Chapter 11 Bush
Mode swallowed the bite of food with a grimace. “What do you want first? Do you want to know what I’ve found about the Bushrangers or about Zara’s father?”
“What do you suggest?” Chrome asks.
“Zara’s father. I’ve got the information on the Bushrangers, but it will keep. You need to know what happened after you left Australia,” Mode says to me.
I nod for him to continue.
“Okay, here’s what Maestro and I uncovered about Fred Sutherland. After you warned Fred, he took his daughter to New Zealand. They stayed at a hotel in Queenstown. Fred only stayed one night.”
I straighten in my seat at the news. “Just one night? I told him to lie low for a few days.”
“He didn’t listen,” Mode says. “I discovered he booked a flight from Queenstown to Adelaide the next day. He didn’t return to Queenstown until three days later.”
“What was he doing?”
Mode shrugs. “I don’t have details on his movements, but I have my suspicions.”
“Well, don’t keep us hanging,” Chrome snaps. “You’re like the worst storyteller ever. I thought you tech guys liked to keep things simple.”
Mode rolls his eyes, but continues. “Fine. I’ll make it simple. I think Fred stole from the Bushrangers.”
I blink at him. When he shoves another forkful of food into his mouth, I tap my finger on the table. “I’m going to need more than that.”
Mode swallows. “I reviewed the reports on the arrests of the Bushrangers and spotted an odd detail when I followed the progress. A lawyer arrived to represent them. He tried to get them out on bail, but the judge considered them a flight risk. Go figure. The lawyer worked on the case for a few days, then abruptly quit. A public defender took over. I thought that was weird, so I did some searching. Turns out the lawyer they hired didn’t get paid, and that’s when they discovered all the Bushranger accounts were empty.
Someone wiped them out. They took the money out of the safe and also transferred all the money out of the accounts. ”
“You think Fred did this? How? Why?” I ask.
“I can’t prove that Fred did it. Whoever transferred the money did a good job of hiding the transfers.
I don’t think the authorities figured out who stole the money.
The Bushrangers had a hidden account in addition to their primary accounts.
Someone, and I think it was Fred or someone working with Fred, transferred all the money to the hidden account.
They then transferred the money from that account to another account.
This one was also hidden. I tracked the money in that account.
Much of it went to pay back the shopkeepers who were paying protection money to the Bushrangers. ”
“So, someone accessed their accounts and returned the money. That’s good. I guess,” Chrome says. “You said whoever stole the money returned most of it to the victims. What happened to the rest of the money?”
“It sat in the account for a few months, and no one touched it. Then, about 25,000 was transferred from the account to Fred Sutherland’s account.
He used the money, along with the money he received from the sale of his store, to purchase the building in Arrowtown and pay for the renovations and stock. ”
“Is that why you think Fred was the one who stole the money?” I ask.
“It’s why I looked harder at Fred, yes. I discovered that he sold his store in Adelaide. The money went into his business account. He used that money to buy his new store, but it took almost all of the funds. That’s when the hidden account was tapped and the money transferred over.”
“Is there still money in the hidden account?”
Mode shakes his head. “Someone donated the last of the funds to various charities in both Adelaide and Arrowtown. The account is closed.”
“So, no way to trace it to Fred?” I ask.
Mode nods. “I think it’s safe to say that it was Fred’s account. He had it under the name Zara Baxter. Baxter was his late wife’s maiden name.”
“Son of a bitch!” I explode. “What kind of idiot puts a target on his daughter like that?”
“We should call him,” Chrome suggests. “What time is it in New Zealand?”
“Who cares,” I growl. “I don’t mind waking his ass up.”
“Let’s go into Mode’s office. He can provide the details if Fred doesn’t want to come clean.’
We push away from the table, and when I stand, I bump into Crystal, who places her hand on my shoulder.
“You’re leaving? I was coming out here to keep you company,” she purrs.
I brush her hand off before patting her shoulder. “Sorry, love, I have work to do. Clean off the table, will you?”
I follow Chrome and Mode out of the common room. It takes me a few minutes to realize they’re chuckling.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
“The look on Crystal’s face,” Chrome says. “You probably shouldn’t let her near Bush Junior any time soon. She looked mad enough to bite it off.”
I glance back at Crystal and see her staring at me. Her eyes flash with annoyance, but I shrug it off. “She’ll get over it. Besides, she can’t bite him off; this monster is too big to take down.” I grab my crotch for emphasis.
“Yeah, yeah,” Chrome says, shaking his head. “You’re so full of it.”
“Speaking of full…” I start, but Chrome glares at me until I grin back.
“Fucker,” Chrome mutters.
In Mode’s office, he takes his seat and taps out a command on the keyboard.
A few minutes later, a face flashes on the center screen.
I recognize the man as Fred Sutherland. His hair is longer and sticking out in several directions.
He also looks older than I remember. When he sees us, his eyes widen in surprise.
“Yes?” he asks, his eyes darting between the three of us. He eventually lands on me, and I see it when he recognizes me. “Whip?”
I nod. “Hey, Fred. Long time.”
“Yeah, it has been. What’s up?”
“Zara is in Chicago,” I say. His eyes widen again. “So am I.”
“You’re in Chicago? Really? I didn’t know. Have you seen Zara? Does she know you’re there?”
“We’ve spoken. She came to find me. I guess she saw me when I was out riding my club.”
Fred glances at Mode and Chrome before returning his attention to me. “You joined a different club?”
“Yeah, I’m with the Demon Dawgs. I came to the States when I left Australia. I eventually ended up in Chicago and joined the club soon after. We have chapters all over the country.”
“And Zara saw you and found you? Wow. I’m not sure what to say about that. Did she say why?”
I nod. “She did. She spotted Menace and a few other Bushrangers at the hotel where she’s staying.” As I tell him about Zara showing up terrified at our clubhouse and how Chrome confronted the men, I watch his expression morph into panic.
“Menace is there? Why? What does he want? Are you saying he wants Zara?”
“That’s what we’re wondering and why we’re calling,” Chrome says. “Zara came to us because she assumed they were here for Bush.”
“Bush?”
I raise my hand. “That’s my road name now. As I said, Zara saw me on the road, and when she spotted the bikers at her hotel, she assumed they were here for me. But we don’t think they know I’m here. Menace implied that he’s here for Zara.”
“He implied that Zara had something of his,” Chrome chimes in. “Does she?”
Fred runs his hand over his face, then rubs the back of his neck as he stares at the ceiling. “Shit. I knew I shouldn’t have let her go to Chicago.”
“She’s an adult. You couldn’t have stopped her,” Chrome says. “But that isn’t the problem. What the fuck is going on?”
“What do you mean?” Fred asks. I can see his mind working, and I know he’s going to deflect. This isn’t happening on my watch.
“I joined a new club. I hear that you’ve joined a club, too. The Outriders?”
“Ah. Right. Yeah. I joined them. A friend of mine was a member. When we moved to Arrowtown, he hooked me up. We’re not like the Bushrangers. We do charity events and ride around on the weekends. That’s it.”
“You sold your store in Adelaide and moved to Arrowtown,” I say, watching him.
“Yeah. I did. What of it? You probably think I was weak moving from Australia to New Zealand to get away from the Bushrangers. You moved to the States.”
“I did. I wanted out, too. I don’t blame you for moving. But your daughter’s life is at stake. She’s in danger.”
“I’ll call her and order her to come home,” Fred says. “She’ll be safe here.”
“You’re asking her to give up her dreams and go into hiding? All because you stole from the Bushrangers?”
His ruddy expression turns grey. “What?” he stutters, but I shake my head.
“Don’t. We know. You didn’t hide your actions very well.”