by Rita Moreau
“Then that settles it. You and I will solve this mystery—together—and you will write his last words,” John stood and stretched his hand over to shake on the deal. Josie hesitated and then got up and extended her hand. He had a strong grip, and as he held her hand a little longer than a handshake and looking into her eyes, she blushed.
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s put this to rest. I’ll write those last words for your father’s story with you.”
Colonel Storms watched from a dark corner of the mall as Josie and John walked out of the Dayton Mall. “Time to take care of this,” he said as he looked into the black eyes of a very tall man with not of this world features standing next to him.
“Yes, sir,” the round black eyes replied looking at Colonel Storms and not the couple he was so intently watching. “The time has come.”
Chapter 17
Fish Camp, FL
I was working away in the tax office when Velma appeared at the doorway with Limo Louie. “You have company. He left Mabel at home,” she said and returned to her command station.
“Good,” I said as Limo Louie walked in and sat down across from me. He placed his large briefcase on the chair next to him and fished out a file folder. He needed a pretty large one working out of his limousine.
“You know Rosie may be a PI soon and she told me she is looking at renting office space right down the street. Maybe you could join her and establish a real office. She could be your law firm’s private eye.”
“Mabel mentioned the same, about getting an office. I might ring Rosie and talk to her. We both Uber you know. I am tired of hauling this briefcase up and down the condo elevator at Pirate’s Cove. Can’t leave records in my limo at night or if I’m driving Uber. Plus, your condo is getting cluttered with client files,” he said and retrieved an envelope and placed it in front of them.
“Here are copies of the signed decision documents. Carrie kept her word. They’ve been filed with the Tax Court. Mabel is now officially an innocent spouse thanks to your good work.”
“That’s wonderful,” I said as I watched Limo Louie go fishing again and retrieve another, larger envelope out of his briefcase. I took it from him and placed it on the desk. I had an idea as to its contents.
“Okay, the envelope contains financial information Mabel’s divorce attorney, through their PI, came up with for the divorce,” Limo Louie said. As if to make sure he opened the envelope and looked inside and then closed it. “I guess Rosie could work for me in exchange for rent. I need a PI for my practice. Stay right here,” he said as he got up from the chair. I watched as he walked back up front to the office lobby.
“Not going anywhere, anytime soon,” I said looking around the room. The stacks of work sitting around the room would keep me busy until the pizza slab came for me.
I watched as Limo Louie was now coming back with two legal size boxes on a dollie. He looked all around the room and then found an open spot and parked it and came back and had a seat in the chair across from me. I looked over at the dollie and felt a little claustrophobic.
“Mabel wants you to go over these records. These are bank accounts and personal tax records and a copy of her divorce papers. She wants you to look for any offshore accounts or bank accounts that her husband may not have disclosed during the divorce or to the IRS. She wants to squash that cash hoard story Jack has manufactured. She is convinced he had other bank accounts and hid any money he skimmed from the bar in that account.”
I got up and walked over to the box and picked up bank statements and looked inside the envelopes which contained copies of checks, “Well it’s good that she still writes checks.”
“Yeah, she’s still old school with banking. There are file folders in there with copies of all the checks she received from Jack for alimony. She is meticulous with her records. Take a look. I am hoping you find something.”
I made my way back to my desk. “Checks are like a diary. They contain a lot of information. The back of a check shows the bank account where the check was deposited. If a check was taken to a bank and cashed instead of being deposited into an account, there may be a bank code on the front of the check. I used a lot of this to find hidden bank accounts while working for the IRS. It came in handy with my socialite clients going through a divorce. All thanks to Uncle Sam and my IRS training,” I said.
“I can go through the records, but I may find nothing. It’s possible that Jack really has a cash hoard. Say a safe he keeps in that bar in New Jersey.”
“No, Mabel says it’s there in the records,” Limo Louie said. Being a lawyer, he was careful not to reveal anything that could implicate Mabel. After all, she was just awarded her innocent spouse status.
“Okay this went down,” Limo Louie now said reading my mind and my suspicions that Mabel had duped me. I would then drop her like a hot potato. I’m a CPA, not a lawyer and have ethical standards to maintain.
“Her oldest daughter told her something not too long ago when this invitation to attend the baptism of the twins was extended to Mabel and her kids by Jack and his new wife. The youngest daughter and her brother have decided to attend the baptism and think their mother and the other three siblings should join them. Millennials,” Limo Louie said with a shrug of his shoulders —as if that would explain it.
I got up and went over to the bar and poured Louie a small shot of bourbon and me some ouzo. I sat down as we took a sip and settled in for the rest of the story.
“Meg, that’s the oldest daughter, is close to Mabel, and she is livid with her younger sister and brother about attending the baptism. She tells her mother everything. Like I said they are close. So, she tells Mabel that Jack showed up at Jack Jr’s office to set up an account for the twins. He’s a financial planner, and Meg’s husband is his partner. I think Mabel has told you that Jack doesn’t trust people. So, he keeps his finances in the family. It was a sizeable deposit. Mabel asked her where the money came from and Meg did a little investigating, probably got it out of her husband. She came back and told her mother that the money came from one of her father’s offshore accounts.”
“Did she happen to tell Mabel which account?” I asked.
“No, that’s all she could tell her mother. That’s why I brought you all of those records over there on that dollie. It’s in there somewhere, and you are probably the only one who can find it. With your background—and that special gift of yours,” Limo Louie said with a wink as he finished his shot.
“If you find anything, she wants to know firsthand before we turn it over to Carrie. She plans to have her divorce lawyers move to get her share of the money before the IRS.”
Limo Louie left, and I sat down and tackled the job before me. I needed that dollie and those two boxes of records out of the office. The boxes and its contents were making me claustrophobic. That sometimes happens with my psychic mind. I went up front and told Velma to hold all calls.
Three hours later I had what I needed. When you know where and what to look for it doesn’t take long. Plus my psychic mind kicked in big-time. I called Limo Louie who was down the street having a few drinks with Bessie and her husband at the Greek restaurant after scoping out the real estate for an office.
“Well,” he said as he sat down followed by Velma.
“I locked the front door,” Velma said but not fast enough because Izzy strolled in and hopped up on his perch where he had a front-row seat.
“I hope you found something MC. I am not looking for mice for that broad.” I could hear Izzy loud and clear.
“Quiet,” I said looking over at Izzy who thumped his tail. The only one he obeyed was Velma. “Shush,” Velma said to Izzy.
I opened a bank statement and showed Limo Louie and Velma two checks made out to Mabel Gold, each in the amount of 250,000 dollars.”
Limo Louie inspected the checks and then said, “Well looking at the dates and what I know about her divorce settlement I would guess that is what Jack paid her for her share of the land the bar sits o
n as part of the divorce. She agreed to give him the bar business. She wanted nothing to do with the bar. Never did. It’s near Atlantic City. The land is valuable, near the beach and casinos,” Limo Louie said and placed the two checks on the desk.
“Take a closer look,” I said.
Both Limo Louie and Velma came closer to the checks. Velma picked up the checks and looked at them, front and back and handed them to Limo Louie who did the same and then placed them back on the desk.
“We give up,” Velma said looking at MC for the answer.
“They look like two fat checks made out to Mabel who deposited them with her son Jack Jr. I recognize the account the checks were deposited into and the name of his firm. It’s in Long Island New York,” Limo Louie said. “She has an account there with Jack Jr. We did the same when I handled a real estate sale not too long ago.”
I picked up the checks and pointed to the name of the bank on the front.
“I did some checking, and this bank is located in Switzerland. There is no mention of Jack and a bank account in Switzerland in the divorce papers. It stands out like a red flag.”
“Bingo,” Velma said. Limo Louie got up and gave MC a high five.
“You did it. You found the hidden bank account. But then that’s what you do well,” Limo Louie said. He picked up his cell and called Mabel. A loud scream came from his cell which he held out a short distance from his ear. He finished talking to Mabel. “I will get this information over to Mabel’s divorce lawyer this afternoon. Then you can call Carrie and tell her what you know. This should be enough evidence to delay the trial. It will also but a squash to Jack’s cash hoard story.”
“What will happen next?” Velma asked.
“Well, this is new evidence that the agents assigned to the tax audit never saw. Carrie will return the case to the original examination agents, and the case will be reopened. He might face jail time if the IRS criminal agents jump back in,” I said.
“Hot dog,” Limo Louie said a little more than enthusiastic.
“Hmm, what about Mabel and her innocent spouse claim?” Velma now asked me.
“Velma has a point. Louie with your permission, I will need to tell Carrie about the conversation Mabel had with her daughter that led to this new information.”
“You have my permission and don’t forget you are working with me, so you are part of my legal team.”
“Not bad for a day’s work,” Velma said as she walked over to the bar.
“Cocktail time?”
Limo Louie got back on his cell, “Let me call Mabel. She’ll want to join us,” he said with a wink and a smile.
Chapter 18
Dayton, Ohio
Josie and Annie heard Alexi scream. They jumped out of their beds and ran into her bedroom. She was sitting straight up in bed. Her face was frozen in fear. As if she had awoken from a nightmare. She was shaking uncontrollably.
“Alexi, you’re safe,” Josie said as she sat down next to her, covered her with her comforter, and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Annie ran out and returned with more blankets. Josie covered her, but she still was shaking. Annie sat on the other side and took her hands and clasped them. They were quiet, and after a few minutes, Alexi calmed down, and she took a deep breath and said, “I remembered what happened that night.”
“Aunt Alexi,” Annie said as if she was saying hello to an old friend. This was her aunt. Not the one who had a stroke and not the one whose mind wanders. This was her Aunt Alexi, the beautiful person she knew and loved. She could hear it in her voice.
“Gram,” Annie said, and without another word, she saw the recognition on her grandmother’s face. They were both silent. Not even breathing so that Alexi would not slip away.
“He came to the house, Josie, Mama’s boss, and he was drunk. She was afraid for you and me and YaYa.” Josie was mesmerized. This was her sister Alexi.
“Mama told me what happened that night and she told me about the secret.”
As they both watched and listened to Alexi, something strange happened. As Alexi transported them back to that night, it was as if they could hear GiGi speaking to them. Not just to Alexi, but to Josie and Annie, all three. Even her facial expression changed and closely resembled their mother. Josie gasped because she knew she was looking at her mother sitting in that bed and not her sister Alexi.
“My boss was drunk,” she said, “and he was banging on the front door of the house—Xenia.” Josie looked over at Annie and whispered, “It’s my mother, and she is here.” Annie whispered back, “I know.”
“YaYa and I heard him, and YaYa peeked out the front window and then walked over to the fireplace and picked up the rod we used to stroke the fire. ‘What are you doing?’ I said to her, but you know your YaYa. ‘What do you think I’m doing?’ I watched her point that rod at me like she would bonk me on the head. ‘The man is drunk and trying to get into our house.’ We both watched as he made his way around the house and up the steps of the back porch and started the banging on the back door. Mrs. Capps the old German widow who lived next door came out on her back porch and, as we watched, she went to get her garden hose. That old woman was going to hose down my boss.” Annie and Josie watched as she continued to tell them what happened that pivotal night.
“‘We got to let him in,’ I said to YaYa. He won’t go away, and that old bat next door is about to hose him down. Xenia will protect us.’ YaYa hid in the dining room with the rod around on the landing that went to the second floor. She had that rod raised ready to hit him on the head, and I knew she would do it. I went to the back door and let Harvey in. He was drunk, but when he walked into the kitchen, I saw the fear in his eyes.”
“‘They are coming for me GiGi,’ he said. ‘I came here to warn you. I have something I need to give you. It will protect you and your family.’ He was reaching into his jacket, and that’s when YaYa showed up, and she stepped in the kitchen with the rod raised she bonked him on his head. He lost his balance and fell, but as he got up, he looked at YaYa who was standing over him with that rod and said, ‘I mean no harm. I am here to help. Your daughter has been a trusted friend. The only one I could trust out at Wright-Patt.’ YaYa lowered the rod and stood next to me. ‘What do you want,’ she said to Harvey. We both watched as he reached back into his jacket and took something out of the pocket. It was a computer chip. I recognized it from the work I was involved in at Wright-Patt. I knew what was on that chip. It held secrets, dark secrets. He had told me he wanted out and if they came after him, he would release their secrets. ‘Keep this for your protection. You will need it.’ He sat down at the kitchen table and passed out. ‘What are you going to do?’ YaYa asked me and then we heard Xenia. She told me to call the base commander. I got the special telephone the base commander had given me to call in an emergency. He said he would send men over right away. Xenia then told me to hide the chip and where to hide it. I hid the chip and returned to the kitchen where YaYa was standing guard over my boss. It was then that men entered the back door of the kitchen. Men in uniforms—but not uniforms I recognized. They didn’t say a word but grabbed Harvey and dragged him out of the house. He looked at me, and I knew it was the last time I would see him. ‘Don’t forget,’ he whispered, and then he was gone.”
And with that, GiGi was also gone, and Alexi returned. She was calm now, and as Josie and Annie watched her, she continued the story of that night.
“I was watching from under the dining room table. The same one you have now in your dining room. I could hear voices. It was a man’s voice. I snuck downstairs from the bedroom we shared, Josie. I got there just as he gave Mama the computer chip,” Alexi said and continued the story.
“As I watched from under the dining room table, the next thing I remember was the house was full of men in military uniforms. I watched them take her boss away. The house told me to go upstairs to the attic. I snuck upstairs, and I looked out the attic window. I saw the men in uniform taking the body inside the old farmhouse.
”
Alexi was now quiet, and she looked as if she would fall asleep immediately as she had many times. Josie snuck a look at Annie. She was terrified for her sister, but she knew she had to find out what happened while Alexi was still here.
Annie nodded her head, and Josie spoke to her sister.
“Alexi can you tell Annie and me where we can find the chip. Those same men that took Mama’s boss away are now coming for us. We need to know where Xenia hid the chip.”
“Xenia showed me where it was after Mama crossed over the shore. If you look for it, you will not find it. I went back and tried to find it many times and could not find it. The house only showed it once, the day after we buried Mama. Xenia told me it would show it to Annie.”
“When did the house speak to you, Alexi?” Josie asked looking at her granddaughter. This was not a good sign. Alexi was going.
“Tonight, in my dreams,” Alexi said. “Annie don’t forget what I told you about the envelope in my safe.”
“I won’t Aunt Alexi, I won’t,” Annie said as she looked from her aunt to her grandmother who had a confused look on her face.
“Alexi, did Mama tell you what is on that chip?”
“Yes, Mama said we are not alone. Josie, we are not alone.”
Alexi closed her eyes and fell asleep. They held her hands for a long time and then with tears in their eyes they said their goodbyes. Alexi slipped away that night. While she slept peacefully, she had suffered another stroke, lapsed into a coma, and then, mercifully, she died. She crossed over the rainbow bridge.
Chapter 19
Dayton, Ohio
Josie wrote her sister’s eulogy the week after she had the stroke. She always felt like that was when her sister died. She spoke the last words for Alexi at her funeral which was held at St. Mary’s on Xenia near the old house. Alexi had asked for a funeral mass at the church which was packed with relatives including MC and her aunts, and many friends of the large Greek family. John Long was also there and caused a stir, but he stayed in the background to not disrupt the service. “Thank you for coming,” Josie said before the funeral mass.