Chapter 11: Elusive Trail

Two days later, it was back into the grind. The Season to be Happy notwithstanding, more fake twenties had appeared all over western Montana. Tess was paired with SA Schultz and spent a week driving over snowy roads to collect the counterfeit and to interview the last owners, again mostly mom-and-pop shop owners and the proprietors of diners and deli shops. Schultz had come out with the news that she was expecting. In fact, she was well into her second trimester, and she began to feel the effects.

It was clear that the venues were selected for their lack of surveillance cameras, since no fakes ever turned up in gas stations or supermarkets. This was rather bitter for business people for whom twenty bucks were real money and who could not afford security systems.

They also noticed that the radius of the twenties’ emergences was narrowing, and they surmised that the person(s) distributing the fakes did not like to drive far on wintry roads. The epicenter seemed to be in or near Clearwater County. Gorman applied for and got a warrant to place concealed surveillance cameras in five of the locations where the fakes had turned up, of course with the owners’ consent. Since they lost money to the counterfeiters, all of them agreed.

For two weeks, Tess and Schultz patrolled the businesses at two-hour intervals, using a small SUV painted in white and checking the cash registers for fakes, and in week two, they got lucky. In the small township of Templeton, across the river from Clearwater proper, a shop owner had his business closed over noon to see his dentist, and he’d only taken one twenty bill after reopening. He could even recall the face of the man. He’d bought a cheap six pack of beer and pocketed the change. The shop owner recalled that the man had smelled funny.

Schultz examined the lone twenty in the till and then gave it to Tess, not even trying to hide her smug smile. Tess looked at it and balled her fists.

“Gotcha!”

With slightly trembling hands, she then retrieved the camera from its hiding place on the shelf behind the counter while Schultz woke her laptop. They transferred the memory card to the loading slot of the laptop and copied the last three hours worth of recording to the hard drive. Then the memory card was placed in an evidence bag and sealed, with Tess recording the transfer on her smartphone.

Feeling bad for the elderly shop owner, Tess bought a load of groceries before they left, heading for the Clearwater Motel, where they stayed. Scanning the recording they could easily identify the man who had paid with the fake. The still was a little grainy, but it was good enough for an identification.

Next, they set up a video conference with the Spokane office, sharing the news and transferring the still to Gorman’s computer. It was agreed that they would contact the Clearwater County Sheriff’s Department in the next morning, giving them the available information, and using their resources to identify and, ideally, locate their suspect.

When the video call ended, Schultz parked herself on her double.

“I’m not leaving the evidence unsupervised, Tess. There’s the Clearwater Diner. You go and get us some takeaway and soft drinks, but conceal your badge and sidearm.”

Tess nodded and retrieved her runaway outfit from the trunk of their car. Tying her hair back into a single tight braid, she looked five years younger, and she left the motel room on her foraging mission.

She was back from the diner twenty minutes later with two huge roast beef sandwiches, cokes and water bottles. They ate their excellent sandwiches companionable while watching the news on the old CRT TV set in their room. When they ran into the first repeat, they switched it off.

“This is great for Gorman,” Schultz mused. “He’s overdue for a better posting.”

“He’s a great boss, at least in my view,” Tess agreed.

“Hey, they may even recall you from Siberia,” Schultz chuckled.

“I don’t know. The people I know from FLETC and Laurel have these supposed plum postings, but they’re not happy either. The last few weeks here have been great.”

“Yes, you’re right. Once you’re past your probation, things will get even better. You seem to be quicker than other probies we had, and you’ve been a great help in the last weeks.”

“Thanks. This is what I thought the job is like all the time.”

“It’s what it is, Tess. At least, it looks like we’re going to win this one.”

They watched some more news, but soon they turned in. Tess set her alarm for 5 a.m., planning for a morning run, and she was soon fast asleep.

Her morning run led her all along the main thoroughfare of the small town. The sun was not up yet, but she saw quite a few people at work already. The general store was open, too, and she quickly dashed in to get a fresh tube of toothpaste. Payment here was only cash-optional; the owners preferred plastic or used tabs for the locals. Tess commented on that, and the proprietress laughed.

“No cash, no holdups,” she grinned. “No fake twenties either.”

She pointed at a sign: ‘We don’t accept denominations over $10.’

Tess chuckled. “I heard there are problems with funny money around here.”

“We got swindled once, and then my husband printed the sign. Fool me once, you know?”

“Smart. You accept singles?”

“Sure, Hon. You’re not from here, right?”

“No, I’m from Philadelphia by way of Spokane.”

“You’re one of those DEA agents? It’s time somebody did something about those meth cookers in the mountains.”

“No, ma’am, I’m not a DEA agent. Sorry to disappoint.”

The woman looked her up and down. “All right, Hon, I’ll stop being nosy. You do your stuff here and keep buying from us.”

“I’ll do that, ma’am. Have a good day!”

“You too, Hon!”

When Tess returned to the motel, Schultz had already showered, and Tess quickly washed off the sweat and fixed her hair before stepping out in panties and bra to dress in her pant suit.

They had barely finished their breakfast when Schultz jumped up, and Tess followed. Fifteen minutes later, they entered the Sheriff’s Department. Schultz showed her credentials to the receptionist/dispatcher at the front desk and asked for an interview with the Sheriff.

Two minutes later, Tess noticed Janet Running Elk entering the reception area.

“Hi, I’m DC Janet Running Elk. The Sheriff is in Missoula, and I’m the senior. How can I help you?” She saw Tess then. “Okay! You guys are Secret Service, I guess. Hi, Tess! I take it you have a lead on the fake Jacksons?”

“You two know each other?” Schultz asked.

“When I moved to Spokane, I stopped at a diner. Deputy Running Elk was eating there, too, and I recognized her.” Schultz looked lost. “She’s a bit of a celeb. She’s the drummer in a semi-professional rock band.”

“Oh, I didn’t know. Sorry. Deputy, I am SA Pamela Schultz, US Secret Service, and, as you obviously know, this is PA Teresa DiRosa. Yesterday, we obtained video footage of a suspect who was paying a purchase over in Templeton using a counterfeit banknote. We came to let you in on our investigation and to solicit your help.”

“That’s mighty neighborly of you. As you may know, we’ve had a spree on funny money sightings around here, and it gets annoying. Why don’t you come back with me?”

They entered an office marked with Deputy Sheriff J. Running Elk, and were asked to sit. In few words, Schultz then told the deputy about the recent progress they had made and about the sting operation in Mom-and-Pop stores. Then she opened the laptop and showed the video recording of the purchase and the best still they had of the suspect.

“I know the guy, and no way he’s a counterfeiter,” Running Elk said decisively. “That’s Gerald Two Bears. He’s a carpenter. Does a lot of construction around here.” She made a face. “I guess he also accepts cash payments without receipts, if you catch my drift.”

Tess spoke up. “So maybe he did a job and was paid in fakes?”

“Yeah, we better talk to him. Let me call in my dad. He is an ex-deputy and my predecessor and still a sworn auxiliary. He knows Gerald, and Gerald trusts him.”