assassinated, so we think Bagshot might have kept that one for a future payday."
"Bagshot worked for some unsavory people," I remarked, wincing.
"It's remarkable he lived to see old age," added Solomon.
"A coin?" asked Jord. He stepped over, reading the articles. He glanced back at us, surprise written across his face. "Old coins are worth that much?"
"Yep, and someone worked out who stole it, where it was being kept, and managed to put together a crew to steal it again. All they needed was a seasoned bank robber to pull off the heist," I explained as I pulled a photo from my file, adding it to the whiteboard. "Meet Zach Gallo. Ex-Army, stone-cold bastard, and my hot tip as bank robber." I added the next item to the board, pointing to it as I said, "Zach and his sister, Sophie, used to live in Milwaukee along with his wife, who was also named Sophie, which must have been weird when they were in bed but let's forget I said that."
"Let's," agreed Delgado. Solomon sighed and Maddox chuckled. My brothers simply waited. Tough crowd.
"Anyway, the wife, Sophie, died in a horrible car accident back in Milwaukee. Strangely enough, this happened around the same timeframe as a not-yet-solved bank robbery there, and Zach and his sister skipped town within days of both incidents. Sophie has been in a coma ever since she was attacked. That seemed coincidental but thanks to Maddox tracing the cash Sophie hid from the Milwaukee bank robbery, now I'm not so sure. I think if we try, we can find a connection between Zach and Thomas Mackleton too. They knew each other. I'm sure of it."
"This is all purely circumstantial," said Jord. "But I'll put a call into Milwaukee PD and get the case particulars. See if any of it matches up with our robbery."
"There's more," I told them.
"This is the same Zach Gallo that I'm searching for in connection with the assault on Sophie Takahashi at the hospital today?" asked Garrett.
"The very same," I confirmed.
"Could Sophie have been the female robber?" asked Delgado.
"No, she was definitely in a coma by the time First Eastern Bank was hit. That doesn't mean she wasn't involved in the Milwaukee robbery however. You should check into that too, Jord, but I think she probably wasn't connected to either one. She may well have known nothing about it. Or suspected something but wasn't sure."
"What about..." started Maddox.
"I'm getting to the cash!" I paused, waiting for everyone's attention. "Austen hired me because he believed his wife was purposely attacked and did not suffer a fall." I added her photo to the board and drew an arrow from Zach to her.
"What's that got to do with the robbery?" asked Jord.
"I'm getting to it!"
"Sorry," muttered Jord.
"During my investigation into Sophie, Austen found a bag of money hidden in their house and asked me to look deeper into it. He had no idea how she could have come by that money and I couldn't come up with a feasible idea either so I gave some of it to Maddox to investigate."
"And what do you know?" said Maddox. "The serial numbers took me to that bank robbery in Milwaukee."
"So Sophie is the definitive link between the two cities. Is it sheer coincidence she has money Maddox can trace to that bank in Milwaukee, and also a coincidence that she was attacked before our bank got hit?" I asked. "I don't think so. I think something went down between Zach and Sophie and he tried to kill her. While she was in the coma, she was safe because she couldn’t talk. But Austen told me that Sophie was making small, positive movements and her doctors are optimistic she'll wake up soon. I thought Zach might have tried to kill her because she was pregnant and ruining a con he had on Austen. However, what if Zach feared as soon as Sophie regained consciousness, she'd tell Austen everything?"
"That's assuming there is anything to tell," said Garrett. "This is still mostly supposition."
"Work with me here!"
"I am! I've got the whole city looking for him!"
"What's Charlie's role in this?" asked Solomon. "Even if he did know what Joe Bagshot squirreled away, I don't see him as the guy to put together a heist or be involved in other robberies. He doesn't have the skills for it. Are you saying he did?"
"No. I still believe Charlie is just taking advantage of the heist and hoping we can get that coin before it's passed