Time Never Waits Pt. 09

She picked up her purse, got out her wallet, and slipped out a folded bill from behind a credit card. I'd always done the same thing. Having a little backup never hurt anything.

She brought it to my desk. I opened a drawer and got out a big magnifying glass wrapped carefully in flannel cloth. I'd found it in one of my attempts to clean out this desk and organize it.

I compared the bills. Hers was dated the same as the new one. 1980. So, I broke them down into segments. Studying every detail. Then I found it. The little spider web. The new on had one less little line on it. Everything else was a perfect match.

They were counterfeit.

But not some half ass back room mafia shit. This was professional level craftsmanship. What bothered me now was the paper.No, strike that. That was easy enough to do. Just bleach out dollar bills with oxalic acid. Then reprint them with your plates. But this didn't seem like that.

No, it was the ink that fell next in line. The newer bill was ever so slightly duller in hue. I only found it because I was looking for it. It made sense. The chemist mixing the inks was doing so by eye, not using a spectrometer like I would have done.

The human eye never perceives the same color from two sets of eyes. Only a machine can accomplish that task. I handed her the bill back, then leaned back in my chair and considered it.

That gold didn't come out of some random mine. It was smuggled out of a treasury vault from some where down there. Who had that level of training. That level of expertise. Only on answer came to mind.

The Germans. Well, actually the Nazis in this instance. It was well known they raided treasure from everywhere they went. All those stories of them hiding huge stockpiles of European gold. Those Nazis had split the scene when the outcome of the war was in hand. They settled in Argentina. Then spread out from there.

OK, so, this was smuggled into South America. Then melted down and recast to hide its origins. Then the founding of that mining company to account for it's origins.

It would have been nothing for them to accomplish the task. The Germans back then were second to none in logistics. Like I'd said before, an amateur focuses on tactics. A professional focuses on logistics.

Hitler let emotion overcome his common sense. His hatred for Joseph Stalin and subsequent pouring of assets and materiel into trying to beat down the U.S.S.R. was ridiculously foolish. Especially with the allies kicking in his back door

He'd have better utilized those assets on the other front. Using small bands of special forces to cripple Soviet supply lines as they struggled to keep the Russian army afield. You could cripple and destroy a hundred tanks by derailing a transport train a hell of a lot cheaper and safer than dicking around hunting them down individually on the battlefield.

The Germans lost a million trained troops and untold millions of tons of armor and munitions fucking around trying to whip Russia on its own turf. That just ain't possible.

OK, so Nazi gold. Another thing occured to me. This focused region of Texas was settled heavily by German immigrants. So, just another German among many...

So, was the old man a Nazi?

I went back into the gun room and took a closer look at the guns. The high grade doubles and bolt actions were from the early 20th century Europe. Germany, Italy, England and Spain.

Were they looted from private collections, as well?

Anyway, I had a strong feeling I'm pretty close to the truth. Money wasn't as important to these people as compared to hiding the secret of its origins.

That 1911 the rep that wrote the check was the final key.

That thing had been US issue at some point. Probably taken by a Nazi off some dead GI. Then later restored and customized. Nobody did that with war trophies. You want a custom pistol, you buy new parts. He had been sent to kill me, take the stocks and fade off into the fading sun.

When that didn't go as planned, he started improvising. Leading to the check.

They honored it because having its origins come under official legal scrutiny wasn't an option.

Now I've come full circle. Alice. She was an FBI undercover plant into my operation.

That just won't do. Nope, not at all...

Intercom time.

"Alice, can you come to the office please?"

I waited, considering options. I had made a mistake trusting her. She'd come over to the light from the darkness much too easily. Somebody in the justice department was following this cash. It was marked. Well, atleast that explained the differences.

She came in, smiling, until she saw the bill on the desk. That smile disappeared faster that that hundred would on a Vegas craps table.

"Have a seat." shifting my focus, "Carol, if you don't mind..."

She left. Quickly.

I turned back to Alice.

"OK, one chance. Lay it out. I even remotely suspect you are lying to me, or even attempt to offer any justification or denials, I will... Well, let's just leave that there for the time being."

You couldn't have dragged a greased string out of her ass with a team of mules at that moment.

Her eyes shifted around, search desperately for something, anything at all, tangible to grasp on to for even the smallest, most trivial amount of reassurance.

"Look, I'm sor..."

I froze her. Then I stopped her breathing. The terror finally set in at that moment.

Releasing her, i watched as she sucked in air.

"Let's try this again."

"I'm supposed to report on you weekly. Make sure you spend that cash. Nobody can figure out why you haven't. It doesn't make sense."

"How many are involved on the case?"

"There is no case, nothing official. The agents I'm involved with knew about the gold. One of them's grandfather or something was tied in with it somehow. They don't trust me, so I just pick up little bits here and there. That, " She gestured at the bill, "is, correction, was, supposed to be locked up in the evidence locker. It was confiscated fom a ship on the Houston docks. Apparently it was being smuggled in by the Columbians... I think."

"You think?"

"Yes, I don't know for certain. Like I said, they don't trust me."

"OK, then why involve you to begin with?"

"You. Why else?"

"Ah, so pretty face, a little pussy. Charm your way right in. I'll give you credit for that agent Freeholm, you are good at your job. That is your name?"

"Yes, from birth. But, they didn't count on you. This whole thing has went sideways on them from the start. It was supposed to be a quick in and out. Get the gold, recover the money, tie it all in a neat little ribbon around your neck on something else, leaving you being ripped to pieces in the system, while they disappeared with the gold and retired on a private island in the Bahamas."

"So, that brings us back to you. Why you? More specifically, how. It's obvious you're just a pawn in this little scheme."

"They set me up. Planted some shit on me, wrapped up the 'proof' to be 'found' at a later date. I fit their needs like I was custom made for the role. Perfect service record. Exemplary performance. Single. Nobody to question my whereabouts. Or to raise hell when the fucked me over. Oh, they promised me a million bucks and yhe evidence to go away. All that bullshit. But, when men like this in power get their hooks in you, they never turn loose. I've just been scrambling, looking for a way out. Looks like it's too late now. Just please, don't fuck me over too bad. That's all I can ask for."

I sent her a new set of instructions. The Truth.

"Is that the actual truth, Alice? On everything?"

"Fuck yes, I'm not an idiot. Well, beyond thinking the justice department can be trusted. It turns out it's packed full of bigger criminals than it's tasked to hunt down. I can't believe just how foolish I've been to trust in it all. Now, I'm fucked. Stuck between you and them. You'll either lobotomize me or havie me sucking cock in some back street alley. They'll have me eating convict pussy while being rapdd by prison guards."

Tears started rolling down her soft cheeks. She'd finally reached her breaking point. I stared at the wall a bit, letting her get it out of her system.

My heart went out to her. But my mind was on something else. I have no love for cops. But, she had been a true believer and trusted in her ability to make the world a better place.

I picked up the bill. Thinking. Nope. No way in hell would I let these fucking parasites get away with this. I released her, then implanted in her mind the order to always be truthful with me.

"Come here."

I said to her, setting the bill down. She stumbled around the desk, waiting for me to seal her fate.

I held my arms out, inviting her in. She really went to bawling then, but obeyed me and sat on my lap, putting her head on my shoulder.

I cuddled her close, stroking her hair, speaking gently to her.

"It's OK, honey. It'll all be OK. I'll fix this. I'll protect you.Nothing bad will happen to you as long as I can help it."

Her shoulders shuddered as she struggled to regain her composure.

Finally, she pushed back and looked unto my eyes.

"Really? You'll do that for me?"

"Do you want me to?"

"God yes! I'll do anything for you.!"

"Then I need a couple of things from you."

I said as I pulled some tissues from the box and handed them to her.

She stood up, wiping her face.

"Just tell me. I'm yours. Whatever you want."

"First, go take a shower. Collect yourself. Then come back here."

She nodded and hurried off.

To be continued...