Alert to mercantile predators, the travelers continued east, finding themselves eventually in a pleasant small town in Kansas. Morton suggested that it might be wise to transfer some of the money from the device to a safer location. With some trepidation, they stopped at a small local bank and spoke to the teller, asking if it was possible to open an account with funds from their device. They had no idea of how much to transfer. The teller said they should talk to Mr. Bailey.
Mr. Bailey politely ushered the three men into a small conference room with a polished wooden table. He was a tall gray-haired Black man well into his sixties. He welcomed the men and said that, against all odds, he was a third-generation member of the small family-owned bank. Without a word about its origins, Kandude explained that their sole access to funds was through the device, and though it worked like a charm, it seemed to attract a horde of relentless cyber-attackers and implacable promoters. He asked for Mr. Bailey’s advice.
Mr. Bailey reflected for a couple of minutes. “Gentlemen,” he said, “your story, unfortunately, is not unique. I cannot tell you how many of our small businessmen and older neighbors – and our clients are neighbors first, and clients second – have been badgered, deceived, and fleeced, especially by online scammers. I realize that your assets are none of my business, other than any you may entrust to me, but how much money did you wish to transfer from this troubled account?
Kandude confessed that he had no head for finance, but told Mr. Bailey how much was in the device account. Mr. Bailey’s eyes widened in astonishment. “This is a sum, my friends, that must be handled with the utmost care. My bank is not the best place to hold and manage assets of this magnitude. I don’t know how you ended up here, but I am glad you did not happen into the bank of my competitor, Mr. Potter, for even though he is a deacon at the United Methodist Church, he is an avaricious banker who cares for money far more than for his fellow human beings.”
“My suggestion is this: put perhaps $100,000 into a money market with a companion checking account here for immediate safety. I will give you debit cards for the account. Each of you two, Messrs. Kandude and Tanemahuta, as joint owners, should take out no more than $5000 in cash to allow you to operate offline during your road trip. Leave your dangerously attractive device turned off except in an emergency. If you need additional cash, call me and we will work it out through a reliable bank near your location. When you reach the end of your journey, contact me and I will help you identify a trustworthy institution at a place of your choosing to determine the best way to safeguard your wealth.”
Kandude and Tanemahuta immediately agreed to follow this prudent advice, but also requested dispersal of $5000 to Morton, over the latter’s objection.
Morton observed that Mr. Bailey appeared to be an artifact from another time and place whose discovery was a stroke of fortune. Over lunch, the three friends sorted out their options. As they were unable to be certain of Cardoshia’s actual location, they decided to split up. Tanemahuta, who was unknown to Squire K, would head to the Freemen Ranch on an undercover surveillance mission. Kandude and Morton would head to Nashville. They went to a used car lot to buy another Subaru, discovering that Kansas had even more special fees and taxes than Washington and, using the debit card, paid $31,675 for the car with a sticker price of $13,000.
Tanemahuta headed south. Kandude and Morton continued east, Kandude keeping charge of the device. That night, even without being turned on, the device started beeping and code once again began scrolling across the screen. Then came a message: “We have locked your account, homies. Send us your digital key and we will let you keep half.”Morton said, “Needless to say, if you give them the key, they will leave you not a single rupee.” Kandude nodded. He walked to the back of the Forester and threw the device into the spare tire well. They could hardly hear the beeping while underway. “It was nice to be rich for a while. But thanks to Mr. Bailey, we are far from broke,” observed Kandude.