“Is she now? That’s nice of her.”
Finn whistled a little tune. He seemed chipper—nothing unusual there. But he was also surprisingly quiet.
“So, where did you take your date last night?” Michael asked his partner.
Finn nodded at a doctor walking by instead of answering.
Had he not heard, or was he ignoring Michael completely?
Before Michael could ask him again, Finn knocked on the room door and opened it. “Hello, Isaac. I hope you’re in a more talkative mood, mate. We’ve come for a little chat.” Finn settled into the chair by the window. He leaned back and folded his hands behind his head as if he had all the time in the world.
Time for Michael to get his own head back on the case. He pulled out his notebook yet again. He’d better leave with actual notes in it this time.
Isaac sighed. “I already told you. I don’t know who they are.”
“Do you use Eagle Rock Credit Union for your business?” Michael asked.
“Ye—” He swung his head toward Michael. “Yes. But what does that have to do with anything?” The confusion in his expression seemed genuine.
“Do you do your personal banking there too?” Michael jotted down his question and response.
“No. Only the store accounts. They had a good interest rate on small-business loans when I renovated two years ago.” He looked from Michael to Finn. “But why are you asking me about my bank? What does that have to do with the break-in?”
Finn shrugged, giving nothing away. “Maybe nothing. Why don’t we start with what you do know? Did those men who showed up want you to do something? Seems like they went through a lot just to nab a few boxes of cigarettes.”
Isaac stared out the window a beat before turning his attention back to them. “I’m not lying when I say I don’t know who they were. I don’t. I just know they wanted me to launder money for them.”
Now they were getting somewhere. “How so?”
Isaac paused.
“Come on. We just want to help.” Finn kept the laid-back stance, like they were discussing sports or the weather.
Finally, Isaac spoke. “They wanted me to add their cash to my deposits, then make a donation to some charities for the extra amount. They said I’d get a tax write-off, and they’d also give me a percentage for my trouble. But I refused. I didn’t want anything to do with it.”
Michael wrote in his notebook. “They showed up and discussed this plan and then beat you up?”
“Not exactly. First, someone called and said they had a business proposition a couple months ago. I agreed to a meeting. I met a woman I’d never seen before at a diner. She gave me the proposal, and I turned it down.”
“Then what?”
“Some guy showed up at my house and said I should reconsider.”
“Can you describe him or the woman to a sketch artist?”
“The guy had a hat pulled low and big sunglasses. He didn’t stick around long. I think the point was to show me that they knew where I live. I could describe the woman, I guess. I threw her card away after the meeting. Don’t remember her name.”
“We’ll send the artist as soon as one is available.” Michael made note of it. “So what happened at the store?”
“I got a call asking if I’d reconsidered the offer. When I told them to buzz off, the voice on the phone said I’d regret it. I didn’t take them seriously, but half an hour later, those men showed up at the store, and here I am.”
Finn dropped his arms and leaned forward in his seat. “Any idea who these people work for? Who’s behind all of it?”
“No clue. They were smooth. Kept things vague. They knew of the medical bills I’ve been trying to pay off from when my wife died last year, and they didn’t use names. I have no way of knowing who they are or how to trace anything back to them.”
These were not your average con artists or money launderers. They sounded like pros. “What charities did they want you to contribute to?”
“They didn’t give me specifics.”
