He had installed a camera on the back of his house so it faced the back of Violet’s property as well as an angle of the street and park. He installed one on the back of Violet’s house also, wanting the most angles he could obtain. The cameras were accessible by his phone and computer. He added a camera to her living room and kitchen. By early afternoon, he was finishing with the installment of a silent alarm for her downstairs doors that would send a signal to his cell phone.
“Ben?”
He turned at the sound of Violet stepping into her kitchen, followed by Carter and another man. He climbed down from the stepladder and walked over. Placing a hand on her waist, he leaned in for a quick kiss. “Kids okay?”
She smiled and nodded. “Yeah, they’re having afternoon movie time since they helped Babciu during the morning.” She looked behind her and waved the two men in. “Carter called and said that he had some information for us.”
Ben shook hands with Carter, then looked at the other man. Middle-aged, military haircut, dark grey suit. He shook hands as Carter made the introductions.
“Ben, I’d like you to meet Detective Steven Ashburn. Steven, this is Ben Popovich and the homeowner, Violet Mayfield.”
“Should we sit down?” Violet asked.
Without waiting for their answer, Ben linked hands with her and said, “I think that’s a good idea.” He wanted her as comfortable as possible for whatever news the two detectives were bringing. He led them to Violet’s living room, glad the kids were not present. Sitting on the sofa, he gently pulled Violet down next to him and wrapped his arm around her. Carter brought the same dining room chair he’d used the day before and Steven took the other armchair.
Once everyone was settled, Carter spoke first. “This isn’t my precinct, and as a narcotics detective, it wasn’t my area. But I knew Steven from years ago, and I thought he’d be a good place to start. Turns out, he was very interested when I gave him the address.”
Steven shook his head as though in disbelief. “I’ll be honest, Ms. Mayfield, when Carter first told me what happened yesterday, I hated that your children were scared but there was little I could do since no crime had been committed. But then he handed me a copy of his notes, and I saw your address.”
Inclining her head to the side, Violet said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. What about my address struck you?”
“Over a year ago, there was a robbery at one of the branches of the Hope City National Bank. A man named Robert Blaine had worked there for years as a teller. He was close to forty years old at the time, and from all accounts, was well-liked by his coworkers. The day of the robbery, a man wearing a hat pulled low on his head and gloves walked into the bank and made his way to Robert’s window. He passed a note to Robert demanding money. Robert was handling it according to the bank’s protocol, but when another customer realized what was happening, she screamed, and the perpetrator pulled out a gun. At that point, the situation became dangerous, and he had everyone get on the floor except for Robert, who was to continue putting money into a bag. He raced out of the bank, and it wasn’t difficult for the detectives working the case to discover who the thief was. I wasn’t the lead detective, but I worked on the periphery of the case so I knew the particulars. Tommy Mancini was arrested, but immediately began saying that he was not the only one involved and claimed he had inside help.”
Ben’s arm was still around Violet's shoulders, but he glanced down at her hand resting on his leg as her fingers dug into his thigh. “Relax, sweetheart,” he murmured, glad when she sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Nodding toward the detectives, she said, “Please, go on.”
“We studied the tapes inside the bank, and then looked at social media, phone calls, anything we could find with the people in the bank and Tommy. It became evident very quickly that Tommy and Robert had known each other in the past. They’d graduated from the same high school even though it appeared they didn’t run in the same circles. What we did find is that they had made contact by phone, and using credit card records, we found they’d had lunch together several times. When pressed about Robert, Tommy admitted that Robert had planned everything.
“When Robert was questioned and faced with the evidence that he knew and had met with Tommy before the robbery, he confessed to not planning but assisting out of fear only. Robert made a more convincing case to the judge.”
“And the money?” Violet asked.
Shaking his head, Stephen said, “The money was never found. Tommy was convicted on multiple accounts and is still serving his sentence. Robert pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting. He landed an easy sentence, and with good behavior, recently was released on parole.”
“My grandmother mentioned this to me, but I forgot all about it,” Ben said, turning to Violet. “Fuck, babe, I’m sorry.”
“I still don’t understand,” she said. “What does this have to do with me?”
“Ma’am, the previous owner of this house had rented it to Robert Blaine. It’s my understanding that it sat empty for a couple of months after he was arrested and then you bought it. We are concerned that Robert Blaine may be the person who’s come into your yard and was across the street taking pictures. Would you recognize him if I showed you a photograph?”
“I… I don’t know,” she said but quickly leaned forward to look at the photograph he pulled from his pocket. The man staring back at her was completely ordinary. No identifying marks on his face. Brown hair that was neither long nor short. The photograph must’ve come before he was incarcerated because he was wearing a white shirt and dark tie. She looked toward Ben and shook her head. “It could have been him, but I have no way of being sure.”
“That’s okay, Ms. Mayfield,” Steven said. “It was a long shot anyway. We have no way of knowing if it was him or not. He is allowed to work and only has to check in with his probation officer. He is not restricted other than to not step into a Hope City National Bank.”
“What the hell would he be doing in the backyard?” Ben asked, now furious that this felon might have been around the children.
“Looking for the stolen money,” Carter responded. “At least, that would be my guess.”
“Why all the holes? If he had it and left it here, wouldn’t he know where he hid it?”
“My guess is that Tommy had it all along and had someone hide it. The two have been in contact while in prison. They were in separate facilities but were allowed to use email. It’s not private, of course, but since the money was never found, their infrequent correspondence has been scrutinized. It usually seemed to come from Tommy, and Robert would just reply with an insult.”
“Anything pertinent?” Violet asked.
“He liked to taunt Robert by sending him quotes. Even from Shakespeare.”
Ben jerked his head back, feeling Violet startle as well. “Shakespeare?”
“A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full numbers.”
Violet stared at Stephen, then shifted her gaze to Carter before twisting around to look at Ben. “That’s from Much Ado About Nothing.” Her brow crinkled, and she shook her head. “Was that some kind of clue about it being at Robert’s home?”