Page 66 of Tangled Memories
He shot her a sidelong look. “Are we?”
“Vulgarity is not appropriate on Easter Sunday.”
“Did you go to church today?”
“No, and neither did you.”
“Yes, I did—the minute you were out of my bed. I went to a sunrise service; it is Easter, after all.”
Stormy was flabbergasted. It showed.
“I thought that’d make a good impression on you,” Tyler said. “I also go on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and my mother’s birthday—just in case she still has eyes in the back of her head. And maybe one or two other days that are fixed in my memory.”
The tone of his voice told Stormy that the one or two of those other days fixed in his memory were probably the birth and death of his daughter, Priss. She slipped her hand into his.
“Well, six or seven times a year. You’re all set then. What was I thinking?”
“Gives me another dimension, doesn’t it?”
“Or one who can match you in arrogance.” She gave him a slight push. “Go get your briefcase. I want to know what information you’ve been squirreling away.”
The kitchen table was set for dinner, so they sat in the alcove.
“Here’s the most interesting tidbit I’ve turned up,” he said, passing her a manila folder labeled H. B. Foley.
Stormy’s chest constricted. “Foley is the bank vice president who testified against me. Why are you investigating him?”
Tyler pursed his lips. “I always take a look at everyone involved. After it became obvious that we seem to have a discrepancy in the money, I took a harder look at our Mr. Foley.” He pointed out a photocopy in the file.
It made little sense to Stormy.
“That’s a credit check. What it says is that before the robbery, Foley was ninety- to a hundred-and-twenty days past due on several accounts. Soon after the robbery, he brought them up to date.”
“You’re suggesting that Foley is the one who lied about how much money Hadley actually stole?”
“Let’s just say I found Foley interesting enough to track.”
“If it’s true, can you prove it?”
Tyler shook his head.
Stormy sighed despairingly. “How is all this going to help me?”
Tyler took a swig of beer. He hated to admit that his ideas had not panned out to his satisfaction. “I don’t know yet.”
“Lots of people get behind in their bills.” She was thinking of Nina and Tully. “That’s not exactly a crime.”
“True, but it doesn’t make good business sense for a banker. On the surface, Foley doesn’t appear to live beyond his means, which begs the question of why he fell behind.”
“Some people don’t know how to handle money.” Tyler’s green eyes flashed. “Pretty hard to be a banker if you don’t, wouldn’t you say?”
Stormy rifled the file. “What else is in here?”
Tyler pointed out a copy of the vice president’s résumé. Several previous employers had been highlighted with a reference marker. “My client insures any number of banks, savings and loans, credit unions, and finance companies—small companies that don’t qualify for federal deposit insurance or can’t afford the premiums. Outside of a major bank Foley interned at after college, he seems to like working for smaller companies. Those I’ve highlighted in his résumé are all insured by my client. I asked them to review their files on those companies during Foley’s employment. Guess what we discovered?”
Stormy looked up at Tyler. “Other banks were robbed!”
“Sure were. And until you and Wilson came along, the perpetrators weren’t caught.”