. I figured the calming effect might do us both good.”

  “Good thinking.” Kelly took the cup. “So, where do we start?”

  “I was thinking while you were outside, Cassie wants to go to college to beco
me an accountant. She’s always been a whiz with numbers. Maybe she can take a look. After all, she’s as big a part of this as I am.”

  “Yeah, she helped your dad with the books. Maybe she can spot it.”

  “Let me ask you something, Kelly, you’re kind of new to town and you don’t have all these lifelong connections that the people here have. What do you think is going on?”

  Kelly thought for a long moment. Deep inside she was starting to get a feeling she didn’t like. The idea of what was going on was beginning to formulate, but without more evidence she wasn’t about to say anything.

  “You’re right, Becca, I am new around here. All the people here at the Center were strangers to me a couple years ago.”

  “How did you get to be the Chairman of the Board?”

  “Oh heaven’s Becca; I’m not the chairman of anything. Your dad asked me to be on the board and I declined. He said it was just kind of an honorary position and that if I were going to carry the keys and be able to let people in and out I should probably have some sort of a title.”

  “But, you seem to be the one in charge. I mean, after my dad, everybody seems to look to you for direction.”

  “Maybe that’s because I have the biggest mouth.” Kelly chuckled and gave a shrug. “Don’t worry. We’ll get this all straightened out.”

  “Yeah, hopefully Cassie can spot the problem. I really have a funny feeling that it’s just a big mistake.”

  Bishop said outside help. I hope another person close to the organization isn’t a mistake, Kelly thought.

  Becca took her cell phone from her pocket and punched in a series of numbers. After a few seconds she said, “What ya doin’? … We could sure use your help here… You’re the numbers person in the family and it seems we have a problem… Well, the police think there’s something funny with the accounting. You said you wanted to be an accountant. So this is your big chance… Could you come now?… That would be great. See you in a few.”