J – Jeff comes up with a plan

“This is a continuation of B – What’s in the Bag?. It was followed by D – Decision to be made and G – Gone!. You may want to read them first if you haven’t already.”

J – Jeff Comes Up With a Plan

I got hold of Jeff right away and explained the situation to him. He had me ask Ronald if he had called the police yet about the break-in? Ronald said that he hadn’t. Jeff told me to sit tight for a while as he had some things to check out and said he would call me back within the hour and not to let Ronald notify the police. 

It only took 45 minutes for Jeff to get back to me. He gave me some instructions as to what to ask Ronald and then told me that he was not going to contact me again until the time was right. He said any communication with me should go through his friend Rhonda. 

Jeff had been friends with Rhonda since their college days. I knew that she was a retired CIA agent in covert operations. Now she worked as an advisor to certain art museums and charity groups. I had met her a few times at some of the writing groups I attended with Jeff. The interesting thing about Rhonda was she never looked the same and she never used the same name. Jeff had explained that it was part of her CIA cover. I got used to it. 

Jeff’s idea was that, as a cop, he might be recognized by those involved in the bank heist. Based on the description I gave of Eve, Jeff said she was an employee of Chase Bank, and probably with the help of the other Yves were the people the police were looking for. Jeff had a plan to catch them, but it all depended on the answers that Ronald gave me. Based on stories I had shared about Ronald with Jeff, he seemed to have the same opinion of Ronald as my parents. 

After I hung up with Jeff, I confronted Ronald. The two questions I asked him were – What was the real story behind the stolen money? and  How much of the $500,000 did he still have that he didn’t put in the lockbox?

At first, Ronald tried to convince me that the story was real and that all the money was taken. But even I knew Ronald well enough to know that he was lying. Eventually, I got the truth.

After I had left Ronald with the money he took it to the lockbox. This was a very strong lockbox with only one key, which he had. When he purchased it he was told that it was super secure and that nothing could break into it without the key. As he was putting the money into the box, his greed got the best of him and he decided to skim some of the money from the bag. In fact, he skimmed $100,000 of it and stashed it between his mattress pad and box spring in his bedroom. As luck would have it, the lockbox had been found by the thieves but the $100,000 had not. The part about him going to the store for the paper and coming back to the trashed house was the only true part of his story, so guess he hadn’t actually lied to me; he just left out a bit of information. He tends to do that a lot.

I called Rhonda on the phone and explained what Ronald had reluctantly shared with me. To my surprise, Rhonda said that was what Jeff was hoping for. Rhonda told me that the next part of Jeff’s plan all depended on me and on the inexperience and greed of the crooks. I was to wait for 2 days and call Eve up and arrange for a meeting. Rhonda said from this point on, I would always be watched and wired. I was to meet with Eve and Yves at my house. I was to tell them that I discovered that the money had been in a lockbox but the lockbox was stolen. I was to tell them that the money should be safe since I was the only one with the key for it. And then say nothing more and let Eve make the next move.

It was clear that Jeff and Rhonda were not letting me in on the entire plan, but I did what I was told. Rhonda visited me later that afternoon under the guise of an old friend named Pat with her boyfriend Larson. Larson was the guy who wired me up and told me how it worked. After they left, I occasionally went out on errands but nowhere in particular. I knew that Rhonda was having me watched, but I didn’t see anyone.

Ronald had to give up the $100,000 to me and the key to the lockbox. Jeff sent someone to his house to relieve Ronald of both items and to make sure that he stayed in his house for the duration of my activities. 

After 2 days I made the call. Both Eve and Yves agreed to meet with me. I did exactly as Jeff said. They both reacted with enthusiasm. 

“That’s great news,” said Eve. “Why don’t you give us the key for safekeeping? Then you can continue trying to find the money.”

Had I not known that they were the crooks, I would have begun to be suspicious, but I played dumb and said, “That sounds like a good idea,” and gave them the key. 

…to be concluded in “M – Where’s the  Money?”