Oakfield lit up another cigarette. ‘Pick a different day… a different month… a different year and Nelson will be dead in the water.’
Sam’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, as if a huge weight was finally being lifted off of them.
‘I bet you never thought of that either, right?’ Oakfield asked.
Sam shook her head. ‘No, but it all makes perfect sense. And I’ll be able to pick any date I want?’
‘Of course,’ Oakfield confirmed.
Sam’s smile reached her eyes. ‘That’s amazing, because I’ve always hated being a Cancerian.’
Oakfield laughed. ‘One more piece of advice, if I may.’
‘Please, by all means,’ Sam replied. ‘I need all the advice I can get.’
‘This is regarding the money you will get from Nelson, because there’s no doubt that you will get it.’
‘OK.’
Oakfield leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table.
Sam did the same.
Oakfield spoke in a much quieter voice. ‘Your divorce settlement will come through before your identity change is finalized. That’s a fact. Once the divorce settlement is finally completed, however much money you are awarded by the courts, it will all be electronically transferred straight into your existing bank account. You won’t get a cheque for a deposit.’
‘I didn’t think I would either,’ Sam commented.
‘OK,’ Oakfield continued. ‘So, here’s my advice – once the money hits your account, just sit tight and wait until the identitychange process is concluded. It won’t take that much longer after the divorce – a few days probably.’
‘Alright.’
‘Now, before you swap identities.’ Oakfield lifted a finger at Sam. ‘And I mean either the day before, or on the day that you are supposed to go pick up your new documents, go to your bank and clear out the account. Withdraw everything… in cash. Do not transfer it to a new account.’
‘Withdraw the whole lot in cash?’ Sam looked back at Oakfield as if he was joking.
Oakfield nodded. ‘I know that with the amount that you’ll probably get, this sounds like a crazy thing to do, but Nelson worked with hedge funds and finance, am I right? So, I’m sure that despite being behind bars, he’ll probably still be very well connected with people in the financial sector.’
Sam gave Oakfield a subtle nod of acceptance.
‘So, my guess is that if Nelson really tries to track you down,’ he continued, ‘that is exactly where he’ll look first. He’ll look for a financial transaction between your old account and any new ones.’ He shrugged. ‘He’ll want to know where his money went, and if he finds a transfer document from your bank, your new name will no doubt be attached to it.’
Sam’s jaw tensed.
‘By withdrawing the funds in cash,’ Oakfield explained, ‘what you’ll actually be doing is avoiding creating an electronic money transfer trail.’
‘So, what do I do with the money? Put it inside my mattress?’
‘No. After you take all the money out of your bank, you get your new identity, and you open new bank accounts… and I mean accounts – more than one. And if you want to play it really safe – use different banks… spread your money around.’
Sam took a second. ‘You mean – by walking into a bank carrying a suitcase full of cash and dumping it on the counter?’
‘Pretty much,’ Oakfield agreed.
Sam pulled a face at the District Attorney. ‘I don’t think that nowadays banks allow you to make a large cash deposit without bombarding you with questions.’
‘And you’re right,’ Oakfield confirmed. ‘They don’t.’ He gave Sam a conman kind of smile. ‘And they would bombard you with questions if you didn’t have a legal document, signed by a court judge, explaining the reason why you are making such a large cash deposit. With that, they won’t ask you a single question, and they will take as much cash as you can dump on their counter.’
Nine
