“Sure thing!”
Natalie reached me the form while I pulled out my cell. I pulled up my Pittsburgh bank’s app and input the new account number for a transfer. After a few seconds, all my money was transferred to Grundy National except for a grand. In case Sara needed something. “Natalie, could you check my account balance for me? To make sure my transfer went through?”
“Sure, I’d be happy to!” she replied while her fingers smacked her keyboard. “Yes, I see a transfer already posted. Your balance is… is…” Natalie trailed off with wide eyes staring at her screen.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No… It’s just saying account balance is one point two million…”
Shey turned her head to me, her eyes wide as well. “Holy shit…” she mumbled.
“Watch your mouth, Squirt,” I replied to Shey. Looking to Natalie with a bit of a smirk, I said, “That’s correct. Thanks.”
“You’re… You’re welcome.” She gathered herself for a moment before grinning once more. “Mr. Logan, that’s an impressive sum. Would you be interested in buying a cash deposit or talking with one of our financial advisors about investments?”
“No, thanks. I prefer to handle my own assets personally. It’s worked out pretty good so far.”
“Yes, Sir,” she answered, somewhat disappointed. “Is that all I can do for you today?”
“When will our debit cards come?”
“Shouldn’t be more than a few days. I can get you set up with some temporary cards if you’d like?”
“Nah, that’s alright. Have a great day.” I looked at Shey. “Come on.”
“You guys have a great day too!”
Shey followed me outside. We had been in there for about forty-five minutes in all, I guess. The fog started to recede from the surrounding mountains and allowed the morning sun to shine down. Shey was still staring at me dumbfounded. No doubt that Angel had told her I had money, but obviously not how much. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“You’re rich. You’re freaking rich!”
“I wouldn’t call it rich. Prices get higher every year…”
“Shut your mouth, Uncle Tommy! You have over a million dollars in your account! Where in the hell did you get so much money?”
“A good chunk of it was severance from the military.”
Shey slowly shook her head, still in disbelief. “The army pays that good? Screw college.”
“It isn’t that simple, Shey. I was a special operative. A lot of that money was for me signing a confidentiality agreement.”
“So, what? You mean they’ll take it if you spill the beans on something?”
“Yeah, they will. And probably execute me as a traitor.”
“Shit…”
“Yeah, lots of shit.”
Shey paced back and forth for a minute, her mind still boggled over my wealth. “What about the rest?”
“I don’t get out much. I’ve only owned one car my whole life. Ever since China, I’ve just buried myself in work. It hasn’t left with much recreational time.”
“Left time for Sara…”
“That wasn’t me, that was your mother.”
Shey paused for a moment. “Oh my God! Does Sara know? I bet she’s a gold digger!”
I laughed a bit towards Shey. She automatically assumed the worst about Sara. Sara had no clue how much money I actually had. She did know I had a good position and made a decent living. “She has no idea. I’m not dumb.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You going home?” I asked.
Shey sighed a bit while she looked at Angel’s SUV. “I suppose. I don’t really want to, though.”
“I know, it’s hard.”
Shey started tearing up. She took a deep breath before she wiped her eyes. “It just isn’t the same there. I don’t hear her laughing at her phone… Or her getting mad at her stupid game. She isn’t aggravating me to get out of bed or pick up my room…” Tears started streaming down Shey’s face at that point. “I miss her Uncle Tommy, I miss her more than anything.”
I wrapped my arms around Shey and squeezed her tight. “It’ll be okay. We’re going to make it. You’re going to go on and she is going to be so proud of you. She’ll be watching every step of the way.”
“Thank you, Uncle Tommy,” she sobbed.
I pulled away and placed my hands on her shoulders while giving a smile. “Don’t go home.”
“I don’t have anywhere to go.”
“Sure you do. You’re going away to college soon. You need new clothes, a mini fridge, and maybe even a case of cheap beer.” Shey couldn’t help but laugh at that last bit. “Now, you go inside there and get you some money. Then you get in that car, turn the music as loud as you want and go to Johnson City and shop.”
“What? Really?” she asked. I nodded my head. She grinned and hugged me as tight as she could. “How much?”
“Just get what you think you’ll need.”
“Thank you so much!”
“Don’t you dare come back with a Corvette or some other nonsense, though.”
“Cars are your thing… I prefer jewelry.”
“No jewelry.”
Shey laughed, still squeezing me. “Fine, fine.” She pulled away. “What are you going to do?”
“First day of work. Gotta make a good impression…”
“So you’re going to go yell at people?”
I thought of how sloppy they had handled Angel’s murder. I wanted nothing more than to walk in there and start tearing everyone’s ass all the way up to the Commander. “Quite possibly.”
“You’re such an asshole,” she replied, smiling.
“Takes one to know one.”
“That’s so third grade.”
“Bite me?” I said while shrugging.
“Fourth Grade…” Shey started walking back towards the bank. “Have a good day at work, Uncle Tommy!”
I couldn’t tell if she was serious or being sarcastic. She probably knew I had an agenda to carry out; just no idea how deep it would get. Hell, I had no idea how deep it would get. At least Shey is out of here. She’s away from it and she has all my money to take care of herself.
A heavy draw on my cigarette kept me calm while I drove deeper into Grundy. It was a four-lane highway with a speed limit of thirty-five. My baby could get rowdy at those lower speeds; she liked to go fast. I remember wanting to cut her loose so many times through there on that smooth pavement but had to resist each urge. There were a few chain restaurants and fast food places beside the road, accompanied by even more banks. Ridiculous. I drew closer to the center of town. Wal-Mart was there in a Plaza. We blew up half a mountain to build it. It took forever it felt like just to get the site ready for Wal-Mart to build. Our tax dollars at work, I guess. I drove by the bridge that led over to the plaza and couldn’t help but notice the walking bridge a short distance down from it. Anybody with half a functioning brain knew that was a waste. It literally went from the plaza, across the river, to the road. It went nowhere. There were no buildings directly next to the road. If they had spent a little more and built it overtop the road, it would have been useful. The bridge would have then led to the courthouse, alleviating the congestion in the parking lots. Hell, even the law students could have walked to school if they wanted to dodge the crazy parking situation there. The law school was just a little way down from the courthouse. Eight million dollars wasted on a bridge to nowhere. Our elected officials were nothing short of morons.
I drove past the bridge to nowhere and could see the agency around the curve. It was a strong concrete building with a parking garage on the lower levels. It was a repurposed theater. The building choice made sense. It was easily the strongest building and most defensible in the county. I tossed my smoke out the window and turned onto the side street, heading towards the agency. My baby grumbled up the ramp to the second-floor parking area, the enclosure giving her exhaust note an extra menacing tone. I loved hearing her like that.
After I parked, I got out and looked around at the personal vehicles of the agents in Grundy. Some were expected, entry-level vehicles and mid-range for higher ranking agents but some were out of the ordinary. Trucks that would retail for sixty thousand at least, without all the aftermarket modifications. Some high dollar sports cars. Top tier agents could afford them. Lieutenants usually came in at just about one hundred thousand a year… But there weren’t that many Lieutenants in a single agency. Especially one as small as Grundy.
I shook it off and walked towards the stairway up. After exiting the stairwell onto the top floor, I observed the modifications the ASA had made to the building. An extra floor was built, probably holding cells and such. I could see the helicopter’s rotor sticking over the edge of the building. I doubt it had ever got used much, probably mostly med flights. The doors appeared to be the same from when it was a theater. Large glass panels and a handle to pull the door open, like what you’d see at a store or restaurant. I was about to meet Commander Robins. It was hard to quell my temper. The need to punch the asshole in the face as soon as I laid my eyes on him was fierce, but that wouldn’t have helped things.
Entering the agency was a bit different than the one in Pittsburgh. That building was built specifically for the agency where this one was repurposed. The lobby had a counter in it, where the old concession stand was. A few agents were working behind it with one female at the counter waiting for anybody that came in. I could hear the dispatcher working in the background, taking account of all the traffic stops and whatever else that was radioed in. The lobby also had a waiting area, which was odd. Every ASA building I had been in was straight business. Most people who came through the door were Agents or in cuffs. The female agent watched me approach the counter. “Can I help you, Sir?”
“Yes, Lieutenant-Commander Thomas Logan here to report in with Commander Robins.”
“You’re Logan?” she asked. I guess I didn’t meet her expectations for whatever reason. Maybe it was the light facial hair… Maybe the jeans or hat. Didn’t matter to me, though. With rank comes privilege. I answered her question with a nod. She nodded her head. “Right, Sir. Commander Robins has been expecting you any day… Or at least a phone call.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“I’m sure. That business with your sister is unfortunate. Give the Commander some slack, he’ll probably bite your head off for not calling, but he’s just under a lot of pressure with the murder. I’m sure you understand.”
“Right…” I wanted to cuss her. Shit pissed me off to no end, saying that she was sure I understood. Murders weren’t stressful. Find the perp, kill the perp. Case closed. In hindsight, I wish it was that simple with Angel’s case. “Where is the Commander’s office? I’m sure he’s eager to meet me.”
The agent pointed to a hallway leading out of the lobby. There used to be a ramp there that led to the cinemas of the theater, but it was flat now. “Go through there, follow the hall to the end and his office is on the left. I’ll call back and tell him you’re coming.”
“Don’t worry about it. He’ll know I’m here soon enough.” I turned away from the agent and proceeded down the hallway. The small windowed doors that lined the back wall gave me a slight pause. Most rooms had various desks in it, a few had single desks. Only a handful of agents were in the office space. Most were probably out on patrol, or taking it easy at home. I could see the end of the hallway. Robins probably had no clue I was coming at that moment. The carpet of the hallway muffled my steps pretty well. There I was at his door. I gave a couple pecks and entered. “Commander Robins?”
Robins skin was dark. He might have had some Hispanic lineage or maybe some distant African American. Buchanan County was mostly caucasian. That just gave me more reason to believe he wasn’t native to the area. His hair was grayed around his ears, but pitch black everywhere else. He looked up at me, peering away from his newspaper. “Can I help you?”
“Lieutenant-Commander Thomas Logan, reporting for assignment.”
Robins folded his paper shut and tossed it on his desk. He stood up and walked around towards me. “Sit,” he commanded.
I sat down, knowing good and well the ass chewing was coming. “It’s nice to—”
“Shut up!” he shouted.
“I don’t know how in the hell you did things in Pittsburgh but that isn’t how we do things here!”
“Sir, I—”
“I said Shut the hell up!” Robins paced around behind me. He was pissed, I’m pretty sure I could feel his blood pressure rising. He probably thought his head was damn near going to explode. “If it were up to me, I’d strip your damn rank and ship you back where you came from!” I was squeezing the arms of the chair at that point. I really wanted to come down on that prick, but I bit my tongue. Robins walked over to a file cabinet in the corner of his room and pulled out a file, my file. “I don’t have a background on you. All I have is your ASA service record and a sheet that says, ‘Classified Military Service,’ A whole fucking sheet!”
“That’s because it’s classified, Sir.”
“Did I tell you to speak? No? Keep your damn mouth shut!” Robins tossed the file down. “You’ve no respect for procedure. You issued a Protocol thirteen over a hostage! One hostage! What were you thinking?”
“Sir, with all due respect, my team and I saved that hostage. A young girl.”
“And you destroyed a damn city block in the process!” Robins resumed pacing and lording over me from behind. “Then, when you get here, you go straight and start meddling in an investigation you have no damn business in!”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I jumped from my seat and threw it to the side, stepping into Robins’ face. “That was my sister! And you’re one to talk about fucking procedure! That whole investigation was botched. The crime scene wasn’t protected. My sister’s body wasn’t properly examined. I should call the higher ASA on your incompetent ass!”
“Sit the fuck down, Agent.”
“It’s Lieutenant-Commander.”
“You’re not Grundy’s Lieutenant-Commander, Agent. Your rank and pay grade may carry, but your position sure as hell don’t! Now sit the fuck down!”
I wanted to hit him. So, so bad. My fists clenched so tight that it felt like my skin was going to rip off. I could tell he was threatened by me. At the time, I thought it was maybe fear that I’d take his position. I was wrong. “Goddammit, Robins, I swear to God I’m going to—”
“Go ahead, Agent. Hit me. Then I can get you the hell out of here.”
The prick was right. If I hit him, I’d be done at Grundy. I could probably keep rank and get a reassignment along with a hefty fine given my service record… But I knew if I wasn’t in Grundy, Angel’s killer would remain free… And alive. I swallowed my pride and pulled my seat back and sat. “No, sir. I won’t strike a superior Agent over a personal disagreement.”
“So you do have something in that thick head of yours.” Robins must have felt victorious or something because he calmed down a bit after I backed off. He took his seat. “I know you’re upset over your sister. No one can blame you, but I can’t let you be involved in the investigation. It’s a conflict of interest.”
“There is no regulation that—”
“Shut up, Logan. I know regs, and I know what you must think after seeing everything. We’re a bunch of hicktown fuck ups.”
“No, Sir.”
“Then what do you think, Logan?”
“I think whoever handled the initial crime scene investigation hasn’t been at the scene of an actual murder. The last time they set up a murder crime scene, they were in the academy. Instead of dusting off the regulations, they winged it and hoped for the best. At the very least, they should be reprimanded.”
“How many murders have you worked, Logan?”
“Fourteen, Sir. Fifteen if you count the hostage situation I called a Protocol Thirteen for.”
“And how many got away?”
“None, Sir.”
“Drugs? How the hell are drugs a problem?”
“It’s hard to track these guys down here. You grew up here, didn’t you? Everybody knows everybody’s business, but they don’t snitch… Well, not enough anyways.”
Robins was right. The people here didn’t like anybody involved in their business, especially the government. The whole ASA was a nightmare of the old Libertarian political party. They believed in a small federal government. The ASA was the federal government’s long arm policing every inch of the United States. Most people here went right-wing, but all having some sort of Libertarian beliefs as well. “Beat it out of them,” I said.
“We’re already hated by most. That would make many of our leads vanish.” He gave me a stern glare. “Now, the last thing I need is you being hotheaded over your sister’s murder and bringing down the wrong guy. It would be a PR nightmare.”
I knew he wasn’t going to let me officially be a part of my sister’s investigation. That didn’t mean I couldn’t aggravate them into doing something and making them walk a line. “Fine, Sir. I’ll stand down, but you’re going to have to do something for me.”
“This isn’t a negotiation, Logan.”
“One: You’ll deliver regular updates on your progress. Two: You will personally see that the investigation is properly handled from here on out.”
“Logan, I said—”
“Sir, I will go higher on this. My transfer was immediately approved with no formal paperwork and a phone call. If I call, it will be taken seriously.”
I could see Robins’ lip quiver with anger. I couldn’t beat the shit out of him with my fists like I would’ve liked, but I could beat him to death with regulations and get away clean. He took a deep breath, calming himself. “Fine. You’ll get your updates. Now get the hell out of here.”
“One more thing, Sir.”
“What is it?”
“What’s my assignment?”
A Tommy Logan Story Page 8
