Chapter 39
Hamlin’s Ex
Maria didn’t relish the idea of talking to Harvey Hamlin’s ex-wife. Even if they were divorced she still would have feelings for Hamlin and would be in mourning. Fred had known little about her, only that they’d been deeply in love until Hamlin’s demons had made it impossible to be with him. She thanked God that her father had never become addicted to alcohol, drugs or gambling. He smoked a pipe and a cigar from time to time which she hated, but that was but a minor irritation that her mother and she could live with. It was the holiday season but there would be no mirth in the Hamlin household she knew, so when she stepped up to Marilyn Hamlin’s door and rang the bell she forced herself not to smile.
A minute later the door opened and a short, middle-aged brunette with pale green eyes stood before her. She looked at Maria for a moment and then, without a word, stepped aside so Maria could come in.
Maria breached the silence. “Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me. I won’t take much of your time.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be much help. I know very little of what Harvey was up to at the bank. We haven’t communicated much since the divorce.”
“You may know more than you think and you certainly know more than Fred or I do. We’re just trying to learn more about Harvey and what was going on with him so we can figure out what happened the night he died.”
“I’ll tell you what I know.”
“First, we want you to know we’re very sorry for your loss. Fred only met Harvey one time, but he said he seemed like a nice guy. As for me, I have never lost anyone close, so I can’t say I know what you’re going through, but with Fred on trial the bank robbery and such, I’m beginning to get an idea.”
“The agent from the FBI says that Fred closed the vault on Harvey causing him to have the heart attack. Is that true?”
“No. Fred told me he never saw Harvey that day. He has no idea what happened to him.”
“But how do I know he’s telling the truth?”
“You don’t. But I know him well and I believe him. So, I hope you will believe me when I say he had nothing to do with your husband’s death.”
“Okay. So, what do you want to know?”
“Did Harvey have any good friends he hung out with?”
Marilyn thought about it a moment and then replied, “He used to have a lot of friends but the drinking drove many of them away. John Ford, one of the bank’s loan officers used to play golf with him but John was transferred about a year ago. Ah, let me see, he was active in the Republican Party.”
“Really? What did he do for them?”
“He was County Chairman for about five years until his drinking became a problem and his best friend ran against him and won the post. Harvey was very bitter about that.”
“Who was this best friend?”
“Another Bank USA employee, Henry Sinclair. He works at the data processing center in downtown LA.”
“Right. He was Fred’s boss too.”
“Was he?”
“Un huh. Was Harvey close to any of the other bank messengers?”
“Sure. Over the years he got to know many of them.”
“How about Sam Stewart?”
“Sure, he used to hire Sam to take some of the bank’s customers fishing. They were good friends.”
“So, Sinclair was Sam’s boss too.”
Marilyn nodded. “I suppose he would have been.”
“Who else?” Maria asked.
“Ah let me see. There were so many messengers over the years it is hard to remember them all.”
“We are only interested in the more recent ones.”
“Roger Wood, the messenger before Fred, Harvey knew pretty well. But he quit and went back to college.”
“Okay. Did you have any conversations with Harvey after he left the vault open the first time?”
“Yes. Harvey called me that night very upset about the incident with the bank auditor and being reprimanded for leaving the vault open. He blamed it on me because we’d had an argument earlier in the day over past due child support. He said I distracted him from doing his job.”
“So, he owes child support,”
“Yes. And my attorney has been leaning on him for a payment. In fact, he filed a motion to have Harvey held in contempt for not paying it in a timely manner. Harvey wanted more time to come up with the money and wanted me to agree to a continuance.”
“And you said no?”
“No. I said talk to my attorney. That really pissed him off.”
“Okay. Tell me about his health. He told Fred he had heart trouble.”
“Yes. He’s obese and has high blood pressure. He had a heart attack several years ago and is on a special diet and several medications. His doctor told him to avoid stress, of course, but that’s impossible with his job and all the trouble he had gotten himself into.”
“What about his gambling? Does he owe a lot of money?”
Marilyn shrugged. “I have no idea. He was very closed-mouthed about his gambling, but I have gotten phone calls from unidentified men asking if I know where they could find him.”
“Well, he’s not a hard man to find, I wouldn’t imagine,” Maria said. “They could always find him at the bank during the day.”
“You would think, but I suppose they wanted to get him alone.”
“Right,” Maria said. “Well, you’ve been very helpful. Thanks again for talking to me. I hope we get to the bottom of what happened to your ex-husband. If you think of anything else Fred and I should know, please call me.”
Marilyn nodded, stood up and showed Maria out. Maria forced a smile when she left and then walked deliberately back to her car. As she drove home she thought about what she had learned and wondered if any of it would help Fred’s case. It seemed to her Hamlin had to be the mastermind behind the heist, or at least the one who executed the plan, if someone else was behind it. But Hamlin was dead so they had to figure out who was his accomplice and get him to talk. Sam Stewart seemed like the obvious choice, but he was long gone so they were screwed. A wave of fear and hopelessness washed over her as she wondered if they’d ever be able to discover the truth and prove that Fred was innocent.
Uncommon Thief Page 39
