Andrea looked at her watch. Eight o’clock. She groaned audibly. “It feels like half the day is over.” She looked toward the man who’d not left her side all morning.
“Max’s instructions were certainly easy to follow. Now I hope that it won’t be difficult to get into the box at the bank. It’s hard to figure how he got your signature without you knowing about it.”
“Do you doubt my word?” she snapped. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just so tired. I know. I have no idea how he did that but let’s hope it works.” Andrea closed her eyes for a moment as they pulled into the bank parking lot.
“You don’t look as if you slept last night.” Brian gave Andrea a steady glance. “Have you thought any more about the police?” He spoke in a whisper as he gently guided her through the door into the brightly lit building.
Andrea looked around to make sure no one could overhear their conversation. “Let’s talk about that after we see what’s in that safety deposit box, okay?” She approached a woman at the counter. “Can you help me get into my safety deposit box?”
“Certainly. Just sign here.” The woman handed her a blank piece of card stock which she signed A. Wilton in her usual scrawl. “I’ll just verify your signature and then we can proceed to the vault.” The woman walked over to a wheel containing hundreds of cards and found the one she searched for. She placed the card with Andrea’s signature next to the one on the wheel and smiled.
“Everything seems to be in order.” She motioned for the two of them to follow.
“I feel relieved and curious all at the same time.” Andrea whispered to Brian as they walked past some bank clerks, a few small offices, and a copy machine. The large steel vault was in front of them. Andrea inserted the key she had into a box that the clerk indicated was hers and then the clerk inserted her key. The woman withdrew a fairly large metal box, handed it to Andrea and then directed the couple to a small cubicle.
“Well, come on, open it.” Brian rubbed his hands together in anticipation. His eyes sparkled.
Andrea couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. “You’re excited and I’m feeling like an intruder.” She lifted the cover. “Wow.” She carefully lifted out the top document. “Ten thousand. Are each of these worth that much? She scanned the contents further. “There must be…”
“Thousands…hundreds of thousands. Where could Max have gotten this kind of cash? I handle the payroll at Hartford. He doesn’t…er…didn’t make this kind of money.” Brian sat back on the chair he’d been leaning from.
“Max didn’t live an extravagant lifestyle. At least he never seemed to act as if he had this kind of money.” Andrea looked directly at Brian for the first time since they entered the bank. “Could these be phony?” She noticed a crumpled piece of paper near the back corner of the box. “What’s this?”
She pulled it out and opened it, holding it so the light would allow Brian to read it also. Andrea Wilton:
I am so sorry but I have no one else to turn to. About a year ago I began saving these because I knew the people I’m involved with would eventually kill me. No one can guess what they have coerced me into doing. It’s vicious. You will need to fly to Haiti. I think that’s where they’ve taken the Michners. DO NOT go to the police, ever. Be careful. You could become a victim too.
“He wrote this note since the Michners disappeared. Haiti? I can’t go to Haiti. I don’t even know where that is.”
“And he’s certainly blunt about the police. What’s that about coercion and it’s vicious? Who are these people? And more importantly…”
“We’re not going to the police with this. Marcia Dixon…you know her…she said that as long as we don’t get in the way of the police, we can look for the Michners all we want. We certainly won’t be in the way if we go to Haiti.”
Andrea grabbed one of the bonds. She held it up to the light. “I’m not sure what I’m looking for.” She turned to Brian.
“Doesn’t Max’s warning scare you a little?” Brian turned in her direction and placed his hand on her back. His touch felt comforting. Curious.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life. But what are we supposed to do? He says his murder is tied to the Michners. I want to know where Diane and Trent are. Don’t you?” She whispered, afraid someone might be listening. “Y-you don’t think we’re capable of finding them, do you?”
“It’s not that…” Brian spoke loudly but then softened his voice a little. “I just think we…you… need to really think this through carefully. And I certainly don’t think you should go to Haiti all by yourself.” Brian folded his arms across his chest. “What do you know about defending yourself against people like this?”
“Well…not a lot but if Max…”
Brian stood as if ready to leave. “Well, at least I have a license to carry a gun.” He walked through the doorway of the cubicle.
“Are you saying you’d be willing to come with me?” Andrea quickly grabbed one of the bonds and closed the lid to the box. She stuffed the bond into her purse and returned the safety deposit box to the vault making sure it was locked up and safe. .
“Maybe…what are you doing?” He followed as she returned to the main part of the bank.
“I’m going to verify that these are real before I make any decision.” She stalked purposefully toward the nearest bank clerk.
Brian grabbed her arm mid stride. “Are you crazy? If the bank suspects that you know nothing about these bonds, how are you going to explain that they have your signature on them? Just deposit one and see what they say.”
“Fine…” Andrea shrugged out of his grasp.
A few minutes later Andrea watched the clerk complete the paperwork for her new account. She looked toward Brian as he stepped up to the counter beside her. “This is so unreal!” she whispered. “Things like this just don’t happen. I’ve always lived a very quiet life …. Oh, my gosh…my job. I can’t just up and leave. What will Mr. Forrester say when I tell him I’m going to Haiti to find my friends?”
“Let’s take this a step at a time. We need to think carefully, look at all the ramifications. We’ll talk when there’s no chance anyone can hear.” Brian placed his index finger over his lips shushing her.
Andrea inhaled a deep breath. “Brian,” she whispered this time, “will you come with me? There’s more than enough money to cover your expenses as well. I don’t know who else I can trust, do you?”
The clerk handed her the receipt for the deposit. “Thank you Miss Wilton. If there is anything further we can help you with, just ask.” She smiled and then turned toward another task as Andrea and Brian left the way they’d come.
“I see your point.” Brian opened the front door of the bank. “I think we should pray about this before we make any definite plans.”
“Do you mean now?” Andrea stole a furtive glance around the parking lot.
“Yes, why not now? We need the Lord to be the decision maker on this, I think. Then we know it’ll be the right one.” Brian bowed his head. “Lord, you know where Trent and Diane are. You also know all about Max and what’s going on here. Please give us clear direction. Help us make the right decisions.”
Andrea felt a sense of peace for the first time since all this began. If Brian could rest in God then so could she.
“Let’s take your car. . . oh that’s right. Mine is still at the motel.” They walked toward Brian’s car.
“Let’s stop at the police station on the way. I’d like to know if they’ve found out anything yet.” Brian opened the passenger door for Andrea to get in.
Brian got in and started the car. “I’m still not convinced the police are the bad guys here.”
“I won’t get them involved. I have a gut feeling that Max is right. How could those thugs have known where I was staying last night?”
“They could have followed you and besides…”
“No, Brian. No police…. please?”
“All righ
t for now.” He pulled into traffic and headed toward the police station.
“Brian, I’ll need to make arrangements to convert some of that currency to Haitian currency. Maybe US dollars are good enough. There’s so much to find out before we actually leave.” Andrea’s head hurt from lack of sleep.
“I’ll need to arrange for time off work and…”
“On Monday, I’ll add two more bonds to the amount I just deposited. We may need more than $10,000. I’ll also get some cash and some travelers checks.” Andrea leaned her head against the head rest. In no time at all the rhythm from the engine lulled her to sleep.
Brian looked over and shook his head. Their lives had changed drastically in the last two days and it seemed it would change some more before this nightmare was over. Haiti, huh? Well I do want to try out some scuba diving in those beautiful Caribbean waters. As Andrea pointed out, someone had to find the Michners. He hoped going to Haiti wouldn’t be a wild goose chase. Why would the Michners be in Haiti?