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JACK MURPHY'S DEN WAS the workplace of an accountant. The desk was tidy and his bookshelf was neatly organized with books on accounting and tax law. A degree in Accounting from Bentley College and his CPA license hung on the wall. On the wall opposite his bookcase, floor-to-ceiling shelves held his massive record collection.
I sat down at his desk and pulled open the top left drawer. I found what you would expect to find - pens, pencils, notepads, stapler, and a box of staples. I opened the lower drawer and found a series of file folders. I flipped through them. They all related to home utility bills, credit card statements, and medical records.
The top right drawer contained two ledger books. I took them out and placed them on the desk. I opened the one on top. There were hand-printed entries of financial transactions. Relatively small amounts spread over the past several years. But the sum of the transactions was rather eye-popping. I figured enough to lease a retail property and stock it with merchandise. Like a store full of vinyl records.
The first ledger only showed deposits. I opened the second ledger. It looked more like a standard accounting sheet with debits and credits. Numerous size transactions. Some of them rather large. Each transaction corresponded to a person's name.
I'd seen ledgers similar to these when I was with the FBI. Jack Murphy kept off-the-record books for a criminal enterprise. I found evidence that Murphy skimmed money from that same criminal enterprise. I'd bet a dozen glazed donuts I had found the motive for Jack Murphy's murder.