I Love You, Goodbye. Prentiss Sr. Grant
was no reason to press the matter now. Standing, Mr. Taylor again apologized for the rudeness of his question and stated he only intended to bring Mary’s personal belongings to Harrison. Harrison came from the back of the desk and escorted Jeffrey to the door. Watching as Jeffrey drove away, Harrison decided he better find out what he could about the district attorney. It might prove helpful in the future. Turning and walking back to his office, he sat at his desk and stared at the package before him.
Following several minutes of nothing but staring, Harrison got up and fixed himself a drink. He didn’t have to leave even for ice with the small refrigerator built into the bar. Returning to his seat he pulled the package to him and began opening it. Slowly he reached inside and pulled out Mary’s purse. It was one of those small purses women carried when dressed in business attire. Looking at the purse, Harrison knew Mary had been dressed in a blue skirt with a blouse and jacket. She had been attending to one of her charities the night she died. Holding the purse he imagined Mary at the function. Mary would be gliding from one group of people to another carefully soliciting donations to her charity. Mary was accomplished in having people believe it was their idea to donate large sums of money to her causes. It was easy for her, given her love for the children the charities helped. Harrison figured Mary’s work filled the void of not having children of her own. It also helped that Mary’s work centered on her charities. The functions Mary held were lavish. The elite would attend dressed to the nines. Mary was the consummate planner. She was smart enough to allow the men areas to conduct business knowing they were going to do so anyway. The women were mostly socialites concerned only with the latest events and the importance of being asked to attend. Mary would see to both groups with equal zeal. She had the ability to find comfort in both worlds, appreciating the importance of each. Before the evening was over the women would be photographed with their corporate spouses for the local papers, handing Mary large donations. Harrison took his place in the background, only assisting when Mary needed help giving an executive an extra nudge to loosen his purse strings.
Opening the purse Harrison retrieved Mary’s wallet. He unzipped the pocketbook and laid it open on the desk. Picking through the contents he looked a Mary’s credit cards and driver’s license. It still amazed him she could take such a good driver’s license picture. Harrison came across several business cards and began thumbing through them. He hadn’t flipped through but a couple when he stopped suddenly. Harrison read the card repeatedly as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His mind raced with thoughts of when a meeting could have occurred and what type conversation would have transpired. Harrison turned the business card over and a telephone number was written on the back. Looking again at the front, Harrison was determined to call to the number on back and have a talk with Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent, Natalie Johnson.
Placing the business card aside Harrison reached back in the package and pulled out several items of jewelry. The necklace he remembered giving Mary as a gift. It was the Christmas they spent in Colorado. Mary looked so beautiful in the glow of the fireplace and Harrison smiled as he thought of the look on her face when she opened the necklace. Suddenly Harrison remembered Mary’s body lying on the table at the funeral home. Frantically he tore through the package and dumped the contents on his desk. He found an earring and shuffled through some papers until he discovered the other. “Where is it? It has to be here!” Harrison was throwing the papers on the floor and grabbed a sweater and tossed it to the side. Mary’s wedding ring fell out of the sweater and landed on the floor. Harrison leapt down and picked the ring up and held it in his hands. He stared at the ring for several minutes while his heart settled. Finally he gathered the papers and jewelry and placed them in his safe. Turning to exit the room, Harrison placed the business card in his wallet and left for the airport.
“He’s on the move again.” John Daniels was at a full run when he entered Natalie’s office. “What!” “He’s on the move. He has the company plane fueled and waiting at the airport.” John was still trying to catch his breath as he spoke. “How is it I am part of the largest investigative agency in the world and am the last to know that my prime suspect is leaving town?” Natalie was shouting as she leapt out of her chair. John explained that his connection at the airport did not arrive for work until the afternoon shift and contacted him immediately upon seeing the bank’s pilots. The informant further stated there was not a definite departure time but the destination was the Cayman Islands. This the informant learned directly from the pilots. Thankfully they always loved to brag to the ground crew where they were going.
Natalie instructed John to get to the islands and report what Harrison did and with whom he had contact. She asked if anyone knew for which company Harrison would be making the transactions. John wasn’t sure because the information hadn’t come from the accounting department with the bureau. They weren’t even sure if Harrison was making transactions on behalf of a company. “Not sure he is making a transaction?” Natalie was almost shouting. “Most banking transactions were made from Harrison’s office. His wife just died and he hasn’t even buried her. There certainly isn’t any need for him to travel to the islands unless it is to transfer funds.” Natalie’s frustration with the ineptness of her associates was beginning to show. She picked up the telephone and instructed the accounting department to bring her the latest data on Harrison Michaels. “I will contact you with the information.” John nodded his understanding and left the office for the airport. Natalie sat back down at her desk and impatiently waited for the requested information.
When the paperwork was delivered, Natalie snatched it from the runner’s hand without acknowledging his existence. She quickly began reviewing the numbers to figure out on whose behalf Harrison was conducting business. Natalie understood the problem hampering the case against Harrison Michaels was the connection, if any, of his trips to the Cayman Islands to the banking transactions of various companies. Those transactions were themselves a problem. The accounting department could not figure out any pattern with the transactions which would prove Harrison was breaking the law. The agency believed he was funneling money through the holding companies but without the information in the Cayman Banks it was having difficulty forming a complete picture. Even though the bureau was attempting to put pressure on the banks they were unable to obtain the information they desired. Therefore the only alternative was to connect the people Harrison was in partnership with and hope they were banking within the United States or in countries that cooperated with the U.S. The theory was if they could get the first part and the last part of the puzzle the accounting department would figure out the middle.
That was the reason Natalie directed John Daniels to travel to the Cayman Islands to follow Harrison. The problem was that to date Harrison never met with anyone while he was at the islands. It was as if he knew he was being followed. If the government changed its tactics or surveillance agent, Harrison would immediately pick up on it. The government also could not find out whether Harrison was meeting people in the banks themselves. Harrison traded with several banks on the islands and his business was always conducted in the upper offices. And the Cayman banks did not allow government agents to sit inside their establishments and bother their clients. The banks were very protective of their clients. No one was allowed to enter the banks unless they had business there. If a person came in and sat down it wouldn’t be long before a bank representative would approach and question them about why they were there. If they didn’t have business they would be politely but firmly asked to leave. And flashing a government badge would only have them shown to the door quicker.
The only way the government could find if Harrison was meeting someone in the banks would be to post agents outside every bank from opening until closing. The government never knew which bank Harrison would use until he walked inside. Harrison used every bank in the islands and never notified any bank he was coming. He would just show up and do business. This did not bother the banks because many of their customers did business that way. Background checks would then have to be done on everyone who arrived or left the bank utilized by Harrison. The manpower necessary to accomplish such a large-scale surveillance was unavailable given the “higher-ups” reluctance to be directly involved in this case. Therefore, unless Harrison became sloppy and met someone outside the bank, connecting him to anyone would be impossible. But given the situation Harrison was currently in with the death of his wife, sloppy was a possibility and Natalie was not about to give up any opportunity to prove herself to the bureau.