Too Far Gone

44

When his cell phone rang, Kenneth Decell was seated in an office at a bank, closed on Saturday afternoons to all but the most important customers, watching the distinguished-looking man across the room carefully count the bearer bonds he’d just placed on the conference table. Decell frowned when he saw the name on the phone’s caller ID.

“Decell,” he said.

“Kenneth,” Dr. LePointe said, sounding exhausted. “Jesus Christ.”

“What is it?”

“I need you here now. I…well, truth is…I don’t know…Truth is, this is all getting out of hand. Keen was here and she got Casey upset by telling her some things. Keen’s a problem.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can get out of the bank,” he said. “I’m picking up your paper now. Relax. You have nothing to worry about.” So much for playing all the chess matches at the same time, Decell thought.

“Good. Kenneth, I don’t know what I’d do without you. I depend on your expertise, loyalty, and discretion. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” Decell closed the phone and smiled. I know where you’d be without me. And so do you.

After the banker had finished placing the counted bonds in the valise, he locked it, placed LePointe’s key on the table beside it, and stepped back, folding his hands so they covered his sex, posing like a mortician beside an open casket.

“Two and one-half million in ten-thousand-dollar denominations is the confirmed count,” the banker said, opening his fountain pen and placing it beside a document.

Decell crossed the room and lifted the valise.

“Please sign the receipt, Mr. Decell.”

Decell looked at the document and shook his head. “Dr. LePointe authorized it, didn’t he?”

“Yes,” the banker said nervously. “He did. Over the phone.”

“Are you satisfied that the man on the phone was Dr. LePointe?”

“I’ve known William since grade school,” the banker replied. “It was he.”

“And they’re his bonds to do with as he sees fit, right?”

The banker nodded.

“Then you can ask him to sign.”

“But I’m turning them over to you-”

“He said to, right?”

“Yes. But you are taking possession.”

“Okay. Hit REDIAL on my phone, or call him yourself and tell him he’ll have to come sign the receipt. I’m not going to put my name on any piece of official paper.”

“Why?”

“Well, for one thing, I can’t possibly repay it if anything happens to it. If the FBI comes to you, you’ll tumble to the badges and show the receipt to them, and they’ll come to me and I’ll have to account for it by explaining why I picked it up and what I did with it, which would be problematic. I doubt Dr. LePointe would like having his private business thrown back in his face by the authorities. Dr. LePointe is a major depositor and his family the major stockholder in this institution. You want to go against his wishes, be my guest. Maybe nothing will happen, but maybe the board of directors will suddenly decide this institution could use some fresh blood in your position. Dr. LePointe is under a great deal of stress, and where his family is involved…” Decell shrugged. “I’ll just leave the bonds here and you can explain it to him. Maybe he’ll just get in his car and come get them himself and sign your paper and have no ill feelings about it.”

“Take them.” The banker wiped the beads of perspiration from his upper lip with a handkerchief he pulled from his suit pocket. “Do you need an escort?”

“I don’t,” Decell said, patting the gun in his shoulder holster. He lifted the valise and walked casually from the office.