Commodore 64 Discovery

Commodore 64 Discovery

BY: Joseph A. Monachino

“We certainly have found plenty of old items while doing Spring cleaning”, said Tony to his brother Bill.

Bill then uncovers an old Commodore 64 in the corner of the basement storage closet.

“Look what I found, Tony”, says Bill.

“What is it?”, asks Bill.

“It is an old computer that dates back to 1985; a Commodore 64 to be exact”, says Bill.

Tony then jokingly says: “I wonder if there is a goldmine of information on the hard drive?”

“Well, let’s find out”, says Bill.

Tony and Bill lift the old computer onto the desk located in a corner of the basement. They dust it off, and plug it in. Tony then presses the button to boot it up.

“Let’s give it a couple of minutes to boot up”, says Tony.

“Do you think there is a picture of a map to a treasure chest that will be revealed on the computer screen?”, Bill asks Tony, sarcastically.

“Maybe; we may become instant millionaires!”, replies Tony.

Two more minutes pass by. Finally, a WordPerfect document appears on the computer screen. Bill reads it.

“I have $ 10,000 stored in a safety deposit box at Players Den Bank on 4^th Street in the town of Melville. The key to the safety deposit box is in the top right-hand drawer of my old desk. If you find the key and open the box, the money will be your reward.”

“Can you believe it, Tony? Our Uncle Lawrence has this money hidden away and never told us!”, Bill exclaims.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s find the key and get to the bank to find the safety deposit box and collect our reward!”, says Tony to Bill.

They rush to the desk and find the key in a small plastic bag. 

“Here it is. Let’s get going to the bank!”, says Bill to Tony.

They hurriedly get into Bill’s car and head to the bank. When they enter the bank, they then speak to the nearest bank clerk.

“We are here to retrieve a safety deposit box.”, says Tony.

“What is on the name of the box?”, asks the clerk to Tony.

Tony replies, “ Lawrence Rogers. We are his nephews. I am Tony; he is Bill.”

“May I please see your driver’s licence, Tony?”, asks the clerk.

“Sure thing!”, says Tony.

“O.K., great! I will retrieve the safety deposit box right away”, says the clerk.

The clerk retrieves the safety deposit box and hands it to Tony.

“Here you go!”, says the clerk.

“Thanks!”, says Tony.

Tony and Bill excitedly run to Bill’s car and sit down in the front driver and passenger seat respectively.

Bill gets the key and unlocks the safety deposit box. They both let out a gasp. They see and count the money. There are $ 10,000 worth of $ 100 dollar bills. They’ve hit the jackpot! They are very excited!

·      

Tony notices something. At the bottom of the box is a flap. Bill lifts the flap. He discovers that there is something under the flap. It is a knife with blood stains on it.

Bill says to Tony: “Good God! This is a knife with blood stains on it. Do you think our Uncle Lawrence was a murderer?”

Tony replies: “I find that hard to believe. He hasn’t been alive in 25 years. So, we can’t interrogate him to find out.”

“Let’s not tell anyone we found this knife.”, replies Bill.

“I’m with you there.”, replies Tony.

At this point, they drive home, and Bill turns on the radio, The station that is tuned in is All That Matters News station.

The news anchor says the following: :” A 30-year-old stabbing cold case has been reopened. The knife, used in the stabbing, has never been recovered regarding this case. Police will reward anyone who comes forward with the murder weapon with a million dollars.”

Tony pulls the car over into an empty parking space on the street. He asks Bill, “Do you know what this means?”

Tony replies, “No. What?”

Bill explains, “If we bring this knife to our local police station and have it examined for DNA, and it matches the murderer’s DNA, we are a million dollars richer!”

Tony replies by saying, “There is only one problem. The police will arrest either one of us for being an accessory to murder.”

Bill replies, “So?”

Tony continues explaining, “Don’t you see. Either one of us will go to jail for being an accessory to murder.”

Bill ponders this situation and says, “I didn’t think of that.”

Bill continues saying, “There will be a sacrifice made, but at the end of 10 years, there would be $ 1,010,000 plus interest in one of our bank accounts!”

Tony interjects by saying: “Are you willing to go to jail, have a criminal record for the rest of your life, to have a million and 10 thousand dollars waiting for you after you leave jail?”

Bill reacts by saying: “I would be set for life after leaving jail. I think it would be worth it!”

Tony replies: “Bill, you are my brother. I care about you a lot. I don’t think you are thinking rationally about this. You will be stigmatized for the rest of your life. Is it worth it? It’s your life we are talking about here. Remember, money isn’t everything.”

·      

Bill ponders what Tony has told him. He thinks about the fact that his Uncle Lawrence is no longer alive. So, he knows that his uncle won’t go to jail if he is revealed as the murderer. He also does realize that he will be stigmatized for the rest of his life. So, at this point, Bill must make a life changing decision for better or for worse. What will his decision be?

Tony concludes by saying: “ Bill, I won’t interfere with your decision. But, let me tell you something: “If you go to jail, I will disown you as my brother.”

Bill does not approve of what his brother has told him. He is undeterred yet he must make a gut-wrenching decision. He needs more time. And only time will tell as to what his decision will be.

"Tony, give me time to think about it", says Bill.