"Calm down! I must calm down!"
Wendy Lynch forced herself to take a deep breath. Her heart pounded so violently it felt like it would burst through her chest. She didn’t immediately grab her phone to call the police. Instead, her mind raced to construct a flawless cover story.
The emails from the future were her biggest secret and could absolutely not be exposed. Therefore, the process of discovering this money had to sound perfectly reasonable and watertight.
"Cleaning... Yes, cleaning! I cleaned the shop with Mom and Dad yesterday, so I was just being a little extra diligent this morning. I wanted to sweep away the cobwebs on the ceiling, but accidentally poked open a ceiling tile and found this bag... That’s a perfect excuse!"
This not only explained why she was at the shop alone but also why she had messed with the ceiling. As for how she recognized it as dirty money at a single glance?
The serial numbers!
The phrase "sequential serial numbers" was the best explanation. Anyone with basic common sense would immediately be suspicious upon seeing a million in sequential cash.
After running through all the details in her head and confirming there were no loopholes, Wendy didn’t hesitate. She dialed 911.
The call connected quickly.
"Hello, this is the Donnerton 911 dispatch center."
"Hello, I want to report an incident." Wendy’s voice was surprisingly calm. She clearly stated the address of her apartment, then continued, "I found a duffel bag in my newly rented commercial shop. It’s filled with cash. My preliminary estimate is that there’s about a million."
The dispatcher on the other end was visibly taken aback. "A million in cash?"
"Yes." Wendy added the most crucial detail. "Moreover, I noticed that all the bills seem to have sequential serial numbers."
As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere on the other end of the line shifted instantly.
The dispatcher’s tone became dead serious. "Ma’am, please stay right where you are. Do not disturb the scene or touch anything! We are dispatching officers immediately! Please keep your phone line open!"
"Understood."
After hanging up, a strange silence fell over the room. Every second of the wait felt agonizingly long.
Just then, there was a noise outside the bedroom door.
"Wendy, are you up? Didn’t you make an appointment for someone to look at the shop at nine?" It was Lana Miller.
Hearing her mother’s voice, Wendy pondered for a moment before pushing the door open.
Seeing the massive pile of hundred-dollar bills on the floor of her daughter’s room, Lana’s eyes went wide. She could barely form a coherent sentence.
"This... this money..."
Gordon Lynch was equally shocked. He looked from the money to his daughter. "Sweetheart, where... where did this come from?"
Wendy was just about to explain.
WEE-WOO WEE-WOO!
Outside the window, the sharp, increasingly loud wail of approaching police sirens suddenly shattered the peaceful morning of the neighborhood. Judging by the sound, there was more than one!
Normally, the two of them would never have associated the police with themselves. However, staring at the massive pile of cash on the floor and their daughter’s strange expression, the color instantly drained from Lana and Gordon’s faces.
"The... the police?" Lana’s voice trembled. She grabbed Wendy’s arm, completely panicked. "Wendy, what exactly is going on? Why are the police here? Did something happen?"
Wendy pulled back a corner of the curtain and looked downstairs.
Two police cruisers, their red and blue lights flashing blindingly, pulled up steadily outside their apartment building. The doors flew open, and several stern-faced officers stepped out, making a beeline for the entrance.
This scene instantly startled the neighbors who were out for early morning exercises and grocery shopping.
"What’s going on? Why are the police here?"
"Two cars at once—it must be something major."
Wendy dropped the curtain, took a deep breath, and held her mother’s freezing hand.
"Dad, Mom, don’t be scared," she explained as concisely as possible. "This money... I found it, and then I called the cops."
Before they could even digest this information, a loud noise erupted.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
A series of urgent and forceful knocks hammered on the door.
Wendy stood up, walked to the door, and looked out through the Argus peephole. Several uniformed officers stood outside. The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties with a strong, square jaw, a stern expression, and sharp eyes.
Without hesitation, she twisted the knob and opened the door.
The lead officer saw Wendy as she opened the door, but his gaze immediately darted past her, locking onto the open duffel bag in the room and the blinding sea of green inside. His pupils constricted, and his already sharp gaze instantly turned as piercing as an eagle’s.
He asked in a deep voice, "Are you Ms. Lynch? Are you the one who called it in?"
"I am," Wendy nodded.
The officers swiftly entered the apartment. When they saw the million in cash with their own eyes, the air in the room seemed to freeze.
Gordon and Lana had never seen a scene like this before. Terrified, they stood rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do with their hands and feet, too afraid to even breathe loudly.
The lead officer, Ray Campbell, strode quickly over to the bag of money. He crouched down and picked up a bundle. When he clearly saw the crisp new bills and the distinct serial numbers, his weather-beaten hands uncontrollably began to tremble.
This was the million in ransom money! The vanished ransom money from the kidnapping case a year ago that still haunted him to this day!
Ray immediately barked an order to the young officer behind him. "Lock down the scene! Get the forensics team over here to process this right now!"
This massive commotion thoroughly alerted the residents of the entire building. Many people opened their doors, craning their necks to peek in their direction. Soon, a small crowd gathered near Wendy’s doorstep.
"Good heavens, what in the world happened at Old Lynch’s? Why are there so many cops?"
"I heard they found a ton of money in their place! A whole bag of it."
"Are you serious? Where would their family get that kind of money?"
Various speculations and gossip buzzed through the hallway and downstairs.
Amidst the crowd stood Mrs. Walsh, arms crossed, gloating as she watched the spectacle unfold. When she saw the grim-faced police officers going in and out, the smugness on her face practically overflowed.
She immediately began adding fuel to the fire, speaking to the people next to her with a sarcastic sneer:
"I told you so! A little brat whose parents both work in a factory—how could she possibly have that much money? First, she rents the best shop, and then she starts talking about opening some franchise!
"Look at her now! The truth is out! I knew that money was dirty. Now the cops are at her door! Serves her right!"
Mrs. Walsh’s voice was loud and shrill. Not only did the surrounding neighbors hear her, but even Ray Campbell, who was currently inside the apartment questioning Wendy for details, caught every word.