For Better or Worse

by Al Lamanda

  “Wally, about this IPO?” I said.

  “Oh, right, see, what I can do now that I have the IPO is take control of the computer as if it was my own,” Wally said. “I can check emails, bank accounts, everything that computer was ever used for.”

  “Deleted stuff?” I said.

  “Nothing is ever really deleted if you know where to find it,” Wally said.

  “So, why are you out here with tinfoil on your face instead of working on the computer?” I said.

  “Somebody logged on, so I logged off,” Wally said.

  “You can see that?” I said.

  “And they can see me,” Wally said. “So I shut down.”

  “Get dressed,” I said. “We’re going to dinner.”

  * * *

  “I thought you said we were going to dinner,” Wally said.

  “We are,” I said.

  We were parked across the street from Riker’s house. Reed’s 750i was parked in the driveway. Light was coming from the front basement windows.

  “Alright, let’s go,” I said.

  I drove to the greasy spoon diner, a small restaurant not far from the beach. The place lived up to its name, serving the messiest, greasiest bacon burgers anywhere. We ordered the burger plate special with bowls of chili on the side.

  Wally requested extra lettuce with his.

  “Clear a few things up for me,” I said as I ate a French fry. “You can log in and take control of Riker’s computer?”

  “It isn’t that difficult to do if you have the IPO address,” Wally said. “Computer repair companies and service providers do it all the time if a customer has a problem they can’t fix.”

  “And you can operate the computer as if it was your own?” I said.

  “That’s the point,” Wally said.

  “But, if he’s logged on, he can also see you?” I said.

  “Through a little window or pop up box that tells him someone else is logged in and is in control,” Wally said.

  “So, you can only operate when we know nobody is using Riker’s computer?” I said.

  Wally bit into his burger, nodded, and wiped grease off his chin with a paper napkin.

  “We’ll have to work around it,” I said. “Early morning or late at night, maybe even afternoon.”

  “Exactly what do you want me to do?” Wally said.

  “This son of a bitch set Walt up with six hundred thousand dollars,” I said, “after he got out of prison. He has money the FBI never found. I want to you find that money.”

  “Just find it?” Wally said.

  I looked at Wally.

  “You mean steal it?” Wally said.

  “Transfer it to me, so I have total control,” I said. “Then you go home and forget it ever happened.”

  “But what’s he going to do when his money goes missing?” Wally said.

  “I can tell you what he isn’t going to do, and that is report it to the police,” I said.

  After we left the diner, I drove back to Riker’s house. It was dark and the 750i was gone.

  “We might have a couple of hours for you to work,” I said.

  * * *

  I was in my chair in front of a bonfire in the trashcan. Wally was inside working on the computer. It was a moonless night and the beach was pitch-black. I could hear the gentle lapping of the surf about a hundred yards away, but it was impossible to see.

  Around midnight, a bleary-eyed Wally emerged and plunked down in the chair beside me.

  “I isolated one foreign bank account,” he said. “A numbered account in the First Bank of Zurich. That’s in Switzerland.”

  “I know.”

  “You’d be surprised how many people think it’s in Germany because of the name,” Wally said.

  “For how much?” I said.

  “How much what?”

  “Money in the account?”

  “One million even,” Wally said.

  “Good work, Wally, but there’s more,” I said. “You can bet on it.”

  “I’m tired,” Wally said. “I’m going to bed.”

  “Go, you earned it,” I said.

  Wally stood, nodded, and went back inside.

  I sat for a while until my eyes grew heavy, and then I went inside for some much needed sleep.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  I was up before dawn, took coffee in my chair, and watched the horizon slowly lighten over the ocean.

  The thing I would miss the most about having the trailer on the beach would be the sunrise and sunset.

  We could have it again if we purchased a condo, but it wouldn’t be the same sharing it with two dozen other units.

  By the second cup of coffee, the early orange sun was on my face and Wally was awake.

  He stumbled out wearing his robe and holding a mug of coffee. He plopped into a chair beside me and said, “I heard you get up.”

  “I’ll make breakfast,” I said. “What would you like?”

  “Maybe some bacon and eggs.”

  “Over easy?”

  Wally nodded. “I think I’ll check and see if it’s safe to work,” he said.

  While Wally fooled around with the computer, I fixed breakfast. Eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, toast and orange juice.

  We ate at the kitchen table.

  “I’m close to locating another account,” Wally said.

  “Under his real name?”

  “From years ago. It sat dormant for a very long time.”

  “How do you transfer the funds to me?” I said.

  “Set up numbered accounts at banks and transfer the funds,” Wally said. “The banks won’t even realize it’s been done right under their noses.”

  “And it’s all numbered accounts?”

  Wally nodded.

  “And I’ll be able to access them?”

  “Just use the numbers to authorize access.”

  “Besides using Riker’s computer to access his accounts, is Reed doing anything else?” I said.

  “If you mean emails, no,” Wally said. “But, I did find that he’s transferred ten thousand dollars a month into Riker’s checking account, and five thousand a month into his mother’s checkbook. He’s doing it in weekly increments to avoid detection.”

  “Does he have an account locally for himself?” I said.

  “I haven’t found that yet,” Wally said.

  “See what you can do before noon,” I said. “We’re having lunch at my house.”

  * * *

  Wally isolated a second numbered account in the Bank of London in Grand Cayman. It was located just a few blocks from the bank Cena managed. There was a transaction for a six hundred thousand dollar withdrawal the same day Walt’s account was opened.

  Reed withdrew the money, walked a few blocks, and opened the account.

  The account in the Bank of London showed a balance of four hundred thousand dollars.

  Reed liked even numbers. His computer-logged, genius brain was probably wired that way.

  My guess was that his other accounts would balance out at a million apiece.

  Wally still hadn’t located a local account for Reed. He was living off the five thousand a month he put into his mother’s checking account.

  He was living low and off the radar. For now. My guess was he would wait until Walt’s trial, and then disappear with his millions, leaving his mother behind, possibly taking Riker with him.

  We left the trailer around eleven-thirty, and I drove to the big grocery store in town and then to my house.

  Carly and Kagan were already there when we arrived. Kagan wore slacks and a polo shirt. Carly was informally dressed in shorts, a sleeveless blouse and tennis sneakers.

  Oz, Regan and Elizabeth were in the living room while Carly, Kagan
and Walt sat at the patio table in the backyard.

  I joined the group at the patio table.

  “We got a trial date in the state supreme court,” Carly said. “It’s set for two months and two weeks from today.”

  “Napier as first chair?” I said.

  Carly nodded. “I’m sure he’ll have at least two top ADAs assisting him at trial,” she said.

  Kagan looked at me. “And what have you been up to?” he said. “With your little friend there.”

  “Lunch,” I said.

  I went to the rear of the patio and fired up the four-burner grill. While it heated up, I lowered the retractable patio awning to shade the table.

  Carly and Kagan continued talking to Walt and making notes.

  I went into the kitchen and brought out a large platter of steak tips, chicken breasts and thighs. As the tips and chicken sizzled, Kagan wandered over to me.

  “Jack, what are you doing?” he said.

  “Grilling,” I said.

  “With the little man in there?” Kagan said.

  “He’s helping me with research,” I said.

  “Research, huh?”

  The grill had a side burner for warming a pot of baked beans. “Keep an eye on this for a minute,” I said.

  I returned to the kitchen and brought out the pot of baked beans and set it onto the warmer.

  Kagan was puffing on a cigar and blew a cloud of grey smoke. “I know how you get, Jack,” he said. “When something takes root in that brain of yours, you don’t let it go, no matter what.”

  “Frank, if there was something to tell, I would tell you,” I said. “Ask Regan to bring out the plates, would you?”

  We ate at the table, and it seemed more like a family gathering than a pretrial meeting of the minds.

  Regan and Elizabeth baked a lemon cake for dessert and served it with ice cream and coffee.

  Afterward, Carly and Kagan continued their meeting with Walt.

  Oz told me we had a meeting on Tuesday at noon with the real estate developer. Then Wally and I drove back to the trailer. Along the way, we swung past Riker’s house and no one was home.

  At the trailer, Wally logged in and went to work.

  While he worked, I took a long workout and then jogged along the water.

  By five o’clock, we both were exhausted.

  Wally had located three accounts in Reed’s name, totaling two million, four hundred thousand dollars. We knew they weren’t being drawn upon as they hadn’t been accessed in nine years.

  “What do you plan to do with all this when we’re finished?” Wally said.

  “Bring the entire mess to the FBI and have Walt cleared and reinstated,” I said.

  “Won’t they want to know how you came by all this?” Wally said.

  “I’m sure they will,” I said.

  “What are you going to tell them?”

  “Certainly nothing about you,” I said. “I’ll frame it so they can take the credit.”

  “I’m tired. I think I’m done for today,” Wally said.

  “Relax,” I said. “I’m going to do some surveillance work, but you can take it easy until I get back.”

  “Maybe you can drop me off at your house, and I can hang out there until you get back?” Wally said.

  “Sure.”

  * * *

  I parked at the corner and watched Reed’s mother’s house. The Ford was in the driveway, and the lights were on inside.

  Shortly after dark, Reed emerged from the house, retrieved the 750i from the garage and took off.

  I gave him plenty of room and drove to Riker’s house where the 750i was in the driveway by the time I arrived.

  I parked diagonally across the street.

  Lights came on in the basement.

  Reed was on the computer.

  I decided to give it an hour. My patience was rewarded when Reed and Riker emerged from the house, got into the 750i and Riker drove off.

  I called it a night and drove to my house.

  Walt, Oz and Elizabeth were playing cards at the patio table under the light from the floodlights. They were drinking lemonade.

  Regan and Wally were playing a video game on television.

  I went outside and sat at the table. Elizabeth poured me a glass of lemonade.

  “Want to play a few hands?” Oz said.

  “Take my place,” Elizabeth said. “I’ll bring out some cake and coffee.”

  A little while later, Regan and Wally joined us, and we finished off the lemon cake from lunch and washed it down with coffee.

  Before Wally and I left, I spoke privately with Walt in the backyard.

  “The trial’s gonna be rough on Elizabeth and our daughters,” Walt said.

  “Elizabeth is stronger than you think,” I said.

  “That prick Napier sent over a plea deal, did you know that?” Walt said.

  “I didn’t.”

  “Ten to fifteen with a parole option after seven and full loss of my pension,” Walt said.

  “You’re not seriously considering that?” I said.

  “Out in seven, I’m still young enough to be of some use to Elizabeth,” Walt said.

  “But you didn’t do it,” I said. “What do Carly and Kagan say?”

  “If it was a slam dunk, there wouldn’t be an offer on the table,” Walt said.

  “Listen to them,” I said. “A plea is off the table.”

  “If I lose, I’m gone for life,” Walt said.

  “You’re not going to lose,” I said. “Like you said, if it was a slam dunk, they wouldn’t have offered a plea.”

  Walt nodded.

  “I got to take Wally home and put him to bed before Regan adopts him as the big brother she never had,” I said.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Jane and I were sitting on the edge of the water while Regan tossed a tennis ball to her pug.

  Behind us, Oz sat in his chair with Molly on his lap.

  Jane reached for her cigarette case and lit one with a disposable lighter.

  “So what is Young Frankenstein working on in there?’ she said.

  “Research,” I said.

  “Don’t give me that crap, Jack,” Jane said. “You and the big brain are cooking something up concerning Walt. I’d like to know what it is in case I have to arrest you for it down the road.”

  “You’ll just have to trust me,” I said.

  “Famous last words,” Jane said. “In fact, I heard those exact words just before I caught my ex in bed with a nineteen-year-old.”

  I looked out at the ocean. A few sailboats dotted the horizon, along with a cruise ship.

  “We’re, or should I say, Wally is trying to figure out how Reed set Walt up,” I said. “And we’re close.”

  “Jesus Christ, Jack,” Jane said. “Has it ever occurred to you that you’re breaking the law and could wind up as Walt’s cellmate?”

  “No,” I said.

  “Well, it should,” Jane said. “And as your house is in the county limits, I’d be the one to have to lock you up. I wouldn’t like that, Bekker. Not at all.”

  “It wouldn’t exactly thrill me either,” I said. “But, if that happens, you can still keep the earrings.”

  Jane looked at me. I could see the fury building in her eyes. Her nostrils flared, her lips tightened into a thin, tense line.

  “Or not,” I said.

  I watched as her right hand balled into a tight fist.

  Before she took her shot, I stood up. “I think I’ll go for a run,” I said.

  “Run, Forest, run,” Jane called after me.

  I jogged for about thirty minutes and when I returned, Jane and Regan were tossing a Frisbee. As I walked past them, the Frisbee hit me on the back of the head.

/>   “Did you hear that echo, Regan?” Jane said. “Empty as a balloon.”

  Wally was in a chair beside Oz. Molly was still on Oz’s lap, but now the pug was on Wally’s lap.

  “I need to show you something,” Wally said.

  “Show,” I said.

  I followed Wally into the trailer and closed the door.

  “I had to log off because she logged on,” Wally said.

  “How do you know it was Riker?” I said.

  “The first thing she did was go to her email,” Wally said. “I shut down, but I started a file with screenshots. Have a look.”

  Wally opened the file that contained four screenshots. He located a fourth account in Zurich that had two million dollars in it.

  “You have the account numbers for all four?” I said.

  “I wrote them down,” Wally said.

  “Which account is he using to finance Riker and his mother?”

  “The same one he used to withdraw the six hundred thousand.”

  I looked at the screenshots. “There’s more,” I said.

  Wally looked at me and nodded.

  “You’re not going to find them today,” I said. “We might as well have some fun while we can.”

  We went outside. Jane and Regan were in the water. Oz was in his chair with Molly still on his lap. The pug was at the shoreline, barking at Regan.

  “Wally, come in the water,” Regan yelled to Wally.

  “I don’t have trunks,” Wally said.

  “Grab a pair of mine in the closet.”

  Wally went back inside. I took my chair next to Oz.

  “I’m not so sure I want to see that boy in a bathing suit,” Oz said.

  A few minutes passed, and then the trailer door opened. “It’s a little big,” Wally said.

  “Let’s have a look,” I said.

  Wally stepped out wearing a pair of my trunks. They ended close to his ankles. His white belly hung over the waistband. His chest was as pale as a glass of milk.

  Oz stared at him.

  “I feel ridiculous,” Wally said.

  “You look… fine,” I said.

  “I look like the ghost of a Weeble,” Wally said.