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Dear Sir

Written by Chris Racciato

Dear Sir:

You do not know me, but a mutual acquaintance has assured me that you are a man of superior integrity and utmost discretion. It is because of this that I approach you in my hour of most desperate need.

My name is Kent Ketchum, and I am a resident of Grantville. I was brought here to this time and place by the hand of God in the event now known as the Ring of Fire. It was to my great misfortune that both of my parents were left behind. I am left with a terrible dilemma. My father, the Honorable Will Ketchum had a substantial contract to build roads for the state of West Virginia. The work had been completed already, and the funds were deposited in the Bank of Grantville two weeks before the tragedy struck us. Without my father here to claim these funds, they were held in an escrow account until the legal system here decided whom they belonged to. As I was under eighteen years of age, I could not yet legally inherit it. And I have no relatives available to help with me with my predicament. I have been living like a beggar on the pittance of money allowed to me by the Bank Manager. Within the last month I have discovered that the Bank Manager and the Judge in charge of my case have been conspiring to steal my father's money out from under me. They had my father declared officially dead, but did so in such a way that prevented me from hearing about it until it was almost too late. Had it not been for a most Christian woman who works at the bank, I would not have found out what had happened until after the money was gone. The evil men that seek my father's hard earned fortune do not know that I have learned of their nefarious plans, so I must make my moves quietly and discreetly if I intend to recover the money. I must raise one tenth of the total amount in the account in order to pay the taxes and free the money from the escrow account. If I fail to do so by my eighteenth birthday next month, it will all be declared forfeit, and be given to the Bank and the Government.

This brings me to why I am secretly contacting you. There is no possible way that I could earn that much money on my own in so little time. So I am willing to offer you a quarter of the 2500 guilder equivalent account if you would be able to help me pay the required taxes before the account expires. In addition, I would fully refund your two hundred fifty guilder investment as soon as the money in the account has the legal hold removed from it. Because both the Bank Manager and the Judge are involved, I would ask that you speak to no one of my dilemma and offer, lest they hear about it and realize that I know what they are doing. If they do, they will surely do everything in their power to thwart me and keep the money for themselves.

I thank you in advance for your assistance, and for taking the time to read of my plight. If you are unable to assist me, I do understand. But if you are willing, then I look forward to a highly profitable future for both of us.

Sincerely,

Kent Ketchum

Officer Ralph Onofrio put the letter down and massaged the bridge of his nose. It was going to be one of those days. He found it almost impossible to believe that anybody would be gullible enough to fall for so obvious a scam. But he had long ago learned never to underestimate the power of greed. People were more than willing to talk themselves into doing anything if they thought that there was easy money to be made.

A clear case in point was the indignant nobleman in front of him. He stood there in front of the desk at the police station shouting at his poor interpreter and gesticulating wildly. From what the interpreter had said, the Ritter had sent the requested funds to a post office box here in Grantville. And then never heard back from the young mister Ketchum about getting his reward for helping him.

He sighed and turned to the man's interpreter. "Can you ask him if he has any other information about this Mr. Ketchum other than the address?"

The interpreter, a young man named Wenzel, spoke in rapid-fire German to his employer. The nobleman spat answers back even faster. Between the speed and dialect, Ralph barely caught a fraction of what was said. He was forced to wait until the tirade wound down.

"He said that he never actually met Herr Ketchum, but they have had a written correspondence for several months now. He has brought all of the letters with him to prove it." Wenzel handed a thick sheaf of papers to Officer Onofrio.

"And is there any particular reason that he sent two hundred fifty guilders worth of gold coins to person neither of you had ever seen? Wouldn't a bank draft or letter of credit have been safer?"

"As I told you before. We were planning to do so. Herr Ketchum insisted on it for our mutual assurance. But in his last letter he expressed his concern that the manager of your bank was becoming suspicious. It would not do ...