but does it bother you now?”
Jake was accustomed to people asking questions about that night. It had been a living nightmare, and people were naturally curious.
“No, not really. My daughter and wife still have some side effects.”
“It doesn’t haunt you to have killed two people?”
“No, sir. Not in the least. I knew those men were gonna kill us—me, my daughter, and this teenage girl that we found. What does haunt me is that there are still two members of that gang out there somewhere.” Jake pointed, looked around indiscriminately, and then continued, “I really worried the first few months about some type of retaliation, but now I feel like I gotta get back to normal…wherever that is.”
“I’m sorry, son. I had to ask. I needed to know for the foundation.”
“I understand. That night…I…I just did what I had to do—what most anybody would’ve done.” Jake was growing a bit uncomfortable.
Walter sensed Jake’s change in demeanor. “Okay, Jake. So what do I do? Just bring the money to your office tomorrow?”
Jake’s disposition lifted. “Sure. You can come in today or tomorrow, if you like, to fill out the paperwork, and your bank can wire the money or you can bring by a cashier’s check.”
Walter said, “Um,” as he rubbed his face and looked around. “The money’s in cash.”
Jake was stunned, his eyes wide. “We can’t accept cash, Mr. Walter. Can’t you just write a check on the foundation’s account?”
“We don’t have an account just yet. We will soon, though.”
Jake was trying to think fast.
Surely there’s a way to make this thing work.
“I just hired a lawyer named Samantha Owens in Columbus to set everything up,” Walter added, hoping to calm Jake’s obvious concerns.
“Oh, I see. So this is just being formed?” Jake was trying to think if he knew Samantha Owens. The name did not ring any bells.
“You betcha. Brand-new.”
“Well, you can’t just walk into the bank and deposit a hundred grand without having to fill out serious paperwork. Banksare now required to report any cash deposits over ten thousand dollars. They call it suspicious-activity reports. It’s just the government’s way of making sure they get their cut if someone’s not reporting income or if it’s from illegal activities.”
“I didn’t realize that.”
“I mean, you’re legitimate, so there’s no worries, but the bank and even our offices would face hefty penalties, including jail time, if we didn’t file the reports. But I’m sure your lawyer will know what to do.” Jake paused for a brief moment, hoping to keep this deal alive, and said enthusiastically, “How about I call her to work on the details?”
Walter nodded and began looking through his notebook for Sam’s telephone number.
Jake took a deep breath and glanced out across the big lake at the foot of the restaurant and noticed something interesting.
“Mr. Walter, ever seen a bald eagle?”
“Sure,” Walter said, looking at Jake, who was pointing out over the lake. “But it’s been a while.” He followed Jake’s gaze to see a majestic bald eagle floating a few feet above the water’s surface and said, “Oh, wow!”
“There’s a huge nest at the back of the lake. That’s the male hunting for fish. We might get lucky and see him catch something.”
“I had no idea there were nesting eagles here.”
“There used to be a lot more, but apparently use of DDT in the sixties and seventies really took a toll on the population. It’s building back now, and federal protection really helps.”
“Sounds like something that interests you,” Walter said, noting that Jake seemed more enthusiastic when talking about the eagles than investments.
“Oh yes, sir. I love wildlife. My wife and I eat here regularly, just hoping to see the eagles.”
“That’s remarkable,” Walter said reverently as he watched the big bird. “Your wife likes eagles?”
“She likes salads,” Jake said.
Walter
Jake was accustomed to people asking questions about that night. It had been a living nightmare, and people were naturally curious.
“No, not really. My daughter and wife still have some side effects.”
“It doesn’t haunt you to have killed two people?”
“No, sir. Not in the least. I knew those men were gonna kill us—me, my daughter, and this teenage girl that we found. What does haunt me is that there are still two members of that gang out there somewhere.” Jake pointed, looked around indiscriminately, and then continued, “I really worried the first few months about some type of retaliation, but now I feel like I gotta get back to normal…wherever that is.”
“I’m sorry, son. I had to ask. I needed to know for the foundation.”
“I understand. That night…I…I just did what I had to do—what most anybody would’ve done.” Jake was growing a bit uncomfortable.
Walter sensed Jake’s change in demeanor. “Okay, Jake. So what do I do? Just bring the money to your office tomorrow?”
Jake’s disposition lifted. “Sure. You can come in today or tomorrow, if you like, to fill out the paperwork, and your bank can wire the money or you can bring by a cashier’s check.”
Walter said, “Um,” as he rubbed his face and looked around. “The money’s in cash.”
Jake was stunned, his eyes wide. “We can’t accept cash, Mr. Walter. Can’t you just write a check on the foundation’s account?”
“We don’t have an account just yet. We will soon, though.”
Jake was trying to think fast.
Surely there’s a way to make this thing work.
“I just hired a lawyer named Samantha Owens in Columbus to set everything up,” Walter added, hoping to calm Jake’s obvious concerns.
“Oh, I see. So this is just being formed?” Jake was trying to think if he knew Samantha Owens. The name did not ring any bells.
“You betcha. Brand-new.”
“Well, you can’t just walk into the bank and deposit a hundred grand without having to fill out serious paperwork. Banksare now required to report any cash deposits over ten thousand dollars. They call it suspicious-activity reports. It’s just the government’s way of making sure they get their cut if someone’s not reporting income or if it’s from illegal activities.”
“I didn’t realize that.”
“I mean, you’re legitimate, so there’s no worries, but the bank and even our offices would face hefty penalties, including jail time, if we didn’t file the reports. But I’m sure your lawyer will know what to do.” Jake paused for a brief moment, hoping to keep this deal alive, and said enthusiastically, “How about I call her to work on the details?”
Walter nodded and began looking through his notebook for Sam’s telephone number.
Jake took a deep breath and glanced out across the big lake at the foot of the restaurant and noticed something interesting.
“Mr. Walter, ever seen a bald eagle?”
“Sure,” Walter said, looking at Jake, who was pointing out over the lake. “But it’s been a while.” He followed Jake’s gaze to see a majestic bald eagle floating a few feet above the water’s surface and said, “Oh, wow!”
“There’s a huge nest at the back of the lake. That’s the male hunting for fish. We might get lucky and see him catch something.”
“I had no idea there were nesting eagles here.”
“There used to be a lot more, but apparently use of DDT in the sixties and seventies really took a toll on the population. It’s building back now, and federal protection really helps.”
“Sounds like something that interests you,” Walter said, noting that Jake seemed more enthusiastic when talking about the eagles than investments.
“Oh yes, sir. I love wildlife. My wife and I eat here regularly, just hoping to see the eagles.”
“That’s remarkable,” Walter said reverently as he watched the big bird. “Your wife likes eagles?”
“She likes salads,” Jake said.
Walter
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