The Cryptic Kam Tosh

The doors of the 'Ol Town Pub open at 10:00 am. Nick was there at 10:01. "A bit early to start drinking, don't ya think?" Asked Hal, owner and bartender.

"I'm trying to beat the crowd. Besides, it's been one of those weeks." Nick placed the day's newspaper and a little black book on the bar as he ordered a double whiskey.

"A double?" Hal smirked as he began to pour, "Life's a marathon, not a sprint. You might want to pace yourself, my friend."

"Have you seen the paper?" Nick asked, as he drank. "My big case turned out to be a big bust. No, reward. And I'm out 20." Nick grabbed the whiskey bottle and poured himself another drink.

Hal picked up the newspaper and read the headline out-loud, "Dead, Broke and Alone. Eccentric Multi-Millionaire, Kam Tosh dead at 84."

Nick finished his second glass, "Dead-broke! Which means I don't get paid. But, I did manage to purchase the only copy of his insane note book, for only 20 dollars." Nick reached for the whiskey bottle again, but Hal grabbed it first and said, "How about you have a glass of water and tell me the story, before you blackout for the day?"

Nick was the cheapest Private Investigator in the city, the main reason the Tosh family chose him for the job. They burst into Nick's office like a tornado, hungry for destruction. Dorian Tosh, Kam's estranged brother did most of the talking, "On behalf of the family we want to hire you to locate a little black book. For the last few years, this book has been the only constant possession of my brother. After he passed, we went to the hospital to gather his things and the book was missing."

Craig Tosh, Kam's son aggressively interrupted, "This book could have the answers to the location of my father's fortune. After mother died, he liquidated all his assets; his land holdings, stocks and even the family estate. He wasted the last five years living in and out of hotels throughout the city. And I don't mean in the penthouses, I mean in normal rooms, for poor people. You have to find the book and help us locate what he did with all our money."

Dorian calmed his nephew and continued with the details, "We believe my brother may have lost his mind toward the end of his life. Although we are all considered wealthy by most standards, my brother was worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Hundreds of millions of dollars that we are entitled too. At the reading of his Will this morning, the lawyer said there was only one envelope with a single piece of paper inside. It read,

'To whom on Earth possesses the code,

shall hold the key to one's life fortune,

and with it so,

the rightful heir,

to all my golden coins inherit.'

The lawyer believes that my brother hid the money somewhere and to whomever locates it, gets it all."

Sophia Tosh, Kam's daughter looked up from her cellular phone long enough to say, "We are willing to give you one percent of Daddy's money, only if you find out where he hid it. If you don't find his fortune, you're fired and get nothing."

Nick was in awe of the scene unfolding before him, this family of mourners were just self pleasing narcissists. But, as fate would have it, he was himself in financial strains and willing to do anything for some cash. Nick had no choice but to accept the job; it was all or nothing, and the clock was already running.

The starting point for Nick, was the ending point for Kam.

Nick began his investigation at the hospital, questioning the staff. The nurses all had a similar story. They didn't know much, but they all felt sorry for their lonely old patient. They were unaware of how wealthy he was and even more surprised to learn that he even had a family. For three days Kam lay dying, he had zero visitors. The front desk nurse was aware of the family and tried to keep them informed of his condition, but no one ever came to the hospital until after he had passed. Another nurse was positive that there wasn't a little black book mixed in with Kam's belongings, but she did mention there was a Bible in one of his bags. When asked about the location of the Bible, she said that the brother had tossed it out with the rest of Kam's belongings.

The next logical place to visit was the hotel Kam last stayed. The manager let Nick into Kam's old room to have a look around, but it of course had been cleaned several days earlier. Sitting on the bed, thinking of his next move, Nick check the contents of the nightstand and there he found his only clue, or lack there of. He asked to speak with the person who cleaned the room after Kam was taken to the hospital, and just as he suspected the Maid admitted to taking the book. She was the one who found Kam lying on the floor of his room and called for the ambulance. As the paramedics responded to the sickly old man, she gathered up his belongings and that's when she notice the book. Many of the pages were empty, and it's contents seemed meaningless. Because of his age and the lack of response the paramedics were getting, she was sure Kam wasn't going to survive. Only a few pages of the note book had writing on them. Her intention was to tear those out and give the little black book to her son, an inspiring writer. Her conscience knew what she was doing was wrong, that's why she replaced it in Kam's belongings with the Bible from the nightstand. In her mind this would 'right her wrong' and also help bring peace to the dying mans soul.

Nick offered to buy the book from the woman for 20 dollars, so she could use the money to purchase her son a new book as a replacement. She agreed, the exchange was made, and they went their separate ways.

The Tosh family were already waiting at his office, when Nick arrived with the little black book. They dug into it like a starving pack of hyenas; giving only minutes to each other before another snatched it away for a quick peruse.

It was Craig Tosh this time, who got the ball rolling, "He gave it all way. Look here, on the very first page. 'To my darling Maria, The true fortune in life is love. I'd give it all away to spend one more day with you.' That's why he was living in those disgusting rooms. He was broke. He gave all his money away, and for what, to be with mom again for one more day? He destroyed this family! That's what he did." He was the first to speak, and the first to leave.

Dorian Tosh held his composure a little better than his nephew, "I must say, I'm not too very surprised. My brother was a selfish man, and also an absolute fool. He was a complete waist of my time and now my money." Dorian tossed the book down on Nick's desk before he stormed out of the room.

Sophia Tosh continued to look at cellular phone as she walked toward the door, "Well, you're fired."

"And that Hal, that's my story. Another drink to drown my sorrows, my good man." Nick reached for the whiskey bottle, but was quickly handed a plate with a sandwich.

Hal was now flipping his way through Kam Tosh's little black book. "Well, these numbers at the top of the pages look like dates, but they're in no particular order. Every few pages, he wrote down his daily schedule. 6 o'clock wake. 7 breakfast. 8 30 feed the birds. 12 nap. Maybe he did lose his mind?"

"Read the last page." Nick managed to say between bites.

"Within the clouds, my wallet swells, the days in order to unlock, Maria was her name, and with it so, to whom it serves, the years that I preceded Protocol." Hal placed the book back down on the bar, "Now that's cryptic."

Nick traded his sandwich for the book, "Look here. If those are dates at the top, he hasn't wrote down his daily schedule in at least ten years. This one, 2000. Next one, 2011. Next one, 2001. 2000. 2010. 2001. Next one, 2000 again. Never any earlier that 2000 and none as recent as 2011. But, why not 2002, 2003, 2015?"

Hal threw a wash towel over his shoulder and asked, "What would you do with all that money anyway?"

"What?" Nick was having trouble pulling himself away from the book to even consider Hal's new topic of conversation.

"With all that money?" Hal continued, "If you did locate where Kam hid his money, your reward would be well over 10 million dollars. I wouldn't even know what do I'd with all that dough. I'd probably just give it all away. This Pub, loyal friends and nice customers, that's good enough for me in this world."

Off the cuff, Nick answered, "I don't know. Retire. Go somewhere tropical. Just relax and grow old."

Hal picked up Nick's empty plate, "You could start by paying your bar tab." He smiled and started walking toward the kitchen, "I don't think I can help you, my friend. Those dates just sound like a bunch of 1's and 0's to me." Hal disappeared into heart of the pub.

Nick, slumped back on his chair quickly leapt to his feet. "Hal, you beautiful genius!" He grabbed the book and tossed all the money he had in his pockets onto the bar. He shouted, "Keep the change!" and ran out the door.

Several days had passed, when an envelope arrived at the Ol' Town Pub addressed to Hal. Inside was a letter and a check for 20,000 dollars. The letter read:

Dear Hal,

I decided to take your advice to pace myself and enjoy this marathon we call life. The crowds don't bother me anymore, nothing bothers me anymore. I wake up every morning, walk out my back door right onto the beach, and just relax listening to the waves. It's paradise. You were right about Kam's cryptic message. It's amazing how one clue always seemed to lead to another.

'Within the clouds,

my wallet swells,

the days in order to unlock,

Maria was her name,

and with it so,

to whom it serves,

the years that I preceded Protocol.'

The years he wrote his schedule, turned out to be binary code, 1's and 0's. It took me a few days to figure out, they were an IP Address for a server online. It was a type of digital wallet for cryptocurrency. The login name was 'Marie', Kam Tosh's late wife. I had a little trouble with the Password Key, but it turned out to be the days in sequential order throughout the book. I have to tell you, I've never seen so much money in my life. I decided it was only fair to cash-out the 1 percent owed to me, ruffly sixty million dollars. I also thought long and hard about whether to tell the Tosh family I located Kam's fortune, but then it occurred to me, Kam's fortune was his love for his wife, not his money. Kind of like how your fortune is the Pub, and mine is this paradise on the beach. I decided I'm going to hold onto the little black book awhile. Eventually, I will find another lost soul to give it to, so they can locate their own 'life fortune'. Enclosed is a check for 20,000 dollars. Not too much to overwhelm you, but hopefully enough to cover my tab.

Your friend,

Nick