"Hi Herb, long time no see," Mike joked. "Too bad we didn't go through the bag while you were there. I made copies of the documents for you and I have a photo of the currency plus I photocopied several bills to capture the serial numbers. I can email them to you from my phone."
"Frankly I thought it would be personal stuff which may be all we find in this locker," Herb acknowledged.
There was a window where a clerk sat and controlled access to the storage locker warehouse. Mike watched their backs as Herb I.D.'d himself and asked where the locker was that matched the key he held up.
"Don't you need a warrant for that?" Inquired the clerk.
"Not if the keyholder is deceased, but if you like I can have a warrant and our forensic team down here in an hour. They'll probably bring a dog to check the lockers, I'm sure your boss would appreciate that," Herb proposed.
Okay, okay I'll buzz you through, second row on your left.
Mike and Herb walked along the narrow aisles and found locker 327 and inserted the key.
As the door swung open they could see a moving box from one of the home improvement centers. The only other item was an accordion file that seemed quite full.
"The light in here sucks, let's take this stuff to my office and go through it. We can see if it has any evidential value," Herb suggested.
Sounds good to me, I would like to vet that stuff before little John sees it.
Back at the office Herb checked his email and saw the photocopies that Mike had sent him. He forwarded the one with the serial numbers to someone to have them run the numbers and see if the money was in the system.
First they opened the box, the smell was unpleasant and strong like someone who hadn't bathed in a long while. Mike recognized the stench as currency.
"Let's glove up and carry this to the little enclosure in the back, at least it has fresh air," Herb suggested. He handed Mike a pair of nitrile gloves and the pair proceeded out into the fresh air of the small compound.
In the box they found bundles of one hundred dollar bills. Oddly, none of them were new enough to have the countermeasures to prevent counterfeiting.
"This is old cash Mike; and look at the bands. They're one dollar bands and the amounts in the bundles vary but they're all around the ten thousand mark. I'm thinking they were re-bundled to get past the old reporting requirements. It generally doesn't work that way but she probably wouldn't know that," Herb explained.
"Well unless she opened an account with a fake I.D. or perhaps a few of them. Or she could have opened a business account which would muddy the waters if she chose a name similar to an existing company. Let's get a count and document it and get some plastic bags and seal this crap up," Mike suggested.
"Could be, I've learned not to underestimate the intellect of the down and out," Herb acknowledged. "I need to get an evidence guy out here to help with the count and once it's in evidence he can catalog the serials and feed them into the database. Hey, you don't suppose this is old D.B. Cooper's cash Eh?" Herb laughed.
"Couldn't say, it's unlikely but possible I suppose," Mike speculated.
The grand total was $62,500.00 all in odd increments of hundred dollar bills and old D.B. was disqualified because the newest bill was from 1995. It was booked into evidence and all the serials were logged.
"There's an additional $9500.00 at our home. Do we want to book that in today or wait until tomorrow?
I'm in favor of letting it ride until Wednesday. And unless the techs come up with a link to some illegal operation it should be put in trust for the boy. You might want to ask an attorney about it," Herb suggested.
"I have actually contacted my attorney and he's going to get me a referral to a local man to see to John's property rights. Our intention is to adopt him but if there are viable relatives out there then John's assets must be protected to prevent fraud," Mike agreed.
The evidence tech arrived and they all agreed on the count and signed the inventory statement. With that out of the way they returned to examine the contents of the accordion file. The contents were interesting and they raised more questions than they answered. Three bank books, a savings, checking and a commercial account. Each had large balances and were in a name other than Tammy Reardon. Kimberly Carson was pretty flush and both men suspected they were one in the same. The suspicion was strengthened when an I.D. with Tammy's photo and a weathered social security card were found. Coupled with the fictitious business statement in the Carson name told Mike he was wrong about Tammy's knowledge.
A diary was found amongst the various documents and Herb decided to read it later.
The two men sorted the documents and found something that might help or at least tell them why a woman with that much cash was living in a cardboard shack in a building that was scheduled for demolition. It was a financial investment plan and the name of the man who was acting as her advisor. Gavin Exeter was listed as a business and financial planning advisor and also an investment counselor. He would definitely be worth talking to and Mike agreed.
"When all else fails follow the money," Mike uttered.
It usually comes down to that one way or another," Herb agreed.
"Say Herb, what if Tammy Reardon isn't Tammy Reardon. Let's say Tammy wants to make the transition to Kimberly Carson. If someone is looking for that cash Tammy needs to disappear so she finds a corpse and makes use of it. All it would take is a condom full of semen to dribble on the body and Tammy's gone. I'm not saying that's the answer, but it's possible."
"I'd say it's a reach but not outside the realm of possibilities. I'll read the diary and see if there's anything that will help with the case. I gotta say when they asked me to call you I thought it would be a complete waste of time. I'm glad I was wrong, um, what are you going to tell the Undersheriff?" Herb asked.
"About the case or about coming onboard?" Mike inquired in return.
Mostly about coming on to the department. You're really good at this and your instincts are great. That old lady opened right up for me once she saw the little guy. I'll get onto the techs tomorrow and see how they did with the phone. I'm still leaning in the direction of a budding serial killer. We've got a couple of women with the same circumstances, dumped in their own vans in public parking lots," Herb rambled.
"Well to answer your question I'm seriously thinking of taking the job. I have a job waiting at Boeing but I'm kind of torn. The Boeing job means a lot of stress, travel and time away from my family. I may come on part time at first and see how it goes. I'm just not sure and I won't be until I sit down with Scott," Mike explained.
"Fair enough, you need to do what's right for you but I wouldn't mind working with you," Herb informed him.
"Thanks, I appreciate that. Unless there's something else let's try to salvage what's left of the day. I need to get home and help the wife," Mike said.
"I'll let you know what I find in the diary," Herb promised.
A thought struck Mike, "You know what I didn't see in that file? Bank statements. Did you get an inventory from the car? I'm thinking laptop and the possible account name and password might be in the diary," Mike speculated.
"I'll get the inventory and let you know. Maybe you can ask John if his aunt had a laptop or tablet," Herb suggested.
"Way ahead of you, I'll have Jem talk to him about it while I drive home. Have a nice afternoon, what's left of it," Mike grinned and walked towards the front desk.
Dad arrived home half an hour later and checked in with John and me.
Chase and Carter had gone home an hour after Dad left with a promise to return the next day. John was asleep in Mom's lap so I returned to my room and called for a messenger. I asked him to link me with what was going on with Dad and the detective. It's a simple process, like being added to a Zoom meeting. I observed Dad and Herb discussing the storage company and the discovery of the contents of the locker all the way through Dad's departure from the detectives office.
"Have you been told who the killer is?" I asked the messenger.
"I have not been told but I can inquire, if possible I will share that information if the Watchers feel it is warranted," he responded.
"Thank you for your help Messenger, I will wait to hear from you," I told him.
A while later a tap on my door told me that Dad was back. I had placed the currency in a plastic bag and the documents in a manila envelope. I presumed he would want them and the money smelled terrible.
"How did it go Dad, were you able to find anything in the locker?" I asked.
"Quite a bit, Um, when you get a chance would you ask John if his aunt had a computer or tablet, we've found some things that indicate she must have had one but haven't found it yet," he requested.
"Sure Dad, is everything okay?"
"Mostly, look son, John may have relatives and they may have a claim on him; it's important that if there are any, John mustn't discuss the money in the bag with them. Herb will take custody of that Wednesday. And he'll continue to investigate Tammy's death."
"I understand Dad, I'll talk to him about it. Are you worried they might take John just for the money and then mistreat him?" I pressed.
"Yes son, I am."
"I think all of us should get out tomorrow and do something fun for a while. Would you enjoy that?"
"It sounds great, Carter is going to Auggie's tomorrow and Chase is going with him to help watch them," I explained.
"Let's plan on that and maybe decide where you'd like to go," Dad added.
Herb Talbert relaxed in his recliner with a glass of Moscato and a playlist of Mozart, Bach, Hayden and Vivaldi playing quietly in the background. He read Tammy's diary and made notes on a pad as he read. The mystery of where the money came from was solved. Two years prior to her death she had an appointment with a regular customer. His career didn't allow for emotional entanglements and Tammy found him pleasant, he wasn't cold or violent, the sex was athletic but not unpleasant. The man Georgio, always paid more than the agreed upon price to insure discretion. He never spoke to her about where his money came from. On the way to her parked Fiesta a car had veered into their path and Georgio lost control and hit a support column for the Alaskan way Viaduct. Georgio was killed on impact and Tammy panicked when she noticed flames springing up from the front of the big Mercedes. She struggled with her belt and eventually got loose, once free she reached over the seat for her bag and purse and exited the car through the door that had sprung open in the crash. She found an exit ramp and looked back to see the entire car in flames but she was too numb to feel anything. She hailed a cab and asked for an inexpensive hotel. She had a credit card that worked off a pre-paid balance and secured a room and once in that room she began to feel the effects of the adrenalin and stress. Her chest felt bruised from the seatbelt, the airbag and broken glass had scratched her face but otherwise she was unharmed physically. Her jeans and sweater were uncomfortably warm so she decided to shower and change. She opened her bag and realized it wasn't hers. Inside was more money than she had ever imagined being within her reach. She had cried for an hour, the stress and sorrow of seeing a man die that she rather liked and the trauma and violence of the accident had taken their toll. She wrote that she had drifted off to sleep and woke early to shower and redress. She took a cab to her crappy studio apartment and packed everything worth keeping and sent the rest down the garbage chute. On her way out with her two large cases and her bag she threw the key at the manager saying cheerfully "Fuck you very much" as she marched out the door. She described the man as a creep and a sleaze ball that was always trying to trade sex for rent. She had no lease and the place was month to month. She discovered that she needed a secure place to store the cash so she pulled out a few thousand for expenses and a car to replace her clapped out Fiesta. She took a cab to the storage place and rented a locker. Instead of getting a cab after that, she walked to one of the car lots and looked around. She bought a ten year old Chrysler mini-van got the price knocked down when she noticed that the A/C didn't work and a few other issues. She paid four grand for the car and started looking for a new apartment. Her requirements were simple, one bedroom clean and quiet. She looked at several places and settled on a small four apartment building in a quiet residential street in Miller Park. The rent was decent and they didn't mind cash. She paid her deposit and first and last and signed the rental agreement. Once she retrieved her things from the hotel she moved in and went to work learning how to move cash around without attracting attention. The most logical solution was to get a business account at a bank and for that you needed to file a fictitious business name with the county. And for that you needed an I.D. She had a birth certificate of a school friend who had died when they were fifteen. The girl had epilepsy and a severe seizure had taken her life. The certified copy of the birth certificate allowed her to get a social security card and a driver's license in the name of her school friend Kimberly Carson.
Herb put down the diary; this was a smart girl he thought, and he knew who Georgio was. A midlevel gangster involved in loansharking and other criminal enterprises. He had died in a fiery wreck on the Viaduct. No cause was ever found for the crash and it was classified as an accident and closed. The mob liked old cash, a lot of them hoarded it for transactions abroad where the newer currency wasn't trusted or recognized. The car was completely gutted so no evidence of a second occupant was ever found.
Herb decided it was time to eat and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
I sat next to Dad on the sofa and relaxed as we watched a movie called El Dorado with John Wayne in it. Dad's phone rang and I paused the movie.
"Hi Scott, I was going to call and thank you for making the introduction to Detective Talbert, he's a nice guy and very good at his job," Dad opened.
"Hello Mike, I was happy to help. As you know Brad and I go back a long way. He says you come highly recommended and I'm in a bind for command staff. I have an active Captain position in C.I.D. which encompasses all investigations except I.A. stuff. There are a few other specialized categories but you get the idea. The problem is I don't have anyone I can promote from within at the moment. It would be a full time gig though. If you'll give me three months and get things back in shape I'll see that you make Major. The other problem is I need an answer by the end of the week.�
"Well Scott I'd be lying if I said that wasn't attractive. I need to confer with my wife and the people from Boeing since that is why we moved here. I have been considering your previous offer so now it's time to make a decision."
"That's plain enough Mike, I look forward to your answer," Scott replied. "Please give my regards to your family."
"I'll do that Scott and please do the same from me."
"Will do," Mike. "Goodbye."
I almost didn't need to touch Dad to hear what was going on. But the touch told me his emotional state as he spoke. He was tired of the aircraft business and the offer from the Undersheriff was very attractive and had just become more so.
"Are you going to take the job Dad?" I asked.
"I need to see what your mother thinks about it. It's a decision that affects all of us so I need to think carefully. I will say the offer is very flattering and attractive. But until Mom and I talk it out it's pure speculation," He explained.
"Talk about what Mike?" Mom inquired.
"Scott Somers just offered me a Captain's job in their version of robbery homicide. I have to tell you it's really attractive."
"Well the Boeing offer is nice but you'll be traveling and staying in crappy hotels, if you're lucky. Besides that, you were a cop when I married you and those were tough and dangerous times. I don't think you'd be very happy at Boeing but the final decision is yours. Just don't use me or the boys as a reason not to do what you think is right. I love you and I'll support whichever decision you make," Mom declared.
"Well that's clear enough, and I appreciate it. But the decision will affect all of us so I was compelled to discuss with you," Dad pointed out.
"And that is one of the reasons I love you. Jem do you have anything you'd like to add?" She asked.
"A bit yes, Dad whatever you do will be fine with me. You're a problem solver and that's what makes you a great engineer and a great cop. Your approach to almost everything is analytical in nature and that is a good asset to possess in either field. No matter what you decide I'll be proud of you," I concluded.
"Thank you both, I want to call Brad and get his take on this and see if I can get a bit of intel before I give Scott an answer."
"That sounds reasonable to me Hon, I'm with you either way."
"Me too Dad."
"Dinner? any idea what you guys would like?" Mom asked.
"How about grilling some burgers, or we could have Deli sandwiches or even pizza," I suggested. "Maybe we should ask John if he has a preference. I'll eat whatever is served. Oh wait, what do you want John to call you, is Mommy and Daddy okay or is it too soon for that?"
"I hadn't considered that, I want him to know we're committed to him and intend to adopt him but we should explain to him that it might take time to find out if he had any relatives qualified to take him," Mom uttered, she was obviously thinking as she spoke.
"I'll ask him when he's awake and I'll ask about the computer too," I remarked.
"Computer?" Mom raised her eyebrows.
"It's part of the investigation, I have a lot to tell you about my time with Herb today," Dad advised.
"I called Mary and scanned the birth certificate so I could send her a copy. She said it would speed things up and get the adoption process moved along," Mom volunteered.
"We can discuss that a bit later, I don't mind grilling but pizza sounds really good. How about you Hon?" Dad asked.
"Pizza sounds great to me, I have the menu from the one Art was using, he said they had great pizza and sides," Mom added.
"I'm going to my study to call Brad and see what he's trying to get me into, " Dad informed us.