The Simsville Inheritance
Copyright ©2008 Elizabeth G. Cox. All rights reserved.

Chapter 26 - Easy come, easy go

Jamie found a seat against a wall, spread out several wrinkled napkins, a bagel and coffee cup onto the little square tables on either side to discourage anyone from using them, and powered up his computer. Time for a few more forays, a few more thousand dollars worth of transfers. He spread a little cream cheese onto a bagel half and took a bite, watching the screen run through its opening routines. He was tempted to hum a happy tune, but he didn't want to draw any attention.

As soon as Jamie keyed in the password, the screen locked up. As he stared at the icon blinking back at him, he knew they'd figured something out. Maybe those bank folks had gotten worried when their people turned up missing and pulled the plug. Or maybe their missing people were no longer missing, one or the other.

He surfed the internet news for a few minutes while he thought about the situation. Everything that had worked so well just a day ago no longer worked and his access to all that easy money was gone. He knew he could get it back if he put his mind to it, but trying that wouldn't be too smart. When the bank gurus learned some mole had been siphoning off their cash, they'd come looking for that mole. Sure, his system was as secure as it could be made to be but nothing was that secure.

Oh well, easy come, easy go, although it hadn't all gone, at least not yet. And if he stayed away from Atlantic City a while longer, maybe he could stretch it out a bit.

Regretfully, he closed the computer down, pulled out the little storage card and stuck it in his pocket. He'd have to ditch the computer, case, drives, battery and all — better to be safe than sorry. The swamp he'd used before had lots of deep holes, and by the time anybody found this cafe, he'd be long gone. Since he now looked like an elderly scholar with slightly frayed cuffs and worn-out shoes, the likelihood of being remembered, much less identified, was slight.

He chewed the remaining bagel washing it down with several swallows of coffee, and bussed his table as usual before departing, just like all the other ordinary diners. Just another retired school teacher or something, that's all anyone would think.

His offshore account had a pretty good balance, albeit not nearly as good as he'd hoped. It would do for a few months until some other excellent idea came to mind. He walked down the block, turned the corner and climbed into his car. Time to say "so long" to Savannah and head for the swamp. It was still an hour or two until rush hour, he had plenty of time before showing back up at his apartment in case Grandpa called. Not that he ever did, but who knows. If there's trouble with the trust fund, why Grandpa might just feel obligated to let him know, right?

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 |