The morning of Ann’s disappearance, Peter returned home around 3 a.m. He had just come from The Albatross gold mine.
Opening the door quietly, he went to the wet-bar and poured himself a whisky, a large one. Turning on the light next to his arm chair, he sat down heavily, in frustration and dissatisfaction at the way things had turned out. He groaned inside.
Everything’s happening so fast! I’m going to have to cut my losses and get out of here. I know Sabine won’t come with me, but even if she did, she’d be a hindrance. She’d give me away, when the mood suited her.
But I just can’t bolt without a plan. I must do this right, think it completely through. Everyone involved with this mess is out of the way, for now. I should have a day, maybe two.
I don’t think the FBI will come for the books, just yet… not without protecting Mrs. Drummond’s assets, first.
But, when they discover Ann is missing, will they go looking for her and the missing money? Will it be enough of a red herring to throw them off my trail? Probably not, but it should confuse things long enough to give me the time I need.
If I just break for it now, and leave… I’d only have what’s in our home safe. I’d have to leave behind my entire stock portfolio, and I can’t do that. If I try to cash it in anywhere else, they’d be able to track where the request came from and possibly locate me.
No, I should have today, at least, to cash out all my stocks from my office, and have the money moved to that off-shore account in the Caymans, and then get out of here. If I leave sometime tonight, after Sabine is asleep, then I can take what I need from here, as well. I’ll check the office safe too. And then, be in a hotel room in Miami, safe and sound before she gets up, and our office opens the next day.
But, do I have the guts to wait it out? I have over one hundred million in the account now, plenty to start my bank. But, would that be enough?
No! I just can’t leave the rest behind, it’s worth millions, and I might need it! I’ve got time… I made sure I had time, at great cost! I’ll stick it out and do it right.
Setting down his drink, he went to the wall-safe. Opening it, he took out his passport and all his important papers and checked the contents.
Good, there’s plenty of cash in here and all Sabine’s jewelry, the really expensive pieces, but should I take them? She’d kill me if she ever got her hands on me again. I can’t hawk them intact. Sabine will be in hot pursuit of them with detectives, and flyers. If they are ever identified, the hunt for me will start wherever they’re found. No, if I want them, I’ll have to take the jewels out and sell them separately. It’s worth the risk.
Closing and locking the safe, he decided, Now, I need to get some sleep.
Finishing his drink, he went to bed, making sure he didn’t disturb his wife. As he lay there, however, staring into the darkness of his room, his thoughts raced, worrying what the feds were doing, if he was making a mistake by waiting.
“Can’t you lie still?” Sabine complained, sleepily.
“Sorry, I’ve a lot on my mind,” he said quietly. “I’ll stay in the guest room.”
Getting up, he went quietly to the other room.
Sleep eluded him. He tossed and turned, nightmares haunted him throughout the night.
Finally, giving up trying to sleep, he got up and dressed. Leaving his wife a note, indicating he’d left for the office early, he went to the garage and drove his BMW to the Kingston Building.
Upon entering Lawrence & Fenway Diversified, he walked into his office and turned on the lights. Sitting at his desk, he turned on his computer and transferred the rest of his personal funds, including his joint account with Sabine, to his off shore account in the Cayman Islands.
As soon as he got to the island, he’d take everything out and disappear with his new identity, maybe to South America. He could figure that out later, but the money would be safe from the US government’s intervention, now.
Tomorrow, I need to be in Miami before Sabine is up and the office opens, so that means I have to leave here at 3:00 a.m. tonight. With over a five and a half hour flight, I should arrive in Miami at 11:30 a.m. EST, which makes it 9:00 a.m. PST here. I’ll be off the plane and in a hotel, before anything is missed.
What time is it now? 5:30? It’s not too early to call Ralph Walters, is it? I’ll tell him an important client needs me in Miami by noon tomorrow. He’ll believe that.
Peter dialed Ralph, the company pilot for their Gulfstream G550 business jet, a sleek machine with dual Rolls-Royce engines on the tail, and winglets at the tip of each wing.
“Hello, Ralph? This is Peter Lawrence. I hope I didn’t get you out of bed... Sorry, but I need to be in Miami by noon tomorrow, is the company jet available? Good. I’m meeting an important client, who’s in a hurry to spend his money. Yah I’d like to have that problem too. Got a co-pilot in mind? Good, Stan will be fine. Okay. That’ll work. I’d like to be in the air by 3 a.m. Ralph. Good. I’ll see you before 3:00 tonight then. No, I’ll be the only passenger this trip, okay, see you tonight.”
Getting up, he went to the company safe, and opened it. He found a large amount of bearer bonds and cash on hand.
That’s right, we’re about to merge with Halverson Accounting. Well, Trevor’s going to be angry, but he’ll get over it. Just call it my severance pay and partnership buyout, he thought with a smile.
Leaving everything there, he locked the safe.
In his office, he opened his personal safe, took out the contents, and put most of it in his briefcase.
Looking over his new identity, he recalled how he had become Phillip Lewis on his new passport. He had rented a dark brown wig, put on a phony mustache and worn dark brown contacts. The change was startling. Now he was going to do it for real in Florida.
Packed and ready for the day, he made himself busy with work, wanting to appear as if nothing was wrong.
As soon as his agent’s office was open, back in New York, he set about liquidating his portfolio.
“Are you sure you want to cash it all in, Peter?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m retiring early, Bill. I want all of it in this new account before I go.”
“It’ll take a day or two to transfer all the funds,” his agent told him.
“No problem, just be sure all of it goes,” Peter instructed him, knowing that once it was all transferred, no one would be able to touch it, but him.
I sure wish I could’ve gotten my hands on Ann Henderson’s money, which would have been sweet revenge. Why couldn’t she leave things alone? Everything was going fine, before she got here. She’s going to pay for it, though.
Peter finished out his day at work, then went home. His nerves were frayed, as he constantly watched for any change in routine, and the slightest noises made him jump. But he was determined to see his plans through to whatever end.
The end of day one, for Peter, was coming to a close. As he lay in bed that night, trying to rest, patiently waiting for his plan to commence, his ordeal and escape was imminent.
Waiting