BooksBarbecue
Back Sex, Lies, and Serious Money
Chapters (65)
  1. Cover
  2. BOOKS BY STUART WOODS
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  64. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  65. What’s next onyour reading list?

“I’m off parole,” he said. “What with all the guys getting released early, the parole officers are overworked, and I’ve got a job and an apartment, so they cut me loose. I’m a regular citizen again.”

“Welcome back to the world,” Theresa said.

Butch bought lunch.

—

THAT NIGHT, Butch went to see Curly. “We’ve got one check left, right?”

“Right.”

“We’ll deposit this one, and next week I’ll close the account. Hayward’s back in town and, sooner rather than later, he’ll twig to what’s going on. By that time, there will be no trace of us, and we’ll have a tidy grubstake to take care of us.”

“What we need is another scam,” Curly said.

“I think I’m going to cool it,” Butch said. “I’m pretty well set up now, and I’m liking my job.”

“Tell me again, what is it you’re doing?”

“My sister got me a trainee’s job at her store.”

“Ah, I would have figured it was something to do with money.”

“Everything is something to do with money, Curly.”

—

LAURENCE HAD JUST finished breakfast when Marge came to see him.

“Something’s wrong,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

“Have you written six checks totaling three hundred thousand dollars to a gallery called Internet Arts?”

“I’ve written a number of checks to galleries, but I don’t remember that one.”

She showed him the canceled checks. “The signatures match yours very closely, but I suppose they could be forgeries. Shall I call the police?”

“Let me take care of that,” Laurence said. “I know somebody who knows somebody.”

17

LAURENCE CALLED Dino Bacchetti and was put through. “Good morning, Dino, how are you?”

“Not bad, Laurence, and you?”

“I’m afraid your advice about bad people in New York has proved to be accurate.”

“I hope you’re not hurt.”

“Nothing like that, only my checking account is damaged. Someone appears to have forged six checks for a total of three hundred thousand dollars.”

Dino excused himself for a moment and covered the phone, then came back. “I’m sending Detectives Kehoe and Grappa of our financial fraud squad over to your place. They’ll be there in half an hour.”

“I can’t thank you enough, Dino.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll personally keep track of the investigation.” They hung up.

—

HALF AN HOUR LATER, the front desk announced the officers and they were sent up. Laurence met them at the door and escorted them back to Marge’s office. “Marge, these are Detectives Kehoe and Grappa,” he said. “Please walk them through what’s happened.”