The Last Train From Scottsdale

Chapter Nine

  We found an office where we could split up the folders and start looking through them. I took the bundle of letters first, since they seemed so important to Albert's widow, and began reading. The hand writing was definitely female.


  ' Dear Al:' It read.' I was so happy when you stopped in last night. When will you be back? I miss you so much when we are apart. I miss having your arms around me. When you hold me...'


  It sounded like bad dialog in a B movie. I looked for a name at the bottom of the page..' Lucy' Was that her real name?


There wasn't an address on the envelope, nor was there a stamp. How did he get these letters? I checked all of them and found the same name, but, no mention of where. Going back through them I found reference to the Florence Hotel; one of the swankiest in Indianapolis: real potted palms in the lobby, bell boys, 24-7 room service, boutiques, all marble and brass finishings...where did Albert get his money for staying there?


  The more I read the more I was beginning to wonder where Albert fit into all of this. Was he a mole? Bought and paid for by the people that were cheating the state? I would have to find Albert's financial records and find out if he had any unaccountable items, like a safety deposit box. The dates on the letters were from last year. I'd head over to the Florence and see what I' d turn up.


  " Get this," Frank said as he studied the paper he was holding." The SwinFec Holding Company's assets for last year were over thirty million dollars. My file mentions them as possible suspects in this scam."


  " Didn't Marcia's people already check them Out?"


  " Yes. But, if they didn't know what to look for they'd run into a brick wall."


  " You think maybe the auditors didn't try?"


  " Would you if you couldn't find any trace of cooked books?"


  " Albert's got the file, right?" I asked.


  " So Albert was the auditor..." Frank said with a sigh." It's beginning to make sense that they bought him."


  " Stands to reason, Frank. Here's a guy who's practically wallpaper at work. His life's as boring as watching grass grow and suddenly a sweet young thing comes calling. She's made herself irreplaceable to him. That's the formula for real trouble... a honey trap."


  " Maybe so, but, thirty million is a drop in the bucket with what's suspected in the budget. We need more."


  I waved my hand at the pile of unread folders." Albert was a good bookkeeper. He kept these records for a reason. It's possible he was going to blackmail these guys and they killed him quietly; making it look like a heart attack. "


  Frank reached for the phone and called the secretary." Bring us some coffee and sandwiches, please. We're going to be hee for some time, and tell Ms. Black I'll need a safe place to store these records." He hung up and took the next folder off the pile.


  Four hours later we walked bleary eyed out of the office. My stomach was churning from the lousy sandwiches. I wanted some real food. Marcia Black locked our records in her wall safe. I wouldn't need them for a day or so if I found Albert's girlfriend. Frank said he'd check out this SwinFec Holding Company, and I'd try to tie up the loose ends we unraveled. I said my good-byes and headed for my hotel.