Orchid Blues

"They had a sofa and a recliner in the living room, and a pretty big TV, and I guess they had a bed. She said they were saving up to buy more; that the bank frowned on its people carrying too much credit card debt."

"Thanks," Holly said, handing her a card. "If you should hear from them, would you give us a call?"

"Sure."

Holly walked on, talking to the neighbors. Finally, at the house directly across the street, she got lucky. The owner, a man in his late seventies or early eighties, remembered something.

"I fell asleep in front of the TV on Saturday night," he said, "and I woke up in the middle of the night. I do that a lot, since my wife died. I got up to turn off the lights, and I happened to look out the window, and I saw two cars and a trailer pull away from the Morris house."

"What kind of cars?"

"Their cars, a convertible and a van."

"And the trailer?"

"It didn't have any markings, like those U-Haul things. Looked like a horse trailer to me. Wooden sides."

She thanked the man, then returned and reported to Hurd.

"You got more than I did," he said.

"When you get back, put out a report on the two cars and the trailer. I guess the van would have been pulling the trailer."

"If they left Saturday night, they could be well out of the state by now."

"Yes, they could. Alert the state patrol in Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas."

"You know," Hurd said, "I don't think I've ever run into one like this."

"That's what Harry Crisp said," Holly replied.

20

Holly went back to the station and found another message from Joy Williams at Southern Trust. She returned the call.

"It's Holly Barker, Joy."

"Oh, thank you for calling me back. Something else came up that I thought you ought to know about."

"What's that?"

"Late Friday afternoon, just before closing, Franklin Morris cashed a check for $3,000 at a teller's cage. His whole balance was $4,248.22. Management here has started an investigation of all of Franklin's transactions at the bank, too, but we don't really expect to find anything much. Franklin's approval limit for a loan was only $25,000, without an approval from a senior bank officer."

Holly thought for a moment. "Did he have to have somebody's signature to cash a $3,000 check?"

"Not really, since he was a bank employee. The teller would have checked the computer for his balance, of course, but if he had the money in the account, she would have given it to him without question."

"I see. Which teller did he go to?"

"He went to Mrs. Harston's window."

"I see."

"But hers was the only window open at that hour. All the others would have been checking out for the day, and her window was kept open for last-minute customers. The tellers take turns being the last to close, because it means the last teller will have to stay another fifteen minutes or so."

"Thank you, Joy. Is there anything else?"

"Did you go out to the house?"

"Yes, and you were right. They've left the place."

"Are you going to arrest Franklin?"

"We've put out a bulletin to various state police organizations, because we'd like to question Franklin. Even if he didn't have anything to do with the robbery, we'd want him for fraudulently obtaining employment with your bank."

"You're going to arrest him, then?"

"I haven't requested a warrant yet, but I will."

"Thank you, Chief."

Holly hung up and called Harry Crisp.

"Hey, there, I was just about to call you."

"What's up?" she asked.

"I checked out the three names from Lake Winachobee, and came up with nothing-no arrest records, no outstanding warrants."

"That's what you'd get if they were assumed names, isn't it?"

"Exactly. What I'd like is some fingerprints."

"I'm not sure how we'd get those," Holly said.

"I wouldn't try right now. Just keep it in mind. Now, why were you calling me?"

"Remember Franklin Morris?"

"The loan officer? Sure."

"He bailed over the weekend."

"Quit his job?"

"Quit the town. He and his wife are gone, their house is empty, and he took most of the money out of his bank account on Friday afternoon. A neighbor says he and the wife pulled out in a van, a convertible and a horse trailer in the wee hours of Sunday morning."

"Uh-oh."

"Also, we've learned that he got his job with a fraudulent recommendation from a nonexistent Miami bank."

"I'll get a warrant. This is a federal matter."

"Okay. I've already put out an APB in five states for the cars, but we have no plate numbers."

"I'll check the car registrations and get the numbers."

"Thanks, Harry."

"So he fooled us both in the interviews, huh?"

"Looks that way. On the other hand, he might not have had anything to do with the robbery; maybe he just thought that the investigation might bring too much attention to bear on him."

"That's a possibility, I guess, but I'm inclined to discount it, for the moment."

"Me, too."

"Okay, Holly, let's keep in touch about this."

"Bye, Harry."

The phone on her desk rang as soon as she put it down.

"Holly Barker."

"Chief, my name is Warren Huff."

"What can I do for you, Mr. Huff?"

"I was just over at a house I own that I rent out, and I found it empty and a search warrant in the kitchen."

"That would be the Franklin Morris house."

"Yes, ma'am. It was a real shock finding it empty."

"I can imagine. Did Morris owe you a lot of rent?"

"No, he didn't. I got a check in the mail this morning for a month's rent, mailed on Friday, and I still have a month's rent as a security deposit. There was a note attached that said I could keep the deposit."

"I see. Then you have no complaint against Mr. Morris."

"Well, he had a lease that he ran out on, but I guess I'm not out any money."

"Mr. Huff, I'd like to send somebody over to have a look at the check and the envelope it came in. Would you put it aside without touching it again?"

"Sure, if you say so." He gave her the address of his office.

"Thanks, Mr. Huff." She hung up and called Tommy Ross and asked him to go and dust the check and envelope for prints.

The phone rang again. "Holly Barker."

"Hey, it's Ham."

"Hey, Ham. What's up?"

"You know that Peck Rawlings guy?"

"Yep."

"I had a phone call from him just now."

21

Lunch at Ham's was always fish, freshly caught. He rolled a couple of plump sea trout in flour and dropped them in hot oil.

Holly didn't rush him. It was best not to rush Ham, he'd get around to it.

Halfway through lunch, Ham got around to it. "So, ol' Peck called me this morning."

"What'd he have to say?"

"I think Peck thinks I'm his kind of folks."

"Good."

"Good? I found it kind of insulting."

"Did you tell him that?"

"Nope."

"Good."

"Said he wants to bring me something to read."

"Bring? He's coming over here?"

"Around six, he said."

"You think he wants to recruit you?"

"Maybe."

"How do you feel about that?"

"How do you want me to feel?"

"I don't want you to get in over your head, Ham."

Ham snorted. "Over my head? I've spent more time in over my head than anyplace else."

"I guess you have. What I meant was, if these people are who I think they are, it could get dangerous."

Ham shot her a withering look. "More dangerous than 'Nam? I don't think so."

"All right, I had to say it."

"Sort of a disclaimer, huh?"

"Sort of. I just want you to go into this with your eyes wide open."

"What do you want me to get out of this guy?"