The last vestiges of twilight slowly faded as the sun sank below the horizon.
Jack Windom went to the bank to withdraw some cash from his personal checking account and, to his surprise, discovered that he had insufficient funds.
“What the . . . ?” he said.
He stood before the ATM and reinserted his debit card into the slot. He keyed in his PIN again and received the same message. He then inserted Julia’s card, which he had stolen without her knowledge, and keyed in her PIN. Her personal checking account showed that there hadn’t been much activity, neither in increments nor decrements. He checked their joint account and noticed less cash. Not by the hundreds but by the hundreds of thousands.
Well, if it isn’t going into my wife’s personal checking account, then where is it going? Jack thought.
He checked his savings and business accounts as well. Both showed less cash.
“What the hell is going on?” Jack asked.
He keyed in her savings account number and, to his surprise, the error message on the screen informed him that either he had inadvertently miskeyed the PIN or that the account did not exist. He tried again.
Same message.
He knew he couldn’t have made a mistake; he had memorized the number. He wondered if she had closed the account. “What’s the old broad up to?”
Upon arriving home, Jack immediately went into the study and checked his mail. He saw that most of them were past-due notices, which included an indignant letter from one bank where he had been overdrawn for more than thirty days; a message taken by Iris from someone at a brokerage firm regarding money lost from bad investments; letters from clubs and organizations, which informed him that his membership with each had been revoked, cancelled, or terminated; and notes which let him know that he had exceeded his credit limit, therefore his credit had been discontinued.
Frantic, Jack called Mr. Reginald at the World Ecological Corporation headquarters in New York.
“Something has come up, Mr. Reginald,” Jack said, “and I need to have it taken care of right away.”
“Uh, sir?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I’m loath to be the bearer of bad news, but, as a friend, I thought I’d let you know in advance that your position here as CEO and financier has been terminated. Something about breaching the company policy. Embezzlement and insider trading are what they’re saying. In fact, we are being investigated by the FBI, SEC, and FTC. Many clients have filed lawsuits against you and the company.”
Jack dropped the phone. It landed on the desk with a loud clunk. With all the strength he could muster, he shoved everything off the desk. Papers fluttered and flew, the banker’s lamp careened to one wall and broke upon impact with fractured pieces that clattered on the hardwood floor, pens and pencils rolled in every direction, and his daily blotter hit the floor with a dull smack.
Jack groaned in anger and frustration as he pulled his gray hair at the sides of his head. He vigorously rubbed his face with the palms of his hands, momentarily distorting his facial features. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. He picked up the phone and called his airline account manager.
“I would like a reservation for one adult to Geneva, Switzerland, round-trip,” Jack said. “I would like the next available flight, if possible.”
Julia sat on the couch in the living room and read a financial magazine when her cell phone rang. The name and corresponding number showed an incoming call from Mr. Reginald.
“Yes, Mr. Reginald,” Julia said.
“Jack called a while ago. He’s been informed of his termination and the pending investigations by the FBI, SEC, and FTC, as per your instructions. In the meantime, Jack’s so-called letter of resignation has been submitted, just as you instructed me. Other than that letter, I also doctored a letter of confession with Jack’s forged signature and I took care of your business in Switzerland, as well. With what you have generously rewarded me, I shall retire and see the world, just as you have.”
“Better yet, let the world see you.”
Jack looked up a number in the list of contacts on his cell phone for Mr. and Mrs. Bill Holcomb in Antigua.
“Hi, Bill. This is Jack. I’m calling to let you know that I’ll be coming out there sometime next week. Just some business I need to take care of.”
“Well, it would be awfully wonderful to see you again, sir,” Mr. Holcomb said, “but Mrs. Windom’s private resort has been sold recently and it’s currently in escrow. We are in the middle of vacating the premises.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Just as I said. The property has been sold. I’m surprised you didn’t know. My apologies, sir.”
“That bitch!” Jack said as he hung up the phone. “I knew she had something to do with it. I’ll get her and I’ll get her good!”
Julia sent Dolph to LA on an overnight assignment.
“Call me in the morning and give me an update,” she said to Dolph.
She then checked her messages. “Hello, Mrs. Windom, this is Bill Holcomb. Jack just called and told me he would be coming out here next week. In response, I told him exactly what you had instructed me to say. We are happy to oblige with your favors. If you need anything else, please do not hesitate to call.”
Julia smiled and softly patted the back of her turbaned head.