circular table.
Hal Burnside told the FBI agents, 'I hope what we've discovered will justify calling you gentlemen out at this time of night.'
This meeting, Edwina realized, must have been planned several hours ago. She asked, 'Then you have discovered something?'
'Unfortunately, a good deal more than anyone expected, Mrs. D'Orsey.'
At a nod from Burnside, the audit assistant, Gayne, began to spread out papers.
'As the result of your suggestion,' Burnside stated in a lecturer's tone, 'an examination has been made of personal bank accounts savings and checking of all personnel employed at the main downtown branch. What we were seeking was some evidence of individual financial difficulty. Fairly conclusively, we found it.'
He sounds like a pompous schoolmaster, Edwina thought. But she continued listening intently.
'I should perhaps explain,' the audit chief told the two FBI men, 'that most bank employees maintain their personal accounts at the branch where they work. One reason is that the accounts are 'free' that is, without service charges. Another reason the more important is that employees recently a special low interest rate on loans, usually one percent below prime rate.'
Innes, the senior FBI agent, nodded. 'Yes, we knew that.'
'You'll also realize, then, that an employee who has taken advantage of his or her special bank credit has borrowed to the limit, in fact and then borrows other sums from an outside source such as a finance company, where interest rates are notoriously high, has placed himself or herself in a tenuous financial position.' Innes, with a trace of impatience, said, 'Of course.'
'It appears we have a bank employee to whom exactly that has happened.' He motioned to the assistant, Gayne, who turned over several canceled checks which until now had been face down.
'As you'll observe, these checks are made out to three separate finance companies. Incidentally, we've already been in touch by telephone with two of the companies, and notwithstanding the payments that you see, both accounts are seriously delinquent. It's a reasonable guess that, in the morning, the third company will tell us the same story.'
Gayne interjected, 'And these checks are for the current month only. Tomorrow we'll look at microfilm records for several months back.'
'One other fact is relevant,' the audit chief proceeded. 'The individual concerned could not possibly have made these payments' he gestured toward the canceled checks 'on the basis of a bank salary, the amount of which we know. Therefore during the past several hours we have searched for evidence of theft from the bank, and this has now been found.'
Once again the assistant, Gayne, began placing papers on the conference table.
… evidence of theft from the bank
… this has now been found. Edwina, scarcely listening any more, had her eyes riveted - on the signature on each of the canceled checks a signature she saw each day, familiar to her, bold and clear. The sight of it, here and now, appalled and saddened her. ..
The signature was Eastin's young Miles whom she liked so well, who was so efficient as assistant operations officer, so helpful and tireless, even tonight, and whom only this week she had decided to promote when Tottenhoe retired.
The Chief of Audit Service had now moved on. 'What our sneak thief has been doing is milking dormant accounts. Once we detected a single fraudulent pattern earlier this evening, others were not hard to find.'
Still in his lecturer's manner, and for the benefit of the PBI men, he defined a dormant account. It was an account savings or checking, Burnside explained which had little or no activity. All banks had customers who for varied reasons left such accounts untouched over long periods, sometimes for many years, and with surprisingly large sums remaining in them. Modest interest did accumulate in savings accounts, of course, and some people undoubtedly had that in mind, though others incredible but true abandoned their accounts entirely.
When a checking account was observed to be inactive, with no deposits or withdrawals, banks ceased mailing monthly statements and substituted an annual one. Even those, at times, were returned marked: 'Moved address unknown.'
Standard precautions were taken to prevent fraudulent use of dormant accounts, the audit chief continued. The account records were segregated; then, if a transaction suddenly occurred it was scrutinized by an operations officer to make sure it was legitimate. Normally such precautions were effective. As assistant operations officer; Miles Eastin had authority to scrutinize and approve dormant account transactions. He had used the authority to cover up his own dishonesty the fact that he had been stealing from such accounts himself.
'Eastin has been rather clever, selecting those accounts least likely to cause trouble. We have here a series of forged withdrawal slips, though not forged very skillfully because there are obvious traces of his handwriting, after which the amounts have been transferred into what ape appears to be a dummy account of his own under an assumed name. There's an obvious similarity of handwriting there also, though naturally experts will be needed to give evidence.'
One by one they examined the withdrawal slips, comparing the handwriting with the checks they had looked at earlier. Although an attempt had been made at disguise, a resemblance was unmistakable.
The second FBI agent, Dalrymple, had been writing careful notes. Looking up, he asked, 'Is there a total figure on the money involved?'
Gayne answered, 'So far we've pinpointed close to eight thousand dollars. Tomorrow, though, well have access to older records through microfilm and the computer, which may show more.'
Burnside added, 'When we confront Eastin with what we know already; it could be he'll decide to make things easier by admitting the rest. That's sometimes a pattern when we catch embezzlers.'
He's enjoying this, Edwina thought; really enjoying it. She felt irrationally defensive about Miles llastin, then asked, 'Have you any idea how long this has been going on?'
'From what's been uncovered so far,' Gayne informed them, 'it looks like at least a year, possibly longer.'
Edwina turned to face Hal Burnside. 'So you missed it completely at the last audit. Isn't an inspection of dormant accounts part of your job?'
It was like pricking a bubble. The audit chief flushed crimson as he admitted, 'Yes, it is. But even we miss things occasionally when a thief has covered his tracks well.'
'Obviously. Though you did say a moment ago the handwriting was a giveaway.' Burnside said sourly, 'Well, we've caught it now.' She reminded him, 'After I called you in.'
The FBI agent Innes broke the ensuing silence. 'None of this puts us any further ahead so far as Wednesday's missing cash goes.'
'Except it makes Eastin the prime suspect,' Burnside said. He seemed relieved to redirect the conversation. 'And he may admit that, too.'
'He won't,' Nolan Wainwright growled. 'That cat is too damn smart. Besides, why should he? We still don't know how he did it.'
Until now the bank security head had said little, though he had shown surprise, then his face had hardened as the auditors produced their succession of documents and the evidence of guilt. Edwina wondered if Wainwright was remembering how both of them had put pressure on the teller, Juanita Nunez, disbelieving the girl's protested innocence. Even now, Edwina supposed, there was a possibility the Nunez girl had been in league with Eastin, but it seemed unlikely.
Hal Burnside stood up to go, refastening his briefcase. 'Here's where Audit leaves off and the law takes over.'
'We'll require these papers and a signed statement,' Innes said. 'Mr. Gayne will stay, and be at your disposal.'
'One more question. Do you think that Eastin has any idea he's been found out?'
'I doubt it.' Burnside glanced toward his assistant who shook his head.
'I'm certain he doesn't. We were careful not to show what we were looking for and, to cover up, we asked for many things we didn't need.'
'I don't think so either,' Edwina said. She remembered sadly how busy and cheerful Miles Eastin had been immediately before she had left the branch with Burnside. Why had he done it? Why, oh why?
