Wong Gai · Private Investigator

Betty has an accounting problem. Donations are missing. I have an investigative problem: the person who knows where they went is standing among people who do not.

I want the inquiry under the same roof where the money disappeared. Move it elsewhere and everyone gets to prepare an explanation on the way.

Another collection is not repayment. It is an opportunity to observe. Who gives? Who watches the basket? Who watches the people watching the basket?

Larry brought back surveillance material. It is blurry. That tells me the camera has seen something it cannot adequately explain. I will have to look at the people myself.

The Tribune says we have two collections to reconcile. Quite right. Only one of them was designed to make somebody nervous.

I brought a boombox. Jerry already had the room’s attention. A confession needs an opening.

Hootie is keeping the original shortage separate from my collection. I am keeping a different distinction: who came to give money, and who came to see whether we had found it.

Peter’s report records the public account. Hootie’s statement records what the department will put in writing. Compare those with what I noticed above.