the way through that," he said. "I'm impressed. You showed good instincts from the get-go."
"By lying on the floor and keeping quiet until Andersen was shot?"
"Exactly. You knew any attempts to overthrow the robbers were futile so you stayed calm and waited it out. I can see from the tape that you were looking around and taking note of everything, which was the best thing you could do. You didn't have to help the cop who got shot but you took that risk too. Although it wasn't a serious wound, there was still the chance he could have bled out. You defused what was rapidly becoming a tense situation, and I'm very interested to know what you said to persuade them to let you assist Officer Andersen."
"It all happened pretty fast. I was at the hospital earlier so the first idea that popped into my head was to tell them I was a nurse. I said I could stop the bleeding and if they didn't let me, it would be murder. Oh! The robber who shot him was instructed to check him for weapons and he didn't, which was how Officer Andersen managed to surprise him. He didn't check any of us for weapons."
"Sloppy."
"Yeah, the guy in charge thought that too. He berated him for it. Wait! You can't tell from the tape but I think three of them spoke. The shooter who threatened the cop again. The boss who was ordering everyone around. And when he left, I told another man I was a nurse. He said he wasn't the shooter and I insisted he was culpable anyway."
"Did you notice anything about their accents? Any detectable dialect?"
"The boss had a generic accent. He could have come from anywhere. The shooter sounded local but kind of rough around the edges. I think the third man might have been from New York, or lived there as a child. I can’t be sure. His accent, if any, was very faint."
"So we have a seasoned criminal as the boss, a woman, and a New Yorker, possibly all ex-military. And this sloppy, local guy who somehow found his way onto the crew."
I frowned, thinking harder.
"What is it?"
"Only three of them, including the boss, took Charlie to the vault. I keep flashing back to it. They asked for him to come forward so I doubt they knew what he looked like."
"Or maybe they were pretending they didn't. It wouldn't be hard to recce the bank in advance and ascertain who was in charge."
I stretched my arms and worked out a kink developing in my neck as I replied, "I wish I could tell you more."
"You just did. You reminded me someone had to be in charge of the explosives to blow the vault boxes. They used just the right amount for the blast they needed. That takes strategic precision. It also takes practice and supplies. I think we should assume they rehearsed this. Plus, we can add bomb man to our team list." Solomon looked around at the empty desks. He thought for a moment, then picked up his phone and placed a call. "Delgado," he said, "find out if there are any suppliers for bomb-making materials in Montgomery and see if you can get a location on where someone might detonate them. It's a longshot as they could have practiced anywhere but the materials must have come from a specialist... Thanks... I should put some feelers out for who might be in the area with any military background." Solomon disconnected and looked at me. "Can you track down that bank employee and talk to the Feds?"
"I wish I could, but I need to get started with the Takahashi case," I said. "I can ask Maddox what he knows."
"Damn. I forgot. Yes, of course. Forget I asked."
" I should point out with Fort Charles nearby, there has to be a lot of ex-military settled in the area. That search might not be so narrow." Solomon and I both worked on a case at Fort Charles right at the start of my investigative career and another case took us there more recently.
"Point taken."
"If that's everything for now, I need to do some research on the Takahashis. Austen knows I was at the bank so he hasn't pressed me for an update but I don't want him to think I forgot about his wife."
"Go ahead. I need to make some calls anyway."
I pulled out my laptop to do some research. Solomon took his laptop and went into