Shummard had put in twenty-five years with the US Secret Service, working in financial crimes and diplomatic security before punching out and taking a job with SkyNational.
Shummard had put in twenty-five years with the US Secret Service, working in financial crimes and diplomatic security before punching out and taking a job with SkyNational.
Nick Varner and Marv Tilden sat across the desk from him, studying printouts of the file with some urgency.
Okay. Shummard scrolled to the end of the last page. You asked if Fulton had money problems. This is everything weve got.
I see a lot of numbers here, Varner said. You wanna tell me what they all mean?
Hes in good standing. Hes received performance compensation, bonuses, awards, no black marks on his record.
Hes got a lot of debt, though. Varner had circled various figures. Hes carrying a mortgage, line of credit, car loans, large credit card balances. The works.
As an executive he gets a discount on all financial services, Shummard said, including his mortgage and preferred rates on his line and loans. Hes taken advantage of them. Hes making his payments on time. So far, I see no red flags here.
By my quick count, he owes about two hundred andforty thousand, Varner said.
Two forty-six, Shummard corrected.
And what did your people estimate he walked out of here with today? Varner asked.
Two hundred and fifty-nine thousand.
He owes two forty-six and takes two fifty-nine, Tilden said.
Shummard shot Tilden then Varner a surprised glance.
What? You think Fultons involved? That maybe he planned this?
Its been known to happen, Tilden said.
Shummard shook his head. It doesnt fit. Not with a record this clean.
We cant rule anything out, Tilden said before he and Shummard were distracted by Varner standing at the office window.
Whos that? Varner asked, pointing through the glass to a middle-aged man smoking and pacing in front of the bank near the other employees.
Shummard flipped open his notebook. Charles McGarridge, hes a loan officer with the branch.
Looks like hes got a lot on his mind, Varner said. Well want to talk to him when were done here.
All right, Shummard said.
Varner shifted back to the file.
Marvs right, we cant rule anything out. Any security incidents we should know about, Ted?
Nothing. This branch has never been hit. Three years ago there was an argument in the parking lot. Didnt amount to anything. So, nothing. Zip.
Tilden turned back to an earlier page in the file.
I see Fulton had served with the National Guard in California, Tilden said. Well need to find out if he was deployed overseas. See if he experienced any posttraumatic stress. It could be a factor.
I dont think he saw any action, Shummard said.
Do we know if he has any gambling debts? Tilden asked. If he uses drugs, has any problem with alcohol?
What about marital stress? Varner asked. Any stress in the family?
If we were aware, or if hed sought help through us at any point, it wouldve come to my desk. Shummard removed his glasses. From my read here, and what I know, Fultons a clean-living law abider. He volunteers at a homeless shelter in Rego Park. He helps organize a fund-raiser for kids with terminal conditions. Fultons a solid guy.
A knock sounded at the door and a detective stuck his head in.
Marv, got a teller out here you guys should talk to.
Send her in.
The detective pushed the door open and indicated a chair. This is Dolores Spivak, been with the branch for nearly twenty years, he said. The woman was in her early sixties and held a crumpled tissue in her hand. Her attempted smile at the grim-faced investigators was underscored with anxiety.
Do you have some information for us? Shummard said.
Well, I dont know if this is relevant, but when I told the other girls, they said I should tell you. I I saw something that looked sort of strange to me.
Go ahead, Varner said.
Well, I live over on Cedar, you know, close enough to walk to work. I come down the boulevard and pass the Roseview Plaza. She pointed out the window toward a small building. The little strip mall thats kitty-cornered over there to the bank.
Okay, Varner said.
Well, about two weeks ago, for three, maybe four days, I saw a young man sitting in a parked car.
Whats strange about that? Tilden asked.
He was looking through binoculars.
At what?
I dont know for sure.
At the bank?
Maybe, I dont know. But one time he caught me looking at him, and he put the binoculars down quickly, moved them out of sight.
Did you tell anyone about it?
No.
Didnt you think it was suspicious?
Well, not then because Dolores stared at the tissue in her hand. I didnt think much of it at the time, to be honest. I mean, he couldve been watching the birds in the trees, I dont know. This is such a quiet neighborhood-its always been safe. So when you see something like that, you just assume theres a perfectly normal explanation for it. But now, after whats happened, I feel so stupid. I shouldve reported him.
Any chance you got a license plate? Tilden asked.
Dolores shook her head.
What about the kind of car it was-anything about it you can remember?
No.
Was the man white, black?
White. In his twenties, maybe? Im sorry.
Its all right, Dolores, Varner said. Thank you. This is still helpful. You can go home now, though. Well talk to you again later if we have any more questions.
After she left, Tilden turned to Varner and said, They had to be casing the place.
Yup. Well need the plaza to volunteer its security video. Varner nodded to the loan officer pacing out front. And we need to talk to him.
19
New York City/New Jersey
As Dan drove through Washington Heights, the lattice towers of the George Washington Bridge soared above the building tops.
Hed cleared the stretch of gridlock caused by a tractor trailor breakdown earlier. Now he guided his car along an on-ramp to the bridge.
He prayed Port Authority security cameras would record him traveling into New Jersey as he merged into one of the four lanes of westbound traffic on the upper deck.
Will I ever see my family again?
Looking out at the Hudson River some two hundred feet below, he remembered the first time hed set eyes on Lori.
It was at Cal State.
Hed been in a food court, and when hed looked up from his book She was at a table nearby, alone, on her phone crying and hed thought, Who would be stupid enough to make a girl like that cry?
Hed stolen glimpses of her composing herself. When shed gotten up to leave, hed noticed that shed forgotten a book at her table. Dan had grabbed it and run after her. Hed made a little joke when he caught up to her, which made her laugh. She had the most beautiful smile, the most beautiful eyes, hed ever seen.
And shed agreed to go out with him.
Theyd walked along the beach at Santa Monica, and shed told him that shed been crying because her boyfriend had found someone else.
His loss, Dan had said.
Soon after that, Dan and Lori had begun dating more seriously. Shed been studying criminology, hed been studying business. They were happy together. They had chemistry. It was clear from the start that Lori was the right one for him. She owned his heart.
Soon after that, Dan and Lori had begun dating more seriously. Shed been studying criminology, hed been studying business. They were happy together. They had chemistry. It was clear from the start that Lori was the right one for him. She owned his heart.
Three years after they graduated and were well into their careers, theyd gotten married. A few years later theyd had Billy. Dan had been there with Lori every step of the pregnancy, attending all the birthing classes, doing all the breathing exercises, shopping for clothes and furniture.
When hed witnessed the birth of their son, Dan had felt a degree of love hed never known existed. Soon, hed grappled with his own mortality. It had frightened him, overwhelmed him, along with the realization that he was a father. He feared he would fail at fatherhood, so he compensated the only way he could: by striving to be a good husband, a good provider and a good protector.
But it was Lori who was more adept at handling lifes crises, a point made clear the night theyd gone to a movie and come upon two intimidating young men testing the doors on their car in the lot. Dan had stopped a distance away, kept his voice low and reached for his phone.
I think we should call nine-one-one.
But Lori had strode right by him and confronted the men.
Excuse me, can we help you? Thats our car.
They two men had eyed Lori coldly, then glanced at Dan as if he was pathetic and it amused them.
We was just checkin, one of them had said. Ya know, sos to make sure everythings locked up safe, like mall security.
That so? How about you show me ID?
Theyd flashed their empty palms and backed away.
Not necessary, baby. All cool.
As theyd backed off, the two shared a loud joke about the bitch and the scared-ass pussy, and their laughter had painfully underlined the truth: Dan was weak, while Lori was the rock of the family.
At least, thats how it was until it all went wrong and nearly destroyed her.
But Dan had been there for her. When shed thought she could no longer endure, hed hung on for both of them, finally getting the chance to prove himself-to show that he could take care of them, too.
Well get through this together, Lori, hed said a hundred times. Ill do whatever it takes.
Hed sought the new job with the bank in New York not long after. Not for himself but for Lori, since it provided a chance for her to start over. It wasnt easy at first, but eventually it worked out. Things got better. Ever since the move five years ago, shed been healing. The worst time of their lives was behind them, convincing Dan that theyd never face anything as horrible again.
Until now.
Now, when Lori needed him most. And hed failed her.
Hed done nothing to protect her and Billy.
He descended the bridge, his heart heavy with the shame of having failed them. As he rolled by the toll plaza, he had to face the fact that he was a coward, afraid to take action, to fight back.
Take the Four to Hackensack, Vic said.