Funny Money

by Traci DePree

  “You should think about entering the beginners’ competition at the Pine Ridge Country Club next month,” Audrey put in, coming behind her husband. “If the two of you can find partners, you’d do real well.”

  She looked to Paul and Kate and added, “You could enter it too, Mr. and Mrs. Hanlon.”

  “A competition?” Georgia perked up, a smug expression stealing across her face.

  “There’s even prize money for the winner,” Audrey said.

  Renee Lambert and Sam Gorman danced closer, and Renee said, “Is that open to just anyone?”

  Sam shook his head vigorously.

  “I am not making a fool of myself at any dance competition,” Sam said. “Sorry, Renee, but you can look for a new partner too.”

  Renee’s mouth opened and closed like a landed trout.

  “Do you really think we’d do well?” Georgia went on.

  “Absolutely,” Audrey said with a smile. “But you can’t dance with your sister! The judges would frown on that. Tell you what,” she went on, “Hal and I have a competition coming up in Pine Ridge. Come and see what it’s like. If any of you catch the bug, you can decide then.”

  WHEN KATE AND PAUL climbed into Paul’s pickup to head for home, it was a little past eight. Kate felt invigorated by the exercise and social time. It had helped her forget about the trouble with the Lourdeses for an hour, though as she settled into the passenger seat, the reality quickly returned.

  Glancing down, she noticed a message on her cell phone. She hit the button for voice mail and waited for it to connect.

  “Who is it?” Paul asked as he wended through the streets of Copper Mill.

  Shadows grew long in the quaint town. A few residents were on porches or in their gardens. He reached the turn for Smoky Mountain Road as a voice came on Kate’s line. It was Amy Lourdes asking Kate to call her.

  Kate called Amy, who immediately picked up.

  “The attorney met with Tim today.” Amy sounded sad. “He’s going to make a motion to allow Tim to stay in the Copper Mill jail instead of transferring him, so that he can be near Jake. It seems to be the best option at this point, since exonerating Tim seems less and less likely. The lawyer told me what they found on the hard drive of Tim’s computer...”

  “And what was that?” Kate said.

  “There were e-mails about counterfeiting. As well as encrypted stuff. And scans of bills in different denominations.”

  Scans of bills. Kate closed her eyes as the statement settled deep. She was trying to free a guilty man!

  AMY CALLED AGAIN the next morning just as Kate opened her Bible for her quiet time.

  “I’m sorry it’s so early...It’s Jake,” the young mother said. She sounded as if she’d been crying. “I’m worried. A fever took root at three o’clock this morning; it’s one hundred and one degrees. He’s been up all night, hacking and wheezing. If we lived near family, I’d call them, but—”

  “Don’t apologize. I’m glad you called,” Kate said, glancing at her watch. It was six thirty. “I’ll be over right away, okay?”

  When she arrived at the home, Jake’s vapid, lifeless expression and Amy’s worried brow told her enough.

  “Let’s take him to Urgent Care in Pine Ridge,” Kate said.

  Amy lifted her son effortlessly, attesting to his thin frame and years of ill health. They were at the Pine Ridge Hospital’s Urgent Care facility within less than a half hour.

  “The fever has me concerned,” Dr. McLaughlin, the ER doctor, told Amy and Kate after looking Jake over. He was a handsome man with a shank of dark hair and crow’s-feet that added a sense of maturity and wisdom to his look.

  “I’m putting him on an IV right away. We can’t let him get dehydrated.” His brow furrowed as he studied Jake’s weary face. “I’d like to admit him. Make sure it doesn’t turn into something worse.”

  Amy turned to Kate. “Tim’s arraignment is today. I have to be there.”

  “You go,” Kate assured her. “I’ll stay with Jake until you get back.”

  The young mother’s face twisted; she was clearly struggling with what to do.

  “I’ll be okay, Mom,” Jake promised weakly.

  “I have your number,” Kate assured her. “I can call if there are any changes.”

  Amy chewed on her lower lip before finally conceding. “The arraignment is at ten.”

  “It’s no problem.” Kate touched her shoulder, and Amy inhaled.

  “Thank you.”

  BY NINE THIRTY, Amy was on her way. Kate sat by Jake’s bed as he slept and struggled for breath, but the fact that he was sleeping was a good sign. She glanced at her watch. Only five minutes had passed.

  She needed access to the computer evidence against Tim. She knew it would help to see those scans and the other files the Secret Service found so incriminating.

  Was she indeed trying to free a guilty man? For Amy’s and Jake’s sakes she hoped not. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Tim’s attorney.

  “Lincoln Finch’s office,” a woman said in a too-deep voice.

  It seemed to Kate that with a name like Lincoln Finch, the attorney had been destined to be a lawyer for the down and out.

  “Hello, this is Kate Hanlon. I know Mr. Finch is at Tim Lourdes’ arraignment,” she said. “I heard about the added evidence in the case and wanted to ask some questions about it.”

  The Lourdeses had previously given the attorney permission to talk with Kate about the case, so she was able to bypass attorney-client confidentiality. She could hear the assistant clicking on a computer keyboard.

  The woman breathed deeply, and the alto voice returned. “There were fifteen e-mails to someone named Max Lee regarding counterfeiting,” she began. “I can get you the printouts of those. There were also scans on his hard drive.”

  “Do you have the details on that as well?” Kate asked. “Image resolution, that kind of thing?”

  “I do. I’ll add copies of that to the file for you. When can you come by?”

  “I’m at the hospital with Jake while his mother is at the arraignment.”

  “I didn’t know he was in the hospital. Is everything okay?”

  “I’m not sure,” Kate said.

  “Tell you what, I’ll drop these by myself this morning.”

  KATE HAD THANKED the attorney’s assistant effusively when she dropped off the file. Now, as Jake slept, Kate looked through the contents of the thin folder. The e-mails struck her as odd.

  Instead of using coded language, Tim wrote openly and frankly about counterfeiting. Messages like “I managed to get those fifties printed off. The alignment was tricky, but they look pretty good. I’ll meet you at the Market Street bridge in Chattanooga to make a drop.”

  Who was this Max Lee? And why would Tim have told him anything about counterfeiting? Was this the accomplice the Secret Service was searching for?

  Kate flipped to the information regarding the scanned notes. There was nothing of particular import that she saw, except that the printout looked drastically different from the counterfeit bills she’d seen. The green inks were much brighter in this version, and the fine lines were almost completely obliterated. Something about it felt wrong.

  AMY RETURNED AT THREE. “He was indicted,” she said simply.

  She came to stand alongside Jake’s bed. The boy was asleep. A nurse had come at eleven to use the electric clapper on his back. It had been a cruel ordeal to watch, but one that the boy was accustomed to. Now he was as peaceful as a kitten asleep in the sunlight. Amy touched a hand to his brow.

  “How are you holding up?” Kate said.

  “I keep hoping God will fix all this, but it’s just getting worse.” She took a deep breath and pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down.

  “God is here,” Kate assured.

  “I do trust him,” Amy said, “but we’ve never gone through anything like this.” She searched the ceiling as if she could find answers there.

  “Can I pray with yo
u?” Kate offered.

  Tears rolled down Amy’s cheeks, and she nodded. “I’d like that.”

  Kate reached for Amy’s hand, and the two women bowed their heads. For a moment the only sound in the room was that of Jake breathing in and out, then Kate began. “Father, this family needs you. Jake needs your healing touch. Tim needs wisdom and so does Amy. Help them to find a way through all of this. Work your justice. Send them your love in a tangible way. We know that all things work together for good for those who love you—that is your promise. Amy loves you. So please do what you do best—reveal your compassion to her.”

  They lifted their faces, and Amy wiped the tears that marked her cheeks.

  “What would I do without you here?” she said.

  Kate smiled. “God’s taking care of you.” She turned her head to Jake, who’d awakened. “And him.”

  BY SATURDAY MORNING, Jake was back home. Kate breathed a sigh of relief when she got the news from Amy.

  “They told me to watch him closely, but there was no infection in his lungs.”

  “Oh, I’m so glad,” Kate said.

  “I’m going to take him to see Tim again today. He misses his dad.”

  “Do you need company?”

  “Thanks, but we’ll be okay. I can sense that prayer of yours already working.”

  Kate smiled, glad that at least the difficult time was serving to strengthen the young woman’s faith.

  “Did the lawyer say anything about when Tim could come home? Can he get out on bail?”

  “No. He made a motion for bail, but the judge denied it for some reason.” Amy sighed. “At this point, I’m just glad he can stay in Copper Mill. Since they have to get the case ready, it sounds like he could be sitting in that jail cell for weeks.”

  “And...” Kate’s voice faltered. How could she ask this without sounding nosy? “How are you making ends meet?”

  Amy didn’t answer at first. “We were having a hard time before. This hasn’t exactly helped us.”

  “Do you have any bills right now that you can’t pay?”

  Amy paused. “The electric bill is past due.”

  “You should take the offering money, Amy. The church meant it as a gift for you and Jake as much as for Tim.”

  “But with this cloud hanging over our heads...” Silence followed. “It’s just not right,” Amy went on. “I believe that God will have to find another way to meet our needs.”

  Kate frowned. It didn’t seem right to ask, but she had to know. “Amy, have you ever heard the name Max Lee?”

  “No. Who is that?”

  Kate couldn’t bring herself to tell Amy that it was the name of the man her husband was apparently in collusion with.

  Chapter Thirteen

  After they hung up, Kate continued to wonder about Max Lee. How was it that Amy had never even heard the man’s name? Was she lying? If so, she was awfully convincing.

  Kate pulled out her laptop, setting it up on the kitchen counter to connect to the Internet. While the modem dialed up the number, Kate got a glass of iced tea from the fridge.

  When she returned, she punched in her password and was soon searching for the name Max Lee. It was a common enough name. When she typed in the e-mail address from the sheet that Lincoln Finch’s assistant had given her, nothing came back in the online white pages. She attempted to send a generic message; it bounced back.

  She tried searching for just his name. There were two hundred and seventy-two listings.

  So she narrowed it to Max Lee in Tennessee, which seemed reasonable, since Amy had mentioned that they had always lived in the state. This brought the number to a manageable twenty-five. But which one was it?

  Kate tapped her fingers on the countertop. She remembered Amy mentioning that they were from Memphis, so she changed the search criteria yet again. One listing. Picking up her cell phone, she dialed the number and waited for an answer.

  “Hello.” A female voice came on the line.

  “Yes...um,” Kate began, “is there a Max Lee in the house?”

  “This is Maxine...”

  Kate hadn’t expected that. “Do you go by Max?”

  “No. Who is this?” She sounded young, teenager young.

  “Do you know a Tim Lourdes?” she tried.

  “Never heard of him.”

  Kate thanked the woman for her time and hung up. She thought about calling the other twenty-four Max Lees in the state, but decided against it. Even if she could find the one associated with the e-mails, the odds of his spilling it all to Kate weren’t on her side. She’d need to take another tack.

  EMMA’S ICE CREAM was a favorite hangout in Copper Mill. It was packed with laughing teenagers when Kate and Livvy made their way inside after Livvy got off work on Monday.

  The librarian had brought some meals by the Lourdes’ home when she’d heard that Jake was back from the hospital on Saturday, and she’d volunteered to help Kate ramp up her sleuthing. Even still, Kate was losing heart. It seemed she was turning over rock after rock only to discover nothing of value. Nothing that the Secret Service hadn’t already revealed.

  At least they knew where bills were showing up. Perhaps that trail would yield better results.

  Seventeen-year-old Anne Jackson was behind the counter. She offered the women a smile. “Hi, Mrs. Hanlon...Mrs. Jenner. How can I help you?”

  “Hi, Anne. Is Emma around today?” Kate returned her smile. Over the girl’s shoulder, she could see Emma’s gray head moving in and out of view through the open doorway.

  “I’ll get her.” Anne turned to speak to her boss.

  “That ice cream looks good.” Livvy was gazing through the glass case.

  Kate’s mouth started watering. “I love Emma’s mint bonbon,” she confessed with a wink.

  Just then, Kate heard a teenage boy behind her say, “How can Buck afford a Prowler? Aren’t those babies like forty grand?”

  Kate turned her head slightly, trying to pick up on what the teens were talking about. He had to mean Buck Lovelace, Millie’s son.

  “If you lived with your parents all your life, you’d be able to afford hot cars like that too,” another answered.

  Kate’s pulse throbbed.

  Finally Emma came out, wiping her hands on a white dishtowel, a curious expression on her face.

  “Hello, Kate, Livvy. You needed me?” She wore a yellow dress with tiny pink flowers embroidered along the collar.

  “Yes,” Kate said, giving Livvy a sly glance. “But first, could we get some cones?”

  Emma’s face spread into a grin. “Well, of course!”

  She bent to scoop them two mint bonbon waffle cones. When they’d paid, Emma said, “From the looks on your faces, I’d say ice cream wasn’t the only reason you dropped by.” She looked from Kate to Livvy.

  “Actually,” Kate confessed, “we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about the counterfeits that passed through here?”

  “Well, sure.” Emma stopped to scoop herself a cone, then led them to the only empty table in the shop, near the bins of candy that lined the far wall.

  The boys at the neighboring table laughed at some joke, apparently having moved on from their prior topic.

  The ice cream was rich, decadently fattening. The women sat in comfortable silence as they enjoyed it.

  Finally Kate began. “So,” she said, “do you know when the counterfeit money showed up?”

  Emma squinted her eyes to think. “It was a Friday, about two weeks ago,” she confirmed. “Anne was working.”

  “Was she able to give the authorities a description of the person who passed the bill?” Kate licked her cone just as a drip started trickling down the side.

  “You can ask her when she’s done with that customer.” She nodded toward the girl. “But...if you’re wondering whether I think it was someone connected to the Lourdes fellow”—she shrugged—“that’s hard to say. From what I hear, it sounds like they have an awful lot of evidence against him.�
��

  Kate couldn’t deny the truth of her words, and yet a part of her still believed the man could be innocent.

  “Anne,” Emma called to the girl, who’d finished with the customer. She lifted her pretty face. “Can you come here a minute?”

  The seventeen-year-old cashier ambled over. “Yes?” she said. She was a lovely young woman with blonde hair and pale blue eyes.

  “Kate and Livvy are wondering if you recognized the person who passed the counterfeit money,” Emma said.

  “Oh.” Anne turned to look at each woman, and then she said, “Well, it was a man, two men actually. One was young, the other was older, with white hair.”

  “Two men? Did anyone else see them other than you?”

  Anne shook her head. “I was working the front alone. Brenna was in the back, cleaning the freezer, but she never saw them.”

  “Have you seen them before in town?” Livvy asked.

  “Well, one of them looked like that Tim Lourdes guy, but I admit, I haven’t spent a lot of time with him, so I may have that wrong.”

  “What made you suspect the money was fake?” Kate said.

  “It was this weird shade of green, almost blue like they said at that meeting. But it felt like real money, and when I used the counterfeit pen on it, it reacted like real money.” She shrugged. “So I accepted it. But I still had this feeling...I took it to Emma’s that night.”

  “I knew it was fake,”—Emma picked up the story for her—“especially after I heard about the other bills in town. I called the police right away. Then Sheriff Roberts and that bald Secret Service agent came over to question us.”

  The story only bolstered the Secret Service’s theory that an accomplice was on the loose and that Tim Lourdes was as guilty as sin.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kate found “Boom” Lovelace at Bernie’s Body Shop on the corner of Sweetwater and Quarry streets. Millie’s husband was an ape of a man. He stood over six feet two inches tall, his girth was orbital and his arms hung a bit low.

  He was bent under the hood of a baby blue 1963 Chevy Bel Air that was in desperate need of a new coat of paint. Any shine had long since worn away.

  She moved next to the vehicle and waited for him to lift his head, but when several minutes passed and he didn’t acknowledge her, she finally cleared her throat. “Um...excuse me, Boom?”