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kind of thing that comes along every three to five years, where all the
factors fit like a beautiful watch."
"Mr. Santo has very little tendency to plumber anything."
"That was my evaluation. And when the ride is over, I should be where I won't
have to fool with syndicates and Santo. I'll be where I can make my own
markets."
"A listed security?"
"And a company in a potentially dynamic growth area."
For the first time I saw the suggestion of a smile on that heavy little-girl
mouth. "And absolutely no point at all in asking you the name of it, of
course. But I can ask you for... bank references?"
"That's a silly question. If he wants to dig around and check me out, lots of
luck. He could find worms in the apple. All he'll be interested in is the
track record." I took the envelope out of my inside jacket pocket and took out
the brokerage account forms and flipped them over to her. "Take a look, if you
can read them and interpret them, and then you can give Santo a nice verbal
reference."
She went through the margin account monthly summary forms first, sheet by
sheet. Midway through she gave me a sudden green glance of reappraisal. On the
last one, the December one, I had penciled beside each stock listed in the
security position the January second market value. She checked those values
against the purchase confirmations-not all of them, just a random few.
"May I hold these for a few days?" she asked.
"No."
"Can I have them Xeroxed? It would take just a few minutes:"
I hesitated. "On one basis, and I can't enforce it. You see them and Santo
sees them, and that's it."
"That would be up to him,"
"So relay my humble request to the great man, sweetie."
"Do you have to be so sarcastic?"
"Am I supposed to be impressed by Gary Santo? He happens to be my number one
on a list of three possibles. Whoever it turns out to be will make a bundle on
their terms while they help me make a bundle on my terms. I didn't come to
beg, sweetie."
"You do make that clear. I'll be right back."
"If you ever stoop to manual labor around this shop, I think it would be nice
if you did the Xeroxing yourself."
"I shall, sweetie. And you just made a nice brownie point. Cautious is as
cautious does. We treasure that around here."
She was back in under ten minutes. She did not sit again. I stowed the account
forms in the envelope and in my pocket.
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I said, "You see, Miss, there's all those chests of gold coin busted open and
spilled out right across the white sand bottom next to Hustler Reef."
"That was clumsy, wasn't it? I must stop typecasting. Of course you realize I
have no idea whether or not this will appeal to Mr. Santo. The idea, I mean.
If it does, he will have to know the security you're talking about, and he
will want to have it checked."
"Quietly, I hope."
"Of course."
"When do I get to see him?"
"How can I reach you?"
"I'm going to be on the move. Suppose I phone you tomorrow afternoon."
She shook her head. "Friday. Say at four in the afternoon. Ask for me by name
and give my extension number or you won't be put through. Sixty-six."
"Just what is your job around here, Mary Smith?"
"You might call me a buffer zone."
"Have I gotten past you?"
"On Friday we'll both know, won't we?"
Ten
ON TUESDAY evening I reached Preston LaFrance by phone at his home in
Sunnydale. I taped it so that Meyer and I could study the playback.
"McGee? Trav? I've been wondering all day-"
"Too much has been happening; Press. I might say that things are shaping up a
little better than I'd hoped. I might have some good news for you when I'm
able to get up there."
"I need some good news; and you can believe it. When are you coming up."
"I'll have to let you know. That money we talked about. Have you got it set
aside?"
"Let me get one thing straight. I get to know about what's going on before I
have to go ahead and buy that damned thing for three or four times what it's
worth, don't I? I mean I get a chance to make a decision based on what you
tell me?"
"Naturally. But as you must realize, I'm not in this thing for that kind of a
profit."
"I can figure that out for myself all right. Okay I've got that money set
aside, in case I want to go along."
"You will. I'll have the papers all drawn and bring them along. But one thing
has come up which worries me a little, Press."
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His voice tightened up. "What? What?"
"Have you had any recent contact with Santo?" No. No reason to. Why?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]