Eddie andBrian picked up Marty, and the three of them went to the diner where Vicky ate her lunch. Marty went in first, and they gave him a few minutes before going in, walking to where Marty and Vicky sat in one of the back booths. A half-eaten bologna sandwich sat on a plastic bag as Vicky sipped her pink milkshake.
“These are my friends,” Marty told her. “This is Brian, and this is Eddie. They’re with the police, but you aren’t in any trouble. Okay?”
She nodded. “I’m a good person. I don’t do things wrong.” She finished her shake and smiled.
“That’s really good. But some other people may have done bad things. And you can help these men stop them,” Marty told her. “Can you tell us who gives you the bags to make the deposits?”
“Oh. Uncle Mark. He asked me to make them for him last year. It was spring, and it was warm. He said he would give me extra to do it.” She smiled, eyes bright.
“That’s Mark Haver, right?” Eddie asked.
“Yes. He and Aunt Millie look after me. He told me I had to keep the deposits and the money a secret from Aunt Millie so I could have extra money to buy things. Aunt Millie likes to know everything.” She rolled her eyes.
“So Uncle Mark gives you the bags, and you put them in the night deposit drops on your way home?” Eddie asked.
“Yes. I walk home sometimes, and sometimes Uncle Mark takes me home, and I go into the bank. He stays in the car and waits for me.”
Eddie made notes. “Can you tell us which banks you go to?”
Vicky thought for a minute and looked at Marty.
“It’s okay. They are trying to help.”
“But will Uncle Mark get in trouble?” she asked.
Eddie didn’t know what to say, and he glanced at Brian. Thankfully, Marty came to the rescue. “I don’t know about that. But if Uncle Mark was doing something wrong, what would you do?”
“Tell Aunt Millie,” Vicky said confidently.
“Well, we don’t know if he is doing something wrong, but if he is, then we will tell Aunt Millie for you. No one is going to get mad at you,” Brian said gently.
“Oh. Okay.” She was happy once again. She listed off descriptions of the banks, including, “The one with the horse and wagon and one with a one and a flag.” From those logo descriptions, as well as some bank names, he was able to put together a list of six banks where she was making semi-regular deposits.
“That’s a big help.” Marty leaned forward, and Eddie wondered what he was going to ask. “Can I ask, when you makedeposits in person, what do you do with the slips the bank gives you?”
She shrugged and then picked up a pink Hello Kitty backpack. She opened a zipper and pulled out a bunch of wadded deposit receipts. She handed them to Marty. “They were messy.”
“Well, then, now is a good time to clean them out.” Marty took them, and Vicky handed him some more until she was happy that part of her backpack was clean again. Marty gave them to Brian, who put them in a plastic evidence bag. Not that the prints were going to tell them anything, but the receipts would give them some information, he hoped. “Do you want something else to eat? Eddie and Brian will get you anything you want.”
Vicky’s eyes lit up. “Chocolate cake and French fries? Aunt Millie never lets me have those. She says they’re bad for you. Unhealthy.”
“Then you can have both if you want,” Marty said as the server approached. Marty gave her his order and Vicky’s, and the guys gave theirs. “Oh, and put the rest of Vicky’s bill on this one. Okay?” Marty winked, and Eddie nodded. He was more than willing to pick up her tab for the information they’d received.
“Sure,” she said, and hurried away, then returned with drinks and eventually their food. Eddie was starved and tried to keep the smirk off his face as he remembered the reason why.
Vicky leaned close to Marty as though she had a secret. “I think he likes you,” she said in a stage whisper. “Boys can like boys, and girls can like girls. That’s what Aunt Millie told me.”
“She’s right,” Eddie told her. “And you’re very smart. Marty and I were boyfriends when we were in college.”
“And do you want to be boyfriends again?” she asked, taking a fry once the server set the plate in front of her.
“Maybe. But that’s up to Marty. I think he and I need to talk about it.” He winked, and Vicky giggled.
“Is it a secret?” she asked, grinning at the thought she knew something others didn’t.
“Kind of.” He sat back and ate his burger. Marty shook his head and munched on his salad.
Marty and Vicky talked during lunch while Eddie worked through the information they had. He figured it was enough for them to get a search warrant for Mark Haver’s home, as well as the office and all retail locations. He pulled out his phone and texted Brian, not wanting to talk openly about it.
