Redemption

by Sally Fernandez

  Noble was stunned. “Are you sure it’s an original?”

  “I’m not an art expert, but I think I was able to detect Wyeth’s signature in the upper-left-hand corner of the painting. By the way, I haven’t told Natalie. I didn’t want to freak her out. But there’s more.”

  Noble sat back and listened, fretting over what could be next. He knew that when Max got into her sleuthing mode—anything was possible.

  “Some of Wyeth’s paintings sell for over one million dollars. But wait, before you get too excited—the painting is also listed in the National Stolen Art File at the FBI.”

  “What?” Noble let the shock settle in before he proceeded. He remembered when and where his parents had purchased the art. “I went home for spring break during my first year at Harvard. Soon after I arrived, my parents returned from the county fair. That’s where they purchased that painting for some measly sum. I can’t remember how much, but they never paid more than a hundred dollars for any of their art. They simply liked collecting.”

  Out of nowhere, Noble had a flashback to the time he learned that Hamilton had purchased a painting for two hundred and fifty euros in a flea market in Florence. Later he discovered that he owned a fifteenth-century masterpiece painted by a Venetian named Andrea Mantegna. Noble felt a slight quiver as he recalled that Hamilton ended up selling the painting at a Sotheby’s auction for close to twenty-nine million dollars.

  “Perhaps we should try to get back the rest of the collection,” Max suggested.

  Noble had the same fleeting thought, but wisdom prevailed. “Be careful; I’m not sure I want a stash of stolen goods on my hands.”

  “Did Simon have any way of learning about your parents’ art collection?”

  “I fail to see the connection.” He was befuddled by the question, until the words passed his lips. Another memory resurrected. It happened after the death of his parents, when he returned to Harvard. Simon was the first person he spotted when he returned to campus.

  “After my parents’ death,” he explained, “Simon offered his help. I thanked him, but said there was nothing to do. I told him Natalie and I had decided to hold on to everything, until such time we were ready to sell the house and most of their possessions.”

  “Did you mention the art collection?”

  “Yes,” he divulged with a hint of ire, more directed at himself than anyone else. “Now, where are you going with all this?” He was eager to hear her conclusions.

  “Noble, first there was the stolen art, then the identity theft, the money siphoning, the obscene phone calls, and wait—I saved the best for last—the Chicago police chief is looking to bring Kramer up on narcotics possession.”

  “When did that happen?” He was shocked.

  “I received a call the other day from Kramer’s secretary. It appears the local authorities received an anonymous tip that led them to conduct a raid at his office. That’s when they found the drugs.”

  “I can’t believe Hank’s into drugs.”

  “Listen to me—S as in ‘stolen’—I as in ‘identity’—M as in ‘money’—O as in ‘obscene’—and N as in ‘narcotics.’ Voila!”

  “Spells ‘Simon.’” He was in disbelief, but at the same time amazed at Max’s mental agility. “Nice work, Max. Therefore, the plausible explanation is that he orchestrated his petty revenge crimes before his demise. Perhaps his ultimate revenge all along was aimed at his fraternity brothers and he strived to accomplish his goal from beyond the grave, which only adds luster to his triumph.”

  “I agree. He most likely prearranged his retribution in the case of his death. That’s why I have Stanton reviewing the interrogation reports from Dugway. Maybe one of his recruits is the guy carrying out his wishes.”

  “Good call. You might even discover the secret admirer who sent you the painting.”

  “Cute. There’s still something that puzzles me. You’ve explained how Simon would know about the art collection. So he went after Natalie to get to Paolo. But why would he go after you and Amanda for identity theft?”

  “I suppose, in a way, I stole his identity. When Hamilton and I first discovered that Simon Hall and Mohammed al-Fadl were one and the same, we placed both names on the Terrorist Watch list. From that moment on, Simon was no longer a free man and was forced to go undercover.”

  “And siphoning Chase’s account?”

  “During the interrogation, Chase admitted giving Simon the password to his bank’s online banking system. He swore at the time, he had no idea it was to siphon money for Simon’s slush fund he affectionately named ‘Uncle Rob.’ Chase said he trusted Simon when he told him he was going to set up several untraceable accounts to transfer the funds. He admitted to letting his guard down because of their close relationship.”

  “This is far too interesting and typically ingenious on Simon’s part. I can’t wait to hear about the obscene phone calls.”

  “Simple. It was part of Seymour’s smear campaign tactics he used on Baari’s opponents in the U.S. senatorial race. When his wife discovered he was behind the reported calls, she almost divorced him.”

  Max chuckled. “And Kramer a drug dealer. I don’t buy it either. But why did he go after Kramer at his Chestnut Foundation and not mess around with someone close to him, like Simon did with the others?”

  “I’m not sure where that’s coming from, other than Hank had exhausted his list of close companions because of his perfidy. Perhaps, because he was so engrossed in his foundation, that’s where Simon could inflict the greatest pain. Hank’s betrayal would have given Simon the ultimate axe to grind.”

  “Or perhaps, he needed an ‘N,’” she quipped.

  “Aside from being gifted a painting of mine, anything else strange happening with you?”

  Max wasn’t sure if she should level with Noble, sensing he would take Stanton’s side and order protection. She couldn’t lie to him either, so she used one of his tactics and downplayed her concern. “Just this weird guy in a hoodie that keeps showing up at the Blackfinn. Thus far, he’s been just creepy and harmless.”

  “Did you tell Stanton?”

  “Yeah, he’s been with me every time the hoodie appears on the scene. I’ve got it covered. What about you? Are you still climbing summits, studying your navel, and contemplating life?”

  Ignoring any prolonged personal discussion, Noble bypassed the question and cautioned, “Stay vigilant—Simon’s ghost may have a plan for you.”

  “Comforting thought, but I hear you.” She appreciated his concern, but not enough to let him off the hook. She groused, “Noble, answer my text messages! Otherwise I can’t keep you posted.”

  “I’ll do my best. Gotta go.”

  37

  MEET THE SPENDTHRIFTS

  On the forty-sixth day, Noble entered the reception area ready to run the numbers, until he discovered five empty chairs around the table. At the same time, he picked up on the chatter emanating from the lounge.

  “Anyone working today?” he asked the group seated among the sofas.

  Hank was the first to speak. “I told them,” he replied, in a solemn tone.

  Chase most annoyed, blurted out, “That proves Simon is still out there. Out of all of us, Hank’s confession had to have been the final nail in the coffin.”

  Noble was starting to come to the same conclusion, but he didn’t let on. “There has been no other activity since the initial crime to your families, but Max is still heading up the investigation.”

  “Be straight with us. Who else could have known about Hank’s dalliances with drugs except Simon?” Chase questioned with a tone of apprehension.

  Noble glanced at Hank, surprised he had been forthcoming.

  Hank apparently had no problem, confessing to his brethren that Simon had caught him once using recreational drugs. It was during a time on the campaign trail when the pressure was immense. All it took was a veiled threat from Simon to spur Hank toward other means of legal recreation. He chose the female varie
ty.

  “Simon could have shared that knowledge with anyone,” Noble opined.

  “You mean like the senator?” Seymour quipped, tossing aside his actual concern.

  “Hey guys, you’re blowing this out of portion. It’s probably some sick prank. You have my word that my agency will get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, we have work to do.” Noble let out a deep breath, curtailing any further discussion on the subject. “I’m going to grab another cup of coffee. I’ll meet all of you in a second.”

  The others dragged themselves out of the lounge and headed to the table, preparing themselves to gear up for another round.

  For the next several hours, the members of group relayed all they had exposed after days of diving deep into the spending budget. Now it was time to untangle the veritable web of obfuscation they had uncovered.

  “As a starting point,” Chase opened, “federal spending is over four trillion dollars. Healthcare, including Medicare and Medicaid, has surpassed Social Security as the most expensive entitlement program. Welfare-spending programs constitute a trillion dollars. One-point-five trillion dollars are appropriated to discretionary spending. Without addressing the recklessness, it’s abundantly clear that the greatest negative effect will fall squarely on the low-to-middle-income families.”

  “Why not just raise taxes on the rich?” Hank asked, more than satisfied to belabor the point.

  “Let me say it another way. A millionaire’s tax is a gimmick and it won’t fix out-of-control spending and waste. You could tax the wealthy a hundred percent of their income; it won’t bring us any closer to paying for the entitlement programs. We need to tackle the core issue—recklessness,” Chase stated. He quickly deferred to Noble.

  “The recklessness you referred to stems in part from the disorganization of the governmental departments and the massive redundancy. It’s an unfathomable labyrinth that defies all sensibilities,” Noble stated sternly.

  Chase scratched his head and then asked, “I thought that was Gore’s pet project back in the early nineties?”

  “Correct; the National Partnership for Reinventing Government was set up under Clinton. Gore was tasked with heading up the project. Nothing came out of it. Ten years later the Senate submitted a bill and tried to establish the Government Transformation Commission.” Reading from his tablet, Noble quoted, “Their charter would have been, ‘to help Congress and the president improve government performance, reduce duplication and wasteful redundancies, achieve fiscal sustainability, and enhance credibility with the American people.’ Sadly, it’s still sitting on the Senate’s mountainous prorogue pile. The public knows it as kicking the can down the road, which explains one of the central issues.”

  Paolo added in disgust, “While government talks a good game, the ordure of redundancy is piling high.”

  The others let out a chuckle at Paolo’s phraseology, but continued to listen to him carefully.

  “Each year the Government Accountability Office submits a report to the president and to the Congress. The detailed report identifies areas of overlap and duplication, along with highlighting opportunities to achieve financial benefits, in the way of savings. The Congress has addressed less than half of the proposed suggestions, and they continue to squander billions of dollars each year. Here are just a few examples identified by Congressman McMichael of Texas.” Paolo swiped his tablet and then read them, one by one, as the others followed along on the large monitor.

  FEDERAL AGENCY DUPLICATION OF SERVICES

  •100 economic development programs spread across five agencies within the Department of Transportation.

  •20 programs addressing homelessness are spread across seven federal agencies, including the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development.

  •44 employment and training programs are spread throughout the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor.

  •82 teacher quality programs run through the Departments of Defense, Education, and Energy, as well as NASA and the National Science Foundation.

  •15 federal agencies are involved in administering 30 food safety laws.

  “Also, there appears to be duplication in the appropriation process itself. Here’s a prime example,” Seymour highlighted. “The Senate, as ordered by the Committee on Environment and Public Works, requested fifty-five-million dollars a year until 2019 for programs to be carried out under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. The NAWCA would then appropriate that money to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hmmm,” he said, as he scrolled down the screen on his tablet and continued to read. “Interestingly, the House of Representatives, as ordered by the Committee on Natural Resources, requested thirty-five-million dollars a year through 2018 for programs to be carried out under, none other than the NAWCA, that would in turn appropriate that money to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It appears all is fair in appropriations. They’re all swimming together in the same pool—Unfortunately, it’s our pool of money.” He snickered.

  “Smells a little fishy to me,” Chase added, as he wrinkled his nose.

  “It smells worse than that. I found similar bills,” Hank stated, “but with an interesting twist. You guys remember when we put through the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act in 2010?”

  “Of course,” Paolo answered. “It resurrected a bill that was kicking around in the nineties, which was supposed to ensure that new spending was offset by revenue, whether through cuts or newly added revenue. It was contrived to be a zero-sum exercise. However, I recall there were some exemptions.”

  “Over one-hundred-fifty programs, to be more or less exact. Naturally, Social Security was among them. But what’s interesting, is Pay-As-You-Go has become a euphemism for Pay-As-Much-As-You-Can. By way of example, I came across nine separate bills that fit the definition, all from the House of Representatives, requesting changes to the Internal Revenue Code.” Hank swiped his tablet and a list appeared on the monitor.

  COST OF 9 AMENDMENTS TO THE IRS CODE

  Permanent S Corporation Built-in Gains Recognition $ 287,000,000

  Permanent S Corporation Charitable Contribution 56,000,000

  Charitable Giving Extension Act 80,000,000

  Permanent Active Financing Exception Act 5,563,000,000

  America’s Small Business Tax Relief Act 8,579,000,000

  Student and Family Tax Simplification Act 936,000,000

  Child Tax Credit Improvement Act 7,799,000,000

  Private Foundation Excise Tax Simplification Act 174,000,000

  Amend IRS Code of 1986 for bonus depreciation 39,831,000,000

  Total Net Increase in the Deficit for 2017: $63,305 BILLION

  “Almost sixty-four-billion dollars. Nice number, huh? They were all subject to the PAYGO rules and in a few cases, there is presumed revenue to offset the outlays, but only partially. What you see on the monitor is the net increase to the deficit.”

  “And that’s just nine of hundreds of spending bills that have been put forth before the House and the Senate,” Chase stated, and then showing signs of frustration, he added, “We could spend a lifetime listing all of the abuses, duplications, and instances of milking the system. We must find the means to bring the government-spending mill to a complete halt. It will provide time to seriously reduce spending and install stopgaps to eliminate the fraud. Remember the KISS principle—Keep It Simple, Stupid. The government works best when its policies are kept simple and not made unnecessarily complicated.”

  “What is most disturbing,” Noble pointed out, “is while the government chants the ‘tax and spend controls’ mantra, all taxpayer dollars are channeled straight to the Federal Reserve to pay the interest on the national debt—Did you hear me gentlemen?—The interest on the national debt! Not one penny goes to pay for a spending program. We keep digging a deeper, debt-interest hole to devour our tax receipts.”

  “I thought the purpose of taxation is to take care of the health and well-being of
Americans?” Seymour remarked; it was more of a statement than a question. “They must think we are all a bunch of pishers.”

  “Now you know why the government is so keen on taxing corporations,” Chase expanded. Then, with a bit more petulance in his tone, he elaborated. “Those dollars, in addition to revenue generated through excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco, and firearms, et cetera—are all the money available to pay for the bloated spending programs. At this rate the government will never catch up with itself and will spend an eternity in servitude, requiring the Fed to cover their losses by distributing Monopoly money printed by the Treasury—in essence, continue to pile on the irresponsible deficits to the national debt.”

  “You’ve just given me some more optics.” Seymour chuckled.

  “How do you have so much fun with such depressing information?” Paolo asked.

  “It’s all about the message and the recipient. Remember, I have plans for Julia. This time not to ignore the facts.”

  “You are such a cynic.”

  “May we get back to the point at hand?” Hank prodded, and then continued, “Not only is the spending out of control, so are the billions of wasted taxpayers’ dollars, whether through improper payments, incompetence, or outright fraud. In a report released by the Heritage Foundation, pages and pages of governmental waste were identified. Here—I’ve listed a few for your viewing pleasure.” He swiped his tablet and again read them aloud.

  U.S. GOVERNMENT WASTE

  •Federal Communications Commission spent $2.2 billion in phones for low-income Americans. 41% (6 million) participants found ineligible.

  •National Endowment of the Arts spent $100,000 to fund a video game depicting a female superhero saving planet Earth from climate change.

  •Department of Energy’s Savannah River Facility spent $7.7 million on severance packages for 526 temporarily hired contract workers, in lieu of layoff notices.

  •Taxpayers paid $51 million a year to maintain and operate 3.5 million square feet of unused office space.