Still, the idea was oddly intriguing.
It also presented a solid alternative to doing nothing. Or even worse, stewing all weekend.
"That's not a bad idea," Drake said. "I might make a drive over there this afternoon."
"I might go with you," Ava said. Tried a front kick of her own. Almost fell over from the unwieldy boot on her leg. "After I'm done kicking Ajax's ass, I might be primed for something more lifelike."
"Lifelike?" Ajax sputtered. "Lifelike?!"
In quick succession, he rattled off a jab, hook, thrust kick combo. All three landed square, lifting Ava's character up off the ground.
With one fluid movement he swept forward. Grabbed its body out of mid-air. Slammed it to the ground.
Blood and entrails went one way. A head went the other.
Drake, Sage, and Kade all laughed heartily.
Ava stood rooted in place. Eyes wide.
Ajax folded his sinewy arms across his chest. Snapped his head back, sending dreadlocks cascading down onto his shoulders.
"What now?"
The look of surprise slid from Ava's face. Resolve flooded in.
"Double or nothing."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
"Feel better?"
Drake steered the truck towards Bargain Mart. Looked over to see Ava fixing her hair in the visor mirror. Trying in vain to wipe away the sheen of sweat on her forehead.
"Much," Ava said. "Though something tells me I might need another go round here before long."
Drake nodded grimly. Didn't bother to vocalize that she might have to wait her turn this time.
According to the Bargain Mart website, the man they were going to see was named Thomas Jenks.
The picture online showed him to be a middle aged guy. Red hair. Bad tie. Geeky.
Classic middle management type.
Neither one of them had ever heard of him. Nobody else in the Zoo Crew had either.
Even in a town as small as Missoula, that wasn't terribly surprising. He looked to be almost two decades older than all of them.
And it wasn't like any of them shopped at Bargain Mart.
The lot had a total of three cars in it as they pulled in. At noon. On a Saturday.
Drake grabbed the closest available space next to the door. Turned the truck off.
"The place is open isn't it?" Ava asked.
"Lights are all on," Drake said.
Ava pursed her lips. Nodded. Exited the truck without a word.
The sky overhead was the same milky grey it had been four hours earlier. The same milky grey it would be four hours later.
The famed Missoula Greys were now in effect. Would be most every day for the next six months.
Drake slowed his pace so they walked in at the same time. Felt the cold air recede as the front door slid closed behind them.
To their front, the store extended out in every direction.
Groceries to the right. Clothing to the left.
Signs hung down from the ceiling announcing Toys and Automotive past those. Outdoor and Health & Beauty further back still.
A row of check-out lines created a faux barrier between where they stood and the rest of the store. Most of the registers stood empty, save two on the far end.
A pair of young girls in red vests were beside them. Both look thoroughly bored as they made idle chatter.
"It being Saturday, I guess we should have called to see if a manager was even here," Ava whispered.
"You see those two? Somebody has to be in charge, and I guarantee it isn't them."
Ava snorted. Said nothing as they approached the girls.
"Excuse me," Drake said. Lightest voice he had. Accent turned up high. "Could you ladies tell us where we might find the store manager?"
The two girls stopped mid-sentence. Both turned and offered looks that relayed they didn't appreciate being interrupted.
Neither of the girls looked to be older than twenty. One had an enormous poof of hair and bold makeup streaked across her face.
The other had a ponytail pressed flat against her head. Looked to be somewhere between third trimester and due-any-second of pregnancy.
Pregnant looked Drake and Ava up and down. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes ma'am. We'd just like to talk to him a few minutes."
She paused a long moment. Continued staring at them. Seemed to be considering what to do next.
Finally she shrugged. Motioned towards the back wall with her chin. "His office is on the back wall. Can't miss it."
"Thank you," Drake said. Wove through the aisles towards the back of the store.
Consciously slowed down to make sure Ava could keep pace.
The two cut a path past camping gear and every vitamin known to man. Came out next to a cluster of small offices pressed against the back wall.
The girl was right. There was only one light on in any of the offices. No other people around within twenty yards.
Drake walked directly to the door. Wrapped the back of his knuckles against it.
A male voice replied.
"Come in."
Drake pushed the door open a couple of feet. Stepped inside, Ava right on his heels.
"Mr. Jenks?"
The man behind the desk matched the picture from the website perfectly. He made a face as they entered. No effort at all to stand.
"Yes?"
"My name is Drake Bell. This is Ava Zargoza. I wonder if you might have a couple of minutes."
The vexed face remained. Still, no attempt to stand and formally introduce himself. No motion for them to be seated.
"Okay?" he said. More of a question than a statement.
Drake shuffled a step to the side so Ava could stand beside him. Neither made any effort to sit.
"Mr. Jenks, are you familiar with a man named Craig Galt?" Drake asked.
The look of confusion grew broader on Jenks face. "Craig Galt? Never heard of him. Why? Should I?"
"We believe he used to be an employee here."
Jenks narrowed his eyes a fraction. Seemed to be searching internally for an answer. "No, name still doesn't ring a bell. Might I ask what this is about?"
"Mr. Galt recently passed away," Ava said. "We're helping to settle his estate."
Jenks shifted his eyes from Drake to Ava.
"I'm very sorry to hear that. Still not entirely sure what that has to do with me or this store though."
"Three days ago his wife was made aware of a life insurance policy in his name," Drake said. "However, instead of being payable to her, the balance was paid to Bargain Mart."
Jenks leaned back in his chair. Ran a hand over his hair. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," Ava said. Voice inflection hard.
Jenks dropped his hand to his lap. "I can promise you, this is the first I've heard of it."
Drake cast a glance over to Ava.
"How long have you been with Bargain Mart?"
"My entire career. Over twenty years now," Jenks said.
"And have you ever heard of anything like this?" Drake said. "The corporation cashing in life insurance policies for employees? Past or present?"
"I've never heard of that, period," Jenks said. "I didn't even know it was legally possible to do that."
"It's not," Ava spat.
Jenks fell silent. Looked at each of them in turn.
"Listen, I wish I could help. I really do. But I have no idea what any of this is about. I can make some phone calls on Monday and get back to you if you'd like."
"That would be good," Drake said. Pulled the clinic office business card from his pocket. Extended it to Jenks.
Jenks leaned forward and accepted it. Didn't seem happy to do so. Stared down at the card.
"How do you know for sure that the policy was paid to Bargain Mart?" Jenks asked.
"We called and asked the insurance company. They told us."
Jenks nodded. "And just out of curiosity, how much money are we talking here?"
Ava was alre
ady backing away towards the door. Drake did the same.
"$250,000," Drake said.
The color drained instantly from Jenks' face. His jaw fell slack.
"I...I'll be sure to call you on Monday if I find anything out."
Ava left without a sound.
"You do that," Drake said.
Followed her back out the way they'd came.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
$250,000.
The word, the number, hung heavy in the air.
Thomas Jenks sat at his desk. Stared at the door long after his unexpected visitors had left.
Tried to make sense of what was going on.
Less than a week ago, his business was floundering. Back against the wall, he called corporate and asked for help.
Couple of days later, a deposit is made into his store's account. $250,000 from corporate. No explanation. Seemingly no strings attached.
Just a deposit. A gift from above.
Few days later, a pair of young attorneys show up asking about life insurance policies. Claim that the amount in question just so happens to be the same amount as the one deposited to his store.
A bad taste settled into Jenks' throat.
Of course he remembered Craig Galt.
Jenks was the fifth employee ever hired by Bargain Mart Missoula. He had personally known every single person to ever don a red apron.
Some he considered friends. Maintained contact with to this day. Others, he could take or leave. Happily waved as they departed the store for good.
Galt was neither.
From what Jenks could recall, he seemed like a good guy. Came on sometime in the late eighties. Worked stocking shelves in the evenings. Kept mostly to himself.
Didn't stay long before moving on to become a logger.
The two never had any problems or heated discussions. They just never had any discussions to speak of at all.
At the time, Bargain Mart employed over fifty people. There were plenty of people he barely knew.
Jenks pushed the thoughts of Craig Galt from his mind. Pulled up the electronic balance sheet Wells had sent him the day before.
Scrolled to the bottom and stared at it.
The second $250,000. Where had it come from? Was it also the result of a phony insurance policy floating around out there?
A hundred questions crowded into his brain. Each one fought for a place at the front of his thoughts. Lasted just long to be heard before being pushed aside for another.
At last, Jenks did the only thing he could think of.
He pulled up his email and sent a request for a brief meeting to Montgomery.
Less than two minutes later the icon on his Skype program began flashing. The annoying ring tone filled his ears.
Horror-stricken, Jenks stared at the icons.
It was Saturday afternoon. He had expected at least the evening to consider how he would approach this. Didn't these people ever leave work?
Jenks looked around the office quickly in search of something, anything, to wet his dry mouth. Found nothing. Resigned himself to having a conversation he already knew would not end well.
A click of the mouse and Montgomery was before him.
Unlike the previous meetings, he was alone. Even on a Saturday night, he was still dressed in a shirt and tie. His jacket hung on a coat rack behind him.
"What now?" Montgomery snapped. No salutation. Not even the slightest trace of collegiality.
"Um..." Jenks mumbled.
Montgomery extended his left arm. Bent it at the elbow and checked his watch. Said nothing.
"I just had a pair of visitors," Jenks finally managed.
The arm slowly lowered. Montgomery visibly stiffened. "I see. Who was it?"
"They, actually. A man and a woman."
Montgomery's face went completely rigid. "And what did they want?"
"I'm not exactly sure. Said they were working as lawyers for a woman named Alice Galt. Something about a life insurance policy for her recently deceased husband being paid to Bargain Mart."
A corner of Montgomery's eye twitched. When he spoke, his voice was the slightest bit softer. "What did you tell them?"
Jenks raised his hands in front of him. "I told them that was absurd. To my knowledge our company doesn't own life insurance policies on employees."
"Mhmm," Montgomery said. Nodded tersely. "Anything else?"
For a moment, Jenks considered asking about the $250,000 deposits.
Opted against it. Decided that, at least for the time being, he didn't want to know.
"No, sir," Jenks said. "I don't know if it means anything. I just thought you'd want to know."
Montgomery grunted. Leaned forward in his chair. "We'll be in touch."
Signed off without another word.
Jenks watched as the video feed disintegrated. The entire screen faded to royal blue.
He pushed a heavy breath out and stood. Ran his sweaty palms down the front of his slacks.
Went out into the store in search of something hard to drink.
Chapter Thirty
Seven o'clock.
Bollocks.
It was Saturday. Montgomery had promised his wife he would be home by seven-thirty. Her parents were coming over for dinner. The monthly gathering where everybody put on a fake smile and pretended they liked each other.
Montgomery checked his watch again. Stared at the screen in front of him.
Just a moment before it had been filled with the pathetic appearance of Thomas Jenks, the bumbling idiot from Montana. A complete moron if there ever was one.
Still, what he had to say was important.
It couldn't be ignored.
The first call Montgomery made was to his wife. Told her he might be a few minutes late. Some things had unexpectedly arose across the pond.
Her reaction was to be expected. Screaming. Hysterics. Profanity.
Threats to leave. Threats to take their children. Threats.
Nothing but empty threats.
They both knew neither one was going anywhere. He needed a trophy wife to show up at events. She needed someone that provided her with an income sufficient to keep her on the upper-echelon of society.
The fact that they hated each other was hardly material.
The second call Montgomery made was to his assistant. Despite the odd hour, she was parked right outside the conference room he now sat in. Told her to get Shaw and McMillan into the room ASAP.
They were there within five minutes.
Montgomery waited until they were seated in their customary positions around the table. Replayed the entirety of his conversation with Jenks.
Waited.
Shaw was the first to bite.
"If they piece this together, it could be a lot of bad press for us."
Montgomery smiled. Shaw, ever the corporate head, always went straight to public perception. It was one of the traits Montgomery liked best about him.
Montgomery nodded. McMillan remained silent.
"It doesn't sound like anybody knows much yet,” Shaw surmised. “Anything they tried to levy at us would be hard to prove. Still, there is a lot of strong circumstantial evidence there."
"Assuming anybody could get their hands on it," Montgomery said. "They'd have to get a federal subpoena to see our financials. Even then, all they would see is a deposit amount into one corporate account. A separate deposit from another account to the store."
The entire team had been briefed on any possible proceedings a week before by legal. Only after hearing every conceivable repercussion did they consider giving Missoula the money.
"Again, circumstantial," Shaw said. "A sum of money goes into one of our accounts. The same amount goes to a struggling store for the same amount the next day.
"The two events happen to coincide with the passing of a former employee. Paints a trail that isn't too difficult to follow."
Montgomery nodded again. There was a lot of supposition in what Shaw was saying.
"Patricia?" Montgomery asked.
McMillan twisted her head slightly. "What Bernard is saying is true, though I think we can lay a little cover for ourselves if need be."
"How so?" Montgomery prompted.
"Ours friends on the ground have already completed the first two names on the list. We have to believe the rest are imminent.
"Even if nobody there has pieced together the connection between these seemingly random events, they might if they know where to look."
"So you're suggesting what exactly?" Montgomery asked. He tried not to let the irritation show in his voice.
Despite being a brilliant economist, McMillan was not the most efficient speaker.
"We start playing with the deposits. Vary the amounts. Wait a few days before or after.
"Missoula has enough cash to get by. Our coffers have more than enough to cover the checks. As long as we get our money back eventually, let's leave a trail they can never follow."
Shaw remained completely still. Elbows resting on the table. Frown set in place.
Montgomery leaned back in his chair. Rubbed the late-day whiskers on his chin.
The idea was sound. It would do exactly as McMillan intimated. Leave a sporadic back trail that would ensure plausible deniability.
"That still leaves us with the problem of Raquel and Hector," Montgomery said.
Shaw and McMillan both remained silent.
"They won't be pleased about a change in plan," Montgomery said.
He knew them well enough to know that was a vast understatement. They were professionals for a reason. Veering the course so dramatically mid-operation would not sit lightly with them.
It would not come cheap either.
Shaw seemed to be working along the same train of thought.
"How much would it take to convince them to stay a little longer?"
Montgomery pulled his hand away from his chin. Tilted his head from side to side. "I think it's more a matter of what we'll pay them than what it'll take. I'm guessing anything less than double just comes off as bad form on our part."
"Agreed," McMillan said. No pause. No negotiation.
Shaw's eyebrows raised just slightly.
"I know we've all considered the question, so I'll ask it here out loud. How committed are we to keeping the doors open in Missoula? It's just one store, and they don't make shit for profits."
Dead Peasants (Zoo Crew series Book 2) Page 12
