They both went out on the porch, and stood as two people exited the vehicle and looked up at them.
“Do you wear you gun all the time?” the man asked.
“No, we didn’t recognize the vehicle.”
“Ah, good that you’re on top of things,” the man said, and grinned. “I’m Jason Black, Ilsa’s fiancé, and I’m also a federal prosecutor.”
“Do I need one?” Myrna asked.
“No, I’m here because I’ve never been to New Double, and Ilsa has some news for you.”
“Come on in, coffee or something cold?” Pedro asked as they walked into the cabin, and he turned toward them. “We have iced tea, lemonade, and water.”
“Lemonade,” the two of them said, and that was when Myrna saw that Ilsa carried a briefcase with her. No one said anything until the drinks were passed, and they settled at the kitchen table.
“What’s up?” Myrna asked as she cradled the glass in her hands, and leaned her elbows on the table.
“Agent Wilson called me a couple of hours ago. We’ve been going over the case, and I’m here to tell you about it.”
“Okay, what happened?”
“First, the warrants came through, along with others once they started digging. Where do you want me to start?”
“Damn, there’s a lot to unpack here, isn’t there?”
“Yes.” Ilsa saw the looks exchanged between Pedro and Myrna, and reached out to lay her hand gentlyon Myrna’s. “You are not in any trouble. Once I explain what’s been going on, to the best of my knowledge, Jason will tell you the next part. It’s not bad.”
“Okay,” Myrna said as she drew in a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “Hit me.”
“Okay, first, there was a theory tossed out that somehow your work was shipping automotive parts to the Godwin’s’ garage. One of the warrants was to get their hands on the inventory information. It turns out, that theory was correct. Agent Wilson had someone go undercover to work in the shipping department. The area where boxes were shipped out, not brought in.”
“What did they find?”
“When the undercover agent went to break, the regular clerk would go to the warehouse, take items off the shelf, box them up, make the label, and put them on the truck.”
“Can we ask what type of parts?”
“Brake pads, rotors, spark plugs. Little things, but it adds up over time. When it was discovered what was going on, management opened all their books to the FBI. Not that they could say no, but a forensic accountant went in. It turns out that over the course of five years, a substantial amount of parts have been stolen.”
“How substantial, and do they think I had anything to do with it?”
“Substantial enough that there are felony charges pending against the shipping clerk. No, there were other agents that talked to the person you replaced, and the one that replaced you, and it was determined that you had nothing to do with the thefts. Hell, the two of you worked on opposite sides of the building, and after following the person who replaced you, they knew you wouldn’t have had time to do anything wrong. According to all the research, interviews with everyone, and the forensic accounting, the blame is all on this one person. No one else. Not even the upper management of the factory are involved. This person acted alone.”
“Can we ask who the other shipping clerk is?” Pedro asked as he took Myrna’s hand in his.
“Marie something,” Myrna said and looked at Ilsa. “That’s who it was when I was there.”
“Yes, Marie Powers, it turns out that she was a step-sister to the Godwin’s at one time.”
“What’s that even mean?”
“Randy and Gus Godwins’ father married four times. Their mother was his first wife, but she died when they were young, three or four.”
“Was it foul play?”
“No clue, and at this time, I don’t believe they are looking into it. Anyway, Marie Powers came into the picture when the boys were eight and ten, she was four. As they grew older, the Godwin’s convinced her to do things for the greater good of the family. Guilttripping her, but whenever she was caught, they disowned her. When her mother caught wind of what they were doing to her daughter, she packed her shit and left, divorcing the father. His next two marriages didn’t have any children coming into the marriage, nor were there any during it. They didn’t last because the three of them were all bastards and believed the world revolved around them. If it didn’t, then anything that went wrong was the other person’s fault.”
“Got it. So, if Marie was taken away, why is she helping them now?”
