Dennis hastened in, a file folder in his hands. “Sorry about the news. I would’ve come in right away, but had to gather some data.” His thin, hawkish face was set off by slicked-back dark hair.
Willie sat behind his desk, gesturing for Dennis to sit. “What’s this about funds disappearing from our Belize accounts?”
Dennis perched on the edge of his chair and nodded soberly. “Afraid so. Just as we were paying for information concerning where the counterfeit money was located, the forty million was sucked away. As were the funds in all our other Belize accounts.”
Willie’s hands began trembling. “How…”
“Only way is by inserting a special program in each account to be that exacting. I’ve talked to the bank. The person or persons who did this had to go to the bank to do it. Which means pictures of those involved were available.”
“Any clue about where the money is?”
Dennis’ face became even more pinched looking. “No. But I had time to put a security trap on one of the accounts a couple days ago. The electronics package used by these perps was good, but we were able to get some data that I’m still deciphering.”
“I want those pictures on my desk…”
Dennis flipped open the folder. “Already here,” he said. “That’s what was keeping me from bringing you the information when I first found out. Oh, and one other thing. The program used to steal the money also put a time lock on what occurred. Far as the North Koreans are concerned, the forty million is in their account. Won’t discover otherwise until tomorrow about this time.”
Willie studied the three men in the photograph closely. “Get this to Lance. We need to identify ‘em soon as possible.”
Dennis stood up. “Already being done. I’d better get back to my office and keep working on the data we got from the security trap.”
Once he was gone, Willie rubbed his face and stood up again, too agitated to sit. This was a disaster. One he might not survive if he didn’t locate the funds. At least they had a day’s grace.
Lance arrived, closely followed by two others. “We know who it is, boss. One of ‘em is the guy who interfered when we were takin’ care of that Lenora bitch. We can use our police contacts to locate him.”
“How’d he get the information about our accounts?” Willie asked.
The man behind Lance half-raised a hand. “I was in the bathroom when that asshole rescued the broad. I’m not sure, but I think she slipped something in his coat pocket.”
Willie slowly walked back to his desk and sat, deep in thought. Finally he raised his head. “Okay, I think I know what happened. Now what about the counterfeit money? We still on track to pick it up?”
“A crew is heading to its location now,” Lance said.
“Then the only other problem I see is Lenora. She knows enough to hang us all.”
“No problem there,” Lance said. “She’s still in a coma, and not expected to live.”
A small measure of relief coursed through Willie. “Okay, then that means we need to concentrate on finding the real money, and killing those involved.” He pointed at Lance. “Come up with a plan on how you’re going to do that in an hour, and how many men it’ll take. Use all our resources for this if you need to, including bribing officials to get information. Any questions?”
“No questions, boss.” They hurried from his office, with Lance already snapping commands.
Willie leaned his elbows on the desk, weariness setting in. If they failed to take care of this, Crosby might find out. When that happened, it would be the end of him, even though they’d managed to get the two hundred million in counterfeit money. There was no forgiving when you screwed up this royally.
Operating funds would start becoming a problem in a couple weeks, since there was only a couple hundred grand kept on-site for emergencies. Such as this one. He shuddered, thinking of what had to be done. Time to unload the cocaine, at the best price he could get. No more waiting until the seasonal rise in value. That would extend his operations several more months, give him time to recover. Might even get over this setback, long as word didn’t get out to his boss.
Was it time to disappear? He violently shook his head. No. Not without enough money to live comfortably the rest of his life. Such as he’d had in one of the Belize accounts that was no more. He rubbed his now-aching neck, mind fruitlessly searching for an easy way out of his predicament.
CHAPTER SIX
“All right, everyone, let’s head for our seats.” John Morrelli, class instructor, wandered through the midst of the chattering group, herding us towards the square of tables at the other end of the room.
I finished the delicate task of removing an earring from Emily with my teeth, an eighty-year old lady. Doing it without her noticing was a ticklish job, even though I was hugging her. God, if only she was thirty years younger. Must’ve been a real beauty in her day. Still good looking, for that matter. Her hand gave my butt a pat as she turned away. Bet she used to knock the men for a loop.
Once we were settled in, John moved to the front. He was an imposing figure at six-four, and built like a linebacker. Hell, he probably had been. “Thank you, Francis, for the great idea of having a social gathering prior to our second day of classes. I really enjoyed the fruit and soft drinks you provided, as well as the snacks.” Everyone began applauding, causing
