Vengeance Is Personal (A Colton James Novel, Book 2)

by Thomas DePrima

  "Not a soul. I promise."

  "So getting the money to you is impossible until I can access it without Uncle Sammy grabbing half of it. The government had nothing to do with my earning it. I paid taxes in the country where it was earned, so I don't feel the IRS should be entitled to take half of what's left simply because I reside in this country most of the year. They already get half of everything I earn here, and that's considerable."

  "So you want me to recover your millions— gratis."

  "Not at all. What I'd like to propose is payment in land."

  "Land?"

  "Yeah. Many years ago, when I first hit it big, I bought some property in Wyoming. Back then I had some idea of retiring there when my popularity waned. A lot of music and showbiz folks fall out of popularity after a while, and I never expected mine to last this long. Anyway, I got the property cheap when compared against today's prices, and I've been paying property taxes all these years and never stayed even one night on the land. If you can recover my retirement package, I'll sell you the entire parcel for one dollar."

  "Georgie, I live in a high-rise co-op in New York City. I'm not a country boy. What am I going to do with a ranch in Wyoming?"

  "You don't have to live there. You could sell it. I can't pay you in cash right now, but you won't lose on this deal. If I were to give you cash, you'd have to give half to the government, right?"

  "Yeah."

  "Well, what you do is hang onto this land for a year, and then sell it and pay the long-term capital gains tax rate of twenty percent, which is the current rate for someone in your tax bracket. You instantly save thirty percent, and it's completely legal. I benefit because I get my retirement package back. I know I'll never use the land once I buy my own island in the Mediterranean. See, this way everyone is happy."

  It sounded great, but I'd have to check with my accountant to make sure it was legal. "Uh, how large is this piece of property?"

  "Somewhere around eighteen thousand acres."

  "Eighteen thousand acres?"

  "Yeah. It's not big compared to some ranches out there. I understand there's a ranch in Wyoming that consists of five hundred forty thousand acres. So my ranch is just a little bitty place compared to that."

  "And what's its estimated value on today's market?"

  "If you're in a hurry to sell and dump it quick, you won't get less than the seven point five million that represents your one percent offer. But if you can take your time and find the right buyer, you might be able to get six or seven times that amount. It's a real pretty piece of land, Colt. It's God's country. Lots of streams and brooks, and a thirty-acre lake. There's a particular spot I really like. It's right on the shore of the lake where you get the most magnificent view of the distant mountains. And there's a flat area within a stone's throw that's large enough to land a corporate jet."

  "Georgie, I can't take your ranch just for finding your retirement package. It's too much."

  "Colt, the ranch is not even worth your usual ten percent fee. And you don't get the ranch unless you deliver. Believe me, getting my package back is worth it. I liked you from the first few minutes after we met. You're the type of man I'd trust with my life and my wallet. I know you'll never tell a soul what's in the book."

  I sighed. I felt like I was taking advantage, and that's something I never do. But Georgie was insistent, and the recovery of his book was worth it to him. "Okay, Georgie. I'll start working on the recovery of your missing book today. When was the last time you actually laid eyes on it, and where were you?"

  "Uh, right here, and it was about a month ago. I made a couple of new entries, put the book away, and burned the notes I had worked from because they hinted at the encryption scheme I use."

  "Can you be more precise about the date?"

  "Uh, let me check something?"

  Georgie opened a file drawer in his desk and pulled out a folder. After a few seconds of scanning papers in the folder, he gave me a date.

  "You're pretty sure that's the last time you saw the book?"

  "It's the best I can come up with. I never thought I'd have to know exactly, so I didn't make any specific notes."

  "Well, it gives me a starting place. When I find your book, do you want to know who stole it?"

  "You're damn right I do."

  "It's most likely someone you'd trust with your wallet."

  "I have to know, Colt. If for no other reason than to never trust them with my wallet again."

  I nodded and said, "I'll be in touch."

  ~ ~

  I called Mia as soon as I arrived back at the hotel.

  "Sweetheart, things down here have suddenly become a bit complicated. I can't return home right away."

  "Oh, no. The reservations for the flights are for tomorrow morning. Uncle Yannis called. He used his influence to get the hearing scheduled for Monday. He says I have to be there."

  "Okay. You go with your bodyguards. And be careful."

  "Oh, darling, I wanted so much for you to meet my family."

  "I still will. Just as soon as I can get away, I'll join you on Thasos. I'm looking forward to meeting Uncle Yannis. He sounds like someone I'll like. I'm looking forward to meeting your whole family, but I have to wrap up this investigation before I go."

  "I'm disappointed, a little, but I understand."

  "You'll be so busy between the hearing and renewing old acquaintances that you won't even know I'm not there."

  "Darling, don't say that. I miss you every minute we're apart."

  "And I miss you as well. Give my love to your family and tell them I'll be there soon."

  As soon as our call ended, I took out the gizmo and went to work. First I used the gizmo's tagging feature to mark Georgie, then I tagged the desk in his study. Starting on the morning of the day he identified as the most likely date he had last seen his book, I watched every time he was in proximity of the desk. He had said he liked to walk around the house in his tee-shirt and shorts, and I could certainly confirm that. But I never once saw him open the secret panel in the desk. Even viewing in a slightly fast forward mode, I never saw any hint that he had opened the panel even once during that entire day. I was afraid to go too fast because it would only take a second to stash the book, so I had to watch boring hour after boring hour while he either worked at his desk or simply sat there drinking beer and watching television.

  It was mid-afternoon when I finished watching Georgie in his office. He hadn't opened the secret panel once. So I went out to get something to eat. I found a Greek restaurant that looked inviting and was about to enter when I remembered that I would soon be in Greece. I was sure I would have plenty of Greek food in my diet over the next few weeks, so I passed the restaurant by and stopped into a Thai restaurant instead. The food was a bit dissimilar to the Thai food I got in New York, but it was tasty.

  After I had halted the rumblings in my stomach, I headed back to the hotel and resumed watching Georgie in his underwear. The gizmo was great, and I owed everything to having found it that fateful day in New York, but I knew of no way I could set it to search for what I wanted to view this time. So I would just have to sit there like a cop on a stakeout and try to watch without falling asleep.

  Over the next few days I did have some much appreciated interruptions. Saul called to congratulate on me on finding all of Georgie's missing possessions. I told him to take a third of my recovery fee and apply it to my mortgage, then deposit the rest in my bank account. I also spoke to Ed Harris, who was delighted with recovering the skip, and I told him to deposit that recovery fee in my bank. He asked if he could call on me again. I told him I'd be happy to help out if the recovery fee was decent, but I probably would refuse if it was less than ten grand. I knew that if I made the amount too low, he'd be calling me for every skip he had to find.

  I spoke to Mia every day once she arrived in Greece. She said things appeared calm, but the economic situation was terrible with so many people out of work. I continued to promise her I'd
join her just as soon as I could.

  ~ ~ ~

  It was eight agonizingly boring days before I witnessed Georgie opening the secret panel in the desk and removing the book. I immediately tagged the book and was ecstatic to see it was large enough for the gizmo to get a lock on it. I'd been afraid all of the surveillance might be wasted effort if the gizmo couldn't track the book. To my dismay, I had learned during the Amsterdam case that some objects are just too small to tag.

  With the book tagged, I could tag the robbery team members one by one, starting with the leader, and then search for a time when they were in proximity of the book.

  My attempts to mate the book to any of the gang members didn't yield a single hit. Obviously, none of them had ever touched it. Even worse was the realization that the book could not have been in the desk the night of the robbery. If it had been, I would have had a match with every team member who entered the study.

  Knowing the book wasn't in the study on the night of the robbery meant that someone had removed it earlier. It could have been an employee, a trusted visitor, or a family member. If it was any of the latter, it was going to be difficult breaking the news to Georgie.

  I started with the person who probably had the most opportunity to take the book and who also was most likely to know of the book. Georgie's wife was presently in France, but I went back a year and found her at home. I tagged her, and then attempted a match. She had been in the study a number of times prior to it being stolen, but in none of the matchups had she ever handled the book. It was not even out of the desk on those occasions.

  Next, I located and tagged Georgie's daughter. Again, there were no matchups where she touched the book.

  My next suspect, and my last, was Georgie's son Jimmy. I hit the jackpot. I witnessed Jimmy's theft of the book and discovered that it was still in his possession. Georgie was going to be shattered. He had done everything in his power to promote the kid's career. Jimmy didn't have half the musical talent of his dad, but Georgie kept trying to make him a star.

  It was still before noon, so I used my laptop to make a flight reservation to Colorado, then showered, shaved, and headed to the airport. I didn't even have a carry-on because I didn't intend to be there more than a few hours.

  The gizmo had shown me where Jimmy was staying, his room number, and that he liked to sleep in the raw. I figured he might be up by now, and I knew the room number, so I went directly to the elevators. When I knocked on the door, a young woman wearing only bikini panties opened it. She smiled at me and showed no embarrassment that her chest was entirely and beautifully exposed for me and anyone else in the hallway to see.

  "Jimmy up yet?" I asked.

  "Who are you?"

  "My name's James. That's my last name."

  "What's your first name, honey?"

  "Colton."

  "Or Colt?" She added in a provocative voice, "Like a young stud horse?"

  "More like the gun," I said as I held up my FBI ID.

  She suddenly seemed embarrassed by her nakedness.

  "We're not doing anything wrong, officer. I'm twenty-one, and I can prove it."

  "Is Jimmy up yet?"

  "No, not yet. He likes to sleep until five once the party ends."

  "Wake him and tell him I'm here."

  "Yes, sir."

  The girl hurried away, allowing the door to swing open. I walked in and stood in the middle of the sitting room.

  I heard some excited talk coming from the bedroom and then some commotion like drawers slamming and closet doors closing.

  A few seconds later, Jimmy came out of the bedroom, wrapping a robe around him as he walked. He looked at me, then looked around to see if anyone was with me.

  "Who are you?"

  "Colton James. I'm a friend of your dad's."

  "Geez, what's he want now? I'm doing everything he told me to do."

  "What he wants is his book. You have it. He wants it back. Now."

  "Geez, I don't know what you're talking about. What book?"

  "The one you took out of his desk in the study."

  "I don't know what you're talking about."

  I held up my ID. "Would you prefer I called the local PD and have them come with a search warrant? You'd be arrested and booked for grand theft robbery. That would probably end any chance for a music career you might have unless you get as lucky as Johnny Cash and build your career inside prison."

  The kid went white. He had been bluffing while he tried to think of what he should do. If he could call his father, Georgie would usually straighten out any mess. But this time it was his father who'd sent the cops.

  "When I said now, I meant now."

  "Uh, I'll get it. Just give me a minute."

  He turned towards the bedroom and I followed along. He stopped, turned, and said, "I said I'll get it."

  "Great. And I'll watch you until you do."

  He grimaced, then turned towards the bedroom and resumed walking, mumbling or grumbling under his breath.

  As we entered the bedroom, I saw two girls lying on the bed. The one who had answered the door was leaning against a dresser. I wasn't surprised. When I'd verified his location, I had seen him in bed with all three.

  Jimmy walked to a guitar case, laid it down on the carpet, and opened it. Taking out the book, he closed the case.

  "Here you are, officer. What now?"

  I flipped through the pages and saw that everything was encrypted, just as Georgie had said.

  "You can't read anything. It's all in some sort of code."

  "So I see. Okay, Jimmy. I don't know what your dad is going to do with you for taking his book, but I'd start practicing my apologies and pleas for forgiveness."

  All he did was shrug and grimace, so I shrugged and grimaced back and then left.

  I got to the airport just in time to catch a flight back to Memphis. As the plane leveled out somewhat after reaching altitude and the flight attendants began dispensing drinks, I pulled out the book and glanced through the pages. All entries were in code, but it didn't look like a financial journal. After quickly glancing through the entire book, I put it away. What the book contained was unimportant. All that really mattered was that I had recovered it. Or was it?

  I thought about the book all the way back to Memphis. I couldn't get it out of my head. Things just didn't add up. Why didn't a supposed financial journal resemble a financial journal in form? Even if the page data couldn't be interpreted, it should still be laid out like a financial journal. And why did Georgie's son steal something he couldn't possibly use? Was he simply trying to keep his father from using it? That didn't make sense if it was a financial journal of Georgie's retirement funds, unless he wanted to keep his dad from leaving the country and renouncing his American citizenship.

  When the plane touched down in Memphis at 8:47 p.m. I had decided on a course of action that would hopefully answer my questions. I took a cab to my hotel and set up my computer as soon as I entered my room. Using my handheld scanner, I copied every page of the journal onto my computer's hard drive. Then I used an optical character-recognition program to convert the handwritten text to digital text. Occasionally the program would stop and highlight something it was unsure of. I'd enter the text using the keyboard and the program would continue until it found more confusing data. In just over an hour I had a fairly faithful version of the original printed document on my hard drive.

  Working with the digital copy, I opened a decipher program I had in my laptop. It wasn't the most sophisticated on the market, but then this wasn't a foreign government encryption. The program was having some success but stated that the probability of accuracy was only forty-two percent. So I halted the operation and used the gizmo to return to a time when Georgie was making a new entry. I positioned the gizmo's view so it was hovering over Georgie's desk as he wrote, and I had a perfect view of what he was transcribing. I stopped the time progression when his hands were out of the way and copied the original document. I immediately knew
my first assessment of the book had been correct. It wasn't a financial journal.

  I associated the page I copied with the page in the digital copy and reactivated the decryption program. In twenty minutes I was able to read the entire journal. It was a bit of a shock. I then encrypted the revealed document with my own encryption algorithm and uploaded a copy to a cloud account I had set up recently. I didn't like cloud storage because it meant someone else had easy access to my private data, but once it was encrypted, the danger of someone stealing it and understanding it was lessened considerably, assuming they didn't have a gizmo like mine.

  The entire process took just three hours. I hadn't eaten anything all day, so I went out to grab some dinner, then returned and spent a couple more hours on the computer and one with the gizmo, preparing for a morning encounter with Georgie.

  * * *

  Chapter Seventeen

  "Colt, do you have good news for me?" Georgie asked with a smile as soon as I was admitted to his home by his housekeeper.

  "I have news, Georgie. Whether it's good is something you'll have to decide."

  The smile disappeared. "That sounds ominous."

  "I think we should talk in private," I said, turning my head slightly towards the housekeeper for a second. He got the hint.

  "Yeah, of course. Come on into my study."

  As soon as the doors were closed, he asked, "Did you recover the book?"

  "Yes."

  "Great. Let me have it. I want to see if it's been tampered with."

  I opened the case I normally used to protect my computer while traveling and removed the book. Georgie reached for it, but I pulled it away. "First things first, Georgie." Reaching into the computer case again I removed a document and handed it to him.