The Surge - 03 (7 page)

“Huh? That doesn’t make any sense. Were you late with the payment or something?”

“No, not at all. I thought it was a mistake. When I went to talk to the banker, he got all shitty and then made me an … err … interesting offer. I think these guys are some sort of con artists or something. Given the proposition he made me, I have to wonder if this is a tactic to prey on unsuspecting women.”

Zach knew Cheyenne wasn’t one to overreact in most situations. This, however, was the first time financial matters had ever entered their relationship. Still, what she was describing didn’t sound legit.

“Damn it, Chey, you know good and well that they don’t bury bankers after they die – they screw them into the ground. They are all shysters, but legal ones for the most part. Where are you?”

“I’m in Abilene, sitting outside the bank. I needed to settle down a little bit after the meeting I just had. I’m shaking so badly I am afraid I am going to wreck my new car. These guys are scaring the crap out of me, Zach.”

The ranger asked a few more questions, the answers more and more troubling. Finally, he decided Chey needed him, if not his badge. She sounded like a little moral support would go a long way, and besides, they weren’t making much headway on the massacre case. “I’m about an hour and a half out. I can head that way. Let’s talk this over in person.”

“I don’t want to interfere. I know you guys are right in the middle of a nasty situation… I just didn’t know who else to call,” she said, a sniffle punctuating the last sentence.

Zach’s concern was growing. Chey didn’t cry. He’d never seen her cry. These collection people must really be pushing her hard. “Meet us at the mall at that restaurant on the south side. You know the one…. We had a steak there a few months ago.”

“Okay, Zach. And thanks. This really means a lot to me. I’ll make it up to you; I promise.”

The two rangers headed north, travelling mostly in silence after Zach relayed the pervious conversation. Eventually, they arrived at the lot of the specified shopping mall.

“There she is,” Zach nodded.

Cheyenne saw them park at the same moment and began the process of uncoiling her gangly frame from the small, all-electric sedan. “I’ve got gun cases bigger than that car,” Zach noted. “I wish she’d picked something with a little more meat on its bones. She’s going to get herself killed in that cracker box.”

Sam snorted. “You carry a weapon and chase down some of the most violent men the species has to offer, and you’re worried about the sheet metal surrounding your girlfriend? I wonder about you sometimes, Zachariah Bass. How hard did that Middle Eastern ghost thump that noggin of yours?”

The reference to his arch nemesis was like a sucker punch to Zach’s gut. “Not to mention the fact that some of my armed coworkers are the ill-tempered sort who threaten to shoot a man at the slightest provocation,” sounded his snide comeback.

With her cheeks blushing red hot, Sam inhaled deeply, preparing to launch a significant verbal assault. Zach was saved by Cheyenne opening the truck’s rear door and stepping up into the backseat. “Hi, guys! I feel so much better now that you’re here,” she sang with a cheery tone. “How are my two favorite white hats this afternoon?”

“Hey, Chey,” Sam responded. Leaning toward the back and exchanging a quick hug with the new passenger. Zach was next, pivoting in the driver’s seat to kiss the new arrival on the cheek. “I filled Sam in on the way up here,” he began. “Why don’t you start from the beginning, just to make sure we’re both up to speed?”

“Sure,” Cheyenne responded, instantly deflated by the need to relive past events. “This is kind of embarrassing. A friend of mine recently got a loan, and her interest rate was really low. She was saving all kinds of money, so I decided I would do the same thing … pay off my credit cards. Cut them up … and put back a little money. A girl has to think about the future, ya know.”

Chey paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts before continuing. “A few months ago, I started checking around and came across a web page for this bank called Trustline. I was going to be in Abilene anyway, so I came in and filled out an application. At first, I only wanted to borrow about 20 grand, but the branch manager suggested I go ahead and roll in my car loan as well.”

She went on to explain that one Mr. Carson, a distinguished-looking gent in his early 50s, had nodded, smiled, and seemed sympathetic to the beauty’s dilemma. Cheyenne had left the branch an hour later, the proud owner of a 22-page loan document and newly funded account.

Chey had made her first payment. When the statement came in the mail for the second installment, the “minimum amount required,” was quite a shocker, well over $3,500 dollars.

“I called the bank’s customer help line, confused, slightly pissed, but sure it was all a mistake,” the victim continued.

“What did they say?” Sam asked.

“The lady in the call center was very nice. She said that it was a brand new loan and wasn’t in their computer just yet. She suggested I stop by the branch and speak with the loan officer. That’s why I went by here today.”

“And?” Zach said, not liking where the whole episode was going.

“I wasn’t going to be back in Abilene for a while, so I first called Mr. Carson on the phone. It was as if I was talking to a completely different man. He scolded me like I was a child and kept repeating that I had agreed to the bank’s terms … kept telling me to read the contract … told me it was only going to get worse if I got behind on the loan.”

Continuing the story, Chey said she then began receiving nasty phone calls, threatening letters, and even a rather rough-looking goon at her door. The bank threatened to expose her as a fraud across the entire internet. “We know your social media accounts. We know where you work. We know your parents own land in West Texas. We’re going after all of it and ruin you in the process.”

Chey paused, noting the disapproving look on Zach’s face. Anticipating his question, she offered, “Hey, I know I should have said something two weeks ago. I was just so embarrassed and wanted to try to handle this all myself.”

The tension in Zach’s expression eased and the model continued with her story. “Finally, yesterday, the once-again friendly Mr. Carson contacted me personally. I felt so much better when he said, ‘Come into the branch tomorrow, and I’ll see if we can work something out.’”

“Let me guess,” Zach interrupted. “He tried to talk you into some sort of kinky, degrading sexual conduct. Probably something very nasty?”

“No,” Cheyenne replied from the backseat. “Worse … I think.”

“Don’t tell me you think he has chopped up bodies in his freezer,” Sam questioned, clearly growing upset. “I’ll shoot off his balls if he tried to hurt you.”

“Before I went to the meeting, I downloaded an app for my smartphone,” Chey stated with pride. “I recorded the whole conversation, and now I’m glad I did.”

Digging around in her pocket, Cheyenne produced her phone. After clicking a few buttons, the sound of footsteps came from the tiny speaker.

Listening intently, the two rangers heard Chey being shown to Mr. Carson’s office. He voiced a friendly, professional greeting and then asked the aspiring model to take a seat. The entire conversation was clear as a bell.

“I’ll come right to the point,” the man boomed. “You’re in default on your loan, and an avalanche of bad things are about to fall on your head. You seem like a nice girl with a great future ahead of you. I’d hate to see this situation spiral out of control and destroy your life. We need to address this immediately, before the fees do any more damage. As of today, Miss, we need $4,750 to bring your account current.”

“I’m only late a few days. I can’t believe the late fees are that high,” Chey pleaded on the recording. “Look; if I couldn’t come up with $3,500, you must realize there is just no way I can give you $4,750. I swear I didn’t understand what I was getting into.”

There was a pause, Zach visualizing the older man rubbing his chin in thought as he eyed Chey’s spindly legs and short skirt. A moment passed before he replied. “I feel somewhat personally responsible for all this. Perhaps I should have explained the terms of the loan in more detail. Regardless, I can’t have a black mark like this on my record here at Trustline if you default. It would ruin my career. So I’m willing to violate one of my strictest rules and get involved personally.”

Zach and Sam exchanged eye rolls, the senior ranger whispering, “Here it comes.”

“Go on,” came Chey’s timid reply.

“I have other clients … prominent, powerful, men who would pay fantastic sums to enjoy the companionship of a beautiful woman such as yourself. I’m sure the rewards would far, far exceed your monthly loan commitments.”

The next section of the recording made it obvious Chey was growing angry. “You want me to sleep with men for money? So I can pay a loan? Are you crazy? What kind of woman do you think I am?”

“Oh, no.… Please don’t misunderstand my meaning. The men of whom I speak are ultra-wealthy, very sophisticated gentlemen who respect and appreciate the company of elite, young women. They live in exotic locations, travel on private planes, own massive yachts, and have properties all over the globe. I’m sure they would be willing to help their
friends
with small personal debts, such as yours.”

Now skeptical, Chey wasn’t buying it. “If these guys are such wealthy jet-setters, why do they need to pay for anybody’s
company
? It would seem like there would be lines of girls wanting to hang around and bask in the opulence.”

“And that’s the very problem my clients experience,” Carson shot back. “They have to be careful of blackmailers, gold-diggers, and other nefarious types. They would prefer an established, professional relationship that was discreet and worry-free. The man I’m thinking of is someone of importance in a foreign government. I am sure you can understand his need to keep his activities out of the public eye.”

Sam stared at Zach, surprise and exasperation commanding her expression. “He’s not a pervert. He’s a pimp. White slavery? Kidnapping?”

“I didn’t see that coming,” the senior ranger admitted.

“I don’t know about this,” drifted Cheyenne’s voice from the recording. “I need to think about what you’ve said. Where would I be going? For how long?”

Zach’s attention pegged at the banker’s next words. “The man I have in mind is in Mexico at the moment. His yacht is docked there for the next few weeks,” Carson stated. “I’m actually expecting him to visit our area very soon. Perhaps I could arrange a lunch or dinner between the two of you?”

“Mexico? Private planes? Government official?” Sam whispered. “Who the hell is this guy doing business with?”

Carson continued before Zach could respond. “Please, please think it over before the bank’s collection efforts grow in intensity. And I must insist that you keep our conversation absolutely confidential. I’m going out on a huge limb here, and I’d like to keep my job.”

“Okay,” Chey responded. “I don’t think this is for me, but I’ll call you in the next few days – one way or the other.”

The playback ended.

“And that’s why I called you, Zach,” Chey said. “This whole thing is so creepy. Is it legal for a bank to do that?”

Zach rubbed his chin, “Actually, I’m not sure. Technically, he wasn’t trying to get you to have sex for money, nor did he make you a specific offer. Even if I stretched it a bit and said he was soliciting your services, the fact that the proposed activity would be outside of Texas serves to limit what we can do. First things first. I need a copy of that loan agreement.”

Chey dug around in her purse, producing the original. “Here, you can make a copy and give it back to me when you’re done.”

As Zach began thumbing through the thick document, his girlfriend’s ire continued to build. “I have this strong urge to puke
and
take a shower. I just can’t figure out which I want to do first. What a slime ball. Can you just shoot him for me, Sam?”

“I can’t think of anything else that would pleasure my trigger finger more,” the lady ranger replied with an evil smile. “I wouldn’t lose a minute’s sleep.”

After pocketing her cell phone, Cheyenne leaned forward to give Zach a peck on the cheek. “I need to wash off the sleaze that reeked from that guy,” she stated. “After you peruse those documents, call if you need me to do something else. I gotta tell you, though … I’m not going to sleep very well tonight.”