Austen and I stared down at the open backpack in the middle of the otherwise empty room. The windows were closed and the air very still. Imprints of furnishings marred the worn carpet and the seventies' style closet doors had no handles. A faint scent of mint hung in the air; the source of which was Austen, whose recently shampooed hair was still damp. When he answered the door a few minutes before, I noticed his shirt buttons were all one off and the tail of his shirt was hanging at an angle, like he got dressed carelessly, and his thoughts were elsewhere.
"So?" prompted Austen.
"I'm still thinking," I said.
"There is a reasonable explanation, right?"
I made a non-committal noise while a dozen possibilities ran through my head. Austen was right; there could be a simple reason why a backpack stuffed with cash lay at our feet. A backpack, Austen told me, he found buried deep inside a closet that he and Sophie never used.
"There's no way you could have put it in there and forgotten about it?" I asked. Austen turned his head and raised his eyebrows. "Forget I asked," I added. "What about the previous owners?"
"Sophie and I walked through every room as soon as we got the keys. We checked every closet. Sophie said it was like going on a treasure hunt. The house hadn't been touched in a couple of decades. I think she hoped to find something exciting hidden somewhere in the house."
I raised my eyebrows. "You have now."
"Except I think my wife put it there. There must be fifty thousand dollars in the bag!"
"Does she have a problem with banks? Like, did she have a grandparent who got ripped off by one and always encouraged the family to keep the money under the mattress?"
"I don't think so. We share a joint account. She has a credit card. She's not a crazy spender, but she uses them whenever she likes."
"For cash?"
"Not thousands and thousands of dollars worth."
"A lot of people come in and out of the house during the renovation," I pointed out. "Someone else could have hidden the bag here, especially knowing it's a room that neither of you use."
"Wouldn't that be risky? Knowing we might happen to take a look around?"
I had to agree with Austen. My guesses were weak but they were the only explanations I could come up with that didn't include Sophie being up to something nefarious. I couldn't think of a single person with that much cash stashed in their home. Not even Solomon, although I once found some weapons concealed behind a false wall, which was quite the eye opener. Strangely, that put me in a good position to empathize with Austen. It wasn't pleasant to discover something like that about the person you loved, especially when it lacked a helpful explanation.
"Did she ever mention winning a large amount? Or possibly finding it?"
"Have you ever heard of anyone leaving a backpack of cash for someone else to find, and not reporting it?"
"Nope."
"Me neither. And no, she never mentioned winning anything. She doesn't even play the lottery or the scratch-offs."
I thought again. "Perhaps she inherited it? Or could she have recently closed an old savings account and didn't get around to putting the cash into the new bank?"
"Then why hide it in a closet?"
"Okay, it is a little suspicious."
"Can you find out where it came from?"
I knelt down and pulled out one of the bundles. It was wrapped in a plain, unmarked band but all the serial numbers appeared to be random. The cash was real. "I'll try but it won't be easy," I said. "Do you mind if I empty the bag?"
"Go ahead."
I upended the bag, shaking it until I was sure the last bundle tumbled onto the carpet. Ignoring the pile of cash, I rummaged through the main pocket, turning it inside out to be sure nothing remained; then I examined the two exterior pockets. Inside was a receipt for the bag, stamped two years ago, and a stick of gum.
"Sophie buys that brand of gum," said Austen with a sigh.
"It still doesn't prove anything. Millions of people buy this brand of gum. Remember, you know Sophie." I began to stack the bundles and when I finished, I knew we grossly underestimated the amount. One of the bundle bands was a little loose but even despite a few missing bills, there was close to a hundred thousand dollars. A helluva lot of cash for a woman who didn't have a job and previously worked at a museum. "Can I take one of these?" I asked, holding one of the bundles. "And do you have somewhere secure to store the rest of it?"
"There's a safe in my study. I can put it in there."
"Do that now," I told him, stuffing the cash back into the backpack and handing it to him. "I'd like to take another look at the closet where you found it."
"Go right ahead but it's empty. I already checked."
While Austen took the backpack to his study, I searched the closet. I patted the walls but couldn't find any false compartments, or anything else that could have fallen from the backpack. Instead, all I found was a pile of old-fashioned drapes, folded and stacked. I stuffed the single bundle into my purse and walked out of the room, meeting Austen as he jogged up the stairs.
"What happens now?" he asked.
"Don't tell anyone about the money," I decided. "Let me look deeper into it first. I'll let you know if I learn anything."
"I have to get back to the hospital now. I'll walk you out."
As we descended to the entryway, I asked, "Did Sophie mention saving for any large purchases?"
"No, she has a car and she's not particularly materialistic. I'm a wealthy man and we can afford whatever we need or want. There's not a lot I would squirrel away a bundle of money for, except to have a comfortable life and retirement. I'm not the kind of man to lust after a private jet or yacht."
"Perhaps she intended to purchase something she didn't want to discuss, like a gift for you?"
"I have a luxury car. I don't need a fancy watch, studded with diamonds, or an expensive vacation on a tropical island. Lexi, I've asked myself all these questions and I just can't work out how she got that money or what she planned to do with it." Austen picked up the bag he left by the door and turned to me. "I don't want my wife to be a mystery to me. I just want to know what's going on."
~
I picked up lunch on the way to the office and parked in the downstairs lot, jogging up the stairs. The agency was quiet when I arrived. My first task, after eating the halloumi salad I purchased, was typing up the list of recovered items Charlie and I catalogued on the vault's floor. When I finished typing into my laptop, I whipped the list from the printer and added it to the table in the boardroom where Solomon set up the "command center" for the bank case. There wasn't much I could contribute by way of notes but I figured someone else might have a good idea whether anything on the list could be linked to a valuable missing item. It was a long shot but something to show for my efforts.
Returning to my laptop, I spent the next couple of hours diving deeper into Sophie's information. Austen gave me permission to examine his bank accounts, sending over two years worth of records, which more than covered the time he'd known Sophie. Along with Austen's checking account, and the joint one he and Sophie shared, there were several savings accounts and a stocks portfolio that made my eyes widen. But even as I scoured the records, I couldn't find any cash withdrawals that amounted to the thousands stashed in the backpack, or any unexplained transactions. When I got to the last page, I knew Sophie wasn’t siphoning money from her husband and converting it into cash. So if she didn't get it from him, where did it come from? I tucked the sheaf of statements into a folder and made a coffee while I contemplated my next steps.
Taking my coffee mug back to my desk, I called Lily. "Imagine you had a huge stash of money," I said. "Where did you get it?"
"Stole it," Lily replied with no hesitation. In the background, I heard Poppy giggling and the soft sounds of music playing on the stereo.
"You're not even going to think about the question?" I frowned.
"Okay. How huge a stash?"
"Huge!"
"Definitely stole it."
"You can't think of any other reason?"
Lily paused. "Won it?" she asked.
"Nope."
"Sold something precious that was worth megabucks?"
"Oh!" I sat up straighter. "That is a new possibility."
"You're welcome. Anyway, I'm glad you called me back, finally. What are you making for the pasta party?"
"The pasta what?"
"At your parents' house. Tonight!"
"No!" I gasped. "I forgot. I haven't made anything."
"Pfft," snorted Lily, "Like you were going to."
"Okay, fine, I planned to stop by the deli near my house and pick up fresh pasta. I'll make sure to leave work in time. Solomon said he would make a spicy sausage sauce. What about you?"
"I baked a cake but Jord ate half of it for breakfast. Apparently, as an adult now, he can do that, so I'm buying gelato from that deli near your house and decanting it into a tub at my house. Who doesn't love Italian ice cream after pasta?"
"Genius!"
"I know, right? How're the cases progressing?"
"More perplexing than before."
"Jord told me the dead guy you found has a rap sheet but being the getaway driver was a major escalation. Apparently, he prefers to merely hot-wire cars before fencing them. The van you all found wasn't exactly in high demand but I'm surprised he drove it home. That seems kind of stupid to me."
"Stupidity may well have gotten him killed."
"Let me know if you need my help. You know how good I am at stakeouts, tracking people and sifting out useful information. Even though I've got a miniature sidekick now, I can still do all that. If you called me back once in a while, you'd know that. I feel left out."
"I will call on you as soon as I have something I need tracked down," I told her. "I'm sorry I'm not including you more often."
"It's okay. I know you will."
We hung up but even as I returned my attention to the laptop screen, I knew I wouldn't find anything. An hour later, I confirmed Sophie's records were clean. She never earned much money in her professional life, being fairly frugal with what she had. I couldn't find any rental payments but I recalled Austen saying she lived with her brother. I also failed to find any withdrawals that suggested she covered her share of the rent but she could have had a side hustle that paid her in cash. I went back one year before Sophie met Austen and ran into a dead end. Sophie's financial records didn't exist before then. The account was opened three years ago in Milwaukee and remained largely dormant after she married Austen and they began sharing an account. Even though I searched further and found plenty of other Sophie Gallos, I couldn't find one with the same birthdate. It seemed like Sophie simply materialized from thin air three years ago.
I called Solomon and reminded him about the family dinner at my parents’ house before requesting an update on the bank case. He gave that to me as he walked into the office, hanging up when I turned around.
"I thought you would be out all day," I told him.
"I tracked down that Martin guy who got fired from the bank. Then I spoke to Jord about female bank robbers. He doesn't have any intel so that looks like a bust. That's not a pun. I see you smirking."
"Sorry," I grinned.
"Anyway, Martin was away visiting an aunt and uncle when the heist happened. He's clueless. Then, I sniffed around where Mackleton picked up the van," he said. "Turns out he boosted it from an extended stay parking lot near the train station. Although it was flagged as stolen, they can’t pinpoint the time or date of the theft."
"Did you manage to get a look at the cameras?"
"The lot's owners aren't exactly this century when it comes to security tech. A single camera overlooks the entrance and a static one covers the lot and that's it. The only problem is the fencing is crappy at best, and non-existent at worst, so there's a solid chance Mackleton strolled in, grabbed a key, and drove the van straight out through a wide enough gap. The security guard says the van was brought in two weeks ago so it could have been stolen anytime since that date. Lucas is trying to see if it shows up on any of the city traffic cams."
"That sounds an arduous job."
The edges of Solomon's lips lifted into a small smile. "I believe the words, ‘pay raise’ were mentioned."
"I put the list of items from the bank vault in the boardroom," I told him. "Before you ask, I didn't see anything interesting that was left behind. No convenient Polaroids saying ‘steal this!’ or even random notes."
"Shame. It was a long shot so I'm not surprised. How's the other case? The Takahashis’?"
"Interesting development," I said before telling him about the cash and the curious impasse when I investigated Sophie's history.
"She just appeared from thin air, you say?"
"Seems that way."
"What if she changed her name? Was she married previously?"
"I don't think so but since Austen suspects she's been lying to him, it's pretty unlikely he would know. I'll run a check though."
"Could she be in witness protection? I can make a call. It seems highly unlikely but I can ask my contact at the FBI."
"Thanks. I didn't think to ask Maddox but Austen raised it as one of his crazier theories. I agree it's probably unlikely but it doesn't hurt to rule out the possibility. I'm going to visit her brother again tomorrow. Perhaps he can give me more insight, and her former colleagues too. They might know something she didn't want to admit to her husband." I checked my watch. "We can't stay much longer. My parents are expecting us and you haven't made your sauce yet."
"I made it this morning and already dropped it off at your parents’ house. Your mom said she'll reheat it so long as your dad doesn't eat it all first."
"What is wrong with the men in my family? Lily said Jord ate half the cake she baked."
"What happened to the other half? Is she bringing it?"
I gaped at Solomon. "They've finally assimilated you!"
Solomon leaned in and brushed his lips against mine. "And whose fault is that?" he asked.
"How alone are we?" I whispered back, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"Just us and that entire office block without any blinds across the street," he whispered in return.
I let him go and slumped in my chair. "Never mind."
"Let's go. The team can call me if there are any new developments, and, being realistic, this whole evening might turn into a brainstorming session amongst the key law enforcement personnel assigned to the case."
That sounded positive. "Great!" I beamed. "Give me a moment to run that marriage records check..." I trailed off, already stabbing the keyboard. A few minutes later, I had the result. Sophie Gallo was never previously married, although her brother was, to another Sophie. I wondered where his wife was now until Solomon reminded me of the time. I made a note in the file, locked my laptop and grabbed my purse. "I'll drive. We just need to make one stop on the way."
~
"I can't believe you're going to pass that off as your own," said Solomon as we walked into my parents’ house and our ears were assaulted with familiar noise.
"What? Can't hear you," I said, aiming for the kitchen with my dish of fresh pasta. I ducked my head into the living room first and waved hello. A Disney film was playing quietly on the television but the kids were crowded around a board game on the floor, laughing as they took turns rolling the dice. My sisters-in-law, Alice and Traci, sat on the sofa talking, and my dad was in the armchair, encouraging the kids loudly, with the newspaper folded across his lap. "Is Mom cooking already?" I asked.
"She's practicing reiki," said Dad, looking up at me. "I think she forgot about cooking. Have you seen this stuff about pensions? The mismanagement of all those funds by the bank is unbelievable!" He waved the newspaper at me.
"No. What's reiki?"
"Something to do with heads. I forget. She might want to practice on you too."
"Okay," I said cautiously. "I'll pop in and say hi."
"Good luck," said Dad. "Solomon? Cards tonight?"
I missed his answer when the kids shrieked loudly as I took the pasta dish into the kitchen, almost dropping it on my foot when I saw Mom standing behind Special Agent Sadiq Farid with her hands over his head.
"Hi, Lexi!" said Farid brightly. The top button of his shirt was undone, his tie was loosened, and his suit jacket hung over the back of the chair. He looked relaxed and comfortable and his black hair was slightly tousled. The whole scene was perplexing.
"What's happening?" I asked.
"Your mom is practicing reiki on me. Isn't it cool?"
"I have no idea."
"I'm taking my test next week to become a qualified reiki practitioner," said Mom. "Isn't that right, Mariam?"
"It's such wonderful news! We're looking forward to celebrating with you!" replied a disembodied female voice.
"Where is that voice coming from? Who's Mariam?" I asked, frowning.
Mom nodded with her chin towards the kitchen counter where she had a tablet propped up. On screen, a woman who looked to be around my mom's age, with big brown eyes and scarlet lipstick, waved to me.
"That's my mom," said Farid. "She loves Italian cooking."
"We're not Italian!"
"Newsflash! Neither are we," snorted Farid.
"Mariam recommended the reiki class to me," said Mom. "She said it transformed her."
"Wait... you know each other already?"
"Of course! We're friends. Aren't we, Mariam?"
"Very good friends," beamed Mariam. "When I next visit Sadiq, we're going to meet for lunch and see the sights of Montgomery. Sadiq has tried to show me before but he’s always too busy."
"I'm a special agent, Mom! I have an important job." Farid rolled his eyes.
"I know, and you're very good at it. We're very proud of you," said Mariam. "Being a special agent doesn't make any money but that’s okay for such an upstanding job."
"Don't hover. Put your dish on the side but don't block Mariam," said Mom. "Put yours next to Serena's. She's made three sauces and conchiglie from scratch."
"Of course she did," I muttered as I slid my dish next to Serena's.
"Serena could have been a professional chef," Mom told Mariam. "But it's really just a hobby. Lexi is my younger daughter and she has other talents or she would have if she only applied herself. We used to call her our little hiccup. Garrett and Adam are in the garden, darling. Will you see if they need another drink when you get yourself one?"
"Adam's here?" I asked. Maddox didn't mention any invitation to dinner yesterday, or did he?
"We came together," explained Farid before Mom turned his head one way, then the other. "You'll have to let me take you to the exhibition as a thank you for all this great food."
"What exhibition?" I asked, utterly confused while watching my mother wave her hands around Farid's head.
"Not you. Me," replied Mom. "I spotted a pamphlet when I dropped off some food at Sadiq's house last week."
"You've been to his house?" I frowned until Garrett walked in, closely followed by Maddox. Both of them held beers and were not wearing their suit jackets or ties. "Did you know Mom cooks for Farid and delivers the food to his house?" I asked them.
"He brought the leftovers to the office," said Maddox. "And the muffins made our colleagues very happy. They vanished within minutes. Next time, we'll give you the VIP tour, Mrs. G."
Mom beamed. I opened the cabinet nearest me and pulled out a wine glass. Grabbing a bottle of wine from the countertop, I poured a generous amount and drank it.
"Sadiq has a nice house. He should get married but he doesn't want to. Even if he's gay, we love him," said Mariam. "We’ve already spoken about it at length."
"I'm straight," said Farid. "I told you that. I told Dad that too."
"This is so weird," said Lily behind me. I half turned and nodded, grabbing another glass, filling it, and handing it to her. "This will make everything better," I told her. “Where’s Poppy?”
“Asleep upstairs. Tonight I get to eat unhindered. I’m so excited!”
Mom reached for a small cylinder on the counter and tapped it with a tiny baton, creating a pretty, ringing noise. "Finished," she announced.
Farid got up and returned the chair to the table. "I feel great," he pronounced. "You have a natural talent."
"I agree," said Mariam from the tablet.
"Did we adopt him?" whispered Lily.
I blinked and took a long sip. "I think so but I don't know how."
"And Maddox?"
"Apparently."
"They are nice to look at," sighed Lily.
"Hi, everyone!"
I turned at the sound of a female voice that was neither my sister nor my sisters-in-law. No, it was my cousin, Tara. This time, she swapped her uniform for a pretty, blue dress and cute, gray ankle boots, her hair falling in soft waves to her shoulders. She carried a tray covered with a towel. "Wow, it's so nice to see everyone! Wait! You guys were at the bank after the robbery."
Farid stepped forward, holding out his hand. "I remember, Sergeant Graves," he said. "I'm sorry we couldn't have been more help to you."
"Call me Tara," said Tara, not letting go of his hand as they stared at each other longer than necessary. "We didn't get the opportunity to talk."
"My niece," said Mom to the tablet. "She's a police officer. College-educated. Single too."
"It’s nice for my unmarried, eligible, straight son to meet other single people," said Mariam. "I'm sorry I can't join you for dinner."
Tara shot a puzzled look at the tablet while Farid shrugged. "My mom," he said. "We should probably compare notes about the case. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Can I get you a drink? I brought a really nice red wine with me and I'd be grateful to know your opinion."
"I'd love one..."
"Smooth," said Lily, watching them. "He's got game."
I zoned out as Farid and Tara drifted from the room and my mom and Farid's mom said their goodbyes. "My mom met her match in Farid's mom," I said to no one in particular. "That was some glaringly obvious matchmaking."
Maddox laughed. "And do either of them care?" he asked as we looked towards the yard where Farid and Tara were lost deep in conversation. Tara touched Farid's arm and laughed at something he said.
"Who's matchmaking?" asked Solomon.
"Dinner!" shouted Mom before I could answer.
"I'll tell you later," I told him before the incoming horde of Graves raced for plates. They formed the vaguest description of a line to move around the serving dishes set out on the countertop and table. We all filled our plates with an assortment of hot and cold pastas, sauces, sides, salad, and wedges of garlic bread before walking into the garden to eat. The kids assembled around a large picnic rug on the grass, while the adults took up chairs or grabbed garden pillows from the stack by the door. I was surprised that the guys weren’t talking about the case but instead were all spread out, chatting about other things. Even Serena seemed chill.
"Will you be one of my practice models?" Mom asked, dropping into the lawn chair next to mine.
"Sure," I agreed. What harm could my mother do by rubbing my head? As far as her activities went, it sounded relaxing. "I have a lot of work ahead of me but I’ll make myself available."
"Thanks. I can do Solomon's head too."
"I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear that."
"Maybe I could offer free reiki in your bar, Lily?" suggested Mom.
"Most of the drunks just want to cry and be held at the end of the night," said Lily.
Mom frowned. "I don't think there's a class for that." Her garlic slice slipped off her plate and landed softly on the ground. She sighed. "Excuse me while I get another piece." Then she left her chair and wandered inside.
"Are you busy for the next couple of days?" I asked Lily.
"Tomorrow is my day off and I can get Ruby to cover for me if I need to. Why?"
"I thought we could hang out and do some surveillance." I'd been thinking about it since our conversation, knowing how happy it would make her.
"Not another word! I'm in!" Lily beamed.
Maddox dropped into the seat next to me and said, "Your mom just offered me three of your single, female cousins."
"Okay," I said, unsure what to do with that information.
"I politely declined. It's not like I need a girlfriend to make sure your mom feeds me."
I laughed. "Apparently, neither does Farid," I said, pointing to his partner, now tearing a slice of garlic bread and passing it to Tara.
"So, did you find out anything about your hypothetical, huge cash stash?" asked Lily.
"What cash stash?" asked Maddox.
"Whoops! Was I not supposed to say anything?" Lily pulled a face.
"It's fine," I told her before glancing at Maddox as I explained, "I'm trying to find out how someone could have a massive amount of cash without any visible means of earning it."
"What are we talking about? A thousand bucks? Ten thousand?"
"Try ten times that." I positioned the half full plate on my lap before reaching down and pulling the wad from my purse. We all gazed at it.
Maddox whistled. "Is this connected to a case?"
"Yes."
"The bank robbery?"
"Oh, no. A different case."
"How do you know it's real?" he asked.
"I checked the serial numbers. They're all random and different."
"May I?" Maddox reached for it and thumbed through. "It's real, all right," he decided. "All the watermarks and serial numbers are present. It looks like a fresh minting though. That's unusual."
"How is it unusual?" asked Lily. "Because there’s no cocaine dusting the bills?"
"I'm not even going to answer or discuss how you would know that."
"It's a well-known fact and I am a respectable mother and business owner," said Lily.
"I knew you before all that," said Maddox. "I've seen you in action at that weird club where you used to work. Onto your question. The unusual bit is because I would only expect to see cash this pristine if it's literally just been delivered to the bank. See? No smudges, rips, or torn edges. No one's written anything on any of the bills, no pen marks. It's like the cash has never been circulated." He pulled out a few bills, examining them and passing them to us.
"That is strange," I said.
"I can run the serial numbers if you like?"
I brightened. "That would be helpful, thank you."
"Leave it with me and I'll get back to you."
I waved for Maddox to take the cash and he tucked it inside his pants pocket.
"Ten bucks says we never see him again now he that he has his early pension money," said Lily.
"Unlikely," laughed Maddox. "It'll take a lot more cash than that to see the backside of me. You two got that kind of dough?"
I smiled. "Nope."