“That’s reasonable,” he said.
“And if several banks within a contained radius are being hit, it suggests the target may not be random.”
He didn’t interrupt.
“I’m not asking for names or records. Unless, of course, you’d like to share,” I said, figuring it was worth a shot. “I’m asking whether you’re looking at the possibility of overlap.”
“Overlap,” he repeated.
“Box holders who use more than one of the targeted banks.”
He studied me carefully.
“We’re looking at patterns,” he said at last. “Geographic. Behavioral. Ownership.”
Bingo! Ownership.
“So that angle isn’t being ignored,” I said.
“No, it isn’t.”
“If someone is searching for something tied to a specific person, then that narrows things considerably.”
“Or complicates them, if more than one person fits.”
He all but said that more than one person was holding multiple boxes.
“You’re not planning to start your own investigation into bank clients, are you?” he asked.
“I’m planning to stay curious.”
“That’s what worries me.”
“I’m not breaking into anything.”
“You’re thinking about it.”
“Thinking is still legal.”
“For now.”
I smiled slightly.
He lifted his coffee, took a sip, and then leaned back. “You need to stay out of this, Pepper.”
I tilted my head. “Afraid I’ll solve it before you do?
He laughed. “I’ve got an armada of people working on this behind the scenes. There is no way you could ever solve this before the FBI.”
“Want to bet on that,” I challenged.
He laughed again. “What’s that old saying? It would be like taking candy from a baby.”
“You think so? I have three brothers and not one of them ever got my candy off me.”
He leaned forward. “And I have three sisters and I always got whatever candy they had.”
I leaned toward him. “That tells me they were older and protective. You were the center.”
