Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Fred Forchelli - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – The Assignment

The top sheet was a letter to him. It was undated. Fred read silently to himself.

 

Dear Mr. Forchelli,

I apologize for having to put you through all the events of this morning. Since you are reading this, that means that you are both inventive enough and interested enough have gotten this far.

I need your assistance in helping to right some wrongs and bring some perpetrators to justice. I believe that the individuals involved have gotten away with their misdeeds for too long and need to be stopped. I do not have definitive proof of this, and I am not even sure how many individuals may be involved. I cannot participate in this as the damage to my career and to others around me if I were to be found out is far too great. So, I will have to remain anonymous at this stage – even to you.

I do not want to prejudice you with my opinions at this point, so I am only attaching a few helpful hints to get you started in this investigation. I cannot promise that if you pursue this that you may not be in danger. However, I feel that you have the capabilities and instinct to get you through any situation.

I know that it may sound like an echo of the old TV show, “Mission: Impossible,” but the phrase “your mission, should you choose to accept it” comes to mind. I have attached a check that I believe sufficient to reimburse you for your time and expenses for the next two weeks. Should you choose not to accept, I believe you have the integrity to just destroy the check.

Thanks for your assistance,

 

The letter was signed in that by now familiar script but simply said, “A Friend”.

Fred thumbed through the attached pages. There were a few copies of articles from the local newspaper that spanned several years. There was a copy of a police report from a few years ago. And there was a grainy picture showing two men shaking hands. But there did not seem to be any obvious consistency in the identities of any of the people named in the articles or on the police report. The final page was a cashier’s check that was larger than any that Fred had ever had the opportunity to hold. It was made out to him, but like a typical cashier’s check only contained the name of the bank and not of any individual. The other pages may have intrigued him, but this last one was truly shocking. Someone was willing to pay a lot of money for his services.

Fred put the pages back into the manila envelope and sat there for several minutes pondering what to do next. Then, making up his mind, he put the envelope in his briefcase. He ordered some lunch to go including a large diet Pepsi, and when the waitress brought it to him he left a larger than typical tip and made the 15-minute trek back to his office.

 

By late afternoon Fred had managed to clear up all his affairs. There was now only one manila folder on his desk – the one that he had presciently labeled “The Mystery” that morning. It was now slightly thicker as the letter and attachments were added to it. He had completed the notes on his other recent cases and filed those folders in the bookcase. He had also made the follow-up calls to other clients and given them a status report on his findings – while indicating that he would be tied up in other business for a few weeks. One of them had required that he send a few documents to the client. He had gone down to O'Brien's Office Services to make the necessary copies but had foregone setting up an appointment with Jennifer to get a cover letter typed up – choosing instead to handwrite it. He had left it in the outgoing mail bin at O'Brien's.

He had made a quick trip across the street to the branch bank on the corner where he had deposited the cashier’s check. And, acting on instinct, he had withdrawn several hundred dollars in cash. He didn’t know where this case was going to take him but having cash in his pocket seemed like a good idea.

Finally, he had made one other significant – for him – decision. Inspired by the cleanliness of the office after his straightening spree of the morning, he had gotten out his laptop and signed on to Amazon where he ordered an appropriate fan for his windowsill. There were no longer any loose papers on the desk or bookshelf or any folders on the visitor’s chair. And with no other cases to be involved in, the visitor’s chair was apt to be unused at least for the next couple of weeks – as was the hot plate and coffee pot – so plugging in the fan when it arrived in the next few days would not be an inconvenience.

Fred took one last look at the solitary folder on his desk. Yes, the label of “The Mystery” was certainly appropriate. More excited than he had been in a long time, Fred closed and locked the door of his office. Tomorrow would be a busy day.

 

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