“Day after tomorrow! Can we postpone it? I won’t be back.”
“It has to be then. They’re leaving for Europe that afternoon and won’t be back until Christmas.”
Karen hesitated, trying to organize her thoughts, “I suppose I could fly back, and after we close you could come back with me to help with the estate.”
“Sure, we could do that. Just call when you have your flight scheduled so I’ll know when to pick you up. Anything else?”
“Yes!” She was remembering her uneasy feelings about Jake Turner. “I might have an appointment at my dad’s bank tomorrow. I’ll try to schedule it first thing in the morning so I can get a flight out sometime in the afternoon.”
“Sure, no problem. As long as you get back in time to sign that contract, I’ll be happy.”
Karen hung up the phone with a promise to call him as soon as she had the flight number and time of her arrival.
She immediately grabbed the phone book and looked up the number of the bank, talked with a very friendly woman named Logan Massey, and arranged an appointment for the next morning at 9:00 a.m.
After explaining the urgency of her request, Logan promised to have the account ready for both of them to peruse.
Karen then made a flight reservation leaving at 5:10 p.m. the next day and called Jonathon, giving him the necessary information. Yawning, she hung up the phone and collapsed into her father’s favorite easy chair for a short nap. Before long she was fast asleep.
Harry tiptoed in and placed a blanket around her legs. He watched her sleep for a few minutes, wishing she would get through the next few weeks relatively unscathed, but his senses told him differently.
* * * * *
In a luxurious apartment, only miles away, Jake Turner relaxed with his latest drug buy. He leaned over to inhale a line of cocaine and the rush hit him instantly. He slumped back against the pillows on the couch, wringing his hands together in anticipation of sensations his body would experience.
Smiling, gloating at the thought of how expertly he would take care of the small matter involving the funds he took from Travis Morton’s bank account, he congratulated himself on the little act he had put on at the cemetery. How she must have fallen for it!
Jake, my man, you are the master! She’ll be so wrapped up in grieving the death of her old man… won’t make any moves until after they go over the will. No hurry…plenty of time. Maybe I’ll just stay home tomorrow. I deserve a day off. A cruel smile formed on his lips, a thin straight line with no upward curve.
Such a sweet deal! No reason to panic. I can continue to raid clients’ bank accounts and no one will be the wiser.
As night fell and shadows began to form in the living room, Jake never lost that wicked smile on his face. But, someone else watched, feeling only pity.
CHAPTER FIVE
The day after the funeral Karen sat across from Logan Massey. Logan, she found out, was the assistant branch manager at the bank. She established a friendly rapport with the beautiful, young woman, noting the sincerity in her voice when she expressed sorrow at the death of Karen’s father. She also felt a trust build up because they immediately got down to business, assuring the appointment would be completed in a timely manner, allowing her to catch her flight to California.
As promised, Logan had the account information ready when Karen arrived at the bank. “I’ll try my best to answer any questions you might have about your father’s account. You expressed some concerns about the balance. Is that correct?”
Karen nodded and waited while she brought up the current statement on the computer.
“Hmmm. Okay. We show a balance of $122,210.79 in checking and $458,156.12 in savings.”
Karen glanced down at the bankbook to double check the accuracy of the figures. “Wait a minute!” she blurted out. “His balance in checking is approximately $50,000 more than that figure. Could you check that again?”
Logan raised her eyes from the screen, noted the look of panic, and read off the numbers again, “$122,210.79.”
Karen spoke softly but emphatically, “No, that’s not right. See.” She passed the bankbook across the desk.
Glancing down, Logan felt a twinge of anxiety and tried hard not to show it. She began the process of balancing the checks written and debited from the account. Everything seemed to be in order but the numbers didn’t agree.
“Mrs. Sands, does anyone else have access to this account?”
Karen started to respond but Logan interrupted, “It looks like there have been quite a few large checks written lately, signed by a Mr. Jake Turner.”
With caution in her voice, “Mr. Turner is my father’s lawyer.”
Logan looked at the computer screen again and confirmed that Travis Morton had given Jake authorization to sign checks from his account about three months ago. “Do you know if your father kept track of these transactions over the last few months?”
Shaking her head, Karen explained, “My Dad has been very ill the last six months. It’s possible he authorized his attorney to pay the medical bills.”
Looking dazed, she explained that she had just recently reunited with her father and had little knowledge of business arrangements made.
Feeling a pang of empathy for this grieving young woman since she had lost both of her parents at a young age, Logan offered to investigate further and call Karen later that day before she left for California.
With a look of concern, extending her hand, she gratefully accepted the young bank officer’s help.
There must be a mistake!
She turned to leave the office, shoulders slumped, a feeling of helplessness permeating her whole being.
“Poor thing”, Logan muttered, watching Karen exit through the revolving doors at the front entrance to the bank.
* * * * *
Working through the lunch hour on Travis Morton’s account, Logan’s alarm increased with each transaction scrutinized. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that the amount of money missing from the account could only be traced to Mr. Turner, checks to cover medical bills, household expenses, and some written for cash. The difference in the balance came to approximately $50,000 even though the monthly statements seemed to be in order. Apparently no one else had been checking the account the last few months.
“Why would a lawyer need that kind of money?” Logan whispered to herself, now wondering if Jake Turner’s name appeared on any other accounts.
Her fingers flying, she looked for other accounts where his name appeared as a co-signer.
“Hello”, gasping as the computer lit up with several other names.
The
