2
Charles shook his head. “No. Not really. Other than the fact that they were wearing uniforms from the HVAC company, I can’t tell you much about them. They wore dust masks and latex gloves. I didn’t get a look at their faces. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. A lot of contractors wear dust masks or respirators when they’re working in certain environments. I thought maybe it was just a courtesy to prevent spreading germs.” Charles frowned and shook his head. “I should have been more suspicious. But I was in a panic to get this situation resolved. We guarantee the vault will remain at certain temperature and humidity levels, which is imperative for the preservation of fine art and other delicate items.”
Brenda and her team arrived to examine the remains. Paris Delaney and her news crew weren’t far behind, ready to soak up the grim footage.
The patter of rotor blades thumped overhead as Tango One circled the area, looking for the perps.
"When did this happen?" I asked.
"I called 911 as soon as they left. You guys showed up a few minutes later. They can't be far from here.”
"What kind of vehicle were they driving?”
Charles shrugged. "I'm not sure. I think they were in a company van. But it could have been just a plain white cargo van. To be honest, I really didn't pay much attention. When they showed up, Cody let them in. I greeted them and escorted them into the secure area. I wasn't thinking anything of it at the time. It caught me totally off guard. This is all my fault.”
"Who called the HVAC company?”
"I told Cody to call the company we contract with. The number is on a Post-it note on the computer, along with several other contractors that we regularly use.”
I shared a look with the sheriff and Jack.
"Did the assailants use any names?”
"No, not that I recall. They referred to each other by number. One, two, three."
"Which one shot James?"
"I'm not sure. I think he was the leader of the group. Number One. Big guy. Muscular. Maybe 6’2”. Not quite your size," Charles said, looking me up and down.
“Describe the others.”
“All three were muscular. One was a little leaner. One was a little tubby.”
"Were any of the perps hit when James fired?”
"No. The slug is in the wall.”
"Did you notice anything suspicious leading up to the robbery?”
"What do you mean?"
"Anything in the days or weeks prior? People casing the place? Potential customers asking invasive questions?”
Charles thought about it and shrugged. "The kind of clients that come in here are very particular about security. There's a reason they come here and not to the bank. They want the best of the best. They want a degree of privacy they can't get anywhere else. And they want 24-hour access. We have normal business hours, but by arrangement, we can and will accommodate special requests.”
"How often do you have those special requests?”
"We have a lot of club owners who don't want to keep large amounts of cash on hand over the weekend. I don’t like to make this public knowledge, but on Friday and Saturday nights, it's not unusual for us to accommodate certain people who want to make deposits of what I assume is cash. But again, I don't ask questions.”
"Can you tell me who these clients are?”
Charles shook his head. "I don't see how that has anything to do with the robbery.”
"Well, if I knew what was stolen, and from whom, I might be able to figure out who's responsible."
"I wish I could help you in that matter, but I respect my client’s privacy."
"Fair enough.” I paused. "How long have you been working here?"
