Page 105 of Mission: Possible

"I'm getting to it!"

"Sorry," muttered Jord.

"During my investigation into Sophie, Austen found a bag of money hidden in their house and asked me to look deeper into it. He had no idea how she could have come by that money and I couldn't come up with a feasible idea either so I gave some of it to Maddox to investigate."

"And what do you know?" said Maddox. "The serial numbers took me to that bank robbery in Milwaukee."

"So Sophie is the definitive link between the two cities. Is it sheer coincidence she has money Maddox can trace to that bank in Milwaukee, and also a coincidence that she was attacked before our bank got hit?" I asked. "I don't think so. I think something went down between Zach and Sophie and he tried to kill her. While she was in the coma, she was safe because she couldn’t talk. But Austen told me that Sophie was making small, positive movements and her doctors are optimistic she'll wake up soon. I thought Zach might have tried to kill her because she was pregnant and ruining a con he had on Austen. However, what if Zach feared as soon as Sophie regained consciousness, she'd tell Austen everything?"

"That's assuming there is anything to tell," said Garrett. "This is still mostly supposition."

"Work with me here!"

"I am! I've got the whole city looking for him!"

"What's Charlie's role in this?" asked Solomon. "Even if he did know what Joe Bagshot squirreled away, I don't see him as the guy to put together a heist or be involved in other robberies. He doesn't have the skills for it. Are you saying he did?"

"No. I still believe Charlie is just taking advantage of the heist and hoping we can get that coin before it's passed on or sold to the real mastermind behind it all. He knows its value is and probably wants a comfortable retirement."

"Maybe I should bring him down for questioning," said Jord.

"You could, but I think it'll be a waste of time. What would you charge him with? Acting in the bank's best interests by hiring private investigators?"

"We can't tie him to an inside job," said Solomon. "Lucas combed their security systems and is sure no one on the inside helped."

"Charlie will just clam up and claim to know nothing. Plus," I added, "Charlie hasn't actually committed a crime. He hasn't even benefited from one. All he's really done is waste our time."

"I'm sending him a bill anyway," said Solomon.

"I don't suppose you found this mystery coin?" asked Jord. "Seems to me that would be a nice case to tie up."

"I wish I could say we had. The team that executed this plan were extremely good. They barely left a trace. The only loose ends were Mackleton and the van and someone got rid of him. I'm not even sure it'll be possible to ever tie anyone to the murder," said Solomon.

"That's my view too," said Garrett.

"Unless you find the murder weapon and match it to Zach or one of the bank robberies," I said. "They were all well-armed. Those guns came from somewhere and have to be somewhere now. They couldn't just disappear."

"We're looking into all the local dealers," said Jord, "but the fact is, those guns could have been purchased years ago or sold on the black market. They've probably already offloaded them. Like you said, this was a well-executed heist, so they had a plan for afterwards too."

"So, that's everything?" asked Delgado. "You tied the cases together."

"Yes. And I'm also certain that Sophie targeted Austen in a long con. I don't know if that was a plan she concocted herself or one that she came up with Zach. Maybe Zach pushed her into it, but I am sure it started to fall apart before she even got married to Austen. I just can't work out why Sophie had the cash from that robbery. Why didn't Zach have it?"

"Maybe she stole it from her brother?" suggested Maddox.

"I'm told she was a thief too. Maybe she decided she wanted Austen along with the stolen cash," I said with a shrug. I brightened, a light bulb going off in my head. "That could make him mad enough to want to kill her. Only thing is, he still doesn't know where the money is. Sophie hid it."

"So Zach goes looking for a new payday," said Solomon. "The cash from the previous robbery is long gone. Setting up Austen took time and money but is falling apart. Then somehow, he gets wind of this heist and sees his opportunity to make back all the money, maybe even more. Something happens between him and Sophie and she's rendered comatose. He tries to finish the job to make sure she can't ever rat on him but fails. Austen fights him off and he runs. What does that tell us all?"

"That Zach's on the run," said Garrett.

"We need to find him," added Jord.

"And arrest him," said Maddox. "The Feds will want him."

"Get in line," said Jord. "He's ours first."

"Can you guys sort that out later?" I asked. "Zach has a headstart. The longer we debate this, the further and faster he's getting away!"

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