“Couldn’t we learn to love each other?”
I shrugged.
She sighed and said, “I thought therapists were supposed to be positive.”
“It’s a wonderful solution. Really.”
“I think you’re missing the point.”
I pulled my head back.
“And what’s that?”
“Jennifer. She’s the point. She will pull us together. She’ll make us love each other and have a family.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “That’s too big a gamble in life. You go home, and we’ll see what happens to Jennifer.”
There were tears in her eyes, but she just nodded.
I drove her back. Then I drove home.
Betsy said, “Your friend Cromwell just called. He said he has someone for you to meet. Someone you’ll want to meet. He said he’s not kidding around and that you should call him right away. He sounded serious to me, Danny.”
I made the call.
He was serious.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Cromwell’s friend, a Mr. Blaine, said he would meet me in front of the Waiting Room of the Long Island Rail Road in Penn Station. He said two men would be with him, and that he’d be wearing a hat. One of the men would look like a defensive tackle and be wearing a green jacket.
He didn’t have to tell me that “Mr. Blaine” was a pseudonym. It was Humphrey Bogart’s character’s surname in Casablanca.
I went to the Smithtown station and got on the train. I liked the bouncing ride, at least when there was quiet. I stared out the window at the scenery.
A man got on the train in King’s Park. He looked around the car and sat down next to me.
“Cromwell said you would start in Smithtown.”
“And you are?”
“A friend.”
“I have enough friends.”
“Not like me. You’re not meeting in Penn Station. You’re meeting at the Northport station.”
When we reached Northport the man led me off. He could have been the defensive tackle, but he wasn’t wearing a green jacket.
The man took me over to a limousine. He searched me for a weapon and did so very professionally. Then he said, “Get in the back seat.”
I did.
The man inside was wearing sunglasses and the worst false beard I had ever seen.
“Forgive me,” the man said. “I didn’t want to take a chance that you had arranged some observers or even the police to watch us by the Waiting Room.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“Still, I was worried you might be tempted.”
“All right. Here I am.”
Unarmed, at the mercy of men who didn’t seem on the road to sainthood, and getting a twinge of fear, I said, “I appreciate you meeting me.”
He nodded. “Did Cromwell tell you who I was?”
“He said you were a sort of bank professional. He called you the best bank thief in the world.”
“I’m not modest, but I think my talents are limited to North America.”
“That’s impressive enough.”
“Yes. I suppose it is. Of course, I might add that I’ve never been arrested. That’s the part I like best. At any rate, Cromwell said you were confused about a bank. That you thought some crime was about to be committed only that you couldn’t identify it. Cromwell called in a very big favor and asked me to help you. He said he had done you a disservice involving jewels and that I was to make it all right with you.”
“How do we proceed?”
“You tell me the situation as complete as possible. I will do some thinking and give you my reaction.”
“All right.”
I had no choice. I had to tell “Mr. Blaine” all of it.
I started with what I knew about the Bank of Waterbend, about Otto Chance and the three men on the Board, Jimmy Moore, Tim Crane, and William Benedict. I talked about the Mayor running for President and needing money. Then I talked about the killing of Mr. and Mrs. Meadows and how the killer was after Jennifer who had seen him in the house.
“Where’s the girl now?”
“With a friend of mine.”
“You can get into trouble for that.”
“You’d help her too if you met the girl.”
“Cromwell said you had a few soft spots here and there. He also said you were tough when you needed to be.”
I continued, telling him about how all the Board members had gone to the same business school together and how they were good friends.
“And this crime?”
I shrugged. “I think they’re going to give the Mayor a huge loan, beyond what they’re legally allowed to do, and see what favors they can get from him later.”
“Does he have any chance of getting the nomination?”
“I don’t think so. But did Jimmy Carter in ’76?”
“Carter was a Governor, not a Mayor.”
“My answer is he doesn’t have much chance.”
“I think that’s their cover story. That’s what they want you to believe. That’s not what they’re planning.”
He cleared his throat.
“We’re going to stop at the next station. My friend is going to accompany you to a phone. You’re going to call an associate. You’re going to find out if all the Board members have passports. And you’re going to check to see if they have booked flights anywhere. It won’t be in the United States. It will be internationally.”
“Okay.”
I called Betsy, told her what I needed, gave her the public phone number, and waited. The gentleman with me discouraged anyone who might have wished to use that particular phone.
I thought she’d be able to get the information fast. It turned out she had called Cromwell because she hit a block. Cromwell knew how angry I was at him and saw this whole operation as a way to make it up to me completely.
She called back and gave me the information.
I got back in the limo.
He stared at me through the sunglasses.
“I’ll bet they all have passports. At least one of the passports has been recently issued. Here’s a guess. I admit it. But I’d say they all have tickets for the same place. If you pushed me, I’d say The Federated States of Micronsia.”
“Were you listening to my call somehow?”
He laughed. “It’s what I would have picked. They speak English. They have beaches and sun, and a lot of pretty women. What else are you going to spend your money on? But most importantly they do not have an extradition treaty with the United States.”
“All right,” I said. “The bankers are going to steal their own bank’s money?”
“Transfer it. Take what cash they can. Break open the safe deposit boxes and ship any gold, silver, jewels, and so on to a safe place. Get a confederate to cash it all in, take a cut, and forward the money to them.”
“What about bank examiners?”
“They’ll have transferred all the money at just the right second. It won’t take long to be discovered, but it will be enough time.”
“That sounds very complicated,” I said. “This is a small-town bank.”
He shrugged. “So wait around and watch it happen.”
“Why did they kill Mr. and Mrs. Meadows?”
“A guess.”
“You’re doing pretty well with your guesses, Mr. Blaine.”
“Simple experience.”
“So why a murder? This seems to be very carefully planned.
“Because this Meadows decided he didn’t want to do it. They couldn’t take a chance he’d wander over to the police.”
“And his wife?”
“They couldn’t believe he didn’t tell her. Or maybe she was a witness.”
I told Blaine about the three bullets, about what Jennifer saw.
“I’d have to work it out with a diagram. I’m not good with that stuff.”
“You’re plenty good.”
I stared at him for a second.
“Tell me, Mr.
Blaine. What can I do to stop them?”
“When are the tickets for?”
“Three days from now.”
“You really, really won’t like the answer.”
“Try me.”
“You really, really won’t like the answer.”
“Yes. I got that the first time you said it. Tell me the answer is as simple as me making a call to some law enforcement office.”
“You have no proof. They won’t believe you.”
“I hardly believe it myself.”
“You want to hear even though you won’t like it?”
I gave a deep sigh.
“Sure. Tell me.”
He did tell me.
And he was right.
I really, really didn’t like the answer.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The first problem was getting the money. I thought of Gertrude Lucey. I even thought of my father. That seemed poetic. But, at the end, Zachary Stauffer Senior seemed the logical choice.
I called him, made an appointment, and drove out to Southampton. The sky was cloudy. Most people don’t like that, but I did. It meant the sun didn’t get in my eyes. We had agreed to meet at the Parrish Art Museum and walk among the statues outside. The Museum was next to the library and around the corner from Main Street. There was a pharmacy on the corner of Main Street where my friend Fred worked.
I was early, so I stopped in to see Fred. It is a comforting sight to see a familiar and friendly face sometimes. Fred made it easy to talk and we spoke about our experiences.
Then I went back around the corner. Senior was waiting for me on the sidewalk.
“That was a dramatic phone call, Danny.”
“It is dramatic, sir.”
“Is it all right if we just walk over to the duck pond?”
“Of course.”
We wandered down Job’s Lane, turned left, and headed for the pond. It was a quiet day. There were some people tearing off pieces of bread and throwing them to the hungry ducks.
“I need a hundred thousand dollars,” I said.
“Is that all?”
“It’s worse. I don’t know this, but it’s possible that Junior is mixed up with a dangerous criminal plan. Any money you give me, if you give it to me, may expose him.”
“You mean put him in jail.”
“I do.”
“If he’s guilty.”
“If he’s innocent, he has nothing to worry about from me.”
“It’s strange that under the circumstances you would come to me.”
“I can’t make this public in any way. What I’m doing is at least borderline criminal itself.”
“Making me an accessory.”
“Maybe.”
“You’d make a very bad lawyer. You’re giving me every reason to walk away. Do you have a single reason for me to stay?”
“So you can do the right thing. So you can see if Junior is getting his hands dirty or keeping them clean. If he’s keeping them clean, maybe you two can start again. Although I can’t explain more, you might be saving the entire town of Waterbend from ruin. And, finally, I would consider it a personal favor, and would make myself available to you should you ever need my services.”
“Those services don’t seem to flinch at the idea of criminal activity.”
“Again, I simply can’t provide an explanation now. Although if you help, or even if you don’t, you will understand in a few days.”
“Do you think Junior is involved?”
“I do.”
“At least you’re honest, Danny.”
“It’s often considered a fatal flaw.”
“Someday you should ask your father about how we know each other. I know more about him than the public perception.”
“He’s a very complicated man. Right now a very sick complicated man.”
“So I understand. You need the money now?”
“I needed the money yesterday.”
“You’re asking me to gamble on my son.”
“I know.”
“And you’re telling me that you would bet against him.”
“There’s that worthless honesty gene.”
“If I say no, I’ll never be sure if I could have helped Junior or helped in all the ways you mentioned.”
I decided silence was the best option for the moment.
He took out his checkbook and wrote a check. It was made out to “cash”.”
“You can’t say that I won’t regret it, can you Danny?”
“No, sir. But I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think it was necessary, that in any circumstance you would be doing good, and that it would provide some clarification about Junior.”
“I’ll read about this in the papers.”
“Yes, sir. New York stations will be out here.”
“It’s a big gamble.”
“Yes, sir. Is there any other kind worth taking?”
He laughed. “I like you, Danny. I did this because I have faith in you. In a way, as we speak I realize that deep within me I have some faith in Junior.”
“You’re a real father,” I said.
He stuck out his hand, and I shook it.
I went back to the pharmacy and made three calls. The first one was to Cromwell. He said he was going out anyway and would meet me at his bank, which was in Patchogue.
I drove over to the Union Savings Bank, which to my mind was the best bank in the county, and met Cromwell. He made the deposit in his account and promised to proceed as we had planned.
“This is way too big, Danny. We both could get arrested.”
“You have any other words to calm me down, Cromwell?”
“No. Not a one.”
“Make your call.”
I walked away.
The next stop was the house where Ari had taken Jennifer. Hannah was visiting when I got there. Maybe she wanted to say good-bye before she left.
Jennifer ran up to me and began hugging me.
I bent down and we held each other.
“Mr. Ryle, Miss Drake is so nice. She plays games. And she never tires of telling me stories. I wish she could move in here, but she said she has to go home. I’m going to miss her.”
“Me too, Jennifer.”
Ari took Jennifer, and Hannah and I sat down to have a cup of coffee.
“I’ve got a ticket and I’m going in four days. I was going to leave earlier, but this is a better rate. Can I call you to ask about Jennifer?”
“Any time you want, Hannah. In fact, I’ll really look forward to your calls. And once we settle Jennifer’s situation, please come visit.”
“As often as I can afford it.”
“I’ll pay for your trip whenever you want to make one.”
“That’s very kind of you.” She sipped her coffee, looked thoughtful, and said, “What about that woman in the Congressional office? Is she going to adopt Jennifer?”
“In fact, I’m going there as soon as I leave here. I’ll try to get a decision from her. She’s a wonderful person so I hope she’ll say yes.”
I stared across the table at Hannah. I was surprised how easy it was it speak with her, how well we worked together. I thought maybe it was just familiarity, but she seemed very attractive. I asked her about her plans back home. She didn’t sound enthusiastic.
Ari came back with Jennifer.
“Ari took me to the playground, Mr. Ryle. I swung almost to the sky. It was so much fun.”
I spoke some more with Jennifer, and then I got up and drove up to Port Jefferson, to the Congressional office.
I was surprised as I stood outside the office. I was nervous.
I went in, said hello to various people, and sat. Janet was busy speaking with a constituent and helping him fill out some forms.
When she was done, she signaled me to come over.
“Sit, Danny.”
I did.
“I know why you’re here, Danny. I spoke with my husband. It’s just a matter of timing. It’s no
t the right time for us to have a child. We need to work hard at our careers to save money. If we travel, we just want to travel together. I’m sorry. I know you’re disappointed.”
“I don’t want to push, Janet, but is there any room for hope for me to convince you?”
“You might be able to convince me of anything, Daniel Ryle. But in this case, it is a final decision. I went through all the doubts and uncertainties, thought through all the options carefully. It’s a serious no.” She paused. “Your face turned pale.”
“It’s not because of you, Janet. I don’t want you to do what’s not right for you. It was just a second when I thought of what might happen to Jennifer. But I’ve got to be positive. Trust the system. That’s an old saying, and I guess I have to accept the idea.”
The Congressman was out so I said good-bye to Janet and went outside.
I checked my watch.
A few hours to go.
I had my own job to do. I figured it wouldn’t be a good idea to eat. I filled my car with gas and headed out.
My hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly.
I forced myself to loosen up.
It was odd.
In a matter of hours I could be working toward a solution to the killing of the Meadows or I could be in jail where no one could help me.
I thought of Jennifer. Did I have enough political clout to adopt her myself? Maybe another neighbor on our block could do it? I made a mental note to check with them, knowing that was futile. They would have already stepped forward.
My mind was babbling to itself. That’s the form fear takes in me.
I turned on the radio and rode toward my future.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
It was a sunny day in Waterbend. That was too bad. It meant people would be walking on the sidewalks. I found the space I wanted down the block from the bank, but a car was parked in the spot. The driver came out about five minutes later and moved. People parked, went into the stores, got what they wanted, and left. I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t have a long wait as I parked.
I turned on the radio to check the time. My watch was working well. Mr. Blaine and I had synchronized our watches and worked out the plan to the minute. I thought people synchronized their watches only on television, but it made a lot of sense, and I thought it would be useful.
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