months ago that the boxes are also being used by several less than reputable people. Obviously, we can't get a warrant or anything because we have nothing concrete to work from but we did conduct some surveillance on the bank. After a month, however, we had nothing so the plug was pulled."
"Was your intel credible?"
Maddox lifted one shoulder and dropped it again in a half-hearted shrug. "Hard to say, but I think so. It came from a small-time crook eager to make a deal. The DA who passed the information on was dubious about the crook's credibility. It landed on my desk so I looked deeper into it. While no deal was made, I asked around and felt reasonably sure the tip was solid. That led me to believe that items were being stashed in a very unassuming bank for long-term safekeeping, or that the vault might be a dead drop location."
"Dead drop location?"
"Someone puts something into a box and locks it," explained Maddox, miming the actions. "The key gets passed on sometime later, giving another person access to it and the ability to remove whatever was left there for them. It's a very simple and very secure way of doing business. This is all just conjecture, of course. Like I said, I couldn't get any evidence to allow me legal access."
"It's an interesting theory. Do you really think any of that could really be what's happening?"
"Honestly? I don't know. It was just an idea I latched onto because it could work. Probably just being fanciful."
"The bank boxes that were targeted have fingerprint scanners. Unless your dead droppers are passing on fingerprints or devised a very sophisticated system to bypass them, I think that theory falls flat."
"Like I said, fanciful."
"Do you have any theories with a bit more substance?"
"Ouch!" Maddox sipped again but when he winked, I knew he wasn't offended. "I have one or two more ideas based on the tip. The first is that the boxes are being used to store cash from black-market deals."
"Wouldn't it be better and faster just to launder the cash?"
"Probably, but that requires the specific knowledge and access to do so. Some of the currency could be foreign, which makes it a little trickier still. If it’s clean cash, maybe it’s being stored as back-up, like instant funds if someone needs to disappear quickly without a trace."
"What's your other theory?"
"A lot of the crime I investigate is high-end theft."
"Like the art forger you captured?" I asked, remembering a case I stumbled upon while conducting my own.
"Similar to that. Same high value but smaller in size. Do you remember a man named Ben Rafferty?"
The name tugged the edges of my memory banks. "Sounds familiar. Why?"
"We were both on a case involving him. He used you to steal jewels from the museum."
My eyes widened in recognition. Of course I remembered Ben Rafferty! Not only was he a charming rogue but also my arch nemesis. Not because he was evil or dangerous but because he got away with a huge theft right under my nose. I came so close to catching him but he slipped away, vanishing as quickly as he appeared. "Is he involved in this? I never figured him for a bank robber. That doesn't seem his style," I mused.
"It's just a theory, Lexi. We got a tip that some jewels were being fenced through an intermediary in Montgomery. When I added that information to a sighting of Rafferty in the area, as well as his knowledge of Montgomery, I figured it was too much of a coincidence to ignore."
"Ben Rafferty came back to the city? I thought he'd never show his face here again!"
"I'm not surprised you didn't know. He's on a federal watch list but usually, by the time we catch wind of his location, he's long gone and the trail goes cold again."
"Is there any chance his presence is simply a coincidence?"
Maddox sighed. "Since I can't tie Rafferty directly to any particular crime, I'll concede anything is possible."
"He sounds like a thorn in your side."
"He is, but he's not even the worst one. If I told you some of the cases I've been assigned since I left the MPD, joined the FBI, and now this taskforce, you would not believe me." Maddox drained his glass and signaled for two more. Ruby returned with fresh glasses and whisked away our used ones.
"Smokin'," she mouthed at me.
"I look forward to hearing those stories some day," I said, trying not to smile.