Deception on All Accounts

by Sara Sue Hoklotubbe

  Charlie shook his head and continued, “There's something about him I just can't put my finger on. I think I've seen him before. It'll come to me.”

  “Oh, I don't think he'd hurt anybody. He's an investment banker. Works with the bank I used to work for.”

  Charlie wondered if Sadie realized she was unconsciously defending the man who almost cost her her life the day before. “If he bothers you, you'll let me know?”

  Sadie returned her gaze to the big lawman and smiled. “Don't worry about me,” she said. “I'll be fine. Tsitsalagi. I'm a Cherokee…and a Walela.”

  Sadie sat at the kitchen table and reread Happy's newspaper story relating the tragedy of his daughter's death, how he came to lose his voice, and how he ended up in the state hospital. She smiled when she saw her name, her friend having given her credit for unleashing his memories, launching his recovery. Sadie felt good about Happy and his new lease on life.

  Out of habit, Sadie thumbed through the remainder of the paper, and a small article caught her eye. It read: “Kansas Corporation to Acquire Sycamore Bank.” Sadie skimmed the first paragraph, then slowed down and started over to make sure she didn't misread anything. It seemed her old employer was battling a hostile stock takeover by a large financial conglomerate eager to spread its holdings across state lines. The story quoted Stan Blackton as saying “Mercury Savings Bank will fight the acquisition with everything they have.”

  Sadie chuckled to herself. Stan Blackton had finally met his match. She knew he would never survive the more sophisticated administration of a large corporation. The good-old-boy regime at Mercury would be sent packing and she wouldn't be the only unemployed banker in Sycamore Springs. Sadie spoke aloud to the empty kitchen, “Bad karma, Stan. It'll bite you in the ass every time.”

  The incessant calling from Jaycee had stopped and Sadie was glad. It would be easier, she thought, if they remained on opposite sides of the Red River. Then, as if someone had turned on a faucet, Jaycee tried everything he could think of to get Sadie to talk to him. He called; she hung up. He left messages; she erased them. He sent flowers; she refused them. He came to her house; Sonny dared him to get out of the car while she watched from behind closed doors. She methodically moved from room to room scrubbing floors, organizing closets, and throwing away everything she could find that remotely reminded her of him, as if that would help extract him from her life. Finally, as quickly as it had all started, the calls stopped and he simply disappeared.

  The last week in January, Donnie Tenkiller called from the Eucha General Store. “Sadie, would you want to work at the store for a while?” he asked. “The bookkeeper had her baby early and we need someone to fill in until she comes back. I knew you had asked about a job…” His voice trailed off as if suddenly embarrassed for pointing out Sadie's lack of employment.

  Sadie thought for a moment. It couldn't be any worse than working at the Colonial Grocery Store in Sycamore Springs. Besides, it might provide a lead on a better job. “Okay, Donnie. I'll do it,” she said. “But what if she doesn't come back? You know how new mothers are.”

  “Then you can stay on,” he suggested. “Maybe?”

  Sadie could visualize the young Indian's ears turning red through the phone. “Okay, Donnie,” Sadie laughed.

  The next morning Sadie went into the store and accepted Donnie's offer. The job didn't pay very much, but it would keep her mind occupied. Working with numbers came easy for her, and she enjoyed visiting with the customers.

  February came and dumped two more snowstorms on northeastern Oklahoma. March roared in with warmer temperatures and the first funnel cloud of the year. Sadie had spent both months enjoying the laid-back atmosphere of the Eucha General Store. Donnie Tenkiller could hardly work when he was around her. When she thought he had almost mustered enough nerve to ask her to dinner, she anticipated the question and redirected the conversation elsewhere.

  It had been almost three months since the incident with Jaycee's wife, yet it lurked in the back of Sadie's mind like a bad dream and she had no desire for the company of any man. Not even Donnie.

  Jules Hebert sat in a booth at the Waffle House staring first at an envelope, then extracting the contents and putting them back. He had done this three times since Sadie had arrived, having been summoned by Gladys to meet them as soon as possible for some kind of a celebration.

  Gladys buzzed up and down the aisles of the diner, delivering greasy hamburgers and French fries to a crowd of rowdy kids. She smacked her gum and winked at Jules each time she passed the booth, embarrassing Jules and entertaining Sadie. Finally, Gladys untied her apron and handed it to the new waitress she had spent all afternoon training. “I think you got it, honey. If you need me, I'll be over here.” And with that, she slid into the booth next to Jules and smoothed her red curls behind her ears and straightened her heart-shaped earrings. Then her eyes lit up. “Oh, look. Here comes Big Mac.”

  Charlie had taken most of his meals at the Waffle House for the last few months since Lilly had moved in with her mother. When he eased into the booth next to Sadie, she noticed the buttonholes on the front of his shirt struggled to hold each button in place. He placed his elbows on the table, folded his arms, and looked at Sadie. “How are you doing, Sadie?” he asked. “Haven't seen you in a while.”

  “Got an honest job,” she answered. “Temporary bookkeeper at the Eucha Store. Why don't you come by sometime?”

  “I'll do that,” he said. “But first I want to know what all the hubbub is about.”

  Jules beamed when he had everyone's attention. “I have good news. And since you two had a lot to do with saving my life, I thought you should be the first to know.”

  Charlie looked at Jules, then Gladys, and finally Sadie. Sadie shrugged her shoulders. “I give up.”

  “You are looking at a happy man,” said Jules. Then he produced a small photograph from the envelope and held it up for Sadie and Charlie to inspect. Sadie took it from Jules and held it closer so she and Charlie could look at it together.

  “She's beautiful,” remarked Sadie. “Look at that smile. Who is this, Happy?”

  “That's Dimple. Actually, her real name is Delilah.”

  “Isn't that the cutest name you've ever heard?” asked Gladys, smiling ear to ear and popping her gum.

  “Who is she?” Sadie repeated.

  “She's my little girl,” said Jules, fighting back tears. “I didn't know my wife was pregnant when Alicia was killed. And then she up and ran off. I had no idea where she went, and, well, you all know the rest of that story.” Jules picked up a glass of water and gulped down half of its contents before stopping, an obvious attempt to cover the pain on his face.

  “Geez, Happy, how'd you find out about her?” asked Sadie.

  “Where is she?” Charlie spoke at the same time.

  “Do you remember that newspaper article about me?” Jules asked.

  The trio affirmed.

  “A Dallas newspaper picked up the story and my wife's sister, Jodeane, saw it. She couldn't believe it, because, well, they'd done given me up for dead a long time ago.”

  “What happened?” asked Sadie.

  “When my wife had Delilah, she was—Helen was her name—she was in an awful state from what happened to Alicia and all, and she didn't know what had happened to me, either. She went to visit Jodeane, and she left the baby there.” Jules dropped his head for a moment before continuing. “I guess Helen was in a terrible way. I should have been there for her. I didn't know.”

  “I don't think you were in much better shape yourself,” piped Charlie.

  “Well, no, I guess not. But they found her—they found Helen a couple of weeks later in an alley pumped full of drugs. She was dead. Her version of the easy way out, I guess. I feel awful about it, just awful. I let her down.”

  “What happened to Delilah?” asked Sadie in an attempt to turn the conversation.

  “She's been living with Jodeane and her family. They thought I was probabl
y dead too, so the court gave custody to them. Jodeane says if I get cleaned up, come down there, and show I can be a responsible person, she will make arrangements for me to visit Delilah.” Then he quickly added, “But she's got to get used to the idea first.”

  “That's wonderful, Happy,” exclaimed Sadie.

  “I hate to rain on your parade, man. But how do you know this kid is yours?” quizzed Charlie.

  Sadie stuck her elbow in Charlie's side so hard he almost spilled his coffee.

  “Just that Jodeane says the timing is right and that's what Helen told her.” Jules looked at Gladys and smiled. “And my good friend Gladys here is going to go with me and see if Delilah looks like me.”

  “Really?” Sadie looked surprised.

  “Way to go, Red,” laughed Charlie. “I thought you've been a little giddy around here lately.”

  Everyone laughed and Gladys blushed. After several long seconds, she spoke. “What'll you all have? The food's on me. This is a celebration.”

  They ordered lots of greasy food and carried on for hours, delighted in their friend's good fortune.

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” said Jules. “Jodeane sent me some money to help me get back to Texas. But I need help getting it cashed. I was hoping my good friends would have some suggestions.”

  “No problem,” said Sadie. “Can you meet me at the branch where I used to work in the morning a little before eight? I have an appointment with Tom Duncan before the bank opens, and I'd be glad to ask him to cash it for you.”

  “You going back in the banking business?” asked Charlie.

  “I'm going to see what I can find out about the new owners of the bank. Thought I might see if they had any openings.”

  “Oh, returning to the scene of the crime, are we?” Charlie cleared his throat. “Maybe we can make it a party. I'm meeting Lilly there to sign over the accounts to her.”

  Sadie turned to Charlie. “I don't know if I'd call that a party or not.”

  Jules held his coffee cup in the air. “Yes, let's call it a party,” he laughed.

  Chapter 24

  Tom Duncan opened the door for Sadie when he saw her and Jules approaching the branch. “I can't believe you would darken this door—especially today,” he said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Today is the first day of April,” he said. “Don't tell me you've forgotten the most traumatic April Fools' Day of your life.”

  No, Sadie had not forgotten. In fact, she had been anticipating this day for weeks, promising herself it would not affect her. It's just a day, she had told herself, a day like every other. But she had no idea how sick she would feel at the sight of her old workplace.

  The office had barely opened and no other customers had arrived yet, which gave the place a sense of eeriness. As she stood in Tom's office Sadie's mind began to play tricks on her, and for a flash she thought she saw a masked man. Could it be another robber or someone who had come to play an April Fools' Day prank on her? She looked again and he was gone. Her imagination had gone wild.

  “…management has a different philosophy and…” Sadie could hear Tom talking but she couldn't quite hang on to his words. She saw Charlie's truck pull into the west parking lot and park next to a new, dark green Ford Explorer. A thin, blond woman dressed in a pink business suit slid out of the Explorer as if she had been waiting for him. The sight of Charlie gave Sadie a sense of relief. As far as Sadie was concerned, the big man radiated safety and authority everywhere he went whether he was in uniform or not. Today, he looked handsome in jeans, cowboy shirt, and denim jacket. Sadie smiled. She had never seen him in a cowboy shirt.

  Tom continued to talk. “I'm surprised they haven't already called you, Sadie. With Stan gone, they are…” Tom's voice once more slipped out of hearing range as she watched Charlie shake hands with Jules before he and the pink-suit lady walked over to a young girl sitting behind a desk in the far corner. Jules sat back down in one of the overstuffed chairs in the middle of the lobby and waited while Sadie visited with her old colleague. Sadie's thoughts drifted and she could see her fallen comrade at Jules's feet, still lying there with her sweater draped over his head.

  “Sadie?” asked Tom. “Did you hear me?”

  Sadie blinked and the blue berber carpet swallowed the image of Gordy's body. “I'm sorry, Tom. I guess this place is getting to me a little more than I thought it would.” She sat in one of the chairs by Tom's desk.

  “I was just saying they think Stan intentionally falsified the amount of loss to the insurance company after the robbery. They seem to be out of balance by several thousand dollars. Wouldn't that be something, Sadie. Of course, proving…” Tom continued speaking and once more her mind shifted. From the hallway leading to the back door, a man slipped into the lobby. Sadie watched him move in slow motion. His black jogging suit, the sunglasses positioned under the eye holes of his mask—all exactly as he had appeared that horrible morning one year ago. Except his gloves were missing. She could see his hands as they gripped two guns—one black, one nickel. Her heart jumped in her chest. Why wasn't someone doing something? She wanted to scream, to leap out of her chair and shout a warning to everyone. Where was Charlie? And then she saw the dark spot on the robber's hand.

  “Oh, God. No!” The words flew from her mouth but she couldn't hear them. Her body propelled through space as if she were in a dream.

  The masked man, sensing her movement, raised his guns and pointed them at her. Then, for a split second, he hesitated. The sound of gunfire echoed in her head as a bullet ripped through the air. His head jerked and his arms snapped toward the ceiling as he fell backward, still clutching his weapons. Visually, Sadie searched for the identifying marks on the fallen man's hand—the unmistakable results of a snakebite.

  “It's Jaycee,” she whispered before her world slipped into darkness.

  When Charlie saw the masked man round the corner from the hallway, his hand instinctively moved to the high-rise holster on his right hip where his service revolver rode under the cover of his denim jacket. Without thought, he unsnapped the thumb break that held his Smith and Wesson 357 in place and slid the weapon out in a fast, effortless movement. In a fraction of a second, Charlie zeroed in on the robber's head and mentally noted that he had a clear and unobstructed shot.

  In his peripheral vision, Charlie saw movement in the manager's office. As the robber leveled his guns at Sadie, Charlie squeezed the trigger and the robber fell. Bone fragments, blood, and brains splattered on the nearby brick wall.

  Charlie ran to the robber and kicked both guns away from the body. He had seen this combination of weapons before and struggled for a moment to remember. “I'll be damned,” said Charlie aloud. “I watched this asshole target-shoot.” Then he turned his attention to Tom Duncan, who held a wireless phone to his ear while Jules crouched on the floor over Sadie. “Is she okay?” asked Charlie.

  “I don't know,” answered Jules in a shaken voice.

  Sadie woke up to a noxious odor as the doctor moved the small vial under her nose again. Sadie pushed his hand away and almost knocked the smelling salts from his fingers.

  “I think she's back,” remarked the young intern.

  Sadie's eyes began to focus and the doctor turned away. She could see Charlie standing not far from the doctor and then she noticed Lance Smith leaning against the wall near the door. She thought for a moment and remembered seeing Jaycee. She tried to sit up.

  “Whoa,” said Charlie. “Let's not be jumping up just yet.”

  “What happened?” she asked. After a few seconds she added, “Was it a dream?”

  “More like a nightmare,” the intern remarked as he left the room.

  “Don't worry about it right now,” said Charlie.

  Sadie could see Charlie had clipped his badge to the front of his belt. “Was it really him? Where did he go?”

  “He's gone, Sadie. Just rest.”

  “Did he shoot me?” Sadie held her hands in the air for inspec
tion and then started searching her body for bandages.

  “No bullet holes or blood,” Charlie comforted her. “But you did create quite a bump on your head when you fell.”

  Sadie turned her head away. “Is he dead?”

  “I'm sorry, Sadie.” Charlie waited for a moment and then asked, “Is there someone you want us to call for you?”

  Sadie found it hard to think clearly. “Does anyone know I'm here?”

  “I doubt it. But I'm sure the robbery attempt will hit the news soon. You know how they love a sensational story.”

  Lance spoke for the first time. “You want me to go out and see Eli and Mary? Let them know you're okay. Want me to bring them here?”

  “No, no,” said Sadie. “Don't bring them here. Tell them I'm okay and will be home in a little while. I'll meet them there. Tell Aunt Mary to make me some potato soup. That way she'll know I'm okay.” Potato soup was her aunt's comfort food for everything. “I don't want them to get upset.”

  Without a word, Lance slipped through the doorway and was gone.

  Returning her attention to Charlie, she asked, “Did you have to kill him?”

  “It was you or him. Do you think I'd let him shoot you?”

  Sadie closed her eyes and rolled onto her side, bringing her knees into a semi-fetal position as uncontrollable tears streamed down her face. She tried to reconcile in her mind what had happened. How could she have loved and hated the same man? How could he be the cold-blooded killer who murdered Gordy and set her on a life-altering path? It was madness. Nothing made sense.

  A nurse appeared from nowhere and placed her hand on Sadie's shoulder, gave her a comforting pat, and moved on to another patient.

  When Sadie woke up again, the room was dim and quiet. She rolled over, then sat up on her elbow when she heard movement.

  “How are you feeling?” asked Charlie.

  “I want to go home,” she said.