Andy had let Frank take his keys from his jacket the day before. Frank stood at the front door and held his breath as he unlatched the key. “Jeez Louise.” The enormity of the undertaking was overwhelming.
He turned to his friends. “Guys, I don’t know where to start.” Removing the magazines, newspapers, and junk mail seemed to be the logical first step. Frank began giving the men assignments. “Hank, you take the magazines and tie them up. Lou, you bag the junk mail. Joe, you handle the newspapers. Once we get them out of the way, we’ll be able to see what else we need to do.”
The men worked feverishly to clear out the mountains of paper, handing Frank the bundles for him to load onto the truck. It took about three hours before they could see the furniture.
Hank was the first to speak. “I’ll head over to the storage place and drop this stuff off.”
“Good idea. I’ll tackle the kitchen to see if there’s anything salvageable in there. I’ll toss anything that looks like it could be a fire hazard or in disrepair. We can replace whatever small appliances he has. Frank went into the kitchen to find a hot plate with frayed wires. “Off you go.” He tossed it into a box marked TRASH. He wasn’t sure if throwing out old rusty appliances would upset Andy, but his ability to return to his home was uppermost. A coffeepot with a broken handle was next. He checked the stove to see if any of the burners worked. All were fine. Frank thought Andy probably used the hot plate because it was easier. But he didn’t have time to ruminate over what possessed people to do the things they do. An hour later, the countertops were clear of any dangerous items.
Hank returned shortly, and they began removing the dozens of bolts of fabric that sat on top of the two antique sofas. Once the furniture was clear, they had a better sense of what to leave and what to store. The master bedroom was piled high with hatboxes collected over the ages. Frank didn’t know if he should leave some or take all of them to storage. He’d better consult Jeanne about this, he decided, and rang her phone.
“Hey, hon, I have an aesthetic question for you. Can you come down here and help me out?”
“Sure thing. I’ll be right there.”
Libby watched from the loft as the piles of papers and bolts of fabric were removed from Andy’s. It was astonishing to see how much he had saved. It was also a little disconcerting and somewhat sad. She turned and went back to deal with her own situation. Kara called to let her know that the FedEx envelope had arrived and been picked up by Rick. He was probably on his way to the casino. In a few hours, he would have the cash. Was it blood money?
* * *
Rick was elated when he arrived at Denver International Airport and found an envelope waiting for him. He hopped back into his car and drove to the casino, praying they would cash the check for him.
When he pulled up, the valet greeted him. “Welcome, Mr. Barnes.” Rick felt like a celebrity. It was something he always enjoyed, feeling so incredibly important. The concierge was equally effusive. Rick leaned in to whisper in his ear.
“I have a check I need to cash. Who should I speak to?”
The concierge picked up the phone on the desk and dialed one of the floor managers. “Mr. Barnes wishes to cash a check.” He nodded and hung up. “Please go to one of the cashier windows and ask for Mr. Lafferty. He’ll take care of it for you. Enjoy your stay.”
“I certainly will,” Rick said, even though he knew it wasn’t going to be a very long stay. He walked over to the cashier, endorsed the check over to the casino, and headed to the front desk to check in.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Barnes. Nice to see you. Your room is ready and, of course, compliments of the house.”
Things were going exactly as he had planned. When he got to his room, he used his burner phone to call the man who was going to do the job for him. “Yes, I have all of it.”
“OK. Wire it to me.” The voice on the phone gave him instructions.
“How long will it take?” Rick asked.
“A day or two. Probably by Friday.”
“Great. Thanks.” Rick hung up, knowing his mission would finally be accomplished.
Chapter Thirty-three
Frank and his crew had removed what one might consider debris and arranged the furniture so it would be conducive to human habitation. Jeanne had decided they should leave a couple of hatboxes for style and décor.
Next was the big cleanup. The janitor from Colleen’s school sent a heavy-duty crew to Andy’s house. Hazmat suits were the only thing missing. Colleen had to teach school, so Jeanne and Brenda supervised the work.
Again, Libby watched from the window. She called the hotel to see if Rick had checked in. “One moment, please, while I put you through.” Libby immediately hung up. At least she knew he was there. If she could only get the Black Hawk police to track him, but how? She phoned the captain in New York. “I know you said it would take time, but I know his exact location now.”
The captain was very patient. “We can’t execute an arrest warrant and get extradition so quickly.”
“I understand.” She hung up and racked her brain for what to do next. Suddenly, she remembered another gamer in the Denver area.
She pinged his e-mail:
You busy?
He typed back:
Nah. What’s up?
How would you like to do a
