by Cindy Bell
“Oh, excuse me.” Eddy stepped to the side and looked up at the same time. He met the eyes of Owen, a young nurse who worked at Sage Gardens, and one of his closest friends. “Owen, what are you doing here?”
“I came for breakfast, but I’m glad I ran into you.” Owen frowned. “I was worried about you.”
“Worried about me? Why?” Eddy raised an eyebrow.
“Eddy, I heard what happened at the bank. I saw Detective Brunner leaving. Were you involved somehow?” Owen’s features creased with concern. “There are some rumors buzzing around Sage Gardens that you were at the bank at the time of the robbery.”
“Wow, I didn’t know word was getting around so fast. Rumors?” He locked his eyes to Owen’s. “Spread by whom?”
“One of the residents of Sage Gardens, Paul Carlil, his granddaughter is a teller at the bank. She told her grandfather about it, and she gave him your description. She didn’t know your name, but knew you lived at Sage Gardens. I saw him just before and he said he guessed it was you. Was it?”
“Yes, I was there. But I’ve only told a few people about that. I don’t want the whole place to know. You know how the girls can get in a tizzy over those things.”
“Sure.” Owen nodded, but his concern had not faded. “But are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay. Not a scratch on me. A little embarrassed that I didn’t stop the guy, but otherwise I’m just fine.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to check you out? Stressful situations can wreak havoc on your body,” Owen explained. “It’ll only take a minute.”
“No, I’d rather you didn’t. I’m fine. But I appreciate the offer.” He smiled. “Just hate to see it happening around here.”
“Yes, it’s not good for anyone to have that kind of crime in our backyard. Did they catch the robber yet?”
“Well, that remains to be seen.” Eddy smiled.
“Uh oh, secrets, huh?” He winked at Eddy. “All right, but when you’re ready to fill me in just let me know. I’d love to hear about it.”
“It won’t be long. Just trying to figure out a few details. Then I’ll let you know everything there is to know.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help, just ask.” Owen met his eyes. “And try to remember that you’re not as young as you used to be.”
“Well, Owen, with you around to remind me I don’t see how I could forget.” Eddy set his jaw.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Owen frowned. “I just don’t want you to get in over your head with this.”
“Don’t worry, Owen, I’m not going to hunt down and tackle a bank robber.” Eddy chuckled. If he was honest with himself he had thought about it. “I’ll be fine.”
“All right, I’m going to hold you to that.” Owen tilted his head towards the restaurant. “Now, I’m going to have some pancakes.”
“They are the best.” Eddy watched Owen walk away. He was grateful to have him as a friend. He was about to turn towards his car when a thought occurred to him.
“Owen?” He caught his attention just before he opened the door.
“Yes?” Owen looked back at him.
“You said Paul’s granddaughter works at the bank. Do you know her name?”
“Terry, I think.”
Eddy smiled. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Take it easy, Eddy.”
Eddy nodded. As he reached his car, the woman’s name stuck in his mind.
Chapter 5
As soon as Eddy returned to Sage Gardens he headed for Samantha’s villa. He knew that she would want to be updated on any development in the investigation. When he knocked on the door of her villa, it was not Samantha that opened it.
“Hi Eddy.” Jo smiled at him.
“Good morning, Jo. I was looking for Samantha.” He looked past Jo and for just a moment wondered if he might have wandered to the wrong villa.
“She’s here. We were having coffee.” Jo stepped aside to let Eddy in. “She had to take a phone call.”
“Oh, I see.” Eddy nodded.
“Did you have a good breakfast?” Jo smiled.
“How did you know I had breakfast?” Eddy stared at her.
“You left some syrup behind on your shirt.” Jo laughed.
Eddy looked down to see that there was indeed a trail of syrup on his shirt. “Oops.” He frowned.
“Hi Eddy.” Samantha stepped in from her bedroom. “Sorry about that, Jo, it was one of my old contacts at the police department.”
“Contacts?” Eddy looked over at Samantha.
“Yes, I thought that I would get a head start on the investigation.”
“Oh?” Eddy glanced over at Jo. He had expected things to stay just between him and Samantha.
“She clued me in,” Jo said. “But don’t worry, I’m not getting in the middle of any of this. Samantha might enjoy the hunt, but I’d rather be left to my garden.”
“Who did you call? I talked with Detective Brunner this morning.”
“Well, then we probably have the same information. I called someone in bookings and he let me know that the case was pretty much solved,” Samantha said.
“Well, that was fast.” Jo laughed.
“Very fast.” Eddy frowned. “Too fast.”
“Do you think so?” Samantha looked surprised. “It sounded like it was pretty open and shut to me. The robber was murdered.”
Eddy looked from Jo to Samantha and didn’t respond. Jo raised her hands in surrender. “I get it, I get it. I was on my way out anyway.” She brushed past Eddy as she headed out the door.
“What’s that about?” Samantha frowned. “I thought you were over giving Jo the cold shoulder.”
“This is already spreading all around Sage Gardens, Samantha. Owen already found out that I was at the bank.”
“Eddy, you’re going to have to learn to trust people eventually you know.”
“Maybe.” He smirked a little. “Until then, we’re going to have to try to keep this under wraps, because secrecy is going to be our greatest asset.”
“What are you talking about?” Samantha looked puzzled. “Now you have me confused. If the case is solved, why the need for secrecy?”
“Because it hasn’t been solved. In fact, I think the case just became even more complicated. Not only do we have a robbery to solve, but a murder as well.”
“Why do you think that?”
“I think whoever robbed the bank, or at least whoever was behind it, is the one who murdered this man and framed him.” Eddy leaned back against the wall. “What I can’t figure out is whether the person who was murdered was the man who robbed the bank, or just someone made to look like he robbed the bank.”
“Well, if he isn’t the robber, then who do you think he was?” Samantha stepped forward, intrigued.
“Maybe an accomplice. Maybe just some poor sap that the real criminal wanted to take the fall. It’s quite possible that the murdered man knew nothing about the robbery at all.”
“How can you be sure if that’s the case?”
“I can’t. At least not without a little more information. I feel like I’m missing something.”
“Well, let’s see if we can figure it out.” Samantha’s enthusiasm made Eddy’s head spin. He appreciated that she was so interested, but he still couldn’t wrap his head around what had happened.
“Not here, let’s go down by the water. I need to clear my head.”
“Okay.” Samantha followed him out the door. Samantha’s villa was situated only a few feet from the lake in the center of Sage Gardens. They walked together to a bench beside the water. As Eddy gazed out across the water, Samantha turned to look at him. “So, tell me what is on that brilliant mind of yours?”
“I just need to think a minute.” Eddy sat down on the bench. Samantha sat down as well, and left some room between them. Eddy appreciated the fact that Samantha seemed to intuitively know when he needed a little more space.
Eddy stared out across the pond. Samanth
a shifted on the bench beside him, but she didn’t speak. He felt as if she was giving him time to think. But the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that something wasn’t right.
“Why would the murderer leave the money behind?” He blurted the question out just as a bird lifted out of the tall grass at the edge of the pond. “Unless the victim was being framed for the robbery, no criminal would ever leave some of their profit behind, would they? It just doesn’t make sense that you would murder for the money and then leave the money behind.”
“It doesn’t make sense to me, either. But crimes don’t always make sense. Maybe the murderer didn’t even know about the bank robbery, or the money. Or maybe after committing the crime there was something that made the killer flee and there was no time to find the money. Or maybe he deliberately left the money. Or maybe it was as simple as the murderer couldn’t find the money,” Samantha said thoughtfully. “I don’t know what other reasons there could be.”
“So, you think that it’s possible that he was killed for an entirely different reason? By someone who had no idea that he had any money stashed away?” Eddy nodded a little. “I hadn’t even considered that.”
“It’s a stretch. It would be quite a coincidence.”
“Maybe we’re looking at this from the wrong perspective.” Eddy sat back on the bench. “Instead of focusing on what we don’t have the information to figure out, what do we have the information to figure out?”
“Well, we know there was a bank robbery.” Samantha held up one finger. “That’s a fact. One man robbed the bank.”
“Wait, wait. We don’t know that it was one man. I only saw one man, but maybe the robber was working with someone who didn’t appear to be part of the crime.” Eddy snapped his fingers.
“Okay, okay, but before we go off on that tangent let’s stick to what we do know. There was a bank robbery, with at least one robber involved.”
“Yes. We do know that for a fact. We also know that some of the money from that particular bank robbery was recovered in the home of a man who was murdered. The serial numbers were a match, so there is no question that the money was from the robbery.” Eddy knocked his fist against his knee. “So, now that we know that somehow the money from the bank robbery got into this man’s home. How are we supposed to figure anything out with that little amount of information?”
“We also know something else.” Samantha smiled.
“What?” Eddy frowned. “I thought we listed everything.”
“We know that the majority of the money from the robbery is missing. It was not in the murdered man’s house. Which I think can lead us to either presume that whoever robbed the bank had a partner or partners so the money could be split, or they stashed the money somewhere.”
“So, someone could still be out there with the rest of the money.” Eddy snapped his finger again. “Yes! You’re right about that. We’re too focused on who the murdered man is. We need to focus on who his partner might be. Where is the rest of the money?”
“Exactly,” Samantha said. “Once we figure that out we might be able to get somewhere as far as both the murder and the robbery are concerned.”
“Which brings us back to the question of whether there may have been a second robber at the bank. Someone I didn’t notice. Maybe even a silent partner.” Eddy took a deep breath.
“Do you think that you could recall all of the people that you saw in the bank?” Samantha frowned. “I’m not sure that I could do that.”
“I can. I’m sure I can. I just need to focus.” He ran his hands across his face and tried to relax.
“Maybe I can help you with that. There were a few times when I was investigating a crime that the person I was interviewing couldn’t quite remember a detail that I needed to include in my story. So, I would walk them through some relaxation techniques to help them to remember. Would you like me to try that with you?” Samantha looked at him expectantly.
Eddy didn’t want to disappoint her. It sounded like mumbo jumbo to him, but he didn’t need to tell her that.
“All right, I’ll try it.” He nodded. “What do I need to do?”
“It’s pretty simple. All you need to do is relax and listen to the sound of my voice.” She shifted a little closer to him on the bench. “Make sure that you are comfortable.”
“Okay.” He did his best to follow her instructions, but it was hard for him to relax with her sitting right next to him. He started to wonder awkward things, like whether he had remembered to put on deodorant when he woke up so quickly that morning, or if she could tell that he hadn’t brushed his teeth after his morning coffee. In the middle of all of these jumbled thoughts he heard her voice.
“Just relax, Eddy, take a deep breath and feel all of your muscles begin to relax. Any pain or discomfort that you may be feeling will leave your body. You begin to feel anything out of place in your body or mind, falling right into place. You are comfortable, you are safe, and you can think very clearly.”
Eddy was surprised to discover that he was completely immersed in the sound of her voice. It was not difficult for him to follow her directions. He did feel comfortable and safe.
“Now, I’m going to take you to a time when things were very stressful. I want you to remember that you are safe. This is just a memory. You don’t have to be afraid, you don’t have to be angry. You will see clearly, and your mind will be crisp.”
Eddy felt his heart beat quicken some. He didn’t like the idea that she would think he was ever afraid of anything. But he knew that was just his ego talking. He drew another deep breath.
“Okay, Eddy, now on the count of three you’re going to be back at the bank, waiting in line to complete your transaction. Everything will be fine. You will not be afraid. There is no reason to be worried.” Samantha drew her own deep breath then she began to count in a dreamy tone. “One, two, three.”
Eddy was jolted into the awareness that he was at the bank. Of course he was still sitting on the bench beside Samantha in front of the lake. But his mind felt as if it had been transported back to the bank at the time the robbery took place.
“Why are you at the bank?”
Eddy tensed a little. He felt a little shy about admitting the reason he was at the bank to Samantha, so he went for a more generic answer. “To take some money out.”
“Okay. So you’re waiting in line. Are there other people in line?”
“Yes.”
“Can you see how many people are waiting?”
Eddy narrowed his eyes. He could see that there were people in front of him, but it was hard to get an exact count. “About five or six.”
“Okay. How are you feeling?”
“A little annoyed at the wait.”
“Can you see anyone else around the bank? Anyone who is not in line? Maybe someone who is standing alone and watching?” Samantha’s voice was still very soothing. She spoke each word with care.
“There is only one teller working. There are some people in the glass office.”
“Anyone else? Anyone not waiting in line? Not talking to anyone?” Samantha pressed. Eddy felt some pressure in his memory. He forced himself to pay attention to the people around him instead of the glimmer of the gun. His heart began to pound. His eyes locked on one particular person. Then as if a fast forward button had been pressed, the scene played out at rapid speed. His breath increased slightly. His hands began to tremble. He saw the man in the hat with the gun. But that wasn’t where the memory stopped. It stopped when Eddy bolted towards the door, when he realized that the security guard had complied with the robber’s request and unlocked the door. His eyes flew open. He felt Samantha’s warm hand curl around his shaking fingers.
“Eddy, are you okay?” She squeezed his hand. “You’re safe now. It’s okay.”
“I know I’m safe,” Eddy barked. He pulled his hand away from Samantha’s. His mind spun as if he couldn’t quite figure out where he was. “Did you hypnotize me?” He looked at her wi
th annoyance.
“Maybe.” She winced. “Just a little bit.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that was what you were doing?” Eddy demanded.
“I would have, but I figured that you would call it mumbo jumbo and refuse to do it.” Samantha crossed her arms.
Eddy couldn’t exactly argue with that. “Oh well, I might not have said that.”
“That’s not the point. All that matters was whether it worked. Did it work?” She met his eyes.
Eddy was about to shake his head, then he remembered the last person he had looked at in his memory.
“The security guard.” He stood up from the bench in one swift movement.
“The security guard?” Samantha repeated. She stood up as well.
“Yes. I thought it was strange at the time, but I didn’t really focus on it. When the robber went to run, the security guard didn’t even stop him. He unlocked the door for him. I remember thinking that it was crazy, but I was too busy running after him to really think much about it.” His hands balled into fists. “I bet he was in on it. I bet that’s why the robber was so relaxed the whole time. In any other robbery the first thing they would have done would have been to subdue the security guard.” He gritted his teeth. “I don’t know why I didn’t think about it before. I bet he was the partner.”
“Wait, wait a second, Eddy. If I had been the security guard I might have done the same thing. In fact most security guards are trained to do whatever the robber requests in order to reduce the chance of injury. So, maybe the security guard was just following his training. Or maybe.” She placed a hand lightly on Eddy’s shoulder. “Maybe he was just scared.”
“Maybe.” Eddy frowned. “Sure, it’s possible that I’m reading too much into it, but he’s the only person that I thought of when I thought about who might have been involved.”
“I wonder if you noticed anything suspicious about him when you walked into the bank.” She studied Eddy intently. “Did he say or do anything that you thought was odd?”
Eddy grimaced. He hadn’t thought that far back. He had thought back to being in line, not back as far as entering the bank. Now that he did, he remembered something.