“Explain to me again why we’re not going to the police about this?” There was heavy sarcasm in Nathan’s voice as he got his pipe going.
“You didn’t get enough of the police earlier today?” He shot me a glare. I backed off, asking: “And what exactly would we tell them, Nathan?”
“For starters, two of my employees embezzled $140,000 from their place of business. That is still a crime, am I correct?”
“You bet it is. And so far, the only material evidence of this crime that we know about are three loan documents with your signature on each one. Wouldn’t make for a good opening bid, Nathan.”
“But we know they took it and we know what they did with it! You’re a witness.” It always amazes me how easily people can staunchly support the same reasoning they balked at just the day before. It’s nothing new, but it’s still annoying.
“Nathan, I watched those two men walk into an office carrying a valise. That’s all I could swear to. If you can stretch your memory back to dinner last night, you were the one pointing this same thing out to me. And think about this: your only witness here is your brother, whom you recently brought into the bank and introduced under a false name to the very men you’re accusing.”
“The false name was your idea!”
“That isn’t the point, you jackass!”
He huffed a moment.
“Couldn’t we at least get the police to search that brokerage office?”
“I’d be surprised if we could, not without jumping through one hell of a lot of hoops. The cops wouldn’t find anything anyway. Hell, those guys could have that whole office broken down inside half an hour if they wanted, no sign that it’d ever been there.”
“If the police showed up suddenly and unannounced,” Nathan suggested, “caught them by surprise–”
“That’s not going to happen. The local cops are in cahoots with these guys, remember? Even if we tried to go to another precinct or some other authority, I’m telling you they’d get tipped off in plenty of time.”
Nathan sat back puffing his pipe, knowing I was right and sore as hell about it.
“I guess that’s it, then,” he said. “I’ll have to report this to the bank president tomorrow.” Of course he wanted to now. Now that he couldn’t.
“Day late and a dollar short for that, I’m afraid.”
“I beg your pardon?” Nathan blinked a few times. “Aren’t you the one who’s been telling me I need to do this?”
“You did need to do this, Nathan. You can’t afford to now.”
“But I didn’t know enough before. Now I know exactly what happened.”
“And now the money’s gone,” I reminded him. “And the only evidence points to you. And once Myers and Wiedermann find out it’s gone, that they’re not going to waltz into that brokerage office and pick up a fat wad of cash – if that hasn’t happened already – they’ll be even more eager to pin the blame on someone else. And they’ve already fitted you for the part.”
“So what do you suggest I do?” No sarcasm in his tone this time; maybe Nathan was finally beginning to realize he needed me.
“Continue on as before. Go about your work and don’t say anything to anyone about this matter. With any luck, Myers and Wiedermann will panic once Stanton’s people lower the boom on them. They may do something stupid, one of them anyway, something that will give the whole game away and leave you in the clear.”
Nathan just stared at me for a minute.
“So the plan now is we wait for one of them to make a stupid mistake?”
“You’d be surprised how often that works, Nathan.”
Thursday morning I paid another visit to Townsend’s office. He saw me right away and I explained my problem. A guy I knew, very upstanding sort, had had the misfortune to be arrested yesterday for disturbing the peace. Just a misunderstanding, really. This guy was currently out on bail and could really do without a court appearance. In fact, if there was a chance the arrest record could disappear, along with any mention of it in the police blotter, this fellow would be damned grateful.
“Which precinct?” I gave it to him and he nodded. “Shouldn’t be too difficult. From what I hear, those guys have been known to misplace whole murder victims for the right amount of lettuce.”
“That’s what I was hoping.” Townsend agreed to contact a lawyer he knew who was known in that precinct, someone who could explain things, offer appropriate apologies and even more appropriate donations. It would cost a hundred easy, not counting Townsend’s fee, but it didn’t sound like a problem. I agreed, then had to provide the arrested man’s name. Townsend looked up at me, raising his eyebrows politely.
“I take it the surname isn’t a coincidence, Mr. Caine?”
“He’s my brother,” I admitted.
“This anything to do with the other matter you hired me for?”
“More or less.”
“I see.” Townsend didn’t see at all, of course, but he was too professional to inquire further. “That’s why I don’t like working with family,” he said.
“This was more like a favor,” I explained.
“It always starts that way.”
“Not sure how this is going to pan out,” I admitted. “Could be I might need your help again before it’s all through.”
He looked me in the eye for a moment.
“I won’t do anything illegal, Mr. Caine.”
“I won’t ask you to, Mr. Townsend. In fact, I won’t ask you to do anything without I give you the full score on it first.”
He nodded, told me he’d take care of my brother’s little misunderstanding, and I left his office. I didn’t ask him to keep this between us. I’d never asked that of a priest in the confessional, so I didn’t see the need to bother a man like Townsend about it.
I met Nathan for lunch Thursday afternoon at that same restaurant on the harbor we’d been to the day I first visited his bank. I told him I was having his little problem with the law taken care of and didn’t expect there to be any difficulties. And the pompous son of a gun actually said thank you, which was a nice surprise.
“How are Myers and Wiedermann today?” I asked, forking up a mouthful of soft-shell crab.
“Wiedermann called in sick this morning,” Nathan said, which didn’t surprise me. He probably was sick, made so by the problem he’d created for himself. “Myers is in, but…”
“He’s not all there? Stares off into space, hanging his head like he’s lost his best friend? And then the next minute he’s wired like a switchboard, sweating and jumping in his seat every time someone punches a stapler?”
“I’d say that’s a fair description of his mental state today.”
I nodded. “The play has been made. Your men might not know they’ve been conned yet. They might never know it. But they know something went wrong and their investment has gone up in smoke.”
“You think they’ll try to pin this on me?” Nathan looked down at his food, not sure he wanted my answer.
“They’ve already pinned it on you, Nathan. And as things heat up, they’ll do their best to make that stick. However,” I chewed and swallowed another mouthful of crab, “I have an idea about how to handle that as well.”
I launched into my plan, slowly, giving him a chance to soak up the gist of it. He listened patiently but I could tell he wasn’t really biting. I finished and waited for him to say something.
“You want to try and, what would you call it, out-con these confidence men? Try and get the money back that way?”
“I think right now it’s our best bet.”
“I have a few problems with that, Dev.” I had several, but figured it couldn’t hurt to hear Nathan’s. “First off, wouldn’t that be difficult to attempt with such men? From what you tell me, they’re experts at this sort of thing. How can you hope to best them using the same tactics they’re already familiar with?”
“Never try to con a con,” I agreed. “That’s what they say, except that’s pure balone
y, Nathan. The best marks are the ones who think they’re too smart to get taken. Con men look for spoiled heirs, greedy businessmen, anyone with a lot of money who thinks having all that dough must mean he’s a smart cookie. Now given that, what kind of person do you think believes he’s the least susceptible to being conned?”
“A professional confidence man?”
“Bingo. It stands to reason. Like you said, these people already know all the games and believe they can’t possibly get suckered, which blinds many of them to that very possibility. I know this because con men sometimes play each other, either to keep their skills honed or for pure sport. Or sometimes because of a grudge. The point is, it does happen. Con men do themselves get conned.”
“I suppose that does stand to reason,” Nathan assented. “Still, I shouldn’t think it would be an easy thing to do.”
“It’s not. It’s very difficult. You have to know exactly what you’re doing every step of the way.”
“And you believe you do?”
“For the simple play I have in mind, I know enough. It’s a long shot, but it only costs us a little time. We’ve got what, another two weeks before the first payment is due on any of those phony loans? The point is, if it doesn’t work, we’re no worse off. There’s no real risk here in trying.”
“How so?” You just can’t say to a banker that there’s no risk; you have to give details.
The waiter had cleared the table and brought coffee. I sat back and lit up a cigarette, waiting for him to make himself scarce again.
“Con men operate in what are known as the ‘soft rackets’. The hard rackets are things like illicit gambling, protection money, prostitution, murder for hire. Any enterprise that involves or is protected by the point of a gun. Con men pride themselves on not using weapons, on relying solely on their wit, skill, and the mark’s own greed to turn a dollar. The point is, if we fail, there’s really no harm done, we just don’t get the money back. Con men aren’t the type to take it personally and want to come after us. And it’s sure not like they can go to the police and file a complaint.”
Nathan seemed doubtful but promised to think it over. I told them that whatever he decided, we had to get Myers and Wiedermann under control. Our control, and fast. I told him what I had in mind, explained how this needed to be done regardless of whether we took the rest of my plan any further. He needed some convincing, but not much. Maybe he just liked the idea of seeing them suffer a little.
And so that afternoon I scouted out an office for rent, something bare and unassuming and cheap. And here it was Friday morning, and I sat at the desk smoking, looking up at the map of Baltimore I’d purchased and tacked up on the wall. I had a few colored pins stuck in it and some random locations circled in colored pencil, including the brokerage office on Chase Street.
There was a knock at the door and I barked out a harsh, authoritative “Come in!”
Myers and Wiedermann entered, both looking slightly confused. I jerked my head toward the conference table without getting up.
“Sit down over there.”
Neither man moved. Wiedermann started to speak.
“Mr. Caine said–”
“I know what Mr. Caine said,” I interrupted. “Sit down over there.”
Myers looked uncertainly at his partner, then followed him over to the table.
I stretched my neck until it cracked, then put my feet heavily down on the floor and stood up. Shirtsleeves rolled up, tie loosened, and my vest hanging open. I wasn’t businessman Kelly Shaw to these two, not anymore. I was a civil servant, tired, overworked, and not to be trifled with. And this had to wash, because if I couldn’t sell something that simple to these clowns, I had no business trying to put anything over on a man like Clay Stanton.
I walked around to the front of the desk and sat down heavily on one corner of it. I fished a cigarette out of my shirt pocket and lit it, letting out the smoke as I stared at the two men, sizing them them up.
“You fellows remember me?” I asked.
“Of course, Mr. Shaw,” Wiedermann answered, Myers nodding in agreement.
“Good. That makes things easier.”
I reached for a manilla folder on the desk and opened it, flipping idly through a few of the pages.
“Really need to get that crown fixed, Wiedermann,” I said casually. “You don’t want it coming out in a bite of your wife’s meatloaf at the dinner table. What would your two boys think?”
The two men looked at each other for a second. Wiedermann continued to do the talking.
“Mr. Shaw, may I ask what we’re doing here?” His tone was polite enough, still thinking I might be an important client.
“Well, there are a few reasons,” I told him. “Matter of fact, I can think of about a hundred and forty thousand of them.” I gave them dead eyes the way cops do. The two men paled and looked quickly at one another for the second time.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Shaw,” Wiedermann said. “I don’t believe either of us has the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”
I shook my head sadly. “Christ, I’d hate to be your lawyer. If you can’t lie any better than that in court, you may as well buy yourself a sledge hammer now and start practicing on the rocks in your garden.”
I reached behind me and picked up another folder, taking out photostats of the three fraudulent loan documents from Nathan’s office. I stood and walked over to the table, dropped them in front of the men, then went back to the edge of the desk.
“Those look familiar?”
“They appear to be copies of loan papers from our bank,” Myers admitted. “Yes, I recognize Mr. Caine’s signature on all three of them.”
I nodded, taking a puff from my cigarette. “Ferrier does nice work, I have to give him that.” Their faces paled again at the name of the forger they’d used, the one Townsend had seen Myers going to visit last Saturday.
“Mr. Shaw,” Wiedermann finally found his voice, “may we ask what all this is about?”
“Certainly, Mr. Wiedermann. It’s about you and Mr. Myers embezzling a hundred and forty thousand dollars from your own bank, and having Mr. Ferrier fix up the paperwork so you could frame Mr. Caine for it.” My voice was calm and even as I laid it out for them.
“That’s preposterous, Mr. Shaw!” Wiedermann objected.
“Mmhmm.”
“Are you with the police?” Myers asked. Wiedermann looked like he wanted to kick Myers under the table, but I could see their feet.
“Who I’m with,” I answered, “that is, the exact name of the federal agency I work for, is unimportant. What is important is this: I can walk across the street, send one telegram, and the two of you won’t see the outside of a prison cell for the next twenty years.”
Giving myself federal clout made an impact. To control rampant crime in this country, the feds had pushed Congress lately to give them some pretty broad powers. They could carry firearms now, and cross state lines with authority to pursue criminals for breaking any of a number of laws. Myers and Wiedermann couldn’t just slip out of Maryland overnight and be done with this mess, not if a federal agent was pursuing them.
“I think perhaps Mr. Myers and I should have an attorney present if this discussion is to go any further,” Wiedermann said, picking imaginary lint off his sleeve.
“He can visit you in the clink,” I told them. “Won’t make any difference. We have our case all built up against you. At this point, even the best lawyer could only stall us a little and cost you money.” I stood up and tossed the folder back onto the desk, rubbing a hand along the back of my neck and sighing. “But if that’s how you boys want it, fine. It’s your right and I can’t stop you. You’re the small fry in this anyway; we’re after the bigger fish. Just thought I’d offer you a chance to play ball, maybe knock a little time off your sentences.”
I lit a new cigarette off the last one, squinting at them through the smoke, and added: “Maybe all of it.”
A long silence, broken by Wiederm
ann asking me to please continue.
“Okay, I’ll lay it out for you. Here’s what we want: as of this moment, neither of you mentions anything about this business, not one tiny detail of it, to anyone. Not even Mr. Caine. I mean if I find out you said something in your sleep and your wife overheard it, Wiedermann, you’re going to prison. I’ll have questions, a lot of them, and you’ll answer every last one of them and answer them completely and to the best of your knowledge. We may even ask you to do a few things to help us catch the big crooks. Don’t worry, it wont be anything dangerous, but you’ll be agreeing to follow any orders I give you to the letter. If you do all this and don’t louse it up, and we get who we’re after, I will make a personal recommendation to the attorney general that all charges against you be dropped in exchange for your cooperation.”
I walked over to the table, leaning my fists on the surface and staring down at the two men.
“Here’s how it works, gentlemen: I need your answer now, before you leave this room. You want to take your chances with a lawyer, go do that. I’ll tell the local judge I need to have you both locked up immediately, of course, and for the duration of our investigation, so you can’t tip off any co-conspirators. Also, there’s a risk of you two jumping bail since you’ve recently acquired all this money. I know, I know,” I put a hand up, “you don’t have it any more. But believe me, I’ll make sure the judge doesn’t know that.”
I walked away from them, saying over my shoulder: “Think it over. Take your time, I’ve got half a minute to kill before my next meeting.”
It should be a fairly easy sell if I did it right. They were already shaken over losing the money, and I’d done a good job of rattling them even harder with what I knew about it and the threat of a long jail stretch. Yet, I’d offered them a way out of all their worries, and all in exchange for their absolute silence and a little cooperation.
Not surprisingly, they accepted my offer.
“Glad to hear it. Where you going?” They’d started to rise.
“You said you had another meeting,” Myers reminded me.
A Shared Confidence Page 14