by Susan Slater
He sighed. No, he had to assume that he was the target for someone wanting to keep him from any kind of investigation. Which reminded him—he needed to see if other insurance investigators had run into the same things—had there been any incidents, attempts to discourage them, too?
He looked at his notes. Ferris. He needed to stop by his chop shop in Vegas. Trace the money behind the truck’s overhaul, if he could. Maybe even call Chet’s grandson and verify his granddad’s bank statement. And just chat. Sometimes it was the casual, off-the-cuff comment that opened things up. Worth a shot. Cover the bases before he contacted the Feds. He put the notebook back in his pocket. A lot of running around. He really needed to get back behind the wheel.
But first things first. He pulled his cell out and dialed the Hobbs office.
“Becky, Dan Mahoney here…got a minute?”
“Of course. It’s so good to hear your voice. How are you doing?”
“On the mend…there’s every reason to believe that black and blue won’t be permanent skin colors.”
“Thank goodness! We all have been so worried. How can I help?”
“Do you know of anyone who might have known my schedule that morning—when I was going to get to Wagon Mound or which route I was taking? Besides you and Fred, of course.” It was a mom-and-pop office, two people with a typist/file clerk on call when needed. But they were efficient and had handled all the paperwork on the Billy Rowland Eklund case he’d worked on in Tatum. That last morning had been a check of the details and signing off.
“Other than the bank you mean?”
“What bank?”
“The one you’re investigating. The one with the robbery.”
“The bank called?”
“Yes. The president’s secretary. Actually, not the secretary herself but her assistant. Said she’d tried to reach you and leave a message but your voicemail box was full.”
Lies numbered one and two, Dan noted. “Do you remember a name?”
“I made a note. Alice…something…no, no, that was the secretary. I talked to Amber somebody. I don’t think she gave a last name.”
“That’s okay. Do you remember what she asked?”
“Well, they were planning a little welcoming get-together for that afternoon and it would make a difference which way you were coming. That is, the back way would get you there quicker but up through Albuquerque would be an easier drive—more four-lane.”
Lie number three. “And you told her I was taking the scenic route?”
“Yes, up through Roy. I remember you saying that you’d never seen the lesser prairie. And I mentioned that you’d gotten away early.…She was so sweet and the party sounded so thoughtful. I did wonder though if they weren’t just trying to present the bank in the best possible light. You know, didn’t want any more bad press. Did I do something wrong?”
“No, not a problem.” Time to change the subject. Dan asked if there had been any feedback on the Eklund papers from Chicago, inquired about Fred’s bum shoulder, and then said his good-byes. He snapped the cell shut and sat there.
Amber. Another name for his list. Did this tie in Lawrence Woods? Or was this Amber even the Amber who helped out Stephanie? Odds were that it was but would she have used her real name? It’d be nice if every answer didn’t lead him to a new question.
He opened his cell and dialed the bank. Stephanie was answering phones and he asked her to reserve lunch on Wednesday—his nickel. He had a few questions and would appreciate her giving him some time. They decided on noon and sack lunches from the convenience store—yes, ham and Swiss would be fine—and then they’d find a quiet spot to talk, somewhere outside if the weather was good.
Chapter Eight
“It’s two blocks. I don’t need a ride. I think it’s important that my chauffeur have a day off.”
“But I’ll feel guilty.”
“Yukking it up with my mother and Carolyn, you won’t give me a second thought.”
“I wish you’d reconsider and come with me.”
“Carolyn has to be taken in small doses. Besides, I’m anxious to get out of here. If I stay and continue the interviews, we’ll be that much closer.” He pulled her into a hug. “Mom’ll understand. Enjoy your lunch, but don’t believe everything my mother says about me. Now, go…have a fun day.”
He watched Elaine pull away from the curb. He’d made an appointment to see Doc Zimmerman in the morning. A couple days early, but the doc seemed to be on his side. Dan couldn’t wait to pick up the Cherokee—hopefully in the morning on the way back to Wagon Mound. They’d had to order a part but now it was ready to go. Just sitting there waiting on him.
He gave Stephanie a quick call to double-check her sandwich preference and make sure she was still planning on company. Stephanie had agreed to meet on her lunch hour but had forgotten that she’d also promised to watch phones while Alice Nedderman kept a dentist appointment in Las Vegas. So Dan jogged the half mile or so to the convenience store, bought two soft drinks, two ham and cheese sandwiches wrapped in cellophane plus barbecue chips, and pulled a chair up next to Stephanie’s desk at twelve sharp, hoping the sandwiches wouldn’t turn out to be some kind of trichinosis fix.
“I’m so sorry about this. It’s nice to get away. There’s a park…well, sort of a park about two blocks over. I’d hoped we could walk over there.”
Parentheses reads “get out of here” and maybe out of earshot, Dan thought. But he didn’t see Lawrence, just the guard and a teller. They would pretty much be alone, but that didn’t stop Stephanie from whispering.
“I want you to know that I’ll help any way that I can. I can’t stand to think of Mrs. Kennedy’s loss. She is such a dear. And, oh my goodness, what a beautiful heirloom…with all those memories.” Stephanie leaned forward, thin hands folded in front of her on the desk. After a couple bites, the ham sandwich had been pushed to the side.
“Thank you, Stephanie. Let’s start with some basics…” Dan looked at his notes. “How long have you worked for First Community?”
“Oh dear, forever, I guess…since high school. Well, to be exact, twenty-four years.”
Age, early forties, Dan noted. And time hadn’t been particularly kind if the lined skin and prematurely gray hair were any indications.
“You must have started at about the same time as your boss.”
Stephanie looked confused, “My boss? Actually, I’ve had five over the years. I inherited each one as the bank changed names. First it was Farmers and Stockmen’s Bank, then Citizens Bank, Western Bank, Bank of New Mexico, Norwest, and now First Community—I guess that’s six bosses, isn’t it? ”
“Lawrence, Mr. Woods, hasn’t been here that long?”
“Oh no, less than a year. He was a part of First Community—came with the new name. And I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for these.” She poked a leg out from under the desk and pointed at her nylons. “I could spend a small fortune keeping myself in these. I guess I’m just not cut out for panty hose.”
Dan looked up from his notes and couldn’t think of one thing to say…one appropriate thing, that is. So, he tried to put on a sympathetic face and nod knowingly. Stephanie didn’t seem to notice and went right on.
“I’m going to tell you this and you absolutely cannot tell anyone where you heard it.…”
She paused and Dan couldn’t help himself but tensed as she lowered her voice almost below a whisper and leaned closer, “The bank’s in trouble.”
Then she quickly sat back and looked around.
“What kind of trouble?” He leaned closer and mouthed the words.
“Not enough assets and after this last debacle…” she paused to point in the general direction of the vault, “he’s…” again a look around, “under investigation.”
“By?”
“Feds.” He was now having to read lips.
“They don’t think he had anything to do with…?” He followed suit and silently made a circle with his index finger that took in the vault.
She gave one of those “who knows” kind of shrugs that lifts eyebrows and shoulders at the same time and took a bite of sandwich.
Dan sat back. Wow. This was a new kettle of fish. Good ol’ two-point hanky on the hot seat. Of course, this was…or could be…speculation by a disgruntled employee. He’d remember never to make a subordinate wear panty hose.
“How do you know?”
“I…I opened a summons or something like that—it looked really official and was from the government. I sometimes act as his secretary when Alice is gone. She’s getting implants, so she has to be away a lot.”
Dan figured teeth, not breasts, but didn’t ask. He had guessed Alice to be on the barely sunny side of sixty when he’d met her last week, but you just never knew anymore…wasn’t Jane Fonda in her fifties when she went for the silicon? He remembered Carolyn going on about it—like it was some insult to women in general.
“He doesn’t know that I know. He’d be so upset—that’s why you can’t say a thing.”
“Not to worry. I didn’t hear it here.” Dan made an index and thumb twist of the two fingers in front of his mouth—lips sealed. He felt foolish but the gesture seemed appropriate. Then, he smiled what he hoped was encouragingly, before asking, “What do you think of the allegations? Do you think he’s capable of setting something like this up?” He wasn’t sure just what part the bank president could play or what he’d get out of it, but it offered an interesting new twist. “It’s not what you think,” popped into his head.
“Honestly? I wouldn’t put anything past him. I remember the word ‘mismanagement’ was used…‘failure to stay within guidelines’…that sort of thing.”
Or scapegoat, if Lawrence had inherited a weak bank to begin with. Dan made a few notes, mostly questions to himself, and finished his sandwich. Stephanie followed suit and they sat quietly sharing chips.
“He was starting to act so strangely.”
“How’s that?”
“Well, for one thing he took over one of my jobs for no apparent reason. He said it was a bank procedure that he’d been lax in enforcing. We were getting ready for inspections, so, maybe he was telling the truth.”
“What was that?”
“Supposedly, no one could be left in the vault. That is, all boxes had to be removed, brought out here and the owner would sit in that alcove just behind me to go over their belongings.”
“What had you done in the past”
“I had the combination and master set of keys and could remove the boxes and place them on the table in the vault.”
“Let me get this straight, at one time box holders could sit in the room and do whatever it was they needed to do?”
“Exactly. No one was going to steal anything. There was no way anyone could get into the box of someone else. They only had a key to their own property.”
“That doesn’t sound too unusual. Certainly, the light was better out here.” If he remembered correctly, that had been Lawrence’s point.
“I agree. But there was no reason to cut me out of the loop. He changed the combination and re-keyed the locks. After making certain all the box-owners had a new key, he kept the masters. I didn’t even know where they were.”
“Seems like overkill.”
“At first I thought he didn’t trust me. Just to be spiteful, I didn’t wear nylons for three days—told him I had a rash.” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
The look of smugness said it all. If that’s what it took to “act out” in order to feel better about the slight, it certainly was harmless.
“And he never gave you back the keys or told you the combination?”
“Never. Imagine my relief when the break-in happened. I wasn’t even questioned.”
“Sometimes things happen for the best. Oh, I forgot to ask, did you ever check with Amber…,” he glanced at his notes, “Medger about the date that Mrs. Kennedy returned her necklace?” Now might be a good time to ask a couple other Amber questions, he reminded himself.
A sigh and a shake of the head. “Amber’s getting married and I swear her mind’s a sieve. I even had to remind her of the dates she sat in for me.”
“I’ll use the date that Mrs. Kennedy remembers.” Dan wadded his sandwich wrapper and threw it in the trash beside Stephanie’s desk. “No pressure but I’d appreciate your keeping an eye out. We both want to do right by Mrs. Kennedy. If something catches your attention…if you remember something that might have impacted the robbery, I’d appreciate a call.” He scribbled his cell number on the back of a company card and laid it on the desk.
Then, a stroke of genius…maybe…“Could I have Amber’s number? It would look better if I had her statement about the missing signature. Company’s a stickler about details. I don’t think it means anything but it is a blank that needs explanation.”
“I can but it won’t do you any good. Amber’s long gone.”
“I’m not following.”
“Took off over the weekend with the fiancé. I think they’re going to his home in Alabama. No, maybe it’s Georgia. I don’t remember exactly. But her mother was in this morning, fit to be tied. Amber and her got in a fight before she left. Amber said she had enough money and didn’t need any help and would marry who and when she pleased.”
“Where did Amber work?”
“No place in particular. She did odd jobs…sat in for me, baby sat…for awhile she did those 1-900 phone-sex calls. Middle of the afternoon when her mother was at work.”
“Was the boyfriend from here?”
“No, a biker. They’d only met at the Bean Day Festival.”
“How old is Amber?”
“Nineteen, I think. This was her second year out of high school.”
Dan couldn’t think of any more questions. He was trying to keep from dwelling on phone-sex in the middle of the afternoon and those who would be most likely to do that sort of thing. As he left, he repeated his request that Stephanie call him if she remembered anything else.
Chapter Nine
“No swelling…no lumps or bumps that shouldn’t be there.” Dr. Zimmerman was examining his head and, Dan thought, trying to make a joke. Maybe old Zimmerman was a phrenologist a couple centuries out of time. “Your X-rays look great. No trouble sleeping?” Dan shook his head. “Appetite good?” A nod. Dan followed the penlight with his eyes, tried not to flinch when the staples came out, stood on one foot, then the other, bent over, straightening quickly—all at the direction of the watchful doc. “You understand that the okay to drive is not an okay to overdo it?” Again, a nod.
“Let’s get you in a soft cast for that wrist and that’ll do it for today. I’d like you back in two weeks. But, of course, if there’s anything in the meantime, any questions, changes…I’ll expect a call.” Dan was waiting for a reference to mountain climbing but it didn’t come.
Elaine was walking Simon when Dan joined them in the parking lot.
“Keys, please.”
“Oh my God, you passed.” With a shriek she was in his arms and he swung her around before he kissed her lightly on the mouth, then held her. The second kiss was longer, the kind that makes an embrace tough to pull away from.
“This whole thing has been a nightmare. I can’t believe it’s over.”
“Not quite in the rearview, but close.” Then he realized she was crying.
“Hey, no tears. We’ve won.”
“I’ve been so afraid.”
“That’s past. I’m going to be all right. We’re going to be all right.”
Dan tipped her head back and wiped away two drops that threatened to slide off her chin. “I love you. This is the start of a life together.” The next kiss wasn’t so ch
aste and lasted long enough for Simon to start whining, tired of his forced inactivity.
Dan laughed and took the leash. “Haven’t you seen enough of this parking lot?” But Simon was intent on another round before going somewhat willingly back to the SUV.
They decided to make an afternoon of it. Lunch at the Santa Café, the restaurant that Carolyn had chosen for the girls’ lunch with Mom; some window shopping on the Plaza, then back on the road, stopping in Las Vegas to pick up the Cherokee.
Yeah, life probably couldn’t get much better than this, Dan decided as he headed the Cherokee toward Wagon Mound.
***
“Well, we know you’ll have to be here another two weeks. So it makes sense that I go home, turn in the Flex and bring the Benz back. We don’t need two rental cars. And Jason emailed this morning. He wants to spend a couple days of fall break at home. I may not have a chance to see him again before Christmas. After last summer and the problems with his father…well, I just can’t say, no.”
“Hey, no apologies. That’s great.”
“If I take off today, I’ll be back next weekend. Think you can stand to be without me that long?”
“It’ll be tough.” Actually, it would be; he’d miss her but he was busy and could understand her need to get away—stir-crazy probably didn’t adequately capture it. And he and Simon could batch’ it. What was a measly week when they’d have the rest of their lives? And she’d be safe—away from whatever seemed to hang over this investigation—hang over it and threaten them.
***
As much as he’d prefer to be following up leads connecting Chet Eckles to the rollover that almost killed him, Dan figured UL&C would rather be paying him for investigating the robbery. Would expect that to be his first order of business. He could do the other in his spare time. So he called each of the three numbers that Lawrence had given him linked to safe deposit box owners who had lost valuables, and made appointments to discuss their losses. All seemed older—he’d guessed correctly about the Palmer method of handwriting—one elderly man who lived with his wife; a second senior who lived with his daughter and her husband; and the last, a single man, the Peter Jenkins who put PhD behind his name. The appointments fell into place—all seemed willing to talk. Two appointments for that afternoon and Dr. Jenkins in the morning.
