When Ellen went back to work, Chuck Stevens was in the front entrance of her office. He was chatting with the receptionist, a cute young woman in her late twenties. Ellen rolled her eyes. The receptionist was too young for him by at least twenty years.

“How’s my favorite call girl?” Chuck said in a mocking tone.

Ellen felt the weight of his smile.

“I’m fine, Chuck. Thanks for the afternoon off.”

“Is everything okay?” Chuck tried to feign concern.

“Everything is fine, Chuck. I need to get back to my desk.”

“Don’t let me stop you.”

Ellen logged back in to the phone system but couldn’t think straight. She should have taken the day off, and she would have if she didn’t need the money.

Several hours later, she logged out of the phone system and made a list of items that was needed at the market. Ellen made a mental note to try to get more child support from Rick.

Ellen signed back in to her company computer and was shocked to see that she had a negative balance from overdraft charges.

A “bank transfer” of $999.99 got declined, but beneath it was another transfer of $899.99 that was approved! The next four lines of the statement were automatic debits and overdraft fees for a total negative balance of $36.86.

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She couldn't believe it. She had no money! She felt stunned, confused, and angry. Someone had transferred money from her account! She would need to hurry if she wanted to get to the bottom of her banking problems; the bank was closing soon.

She arrived just in time. Only one other person was in line. She felt an urge to cut the line and demand to be seen, but she didn't think that was a good idea. The bankers were her neighbors and friends. Milford was a small town, and it didn't pay to be rude. A few minutes later, she arrived at the counter.

“Hello, Ellen,” Joyce said.

“Oh, hi, Joyce. I have a problem,” Ellen said. She felt disjointed, apprehensive, and angry at the same time.

“What sort of problem?”

Ellen’s mouth was completely dry, and her thoughts were difficult to express. “Someone made unauthorized transfers from my account.”

“Let's look into your account.” Joyce was silent as she typed. “It appears like you transferred $899.99 into your second checking account.”

“I don't have another account!”

“According to the computer, you opened this other account online last Thursday,” Joyce said. “We had a promotion; open an account with an amount over $800 and receive a $50 bank credit.”

“But I didn’t do that!”

“Your new account now has a zero balance. The entire amount of 899.99 was transferred to a Payfriend account,” Joyce said, frowning. “The $50.00 credit shows as unavailable until tomorrow, since the credit promotion had a forty-eight-hour waiting period.”

“How do I get my original account restored?”

“You need to transfer it back from your Payfriend account.”

“I don't have a Payfriend account,” Ellen shouted.

“Okay. I need to speak with my manager to do this. Unfortunately, Gordon, the branch manager, is out today.”

“Is there someone else who can help me?”

“Not until tomorrow.”

Ellen walked out of the bank in stunned silence. She checked her wallet. She had $13.48.