Aces and Knaves

Alan Cook

Chapter 1 THE REQUEST

The cloud I had been running in an hour before had already burned away when I pressed the button to boot my computer. I looked out my north-facing window and saw that the Los Angeles basin below was still covered with its own cotton cloud-blanket that extended over Santa Monica Bay. It made me feel as if I were alone in the world, even though when that cloud lifted I would overlook an area inhabited by several million people.

On a horizontal line from me the Hollywood Hills were particularly sharp this morning. I could make out the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Park planetarium with my "hunter's" eyes. (The disadvantage of having hunter's eyes is that I needed to wear glasses to read and use the computer. Maybe I was born in the wrong age.) More than 50 miles away, more east than north, Mt. Baldy's massive granite peak warmed in the morning sun, and I could even see Mt. San Gorgonio, with its higher and even more massive peak, farther east, almost 100 miles away. Haze would obscure it soon, but there was no sign of brown smog.

My view was the opposite of and better than that from most hillside homes seen in movies, which usually face south from the Hollywood Hills. Palos Verdes Peninsula, which tops out at 1,500 feet above sea level, is a well-kept secret from screenwriters. They must all be near-sighted.

I had a positive feeling about this world. After all, I was living in a year ending in three zeroes-and how many people were lucky enough to do that. A sense of anticipation enveloped me. Something good was going to happen before long.

I glanced out of another window, which faces west toward the swimming pool, with my father's castle beyond. (castle: noun. Definition 1. c. A large, ornate building similar to or resembling a fortified stronghold.) To my surprise, the old man himself was striding briskly past the pool toward the guesthouse where I lived. Why was he home at this hour? He was usually in his office in Torrance by seven.

More to the point, why was he coming here? I couldn't remember the last time he had set foot in the guesthouse. When we communicated with each other, which was rarely, it was in the castle. I quickly looked around; I didn't see anything incriminating, except the computer. And there was nothing I could do about that.

Maybe I could keep him downstairs. I raced down the stairs, two at a time; the carpeted steps tickled my bare feet. I arrived at the bottom just as he knocked sharply on the door. I opened it so fast that he stepped back with a surprised look on his face.

"Karl!" he said. "Uh, good morning."

I have rarely seen him flustered, even momentarily. I said, "Good morning, Dad."

"Uh, may I come in for a minute? I need to talk to you."

I was standing there, blocking the doorway. Maybe I was flustered, too. "Sure. Come on in." I stepped back so he could enter.

He stepped into the entryway and glanced at the room I used for a bedroom. The bed was unmade and clothes were strewn about. The sink of a small kitchen was visible through a doorway, or at least the dirty dishes that filled it were.

"Do you have a couple of chairs upstairs where we could sit down?" he asked, regaining his usual self-control.

Apparently, he was planning to stay for more than a minute. And I could understand why he found the downstairs unappetizing. I could offer him a glass of orange juice in the cramped kitchen, but I didn't think he'd go for that. I wasn't up to arguing with him. In my lifetime I could count on the fingers of one hand the arguments I had won with my father.

"Come on up," I said, turning and taking the steps two at a time.

He followed on my heels, also going two steps at a time. He was in remarkably good shape for a man pushing sixty. He walked four miles in the hills of Palos Verdes every evening with his wife, Jacie, when he wasn't traveling, and there are only two ways you can go: up or down. If you walk a round trip, as he did, you will get plenty of up along with the down.

Upstairs, the guesthouse contained two rooms plus a bathroom. The first room we came to was my office, so there was no avoiding the computer. When my father saw it he stopped and did a double take. It wasn't quite the latest model, but it did have a large monitor, color printer, scanner and high-speed Internet hookup.

Of course he understood what he was seeing. Richard Patterson was founder and CEO of a successful software company and computers were his life. But he didn't say anything and I quickly led the way into the next room, which I used as a living room. I offered him one end of a large couch that once had been in the castle, and sat at the other end so I wouldn't have to face him directly.

I had found through long experience that it was better to let him speak first when he had something on his mind. I tried to look at ease. I noted that his expensive blue suit and silk tie were more fashionable than the ones he had worn before he met Jacie. I felt underdressed in my T-shirt and shorts.

But he had always dressed well; my father had never heard of casual Friday. He looked good, with remarkably few wrinkles, and his short brown hair stubbornly refused to acquire more than a few streaks of gray.

"So what do you use the computer for, playing solitaire and hearts?"

"And Minesweeper." I was prepared for a dig about the computer. "It's a good game." Minesweeper was a Microsoft product, and Microsoft meant Bill Gates, whose fortune was worth some billions more than my father's, but if he caught my drift he ignored it.

"You aren't gambling on the Internet, are you?"

I was silent.

"I hope you haven't run up a ton of credit card debt again. Or worse, dealt with loan sharks. Because I'm not bailing you out."

That wasn't news. He hadn't bailed me out the first time, either. I wasn't about to tell him that I hadn't owned a credit card in two years and the only sharks I knew were at the Long Beach Aquarium. When you don't have anything nice to say, keep quiet. I kept quiet.

"Which brings me to the question of how you can afford the computer? Did one of your gay friends give it to you as a present in return for services rendered?"

The conversation, which had started out as being merely very unpleasant, was getting ugly. Sometimes I wish I had never let that deception get going. It began as a misunderstanding that I didn't bother to correct, since it ended my father's hounding me to come into the business, get married and have children. But it caused more problems than it solved. Now if I told him I wasn't gay he wouldn't believe me. I continued playing the strong, silent type, while boiling inside.

"Why?" he asked, his voice trembling. "Why did you get this way? Was it my fault?"

To my astonishment, my father suddenly burst into tears. He put his head down almost to his lap, placed his face in his hands and sobbed. In all my life I had never seen him cry, not even at my mother's funeral. This was worse than having him browbeat me. I didn't know what to do.

He stopped crying as suddenly as he had started, pulled a maroon silk handkerchief that matched his tie out of his lapel pocket and wiped his eyes with it. He took several deep breaths. Then he said, "I need your help."

Hearing this was almost as surprising as seeing him cry; I couldn't remember when he had ever asked for my help. And I couldn't recover that rapidly from the roller coaster ride down caused by his crying without risking serious effects from g-forces.

He looked at me, composed again, all signs of tears removed from his handsome face.

"What can I help you with?" I croaked.

"I don't like to interfere in the lives of my employees," he said, "but if they are having problems I want to give them assistance."

Ah, the benevolent dictator.

He paused, searching for words, something he didn't have to do very often. He asked, "Do you know who Ned Mackay is?" (He pronounced it Mack-eye.)

"Yes, he's your number two. President and possible successor-if you ever retire. I met him once a long time ago."

My father raised his eyebrows, perhaps surprised that I knew that much about Dionysus Corporation. But my words seemed to loosen his tongue. "Partly right, at least. I'm not convinced yet that he can run the show by himself. But he has been a good president-up to a few weeks ago. Lately, however, he's been acting strangely."

"In what way?" I was struggling to fit myself into this scenario.

"It first came to my attention because he recently exercised all the stock options in which he is currently vested. This isn't confidential information; it's common knowledge. In fact, because he's a corporate officer it may get reported in the Wall Street Journal as insider selling because he exercised in such a way that he bought and sold simultaneously so that he didn't have to put up any cash. I'm talking about thousands of shares."

"And the stock is near its low for the year."

"Not to mention the tax implications for exercising so many shares in one year." What I had said suddenly registered on his face. "I didn't know you followed the stock."

"Just a guess." I'd better be careful or I might give away something about my real life. "Okay, so he's not the sharpest stock trader in the world. And I'm sure he has an accountant who handles his taxes. Exercising options when the stock is low doesn't by itself mean he's in trouble."

"No, but there's more. Recently, he's been coming in late and leaving early. It's not like Ned; he usually works a minimum of 60 hours a week. Now, even when he's there he seems distracted. His eyes are red and he even fell asleep in one meeting, something he's never done before."

"Maybe he's got a drinking problem."

"No." My father shook his head, emphatically. "Ned never touches the stuff. Maybe a glass of wine once in a while-or a pint of beer. I know he comes from the home of Scotch whiskey, but I swear it's true. I've known him for 20 years."

"How about drugs?"

"Not everyone who was young in the sixties was on drugs."

Case in point-my father. At least he had never admitted that he inhaled. "What do you think it is then?"

"There's still more. My executive assistant was returning from a weekend in Palm Springs when she and her girlfriend decided to stop at that Indian casino beside I-10."

"I know the one."

"I'm sure you do. Anyway, they went in and were wandering around when she saw Ned at a blackjack table. She was going to say hello when she noticed what he was doing."

"Standing on a soft 16?"

"No." My father looked annoyed. "He had a table all to himself. He was playing five hands at a time, and betting a pile of chips on each one. He was very intense and didn't see her. She got close enough so that she could hear some of the conversation between him and the dealer. She thinks he was betting $500 on each hand."

"How did he do?"

It looked to her as if he lost several thousand dollars in the ten minutes or so she watched."

"Poor capital preservation. And she never talked to him?"

"No. She hightailed it out of there before he spotted her, but she was so shocked by what she saw that she told me about it first thing Monday morning."

"Which was yesterday."

"Yes."

Again, my father showed signs of not being the master of the situation, but this time it was only a shadow passing over his face.

What should I say? "It looks like Mr. Mackay may have a gambling problem."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Did you confront him with it?"

"No." My father's sharp exhalation of breath sounded almost like a sigh. "That would look too much like spying."

"So where do I come in?"

"Well…you know about compulsive gamblers."

Meaning that I was one, myself. Or at least that's what my father thought.

He continued, "You could…get to know him. Talk to him…"

"Ask him if he's a compulsive gambler."

"No, of course not, but you know what I mean. You speak the same language. You know the symptoms. Find out his attitude toward gambling. But I don't want you to actually do any gambling with him."

Because I didn't know when to stop. But could I really accomplish anything? I glanced at my father. I hadn't seen him look so worried in a long time. I owed him something, if only because he hadn't kicked me out of the guesthouse when I was down on my luck. I said, "What about hiring a private detective to follow him around?"

"That's sleazy. Besides, I don't want to bring in an outsider. If word leaked out that our president was a compulsive gambler, that might really tank the stock."

Was the price of the stock all he worried about? I didn't know whether to be flattered or angry. He comes to me once in a lifetime for help and it's because of my gambling.

When I didn't say anything, my father said, "Of course I'll pay you-as a consultant. And your expenses. I'll get you an advance."

I stopped myself before blurting out that I didn't want his money. I was trying to become a businessman so I should act like one. But I still had the need to show some independence, so I said, "I don't need an advance. When would I start?"

"Immediately. You don't have anything else to do, do you?"

Not that I was going to admit to him. "How do you suggest I proceed?"

"Work that out with Arrow. She's my executive assistant."

"Arrow? As in bow?"

"Yes."

"Is she the one who saw Ned playing blackjack?"

"Yes. And she's very sharp. I'm assigning her to help you."

"And if I think he's compulsive, what then?"

"I'll get him treatment. The company provides for it."

Treatment only works if the subject is cooperative. My father had tried to get me to join Gamblers Anonymous and failed. But then, I wasn't a compulsive gambler. "And if he refuses treatment?"

"Karl, let's not slay our dragons until we meet them."

I didn't want to participate in the ruin of Ned Mackay, even though I didn't really know him. But I had to admit that my father appeared to have a problem. And I didn't see any quick and easy solution. In addition, it was a challenge. I like challenges. "Okay, I'll do it."

My father exhaled again; this time it sounded like a sigh of relief. "Arrow can get you access to Ned or any information you might need about him. And she knows what’s on his calendar."

"Executive assistant. Is that a glorified name for a secretary?"

"No. That's administrative assistant. And mine is a man. You probably have something in common with him."

I could guess what he meant by that.

"However, Arrow is on a fast track to management. She has an MBA."

One more degree than I had. And two more than my father. He spent the next five minutes exhorting me to be very careful about leaking any negative information about Dionysus. And not to make Ned suspicious about what we were doing. He needed my help, but he still didn't trust me. Even so, he apparently valued my judgment, at least in this one area-my area of expertise-compulsive gambling.

When he left I escorted him downstairs. He shook my hand at the door and then strode rapidly past the pool to his castle, the very model of a modern CEO. I couldn't remember the last time we had hugged.

Chapter 2 ARROW

I ran back upstairs in time to watch my father go through one of the sliding glass doors into the castle. Jacie, his wife of a year, came into view, clad in a full-length yellow bathrobe. She was not a morning person, like my father and me, but at least she had combed her hair to see him off for work.

Spotlighted in the rays of the rising sun, she looked good. Her hair was the color of the robe. She should look good; she was a year younger than I was.

They talked for a minute and then they kissed. Not just a peck on the cheek, either. They kissed like two people in love. At least, I was sure he was in love with her. Then he disappeared toward the garage. Off to work.

What should I do first? My inclination was to sell Dionysus stock short. A minute's reflection told me I couldn't do that. I would be betraying my father. Besides, it would be illegal. Insider trading was an SEC no-no. If I wasn't an insider by my relationship to the CEO, I certainly was because of the information he had confided in me.

Okay, get a grip, Karl. You need a plan. First, I had to call Emerge, the nonprofit organization I volunteered at on Tuesday afternoons and tell them I couldn't make it today. One reason I hated to do this was because they needed me. Emerge helped people who for one reason or another had not had a job for a period of time, often years, and prepared them to re-enter the job market. Some were homeless; some had been in prison; many had drug or alcohol-related problems, but were now clean.

The Emerge staff and volunteers presented classes on locating job opportunities, interviewing and resume writing. They maintained a closet full of used clothes in good condition, suitable for wearing to interviews. They placed telephones and fax machines at the disposal of the clients. And computers. I had assembled some of their client computers from various components. I also taught computer classes and gave individual instruction on using Microsoft Word and other word-processing programs.

I hoped I would only miss one session. I decided to make my phone call do double duty. When the man at the reception desk-a former client-answered I asked for Esther Rodriguez. She was the other reason I hated to cancel.

After a short wait I heard the familiar voice: "Hello, this is Esther." She had no trace of an accent, remarkable because her parents spoke very little English.

"Hi, it's Karl," I said. After some preliminaries, I asked, "How are the ticket sales on the Boxster going?" Esther was Director of Development for Emerge-which means she was in charge of raising the money to keep it running. A responsible job for someone so young, but she was good at it.

"We're getting a decent response on the mail solicitation, but we need to do better. I'm counting on you for a big finish Saturday at our fundraiser. You're such a good salesman."

It was going to be a gala event. Nine-hundred-fifty people had purchased tickets, defying all expectations. "I'm looking forward to it. But I'm afraid something came up and I'll have to cancel our lunch today. And my computer session." I owed her a better explanation than that. "It's…it's a family matter."

"Nothing wrong, I hope?"

"No no. Just something I have to do." She didn't know who my father was and I didn't want to say any more. "I'll miss seeing you."

"I'll miss you, too."

The honey in her voice made me shiver. Sometimes after I did my thing with clients and computers, if she didn't have to work late we went to her apartment and cooked dinner together. And after dinner…well, let's just say that she had satin skin. But no dinner with Esther today. I forced myself to get back on track and hung up after a few more sentences.

I got on the computer and played a quick game of hearts. That's my tension reliever. I had bad luck and ate the queen of spades a couple of times, but then I shot the moon and beat the three computer-generated players, as I usually do. All in less than five minutes.

I checked my email and then shut down the computer. I picked up my phone again and punched in the number my father had given me for Arrow, wondering about the origin of her name.

"Arrow speaking."

The voice was louder than Esther's, more businesslike.

"Hi, this is Karl Patterson."

"You sound like your father."

She spoke rapidly and with assurance.

"We're supposed to get together."

"How about the Norms on PCH in half-an-hour?"

"Uh…I guess that would be all right."

"Do you need 45 minutes?"

"No…no; half an hour's fine. How will I know you."

"Don't worry, I'll know you."

***

Half an hour didn't give me much time. I didn't feel the need to wear my one and only suit, but I did put on a decent pair of slacks and a sport shirt. And shoes. You can't go to business meetings barefoot. I grabbed a yellow lined pad and the gold Cross pen I had found on the beach. As I was about to descend the stairs for the fourth time that morning I heard a splash through my open window.

I went to the window and my suspicions were confirmed. Jacie was taking her morning swim. And she didn't wear a swimsuit. She was oblivious to the morning coolness-and to me. I had to pass the swimming pool to get to the garage. I was trapped in my own house. I hesitated, not wanting to be late, then thought, what the hell. If she didn't care why should I?

At least she never bothered to check whether I was home before taking her swim. I always felt guilty watching her from my window, probably because she was married to my father. But I watched her anyway.

I went down the stairs and out the door. I closed it and locked the dead bolt with exaggerated slowness to give Jacie time to cover up. I needn't have bothered. As I walked past the pool she was floating on her back. I hurried my steps, not looking directly at her.

"Where is the gay caballero off to this morning?"

Jacie's looks might have gotten her into silent films, but she couldn't make it into the talkies because of the harshness of her voice. Her body wasn't bad, however. I felt that since she had addressed me I was entitled, so I looked directly at her and confirmed not for the first time that she was a natural blond. I said, "I'm going to tilt at a few windmills and right some unrightable wrongs."

"Well, just make sure you don't queer things instead of righting them." She laughed.

Jacie was comedically challenged. I jerked my head to the front with an effort and went through the open sliding door into the castle. I was in the formal dining room, with its massive chandelier from Austria. I heard noises from the adjacent kitchen.

I poked my head through the door and said, "Hi, Luz, how's my sweetheart?"

"Karl! Mi hijo."

I went to her and gave her a hug. As I put my arms around her ample body I thought of the mother I no longer had.

"I'm cooking spareribs for dinner," she said. "I have a great tomato sauce. I will make enough for you, if you like."

"That sounds wonderful, but I don't know when I'll be home."

"Would you like me to put them in your refrigerator? You only have to heat them in the microwave. And I will give you some beans, too."

"Thanks, Luz. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You would waste away to a spot of grease. But I will take care of you."

"Bye. Gotta run." I waved to her and dashed toward the garage. I have to admit that I learned two things from my father. One was to treat the "janitors" well because they can help you. Luz's title was actually housekeeper. I invested her IRA for her; it had tripled in value in the last two years, partly because of Dionysus stock. Fortunately, I had sold Dionysus near the top.

The garage had three outside doors, but inside it was big enough to hold at least six cars. The advantage of designing your own house is that you can build in extras like that. My father had torn down the previous house on the lot and built his castle from scratch. He liked nice cars. I could drive any one of them, except the classic Rolls Royce Corniche, in return for helping to take care of them.

The second thing I learned from my father was, regardless of your income, always spend less than you take in if you want to become wealthy. Since I didn't have much income that was difficult to do. But not owning a car was a big savings for me because I didn't have to worry about payments, insurance and depreciation.

My father had driven the BMW this morning, as he usually did. Jacie liked to drive the Mercedes. I often drove the red 1966 Jaguar XKE Roadster, but today I wanted something inconspicuous. The least conspicuous car was a beige Toyota Camry. It had been Jacie's before she married my father, but now she never drove it.

By moving the Mercedes I was able to free the Toyota and back it out of the garage. I activated the electronic gate across the driveway with my remote and drove through the fence. As I started along the street, mindful of the residential 25 mile-per-hour speed limit, I glanced at my watch and realized I was going to be late for my appointment.

***

Years of living in Palos Verdes had taught me the shortcuts through the maze of curvy hillside streets, so I quickly got to Crenshaw Boulevard where I could make better time and coasted down to Pacific Coast Highway, on the flatland. I arrived at the restaurant only five minutes late.

The restaurant was sparsely populated with patrons. The breakfast crowd was gone and it was too early for the lunch bunch. I wondered whether I could pick out Arrow, but before I had a chance to look around I saw an arm waving from a booth.

The young woman attached to the arm was much too good looking to be in business, but there was nobody else near me she could be waving to so I walked over to her and said, "Hi, I'm Karl."

"I'm Arrow. My pleasure. Have a seat."

We shook hands. She had a firm, dry grip. She indicated the part of the semi-circular, vinyl-covered seat opposite her and I sat down. She wore a red business skirt with matching jacket, over a white blouse. I didn't immediately recognize her ethnicity. Her skin was darker than mine and she had short black hair in tight curls.

"What would you like?" Arrow asked, summoning a waitress. She already had a cup of coffee and there was a glass of water in front of each of us, full of ice cubes, ready to freeze my esophagus.

"Uh…orange juice."

"Anything to eat?"

"No thanks." I'd eaten breakfast.

Arrow gave the order to the waitress before I could say anything.

"How did you know me?" I asked her, trying to break the ice.

"Well, number one, you look a lot like Richard-your father. Number two, he has a picture of you on his desk."

"He does?" I couldn't hide my surprise.

"With your sisters. I would guess it was taken about ten years ago."

"Oh."

"But you still look the same. Except your hair is shorter."

"That was my fake hippy period. So how do you like being one of his slaves?"

Arrow stared at me for a few seconds with her dark eyes, expressionless, then said, "Look, Karl, I know that you and Richard have had your differences, but if you and I are going to get along, please don't air them in front of me."

Whoops! Wrong thing to say. "I didn't mean…"

"I'm sure you know the definition of a slave. And since I have slaves in my ancestry, among the rogues and roues, I know something about slaves. I am not a slave and Richard does not treat his employees like slaves."

"I'm sorry. But you don't look…"

"What? Black? African-American?"

"Right."

"Well, actually, I'm a combination."

"Of what?"

"African-American, Native-American, Asian-American and European-American."

"What do you check on forms?"

"Anything I like." She gave a hint of a smile.

I said, "Thanks for the lecture. I deserved it. I'm afraid I'm only European-American, but I've never seen that on a form."

The waitress came and deposited a glass of orange juice in front of me. She asked if I wanted anything more. When I said no she put the check on the table. Arrow pulled it toward her.

"Why did you want to meet here instead of at the office?" I asked when the waitress had gone.

"Because, since you've never actually been to the office in recent memory, your appearance there might provoke comment. We don't want anybody to think you have an official connection with Dionysus."

"But I can't hide the fact that I'm Richard's son."

"No." Arrow smiled a full smile for the first time. The room became several watts brighter. "But if you can gain Ned's trust, maybe that won't matter."

"We'll see. Anyway, if I'm going to play detective I guess I should do some detecting. Why don't we start with you telling me what you saw at the casino?"

Arrow told pretty much the same story that my father had. When she finished I asked, "Did you do any gambling while you were there?"

"No. Before I saw Ned we were just walking around, and afterward we left because I didn't want him to see me."

"What did you think of the place?"

Arrow made a face. "We went inside from the clean desert air. The first thing that hit me was the cigarette smoke. California is pretty much smoke-free now and I can't stand smoke anymore."

"I guess Indian reservations don't have to abide by the state laws."

"And the noise! From jangling slot machines and God knows what else. And all these fat, old people sitting in front of the slots, mesmerized, pouring in their Social Security checks. It was depressing."

Arrow's description made me laugh. "I take it you're not much of a gambler."

"I have been to Las Vegas-once. I put a dollar in a slot machine-four quarters, one at a time. Then I asked myself what I was doing, throwing my money away. I haven't gambled since. Actually, we just went into the casino to try to get a cold drink. I wasn't planning on gambling."

"Do you know how to play blackjack?"

"I know the object is to get 21."

"But you've never played?"

"No."

"Okay, question. You said you thought Ned was betting $500 a hand. What made you think that?"

"I was behind him, but I was close enough so that I could hear him ask the dealer what the limit was, and the dealer said $500. And Ned was betting a lot of chips on each hand."

"But you don't know the values of the chips."

"No."

"And he was playing five hands at a time."

"Yes. He was the only person at the table."

"Did he appear to know what he was doing? Was he…playing carefully?"

Arrow considered. "Of course, I can't answer as to his strategy, but he was certainly concentrating on the game."

"What was his mood?"

"He looked like he was having fun. He was joking with the dealer."

"Even though he was losing?"

Arrow nodded. "Right."

"You said that you think he may have lost several thousand dollars while you watched. How did you come up with that figure?"

"Well, assuming he was betting $500 a hand, he would win some and lose some on each deal, unless the dealer got a real good hand or busted. I know busted means the dealer exceeded 21. But after I'd watched Ned play for a few minutes his pile of chips was a lot smaller than when I first saw him. In fact, I was afraid he'd run out of chips, stop playing and see me. That's one reason I left."

"Why didn't you speak to him?"

"I couldn't believe he would want anybody he knew see him behaving like that."

I thought for a minute. "I guess we've milked the casino thing about as much as we can. Of course, I retain the right to recall the witness, in case I have any more questions."

Arrow smiled, as I had hoped she would. I said, "Well, when can I meet Mr. Mackay."

"Are you free for lunch?"

I didn't say what I was thinking. That I was free for lunch only because my father had twisted my arm. Instead, I said, "Yes."

"Good. That's the best opportunity because Ned is flying to San Francisco this afternoon. The local Rotary Club meets at noon at the Marriott. Ned and I represent Dionysus. You can go as my guest. I'll fix it so you sit next to Ned. The only thing is, we have to invent a cover story for you, a plausible reason for you to be there. You can be thinking of joining, but most of the members own their own businesses."

"I own my own business."

"Sure you do."

Would she laugh? "I sell old baseball cards."

Arrow looked hard at me. "You're serious."

"Yes. Don't believe everything my father tells you about me."

"Sorry. Guilty as charged. Can you make a living doing that?"

"You can if you know what you're doing."

"How do you sell them? I assume you don't have a store."

"Card shows. But mostly, on the Internet, through auction sites like eBay. And I have my own website."

Arrow considered this for a moment. Then she said, "Good. Meet me at the Marriott at noon."

Arrow paid the tab. She declined help, even with the tip, saying she would put it on her expense account. We walked outside together. The cloud that I had seen earlier from above, blanketing the basin, was gone and the sun shone brightly. The temperature was in the seventies. I walked Arrow to her car, a late-model Acura, befitting a rising young executive.

When we got there she said, "Richard has told me a lot about you-and some of it may even be true. When he said he wanted to bring you into this I was skeptical, based on what I knew or thought I knew about you. Now that I've met you I've started to revise this. You may be a good choice, after all."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Besides, how can I screw up with you to keep me on the true and righteous path?"

"Is that what you think my role is?"

"Isn't it?"

Arrow frowned. "I see you still have some issues to work out with your father. However, I hope you find out what's bugging Ned, because my stock options are riding on it. In fact, every employee's stock options are riding on it."

"What do you think is his problem? Do you think it's gambling, or something more?"

"I don't know." Arrow shook her head. "But something is bugging him."

She shook my hand, got into her car and drove away. I watched her go, looking forward to lunch a lot more than I had been an hour ago.

Chapter 3 BUSINESS PLAN

I drove the few miles to Redondo Beach and spent an hour strolling along the street above the beach, trying to work out a plan of action. The surfers in the water, seagulls on the sand and bicyclists/runners/skaters/walkers on the bike path below didn't inspire me and I wasn't very successful. Then I drove a few more miles to the Marriott, parked in the free lot across a side street from it and walked over.

The idea of putting name-brand hotels in Torrance was a relatively recent one. They hadn't been there when I was growing up. Even though I had never been inside the Marriott, it was familiar to me; I could see it from my hillside window. I could see all the major buildings of Torrance, including the one that had lights on the top in the shape of a Christmas tree during the holiday season.

A hotel staff member pointed the way to the room where the Rotary Club met. I was one of the first ones there. Arrow hadn't arrived yet so I waited outside the meeting room door and watched the members come in. Arrow had assured me that my dress was appropriate; most of the members wouldn't be wearing ties. She was right.

These were the men and women who supplied the goods and services that made every city and town in the country work. Division of labor begets high productivity begets the high standard of living enjoyed by us, residents of the richest country in the world. Most of the time we don't appreciate it. Suddenly grateful, I gave silent thanks for these people, even though I wouldn't have traded places with any of them.

I even recognized two of the members. One was my father's tax accountant and the other was a travel agent our family had used in the past. I didn't think either of them would recognize me so I didn't speak to them.

I saw Arrow walking up the central flight of stairs from the lobby and eschewing the elevator. Score one for her. She greeted me with our third handshake of the day and said, "Richard asked how our meeting went. When I mentioned your card business to him, he laughed."

I should have known Arrow would relay what I said to my father. I said, "He thinks the only money I've ever made was when I was a bartender." Paying off gambling debts. "But I haven't done that for a while."

Arrow frowned and led the way into the meeting room. After making arrangements for me to participate as a guest, she glanced around the room.

"I don't see Ned," she said, "and he wasn't in the office. His admin said he had a meeting off-site, but she could have been covering for him. I hope he shows."

We staked out three chairs at one of the tables and then mingled. Arrow seemed to know most of the members and they seemed to know her. I could understand why the men especially would be attracted to her, with her looks and personality, but they also treated her with the respect of an equal.

I shook a lot of hands and heard a lot of names, which I promptly forgot. Fortunately, the members wore nametags. After a few minutes we sat down and were served our salads. The president made some remarks and other people spoke. Arrow introduced me to the group as the owner of a baseball card company. She made it sound much grander than it was.

One man kept hitting members with $20 fines for various infractions, real or invented. Arrow told me the money went to causes supported by Rotary. I was amused at a sign that listed a 4-way test Rotarians are supposed to make before thinking, saying or doing anything. They included, "Is it the truth," and "Is it fair to all concerned?" I reflected that if people really went through all that before thinking, saying or doing anything nothing would ever get thought, said or done.

Uniformed waiters and waitresses served the main course and still no Ned. I was fighting with my chicken when Arrow pointed toward the door. A burly, red-faced man with thinning hair had just come in. I wouldn't have recognized him. I knew he was in his late forties but he looked older.

Arrow got his attention and he came over to our table. She said, "Nice you could get here before the food was all gone."

I didn't know one spoke to a company president like that. I suspected Arrow didn't speak to my father like that. Or maybe she did. She introduced me as Richard's son and told him that I was thinking of joining Rotary.

"It's a good organization," Ned said, giving me a numbing handshake. "You look a lot like your old man. Or at least what he looked like at your age." He had a husky voice that could have come from smoking; Arrow had told me he had stopped several years ago. He sat down between us.

"I met you once at a company picnic when I was 15 or 16," I said.

Ned grunted, but didn't act as if he remembered. He was more interested in food than talk and for the next ten minutes he worked at catching up to the rest of us. I surreptitiously watched him. He dressed well, like my father, in a conservative suit, but aside from that they presented a contrast in appearance.

Whatever his problem was, it hadn't affected his appetite. He put away everything that was offered to him, including the usual, sugar-rich dessert and several glasses of iced tea. Then the speaker of the day, who addressed the importance of proper estate planning, made talk impossible. Since I didn't have an estate I daydreamed about owning the Honus Wagner baseball card that had recently sold for close to a million dollars.

When the meeting ended I was worried that Ned would rush off and I wouldn't get a chance to talk to him at all. If this happened it would reinforce my father's image of me as a failure. Arrow and I walked with him to the elevator and rode down to the lobby.

He walked rapidly as we headed toward the parking lot. I said, "I feel I know you because of all the great things my father has said about you."

He turned to me with a crooked smile and said, "Don't believe everything you hear. But Richard and I have worked together for a long time and we get along pretty well."

"I'd like to get your advice. I'm in the process of starting a business-selling old baseball cards on the Internet. I could use some help from someone who's been through starting a business." I knew that Ned had helped start several businesses in his career.

"Starting your own Dot. com, eh? Build up the volume for a couple of years, do an IPO while retaining the majority of stock for yourself. Instant billionaire. You'll be worth more than your dad."

"I'm afraid there isn't much chance of that. But I do think it has some potential."

"Have you talked to your dad about it?"

"He…I can't really talk to him about it."

"I'm not surprised. Well, anyway, you're a flake off the old granite."

We reached Ned's car, a new Lexus. He stopped at the door and said, "New ventures are always exciting. If I weren't so busy right now I'd spend some time with you. Go over your business plan. You do have a business plan, don't you?"

I nodded without thinking.

"Maybe in a few weeks we'll get together. But right now…" He shook his head. "My feet don't touch the ground anymore."

He opened the door and got into the car. Desperation time. "Look…Ned, Arrow said you were flying to San Francisco this afternoon. Maybe I could fly up to San Francisco with you, talk to you about my business on the plane." I was shocked at my chutzpah. "Unless you have to work on the plane."

Ned considered me for a few seconds and I thought he was going to turn me down. Then he grinned his lopsided grin, as if the two sides of his face weren't quite in synch. "Damn it, if you're willing to do it, I am. I'm on a United flight leaving at four. If you can make that I'll see you then." He started the car and drove away.

Arrow was looking at me with what I interpreted as admiration. She said, "That was quick thinking."

"Desperate thinking."

"I wouldn't have thought of it. I'll ask Richard's admin to get you an electronic ticket and a seat beside Ned. Do you want to stay overnight?"

"Since I just came up with the idea two minutes ago, my planning hasn't reached that far."

Arrow chuckled. "Once you're up there it doesn't make much sense just to jump on the next plane and come back. Ned's returning on the 10 a.m. flight tomorrow morning. If you take that one it'll give you another chance to talk to him. I'll get you booked into a hotel, too, but not the one Ned's in. It's got to look like you're on your own nickel."

"Why, is Ned staying at the Mark Hopkins?"

"You know your father better than that. And Ned's the same way when it comes to company expenses. They even fly coach on short flights like this one. By the way, do you know how to write a business plan?"

We looked at each other. I had already forgotten about that.

Arrow continued, "I don't want to intrude, but Richard told me Ned is top priority and to assist you all I can. I'd be willing to help you put one together. After all, you don't want to blow your cover yet." Arrow looked at her watch. "I figure we've got less than two hours."

I was embarrassed and somewhat miffed that I had to have Arrow's help, but she was the one with the MBA. All I had was a degree in Psychology. I said, "Where would we do it? We can't go to your office."

"You have a computer at home, right? And you've got to pack, anyway. I'll follow you."

***

I drove the Toyota through the electronic gate and into the garage. Arrow parked on the street. I came out of the garage and guided her around the outside of the castle. I didn't want to take the chance of running into Jacie because I would have to introduce Arrow to her as Richard's executive assistant, and I knew that Jacie was the jealous type.

"Nice pool," Arrow said as we walked by it. "Too bad we don't have time for a swim."

"Maybe if we work fast…"

"I don't have a suit."

"No problem. We're swimsuit optional here. Just ask Jacie. She's Richard's wife."

"I know who Jacie is. And I've heard stories about her. Wasn't she on the pro tennis tour for a while?"

"Yes, but she wasn't in the same class with the girls whose names end in ova. She got tired of doing all the traveling, only to lose in the first or second round."

I unlocked the door of the guesthouse and we went inside. I wished I had made the bed. I led the way up the stairs and to the computer. I pressed the button to boot it.

Arrow looked out the north window. "What a view you've got! I bet I can see my townhouse from here."

"You can see most of the civilized world from here."

Arrow came to the computer and said, "Karl, I have a question."

"Questions are billable."

"Richard-your father-has told me things about you. Based on talking to you so far, I gather that some of those things might not be completely accurate. There's one thing in particular…some things you said…I, uh, oh forget it."

She was tied up in her underwear. The light dawned. "You want to know whether I'm gay."

She nodded, almost imperceptibly.

"What do I have to do, show you my Playboy collection?"

"Why does he say that?"

"A misunderstanding. Which has gotten out of hand. Now it's impossible to correct."

"Richard is so straight-forward in business. I gather his personal life is not quite the same."

I didn't want to get into that. I brought up Microsoft Word on the computer and Arrow sat in front of it.

She said, "I arranged for your plane and hotel reservations from my cell phone on the way over here."

"No wonder my father likes you. My clothes are downstairs. I can pack in five minutes."

"If you will help me get started, I can fake it for a while. Are you incorporated?"

"No."

"Well, do you have a name for your business?"

"Karl's Baseball Cards?"

"We'll have to do better than that. That name connotes a thousand square-foot shop in a mini-mall with dusty shelves and a signed picture of Ted Williams on the wall with a crease in it. And a torn awning outside."

She made it sound so demeaning. I had a signed picture of Mickey Mantle on the wall in the other room.

Arrow said, "How about Cards. com?"

"It's probably already taken."

"Okay, we'll leave that for later." She started typing. "What are your current sales?"

I was too ashamed to give her the correct figures so I inflated them. I gave her a few more numbers and then I went downstairs to pack. Arrow yelled questions at me, occasionally, and I answered as well as I could. When I came back upstairs she was working with furious speed.

Within an hour, without much help from me, she had completed a professional-looking business plan, and even threw in a spreadsheet with sales and earnings projections for five years. My product line had suddenly expanded to include all kinds of sports memorabilia.

"I can't believe you cranked this out so fast," I said, looking over the printed output.

"I've had experience. I did some for my MBA classes," she said, modestly.

"There's only one problem."

"What?"

"This is pie-in-the-sky. Any similarity between this and my business is completely coincidental."

Arrow shrugged. "Anybody who starts their own business has got to be a little star-struck, a little unreal in their hopes and dreams. If they knew what really lay ahead of them, no businesses would ever get off the ground."

"If you want to know the truth, I'm not interested in running a real business, with all the associated headaches. I'm happy just selling my old baseball cards."

"I don't believe it. You've got your father's genes."

"That's what everybody keeps telling me, but I don't see it."

"You will." She looked at her watch. "Time to go. I'll drive you to the airport."

As we walked past the pool toward the side of the castle, Jacie came out of one of the sliding doors, wearing a white tennis dress. I'm sure she had seen us come in. She said, "Well, who do we have here?"

I said, "Jacie, this is Arrow. Arrow, this is Jacie," hoping to cut it short.

They both said hello. Jacie didn't offer her hand and Arrow didn't push.

Jacie said, "This is the first time I've ever seen Karl bring a woman home with him. Of course, he's brought lots of men."

"Jacie, it's great to see you," I said, "but we've gotta run."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She laughed.

"Not a chance." We made it around the corner before she could say anything more.

"I take it Jacie espouses Richard's line," Arrow said, as we got into her car.

"I haven't figured her out yet."

"I have some ideas."

Chapter 4 NED

"Your plan looks very professional," Ned said as he glanced through it. He read some more. "I don't know anything about sports memorabilia. Do you think you can really do all this?"

"I'll never know until I try," I said, attempting to keep a straight face and making a mental note that if I ever did start a serious business to steal Arrow away from Dionysus.

We were flying over the coastal mountains of California, climbing to a cruising altitude of thirty-something thousand feet, as the pilot had just informed us. Scattered clouds below us were unsuccessful in blocking the sun's rays, which lit up the harsh brown hillsides. However, at sunset they turned into velvet.

As the occupant of the window seat, I was getting a good look at some of the many aspects of my native state, the most versatile one in the union in variety of scenery. We had taken off over Santa Monica Bay and then turned right to a northerly heading. Just after takeoff I would have been able to make out my father's castle on the hill south of Los Angeles International Airport if I had had a pair of binoculars.

Ned and I chatted about starting a business. If I could just soak up some of his knowledge, it would be very helpful, even with my modest aspirations. He was easy to talk to, unlike my father, but my mission wasn't to talk about business. After a while I realized I had to change the subject.

I said, "I'll be honest with you. The reason I need to be successful in business is to feed my gambling habit."

"Gambling?" Ned looked concerned. "What kind of gambling do you do?"

"You name it. Vegas style, sports events, card games, backgammon…if you can bet on it I probably have."

"You have to be careful with that shit. Gambling can ruin you. Have you run up any debts?"

Now he sounded like my father. "Nothing I couldn't handle." By tending bar for up to 12 hours a day for three years.

"You should never bet more than you can afford to lose."

Something was wrong; Ned was lecturing me as if I were the compulsive gambler instead of him. Maybe I could build on this. I said, "You’ve got to spend money to make money. I'll quit when I hit the big one."

"And what might that be, the lottery?"

"I never bet the lottery. The odds aren't good enough. The state only pays out half the money it takes in."

"At least you've got some sense." Ned looked relieved.

"But on some of the other games, you can swing the odds in your favor. Like blackjack. Do you play blackjack?"

"A little."

"You win more often with a ten-rich deck. So if you count the cards you bet more when there are proportionately more tens. Of course most casinos play with four or more decks now, which makes counting harder. But not impossible."

"But if they catch you counting they'll throw you out on your ass."

I grinned. "That makes it more interesting, doesn't t? So where have you played blackjack?"

"Oh, here and there. Look, if you want to gamble, here's what you do. I have a meeting that will last until nine, or 9:30 at the latest. I'm going to give you an address. Meet me there at 10 o'clock. Or is that too late or you?"

The last was said sarcastically. My father was usually in bed by ten and didn't take calls at home after nine.

"Ten o'clock is fine with me." I had been up since five, but I could always take a nap at my hotel.

Ned wrote an address on the back of one of his business cards and handed it to me. I glanced at it briefly and put it in my pocket.

"What kind of a place is this?" I asked.

"It's a private home, owned by a man named James Buchanan. Have you ever heard of him?"

"No. Should I?"

"If you follow the business news you might have. He's wealthy and somewhat eccentric. He has part of his house set up like a casino. Of course, having a real casino in your home is strictly illegal; you'll never see any money changing hands. But if you want to gamble, I guarantee you can do it there. You just won't have the thrill of losing your money."

I was confused. "But what about the police…?"

"As I say, no money changes hands. And Buchanan is an influential man. He's never been bothered by the police."

As we approached San Francisco International Airport, Ned became quieter. I could almost feel his powerful muscles tensing beside me. I asked him about the dinner he was attending, but all he would say is that it was a routine business meeting for Dionysus. As we made our over-the-bay approach to the runway I got the distinct impression that he didn't want to land.

***

The evening was cool and clear, with no fog in sight. I was thankful for that because it would make my walk to the home of James Buchanan more fun. Using the San Francisco street map I had acquired at the front desk of my hotel, I estimated that I had to walk between two and three miles. Since I ran five or six miles every morning, a little walk was nothing.

Of course I could take a taxi, but I did my best thinking outside where I wasn't closed in. And getting to my destination under my own power made me feel more in control when I got there.

Ned had driven me to my hotel and then gone directly to his business meeting, which was supposed to start at seven. Fortunately, his meeting wasn't far from my hotel or I would have blamed myself for him being late. He said he would check into his own hotel after we left James Buchanan's home. He said he had guaranteed late arrival, which meant that his room would be waiting for him even if he didn't show up until 2 a.m.

The guarantee was made with a credit card. If I were going to start traveling I would need to get a credit card again. But I didn’t want any part of rushing from one appointment to another all day and all night. If this defined the life of a corporate executive I would stick to selling baseball cards. No wonder Ned appeared to be under stress. Maybe he was just suffering from burnout. I could understand that.

But would my father understand a concept like burnout? I doubted it. Anyway, my job was just to find out whether or not Ned was a compulsive gambler. If not, my report to my father would be succinct. What happened next between them wouldn't be any of my business.

My hotel was near Market Street and the Buchanan home was in the North Beach area. By detouring a little to the east I was able to walk north on Grant Avenue, one of the most exciting streets I knew. There were still crowds on the sidewalks, tourists mixed with the local Asians, even though it was after 9 p.m.

The neon lights of the Chinese restaurants beckoned. They had delicious names like The Golden Dragon, or was it the Golden Lotus? Grand Palace or perhaps Imperial Palace or Imperial Emperor. Some of the shops selling spices, herbs, meat, chicken and fish were still open. The odors could be overwhelming to the delicate western nose.

Store windows contained fantastic sculptures carved in jade and other semi-precious stones. And enough ivory was on display to supply most of the elephants remaining in the world with tusks. Luggage stores offered steep discounts on a variety of bags-where did they get them?-and the ubiquitous souvenir shops peddled poorly made miniature cable cars and tons of T-shirts.

I hummed "Grant Avenue" from Flower Drum Song as I walked diagonally left on Columbus, at Broadway, where, I had been told by my father, topless dancing was popularized at the Condor Club in the sixties by a woman named Carol Doda who danced on top of a piano. She had also reportedly had her breasts enlarged, which may have started another trend. The Condor Club was still there, but Carol Doda was long gone.

I was soon in a quieter part of town, with fewer people about, but I wasn't apprehensive. San Francisco has never struck me as being a dangerous place.

I had time so I walked up Lombard, including the section that has earned it the title of "the crookedest street in the world." A few cars were still wending their way slowly down the steep curves, as if they were on a slow-motion ride at a theme park. I was puffing hard by the time I got to the top. I didn't have far to go, however.

James Buchanan's home faced north and had a clear view of the lit-up Golden Gate Bridge. The room with the large picture window on the front of the house was also lit as I approached, but I couldn't see anybody inside.

Ned had told me not to attempt to enter the house until he arrived. My watch showed ten minutes of ten. The house was large by San Francisco standards and sat on a hillside lot, above the street level. A brick stairway led up to the front door. Several luxury cars and SUVs were parked in the sloping driveway.

I didn't want to be arrested for loitering so I walked slowly along the street, admiring the view of the bay and the bridge. After 15 minutes of this, no cars had stopped at the Buchanan house. Maybe Ned had been held up at his business meeting. I started to get restless, but I decided to give him ten more minutes.

By 10:20 I was really restless. I am not a good waiter. I didn't know where Ned's business meeting was. I could call his hotel to see if he was there, except that since I didn't have a cell phone I would have to walk down to the commercial area at the beach where there would be pay phones. If I did that and he arrived while I was gone I would miss him.

On impulse, I walked up the steps to the front door and rang the bell. After a few seconds a disembodied male voice said, "Yes?"

I located the intercom beside the door and said, "This is Ned Mackay."

There was a pause. A video camera probably monitored me; I would be found out. I waited to be rejected.

However, in less than a minute the voice said, "Here is the puzzle for today. A ship and its boiler have a combined age of 49 years. The ship is twice as old as the boiler was when the ship was as old as the boiler is now. What is the age of each? When you know the answer, buzz me."

What the hell was he talking about? He couldn't be serious. Was this just a subtle form of rejection? I stared at the intercom, thinking up a sharp retort. But I wasn't in any position to make sharp retorts. Besides, how hard could the puzzle be? I was good at puzzles.

I had a pen in my pocket and a small notebook for jotting down anything I learned. I pulled them out. Let X equal the age of the ship and Y equal the age of the boiler. The problem could be solved with simultaneous equations. One equation was easy; X + Y = 49. The other was a little more complicated and required untangling the terminology. Something about X = 2 times Y minus some quantity.

I struggled with it for a minute and then thought, there aren't that many possibilities. I can solve it by trial and error. I tried and erred several times, but in another minute I had the answer: The ship was 28 years old and the boiler was 21. I pressed the button again.

"Yes?"

I gave my answer. Something clicked. I tried the door and it swung open.

Chapter 5 THE CASINO

The inside had the appearance of a conventional house. The spacious living room was to the right of the entryway, where I stood. It was well furnished and the large picture window, visible from the outside, was on the front wall. A stairway to the second floor rose directly in front of me and a corridor led toward the back of the house, with several closed doors along it.

Nobody was in sight. However, I heard music coming from somewhere, and the gravelly voice of Louie Armstrong, singing, "Hello, Dolly." Was I expected to know where to go? Ned would know. I headed along the corridor, walking on the hardwood floor, toward the sound of the music.

I came to a stairway heading down, directly beneath the other one. The music wafted up from below. Just as I turned to go down these stairs a young man appeared at the bottom. He was in his twenties, clean-cut, short hair, wearing a suit, white shirt and tie. The kind of person my father would hire.

As I descended the stairs I looked over the polished wooden banister and a large room appeared before me, encompassing most of the dimensions of the house. Louie's voice became louder, singing some of the words and scatting the rest of the time.

In addition to the music, I heard the hum of the conversations of several dozen men and women, who were engaged in playing games. A craps table dominated the center of the room and a blackjack table and roulette wheel stood near it. At another table people played poker and others played chess and backgammon.

Two things distinguished this from the casinos I was familiar with: There were no slot machines and there was no cigarette smoke in the air. The customers were well dressed and an aura of affluence emanated from them. I felt underdressed for the second time that day without a tie, even though I was now wearing a sport coat.

I immediately experienced the familiar excitement of being in the presence of gambling. The urge to feel the cards or dice in my hands, the certainty that this was my lucky night-it all came back in a flash. I mentally reviewed the contents of my wallet-about 60 dollars-and wondered how one got started since Ned had said no money changed hands.

In the next instant I told myself harshly that I was here to do a job and nothing else would get in the way. Then I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"My name is Stan," the young man said, sticking out his hand.

I shook hands with him, wondering how many hands I had shaken since morning. I almost said my own name, remembered I wasn't myself, hesitated, and ended up mumbling, "Pleased to meet you."

"Mr. Buchanan would like to speak with you," Stan said, leading the way to a door underneath the stairs.

I had a moment of panic as I realized that Mr. Buchanan would know I wasn't Ned Mackay, but I should have thought of that before. Stan opened the door and motioned me in ahead of him.

The small room I entered had a sloping ceiling over part of it, caused by the stairway it was under. It was dimly lit and a number of television monitors were being watched by young men who were clones of Stan in dress and appearance. None of them appeared to be older than

30.

I glanced at several of the monitors and realized I had been correct in assuming that I was being watched. They were all connected to surveillance cameras, not only outside the house, but looking down on the tables in the casino room, also. The latter monitors were undoubtedly to catch cheaters.

Stan closed the door and walked past me to a man who sat on a high stool behind the men in front of the monitors. From his vantage point he could see all the monitors. He was older, with gray hair, but it was still cut short. He was the most casually dressed person in the room, wearing a loud sport shirt and a pair of pants that appeared in the dim light to be some shade of yellow.

"Here he is, Mr. Buchanan." Stan said to the man.

Mr. Buchanan rotated the seat of his stool toward me and looked me up and down as he transferred a glass from which he had been drinking through a straw from his right hand to his left. Then he stepped down off the stool and said, "Hi, I'm James Buchanan."

He was considerably shorter than I. His hand was cold from the glass as I shook it. I had another moment of panic, but I couldn't lie any more. "Karl Patterson."

"Well, Karl Patterson," he said with a smile, "I'm glad to know your real name."

I felt I owed him an explanation. "Ned is planning to be here tonight," I said. "He told me to wait outside, but he's late and I figured…"

"You figured you might as well come inside. And you suspected you wouldn't get in if you used your real name. Well, at least you passed the test."

"The test?"

"The ship and the boiler. A favorite of mine, not because it's terribly complex, but because you have to straighten out the confusing verbiage before you can solve it."

"You mean you wouldn't have let me in if I hadn't gotten the right answer?"

"That's correct." Mr. Buchanan smiled at the look on my face. "I can anticipate your next question. Did everybody who is here tonight solve it? With couples, we only ask one of them to come up with the answer. We do discourage groups of more than four riding in on one person's answer, however. We want to keep the intellectual level elevated as much as possible."

Was he serious? "May I ask you a question, Mr. Buchanan?"

"Only if you call me James."

"Since you obviously knew from the beginning that I wasn't Ned, why did you let me in?"

"Because I like a good puzzle, and I wondered who you really were." However, he didn't ask me any more questions. Instead, he said, "Would you like a tour to pass the time until Ned gets here?"

"Sure." My job was to gather information.

"You've already seen our monitors. Let's go into the main room."

James opened the door and preceded me into the much more brightly lit casino room. Track lighting shone down from what I was now sure was a false ceiling and kept all the tables illuminated. Some of his young men were acting as croupiers and one was dealing blackjack, from only one deck, I noticed, approvingly. Others served drinks to the patrons.

James called a server and asked me what I wanted to drink. I said iced tea. When he came back with it a couple of minutes later I started to pull out my wallet, but James stopped me by putting up his hand. Without being asked, the waiter had also brought James another iced drink in a tall glass with a straw. It contained a clear liquid.

We strolled from table to table. He didn't give a boring explanation of the obvious, but instead let me watch each game for a bit. I saw a blackjack player take a hit when he should have stood and the itch inside told me I could do better. I saw a woman roll three consecutive sevens at the craps table and I wished my money was riding on her.

As we passed through the room James said hello to many of the people and joked with others. At a table where two men were engaged in a game of chess he said to one who appeared to have the worst of it, "Tom, you'd better lay off the booze. Your brain cells aren't operational tonight."

He put his hand on the shoulder of one distinguished-looking gentleman who was playing craps with a beautiful but inadequately-covered woman beside him and said, "Jed, when Sally rolls the dice don't let her bend over too far or we'll have to put her assets back into her dress. I'd better tell one of my assistants to get a warm spoon ready."

When I had a chance I asked, "Why don't you have slot machines?"

James led me to one side of the room and said, "First, there is no skill in playing the slots. They're all luck. I only like games and puzzles with at least an element of skill. All the games played here fit into that category. Second, as you may have noticed, we don't use money here."

I didn't want to sound as if I were from Buttonwillow, but I didn't know how else to phrase the question. "Are you telling me all those chips don't represent money?"

James smiled an engaging smile and said, "When you've acquired a certain amount of wealth you can do pretty much what you like. What I like is games and puzzles. Why shouldn't I be able to set my basement up as a casino and invite my friends over, if I want to? What game would you like to try?"

My skepticism at his answer boiled over, but I didn't know what else to say. For one thing, the players were concentrating awfully hard for nothing being at stake. In any case, why not try a game? With no chance of losing money I couldn't get into trouble. A little blackjack, perhaps? No, I really needed to ask James some questions about Ned. We were standing beside a table with a backgammon board on it. I said, "Do you play backgammon?"

"I play a bit of everything. Would you like to have a go?"

We sat down and arranged our fifteen checker-like pieces on the designated points. As we each rolled one die to determine who would start I asked in what I hoped was a casual manner, "Does Ned come here often?"

"Whenever he's in San Francisco. Ned's an old friend of mine. We go way back."

I rolled a six; James rolled a one. Using these rolls for my first play, I made my bar-point, or seven-point; that is, I moved two pieces to it, creating a block.

"What games does he like to play?"

James rolled a 3-1 and made his five point.

"Oh, he likes to shoot craps or play blackjack. Sometimes he plays poker."

I rolled a 4-3 and moved two pieces to my side of the board from his twelve-point.

"Would you say he is a compulsive gambler?"

James rolled a 6-3 and moved a piece from my one-point, hitting one of my piecess and sending it to the bar.

He sat, looking at the board, as if studying the game. I commanded my hand that held the dice cup to be still as I waited for his answer. He finally looked at me and said, "A year ago I would have said there was nothing compulsive about Ned. Now I'm not so sure."

"Any special reason?"

"Because of things that have happened."

An enigmatic response, but I had better not push it any more or I would arouse suspicions. I rolled a 3-2, usually not a great roll, but I got my piece off the bar with the two and used the three to hit James' piece.

"If you don't play for money, what's the thrill?"

James smiled a quick smile. "The thrill of playing any game, I guess. Trying to beat your opponent. Or the dice. Or the cards. Trying to excel. And we do keep rankings in each game, from the biggest winners to the biggest losers over the course of a year."

That was still unsatisfactory, but I didn't ask any more questions. As the game proceeded, James made what I considered to be several tactical blunders in how he moved his pieces. However, the game was still undecided down to the last two moves.

James rolled a 5-1 and bore a piece off the board with the five. He now had only two pieces remaining, on his two-point and his three-point, and he could move one of them one point. To my surprise, he moved the piece on his three-point to his two-point, leaving two pieces there, instead of from his two-point to his one-point, which would have left them on his one and three.

There are 36 possible rolls with two dice (six times six). With two pieces on his two-point, there were ten rolls that wouldn't move both his pieces off the board on his next turn; they included every roll with a one in it except a double one, since doubles count double. But, if he had left the pieces on his one and three-points, there were only two rolls that wouldn't have cleared the board for him: 2-1 and

1-2.

I won the game because of his mistake.

James congratulated me and said, "Would you like to play a match to five points for a small stake?"

"You don't play for money."

"Not for money. If I win you serve drinks for half-an-hour. If you win I'll give you a ride back to your hotel so you don't have to walk."

Did he know that I'd been a bartender? "Is that how you get these guys to work for you?"

James laughed. "No, I pay them real money. They're on my staff."

I glanced at my watch. It was almost eleven. I doubted that Ned was going to show, and I didn't have anything else to do. It was a screwy bet, but my itch was still there so I accepted.

James' game suddenly improved dramatically. He stopped making silly mistakes. Nevertheless, I wasn't worried because backgammon is 75% luck, and luck seemed to be on my side. I was ahead in points 4-3 when we started what I hoped would be the deciding game.

The game started badly for me and got worse. James was able to set up blocks on all six points of his inner board while I had two pieces on the bar. As long as he maintained those blocks I couldn't get my pieces off the bar, and with pieces on the bar the rules said I couldn't move.

He played it perfectly and gammoned me, meaning that he bore all his pieces off before I bore off any. A gammon counts double so he won the match 5-4.

I offered half-hearted congratulations. James grinned and said, "You play a good game. Next time we'll use the doubling cube. But before you start serving your penance, why don't you call Ned's hotel and make sure he got back okay. He's very reliable-when he says he's going to do something he does it. I want to make sure he's okay."

I looked at James in surprise. He and Ned must be very good friends. Ned probably got held up at his business meeting until late and then went straight back to his hotel, but at least he could have called here. I looked at my watch again. It was after 11:30.

James rose from his chair and led me to the control room. When he walked fast he had a noticeable limp. The crowd had thinned out considerably. I suspected that most of them were working people. I followed James through the door to the control room where he handed me a cordless phone.

"I don't know the number of Ned's hotel," I said. In fact, the only reason I remembered the name of it was because we had passed it on the way to my hotel and Ned had pointed it out to me.

James asked me the name and turned to a nearby personal computer sitting on a shelf high enough so he could use it standing up. I looked over his shoulder and could see that he was accessing the Tartan website on the Internet. As he worked the keyboard I noticed for the first time that the tip of the fourth finger of his left hand was missing, making it difficult for him to key the letter "s." He found the hotel name on an index page and clicked on it. Ten seconds later he gave me the phone number.

I punched it in and after two rings a clerk answered. I asked her whether Ned Buchanan had checked in and was put on hold. In 30 seconds she came back on the line and told me that Mr. Buchanan had not checked in.

I disconnected the phone and relayed the information to James. His forehead creased in a frown.

"Stan, what restaurant was Ned Mackay's meeting at?" James asked the young man who had welcomed me. He was watching the monitors.

"The Golden Palace," Stan answered, without turning his head.

James did his trick with the Internet again and punched a number into the phone. He had a brief conversation. By the time he hung up, his frown had grown more intense.

"The meeting never took place," James said to no one in particular. "Ned was never at the restaurant."

Before I could express my surprise James punched in a new number. His side of the conversation went like this: "It's James. Has Ned been there tonight?" Pause. "No, I didn't. When was he there?" Pause. "Did he say where he was going when he left?" Pause "You're kidding!" Pause. "He did?" Fidgety pause. "No, I haven't seen him. I don't know what's going on. I'll call you when I find out." He jabbed the disconnect button.

James immediately had another go-round with his computer and again punched in a number. He swore under his breath until somebody answered the phone, and then said, "This is James Buchanan. I was expecting a visitor tonight, but he hasn't shown up. He's in San Francisco but he didn't check into his hotel. His name is Ned Mackay. Could you…?"

James listened and shock registered on his face. He appeared to struggle as he asked several brief questions, including "Where?" and "When?" and then said, "Yes. Yes, I'll be here."

He turned to me. He said, choking on his words, "That was the police. Ned was mugged…he's been shot."

"Shot?" I said, uncomprehending. Then, as it sank in, “Is he…?"

"He…he's dead."

Chapter 6 DETECTIVE WASHINGTON

"Hello."

I was surprised at how fast my father picked up the phone. He obviously wasn't asleep. I had expected he would be. I was still preparing what to say to him. "Oh…hi Dad."

"Karl? Where are you?"

"In San Francisco."

"I know that. Are you all right?"

"Of course. But Ned…"

"I know about Ned. The San Francisco Police called me over an hour ago. You weren't with him?"

"No. I was supposed to meet him at ten, but he never showed up."

"Thank God you're all right."

I had never heard my father so concerned about my safety. "I'm fine, Dad. But someone should call Mrs. Mackay."

"I did that, myself. She has friends with her now. The police didn't know anything about you so I called Arrow and she told me what hotel you were staying at. I called the hotel, but you weren't there."

A lot had taken place while I was out of the loop. I said, "The police are on their way here."

"Are you at your hotel now?"

"No. I'm at the home of James Buchanan." Looking out his picture window at a postcard view of a lit-up Golden Gate Bridge.

"James Buchanan? How do you know him?" He sounded incredulous.

"I didn't until tonight. Ned said to meet him here." Lights of cars moved in both directions over the bridge, like fireflies on parade.

There was silence at the other end of the line. The doorbell rang. I said, "I think the police are here now. I'd better go."

"When are you coming home?"

"Tomorrow morning." It occurred to me that it was already tomorrow.

"I'll talk to you when you get back."

"Dad? Is there anything I can do while I'm here?"

"No. Everything is taken care of."

"Dad, I'm…I'm sorry about Ned."

"So am I." His voice cracked.

There wasn't anything else to say. I said goodbye and hung up. Stan opened the front door and admitted a woman and a man, dressed in civilian clothes.

The woman said, "I'm Detective Washington and this is Detective Lawson, San Francisco Police Department." She showed him a badge. "I would like to speak to James Buchanan."

"I'll take you to Mr. Buchanan," Stan said. "You might also want to speak to Karl Patterson." He indicated where I was standing a few feet away in the living room. "He flew to San Francisco from Los Angeles with Mr. Mackay this afternoon."

"Yes, we do want to talk to Mr. Patterson," Detective Washington said. And then to her partner, "I'll talk to Mr. Patterson. You talk to Mr. Buchanan. You know what to ask him."

James had cleared the casino immediately after we had found out about Ned's death. He seemed very upset. Everybody had left, including all of the young men, except Stan and a couple of others who were closing things up downstairs.

Stan escorted Detective Lawson to James' office, where he had closeted himself after kicking everybody out. Detective Washington came into the living room and introduced herself to me. She had a strong voice and her demeanor and body language said she was in control of the situation; her black hair was cut short and her blue pantsuit was the color of power. She was tall, with graceful movements, and I suspected she could take care of herself in a fight as well as any man.

"I'm sorry about Mr. Mackay," she said, softening her voice a little.

"Thank you."

"I'm glad we found you. One of your father's people gave us the name of your hotel, but you weren't there."

"I was here." Obviously. Okay, Karl, get control.

"May I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course."

She sat in an armchair and motioned me to a sofa facing it. She produced a pencil and a spiral notebook.

"When was the last time you saw Mr. Mackay?" she asked.

"About 6:30 or a little later. We flew up from LA together and he drove me to my hotel. Then he…well, I thought he was going to a business meeting."

"Where was this meeting supposed to be held?"

"At the Golden Palace Restaurant," I said, remembering what Stan had said.

"Did Mr. Mackay tell you he was going to this meeting?"

"Yes. Actually, he didn't tell me the name of the restaurant. I got that from Stan, the fellow who answered the door. Mr. Mackay was supposed to be here at ten."

"Did you know that Mr. Mackay never actually went to the Golden Palace?"

"I didn't find that out until Mr. Buchanan called the restaurant looking for Mr. Mackay."

"And when was that?"

"Just before he called the police. About a half hour ago."

Detective Washington made some notes and then said, "What did you do after Mr. Mackay left you off at your hotel?"

"I checked in. I was hungry so I ate dinner at a restaurant nearby. Then I rested in my room."

"Why are you staying at a different hotel from Mr. Mackay?"

"Uh, because…" I was going to say because I was paying for it myself, but that wasn't true and it was easily verified. "It was a last-minute arrangement. I guess that was the easiest place to get a room."

She seemed satisfied with that answer, but things were moving too fast. I wanted to stop and rewind the last few hours; they hadn't come out right. Should I have become concerned sooner about Ned not showing up? What good would it have done? Why did he lie about his meeting? Did my father blame me for his death?

In answer to another question, I explained as well as I could my reason for coming to San Francisco, but only about getting business advice, not the part about checking on Ned. My words sounded lame to me. I wondered if I would believe myself if I were the interrogator.

When she asked at what time I had left the hotel I told her about walking to the Buchanan residence. She raised her eyebrows when I mentioned walking. Was it because nobody walked here? She asked me what route I had taken. I told her.

"Did you see or hear anything suspicious when you were walking on Grant Avenue?" Detective Washington asked.

"No. Just the usual tourists and locals…the shops…"

"Did you go on any other streets in Chinatown or did you stay on Grant?"

"I stayed on Grant until I got to Columbus."

"And you didn't hear any gun shots."

"No! Why?"

"Because Mr. Mackay was shot in an alley just off Grant, probably about the time you were walking there. Of course, the noise level is so high that I would not have expected you to hear the shots. Or anybody else on Grant, for that matter."

Then why did she ask me? Was I a suspect?

I must have looked like a scared rabbit because the corners of Detective Washington's eyes crinkled slightly and she said, "It's nothing to worry about. Just the fact that you were so open with me about your route would lead me to believe your story. In any case, when I talked to your father he said that you hardly knew Mr. Mackay and I'm sure you have no motive for killing him."

That made me feel better, but maybe she was just trying to get me to lower my guard.

"A couple of other things," she said. "Mr. Mackay's body was found in a dumpster. Since he's pretty hefty it probably took two men to get him in there. Preliminary estimate is that he hadn't been there more than half an hour. He was found by a homeless guy looking for food. Lucky for us or it might have been hours, or even days, before he was discovered."

But not lucky for Ned. It didn't matter to him. She asked me several more questions, which I answered carefully.

Detective Lawson appeared at the entrance to the living room. He was less impressive looking than Detective Washington, with an expanding waistline and a receding hairline. The checked sport coat he wore had seen better days and may even have been in style once. He said, "Mr. Buchanan showed me the log he keeps for guests. Mr. Patterson was logged in at 10:24."

Detective Washington nodded. "That squares with his story," she said, indicating me.

I was still recovering from the shock of learning I had been so close to Ned. I said, "Can you tell me what time Mr. Mackay was found?"

She consulted her notebook. "At 9:25 we received a call saying that there was a man in a dumpster just off Grant and that shots had been heard a few minutes earlier. He was dead by the time the paramedics got there. He had three gunshot wounds, including one in the chest.

"My partner and I were called. We got to the scene about 9:45. His wallet was gone, but an attache case was beside the body. There was a leather notebook inside with some of his business cards in it."

"Do you think it was a robbery?" I asked. I had felt so safe when I walked through there.

"It appears at this time that robbery was the motive. His wallet is missing, as I said. But we would like to know what he did from the time he left you until he was shot and why he said he was going to a meeting when he wasn't."

I wanted to know those things too. And his wallet had been taken, with all his money-and more important, his credit cards. The companies should be notified. However, I suspected my father was already working on that. There didn't seem to be anything else for me to do. I asked, "Do you, uh, need me to identify him?"

"If you would."

Detective Lawson, who had been talking to Stan by the front door, said, "Mr. Buchanan has volunteered to identify the body."

James Buchanan came into the living room, looking haggard and limping noticeably. He said, "I've known Ned all his life so it's logical for me to identify him."

I started to protest, thinking it would be too much for him, but he insisted and I stopped pressing since I really didn't want to do it.

As an afterthought I asked, "Did you find Mr. Mackay's rental car?"

"The key was in Mr. Mackay's pocket," Detective Washington said, "and we got a description of the car from Hertz. We're searching for the car now." She looked at me and said, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Patterson. If we have any more questions we know where to find you." And to James, "Are you ready to go, Mr. Buchanan? We'll drive you to the morgue."

James put his hand on my shoulder and said, "As I said, I've known Ned all my life. This is…a terrible tragedy. Please convey my sorrow and sympathy to your father."

"I will." There didn't seem to be any adequate words for the situation.

"Stan will drive you back to your hotel." James actually smiled slightly. "I know you lost our bet, but considering the circumstances it's the least we can do."

***

Stan also said some words of sympathy as he drove easily up the hill on the almost-deserted street. It was after 1 a.m.

"Did you know Ned?" I asked, wondering how long Stan had worked for James.

"Not real well, but he's come to the house several times since I've been there. I found out he and James grew up together. They also came to this country together, and eventually went their separate ways, but lately they've been talking to each other a lot."

"How did you know where Ned's business meeting was supposed to be?" I asked, and then realized that I sounded like the police.

Stan didn't seem annoyed at the question. "Ned called James at our office last Friday. James was out of the building so I took the call. Ned asked me whether he could meet with James Tuesday evening-tonight. He said he had a dinner meeting at the Golden Palace, but he would come over to the house afterward."

It occurred to me that Stan had known I wasn't Ned when he first saw me on the monitor. He must have consulted James before letting me in. I asked, "Did Ned do much gambling?"

"He talked a lot, drank a little and did some gambling, but not much that I recall. He didn't seem to have the passion for it that some of the guests do."

This was at variance with what James had said. Of course, if it was true that no real money was changing hands, maybe that explained Ned's behavior. Perhaps a compulsive gambler wasn't compulsive when there was nothing real at stake. If that was true I couldn't be a compulsive gambler because I liked to play games, regardless of the stakes.

I wanted to ask Stan about the legitimacy of the casino operation, but why should he tell me anything? Instead, I asked, "How long have you worked for James?"

"About two years. I went there right from the Stanford business school."

Another MBA. "Isn't that work a little…beneath your talents?"

"Oh, I only work at the house one night a week. I work at the corporate headquarters the rest of the time. James makes all his management-track people do that. He says it's good to get some real-world experience. That's true, I suppose, if you want to end up running a casino."

I wasn't going to show my ignorance by asking what corporate headquarters he was referring to. I said, "I noticed that all his employees were men. Doesn't James have any women working for him?"

Stan took his eyes off the road and looked at me. Since we were cresting the top of Hyde Street and the pavement had disappeared from in front of us I hoped like hell he'd look back at the road. I felt like Steve McQueen's detective must have in the chase scene from the old movie, Bullitt. He finally turned his eyes back to the road and said, "What are you, a spy for the government equal opportunity people?"

"No."

He chuckled. "James just prefers men to women."

We arrived at my hotel. He pulled up to the front door. "Thanks for the ride," I said. We shook hands and I asked, "Do you have far to go?"

"Back to the Buchanan place. I live there."

As Stan drove away I stood there for a minute and gulped the cool night air. It brought back some sense of reality to me. Everything that had happened since I had entered James Buchanan's home was outside my known world. But I was afraid it would end up being a quickly fading dream.

I would fly home in the morning, talk to my father, commiserate with him briefly about Ned. He would formally thank me for trying to help, say he didn't need my services anymore, probably have a check made for me. Then we would go our separate ways again.

As for Ned, my father would make sure that his wife and children were provided for, financially. He would attend the funeral, perhaps give a eulogy. Then he would set about finding a replacement for Ned. The company stock would drop briefly, but it would recover.

Detective Washington and her partner would file their report. They would attempt to find witnesses to Ned's shooting and fail. The case would go on the books as an unsolved murder. Life would go on. Without Ned.

I walked into the hotel and asked the night clerk how I could get to the airport in the morning. He said he would get me a reservation on a shuttle bus. I also asked for a wakeup call and gave him several dollar bills from my wallet.

I took the elevator to the fourth floor, unlocked my room with the plastic magnetic card I had been given and went in. I used the toilet, brushed my teeth and threw my clothes in a chair. My travel clock read five minutes of two; I set the alarm for 6:30, not trusting the wakeup call. I wouldn't get my usual eight hours of sleep.

Almost as an afterthought I noticed the message light blinking on the telephone. I pushed the appropriate buttons and listened to messages from my father and Detective Washington. Their messages were old news, but the shock of Ned's death returned. I hung up the phone.

As I collapsed on the bed I wondered whether I would get any sleep at all. I had about two minutes of wondering and then I stopped wondering about anything.

Chapter 7 DEBRIEFING

The southbound traffic on 101 was lighter than the northbound traffic heading into San Francisco and the airport shuttle I was riding in made good time to the airport. The weather became sunnier and warmer as we went farther south.

The newspapers at an airport shop had front-page stories about Ned. I bought one and scanned it as I was waiting at the gate. The story of the shooting didn't say anything I didn't already know. It described Ned as a high-tech pioneer. Dionysus was mentioned but I wasn't. Good.

The window seat beside me on the plane was empty; it was Ned's seat. I moved into it after the plane took off, to get away from the large man in the aisle seat, who really needed a seat and a half, and although I rarely slept on airplanes I dozed most of the way to LA.

After we landed at LAX I raced along the aisles, dodging other passengers like a running back. I rode down the escalators and then strode outside to the noise and fumes of motor vehicles cruising by. A security officer with a reflective shirt appeared from nowhere whenever a driver tried to park and wait for an arriving passenger. In a time of heightened security everybody had to keep moving.

My plan was to catch an airport shuttle home. Suddenly, Arrow appeared in front of me, breathless. I gave her a startled "Hi" and she said, "I was afraid I'd miss you. Richard asked me to pick you up and take you by the office for a debriefing."

Before I could protest she grabbed my bag and led the way across the airport access road, where the cars, limos and a myriad of vans and buses-parking lot shuttles, rental car shuttles, hotel shuttles and airport shuttles-all tried to violate a law of physics by fitting into the same space at the same time. The metered parking lot had been permanently closed so Arrow had parked in the short-term lot, which had a minimum charge of three dollars. Well, at least I didn’t have to pay it. The noise and confusion precluded much talking until we had stowed the suitcase in the trunk of her car and climbed inside.

As she backed out of the parking place Arrow said, "You must have had a horrible night."

"Not as bad as Ned's," I said, wondering how her night had been. She was wearing slacks and a sweater and didn't look as put together as she had yesterday.

"Poor Ned. I can't believe it. I was asleep when Richard called me to ask about your hotel. I hardly slept at all after that."

I felt like a traitor because of the few hours of sleep I'd had. I asked, "How is my father taking it?"

"He's calm on the surface, but inside is a different matter. I believe he's badly shaken. He asked me to go to Elma Mackay's house this morning, to help her in any way I could. He also wants me to do a complete evaluation of her financial situation, partly to find out whether Ned has squandered a lot of money. I'm afraid Elma is one of those women whose financial knowledge is limited to writing checks from what she considers to be an ever-flowing artesian well of funds, but never balancing her checkbook."

Arrow said the last in a disapproving manner and I would have laughed, had it not been for the gravity of the situation.

"And then Richard called me at Elma's house," Arrow continued, "and asked me to pick you up. Since it was almost time for your plane to land I was afraid I'd miss you. Fortunately, the plane was about ten minutes late."

It was not like my father to do things at the last minute. He must be very upset.

***

The headquarters of Dionysus was in one of the many buildings in one of the many office complexes that dot the landscape in Torrance. The buildings invariably look new because they are well maintained and well landscaped, and have spacious parking lots for their employees.

The flag on top of the Dionysus building was at half-mast. I hadn't been inside for several years, but it still looked the same to me, with its cubicles and computers, except that the computers were more modern and the employees in front of them were more casually dressed. Also, the mood of the people I saw was subdued.

Arrow led the way to my father's office, actually a large cubicle. Nobody had an enclosed office. My father was on the phone so we stopped at the cubicle of his admin, who was a young man, as my father had told me. The first thing I noticed about him was that he was wearing an earring; that was also new to my business experience. I wasn't as surprised that his short-sleeved shirt-some shade of purple-was unbuttoned enough to reveal curly chest hair.

He gave Arrow a hint of a smile and said, "A sad day."

"Yes," Arrow said. "Karl, this is John. John, this is Karl."

"Karl, I've been dying to meet you ever since I came here," John said, exuberantly, getting up from his chair and pumping my hand. "You look just like your father."

I murmured something I hoped was polite, but he was checking his telephone lights and said, "Richard is off the phone now. Arrow, get your sweet ass into his office." And to me, "Ta ta, Karl."

Arrow and I walked around the corner, with me looking at her. She said, in a low voice, "I know what you're thinking, but coming from him that's not sexual harassment."

"But from me it would be?"

"It depends on which persona you have on."

I would have said "touche" but we were entering my father's cubicle, which was large enough to have several comfortable chairs in addition to a table that served as his desk. I had never seen him look so haggard. It was obvious he hadn't slept much, either. I was particularly startled because he had never looked like an old man to me before. Would I look like that in 30 years?

My father said, "Hi, Karl, I'm glad you're back safely." He came out from behind his table and shook my hand. He said, "Have a seat," indicating two of the chairs to Arrow and me, and sat in the third one.

"How is Elma holding up?" he asked Arrow.

"She's a trooper," Arrow said. "She's already starting to make plans for a memorial service. Since it isn't clear when Ned's body will be released because of the autopsy, she's going to go ahead with a service and have Ned cremated."

"What about the money situation?"

"Elma doesn't have a clue, and so I don't, either-yet. It will take some digging, but I'll get the answers."

"I was afraid of that. Keep me informed. Karl, how did you make out with the police?"

"They asked me where I'd been. I walked from my hotel to James Buchanan's house and it turns out that I was quite close to Ned about the time he was killed. I hope that doesn't make me a suspect."

"Not likely. Do they have any leads?"

"It didn't sound like it. Since he was found in a dumpster they think it might have been more than one person."

My father frowned. "Did Ned tell you that his business meeting had been cancelled?"

"No! When was it cancelled?"

"Yesterday morning. I talked to one of the people he was supposed to be meeting with. She said she called him and he answered the phone himself. He was very pleasant and thanked her for calling. But apparently he didn't tell anybody else, including his admin."

"That's bizarre," Arrow said. "He certainly never let on to me.

"Which brings us to the question," my father said, "of what he was doing from the time he dropped Karl off until he was killed."

"The police are asking that question too," I said. "He appeared to be nervous when he dropped me off at my hotel, if that's any help."

"Tell me how you got involved with James Buchanan." My father looked at me in what I recognized as a disapproving manner.

I told the story in a few sentences, leaving out the backgammon game.

"Do you know who James Buchanan is?" my father asked, when I had finished.

"He apparently runs some sort of a company, but I don't know what it does."

“ James Buchanan is founder, CEO and major shareholder of a conglomerate called Tartan Enterprises that owns a number of other companies.”

I had read about Tartan Enterprises since I had become interested in the stock market, but I hadn’t made the connection to James. I said, “Oh,” in a noncommittal manner because officially I wasn’t interested in business.

My father continued, “He is a billionaire several times over. Since our stock has gone down he has been buying it on the open market. I know because he has to file SEC reports. He owns at least five percent of Dionysus, but I suspect he's probably buying it as we speak, because it plunged at the opening today."

"Do you know what his objective is?" Arrow asked.

"His objective is to gain a controlling interest in Dionysus and then kick me out."

Arrow and I looked at each other with our mouths open, not knowing what to say. Had I been cavorting with the enemy?

"You started Dionysus," Arrow said, "and built it to what it is now. Anybody who wants to get rid of you is an idiot."

My father smiled slightly and said, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Arrow, but your job isn't in jeopardy. James and I go way back; we've never liked each other. He thinks he could grow Dionysus faster without me. Maybe he's right."

"But if Buchanan feels that way," I said, "why would Ned be friendly with him?"

"Ned is Ned. He and Buchanan also go back a long way, all the way to Scotland, in fact, where they grew up together. Maybe he was hoping to get the top spot when Buchanan took over."

"Ned would never have betrayed you," Arrow said, flatly.

"I hope that's true. Now we'll never know."

I had been doing some calculating in my head, based on information I had read in the last Dionysus annual report. I said, "You and Ned together control over fifty percent of Dionysus stock. Without your consent, Buchanan can't gain a majority interest."

"But now Ned's out of the picture. Elma is the owner of his stock."

I realized how upset my father was about Ned because he didn’t show any surprise at my knowledge about the stock.

"Do you think Elma would sell out?" Arrow asked.

My father shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? You've seen her financial acumen. But it might actually make sense for her to sell. We don't pay dividends and she needs income to support herself and the children. Growth in capital isn't enough for her. Although, recently, the growth in the stock price has been negative."

"I'll have a better idea of her finances in a few days," Arrow said.

My father turned to me and said, "Karl, I want to thank you for your help. Of course I didn't…expect things to turn out as they did."

"I haven't given you my report on Ned," I said. "After talking to him and to Buchanan…"

"I'm sure Buchanan identified you as my son…"

"Possibly, although he didn't mention it. Wait-he said to convey his sympathy to you. I asked him about Ned's gambling. He said recent events had given him reason to think that Ned might be compulsive, but he didn't elaborate."

"He might have been trying to create a rift between us."

"All right, we'll discount Buchanan, especially since he seems to like to play games. I talked to a young man who works for him named Stan, who knew Ned, and he didn't think that Ned was much of a gambler at all. I got the same idea from talking to Ned, himself."

"How do you explain what I saw in the casino?" Arrow asked.

"I don't know."

"Well, anyway, the question is academic now," my father said, "unless he squandered a lot of money. Arrow will find that out." He extended his hand to me. "Thanks again, Karl. Have you met John?"

"Yes, Arrow introduced us when we came in."

"Excellent. Get an expense form from John on your way out. We'll cover your expenses plus an extra thousand for your time. Incidentally, you and John should have a lot in common."

He had said that before. Arrow looked as if she was about to say something. I stared her into silence. I got up, formally shook her hand and said, "It's been nice working with you."

She looked surprised and said, "I'll drive you home."

I turned to my father and said, "Dad, if you'll let me borrow your car I'll bring it back at the time you specify and take you home. That way, Arrow won't have to waste her time driving me."

The argument about not wasting Arrow's time appealed to him. Of course my time didn't matter. He said, "Be back here at six. I want to get to bed early tonight."

"May I borrow your keys?" I asked Arrow. "I'll transfer my suitcase to my father's car and return the keys to John."

She took them out of her handbag and handed them to me, reluctantly, I thought. As I turned to leave the cubicle I spotted the picture of me with my two younger sisters, sitting on my father's credenza. We were laughing at something.

I walked around the corner to John's desk. He was eating one of those big sloppy cheeseburgers that's supposed to get all over you before you can call yourself a man-or woman-but he had set up a network of paper napkins to catch the drips. My mouth watered and reminded me that it was after 1 p.m. and I hadn't eaten lunch yet.

"Ah, the prodigal son returns," John said when he saw me.

"I need an expense form," I said, hoping to keep our conversation short.

He wiped his fingers, fastidiously, pulled a form out of a drawer of his desk and handed it to me, saying, "I'm on an email list of hot young bods who want to get together. If you'd like to join I can give you the info."

"Maybe some other time. Is there a telephone I can use?"

He pointed to a phone in an empty cubicle. It was too close to him. If he heard me making a date with a woman it might damage his self-image. I didn't want to be responsible for that.

I remembered a pay phone we had passed on our way in from the parking lot. Sometimes Esther, my friend at the Emerge organization, ate a late lunch. If traffic wasn't bad, I could make it to her office in about 30 minutes.

"Thanks," I said. "I've decided I don't need the phone."

"Then I'll see you around if you don't turn square."

"I'll be back in two minutes to return Arrow's keys." I held them up.

"Ah, Arrow," John sighed. "She's so scrumptious that sometimes I wish I were straight."

Chapter 8 ESTHER

The one-story Emerge building wasn't large, but it was conspicuous because of its orange color. Parking is at a premium in Santa Monica, but one of the metered spots in front was open so I pulled in there.

I put a quarter in the slot, even though I only expected to be five minutes, because the risk of getting a ticket costing a hundred times that much wasn't worth it. Not that I hadn't taken the risk in the past. I had been cured because I had received a $25 ticket at a meter near the Trader Joe's Market in Redondo Beach after years of saying "It won't happen to me."

I went inside and said hi to the young man at the desk, a former client. He was now well dressed, well groomed and articulate. Several of the current clients were using the telephones provided to aid them in job searches. There were both men and women; on any day they represented a cross-section of the many ethnic groups that have found their way to Southern California.

The dress of the clients ranged from hip to homeless, with most nearer the lower end of the scale, and I had once helped a client who carried a duffle bag and a strong aroma with him. The bag probably contained all his possessions, in spite of the fact that clients were supposed to have at least a shelter to stay at and not be on the streets.

I walked on to the computer area, which was my specialty. I'm sure I inherited my computer aptitude from my father, although I would never tell him that. I recognized one of the clients who was working on a resume because I had helped him the previous week, a man by the name of Pat Wong.

I went over to him and said, "Hi, Pat, is the computer behaving itself today?"

"Hi, Karl, everything is fine. Take a look at what I've done."

He picked up a copy of his resume from the laser printer, which was shared by several computers, and handed it to me. I glanced over it. It was well laid out, using Microsoft Word. Pat had prepared a functional resume, not showing dates of employment, because, like many of the clients, he had a big gap in his employment record. His gap was five years; he had been in prison, convicted of dealing drugs.

"Looks good," I said, handing it back. "That ought to get you in the door."

"It already has, thanks to your help, and Ted who helped me write it. I have an interview tomorrow."

"Congratulations! And good luck."

"Thanks."

Pat wanted to be an airport shuttle driver. I wondered whether a company would take a chance on him since the job involved handling money and required dependability. I hoped so.

I went on back to the area where Esther hung out. I said hello to her three female staff members as I walked through, and poked my head into her office. She was on the phone, as usual, but she smiled and waved me in. I sat down on an extra chair and looked at the pictures of her four-year-old son, Emilio. She shared custody of him with her former husband. There were also several drawings by him on her corkboard. The rest of the office showed the clutter of a creative mind.

Esther hung up the phone and stood up. I also stood and we hugged briefly.

She said, "I'm glad you came. It gives me an excuse to get away from the office for a while and I'm famished."

She gave some instructions to her staff and then we walked back through the building and out the front door.

When she saw the Mercedes she said, "You know, Karl, for someone with no visible means of support, you sure drive fancy cars. If I didn't know better I'd suspect you were a car thief."

"I didn't want to tell you before," I said, opening the door for her. "I was afraid it would prejudice you against me."

***

The small cafe near Wilshire Boulevard served tasty sandwiches, some with natural ingredients, whatever that means. They must be good because they were expensive.

I paid for our lunches. Esther was always willing to pay her share, and even mine, but I felt guilty taking her money because she was providing half the support for a son and I had no dependents and few expenses.

We sat outside at a small metal table, protected from the Los Angeles weather by transparent glass shields. The breeze was usually cool near the beach but the Santa Ana winds had warmed up the air to the point where we would have been comfortable out in the open, even with our thin California blood.

Esther wore a long skirt, with a slit up the side that revealed flashes of her shapely legs as she moved. When she was concentrating on something she had a habit of playing with her skirt, sometimes pulling it up above her knees, which was more enticing than if she'd been wearing a mini.

Her long hair was auburn, not uncommon for someone of Hispanic origin, as I'd discovered, and she even had some freckles. Her smile would melt asbestos.

I sipped iced tea and watched her expressive face while we waited for our sandwiches.

She caught me looking at her and said, "Why so quiet today, Karl? Your job is to amuse me and keep my mind off work."

"Sorry," I said. "But allow me one question. Is everything falling into place for the big event Saturday?"

The annual fundraiser was expected to bring in several hundred thousand dollars. The planning for it fell on the shoulders of Esther and her staff.

"It's a circus. If I'm not good company it's because I was up until six this morning writing descriptions for the silent auction. The computer was giving me fits."

"Did you get any sleep at all?"

"I went home and caught a couple of hours before I came back in."

It seemed that everybody had gotten less sleep than I had. I said, "And I thought I had problems. You should have called me to help with the computer." Of course I had been in San Francisco.

"Next time I will. Tell me about your problems."

"I won't bore you with them. All I want is unconditional love right now."

"I'll give you an unconditional hickey if you don't tell me. You know everything about me and I know nothing about you."

The hickey sounded good, but I could tell from the sound of her voice and the fire in her eyes that I had better start talking. I hadn't told her who my father was because I wanted to distance myself from him. Emerge was my project. My father had his foundation and if he liked an organization he might donate thousands of dollars to it. Then he would be made a member of its Golden Circle and be invited to sit at a front table for fundraisers, etc. etc. If he found out about Emerge he could with a stroke of his pen, completely overshadow my poor efforts.

I said, "Okay, I'll tell you my story if you'll promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"You won't contact my father or put him on your mailing list. You have everybody in the entertainment industry on your mailing list as it is; you don't need my father."

"I take it from what you just said that you don't exactly come from a poverty-stricken background. It may shock and distress you, but I'd already figured that out."

Once I got started I couldn't stop. I told her about my father and how I lived in the guest house, rent free, but I helped to take care of the cars, house and grounds, including hiring pool cleaners, gardeners, painters, plumbers, etc. Jacie handled Luz, the housekeeper, but I was careful to maintain her friendship. I told Esther about some of my dealings with Jacie; that made her laugh.

"But my father doesn't give me an allowance, if that's what you're thinking," I said after I'd finished the other stuff.

"I wasn't thinking anything," Esther said, taking my hand. "Don't be so paranoid."

"My baseball card business is getting better all the time."

"I'm sure it is. Now tell me what you've been doing for the last 24 hours."

I had alluded to my trip to San Francisco. I might as well tell her. For it to make sense I had to tell her everything so I gave her a detailed account. When I got to the part about Ned's death, she gasped and two tears ran down her cheeks. I said, "I'm sorry, Esther. This isn't making you laugh like I'm supposed to be doing. It's not good lunch-time talk."

"No, no," she said, taking my hand again. "This is your life. I want to hear it."

I continued my story, and finally concluded by telling about the meeting with my father and Arrow. When I had finished with the details of the meeting I said, without planning it, "And then my father thanked me and arranged to pay me for my time, just as if I were one of his employees. And then he…dismissed me and went back to work." I lapsed into silence.

Esther squeezed my hand and said, "It hurts, doesn't it."

"Well, now that I've got your sympathy, could you lend me a million dollars?" I said, trying to break the lugubrious spell. I looked at my watch. "My God! It's almost 3:15. I've got to get you back."

Esther looked at her own watch and said, "You know what? I really don't feel like going back to Emerge. I think I've done enough for one day."

"What? The workaholic takes time off?"

"I will under one condition," she said, punching the number of her office into her cell phone. "Come with me to my apartment. My ex is taking care of Emilio. I want to take a hot bath. And I need somebody to wash my back-and my front."

***

I awoke with a very pleasant aroma assailing my nostrils. It took me a few seconds to figure out that the aroma came from Esther and that we were tangled together in the form of a knot tied by an amateur. I lifted my head. The sunlight coming in through the south-facing window slanted sharply from the west. It must be late afternoon.

I looked down again. My eyes were inches from her left nipple, which was surrounded by a perfect aureole. I knew that from past experience because my farsighted eyes couldn’t focus on it. However, I couldn't resist taking a taste. She stirred, but didn't awaken. One taste is never enough, but I had to use the bathroom and something was nagging at the back of my mind.

I carefully untangled myself from Esther. She smiled but slept on. I searched for my watch, walking around the small bedroom a couple of times, and finally found it in one of my shoes. The time was five minutes to six. Six! I was supposed to pick my father up at six.

I grabbed the cordless phone beside the bed and took it into the hall so as not to bother Esther. I punched my father's work number.

After two rings he answered with one word: "Patterson."

"Dad!" I said. "I'm supposed to pick you up at six."

"That's what I'm expecting. Where are you?"

"Um…in west LA, near UCLA."

There was a pause during which I wished I could assure him that I'd be there in five minutes instead of a rush hour 45.

"I'll call Jacie and have her come," he finally said.

It would have been easier to take if he had yelled at me. I hung up, feeling the chill. I walked back into the bedroom with my head down. Esther was awake and looking at me.

"Trouble?" she asked.

"Of my own making."

She held out her arms. "I'll make it all better."

She was totally uncovered. What could I do?

***

At eight o'clock we ordered a pizza to be delivered. By nine o'clock we were dressed and I was functioning almost like a human being. It occurred to me that I hadn't checked my telephone messages at home for well over 24 hours.

I checked them using Esther's phone. There were three. Two were of minor consequence. The third was from Detective Washington, San Francisco Police Department. She said, "Mr. Patterson, I need to talk to you as soon as possible. Please call me." She gave a number but said she was working the day shift the next few days. She probably wouldn't be there now.

When I hung up, Esther, who was making a career out of reading my face, said, "More trouble?"

I told her about the call.

She said, "It's probably nothing. She wants to fill you in on what's happening."

"Detective Washington isn't the type of person who calls people just to chat. I'd better leave now so I can call her from home first thing in the morning."

"Must you?"

The way Esther kissed me at the door almost melted my resolve. I finally had to break away and go-fast.

Chapter 9 DRUGS

On Thursday morning I woke up at six, a half-hour past my usual time. I drank a glass of water and did some stretching. Then I went for my run, up and down the hills of Palos Verdes, for an hour. My body had been more upset by not running yesterday than by my lack of sleep. I was addicted to running and hated to miss a day. I needed the uplift provided by the endorphins flowing into my blood stream and the stress flowing out.

The route back from my run took me past the post office, where I had a mailbox. I kept this PO box because of my baseball card business and also because I didn't want my father, and particularly Jacie, to monitor my mail.

I went into the post office lobby and opened my mailbox. There were several letters; I could tell from the return addresses that they were from successful bidders for my cards on eBay. They contained checks. Receiving checks in the mail, no matter how small, always buoyed my spirits.

I ran back to the house, took my shower and had breakfast, consisting primarily of orange juice and a large bowl of oatmeal, sprinkled with raw cashew pieces I purchased in bulk at Trader Joe's. It wasn't until I was getting ready to call Detective Washington that I noticed I had a message on my answering machine. It must have been left while I was running.

I pressed it the "play" button and heard: "Karl, this is Arrow. I'm at Elma's house. I got here early to work on her finances because she is going to be tied up later with arrangements for Ned's memorial service. She called the San Francisco police yesterday to find out what they were doing about Ned's murder. She just got a call back a few minutes ago from a Detective Washington. The detective told her they had found Ned's rental car in a parking lot and there was cocaine in the trunk.

"Elma went ballistic. She screamed over the phone and said it couldn't be true; it must have been planted. Then she demanded they search her house. She finally got Detective Washington to agree to coordinate a search with the Manhattan Beach police. I'm calling from my cell phone because Elma is on the phone with the Manhattan Beach police right now. I thought you ought to know about the cocaine." She gave her cell phone number and the message ended.

So that's what Detective Washington wanted to talk to me about. I logged onto the Internet and checked the price of Dionysus stock. It had opened down another ten percent. I clicked on "news" and found a story with a dateline of today, saying that two plastic bags of cocaine had been found in Ned's car. Bad news travels fast-maybe too fast. How did it get out?

I didn't know Ned well, but I didn't believe Ned was involved in drugs. I went to my online trading account and placed orders for Dionysus stock for Luz myself. Buy low.

I placed a call to Detective Washington. She came on the line and said, "Mr. Patterson, we need to talk to you again."

"So talk."

"In person."

"About the cocaine?"

"So you know about that."

"It isn't exactly a secret. It's all over the Internet."

"Yeah, well that's unfortunate. Can you come up here?"

"I don't know anything I haven't already told you. Besides, I'm running a business."

"Look, Mr. Patterson, I don't want to get nasty and force you to come."

Could she do that? I quickly weighed my options. I'd rather go to them than have them come to me. And I'd rather go at a time set by me than them. Besides, I wanted to find out more about James Buchanan. "I'll fly up tomorrow morning. I can meet you at 10."

Detective Washington gave me the address of the station she worked out of. I hung up and thought for a minute. Then I called my father's office number. Arrow had undoubtedly already told him about the cocaine, but I wanted to keep him informed about my connection with the police investigation.

John answered the phone. When I identified myself he said, "Karl, it's great to hear your voice. Richard has someone in his office, but I'll tell him you're on the line. Hold, please."

My father answered in less than a minute. I said, "Dad, I'm sorry about the car thing yesterday. I was…upset about what happened to Ned and I lost track of the time."

"That's okay," my father said. "Jacie picked me up. At least she wasn't out playing tennis."

He sounded distant and preoccupied; he was undoubtedly thinking about the cocaine. I quickly filled him in on my conversation with Detective Washington.

"I want an attorney to go with you," he said when I had finished. "Our corporate attorney is going to be present when Elma's house is searched this afternoon, but he should be free tomorrow…"

"Dad, I'm not a suspect. I'm just a witness. An attorney isn't necessary. In fact, there's nothing for an attorney to do in this situation."

He wasn't convinced. We argued about it.

Finally, he said, "All right, no attorney. But I want Arrow to go with you."

"Arrow? Why?"

"To protect the company's interests. I think Ned was set up."

"I'll protect the company's interests."

"You're not an employee; she is."

I had to concede him that point. Arrow was an acceptable compromise. My father already had his attorney protecting Elma's rights and I felt that she was a lot more vulnerable than I was. We left it that John would make our reservations. He switched me back to John and I managed to convey my requests to him and keep him to a minimum of provocative chitchat. I assumed he didn't talk to my father the way he talked to me.

I worked on my baseball card business until noon. Then I took the cards I was shipping and drove to the post office. From there I went to the main library of the Palos Verdes Library District and looked up information on James Buchanan. Between the online databases and the back issues of magazines, there was a wealth of material.

I realized I had heard about James Buchanan before, but until a couple of years ago I wouldn't have considered him part of my universe. That was when I had started taking investing seriously.

I found out that he was 47 years old and had started his investing career right out of college. He and a partner had managed to gain control of a faltering printing business and turned it around. The partner's name was Ned Mackay. With the cash flow generated they had acquired other companies. Eventually, Buchanan had bought Ned out, renamed his company Tartan Enterprises and continued to invest very successfully in corporations large and small.

Buchanan had been married and had two children, but his wife had divorced him 12 years ago. Irreconcilable differences. Of course, that was the only cause for divorce in California.

Chapter 10 SAN FRANCISCO

It was still dark when I drove the Toyota to the airport Friday morning. I picked up Arrow at her condominium in Redondo Beach. I parked on the street and wondered how she had been able to raise the down payment to buy into a new development. It was undoubtedly a good investment, especially since the tax laws greatly favored homeowners over renters.

It was too bad Esther couldn't buy a house or a condo. Unfortunately, I knew she lived from month to month and had almost no money saved at all.

Arrow came along the sidewalk of the complex, wearing a tailored pantsuit some shade of dark green and carrying a new-looking overnight bag. I got out of the car and opened the trunk. We said hello, stashed the bag and I opened the passenger-side door for her.

As I drove north toward the airport I could feel Arrow glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. I realized I hadn't spoken much so I said, "Thank you for calling me about the cocaine. It helped to level the playing field between me and Detective Washington. And I was relieved to get your second message." Arrow had left another message while I was at the library saying that the search by the police had not turned up anything.

"Elma was magnificent," Arrow said. "When I met her I wondered whether she would be able to cope with Ned's death, but the way she acted yesterday dispelled my doubts. She handled the police as if she was born to rule. She did more than the attorney to keep them from completely ransacking the house. But they did check it thoroughly."

"And they came up empty."

"Completely. They had a sniffer dog and everything."

"Of course, they could take the position that if Ned had anything hidden Elma might have been able to get rid of it."

"From my own point of view, I know that Elma has been struggling just to keep herself going, and dealing with the overwhelming reality of Ned's death, and hasn't had time to do anything else. In addition, that point of view assumes that if Ned were into drugs that Elma was part of it."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Karl?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"You didn't want me to go on this trip, did you?"

"I know I've been a little quiet, but you have to understand that I missed my run this morning for the second time this week. That run is for me what coffee is to some people."

"No…it's more than that." Arrow seemed to be searching for words for the first time since I'd met her. "When I talked to John, for example, he told me that you wanted me to fly back this afternoon after your meeting with the police and not to stay overnight."

"I want to try to talk to James Buchanan again, but I don't know how successful I'll be. It might just be a waste of your time."

"You didn't bother to tell Richard that, did you? I don't think he wants you messing around in company business."

"Only if an employee is getting murdered."

"I'm sorry…that came out wrong. But still, we…you shouldn't be negotiating without his knowledge."

"No negotiating. This is strictly fact-finding."

"My charter from Richard is to be involved with anything you do that affects Dionysus. And if Buchanan is really trying to take over Dionysus, that certainly qualifies."

"Yes," I admitted. I hadn't previously seen a role for Arrow in the Buchanan situation, but there might be one. "But if we do get to see him we can't introduce you as an employee of Dionysus."

"All right, then, I'll just be a girl. Do you think I can pass for a girl?"

"Are you fishing for a compliment?"

"Yes."

"Don't you get enough adoration from John?"

We both laughed, which broke the tension that had been in the air.

Arrow continued, "If I'm going to play the part of a girl, I want to do it right. What do the women wear at Buchanan's?"

"Dresses."

"Party dresses?"

"Yes, I would say so."

"Okay, that's probably all I'm going to get out of you since you're a man. Incidentally, if you were really gay, you would be a lot more descriptive. But I brought a little number with me that might work."

Why was I not surprised? We were on Sepulveda Boulevard, heading into the tunnel that goes under one of the Los Angeles airport runways, so I closed the car windows to keep the noise level down. I had walked through that tunnel several times and had learned two things: the decibel level is extreme and always walk on the side of the tunnel in which traffic is moving in the same direction as you are because the cars generate a strong wind stream that moves with them. However, the tunnel was now closed to pedestrians.

I maneuvered into the airport exit lane and my attention was taken up with getting into the airport and finding a spot in the overnight lot. We took a parking shuttle to the United terminal and after passing through security, checked in at the gate.

Once we were on the plane we were able to resume our conversation. I spent some of the flight telling Arrow what I had learned about James Buchanan. She already knew that Ned had been his partner at one time. Of course my father knew it too, but hadn't bothered to tell me. Arrow and I agreed that Buchanan was a wily and sometimes ruthless businessman, and if he wanted something he usually got it.

***

"I represent Dionysus Corporation," Arrow told Detective Washington, "and I would like to be present when you question Karl."

"Are you an attorney, Ms…Andrews?" Detective Washington asked, glancing at the business card Arrow had given her.

"No, I am executive assistant to the chief executive officer of Dionysus Corporation."

"Well, that's a mighty high-falutin' title, but it won't buy you anything. And even if you were an attorney, the answer would be no. Mr. Patterson is not a suspect; we are merely asking him some questions. There is no need for him to have anybody else present." Detective Washington wrote in her notebook.

Arrow looked as if she was going to argue, but she changed her mind and said, "I notice that you wrote 'black' beside my name. I am of mixed race."

"Do you have any black blood in you?"

"Yes, but…"

"Then you are black as far as I am concerned, Honey. I am told that I have a white man somewhere in my past, probably a slave owner, but I am black, do you hear me?"

Arrow was smart enough to shut up at that point and Detective Washington escorted me from the waiting room to an interrogation room. I knew from reading books that the mirror in one wall was a window on the other side. She was also openly recording the session, but it was all in vain because I had nothing to add to what I had already told her.

She asked me to go over what I had done from the time I had left the hotel until I had been admitted to the Buchanan house-a period of over an hour. I had no witnesses, of course, but at least I told a consistent story. I figured that if I remained cool she would not try to link me to the drugs in the car.

I also made sure to emphasize that I didn't believe Ned was a drug dealer. When we had arrived at the Hertz office we had placed our bags in the back seat of the car and hadn't opened the trunk, although I had to admit it was unlikely the cocaine was already there. After a half hour of repeating myself, I asked, "Isn't it a little ridiculous to try to foist a drug charge on Mr. Mackay when there was nothing in his house?"

Detective Washington said, emphasizing her words, "The fact remains that there was cocaine in his rental car."

"But that could have been planted by the murderer."

"The car was locked and the keys were in Mr. Mackay's pocket. The trunk of the car had not been forced open."

“If the murder was drug-related, why didn’t the murderers take the cocaine?”

“Any number of reasons.”

Which were? She didn’t elaborate. I tried again. "Do you think he was buying or selling?"

"With the amount he had, he must have been dealing."

"Did he test positive for drugs?"

"No," Detective Washington admitted.

"Aren't most dealers users?"

"There's a definite correlation. But before you turn into the interrogator and me into the interrogatee, I have some more questions for you. Did you know Mr. Mackay was carrying a gun?"

"No! You didn't say anything about that before." It had not been in the news, either.

"After we found the cocaine in the car, we went back and did a thorough search of the area where Mr. Mackay's body was found. The gun was in the dumpster where we found him. A nine-millimeter Beretta. It is registered to Mr. Mackay."

"And it's…it's the murder weapon?"

"No. Mr. Mackay's gun had not been fired."

"But…but how could he have gotten it through airport security?"

"Guns have been known to slip through security," Detective Washington said, dryly. "They disguise themselves as underwear. Did you check any bags before you got on the plane?"

"No, we only had one bag apiece. We carried them on."

Detective Washington tried to jog my memory concerning the gun, but the attempt failed. If her plan was to shake me up it succeeded, but you can't get milk out of a bull. Finally, she gave up and let me go-for the moment.

I guess my face gives away my feelings, for just as Esther could tell when I was upset, Arrow spotted it as soon as I returned to the waiting room. When we went outside she said, “Well, what did that bitch want?”

I filled her in. When we got in the rental car she pulled out her cell phone and said, "I have to keep our attorney informed of everything I find out. He has requested a copy of the autopsy report but he needs to know about the gun."

When she hung up I said, "That pretty much clinches the case against poor Ned. If he wasn't involved in something shady, why would he be carrying a gun? I don't know what an attorney can do to help him now."

"Elma believes Ned is innocent and I believe Elma," Arrow said, defiantly. "And I know Ned. He isn't the type to get mixed up in drugs. But the job of the attorney is to protect the reputation of Dionysus, too."

"It can't get any lower than it is now." Which is why I had bought the company's stock. Buy when blood is running in the streets. And it was-literally.

We drove to the hotel and checked in. It was the same one Ned had stayed at. I was moving up in the world. We ate a light lunch in a cafe down the street and discussed what to do next. We eliminated the possibility of going to Buchanan's office and trying to get in to see him. Not only was that highly unlikely without an appointment, I also didn't want to talk to him in the atmosphere of a business meeting, even though he knew I was Richard's son.

I had brought shorts and running shoes in vain hope of getting a run in, but I couldn't think of a decent way to ditch Arrow. After we had decided we couldn't do anything productive for Dionysus until evening I asked Arrow what she wanted to do, hoping she would say go shopping.

"I feel guilty not working during a work day," Arrow said, "and I'm not just saying that because you're the boss' son. But if we're going to work tonight I feel better about taking off now. Since I spent two years at Stanford I've seen most of the tourist attractions. Can we rent bicycles somewhere? I ride on the beach bike path at home all the time. The sun is out and I'd love to get some exercise."

Cross-training on a bike was a good alternative to running. Arrow produced shorts and a tank top. She was as prepared as I was. We rented bicycles near Golden Gate Park and rode the Bay Bike Trail for miles. It follows the shoreline through some of the most scenic parts of the city. Arrow was in good shape and we worked up a sweat in the warm summer air.

By the time we got back to the hotel I had almost forgotten why we had come to San Francisco.

Chapter 11 JAMES

The room phone rang while I was tying my tie. It was Arrow.

She said, "If you're dressed, can you come over and help me for a minute?"

I finished with my tie and went next door to Arrow's room. She opened the door to my knock. She was wearing a short black dress and black stockings. I don't like black on most women, but on Arrow it suited her coloring perfectly.

"You look nice," she said, surveying my one suit, a dark blue pinstripe.

"Thank you. So do you."

It's a good thing I got that out before she turned around or I probably would have choked on the words. The back of her dress was open to the waist. Now I knew why she was holding it at the top.

"I need you to zip me up," she said. "I have tendonitis and I have a hell of a time with this zipper."

My eagle eye immediately noticed that no bra spoiled the smooth curve of her back. I fumbled with the zipper, trying not to touch too much of Arrow, and finally got it up. There was still a generous amount of skin showing. This was also true in the front as I saw when she turned around and thanked me.

"I would guess that you're going to attract some attention tonight," I said, "although not necessarily from Buchanan. He seems to prefer boys these days."

"Then you admit that I can pass as a girl."

I admitted it and gave her my arm as we walked to the elevator, figuring it wouldn't hurt to practice my manners. Our plan was to get to Buchanan's house about eight and try to get in. I had warned Arrow that there was no guarantee of that.

Because of the length of our bike ride we hadn't eaten dinner, just grabbed some fruit from a bowl in the hotel lobby. I recalled that there had been food available at Buchanan's and felt we might be able to make a meal there. Our fallback plan was that if we couldn't get into his house we would immediately repair to the nearest restaurant and crowd out our disappointment with food and drink.

Parking was a problem so we took a taxi, which we caught in front of the hotel. The driver knew the way to Buchanan's without any prompting and got us there quickly.

It was a few minutes before eight when Arrow and I climbed the steps to Buchanan's house and rang the bell.

A voice said, "Good evening, Mr. Patterson. Could you please wait for a minute?"

"Of course," I said.

"How can he see you?" Arrow whispered.

I pointed to a hole above the doorframe where the lens of a video camera was visible to careful scrutiny.

"Oh. Well at least you're part of the in-crowd. I'm impressed."

"That was Stan, the fellow who drove me back to the hotel. But we'll soon see how 'in' I am. I'm sure he's consulting with Buchanan." Stan had told me he only worked one night a week. This was at least his second night this week.

It wasn't long before we heard Stan's voice again, saying, "Here is the puzzle for tonight. If five cats can catch five rats in five minutes, how many cats does it take to catch 100 rats in 100 minutes?"

"What's that all about?" Arrow asked.

"I forgot to tell you. Buchanan likes games and puzzles. The price of admission is to solve the puzzle. We need to think about it before replying. We only get one chance."

"The guy's loony tunes," Arrow said. "I would need a pencil and paper to do that."

"It shouldn't be so hard. We can play his silly game. Since we can be sure the obvious answer of 100 isn't right, we need to figure out how many rats each cat catches per minute. If five catch five rats in five minutes, the average cat takes five minutes to catch a rat. Five cats together average one rat per minute. Therefore, these same five will catch 100 rats in 100 minutes."

"Are you sure you're not making this up?" Arrow asked.

"Trust me."

"I guess I have to." Said with the distaste of a woman who liked to be self-reliant.

I took another few seconds to double-check my answer and then I relayed it to Stan. The door clicked and I opened it.

As I ushered Arrow inside she said, reluctantly, "You're pretty good at that."

"I may not be able to create a business plan," I said, "but I have always been good at math."

Arrow wrinkled her nose at me as I escorted her to the top of the stairs. Sounds of Sinatra came from below. Singing about doing it his way. As we started down the steps I saw Stan at the bottom.

A look of surprise came over his face as he looked up and he said, "Arrow, is that you?"

"Stan!" Arrow exclaimed. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I didn't get a good look at you on the monitor," Stan said. "You were behind Mr. Patterson."

"Er, I take it you two know each other," I said.

"We were in the same class at Stanford business school," Arrow said.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and gave Stan a big hug. So much for her cover.

There were more people than there had been the first time I was here. Friday evening crowd, celebrating the end of the workweek. Freed from office prisons. Arrow and Stan chatted, trying to make themselves heard over the noise, while I scanned the room, looking for Buchanan.

I spotted him playing backgammon with a man. Although he was sitting several tables away I could see he made his moves quickly and decisively, more so than when he had been playing me. I made a mental note not to underestimate him.

Stan said, "James wants to talk to you. I'll find out when he'll be free." He made his way over to Buchanan.

"Old friend, eh?" I said to Arrow.

"I've got a story to tell you about Stan." She added, "Later," as Stan returned.

"Five minutes," Stan said. "Well, Arrow, I'm afraid we don't play bridge here. There probably isn't anything that interests you." He turned to me. "She wouldn't participate in the Friday night poker games we used to play at school."

"There was a lot more drinking than poker, as I recall," Arrow said.

I watched Buchanan's face, something I hadn't been able to do when I was playing him. He was completely engrossed in his game. Even though I couldn't see the board his expression told me he was moving in for the kill and when he won his look of triumph was something to behold.

As he got up from his chair Arrow whispered to me, "His face looks familiar."

He stood and came over to us. He shook my hand and said, "It's nice to see you again, Karl." If he was surprised by my presence he didn't show it.

"This is Arrow Anderson," Stan said. "Arrow, this is James Buchanan. Arrow went to Stanford with me. She works for Dionysus as Richard Patterson's executive assistant."

I looked at Buchanan's face again as he shook hands with Arrow, but his expression, which had been open a few moments ago was now closed, as if a window shade had been pulled down. He gave her a bland smile and murmured how glad he was to meet her.

"Let's go upstairs and get out of this noise," Buchanan said.

He gave a signal to Stan and led the way up the stairs, followed by Arrow and me. He climbed slowly, favoring one leg. From the top of the stairs he went to his study. It was behind one of the doors on the hallway that led from the front door to the back of the house. He ushered us into a good-sized room, dominated by a large desk made out of a dark wood; the top was in the shape of a semi-circle. The other furniture matched the desk.

"Would you like something to drink?" Buchanan asked as he pointed to two padded chairs.

He appropriated a large wooden rocking chair for himself, which must be an antique, judging from its impressive size and workmanship. The three chairs were arranged around a low round table. Arrow and I sat down. Buchanan took no notice of Arrow's legs as she crossed them, but I did.

His question about drinks reminded me that we hadn't had dinner. This wasn't the time to get muddle-headed. I asked for iced tea. Arrow requested a diet drink. He picked up a phone sitting on the table and pressed a button. He spoke briefly and hung up.

"What's the latest on the investigation into Ned's death?" he asked, without any preliminaries.

"His rental car was found with cocaine in it," I said, speaking carefully, trying to give him only information that was common knowledge. "His house was searched, but it was clean."

"Ned wasn't into drugs," Buchanan said. "He wasn't a user and he had no need to be a dealer."

"Do you think he was set up?" Arrow asked.

Before Buchanan could answer, one of his young men opened the door and came in with a tray and three glasses. Although Buchanan hadn't ordered anything for himself the server brought him the same drink I had seen him with before: a colorless liquid in a tall glass, filled with ice, with a slice of lime and a straw.

The waiter silently served us our drinks and paper napkins, placing the drinks on coasters on the table. Then he went out and shut the door behind him.

"If Ned wasn't into drugs, who would have killed him?" I asked, trying to keep Buchanan talking.

He stirred his drink with his straw and then sipped it through the straw, before saying, "Anyone who has a certain amount of success in business is bound to acquire enemies. I think Ned was killed by someone who knew him. The cocaine was an attempt at a cover-up. It may work. From what I've heard there aren't any good clues."

"Do you have any idea who did it?" Arrow asked.

Buchanan regarded her with a smile as he sipped some more of his drink. He said, "Richard always did have good taste in women."

Arrow leaned forward and uncrossed her legs. Her eyes flashed. She said, "Richard and I have strictly a business relationship."

Buchanan laughed and nodded approvingly. "Good reaction. Straight from the book. You'll go far in the business world, Arrow. However, when you've been around as long as I have, you'll realize that in spite of an army of bureaucrats from government agencies breathing down our necks we beleaguered business people still make employment and promotion decisions based on more than pure unadulterated ability, mixed with a generous dose of affirmative action."

Arrow looked as if she might say something, but she didn't. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, regarding Buchanan with her dark eyes. I suppressed a smile.

Buchanan continued, "As you may have noticed, I, myself prefer to employ good looking young men as my assistants. They are racially mixed and all have their MBAs, but some of them have other traits I appreciate, as well. But enough of that. Where did you get the name Arrow?"

Arrow had recovered her poise. She said, "My mother was an Olympic archer. I guess she hoped she would hit a bull’s-eye with me, just as she does with her other arrows."

"I think she succeeded." James took a sip of his drink and looked at me. "What is it that brings you up here…again…so soon?"

"Police investigation," I said. "They wanted to ask me additional questions about Ned and where I was that night before I arrived here. Arrow came along to protect the good name of Dionysus."

"There's more," Arrow said. "We know you're trying to get control of Dionysus."

Arrow's candor surprised me and Buchanan raised his eyebrows. Then he smiled and said, "So you were sent here by Richard."

"Richard doesn't know we're here," Arrow said.

Buchanan looked as if he didn't believe her. He said, "I consider Dionysus stock to be a good investment, especially at its current price. My company, Tartan, invests in a lot of good companies. Just because we're buying Dionysus stock doesn't mean we're planning a takeover."

He was trying to disarm us. I said, "Why are you buying the stock if you think Richard is doing a bad job?"

"Who told you that?"

Richard had told us that. I decided I was in over my head and didn't say anything. An awkward silence followed. I glanced at Arrow. She gave me a look that said she wanted to hear his answer. I forced myself to be quiet.

Buchanan finally broke the silence by saying, "Richard is very good at doing certain things. He's a visionary, an entrepreneur. He can picture a new product and its market, get financial backing, start a company and grow it rapidly. But at a certain point in the life of every company different skills are needed in a CEO. The ability to run it on a day-to-day basis. Some entrepreneurial types aren't good at that."

"And you think that Richard is one of them?" Arrow asked.

"The next few years are key for Dionysus. Competition is catching up to them. Can they continue to be a leader in their field? Do they have the right management? These are questions that any investor, like myself, has to ask."

That didn't exactly answer my question. "Do you think Ned would have been better for the job?" I asked.

"Ned had more of the temperament of an administrator than Richard."

"And since you had worked with Ned before, you knew him better and felt more comfortable with him."

The corners of James' eyes crinkled in a hint of a smile and he said, "You've been doing your homework, haven't you?"

"You're a very successful, man, Mr. Buchanan…er, James," I said. "You've made a lot of money. What drives you to keep going, to keep making investments?"

"My fellow shareholders, for one thing."

"But as you yourself suggested, there comes a time to turn the management over to somebody else."

"You haven't told me what you do, Karl. I assumed you worked for Dionysus when I first met you. Since I now know you don’t I’m curious about you."

"I'm a baseball card dealer. I sell cards on the Internet."

"And you do this because…?"

"I love it. Since I was four all I've ever wanted to do was to collect and sell baseball cards."

"Are you going to build your business up to a certain point and then turn it over to somebody else to run?"

"Why would I do that? Then someone else would be having all the fun."

"Exactly. Someone else would be having all the fun. Someone else would be finding the perfect card. Someone else would be matching it with the perfect buyer, who has the same passion for it as you do and would give it a good home. In my case, someone else would be finding the perfect company, with the right product, the right management at the right time. Someone else would get the credit when it grows and adds to the value of the Tartan portfolio."

"I’m sure Richard feels the same way about being the CEO of Dionysus," Arrow said.

"I rather imagine he does," Buchanan said. "But there's more. There's the thrill of being able to do something better than anybody else; in fact, being able to do something that nobody else can do. Karl, what's the most valuable baseball card?"

"A T206 Honus Wagner," I said, without hesitation. "It came out in 1909. Only a few were produced, and of those there are only a handful in really good condition."

"How much is it worth?"

"One of the good ones sold recently on eBay for over a million dollars. The card is so famous that Wayne Gretzky, the hockey player, owned one at one time."

"How would you like to own one?"

"It would be a dream come true."

"Exactly. I'll tell you what. Keep your eyes open. If one of the good ones comes on the market let me know and we may be able to arrange it, together."

"I'm afraid it's a little out of my league." I said, although I noticed that saliva was coming into my mouth.

"You never know until you try. The offer stands. Well, I'm going to have to get back to my guests. What would you two like to do while you're here?"

"Ask you another question," I said. I had just remembered something that had vanished from my mind at the news of Ned's murder. James nodded, so I said, "The other night when we were trying to find Ned, between the time you called the restaurant and the police, you made another phone call, and it sounded like the person you talked to had seen Ned. I was wondering who you talked to."

James looked puzzled. He said, "I didn't make another call. You made a call to the hotel…"

"It was a call you made."

"I don't think so. Although at my age I sometimes forget what I did five minutes ago, let alone three days ago." He jumped up from his chair and said, "You two look hungry. Come on downstairs and try our Friday night buffet. Prepared by one of the best chefs in San Francisco. I think you'll like it."

He led the way to the door and opened it. As he waited for us to precede him through it, he said, "And if you want to do any gambling, Stan will get you some chips."

Chapter 12 THE BET-1

"What's the story you were going to tell me about Stan?" I asked Arrow.

We had taken seats at a small table in the corner of the casino room that wasn't being used for any other purpose at the moment. Our plates were full of food. Arrow's eating aspirations, although more modest than mine, were still significant. I recognized the bluesy voice of Joe Williams above the roar of the crowd, singing to someone and asking that person to teach him tonight.

Between bites, Arrow said, "When I started at Stanford, Stan was one of the boys who was nice to me, and as you can see he's quite handsome, so when I was given two tickets to the San Francisco opera I invited him to go with me. We saw Rigoletto, which we both enjoyed. Afterward, we had Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe. Stan is an interesting guy to be with and I was having fun so I guess somewhere during the course of the conversation I said something that suggested we might have some sort of a future together. At that point he told me he wasn't for me. I misunderstood him at first, thinking that he didn't like me. Then his meaning became clear."

"He's gay."

"Right. Talk about embarrassing incidents."

"He told me he lives here at the house."

"Yes. And I think we know why our friend James prefers male assistants."

"And I know why you made a point of finding out my sexual preference the day we met."

Arrow laughed. "I have to know where I stand. I don't want to be fooled again."

We ate in silence for a bit. Then Arrow said, "What was that about a phone call James was supposed to have made?"

"We were trying to locate Ned. We found out he had never shown up at the restaurant where his meeting was supposed to be. James called somebody, and it sounded, from his end of the conversation, like whomever he was talking to had seen Ned. After he hung up he immediately called the police."

"James said he didn't make such a call."

"Either James is lying or he really does have dementia." But why would he lie? Was he protecting somebody? It wasn't my problem. I wasn't going to get involved in Ned's murder any more than I already was.

Was there anything else we should be doing while we were here? Even if Buchanan was attempting to take over Dionysus, was there a good reason for us to try and prevent it? A takeover would probably be good for the stock, my holdings and Arrow's options. I suspected that if the stock went up enough her options would make her financially independent and it wouldn't matter if Buchanan replaced her with one of his men. There were a lot of ex-Microsoft employees who were millionaires and didn't have to work any more.

But what about my father? Did we owe him any loyalty? He wouldn't suffer financially if he were replaced, but his ego would take a hit.

It wouldn't hurt to gather all the information we could. I had an idea. I leaned over the table toward Arrow, because the noise in the room was reaching a peak, and said, "Do you think you could get any information out of Stan about Buchanan's intentions?"

"I suspect you might be more successful at that than I would," Arrow said, and she winked at me. I must have had an amazed look on my face because she said, "If you can fool your father, maybe you can fool him too. By the way, he can't hold his liquor. He always lost at those Friday night poker games."

I didn't picture myself as queer bait. There had been a few incidents in my life, but nothing…still, there was the time in junior high when my English teacher had taken me up on the catwalks above the stage of the school auditorium, before I knew any better, and asked me to sit on his lap. He had later gotten married.

Arrow had already caught Stan's eye and he came over to our table. Taking my cue, I said, "Are you working or can you sit and talk for a minute?"

"I'm here voluntarily tonight," Stan said, sitting down next to me. "Since I live here it's an easy place to go on Friday nights. But of course, as long as I am here, Jamesy is going to find something for me to do. So maybe I can hide out with you guys for a while."

"It seems to me you're in a very fortunate position," I said. "You're working with one of the best investment minds in the world, watching everything he does, learning how to evaluate opportunities. It sounds like an ideal job." "You don't know the half of it."

"No, but I'd like to. Could we have a drink?"

Stan flagged down one of the waiter-boys and ordered a Bloody Mary. I asked for a beer and Arrow requested a Tequila Sunrise. We made small talk until the drinks came.

I remembered that Stan had been in the control room when James made the mysterious phone call. I said, "I was trying to piece together what happened just before we found out about Ned. Do you remember what phone calls James made?"

He thought for a few seconds and said, "I remember that James asked me what restaurant Ned was supposed to be at. Then he called them, I think. I wasn't really listening so I can't tell you exactly who he called, but at some point he must have called the police."

"He called somebody else just before he called the police."

Stan shook his head. "You'll have to ask James."

I had struck out on that one. What else could I do? Start slowly. I said, half jokingly, "Tell me, Stan. What really goes on here? You've got lots of beautiful people flocking here every night, the cream, it would appear, of San Francisco society, gambling as intently as if their last dollar were riding on it, and yet no money ever changes hands. There's something wrong with this movie."

Stan looked slowly from one of us to the other, and smiled. He said, "Don't you have any fantasies, any dreams, any desires? I know Arrow does; she wants to be a CEO."

Arrow didn't deny it. I looked at her and believed it.

Stan paused while he took a sizeable gulp of his Bloody Mary and crunched on the celery stalk that came with it. Then he said, "What we have here is an adult Disneyland. Your dreams can come true and you don't even have to wish upon a star. All you have to do is get a few blackjacks or land on a double zero or roll three sevens in a row."

"Would you care to elucidate?" I asked, finishing my beer and signaling the waiter to bring us another round. Stan's patronizing manner was irritating, but at least he was talking.

"Karl, what is your secret desire?" Stan asked placing his hand on my knee.

My secret desire wasn't to have his hand on my knee and I had to exercise a lot of self-control not to shake it off. I said, "I'd like to own a certain Honus Wagner baseball card." An easy choice since I'd just been talking to Buchanan about it.

"Tell James. With his help you can own that card."

"He already did," Arrow said. She was still working on her first drink. The second one sat untouched in front of her. "Let's come down to earth for a moment and change the subject. How much Dionysus stock does Tartan own and what are Buchanan's plans in regard to Dionysus?"

Stan laughed out loud. "You don't want much, do you? Just give away our corporate strategy. You always were very direct, Arrow. I admire you for that. But I guess you'll have to wait for the next SEC report to come out."

"By the time the report comes out the information will be completely out of date and useless."

"Yes."

Stan took another healthy swallow of his drink. I surreptitiously signaled the waiter to bring yet another round.

"Is that what you want most in life right now?" Stan asked Arrow. "Because like I said, dreams can come true here."

"My future is tied up with Dionysus," Arrow said. "I also owe it to Richard to find out all I can because he's my boss and he started the company-it’s his child."

"Wait here," Stan said. He got up and stumbled slightly before he regained his balance and headed in the direction of Buchanan, who was talking to some people at the roulette wheel.

At least his hand was gone from my knee. I watched him for a few seconds, then turned to Arrow and said, "Do you understand what's going on?"

"Not exactly," she replied, "but I think we'd better take it easy on the booze so we can stay alert."

Good advice. Too much beer made me sleepy and dulled my senses. After a couple of minutes Stan came ambling back, swinging his body in a way that suggested he was feeling no pain. He sat down and took a swig of his third Bloody Mary.

"Okay, here's the deal," Stan said. "James isn't averse to giving you the information you asked for even though he knows it will go straight to Richard. After all, he's not a secretive person. In fact, he's willing to give you daily updates on Tartan's holdings of Dionysus stock and any strategic moves we're making in regard to Dionysus. You'll be a hero, Arrow."

"What's the catch?" I asked.

"The catch, as you call it, is that you have to gamble for the information. Roulette, craps or blackjack, your choice."

"Blackjack," I said, immediately. The odds would be most in our favor because I knew how to count the cards.

"All right, blackjack. You start off with $500 in chips. If you can triple your money you win. If you lose the five hundred you lose."

"What's the penalty for losing?" Arrow asked.

"What if we win and James welshes?" I asked before Stan could answer Arrow.

Stan looked hurt. "James doesn't welsh on his bets. Ask anybody here. They wouldn't keep coming back if he did."

My adrenaline was flowing. "I'm ready to try it," I said.

"What's the penalty for losing?" Arrow repeated.

Why was she worried about losing when we were going to win?

"Ah, yes," Stan said, sipping his drink. "Sometimes we offer live entertainment here. You'll notice that the floor at the other end of the room is raised and can be used as a stage. We have spotlights and everything," he said, pointing to the ceiling.

"Sorry, I can't sing like Joe Williams," I said.

"No need. You both have gorgeous bodies and we have a sophisticated audience that would love to see you both in-and out of your clothes. We can provide the mood music of your choice."

"You want us to strip!" Arrow exclaimed.

"That's a vulgar way of saying it, don't you think? I prefer to call it an artistic exhibition." He leered at Arrow. "But we will find out what you have on under that dress."

"Not much," she said, shortly.

I could confirm that.

"It will be educational. We'll learn the difference between panties and pants. Unless, of course, you aren't wearing panties," he said to Arrow. And to me, "Is it briefs or boxers with you?" Then feigning sadness, "Whichever it is, I'm afraid they'll have to go."

I swear Stan smacked his lips. "Leave us for a minute," I said, harshly.

He bowed and left the table, taking his drink with him. I turned to Arrow. She was actually smiling. Then I noticed that in the last few minutes she had finished all three of the drinks in front of her.

"Of course we're not going to do it," I said.

"Of course not. But the look on your face is so funny."

"Funny! That coc…" I caught myself.

"I don't think we're in Palos Verdes anymore, Karl. Of course we're not going to do it. But…"

"Arrow! Don't even think about it. What if my father found out?"

"I know. But I'd like to get my hands on that information so badly I can taste it. You're a good blackjack player, aren't you?"

"Yes." I had to admit it since I felt as if I was under oath. "But there's still a chance I might lose."

"But if you won it would be so great."

It would be. My father would have to admit that I was good for something, for once in his life-and mine. The information would be invaluable to him for planning his defense; even if he ended up selling to James he would be able to get top dollar.

I was a good blackjack player. If I played carefully I could do it. It might take me a while to triple my money, but…

Stan came back to the table and sat down. He looked from one of us to the other. He said, "I sense some indecision, but you're definitely leaning toward action."

He was enjoying this, immensely. I wanted to bust him in the nose. I also wanted to get the better of him and James. I looked at Arrow. She had a gleam in her eye that said, "Go for it." How much of that gleam was from booze? Don't think too much. I said, "We'll do it."

Stan's smile was a mile wide.

I needed to collect my wits. "I get a table to myself. Dealer uses one deck. Betting limit is what I have on the table. Minimum is a dollar."

"Done." Stan smacked our table with the palm of his hand, bouncing the glasses into the air.

He hadn't even gone running to James before he answered, as I had expected. Now he walked over to one of the blackjack tables and talked to the players there. From their glances at Arrow and their smiles and ready acquiescence to giving up their places I gathered that he had told them about the bet.

Things were moving too fast. By the time Arrow and I got to the table there were a dozen of the beautiful people clustered around it, waiting. Waiting for us to lose. I sat down on one of the stools in front of the table; Arrow sat beside me, holding another drink. The dealer produced a number of chips, with values ranging from one to one hundred dollars. As I placed them in piles in front of me he shuffled a single deck and presented it for me to cut.

"Wait a minute," I said. I wasn't ready. I looked around at the wolves surrounding us, waiting for the kill. I conjured up a picture of my father after he found out I had gambled again and lost. Lost my dignity and that of his executive assistant. Made him a laughingstock for James. Probably lost Dionysus to him.

"We're not going to do it," I said, standing up. I took hold of Arrow's arm to pull her away from the table. She resisted.

Stan said in my ear, "You're not going to welsh on our bet, are you?"

"I'm not welshing," I said. "We haven't started yet."

"Do you know what happens to welshers?" Stan whispered. "Remember what happened to Ned."

I shoved him away and grabbed Arrow's arm forcefully enough to pull her off her chair. I had to catch her or she would have fallen to the floor. I guided her, half supporting her weight, toward the stairs as fast as she could walk.

***

I think I over-tipped the cab driver, but I couldn't remember how much money I had given him as soon as we got out of the cab. Actually, I wasn't in bad shape, but Arrow was. She couldn't hold her liquor any better than Stan.

I kept my arm around her as we staggered across the hotel lobby, because her legs were rubber. Once inside the elevator she threw both her arms around my neck and clung to me as if I were a life raft. The feel of her body welded to mine was not unpleasant, but I couldn't give in to it.

Once out of the elevator we slow-danced our way down the corridor in this position and somehow I extracted her room card from her purse and opened her door. Only then did she let go of me as she tottered for the bed, landing face down across it.

I watched her for a few seconds, wondering whether it was safe to leave her like this. She said something I didn't understand; I said, "What?"

"Unzip me."

I closed the door, went to her and performed the requested act. She struggled to get her arms out of her dress, still face down.

"Help me."

I helped her. Once her arms were free she stopped struggling. Stopped moving. Unconscious. On top of the bedclothes. I found a blanket in the closet and placed it over her. Then I headed for the door.

"Wait."

She wasn't quite unconscious. I hesitated. Somehow, she managed to turn over onto her back. She performed an acrobatic routine under the blanket with her eyes half-open. Then the blanket came flying off her, along with her dress.

Arrow lay on her back, quiet again, wearing only black pantyhose.

"Don't you like my body?" she asked.

"It's…it's fantastic," I said, truthfully.

"Then don't go." Her voice became louder.

I mumbled something inane about both of us needing to get some sleep.

"Come here." Louder yet.

I walked carefully to the edge of the bed, wondering how to get her quiet again so that people in nearby rooms wouldn't hear her.

She grabbed my arm and said, "Kiss me."

I was afraid she'd yell if I pulled away. I sat down on the bed and leaned over to give her a brotherly kiss, but her tongue got in the way.

I knew there were at least six good reasons why we shouldn't have sex, none of which I could remember. Then I thought of one. She was going to regret this in a big way tomorrow morning.

In desperation, I put my hand on her stomach and then slid it under her pantyhose. She closed her eyes. Soon she began to moan. She was asleep in five minutes.

Chapter 13 THE PARTY

Arrow slowly became a human being again as I drove our rental car south on 101 toward the airport. Before leaving San Francisco she had drunk black coffee in her hotel room and then orange juice (my idea) at the restaurant next door to the hotel. She also managed to eat some French toast.

Her short hair didn't need much maintenance, and she looked surprisingly good, if a little pale, in a sweatshirt and jeans. I wondered how much she remembered about our adventures at the casino-and the hotel.

Now, almost her first coherent words were, "I'm sorry about last night.” And then, fiercely, almost to herself, “It’s not going to happen again."

What was not going to happen again? My first thought was egotistical-it must be something to do with me. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that she was speaking about all her actions. She had lost control. She had not acted like a business executive. And executives, as I knew from observing my father, always had to be in control.

I was not blameless. I shouldn’t have used liquor to try to get Stan to talk. That had backfired on us. The best thing to do was to forget about last night altogether. Write it off as a bad dream. Of course, women with bodies like Arrow's didn't appear in bad dreams. Did I screw up by not taking advantage of her? If I had, she would hate me now. And, as I firmly reminded myself, I was going with Esther.

To get the look and feel of Arrow out of my mind, I mentally reviewed what had happened before we left the casino. I congratulated myself on being able to walk away from the blackjack table. A few years ago I might not have been strong enough.

But my gut told me that something bad had happened also. What was it? After some thought it came to me. I said to Arrow, "Stan said something to me as we left."

"I'm never going to speak to Stan again," Arrow groaned. "I thought he was my friend." She ransacked her purse for a headache remedy.

"He said, 'Do you know what happens to welshers? Remember what happened to Ned.'" I changed lanes to pass an 18-wheeler while I waited for her reaction.

She found some pills and swallowed a couple, without water, an ability I envied. She didn't speak for a minute. I couldn't tell whether she had heard me and I was about to repeat Stan's statement when she said, almost too softly for me to hear over the road noise, "That bastard."

I assumed she was talking about Stan. I said, "What do you think he meant by it?"

Arrow pondered. Or maybe she was just trying to clear her head. "I guess it could have been either a threat or a joke. Knowing Stan, I think it's more likely it was a joke-an unfeeling joke. He's got a weird sense of humor. But he's not a very threatening person."

"I'm beginning to suspect that Buchanan is. And Stan works for him." I had another thought. "What if it was a slip?"

"A slip? You mean as in 'slip of the lip?'"

"Yes. What if Buchanan was somehow involved in Ned's murder?"

"That's…hard to believe. He's a business man, not a member of the Mafia."

"Maybe there's a Scottish Mafia." I drove and thought. "What are we going to tell my father?"

"About what?"

"About James. About last night."

"Nothing."

"Nothing at all?" Didn't we owe him some sort of report?

"Look," Arrow, said, speaking carefully and not too loudly, "we didn't learn anything he doesn't already know. And we didn't cover ourselves with glory. At least, I didn't. If Richard asks what we did after you talked to the police, I plan to tell him I visited one of our customers. That should keep him happy."

***

I drove the Jaguar to the Emerge fundraiser that evening. Even though I was going as a volunteer and not one of the 950 paid supporters of Emerge, I would be hobnobbing with the cream of Los Angeles society, thanks to the connections of the Board of Directors and the hard work of Esther and her staff, and I wanted to look the part.

I drove confidently into the Paramount lot at the Melrose Avenue entrance and flashed my invitation at the guard. When he found out I was a volunteer he told me to make a U-turn and park in the garage across the side street from the studio.

So much for being a part of high society. I found a space on the second level of the garage next to a concrete post and snuggled the car up close to it, leaving plenty of room for someone to park on the other side. Someone who hopefully wouldn't inflict any dents on the Jag.

I crossed the street and went into a side entrance of Paramount. This time my invitation got me waved through and onto the lot. Dressing-room trailers lined the studio streets, while the large hanger-like buildings containing soundstages, somber and plain on the outside, restricted my view.

I rounded a corner and a huge sky-wall loomed up into the real evening sky, painted blue with white fluffy clouds. Why was it necessary to have fake blue sky in Los Angeles, where the sun shone almost every day?

The Paramount water tower also broke the skyline, white with a blue Paramount logo on the top of the tank, complete with stars. Stars, the symbol of Hollywood.

Past the sky-wall I came to the New York street set, where the party was. A red carpet with a theatrical rope on either side guided me to the festivities. Facades of brownstone row houses made the scene come alive, while a four-story brick building with concrete crests under the windows looked real until I got close enough to look in those windows at the barrenness within.

Two of the New York streets, which intersected in a V, were filled with 95 round, white-clothed tables, each with 10 chairs around it. Waiters bustled from table to table, setting the necessary utensils and dishes. A centerpiece of cut flowers adorned each table. Esther and her crew had thought of everything, even the weather, which was unusually warm for an evening in Los Angeles.

A small army of volunteers sat at other, rectangular tables, without tablecloths, eating box lunches to fuel them for handling the onslaught of guests, who would soon start arriving. I picked up one of the cardboard boxes of food and a bottle of apple juice and spotted Jeri, the plump, eternally pleasant volunteer coordinator who worked for Esther.

"Everything all set?" I asked her, raising my voice above the chatter of the volunteers.

"Knock on wood," she said, tapping her head with her knuckles. "Esther's around here somewhere-as usual, doing 50 things at once."

"I'll catch up with her later," I said. I knew she would be busy all night and didn't expect to get any of her time. Jeri turned to talk to somebody else and I contemplated sitting at one of the long volunteer tables to eat my hamburger and apple, but I didn't know many of the volunteers and I was too restless to sit.

I leaned against a low stone wall that bordered the open area near the red carpet and took a generous bite of bun, beef, tomato and pickle.

"Hello, Karl," a voice said and I looked up to see Pat Wong, the client who wanted to be an airport shuttle driver, also carrying a box lunch.

"Hi Pat," I said, shaking his hand. "Are you working tonight?"

"I wanted to give something back in return for all the help I've received from Emerge. My interview went well and I'm got a second one scheduled for next week. If I don't blow that…"

"Good news. By the way, you're looking very dapper. Nice suit."

"I got it from the clothes closet at Emerge."

It was a close fit. And he had gotten a haircut. It's amazing what hope and a little help will do for a person. We ate and chatted for a few minutes. I thought of something. "I don't like to bring up the past, but didn't you tell me you were living in San Francisco when you were arrested for dealing?"

Pat nodded. "I'm not going back. I've got to stay away from there. I don't want to get sucked back in…"

"May I tell you a story about what happened to a friend of mine? And maybe you can tell me how plausible the police version of what happened is." I told him about Ned, how he had been found dead off Grant Avenue, shot several times, with cocaine in his car.

Pat heard me out, and then said, "It doesn't ring true. You're telling me a white devil-excuse me, Karl-who doesn't even live in San Francisco is dealing in Chinatown? Did he have any Chinese friends?"

"I have no idea."

He shook his head. "That's as fishy as the seafood markets on Grant. Let me make a phone call. Is there a pay phone…?"

"I don't have a credit card," I said, knowing that Pat had little money.

"That's okay. I can call my uncle collect."

I wondered where there would be a pay phone on a movie lot. At that moment Esther walked up and gave me a quick hug. She was wearing a smart pantsuit, designed for maximum mobility. She looked radiant. She was in her element.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"It's going," she said. "There's no stopping it now."

I introduced Pat to her as a success story. She was always looking for success stories for the newsletter she published. They shook hands and he asked her if she knew where a pay phone was.

"Use this," she said, handing me her cell phone.

"How will I get it back to you?" I asked as she zoomed away.

"I'll find you," she called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the growing crowd.

Pat punched in a number and carried on a rapid conversation that I couldn't understand. After a minute he disconnected and said, "My uncle knows about this man, Mr. Mackay. The story was in the paper. My uncle says he thinks the cocaine was planted."

"Does he have any idea who murdered Ned?" I asked.

Pat shook his head slowly. "He wouldn't make a guess."

I thanked him. It was time for me to get to work. I went to the table where raffle tickets-excuse me, opportunity drawing tickets; we weren't supposed to use the word raffle, and the $20 asked for a ticket was a donation to Emerge-were being sold. I took a book of tickets and walked over to where the car itself was on display, a Porsche Boxter convertible, sleek and white.

Since it was for a good cause I felt only a little like a hypocrite, selling tickets for something I personally wouldn't want to own. Not that the car wouldn't be fun to drive, but I couldn't see paying income tax on the value of the car, or the insurance for that matter, to say nothing of the license fee, which was based on its value. And when I had tried to sit in it I had barely fit into the driver's seat. Completely impractical-perfect for rich Yuppies.

The atmosphere was contagious for spending money. Not far away, rows of donated art objects, dresses worn by actresses, tickets for sports events and the “Rosie O'Donnell Show,” and even mini-vacations were being sold in a silent auction; write down your name and a bid-pay later.

The beautiful people of Los Angeles strolled by, the men in sport coats, the women mostly in black, with varying degrees of decolletage. I mentally compared them to Arrow in her black dress; they all came up lacking.

I played the part of a circus barker, calling to the strollers and drawing them in. My line was, "Wouldn't you like to own this car?" Many smiled and stopped to look at it. Some bought tickets. A pretty young lady hurried up waving a hundred-dollar bill and purchased five tickets. Cool. Women had never thrown money at me before.

The dinner started and the guests sat down at the 95 tables. I wandered over to where I could see the stage set up at the V where the two "dining" streets came together. Morgan Freeman, of the movie, Driving Miss Daisy, was the emcee, and he welcomed everybody in his rich, melodious voice. Sherry Lansing, who had been head of Paramount for eight years-since 1992-spoke. Some super-volunteers were being honored. One was a close friend of Rosanna Arquette and Rosanna gave a ringing tribute in her honor. Esther, with the help of her board members, was connected with everybody in the entertainment industry.

Later, when Rosanna was leaving she walked close by me with an entourage of young women. She was petite-smaller than she appeared on the big screen. Seeing celebrities in person confirmed for me that they really existed and weren't just media creations. But was this proof? Even Mickey Mouse seemed real at Disneyland.

I found Esther and returned her cell phone. She had a brief chance to relax since the program was going so well. I stayed with her and her team while they discussed the cleanup, which was already starting even though most people hadn't left yet. In the background, a live auction was being conducted, with items such as the use of convention facilities going for five figures.

A successful evening. I stayed and worked until everything was done. Because we were busy, I didn't talk much to Esther-didn’t have to look her in the eye. When the work was complete I went to her to say goodnight. It was late.

"You throw a good party," I said.

"Thanks. And thanks for all your help."

"You must be exhausted."

She nodded. The adrenaline had worn off. She didn't invite me to go home with her and I didn't ask. Maybe I should say something… Somehow the evening wasn't complete. I told myself that there was no reason for me to feel those stabs of guilt about Arrow. I was on the verge of hanging around, looking awkward.

With an effort I kissed her lightly and headed for my car.

Chapter 14 THE CRISIS

I was wakened by a siren. I opened one eye and tried to focus on my bedside clock. Rays of sunlight were seeping in through the drapes. Six-fifteen a.m., Sunday morning. Give me a break. I had only been in bed a few hours.

The scream of the siren had stopped. I rolled over, determined to return to my interrupted dream. It must have been erotic, judging by my current state of arousal. I think Esther and Arrow were both in it. Before I could get settled I heard the unmistakable sound of a voice coming over a radio. Like a police radio. Coming from the street in front of the castle.

I was out of bed in a flash. I pulled on a pair of jeans; I slept in a T-shirt. Not bothering with shoes, I opened the door, ran around the pool and then down the side of the house. Before I reached the front yard I saw the red flashes reflecting off the neighbor's house beside me. As I went around the front corner of the castle I saw the red emergency vehicle whose light was flashing, parked on the street.

Our front gate was open and so was the front door of the castle. Without stopping I ran through the front door. I paused long enough to hear the sounds of voices coming from upstairs. I took the stairs two at a time and only slowed down as I approached the doorway to the master bedroom.

When I entered the room my view of the king-size bed was partially blocked by a paramedic kneeling beside it, but I could see the head of my father. He was lying on his back, his face was white, his eyes were open and he appeared to be staring at the ceiling.

The other paramedic was calling for an ambulance on his cell phone. Jacie stood at the foot of the bed in her yellow bathrobe, her hands clasped tightly together. Her blond hair was in the disarray of recent sleep. Luz was standing beside her with her arm around Jacie. Luz also wore a bathrobe and her hair was covered by a towel. Tears were running down her cheeks.

I walked toward them. Jacie looked at me with frightened eyes and said, "They think he's had a stroke."

I turned toward my father, the man who was always so in control of the situation. He looked helpless. I couldn't face it and I turned away. I put my arms around both Jacie and Luz. In the case of Jacie this was something I hadn't done since she married my father.

***

"How could he have a stroke?" I asked the heart specialist who had examined my father in the Intensive Care Unit. "He's not overweight, he doesn't smoke, he gets regular exercise…"

"His blood pressure was very high," Dr. Shapero said, consulting his clipboard. "And he needs to reduce his cholesterol."

He was short, balding and definitely overweight. Didn't doctors follow their own advice?

"He doesn't have high blood pressure," Jacie said. She had put on jeans and a pink sweater and brushed her hair for the ride to the hospital. Tan and athletic, she looked like the professional tennis player she had been.

She was sitting beside me in the small waiting room. She and I had followed the ambulance to Torrance Memorial Hospital. Now, several hours later, my father was hooked to a heart monitor and being fed oxygen.

"It could be a temporary condition caused by stress, for example," Dr. Shapero said. "Has he been under a lot of pressure lately?"

Jacie and I looked at each other. We both nodded. Ned's death, James Buchanan's attempt to take over Dionysus. I had always thought my father was immune to stress. This was a shock. It gave me a glimpse of my own mortality.

"Will he…be all right?" Jacie asked.

"It's too soon to tell," Dr. Shapero said, speaking pedantically but with compassion. "There appears to be some paralysis on his right side, but that may to be a temporary condition. Mrs. Patterson, your quick call to 911 definitely reduced the complications. I think we stopped the brain damage before it was wide-spread."

My worry level went down a notch.

When Dr. Shapero left I asked Jacie what she wanted to do.

"Stay here with Richard," she said.

"All day?"

"Probably. I think having me here will help him."

That was true, at least when he wasn't sleeping. Maybe she did love him. "I'll notify people. Who should I call for Dionysus?" It being Sunday, I would have to call somebody at home.

"A week ago I would have said Ned. Now…I don't know."

"Do you know the home number of John, his administrative assistant?"

"No. But it must be in his organizer. That should be in his attache case. But you don't know how to work that, do you?"

My father had a small electronic organizer that he carried with him. Actually, I did know how to use it, but this wasn't the time to tout my skills. I had Arrow's home number written down. I didn't mention Arrow to Jacie. I said, "I'll take care of it. I'll leave you the car and run back. It's only a few miles."

"Okay. Don't worry about me. I'll be all right." Jacie even smiled. She was rising to the occasion. This time she hugged me.

***

I badly needed the run. My brain was a whirling mass of confusion. I headed west on Lomita Boulevard at an easy trot and felt better already, just getting out of the hospital and into the fresh air. My father would be all right; he had to be all right. No other option was in my plans.

At Hawthorne Boulevard I planned to turn left toward Palos Verdes. As I approached, the walk-light came on for crossing Hawthorne. It was a wide street and I had to cross it sooner or later so I entered the crosswalk. On the other side, without thinking about it I continued west instead of turning onto Hawthorne.

Arrow's condominium was in this direction. It was closer than my father's castle. A phone call to Arrow wouldn't be enough. I had to get involved with Dionysus. Not to replace my father-there was a chain of command set up for that-but to deal with the issues I knew about, namely, Ned's death and whatever James Buchanan was trying to do.

As I entered Redondo Beach and approached Arrow's place I began to have second thoughts. Would this endanger my relationship with Esther? Not if I was careful. However, it was Sunday. Arrow might be sleeping in. I glanced at my watch. It was almost 10 o'clock. She should be up by now. Well, she might have a boyfriend with her. She had not discussed her romantic status with me.

I could call her from a phone booth to see if she was present and alone. Except that I didn't have her phone number with me and I was sure it was unlisted. Most of the single women in LA had unlisted numbers.

I turned onto her street. In a few minutes I arrived at her complex. I hesitated before walking into the complex, trying to remember which unit she lived in. I thought it was the third one in. If not, it was the next one after that.

This wasn't an excuse not to see her. I found what I thought was Arrow's unit and rang the bell. I stood in front of the peephole in the door so she would be able to see me.

"Who is it?"

Arrow's voice came from a distance and sounded harried.

"Karl."

"Just a minute."

I had come at a bad time. Maybe I should leave. No, I couldn't do that. Arrow knew I was here.

The seconds ticked by. Was she hiding her boyfriend in the closet? Getting dressed? I heard several clicks and the door opened. Arrow stood there, tying a dark blue bathrobe, much shorter than Jacie's.

She smiled but it looked forced. "You're just in time for breakfast. And to find out what a perfect homemaker I am."

I still felt as if I was intruding, but Arrow held the door open so I said hello and walked in. She closed it behind me and before I could say any more she said, "Follow me."

She led me barefoot through a small living room, containing a couch and not much more, into a room that must serve as a combination family room and dining room, with a table at the far end. Adjacent to this was the kitchen.

She stopped at the entrance to the kitchen, held out her hand, palm up, and said, ironically, "Here's breakfast."

Breakfast was all over the kitchen floor and the cupboards under the microwave. I had never seen such a mess. The door to the microwave stood open and the dish that had originally contained breakfast was upside down on the floor.

I must be the cause of this. "Did I scare you?" I asked.

Arrow laughed. "No, I did this just before you rang. I had dinner at my parents' house last night and my mom gave me some leftover stew. I thought it would be good for breakfast so I heated it up. When I started to take it out of the microwave my grip on the dish slipped. I was afraid it would spill and scald me so I stepped back. This caused it to tip even more. Meanwhile, I lost my balance. I managed to direct most of the contents away from me before I sat down, but I still got stew all over me, which is why I couldn't answer the door right away."

"Did you get burned?"

"Fortunately, no. The bulk of the hot sauce went on the floor."

"I'm sorry. I'll help you clean up," I said, awkwardly.

Arrow laughed again, with a trace of bitterness. "Believe it or not, I was pretty self-sufficient before you came along. I didn't get drunk and I didn't make messes all over my kitchen. I'll tell you what. I'll do the actual cleaning if you will feed me wet towels."

She got down on her hands and knees and started wiping up the conglomeration of beef cubes, carrots, onion and meat sauce. The aroma that reached my nostrils suggested that it would have been delicious. I rinsed the towels she dirtied, under the tap, and handed them back them to her.

The only problem with this arrangement was that her bathrobe didn't completely cover her bare butt, but she was so engrossed in the cleanup that she didn't notice. I tried not to look. A young, heterosexual male shouldn't be put through trials like this.

Arrow eventually cleaned everything up to her satisfaction. She stood up and said, "Now I'll make you a real breakfast. It's the least I can do after all the crap I've put you through. But first I need a shower. Would you like to come upstairs and talk to me while I shower?"

"No!" I said, too quickly and too loudly. It sounded so incongruous that I laughed along with Arrow. "I'll…wait here."

"Of course I meant through the bathroom door, but suit yourself. While you're waiting you can drink some orange juice. You put me on to drinking orange juice, you know." She got a pitcher out of the refrigerator and poured me a large glass. Then she disappeared in the direction of the stairs.

***

While Arrow was taking her shower I remembered why I was there. I found a pencil and paper, sat at her table and made notes. By the time she returned, wearing white shorts and a blue T-shirt, but still barefoot, I had created a to-do list for myself.

"I haven't told you why I came," I said, gingerly. I don't like to deliver bad news.

"You came to help me clean up my mess," Arrow said, gaily, bustling around in the kitchen.

"No. It's about my father-Richard. He's had a stroke."

Arrow reacted as if she's been shot. She gasped, put her hand to her mouth and couldn't speak for a few seconds. Then she said, "How bad…how is he?"

"He should be okay. He's in the hospital."

She sat down with a thud on one of the wooden chairs at the table. "But he's so…healthy."

I filled her in on the details, trying to place a positive spin on them. I hadn't known she would take it so hard. After a few minutes she had somewhat recovered; I told her I would help her make breakfast.

While I sliced ham for an omelet, I asked Arrow who should be notified at Dionysus. She started making her own list.

Over breakfast, I said, "I think we need to do something about Buchanan and his alleged takeover attempt of Dionysus while Richard's sick." Calling my father Richard kept his illness from being too personal. "I suspect that Buchanan was a contributing factor to his stroke."

"What can we do?" Arrow asked, through a mouthful of toast with strawberry jam on it.

"Buchanan can't gain absolute control of Dionysus without either the stock owned by Richard or Elma. Richard's stock is safe, of course. But what about Elma? In a proxy battle, would she vote her shares for Richard or Buchanan?"

"Richard, I assume. Why wouldn't she?"

"I don't know. That's why I want to talk to her."

"When?"

"Why not today?"

"Today?"

Arrow was still in a state of shock. I wanted to snap her out of it and get moving. She finished her breakfast, took a sip of coffee and said, "Let me make some phone calls-to John, Richard's admin and some others. Then we can see about Elma."

"I need to call some of Richard's relatives," I said. My relatives, too.

"Use my cell phone. It gets charged to Dionysus."

While Arrow used her house phone I called my aunt and my grandmother on the cell phone. Fortunately, they were both down-to-earth people who had listed phone numbers (I got the numbers from Information) and who wouldn't start screaming hysterically. They asked for information about the hospital so they could send flowers and call Richard when he felt well enough to talk.

When Arrow had finished her other calls she called Elma. She told Elma about my father's stroke. They talked for about five minutes. After she hung up she said, "Elma wants to see us now."

Chapter 15 ELMA-1

The Mackay house was in Manhattan Beach, less than 15 minutes away from Arrow's condo in her car. With only the narrow Hermosa Beach in between Redondo and Manhattan, the distance was short.

Parking was the biggest problem and Arrow had to squeeze into a space on a narrow street up the hill one block from Highland Avenue. She proved she was adept at parallel parking.

The house itself was comfortable but not huge; beach lots, even several blocks up from the beach where this house was, tended toward postage-stamp size. Many of the houses completely filled their lots. This one had a modern, cube-like design, and was at least two stories high, maybe more-it was hard to tell at first glance-since it was built on the side of the hill that led down to the ocean.

The house fronted on one of the numbered streets that banned cars. We walked a short distance uphill on this street and then up a flight of steps to the front door of the house. Not for the mobility-challenged.

The woman who answered the door to Arrow's ring didn't look like the wife of Ned Mackay. I guess I was expecting someone who resembled Ned, but where Ned had been short, Elma was tall, probably as tall as Ned; where Ned had been stocky Elma was slender-too slender to have borne three children; and where Ned had been tending toward baldness Elma had short but very red hair. She must have been a beauty when she was younger-she was still a beauty. She wore a blouse and a skirt; both had some green in them. They weren't clothes of mourning.

She invited us in with a quick smile, shook my hand at Arrow's introduction and said to me, "Don't mind the mess. I didn't have time to pick up."

I didn't see a mess, especially compared to my place. I said, "I'm so sorry about Ned. He was very helpful to me."

"Yes, you were with him when he died, weren't you. I would like to ask you some questions. But first, my condolences on your father's illness. Richard is a very dear friend. Dionysus can survive without Ned, but it can't survive without both Ned and Richard."

Elma had us sit down in the living room. The large corner windows overlooked the ocean, or at least a small slice of ocean, between the houses in front of us.

Elma offered us coffee or tea; I chose herb tea. Arrow took coffee. No children were in evidence. She told us she was planning for Ned's funeral service on Tuesday. She spoke with what must be a Scottish lilt, but it was barely detectable. When I apologized for interrupting her she said that the plans were pretty well set. His body had been returned to Los Angeles so there would be a casket.

In turn, I told her what I knew about Ned's death, including what Pat Wong's uncle had said about him being set up with the cocaine.

"Ned was a lot of things, but he wasn't a drug dealer," Elma said, vehemently. "The police searched the house from top to bottom and found not a trace. Not a trace!"

She showed some of the fire that must have kept the police from running wild through the house. She appeared to be ready to handle questions about the future of Dionysus.

I said, "Elma, you and Richard together now own a majority of the stock of Dionysus."

Elma looked at me with her green eyes, fully alert, but she didn't say anything.

"This means you two control the company."

"I know what it means," she said, softly.

Based on Arrow's description of her financial acumen, I hadn't been sure. And I wasn't sure how to proceed. I said, "Have you heard of a man named James Buchanan?"

Again she stared at me, not saying anything. I thought I'd drawn a blank. This was encouraging because it meant that Buchanan hadn't contacted her. But slowly her expression changed, from alertness to something incomprehensible. She said, "What does James Buchanan have to do with this?"

"He wants to gain control of Dionysus," Arrow said.

"How do you know?" Elma still spoke softly, but with intensity.

"He is head of a company that invests in other companies," I said. "Sometimes he is content to be a minority stockholder; in other cases he takes control. He has been buying the stock of Dionysus. We know because he has to file reports with the SEC-the Securities and Exchange Commission. And because he told us."

"We think he wants to get control of Dionysus," Arrow said, "so that he can replace Richard."

Elma didn't say anything for a while. She appeared to be far away. After a full minute had gone by, she asked, "What does James look like now?"

This question caught both Arrow and me by surprise. We exchanged glances. Finally, Arrow said, "He has gray hair, but he still looks youthful. He has a zest for life."

"James always had a zest for life. Maybe too much so."

"So you know him," I said.

"I…knew him. Many years ago." Again Elma appeared to be somewhere else, but then she snapped back to the present. "So you think James is likely to contact me?"

"We think so," Arrow said. "If he can convince you to vote your stock for him, that's his best chance for gaining control of Dionysus."

"So James needs me," Elma said with a little smile. "That's a switch." She looked at Arrow and me. "Arrow, since you've been so helpful to me, and Karl, since you are Richard's son, I owe you both an explanation of my involvement with James."

Having dropped that bombshell, Elma heightened the tension by going to the kitchen to refresh our drinks. My stomach did flips. I asked Arrow, "Are we in trouble?"

"I don't know," she said, frowning. "This is the first I've heard of anything between Elma and James."

Elma came back with a plate of cookies. I immediately stuffed two into my mouth and was working on a third before I realized what I was doing. I deliberately set the partially eaten cookie down on the napkin in front of me.

I watched the freckles on Elma's nose as she sat back down in a large armchair, wondering what secrets they had seen. She took off her shoes and drew her legs up underneath her. She had freckles on her legs, too. I like freckles.

"Once upon a time," Elma said, "I was a girl living in northern Scotland, in the village of Wick. There were two boys-friends of each other-also living in Wick. They were a few years older than I was. Their names were James Buchanan and Ned Mackay."

Elma paused and took a bite of a cookie, while Arrow and I surreptitiously glanced at each other. Elma appeared to be collecting her thoughts. "When I was old enough to notice boys I set my cap for James. James was…how shall I say it? I think flamboyant is the best description for him. He was popular and he liked to take risks. He bet on things. But he managed to get the odds in his favor and he won most of his bets.

"Girls were attracted to him and at first I didn't think I had a chance. But when other boys started noticing me I realized that I was not without my charms. On Saturday evenings there would be singing and dancing at Mackays Hotel, which was owned by a distant cousin of Ned. I had a good voice and I would sing songs about Loch Lomond and the Highlands."

The lilt in Elma's voice became more definite now as she became engrossed in her tale.

"I was 15 when I caught James' eye. He began squiring me. Ned was sweet on me too and when James wasn't there-he played the bagpipes in a band and sometimes traveled to other cities to perform-I would dance with Ned or go to the movies with him. But I liked James better.

"As long as James had me to himself when he was around he didn't mind me going with Ned when he wasn't because they were friends and Ned didn't infringe on James' territory. He was content to be in James' shadow-then. We were a loose triangle. This went on for a couple of years. I felt like a queen with my two beaus."

Elma smiled to herself as she relived the memory. I could understand why James and Ned had liked her.

"It sounds ideal to me," Arrow said. "I can't even hold onto one beau."

"It didn't last, of course.”One day they went away. Took the train to Glasgow and flew to America."

"Together?" I asked.

"Together. In those days they did everything together. Shared everything-including me." Elma's faced clouded. "They left me at the same time. My heart broke into little pieces. In retrospect, I should have seen it coming. Wick wasn't big enough for James. He was always so restless, so full of grand ideas. That's one reason I liked him. Ultimately, the same thing proved to be true for Ned."

Elma stopped talking, still lost in her memories.

"But that's not the end of the story," Arrow said.

"No, it isn't." Elma said. She was smiling again. "After my heart mended itself I tried to adjust to life without James and Ned. Wick wasn't the same without them. I began to see the warts-the provinciality. The narrowness of thinking in a small town where, if you get out of step you are a pariah.

"My mother was glad James and Ned were gone because she felt that as long as I had two boyfriends, I would never get married. However, my father sensed the reasons for my rebellion, even though it mostly manifested itself in moodiness, and offered to send me to university. I wanted to go to a university all right, but not in the UK-in the US. I saved my money and got some help from my father and an uncle.

"The day I boarded the train for Glasgow to fly to the US my mother was so upset I almost didn't go. I thought she might die of grief. I was her only child. But I was too selfish to stay; so I went."

"Alone?" Arrow asked. "Did you go alone?"

"Yes, I went alone. There was nobody left in Wick who had the wanderlust-nobody to go with me."

"So you had more balls than James and Ned."

Elma laughed. "I didn't see them again for five years. I graduated from college and moved to Los Angeles, where I got a job teaching at a private school. And then one night I ran into James at a party-and his wife. He and Ned were in partnership together and they had just taken over a printing company.

"I'll summarize the rest so I don't bore you to tears. James put me in touch with Ned. We dated; we got married. Their company grew but Ned was still second fiddle. He chafed under the arrangement. I urged him to break with James. Finally, James bought him out and moved to San Francisco. They went their separate ways and both prospered."

Perhaps James had prospered more than Ned. I wondered whether Elma ever wished she had married James. There was another thing. Before giving it any thought I said, "Did you know that when Ned went to San Francisco on business he visited James?"

Elma shook her head slowly, her green eyes boring into me. "No, he never told me that. Are you sure?"

"I was supposed to meet him at James' house the night he was killed. James and one of his assistants told us-told me-that Ned was a frequent visitor there. James has set up a mock gambling casino and lots of people go there."

"I can't say that I'm shocked, or even surprised. Ned kept things to himself."

"Just one more question, Elma. Did Ned gamble?"

"Gamble? He might bet a dollar on a football game once in a while. But he didn't play the horses, if that's what you mean. He didn't even buy lottery tickets. Why?"

"He didn't like casino gambling? Dice? Blackjack?"

"No. I don't think he's been to Las Vegas more than three times since we've been married. He helped to get financing for a casino once, but that was strictly a business deal. Of course, I don't know what he did at this casino you said James has."

"That isn't a real casino. No money changes hands."

"I have a question," Arrow said. "James may make an offer to buy your stock-and everybody else's. Would you sell?"

Elma smiled at her audacity. "I haven't spoken to James in over five years."

"He seems to prefer boys to girls now."

"There were shades of that even when he was a teenager back in Wick. I was young and naive, it's true, but I always thought his roughhousing with his friends went beyond the bounds of camaraderie."

Chapter 16 THE HOAX

Again it looked as though my involvement with Dionysus had ended. Arrow knew as much as I did about the threat James posed and was in a better position to take action on it. And I didn't know what else I could do to clear Ned's name. But my family responsibilities hadn't ended.

By the time I got to the hospital Monday morning, Jacie was already there. I had gained a new respect for her, watching her concern about and care for my father. She was reading to him from the Wall Street Journal. He was sitting up in bed and looked much better. He was still hooked to a heart monitor and an IV, but he wasn't receiving oxygen.

I forced myself to give him a quick hug and said, "You look good, Dad."

"I feel fine. I'm ready to go back to work."

He spoke slowly, but at least he wasn't slurring his words.

Jacie patted his hand and said, "You'll be back at work soon enough, Richard. Relax and enjoy your vacation." To me she said, "He can move his right arm."

My father demonstrated, and although he was stiff he did manage to lift it.

"The doctor said I can start physical therapy soon," he said. "I'll be back to walking in no time."

"Do as Jacie says and enjoy your vacation," I said. He was too anxious to get back in the game. And the game could kill him if he wasn't careful. I couldn't picture life without my father. I wondered what was in his will and whether Jacie would kick me out of the guesthouse. Selfish thoughts. More important was what would happen to Dionysus.

"I can't let James get control of Dionysus."

Was he reading my mind? "Don't worry about James, Dad. Everything is under control. When you've rested a little more we'll play chess together." We used to play chess when I was young.

"Chess is one game I can beat you at."

We would see about that. Jacie and I steered the conversation to inconsequential things. He wasn't in any shape to talk about whether or not James might get Elma's proxy and/or her stock, but I realized that he must know about her relationship to James, even though we hadn't discussed it.

I didn't tell him that one of my sources had said that the cocaine was planted in Ned's car, either, because that wouldn't clear his name unless the perps who had planted the drugs were caught. The information would just be a source of frustration to my father.

I left him in Jacie's capable hands, determined to work harder on my sports card business. Perhaps the last few days had made a change in me.

***

Dionysus stock was down again so I purchased more for Luz and for myself. This wasn't insider trading. The newspapers and the Internet carried the story of my father's stroke. Of course word that he was much better this morning hadn't gotten out yet, but I deserved some kind of an edge.

I had received enough cash flow from my business so that I had recently been able to purchase part of a baseball card collection for a good price. I separated out the more valuable cards from the commons and placed some of the best ones for sale on eBay.

When I updated my auctions on eBay I often checked to see whether other cards I was interested in owning for my personal collection were being sold. I acquired them one by one, as I could afford them.

I was casually looking through the pages of old cards for sale when I caught my breath. There was a T206 Honus Wagner listed. I looked at the scans of the front and the back of the card. No lines or other apparent damage. This might be one of the good ones. The dealer who was selling it said it was in near-mint condition. I knew him; we had done business together many times, buying and selling. He was completely honest. He was probably selling the card for somebody else, but he was staking his reputation on what he said about it.

The bidding was already at several-hundred-thousand dollars, even though the card had only been listed for two days. It would go higher before it was over. I couldn't bid on this card, of course. Some day I would. Reluctantly, I clicked to another page.

I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and thought about Ned. Arrow wouldn't really be able to dig into his financial situation until Wednesday, after the funeral. One of the puzzles that remained was what he was doing at the casino, apparently losing thousands of dollars, when everybody said he wasn't a compulsive gambler. At least everybody except James. And was James reliable when it came to talking about Ned?

In searching for answers, I remembered Elma saying that Ned had been involved in getting financing for a casino. Any lead was better than none. I called Elma's number and caught her at home. She couldn't come up with a name, but she said it was an Indian casino on the road to Palm Springs. Bingo.

***

It was a great day for a drive. It was a great day not to be tied down with responsibilities such as a family or having to sit at a desk all day. The sun was shining; it was a day for extolling the wonders of Southern California.

I drove the Jaguar, not only because it handled so well but also because it was the only car we had with a manual transmission. Shifting gears made me feel as if I were accomplishing something-actively driving the car instead of having it drive me.

I took Pacific Coast Highway to the 110 Freeway, aka the Harbor Freeway, because it goes to the Los Angeles Harbor. Giving it a number to replace the name de-romanticized it, made it mundane. I headed north, away from the harbor, and bore right on the 91 Freeway, which was called a variety of names, depending on the year and where you were on it.

Traffic was moderate, meaning it was moving at 65 miles-per-hour or higher. The Jag rode effortlessly at 70, but I refused to go faster because exotic red cars attract the attention of the California Highway Patrol. We were in synch, the car and I, as it responded to my every touch. We passed from Los Angeles County into Orange County. Miles and miles of well-groomed stucco suburbs. Then Riverside County. Through Corona, once a farming community, now motels and fast food.

As we approached the Inland Empire city of Riverside I headed east on Route 60, through the Moreno Valley, one of the fastest growing communities in the state. Wound through foothills and down to the floor of the Coachella Valley and Interstate 10, the east-west artery that is often followed to LAX by planes coming from the East.

I got a close-up look at massive Mt. San Gorgonio, all 11,500 feet of it, which was visible from my window at home on a clear day, and Mt. San Jacinto, less massive at 10,800 feet and not visible from home because of intervening mountains in Orange County.

But Mt. San Jacinto has the advantage of the Palm Springs Tramway, gliding almost straight up to 8,500 feet. From there, the peak is a breathtaking but not arduous climb of five-and-a-half miles. I did it every year.

The speed limit here was 70. I eased up to 75 and was passed by little old retirees doing 90 in their Cadillacs. The huge statues of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Brontosaurus just off the Interstate at Cabazon told me I was almost there.

I exited I-10 at a sign for the casino, crossed over the freeway and coasted into the parking lot. Monday afternoon is not what I would consider prime gambling time, but judging from the number of cars in the huge lot not everybody agreed with me. I guess gamblers know no time limitations.

The sun was warm and friendly as I walked 100 yards to the casino. I felt sleepy from the drive, and the heat didn't alleviate this condition. I knew the casino would be air-conditioned and figured a blast of cold would wake me up.

What woke me even faster were the noise and the cigarette smoke. Arrow had been correct in her description; if anything, she had understated the case. I had forgotten how awful the environment was inside a casino.

Look on the bright side; at least I didn't have to work here like the ladies of indeterminate age, dyed hair and short skirts who served drinks to the fatties emptying their bank accounts into the slots, or the neatly dressed dealers and croupiers at the blackjack and craps tables who were being watched along with the patrons through one-way mirrors in the ceiling. James's pretend casino was superior to this in three respects: It didn't have the cigarette smoke, it didn't have the grating din of slot machines and the patrons were much better dressed.

I took a minute to orient myself and then moved over to the blackjack tables. The dealers were sliding the cards to the players along the green felt surfaces from shoes containing multiple decks. The players were betting their five-dollar chips and idly glancing at their cards, standing, taking hits, sometimes busting. Everybody looked supremely bored.

I quickly determined that there were no big-stakes games in progress. It was all small potatoes. I passed by some video-poker machines. I had been known to play video poker in my time, rationalizing that there was at least a modicum of skill to the game.

I stopped in front of a machine. The payoff for four-of-a-kind was 40-to-one. Once in Las Vegas I had taken a calculator and figured out that the best machines to play were the ones where the payoff was 80-to-one for four-of-a-kind, even though some of the other payoffs were lower. The strategy was to expend all one's effort on getting four-of-a-kind and hope to break even the rest of the time.

I had a few quarters in my pocket and was tempted to try my luck, anyway. What could happen? I knew what could happen. I could end up spending the day, hypnotized, shoving quarters into the slot. After an agonizing minute I walk away from the machines. Proud of myself, I found a casher's cage and waited while an old man in a wrinkled short-sleeved shirt exchanged a hundred-dollar bill for chips.

When the cashier was free I asked her if I could speak to the casino manager. She gave me a skeptical look and called to a man behind her, who was talking to another employee. When he came over she said, "This guy says he wants to speak to the manager."

The young man had black hair and was dressed in a black suit. He said through the bars, "I'll be right with you." He disappeared around a corner. A minute later he came through a doorway a few feet away. We approached each other and met in the middle.

He said, "What can I do for you?"

"Are you the casino manager?" I asked.

"I'm one of the floor managers."

That wasn't high enough. I only wanted to tell my story once. "What's the name of the casino manager?" I asked.

He looked at me without expression and I wondered whether he was going to have me thrown out. Then he said, "That's Charlie White. What's your business with him?"

I had to say something. I gave him my name and then said, "Tell him I'm a friend of Ned Mackay."

Ned's name meant zilch to him, judging by his continuing lack of expression. He said, "Wait here," and disappeared through the mysterious doorway.

After five minutes I figured I was on a hopeless quest. I would go back empty-handed. I least I had had the fun of the drive. Or maybe I would play some blackjack. I took out my wallet to count my money and didn't see the young man return.

I jumped when he said, "Follow me."

We went back through the doorway. The noise and the cigarette smoke disappeared as the door closed behind us. Here was plush. Plush carpets and plush offices. He led me to the door of the biggest office, stuck his head in and said, "This is Mr. Patterson." Then he left.

"Come in," the man behind the large desk said.

He was middle-aged, with short black hair and a wrinkled face that could have modeled for Geronimo or Crazy Horse, but he wore a dark suit and smiled as he shook hands with me and introduced himself as Charlie White.

I gave him my full name and sat down across the desk from him, at his invitation. I was wondering how to begin when he said, "So you're a friend of Ned Mackay. I was very sad to read about his death."

That was as good a place to start as any. I told Mr. White that I had been with Ned that evening and filled in other details, including my suspicions that the cocaine had been planted.

Mr. White nodded at that. He said, "I have known Ned for a long time. He was a good friend. He helped my people make the dream of this casino a reality. I owe him a lot. What can I do for you?" From the grim look on his face, it was probably just as well for the San Francisco criminal element that Indians no longer mounted raiding parties.

I explained my association with Dionysus and then said, "One thing puzzles us about Ned's behavior before he died. A co-worker saw him in this casino one day betting large sums of money at the blackjack table-and losing. And yet, everything points to Ned not being much of a gambler."

Mr. White looked at me for a few seconds and then his face lit up in a broad smile. He said, "Let me tell you a story. Cigar?"

He opened a box of cigars, sitting on his desk, and offered me one. From the writing on the box I had the suspicion that they were contraband from Cuba. I declined, not for that reason. He selected one for himself, clipped off the end with a gizmo and lit it with a lighter, in an elaborate ceremony. He didn't ask whether I objected to him smoking.

Mr. White leaned back, took a luxurious puff, blew out the smoke and said, "Ned called me one day and told me he had a problem. I would do anything for Ned so I asked him what his problem was. He told me he wanted to make it appear to somebody that he had lost a lot of money. Since people sometimes lose large amounts in casinos he wondered if I had any idea how he could do it.

"'How much money do you want to lose?' I asked. 'Separating people from their money is our business.' 'Say, $50,000,' he said. 'Does this somebody you want to fool know how to play blackjack?' I asked. 'He is an expert at blackjack,' Ned said. 'Can you get your friend to come here?' I asked. He said he thought he could.

"I orchestrated the whole thing. I sent Ned an email detailing exactly what his strategy should be. I reserved a table exclusively for him and put my best dealer on it. When he arrived we went through an elaborate charade of giving him chips in exchange for his IOU.

"He played five hands simultaneously, $500 a hand. He hit all 16s and stood on all 17s. I even had him split aces and eights and double-down on ten and eleven so it wouldn't look as if he was deliberately losing.

"We calculated that he would lose ten to fifteen-thousand dollars an hour. In fact, he lost $50,000 in just under four hours."

"Didn't the friend try to stop him?" I asked.

"He tried everything in the book. He pleaded, he cajoled, he got angry. Several times he walked out. Ned played his part perfectly. He kept saying, 'I just want to break even,' and 'just a few more hands.' Finally, I had my five minutes on stage when I told him that we wouldn't extend him any more credit-that he had lost too much. Ned yelled at me so realistically I even wondered for a minute if he had been smoking something-and not a peace pipe, either."

"Do you remember the name of the other man?" I asked.

"He was from San Francisco, I think. His name was…Buchanan."

Chapter 17 THE FUNERAL

The service for Ned was held in a chapel at the cemetery. It was presided over by a minister belonging to a Protestant denomination; I wasn't sure which one. The chapel was almost full of people.

The casket was closed and had lots of flowers around it. The organist played “Auld Lang Syne,” among other Scottish songs.

Elma sat in front with her three children. Her eyes appeared to be red and she held a handkerchief, but she was in control of herself. She must be a strong woman.

My father wasn’t there, of course, but many Dionysus employees were. I didn't know most of them. I recognized John, my father's administrative assistant. He was with a group and didn't see me so I decided not to approach him. Arrow came in with several other people. She was wearing a black dress, much less revealing than the one she had worn in San Francisco.

The service was simple and respectful. Several friends of Ned got up and spoke glowingly of him. When the service ended the minister invited the attendees to form a procession of autos and follow the hearse along the grounds to the gravesite.

I was sitting in an outside aisle seat. When I stood up and turned around to walk up the aisle I saw James Buchanan getting up from a side seat in the last row. A woman was with him. She looked Asian. Before I could approach them they walked briskly out of the chapel, with James holding the woman by the elbow as if to urge her to greater speed.

I followed as fast as I could without knocking people down. When I went through the outside door I was momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight. Then I saw the white limousine, as long as a city block, pull away from in front of the chapel. I couldn't see through its windows, but a quick sweep of the parking lot confirmed that James and the woman were not in evidence.

I strolled outside, cursing myself for not figuring out that James would attend the funeral of his erstwhile partner. I had missed my chance to ask him about that day in the casino, but a second thought told me that he probably wouldn't have told me anything, anyway.

My thoughts went back to Ned and a feeling of sadness returned. At least Ned hadn't been trapped in northern Scotland all his life. He had been able to pursue his dreams.

I stood in the sun, waiting for Arrow to come out, in case I could get a chance to speak to her about the casino. To my surprise, Charlie White walked out of the chapel all alone, dressed in a dark suit similar to the one he had worn yesterday. He had not mentioned to me that he was coming to the funeral. He looked larger and stronger than he had across the desk, not the kind of person you wanted to have as an enemy.

I walked over to him, called his name and said, "It was a beautiful service."

"A fitting sendoff for Ned on his journey to the Happy Hunting Ground," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Are you going to the grave site?"

"No, I have to get back to work, much as I hate to on a day like this."

He strolled slowly toward a large Cadillac so I walked along with him. I remembered a question I had forgotten to ask. "Did Ned say why he wanted to make it appear that he had lost a large sum of money?"

"He didn't volunteer anything and I didn't ask him. I'm sure he had his reasons."

"Karl!"

The voice, coming from behind us, was Arrow's. She had separated herself from her group. She had been crying. I gave her a sympathetic hug.

"Karl, who is your beautiful friend?"

I had momentarily forgotten about Charlie White. I said, "Mr. White, this is Arrow. She's the one who saw Ned at your casino."

They shook hands. He stared at her and said, "I remember you. You were watching Ned play. I wondered who the Indian babe was and why I didn't know her."

Arrow managed a smile and said, "Well, at least I have a few drops of Indian blood."

"A few drops are enough. Why don't you come to work for me? I need to brighten up the place. I won't even ask what tribe you are."

"Thanks, but I already have a good job."

"Arrow is executive assistant to my father," I said. Then to Arrow, "Mr. White told me Ned didn't really lose any money playing blackjack. It was faked to fool Buchanan."

Arrow looked from one of us to the other and said, "That's where I saw Buchanan before. He was watching Ned play and looking upset and angry. I wondered who he was, but then I forgot about him."

"Now all we have to do is to determine why Ned wanted to fake him out."

We chatted about that for a few minutes. I hoped Charlie White would come up with something. He didn't, and soon he made ready to leave. He said to Arrow, "Since we're both friends of Ned, we need to console each other." She gave him a smile and he enveloped her in a gigantic hug.

He gave her his business card and told her to drop by the casino anytime, but he didn't tell me that. Then he drove away in his big car. I asked Arrow if she wanted to go to the gravesite. The procession was about ready to move out. She shook her head. "Can we have a quick strategy session?" I asked.

"Sure. Then I have to go back to the office."

"I'm wondering whether Ned's attempt to fool James into thinking he was throwing his money away has anything to do with Dionysus."

"Or whether it was something more personal since they've known each other all their lives."

"Would you like to fill Elma in and get her reaction? I don't think it would hurt to do it now." We hadn't told her about the casino episode, pending Arrow's evaluation of her financial situation.

"Let's wait. Elma has enough to deal with at the moment. Even if this didn't cost her money, the relationship between Ned and James is an emotional issue with her."

"When will you see her?"

"Tomorrow."

"At least try to find out which way she's leaning with her stock-toward James or toward my father."

"That may be hard to do. She's definitely got a mind of her own."

I walked Arrow to her car. Before she got in she gave me another hug and said, "I want you to know how glad I am that you're working on this even though Richard has released you from anything to do with Dionysus. It means a lot to me. And I'm sure it means a lot to Richard, too, even if he doesn't say so."

I didn't know about my father's feelings. For one thing, he wasn't aware of what I was doing and I wasn't going to fill him in until he was further along the road to recovery. But it warmed my heart to know that Arrow appreciated me.

***

I stopped by the hospital on the way to my Tuesday afternoon gig at Emerge to see how my father was doing and to tell him about the service for Ned. I met Jacie in the hall where she had been talking to a nurse. She looked excited.

"They're going to move Richard out of Intensive Care this afternoon," she said. "He's out of danger."

"Great news," I said. "It's because you've been taking such good care of him." That gave a boost to my spirits. I was even giving compliments to Jacie.

"I've been with him all the time except when I was sleeping. I knew he was getting better this morning when he started talking about having sex. But I guess you can't relate to that-having sex with a girl, that is."

Jacie was in a good mood too. She hadn't ridiculed me about my sex life since before my father's stroke.

***

Since I went to Emerge only once a week, I got a stroboscopic look-a snapshot-of the place each week and then nothing in between. Sometimes the players in the snapshots changed from one week to another.

Today's change was a new person at the front desk, a woman instead of a man. She had wind-blown gray hair and a low center of gravity. I stopped to sign in on the volunteers' sheet and she asked me what my name was. When I told her she said, "I have a message for you. From Pat Wong."

She looked through some papers and said, "We don't give the telephone numbers of the staff and volunteers to clients, but I told him I'd take a message for you."

The way she stated organization policy I would have thought she had been there five years. Then I remembered: She had been there when I started volunteering, a year before, and then disappeared. Now she was back. She produced a folded piece of paper and handed it to me.

The message from Pat was merely a telephone number. Since his call might have something to do with Ned I decided to return it immediately. The client telephone area was right beside the entrance so I located an unused phone and called the number.

After two rings an answering machine picked up and a voice, not Pat's, implored me to leave a message after the beep. Not sure I had called the correct number I hung up and called again. On hearing the same voice I left a message, saying I would be at Emerge the rest of the afternoon.

Six students showed up for the basic computer class I taught, a good number since each one had a computer to practice on. By the end of the class they could navigate using the mouse, get into Microsoft Word and start writing their resumes. In addition, I taught them how to back up their resume files to the diskettes they were issued by Emerge and take them from computer to computer.

After the class I gave individual instruction to anyone who needed it. I had found that most clients were very grateful for any assistance and had a genuine desire to make their futures better than their pasts.

At 3:30 the clients had to leave. I walked back to Esther's bailiwick. Jeri, her volunteer coordinator, was buried in paper.

"What are the financial results from the dinner?" I asked her.

"It looks like we're going to take in over $300,000, altogether," she said, with a harried smile.

"That's wonderful!"

"Yeah. Now all we have to do is get all the silent auction winners to pay up. That's going to be a royal pain in the butt."

"You'll do it," I said with a wave of my hand. That's what administrative types did best. I was glad my paperwork consisted only of what went with my baseball card business. That was enough.

I glanced into Esther's office. She was on the phone and the computer at the same time. Typical. When she saw me she motioned for me to come inside. I loitered in her doorway, not wanting to get in her way.

After a minute she hung up the phone and said, "Hi." She jumped up from her chair and gave me a quick hug. "How are you? Have a seat. I was sorry to read about your father. How is he? Where can I send flowers?"

Esther had left me a message of sympathy on my voice mail the night before. I sat down, thanked her, told her my father was recovering nicely and not to send flowers because he had received many bouquets already. I didn't say it was an unnecessary expense for her, but it was. Then I said, "Have you recovered from Saturday night?"

"Of course. You were great, Karl. Everybody was great."

She was the one who had been great. She was wearing a short blue skirt with a white blouse and a multi-colored vest. She looked good enough to eat. "Are you doing anything tonight?" I asked, hoping to get lucky.

"I've got Emilio today," she said, slowly. "I have to pick him up from pre-school."

I had met Emilio a few times and he seemed like a good kid, although we would have to be careful if he was with us. Children cooled passion. Suddenly I didn't care. I wanted to be near Esther anyway. Was this love? "Why don't I take you both out to dinner?" I asked.

"Why don't I cook dinner for the three of us? If you don't mind Emilio being there."

"I don't mind. I'll keep him out of your hair." I had played with my niece and nephew a few times. It was fun to be with kids, as long as you didn't have to be around them all the time.

"He'd love to show you his frog."

A voice over the intercom said, "Karl Patterson, please call the front desk."

Esther gave me her telephone receiver and pushed a button. The receptionist told me Pat Wong was on the line. She connected us and I said hello.

After a few preliminaries, Pat said, "My uncle is in town. He wants to meet you."

"Okay. How about tomorrow?"

"He's leaving tomorrow. It has to be tonight."

My heart sank. I wanted to kiss him off. But it might be important-for Ned, for Dionysus. After a pause, during which my conscience struggled with my desire to be with Esther, I said, "Okay. Where and when?"

When I hung up the phone Esther had a look of concern on her face. "Bad news about your father?"

"No. But I'm going to have to cancel dinner."

"That's all right."

She was being nice. But it wasn't all right.

***

Pat had asked me to pick him up at an apartment east of Lincoln Boulevard. The skuzzy side of Santa Monica. Cracked sidewalks, barred windows and houses that needed painting. Trash in the side yard. Still, if these were the worst slums Santa Monica had to offer they beat the hell out of most cities.

The address Pat had given me was a small house that had evidently been split into two or three apartments. I pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. Pat immediately appeared through a doorway.

As he got into the car I could see that he was overdressed for the area, with a nice shirt and tie, pressed slacks and polished black shoes.

After he said hello he added, "I'm staying here with a friend until I have enough money to get my own place."

That explained the unrecognizable voice on the answering machine. I asked him where we were going. He said the Beverly Hills Hotel. I laughed and said, "I'm not sure we can get there from here. Are you serious?"

Pat laughed too, and said, "My uncle always stays at the Beverly Hills Hotel. He's made a lot of money in real estate. I worked for him for a while-until I got into trouble. Speaking of work, I just got off a little while ago, but since we're going to an up-scale place I kept my uniform on."

"Uniform?"

"Yes, I got the job as airport shuttle driver. They make us wear a tie."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks. And thanks again for your help with the computers. And to everyone at Emerge."

Actually, getting to the Beverly Hills Hotel wasn't difficult at all. Take Lincoln north to Sunset Boulevard and head east on that winding and dangerous street, the graveyard for many a Chevrolet Corvair in the sixties, or so the story goes. I wished I were driving the Jaguar, with its superior handling ability, but even the Toyota far outperformed the Corvair, which was supposed to be so bad that Ralph Nader wrote a whole book about it and established a name for himself.

***

I told myself it was better to suffer minor embarrassment from leaving a Toyota with a parking valet than to risk damage to a more expensive car. In any case, the young man who didn't speak much English didn't seem to care what kind of car I drove as he handed me a parking stub.

A number of uniformed employees hovered about and one held the front door of the hotel for us, but Pat knew where he was going. There was no smiling girl to bow us into the elevator like the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo had featured when my father stayed there, but other than that I suspected the service here was first rate.

The room that appeared before us when the door was opened to Pat's knock was more luxurious than I had anticipated, with expensive antique furniture. In fact, it must be a suite because there was no bed in evidence and I doubted that the Beverly Hills Hotel used hide-a-beds.

I gathered that the man who answered the door was not Pat's uncle from the way he bowed to Pat. He led us through a doorway into another room, still with no bed but with a desk and a telephone.

The man who sat at the desk was small and gray, including the suit he wore, and distinguished looking. He rose and hugged Pat and then shook my hand when Pat introduced us.

"I am very pleased to meet you, Mr. Patterson," he said, formally, in a low, rumbling voice. "I am glad you came. I wanted to personally thank you for helping Pat to get his feet back on the ground."

"I didn't do much," I protested. "Many other people helped as well. And if Pat didn't have the drive to improve his life, nothing any of us could have done would have helped."

"Nevertheless, you and the others in your organization succeeded where I and Pat's parents couldn't."

I saw pain in his eyes and I suspected it was difficult for him to admit this. I said, "Mr. Wong, Pat is a fine young man and you will be proud of him." I hoped it was true.

Mr. Wong led us back into the first room where we sat in overstuffed chairs and his assistant brought us tea, which we sipped in small cups. Then he brought us a plate of fortune cookies.

Mr. Wong smiled and said, "We ordered takeout from a Chinese restaurant and these cookies came with it. Let us see what the fates have in store for us."

He took one of the cookies, broke it open and extracted the fortune. He read, "'You will never lack for money.' That is reassuring. Although I would rather have serenity. Pat, what is your fortune?"

Pat read, "Your journey begins with a single step."

"That is appropriate," Mr. Wong said. "Mr. Patterson?"

I was hoping for a good stock tip, but what I read was, "A crisis is an opportunity blowing on a dangerous wind."

Nobody spoke for a few seconds. Then Mr. Wong said, "Perhaps this is a good time to tell you why I really asked you to come here. I wish to speak about Ned Mackay." He paused, took a sip of tea and said, "I believe Pat told you my belief that Mr. Mackay was not a drug dealer, but was killed by some person or persons who also placed cocaine in his rental car."

I nodded.

"I wanted to help you because you helped Pat, so I conducted a small investigation," he continued. "The results have confirmed that my suspicions are true."

I waited for Mr. Wong to say more, but he sipped his tea and looked off into space. "Do you know who killed Ned?" I asked.

"It is probably not relevant who did the actual killing because they were undoubtedly hired by somebody else. But I think they are members of a local gang."

I must have looked surprised, because he said, "Oh, yes, there is a gang in Chinatown, just as there are almost everywhere else. They would do something like that, for money."

"And plant the drugs?"

"Many gang members are drug dealers. The person who hired them must have paid for the drugs."

I looked at Pat. He said, "Uncle knows more about this than I do. I wasn't a gang member."

"He was a good boy," Mr. Wong said.

"Can you give me the names of the people you talked to?" I asked Mr. Wong.

He shook his head. "They will not talk to the police. They will not talk to you, either. And it could be bad for both of us if I gave you their names."

That sounded final. I was preparing my exit words when Mr. Wong spoke again. "I have another piece of information for you. In my inquiries I found an old friend of Mr. Mackay's. Mr. Mackay gave this person a gun some time ago to keep for her own protection. On the night he was murdered, Mr. Mackay came to her house and borrowed the gun. He said he would return it later in the evening."

"Can you tell me who this person is?" I asked.

"She wishes to remain anonymous. She cannot contribute anything beyond what I have just told you."

"Is…this person Chinese?"

Mr. Wong nodded.

"But if Ned wasn't involved in drugs, why did he need a gun?"

"I can't tell you that.”

Perhaps seeing the look of disappointment on my face, he continued, "I want to reassure you that Mr. Mackay was not a drug dealer. This should be comforting to Mr. Mackay's family and friends. I know it is not a completely satisfactory conclusion to his murder, but I suggest that you do not pursue this further."

"And not try to find the murderer?"

"Yes."

Mr. Wong was right about one thing. It wasn't satisfactory. I tried once more. "Do you have any idea who is behind Ned's murder?"

Mr. Wong looked at me for a while and then said, slowly, "A fortune cookie can make danger sound romantic, but it isn't."

Chapter 18 T206 WAGNER

Palos Verdes is Spanish for green trees. The name is ironic because if you look at pictures taken 80 or 100 years ago the hill is completely barren. There are no trees in sight. The land was once used for cattle ranching and more recently for growing grain, vegetables and flowers. Some sheep grazed on the hillsides.

The trees were planted by "settlers" who built homes here starting in the 1920s. Perhaps a case of people improving the environment, not ruining it. Thoughts like these sometimes occurred to me as I ran along the tree-lined streets in the mornings, but this morning they were more concerned with the future of Dionysus.

Would Elma side with Buchanan or my father? Why did Ned want to fool Buchanan into thinking that he was losing a lot of money? Who killed Ned? Why did he need a gun if he wasn't a drug dealer? Who was the mysterious Chinese lady? I was still pondering these questions later as I worked on my baseball card business.

While I was checking eBay auctions other than my own on the Internet I came across the Honus Wagner card again. The bidding for it had reached $350,000. That sounded low if the card was in good condition. I rechecked the pictures of the front and the back of the card. I looked at some of the favorable comments other bidders had made about the seller. His credentials were impeccable and he stated the card was in near-mint condition. He was probably selling it for somebody else, but his reputation was still on the line.

Unless there were some sandbaggers waiting to pounce, I suspected that the card could be stolen for under $400,000. On impulse, I found James Buchanan's business card and called his office in San Francisco.

A man answered the phone. I gave my name and said I'd like to speak to James Buchanan. He asked what it was regarding. I said it was in regard to a baseball card. He said to hold on. I held, thinking that he would come back on the line and brush me off.

Instead, I heard a familiar voice. "Good morning, Karl, I'm glad you called. I saw you at Ned's funeral yesterday and I was thinking about you."

"I saw your limo." I wanted to ask him about the woman who was with him, but I couldn't think of a smooth way to do it.

"Sorry I couldn't stay around and chat, but I had some business meetings to attend. But back to you. How would you like to come to work for me?"

My planned speech evaporated. I stuttered something about being happy where I was, and then realized this was absurd because I was nowhere. I finally had wit enough to ask him why he wanted me to work for him.

"I like your style, Karl. I checked out your website. Anybody who knows as much about baseball cards as you do must have something on the ball, so to speak. And you've had no problem solving the entrance puzzles."

"Do you use them as a screening device for potential employees?"

James chuckled and said, "Now you know my secret."

"I don't have an MBA."

"There's always night school. Wouldn't you like to live in the Bay area? Get out from under Richard's shadow?"

"No thanks. Not right now, at least."

"Let me know when you're ready. I can wait. And I usually get what I want. What can I do for you today?"

"You told me to let you know when one of the special Honus Wagner baseball cards was up for sale. There's one on eBay now and I think it can be bought for a bargain price."

James showed immediate interest. He asked me some questions about what I thought it was worth and what it could be purchased for. After a two-minute conversation he gave me authorization to bid up to $400,000 on it.

This was too easy. I said, "Do you want some written confirmation?"

"Why bother? We know each other. What do you want to do, exchange emails? What good would that do? If you get the card just tell me where to send the check."

"Of course you'll own the card, not me."

"We'll work that out. I have no use for a baseball card."

That was the catch; I was selling my soul. After I hung up I thought about that, but not long enough or hard enough. I wanted that card too much. I put in a bid of $400,000 on the Wagner. Only the minimum incremental bid showed up on the screen, but any additional bids from other people would be automatically topped by one from me until the bidding reached $400,000.

I was excited and I danced around the room, completely forgetting about any possible downside. It took me a while to calm down.

I finally remembered that I was going to call Esther. I was fortunate enough to catch her in her office. I apologized for standing her up the night before and made a new date with her for that evening.

I had barely hung up the phone when it rang. It was Arrow. After our hellos she said, "I'm at the office but I just got back from Elma's. I was able to find some of her financial documents."

"And…?"

"Well, I haven't found everything yet and I'm not saying there won't be surprises, but preliminary indications are that she's loaded. For example, when Ned exercised all his stock options recently he received a check for well into seven figures. Every penny of that was put into their money market account and it's still there. In addition, Ned is covered by a big life insurance policy through Dionysus and he has a 401K. He has other stock investments, too."

"How about debts?"

"The only one I've found is their home loan and that's covered many times over just by the option money. Ned even paid off their credit card bills every month."

"So Elma doesn't have to sell her Dionysus stock."

"No; the Dionysus stock is all frosting on her financial cake. Karl, Elma has invited us to her house for dinner tonight."

"Who is us?"

"You and me. She said she wants to thank us for helping her through the crisis."

"I can't. I already have a date. Besides, you're the one who helped her. I didn't do anything. And she shouldn't be having company right now, anyway."

"She says has to keep busy so she won't go crazy. But here's the important part: She says she didn't tell us everything about the relationship between Ned and James. It sounded as if she might know something that would help us fit the pieces together."

***

For the second night in a row I stood up Esther. California has a three-strikes law and I suspected I was subject to it, even though she was very gracious on the phone. I had better not do this again.

As I drove to Redondo Beach to pick up Arrow I cursed the fates that had involved me in my father's business. Life had been so much simpler when I was responsible only for myself and my baseball card business, with a little help for Luz on her finances.

I had driven Luz to the hospital that afternoon so she could see my father, for the first time since his stroke. She had her own car, but she wouldn't go to the hospital by herself. She mothered him and read him a poem she had written in Spanish. It was very touching.

To thank me in advance, Luz made me tacos for lunch, and not the kind you get in a fast-food place either. She knew how to season them to perfection and she always used same-day-fresh ingredients.

My father continued to improve. At this rate he would be home by the end of the week. I couldn't wait until he was well enough to take over control of Dionysus again.

That was good news, but I was still feeling cross about standing up Esther when I arrived at Arrow’s condo. She must have sensed my bad mood because she said, "I thought it was important for us to go tonight while Elma is willing to talk. I'm sorry about your date. I'm not trying to interfere with your love life."

I grumbled something in return and we rode in silence to Elma's house. When we rang the bell the door was opened by a redheaded girl dressed in jeans that didn’t cover her hips and some sort of a top with straps too narrow to hide the bra straps that shared her shoulders.

She said, "Hi, you must be Arrow and Karl. I'm Sarah. Come on in." Then she turned around and yelled, "Mom, they're here." When Elma didn't immediately appear she raced off in the direction of the kitchen.

We shut the door and made our way to the living room. Arrow made a face and said, "I shouldn't criticize her fashion statement-or lack thereof. A few years ago I wore things just as hideous."

I laughed, glad that she agreed with me. Elma appeared, wearing a dress and looking very fashionable. She gave us both hugs and thanked us for coming. She said, "I understand you've already met my pride and joy."

Sarah followed her. Except for her attire she looked like a younger Elma. There was a shadow on her face and I remembered that she had buried her father the day before. I had seen her from a distance at the funeral, along with her older brother and sister, who were both in college.

Dinner was somewhat subdued, at first. After I said how nice the service for Ned had been I didn't know what else to say, especially with Sarah there. But Sarah broke the ice when, in response to something Elma said about the police investigation, she said, "Dad didn't do drugs. I would have known if he did. You can tell by a person's eyes…and other things."

Elma said, calmly, "I take it you know kids at school who do drugs."

Sarah looked at Elma, and then at Arrow and me. She said, "Well, I…you know, like you hear things."

"I'm not going to ask you to name names," Elma said, gently. "And I know you're smart enough to stay away from them. But you're right about Dad."

"I can vouch for your dad," I said. I told them the story of my meeting with Mr. Wong. Even Arrow hadn't heard this and they all listened intently. Sarah asked whether I'd seen any celebrities at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Elma wanted to know Mr. Wong's opinion about who was behind Ned's murder. I told her that Mr. Wong didn't know.

I didn't mention the gun or the Chinese lady. Elma hadn't said anything about Ned owning a gun and I didn't know whether the police had told her about it. I knew Arrow hadn't.

Elma served homemade cherry pie for dessert. I ate two pieces. Then she excused Sarah so that she could do her homework; Sarah went upstairs. Something that was supposed to be music drifted down to us. Arrow and I insisted on doing the dishes while Elma put food away. Elma remarked that I would make somebody a good husband. I said I'd had lots of practice washing glasses when I was a bartender.

When the dishes were done Elma ushered us into the living room and poured us small glasses of cognac. She sat in her favorite chair, kicked off her shoes and tucked one leg up underneath her. I hadn't been able to do that since I was in eighth grade.

She said, "I have wracked my brains, but I can't think of anybody who would want Ned dead."

"Maybe the police will find out who did it," I said, not believing it.

"You and I both know that that's not likely to happen," Elma said, quietly.

There was an awkward pause; Arrow and I didn't know what to say. Then Elma said, "But what I want to talk to you about is something that happened back in Scotland when we were young. I don't know the whole story, but it certainly affected the relationship between Ned and James and might even have something to do with James wanting to take over Dionysus."

"Did you know that James was at the funeral?" I asked.

"No." Elma and Arrow answered together.

"He left as soon as it was over."

"I wish he had stayed and spoken to me," Elma said. She looked hurt.

"I think he had some business to attend to in LA," I said. Why was I apologizing for James?

"It sounds just like James," Elma said, dismissing him, abruptly. "But back to my story. When they lived in Scotland, Ned and James hung around with a group of local boys in Wick. They did some crazy things, as boys will. James was the ringleader and Ned was his lieutenant. James invented a game that they played. It was a kind of gambling game. They called it, simply, The Game."

She took a sip of cognac. I did too. It caressed my taste buds and went down smoothly.

"Whenever any of the boys wanted any of the others to do something for him, such as fix him up with a girl or cover for him when he had done something wrong, they played The Game. They had a bunch of squares laid out in a field, outlined by stones. The boy who needed the favor would stand at a mark and throw another stone into the squares. That stone was painted white. If it landed in certain squares he won and got the favor; if it landed in others he lost."

"It sounds vaguely like roulette," I said, "with more of a skill factor."

"James was very good at physical games as well as mental games," Elma said. "When he played he could always get the stone in the right squares. I don't think he ever lost."

"What was the penalty for losing?" Arrow asked.

"Whatever had been agreed on beforehand. Which brings me to the point. One of the boys in the group was killed while scaling a cliff above the North Sea. He fell off and landed on the rocks below. Ned and James were both there when it happened.

"Neither one of them would talk to me about it, but the rumors said that climbing the cliff was a penalty for losing The Game. I heard that James had chosen the penalty and demanded that it be carried out on this particular day, even though it was foggy and raining and the rocks were slippery. Not long after that Ned and James left Wick forever and came to the States."

There was silence while we digested what Elma had said. I swallowed the rest of my cognac in one gulp and felt a burning sensation in my throat. Elma and Arrow sipped theirs.

"Did that incident alter your feelings toward James?" Arrow asked, breaking the silence.

"Over a period of time that and the fact that he deserted me did," Elma said. "When I ran into him here years later and found out he was married, the news had no effect on me."

Was Elma telling us this as a way of assuring us that she would vote her stock against James? Possibly. I certainly felt more at ease.

"What happened to the other members of the gang?" I asked.

"When I left Wick they were all still there. They're probably there to this day. For most of them a long trip is to Glasgow or Edinburgh."

Chapter 19 PROXIES

For the next six days I did my own thing. I ran and worked my baseball card business. Each day I checked the auction for the Wagner card on eBay and each day I was still the leading bidder. I tried not to think of what would happen if I actually got the card.

I visited my father in the hospital. When he came home on Saturday I visited him in the castle. We didn't talk about Dionysus. I actually told him something about my business and he was interested enough to give me a couple of suggestions. I couldn't remember when we had talked so much.

Jacie and I were nice to each other-the way people are when they've been through an ordeal together. Luz fussed around my father, cooking food for him that he wasn't ready to eat yet, and ended up giving it to me.

I spent a day and two wonderful nights with Esther. I took her and her son, Emilio, to a Dodger game and even got him a baseball autographed by Steve Garvey, who was there for an old-timers' day.

On Tuesday morning I got a call from Arrow. Her first words were, "Karl, we've got a problem."

I almost asked her whether she had spilled food on her kitchen floor again and needed help with the cleanup, but her tone of voice warned me to be serious. I said, "What's the matter?"

"James is going to mount a proxy fight to take over Dionysus and Elma is going to vote her shares with him."

I hadn't spent much time thinking about Dionysus for the last few days and this news came as a complete shock. I stuttered incoherently for a few seconds before my brain got into gear and I said, "What made Elma change her mind?"

"I don't know that she actually changed her mind. Remember, she never told us before how she would vote. Apparently, James spent most of yesterday with her. I went to her house this morning to work on her finances. James convinced her that Richard is in no shape to run Dionysus, and without Ned new management is needed."

"Actually, Richard is well enough so that he can probably deal with this personally in a few days."

"I've already talked to him."

I had a strong desire to scream at Arrow, but before I could get beyond "What!" she said, "He called me after he got home from the hospital and made me promise, on pain of instant dismissal, that I would let him know if I heard anything at all about what James was up to."

Damn! This was a good way to give my father a setback. But it was too late now. "What are your plans?" I asked.

"Richard wants me to come to the house at noon for a strategy session with him. I want you to be there too."

"I can't. I have an appointment this afternoon." My regular volunteer session at Emerge.

"This is important. Can't you change it? Please? I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important."

"Does my father want me there?"

"Karl, I want you there. You've been in this thing up to your eyeballs and you know more than anyone else about what James has done lately. And you owe it to your father. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

I was silent.

Arrow continued, “Richard said his cook would make us lunch."

Now I could agree without acknowledging that I owed something to my father. "At least we won't starve. When Luz makes lunch she goes all out."

I didn't want canceling my sessions at Emerge to become a habit. This was the last time I would do it for my father or Arrow or anyone else.

***

I slipped into the castle through one of the sliding doors near the pool and delicious aromas emanating from the kitchen immediately drew me there. Luz was up to her armpits in pots.

I said, "The only reason I agreed to come to this meeting was because I heard you were cooking a feast."

" Gracias," Luz said, giving me a hug even though she had a large spoon in her hand. "Mrs. Patterson told me you might come so I made more."

"Wild toros couldn't keep me away. And with you cooking for him, Mr. Patterson will soon be well."

" Es verdad. He looks better already."

"Dionysus stock is up this morning. It is because people know you are taking care of Mr. Patterson."

" Mucho dinero," Luz nodded. "The company will be all right."

It was more likely that the stock was up because something had leaked out about James' plans, but I didn't mention that. I continued on through the house and up the stairs to the master bedroom, an appropriate place to hold a business meeting.

Two card tables were set up by the window, covered with a tablecloth. My father sat in a wheelchair in front of one of them. He wore a blue bathrobe with his initials on it that Jacie had bought him, with pajamas underneath. He was still a little pale but he looked alert and ready for action.

Jacie was there, of course. Since his stroke she had stuck to him like superglue. And Arrow was there already. As I said my hellos I glanced at Jacie's face to see how she was reacting to the news that Arrow was her husband's executive assistant. Nothing showed in her expression so she may have found out before. Arrow was dressed in a conservative pantsuit, thank God.

We sat down at the card tables and Luz immediately appeared, carrying a tray with a mouth-watering gazpacho to start off the meal. I took a spoonful, savoring the taste and thinking that it would be better to postpone business until after lunch, but that was not my father's way.

As soon as Luz disappeared back down the stairs, he said, "The purpose of this meeting is to determine a course of action, based on Arrow's information that James Buchanan is shifting his plan to take over Dionysus into high gear. I purposely didn't ask our attorney to this meeting because I want to discuss the matter in a non-legalistic atmosphere before doing anything."

Mindful of my father's health, I said, "Can't this be put off for a few weeks? It will take James at least that long to mail out proxies and do the other stuff he has to do."

"By then it may be too late…"

"I think Karl is right," Jacie said. "Your health is the top priority right now. And what's the worst that can happen? If this guy gets control of Dionysus, you always have your golden parachute. You can retire gracefully."

With lots of cash, and stock options intact. Jacie had a point, even beyond the fact that her financial security would be assured.

It was obvious from the expression on my father's face that he wasn't buying it. He said, "The Company is at a critical place right now. We are about to bring out some new products that are revolutionary in concept and design. I don't trust anybody else to do it properly. This is what I've worked for all these years."

Luz returned, carrying strips of skinned chicken and steamed rice. She was learning how to prepare low-fat meals. She picked up the dirty bowls and exited again.

I had a basic question. I asked Arrow, "Do we know how many shares James needs in addition to Elma's in order to get control?"

"Not exactly," Arrow said, "because we don't have the latest figures on the shares he owns outright." She looked at me with an expression that may have said, "because you turned down his offer." Or perhaps I interpreted it like that because I sometimes wondered what would have happened if I had played that blackjack game.

Nobody else noticed and she continued, "Our best guess is that if he can get proxies for another 15 percent of the shares outstanding in addition to what he and Elma have between them he can swing it."

We discussed the possibility of this happening. My feeling was that if he could get Elma's proxy he could get others as well. And of course he could buy more on the open market, but now that the price had started to rise that was becoming more costly. Or maybe the price was rising because he was buying.

The discussion meandered aimlessly for a while. Finally, my father, who didn't like to waste time, said to Arrow, "What can we do to get Elma's proxy?"

"Prove to Elma that James is the blackguard she suspects he is." She gave a short version of the story Elma had told us about James and Ned and The Game that had cost one of their friends his life.

Prove it how? There was only one possible way I could think of. Was I willing to do it for my father? I realized I was. I said, "I will go to Scotland and try to find one of the boys in their gang. Elma mentioned some names and I wrote them down because I figured if I saw James I'd ask him about them. But of course he won't incriminate himself. Elma said most people in northern Scotland live their whole lives in one place so they're probably still there. Dad, if you'll let me use some of your frequent-flyer miles I can do it on the cheap."

"Does Elma still have relatives there?" my father asked. "Maybe she can call them and ask…"

"Her parents are dead," Arrow said. "She has no brothers or sisters. And her parents moved to Wick from someplace else so she has no other relatives there."

"Arrow should go with Karl," Jacie said.

We looked at her in surprise.

"It makes sense. This affects the future of Dionysus and she's an employee, whereas Karl isn't. And she's met this bastard, James."

Jacie was beginning to sound like my father. Was I doomed to have Arrow tagging along everywhere I went? Was Jacie trying to keep Arrow from having daily meetings with my father in the master bedroom? Did Jacie swim in the nude?

"Jacie is right," my father said, touching her arm in a loving gesture. "Arrow, pack your bags."

Chapter 20 SCOTLAND

"There aren't any houses down there. Nobody lives here!"

Arrow looked out the window of the 777 and marveled at the emptiness of northern Canada.

"Who said the earth was overpopulated?" I stood up and leaned over Arrow to look at the barren countryside below, softly lit by the setting sun and punctuated with lots of small bodies of water, but no people. I bemoaned the fact that she had tricked me into giving her the business-class window seat and vowed that I would get it on the return flight.

"If you think this is destitute, wait until we fly over Greenland," I said with the superior knowledge of someone who has done it before. Arrow had never been to Europe.

"Explain to me again why the shortest route from Los Angeles to London goes so far north," Arrow said, looking at the route map in the airline magazine.

"If you form a plane-a geometric plane, not an airplane -using three points: the center of the earth, Los Angeles and London, the arc created where the plane intersects the surface of the earth is the shortest distance between LA and London, and it goes through Greenland. It has something to do with both cities being in the northern hemisphere."

"It has something to do with bullshit. And what time will it be when we arrive in London?"

"There's an eight-hour time difference so it will be tomorrow morning about 10 a.m."

"So it's well after midnight there now."

"Right," I said, consulting my watch.

"In that case, maybe we should get some sleep."

It wasn't a bad idea. We had both done a lot of running around since the lunch yesterday, making reservations, packing and doing all the things one has to do before one leaves town. Except that one usually has more than 24 hours in which to do them.

We turned out our reading lights and Arrow lifted the armrest between us, saying, "I have trouble sleeping on airplanes. May I use your shoulder for a pillow?"

That sounded like a reasonable request so we arranged a blanket to cover both of us. In order to get comfortable and balanced I had to put my arms around her. Her curls tickled my cheek. She placed her hands on mine and arranged them against her sweater.

My fingers enjoyed the smooth feel of the wool until they came to a couple of hills that a quick mental review of female anatomy told me were her breasts. I verified that fact by locating a nipple before I realized that this wasn't a good idea. I quickly readjusted my hands to a position lower down.

Arrow stirred and said, grumpily, "What's the matter? You are certainly more squeamish than Richard."

I jerked my hands away from her and sat up straight. I stared at her. "Arrow, did you sleep with my father?"

She kept her face averted so I couldn't see it and muttered, "What if I did?"

I couldn't speak. I just stared at her. She finally turned her head and looked at me. She said, "If it will make you feel any better it happened before he met Jacie. Even before I was his assistant. I was new in the company but I went on a business trip with him to handle some grunt work he needed done."

She paused, but when I still didn't speak she continued. "It was all very glamorous for me then-and your father was a god. Karl, you may not believe this but your father is a very sexy man. We only used one hotel room that trip, although of course we charged the company for two."

I was still tongue-tied. Arrow said, belligerently, "Don't get on your high horse with me. It's not the first time a woman slept with her boss and it won't be the last. All the laws in the world won't stop that. And so what if he is your father? He was a very lonely man until he met Jacie."

Arrow jerked my part of the blanket over to her seat and slammed down the armrest. We didn't touch each other for the rest of the flight.

***

"Watch out!" Arrow screamed, and I slammed on the brakes of our red Nissan Primera rental car to avoid hitting the truck that was sweeping through the roundabout from the right. That was how I learned the rule of roundabouts: traffic on the circle has the right-of-way.

The Airport Posthouse Hotel, where we were going to spend our first night in the UK, was right across the street from the Glasgow Airport, but in order to drive there we had to follow the circular road and negotiate three roundabouts.

"I think it's the next exit," Arrow said, intently watching the signs.

Now that I was on the roundabout I needed something more definite than "I think" but I attempted to activate my turn signal. I turned on the windshield wipers instead. There was a learning curve here. I had never driven on the left side of the road before nor shifted with my left hand.

After more roundabouts and only a couple of wrong turns we finally made it to the parking lot of the hotel, which we could have walked to in two minutes, and I thankfully pulled into the only empty spot I saw.

"Tomorrow maybe you can get out of second gear," Arrow said, smugly, and I would have hit her if I hadn't still had a hands-off policy.

"Tomorrow you can drive," I said.

We checked in and went to our adjoining rooms. We took showers and changed clothes; Arrow didn't call me to zip her up. A half-hour later we met in the hotel lobby.

"We need to get our bodies on local time as soon as possible," I said, "so we shouldn't eat dinner until at least five."

"What time is it now?"

I glanced at my watch. "About 3:30."

"I'm all mixed up," Arrow said. "I'm tired but I don't know if I can sleep. I'm hungry but I don't know if I can eat. What time is it in my head?"

"Don't try to figure it out. Let's take a walk."

We went outside and walked to the street. Arrow started to cross while a car was coming and I had to grab her arm.

"You have to look to the right here," I said as she shook me off.

A cold wind penetrated our sweaters so we re-entered the airport terminal building. We strolled past some shops and up a flight of stairs. On the second floor there were a bunch of fast-food restaurants.

"We can eat breakfast here," I said. "These places are a lot cheaper than breakfast at the hotel." I had temporarily forgotten that we were on an expense account.

"Everybody talks funny," Arrow said, listening intently to scattered bits of conversation. "And some of the words on the signs are different. I haven't seen the word 'biscuit' used in years."

"I think that's their word for 'cookie.'"

"So the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street would be the Biscuit Monster here."

"I guess so. And they say 'knickers' instead of 'panties.'"

Arrow gave me a sarcastic smile and said, "Thanks. I'll remember that when I go shopping."

When we crossed the street to return to the hotel she took my arm. Even if it was for safety reasons I understood it as a peace offering and decided to return to my usual congenial self.

We finished dinner by six. By that time Arrow was completely beat and I wasn't far away. We retired to our hotel rooms. I watched television for a while and then tried to go to sleep. Thinking about Arrow and my father together made sleep difficult. Was that because I wanted her for myself?

Chapter 21 WICK

We could have taken the train from Glasgow, but I had said that driving would give us more freedom. I should have held my tongue. The "A" roads are supposed to be the best roads in the UK next to the "M" roads (limited-access motorways like the good old LA freeways) but soon after leaving Glasgow on A82 we encountered seven miles of hell along the west bank of mythic Loch Lomond.

Between the cliff rising on the left and the stone wall on the right that separated us from the lake shore was a winding road so narrow that two cars could barely pass each other, not to mention the big rigs that kept lumbering by.

"You're going off the road!" became Arrow's favorite shout as I kept edging the car to the left to avoid the imminent collisions that were constantly looming.

At one point the local engineers even acknowledged that the road was too narrow for two cars and stop lights were set up so that traffic could only move in one direction at a time.

North of Loch Lomond the road widened and I breathed easier. Arrow relinquished her death grip on the door handle. We followed the road up toward Rannoch Moor Summit, with bare granite peaks rising on either side.

A roar behind us told me that we were about to be obliterated by some monster machine. As my heart went into double-time and I frantically searched for an escape route, the roar passed over us.

Arrow looked up and pointed. "Jet fighter."

I could see the plane too, flying low, snaking its way through the canyon, its engine noise reverberating off the rocky walls. "Must be RAF," I said. "The sound of freedom. If they don't scare us to death in the process."

I stopped at a wide spot in the road to let my shaking subside.

"I'm ready to drive now," Arrow said.

"Fine."

Arrow picked driving up quickly, even shifting left-handed, and I relaxed a little. She had good coordination, although occasionally I heard her chanting the mantra, "Keep to the left." We stopped to eat at a lunchroom in a village along the north shore of Loch Ness.

A woman behind a counter made us sandwiches and we chose to eat at an inside table, shielded from the cool wind. None of the few tables was vacant, but one had two free chairs. A man waved at the chairs and in an accent suspiciously like ours, said, "Have a seat."

He was older, with streaks of gray in his short hair, almost skinny. He wore glasses with aviator frames. We sat down and introduced ourselves.

"I'm Larry," he said, shaking both our hands. "I take it you're from the US."

"Los Angeles," I said.

"Me too, specifically Palos Verdes."

"Small world." We spent the next two minutes determining that we lived within three miles of each other.

"What an amazing coincidence," Arrow exclaimed.

Larry shrugged. "The first time I was in Athens I saw somebody wearing a T-shirt that read 'Palos Verdes High School Physical Education' in Syntagma Square."

"You must travel a lot," Arrow said, and when he nodded she added, "What are you doing here?"

"Walking." He noticed our looks of disbelief and added, "From John O'Groats to Land's End, northeast to southwest. It's a traditional British walk. Lots of people do it."

"Where do you stay?" Arrow asked.

"B and B's. Bed and breakfast places. The owners are the nicest people this side of New Zealand. And many of the rooms are newly remodeled."

"And what do you carry with you?"

"A fanny pack with water, a little food, a change of clothes and first aid. And my North Face and waterproof pants for rain and wind. That's all I need." Larry pointed to the seat beside him, on which sat the fanny pack. A blue jacket with a hood was draped over the chair. It looked high-tech with its zippers and drawstrings.

Maybe he could give us some information. "If you started at John O'Groats, you must have gone through Wick," I said, remembering the road map we were using.

"The day I started I walked from John O'Groats to Wick. I stayed at Mackays Hotel. It's more expensive than a B and B, but I was still jet-lagged and I thought it might be more comfortable. It was okay, but I've found the B and B’s to be just as comfortable."

"We have reservations at Mackays Hotel," I said. "Are the people friendly there?" Will they spill their guts to us?

"They're friendly, if a little isolated. The day I was there the local bagpipe band marched through town, wearing their kilts. Incidentally, some of the bagpipers are girls. I was watching on the street and struck up a conversation with a couple of locals. I thought I was in a time warp. They talked about the problem of blacks moving in. I haven't heard that in 30 years."

He didn't look specifically at Arrow and she didn't respond. I said, "Speaking of 30 years, we're attempting to look up some men who lived in Wick 30 years ago and we hope still do. Do you think the residents will help us?"

"They'll fall all over themselves to help you. It'll give them something to do. Some days the most exciting thing that happens here is a cat has kittens."

We chatted some more until Larry got up to leave.

"If I stop too long at one time I get sleepy and comfortable," he said, "and it's difficult to get going again."

"By the way, have you seen the Loch Ness monster?" Arrow asked.

Larry had been walking along the north shore of Loch Ness.

Larry laughed. "No. And since Loch Ness is the largest body of water in Scotland and so deep that the bottom has never been found there are plenty of places for the monster to hide."

"One more question," Arrow said. "Why do you walk?"

"Because I'm a lousy runner."

***

Mackays Hotel is a sturdy stone building near the Wick River. The intersection beside it is actually a small roundabout, as I discovered when I attempted to turn right into the side street and saw oncoming traffic waiting for me. A circle painted in the middle of the intersection designates it as a roundabout.

Tired from having driven almost 300 miles, and still suffering from eight hours of jet lag, Arrow and I decided to eat at the hotel rather than venturing forth into the village of Wick. The food was good, if unimaginative, and there was plenty of it. We would not starve. Judging from the girth of some of the people we had seen so far, none of the population was starving.

As we tried to compensate for our sleep-debt by filling our stomachs, I said to Arrow, "I notice you didn't say anything when Larry talked about the black problem. You didn't take offense, did you?"

"Of course not. He was just reporting; it was nothing personal. And I've heard it all before. Perhaps he was warning me I might hear some talk like that. But so far the people seem very nice."

That wasn't surprising. I had noticed that Arrow charmed almost everybody on contact. "What do you think about his plan to walk the length of the UK?" I asked.

"I think it's exciting. And isn't he handsome."

"That's right, you like older men, don't you." The look Arrow gave me convinced me to change the subject.

After dinner we saw a sign in the lobby advertising a show to be held that evening in the hotel. It featured singing and dancing and, best of all, it was free. We agreed that this was a good chance to meet some people.

***

"I suspect that this is a substitute for pub night," I said as Arrow and I slid into a bench seat of one of the long tables at a ninety-degree angle to the front of the large room. The room was filling up fast with whole families, and most of the men went and purchased drinks at the bar as soon as they were settled.

"Elma told us about these get-togethers, remember?" Arrow said. "She used to sing here."

"I guess nothing's changed. I'll get us a couple of pints."

When I returned, a man was sitting next to Arrow on the bench and talking to her. He hadn't wasted any time. I looked around to see if he was there with anyone, but no wife or girlfriend was in evidence. He appeared to be in his thirties. His cheeks were redder than his thinning hair. I was glad to see that his waistline was expanding-not that I was feeling any jealousy.

"Karl, this is Jock," Arrow said, as I put down the mugs.

He reached in front of Arrow to shake my hand and said, "Glad to meet you, Karl."

I replied in kind and asked, "Can I get you a drink?"

For answer he lifted his own mug, which was half full. Before I could say anything more the room hushed. The emcee, another well-fed man whose name was Mackay, welcomed everybody and introduced the first singer, another Mackay.

The young woman had a nice voice and I could picture Elma singing in her place, except that she made two of Elma. I said into Arrow's ear, "Is everybody here named Mackay?"

She passed the question along to Jock, who laughed and shook his head, indicating that he was not.

The traditional Scottish song received a rousing round of applause; I'm sure everybody in the room had learned the words while still in diapers. Ms. Mackay sang several others, on the mournful side, and was followed by more singers and some kilt-clad dancers.

The small band struck up a tune that was a signal for members of the audience to get up and dance. They did a round dance that involved changing partners frequently. I was trying to figure out the steps when Jock asked Arrow to dance.

I'm sure she had never done this dance before, but she picked it up fast and obviously enjoyed herself. Men glanced at her while pretending not to; women stared more openly, partly because she was the only dark-skinned person in the room and partly because she looked striking in her short curls and blue dress.

After the song ended Arrow and Jock returned to the table and sat down. The three of us talked, half-shouting to be heard over the din of the crowd. We told Jock we were in the UK on business, without being too specific, and said that we had promised to attempt to look up some people for friends of ours. We bounced several names off him until he reacted to one.

"Aye, Michael McTavish. He lives over by John O'Groats."

Jock verified that his age was probably late forties. It appeared we had a hit.

"Could you tell us how to get there?" Arrow asked.

"I'll do better than that. I'll take you there tomorrow."

"Don't you have to work?"

"It's Saturday, my day off."

The band started to play again. Arrow stood up and grabbed my hand. "Come on, Karl. Get up. I want to see you dance."

"I've never done that before," I protested.

"I'll show you how; it's easy."

By this time I had drunk most of my pint and it didn't matter so much if I made a fool of myself. I resisted only slightly as Arrow dragged me to the dance floor.

Chapter 22 THE GAME

Jock insisted on driving us in his car, even though it was smaller than our Nissan. I couldn't blame him if he didn't want to ride with someone who usually drove on the wrong side of the road. Arrow had to squeeze into the back seat and we were grateful that it was only seventeen miles to John O'Groats.

It rained intermittently and the gusts of wind were cold. "How much does it rain here?" I asked Jock as he navigated the narrow road between pastures full of sheep and cows.

"There's an old Scottish saying: If it isn't raining now it will rain soon."

That was comforting for us desert dwellers of Southern California. I wondered how Larry, the walker, was faring.

"Look at those funny red cows," Arrow said. "They look so cute with their long hair. It's even over their eyes."

"Highland cattle," Jock said. "Not terribly useful except for postcards for the tourists. Other breeds are more profitable."

We came down a slight grade into John O'Groats, which consisted of a number of houses and the John O'Groats Hotel, but not much more. Beyond the rocky cliffs we could see the waters of the North Sea, looking relatively calm compared to what they must be like when the storms come that the area is famous for.

"This is where Larry started his walk," Arrow said.

"Walk?" asked Jock.

She explained about Larry's quest.

"He's a bit daft, wouldn't you say?"

I had heard that the UK was a nation of walkers, but apparently there were exceptions.

Jock turned off into a side street and parked in front of a small but relatively new house. The tiny yard looked well cared for and the white front door was freshly painted.

Michael McTavish was expecting us; Jock had telephoned him earlier. He answered the door promptly to Jock's knock. He ushered us into the house and shook hands with Jock and then with Arrow and me. Then he led us to some worn but still comfortable chairs in front of a fireplace with a real fire in it, saying, "There's a chill in the air. Perhaps this will help to warm your bones."

I suspected there was always a chill in the air here.

"The missus is running some errands," he said, almost apologetically, "but she baked these." He pointed to a plate of cookies on an end table. There was also a pot of tea.

"Biscuits," Arrow said, taking a cookie when Michael offered them to her. "See, I'm learning." She took a bite. "Delicious."

As he poured each of us a cup of tea I noted that Michael McTavish didn't seem to smile much. Smaller than average height, he was also quite thin. His lined face and graying hair assured me that he was in the same generation as Ned and James.

Michael and Jock doctored their tea with milk and sugar. Arrow also took some sugar. I tasted mine and decided that adding sugar was the correct thing to do to diffuse the bitterness.

We sipped in silence for a minute, as I wondered how to start the conversation. Then Jock said, "Well, Michael, these two come from Los Angeles and they know some old mates of yours."

"Who do you know, then?" Michael asked.

I mentioned Ned, James and Elma and watched his face.

A look of recognition crossed it, but he didn't smile. He said, "I knew them all." He hesitated and said, "It has been many long years since I have seen any of them."

"About thirty years?" Arrow asked.

Michael nodded. "Close to it. We were young and carefree then. We were always together. I hoped it would last forever, but one day James and Ned left and never returned. I believe Elma left some time later."

"I have some bad news about Ned," I said. I told how he had been shot, without mentioning drugs.

"In San Francisco, did you say?" Jock asked. "Was it the mafia, do you think?"

"I don't think so. In fact, he was shot in Chinatown, but we don't think it was the Chinese mafia, either."

"Any clues?" Jock asked, deadpan.

"No clues."

Arrow launched into a brief history of what all three had done since they left Wick. She told about the marriage of Ned and Elma and a summary of their business pursuits, without glorifying them or mentioning money.

When she was through, Michael said, "That's quite a story. Maybe I should have left too. The missus was always after me to go, but somehow I never got around to it. I do have me own business, though. Selling woolen goods. If it's warm sweaters you're after, we've got 'em. I'm even starting to do some business on the Internet, but it's slow going."

"Have you got a website?" I asked.

"Yes, but I'm having problems getting the customers to visit it. I'm trying to learn the code and how to make it look pretty; I hired a boy to put it together, but he costs money."

"Karl is an expert at creating websites," Arrow said, giving me more credit than I deserved. "Let him take a look at yours. Maybe he can help."

"And Arrow is an expert in marketing," I added.

"A pretty lass like yourself?" Michael said, dubious, looking her over.

However, he led us into the tiny spare bedroom, which he used as a home office. The state-of-the-art computer equipment looked out of place in this remote corner of the world, but Michael soon established a connection to the Internet.

His website was bare-bones and I immediately thought of a dozen ways it could be improved, with better organization, use of color and modern graphics techniques. A thought occurred to me. If we could get on his good side he would be much more likely to talk freely to us.

"I have some ideas," I told Michael. "If you like I'll do some work on it, but I won't change any of your existing pages so when I'm done you can either use my suggestions or stay with what you have. I can also get you hooked up with the best search engines."

"I can't afford to pay you."

"No, no, this is fun for me. I wouldn't charge you anything."

The look on Michael's face told me that he didn't believe in taking something for nothing. I said, "There is something you can do for us in return. Elma asked…Elma is, umm, writing a book about her early life in Scotland. She asked us that if we were able to locate someone who knew her and Ned and James, to have them tell us their memories of those days so that she could use them in the book."

Michael considered. "A book, is it? And she would send me a copy?"

"Of course."

"I wouldn't mind reliving those days." He said it, wistfully.

There was another thing we had to do-get rid of Jock. Since the computer room wasn't large enough to hold four people Jock was standing outside the door looking like a guy who had just missed the bus. I said, "Jock, this may take a while. We really appreciate you bringing us here, but you don't have to stay. We'll find our own way back."

Jock wasn't going to be dismissed that easily. Since the reason he had helped us was clear I turned to Arrow and pleaded with her, using my eyes. She squeezed past me and took him by the arm. I couldn't hear what she said to him as she guided him to the door, but I assumed she was bargaining, perhaps promising him a date for tonight. It was worth it, I told myself.

***

Michael's wife returned while I was pounding on the computer and Arrow and Michael were going over his financial records on the dining room table. I was completely engrossed in programming, working fast to make up in speed what I lacked in ability.

Michael had told us something about his wife so when I heard the front door close I immediately knew that I should show myself. I went quickly into the dining room. Arrow and Michael were sitting at the table with their heads close together. She had convinced him that she did know something about marketing.

Mrs. McTavish entered the room on her way to the kitchen, with two large bags of groceries in her arms, just as I got to the back of Arrow's chair and put my hands on her shoulders. Michael looked up, startled at the appearance of his wife.

He said, "Hello, dear, let me help you with those," sounding like a boy who has been caught watching an adult movie on cable. He quickly got up and took the bags from her. "These two have come from Los Angeles to find out about life here when we were young. Karl and Arrow, this is my wife, Heather."

We said hello and Heather, who was short and thin, like her husband, nodded, without speaking or smiling and followed him through a swinging door into the kitchen. We could hear their voices then, speaking softly but rapidly, with Heather's demanding and Michael's placating.

Arrow shrugged as if to say she couldn't help it and she'd seen it all before.

I said, "What did you promise Jock to get him to leave?"

"Not what you think. Although we may have to meet him for a drink."

"So you included me."

"I'm certainly not going alone."

Michael came back into the room and said, "We would like to have you stay for lunch."

Lunch. I looked at my watch. Time flies when you're jet-lagged and don't know what time it really is. I said, "Why don't we take you both out for lunch. Is there a place nearby…?"

"The hotel's about the only place and we can do better. You haven't eaten until you've tried Heather's good hearty soup."

"We'd love to stay for lunch," Arrow said in a loud voice. "I'll help Heather in the kitchen while you two go over what Karl's done on the website." She disappeared through the swinging door, the soul of domesticity, and we could hear her complimenting Heather on her kitchen.

Michael looked at me in relief as he cleared his papers off the table.

***

"James was the leader of our gang, if you want to call it that. He was the one with all the ideas, some of them pretty daft. Ned was his best friend. They shared everything, including Elma."

Michael stopped to eat a spoonful of soup, which was indeed both good and hearty. He and I each had a glass of beer. Arrow and Heather drank tea, although I knew by now that Arrow detested it.

"I was younger than Elma," Heather said, “but I always thought she was a wild one. Two boyfriends at the same time and then running off to America all my herself."

"She's quieted down a lot," Arrow said. "Raising three kids will do that to you."

She and Heather laughed together; Heather had also raised three kids. Suddenly the two of them were best buddies. Arrow had apparently convinced Heather that she was sweet and innocent, in spite of the fact that she was traveling abroad with somebody who wasn't her husband or even her intended.

Heather jumped up from the table and scurried into the kitchen.

"I understand that James invented something called The Game," I said, attempting to steer the conversation.

"Aye, The Game," Michael said. "James liked to play games that he was good at. He was always looking for an edge. I remember one time I played it…" He stopped and glanced at Heather, who had just returned with a lamb dish.

"Let's hear what you have to say, Michael McTavish," Heather said, placing the dish in front of him. "Don't stop on account of me. I already know enough about your sorry youth to convince your father to disinherit you."

"Small loss that would be," Michael said. "Well, this was before you were in the picture, Heather. You were still a skinny child…"

"You were no Adonis, yourself."

"There was this girl I had my eye on…"

"And who would that be?"

"Nobody you would remember. If you wish to hear my story, woman, then let me tell it. James knew her and promised to fix me up with her if I won The Game. The penalty if I lost was to run through the center of town with no clothes on."

"I don't remember that."

"If you were smart you were snug inside by the fire. It was a miserable day, rain and wind, and few people were about. I almost caught pneumonia."

"If I had seen you naked I would have had more sense than to marry you."

"I take it you lost The Game," I said, smiling.

"Yes. I had practiced, but at the last minute James changed the rules and I had to throw for different squares. That was like James."

"Elma said that a boy got killed as a result of The Game." Arrow said this casually, as if to make conversation, but she stole a glance at me as she said it.

"Killed?" Michael had a puzzled expression.

"Was that the Stewart boy?" Heather asked. "As I recall he fell onto the rocks."

Arrow and I looked at each other again, but we kept quiet.

"Dickie Stewart," Michael said, as if remembering. "He was part of the group. One day he took it into his head to climb the cliff from the beach. He must have slipped. It was very sad."

"Did he climb the cliff as a penalty for losing The Game?" I asked.

Michael took a sip of beer, then another. After a few more sips he said, "As I recall I was laid up in bed at the time-influenza I think it was, and I don't know the details."

"But you must have talked to the other boys," Arrow said, with a tinge of disbelief.

"I don't recall that. I went to Dickie's funeral, of course, even though I was still a bit rocky. By the time I had recovered the affair was over and forgotten."

"Perhaps there are other members of your group still here who would know what happened," Arrow said.

"Why is it so important?" Michael asked. "No good can come of it now. And there are many other stories I can tell you."

"It isn't important," I said. "And we would love to hear your stories."

***

Michael drove us back to the hotel after regaling us with stories for two hours. Arrow had brought a tape recorder with her and made a great show out of recording what he said so that we could maintain our credibility.

When he mentioned boys by name we asked him their current whereabouts. We also slipped in the names Elma had given us. According to Michael, one member of the gang was dead, one was in London, but none were still in northern Scotland. He said he had lost track of several others. Apparently, they were more adventurous than Elma had given them credit for.

The hotel desk had a message for Arrow from Jock, saying that he had some information for us.

"I'll call him from my room," Arrow said as we took the elevator-pardon me, the lift. "I want you to be with me."

We went into her room and she called the number given on the message. Jock asked her to meet him; Arrow invited him to come for a drink at the hotel. Jock said he'd like her to go to his place; she said she would bring me along. They agreed to meet at eight.

When she hung up she said, "He sounds horny and he's not my type. If you don't want to go we can cancel."

"Did he say what kind of information he has?"

"No, he just said that we'd find it very interesting."

***

We drove our car to Jock's flat. Jock had offered to pick us up, but Arrow had said we'd drive and got very specific instructions from him. He said it was only five minutes from the hotel.

His instructions turned out to be good and we arrived at his place without mishap. Jock let us into the first floor flat. Another man was there who Jock introduced as his roommate. I didn't catch his name. He was big, larger than Jock, and he had what seemed to be a permanent, slightly stupid grin pasted on his face. He couldn't take his eyes off Arrow.

The room we entered gave me an uncomfortable feeling, the kind you get when you stumble on a slice of life that makes you think, "This could have been me." It wasn't just the messiness of the room and disrepair of the sparse furniture but a feeling that the occupants either had lost hope or didn't care.

The ancient telly showed a British sitcom; Jock turned it off and offered us beer. We both turned him down. He and his roommate had mugs. I decided that we should get out of there as soon as possible and I knew Arrow felt the same way. She just barely perched on the edge of one of the few chairs. I stood.

"Well, Jock, tell us what you found out," I said, hoping to make this short and sweet.

"I have a friend with some connections," Jock said, relishing the word "connections." "He knows everything that goes on here."

I felt like saying that couldn't be much of a job, but I held my tongue.

"I ran the names of your three friends past him," Jock continued. "He recognized one of them."

"Which one?" Arrow asked.

Jock disappeared into the next room. Arrow tried to converse with the roommate, who was sitting opposite her and still grinning at her, but he only grunted in reply.

Jock returned with two more bottles of beer and gave one to his roommate. He said, "Are you sure you won't have a beer?"

Arrow and I shook our heads in unison.

He took his time opening a bottle and pouring some beer into his mug, carefully, so as not to have any of the foam spill over the edge. My arms itched to shake his information out of him.

Finally satisfied, Jock took a sip, set down his mug and said, "It was James Buchanan my friend recognized. He has been here in Wick within the past year."

"What was he doing here?" I asked.

"Before you kicked me out, yesterday, I heard Michael McTavish say that he had not seen any of them for 30 years. But Michael saw James Buchanan when he was here. In fact, they met at Mackays Hotel. So Michael is playing some sort of a game with you."

"Are you sure?" Arrow asked.

"Are you doubting my word?"

I was inclined to trust Michael over Jock, but on the other hand I couldn't think of any reason why Jock would lie to us. We asked him some more questions, but he stuck by his story. He wouldn't tell us the name of his contact. He also didn't seem to have any more information.

Arrow stood up and said, "Thank you very much, Jock. We appreciate you telling us this. We don't want to intrude on you any more so we'll leave now."

She edged toward the outside door and I started to follow her. Jock's roommate stood, still grinning, and moved between Arrow and the door.

"You're not intrudin', Dearie," Jock said. "But you are," he said, turning to me. "You may leave now."

I didn't say anything. I thought I could handle Jock, one on one, but his roommate was a different story. Arrow made a quick movement to go by him. He grabbed her from behind and wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her as if she were a pile of laundry and turned to face Jock and me while she ineffectively kicked at his legs. As he set her down he momentarily squeezed the breath out of her and she became limp.

I wanted to wipe the grin off his face, but knew I couldn't. Think fast. "I'm not supposed to tell you this," I started, "because it's classified information, but Arrow and I are here on a special mission." I looked at the roommate. "I'll tell you about it if you let her go."

He had slid his hands under her sweater and he was very deliberately feeling her up. At least she could breathe, but if anything, the grin on his face had broadened. Arrow's look was one of pure terror. Jock had a sneer on his face.

The roommate had given no indication that he understood me, but I had no choice but to continue. Looking mostly at the roommate I said, "You've heard of the CIA. Arrow and I are members of the CIA. If anything happens to her others will come looking for you. I don't want to scare you, but you will be eliminated and your bodies will never be found."

Roommate was looking at me, still grinning, but there was a hint of something else there too-perhaps fear? His hands had stopped moving although he still held one of Arrow's breasts firmly in each hand.

"If you're CIA, show us some identification," Jock sneered.

I slowly reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet. All I had was a California driver's license and I wasn't going to show that to Jock because he would see through it immediately.

I unfolded my wallet; my driver's license was visible through a plastic window. With my thumb and forefinger I slid the license up slightly so that the large-print word "CALIFORNIA" was hidden by a leather strip at the top of the window.

While I did this I took several steps toward Arrow and the roommate. I flashed the driver's license at him, long enough for him to see my photo but not long enough for him to read any of the smaller print still showing. He grunted, but didn't move to free Arrow.

I refolded my wallet and stuck it back in my pocket. I pulled my hand out of my pocket and in the same motion grabbed a small appliance sitting on a table, probably a CD player. The cord tightened as I picked it up; I jerked the machine, yanking the cord out of the socket, and then smashed the machine against the roommate's head.

He tried to put his hands up to defend himself, but they were impeded by Arrow's sweater. By the time he ripped her sweater open it was too late and the blow had landed. Freed from his grip, Arrow twisted away from him and ran to the door.

Roommate stood holding his head, stunned, giving me the opportunity to hit him a second time. The machine cracked open. As Arrow opened the door Jock grabbed me from behind. In one of those super-strength moments you read about I whirled around, breaking his grip and hit him with the remains of the machine.

I followed Arrow out the door and to the car, which was fortunately only a few steps away. She ran around it to the passenger side. I dropped the last piece of the machine and fumbled for the keys as I came up to it.

I looked back to see Jock standing in the doorway, trying to decide whether to follow us. He evidently thought better of it because by the time I got the door open he still hadn't moved. Arrow and I got in and locked the doors before I started the car. Then I drove off.

***

Arrow was still shivering when we got to her room, even though I had given her my jacket to wear. I went inside to make sure she was all right. As soon as I closed the door she fell in to my arms, put her head on my shoulder and sobbed. I patted her on the back and made what I hoped were soothing noises. I eased us over to the bed and sat us down on it.

Her shaking abated after a while. When she had calmed down enough to talk she said, "Don't leave me."

I persuaded Arrow to wash her face and hands and even clean her teeth while I went back to my room and did the same. When I returned she was under the covers and indicated that I should join her.

I took off my shirt and belt, leaving on a T-shirt and jeans. I climbed under the covers. Arrow still wore her jeans and bra. Her mangled sweater lay in a heap on the floor.

I turned out the light. She went to sleep in my arms. Much later, I also slept.

Chapter 23 LARRY

"The worst part isn't even the manhandling. It's the feeling of helplessness when you can't do anything. When you realize you're completely in the power of another person."

Arrow was speaking in a low voice as we ate the hotel breakfast so as not to be heard by the few other guests who had straggled into the dining room on Sunday morning. The full Scottish breakfast included eggs, bacon (American ham), sausage, toast, black pudding, juice and tea. We both ate as if we had been fasting for a month.

"I don't intend to ever get myself into that situation again." She said this with some of her usual grit. "But before we put this episode behind us I just want to say that you acted above and beyond the call of duty. He could have torn you limb from limb."

"Instinct." I didn't want Arrow's thanks. I felt guilty for getting her into trouble.

"You had a 'Get-out-of-jail-free' pass. You could have gone for help. Of course…by the time you had gotten help I would have been the victim of a double rape."

She said the word I couldn't. "I think we both learned something."

"Okay," Arrow said with finality, as if shutting a door. "What do we do now?"

I gathered that we weren't going to talk about the fact that we had slept together-not euphemistically, really slept, and nothing else.

I had wakened early and, not wanting to disturb Arrow, had quietly gone back to my room and thought about what we should do next. I said, "I propose the following: Let's pack our bags. We have one name of a man who lives in London. We may be able to get his address from the Internet."

"How are we going to access the Internet?"

"Our old friend, Michael. We'll call him at a decent hour. If he goes to church we'll catch him after church. He has no reason to be suspicious of us, like we do of him. I'm sure he'll let us use his computer for a few minutes."

"So we won't tell him we think he's a liar."

"Not a good idea. If he's really seen James he's in contact with him and we don't want James to know we're nosing around."

"You don't think Jock is going to call him and tell him we're from the CIA?"

"Whether or not Jock believes that, he's keeping a low profile right now, hoping we'll leave town without causing him any trouble."

***

We arrived at Michael's house about noon after assuring him that we weren't coming for Sunday dinner. Heather greeted Arrow effusively and whisked her into the kitchen. Michael led me to his small office where the computer was already revved up.

I found the name of Seamus Zeebarth in the white pages of one of the Internet search engines, with an address in London, and the name was sufficiently unusual that Michael and I agreed it was undoubtedly the right man.

I asked Michael if I could send an email and he typed in the password to access his email system. He left the room for a couple of minutes while I sent an innocuous message to my father's address, knowing that John would read it. I left the copy on Michael's computer, in case he got curious. When I had finished I told Michael we would get out of his hair.

"I have something to tell you first," he said. "I remembered what happened with Dickie Stewart."

"I think Arrow would like to hear this too."

Michael retrieved her from the kitchen. When she heard about Michael's recovered memory she mouthed the words "tape recorder" at me. It was in the car. I shook my head. We didn't want to inhibit him.

The three of us sat around the fire, which always seemed to be going. Maybe Michael and Heather owned their own peat bog.

Michael said, "I must have repressed it because it's a bit gruesome, but one of the boys did tell me what happened with Dickie. It came to me last night. Dickie was a sweet kid, perhaps too sweet for the likes of us. He adored Ned because Ned had gone to his rescue when he was being beaten up by some boys from the other side of town. Ned was handy with his fists."

I could believe that. My memory of Ned was the feeling that he must be very muscular under his white shirt.

"Dickie followed Ned everywhere and tried to do the same things he did. That brought him into contact with Elma. One time when Ned and James were off somewhere, Dickie and Elma got together, so I was told. I'm not exactly sure what they did, but it must have been pretty steamy…"

Michael paused and I stole a glance at Arrow. She was looking at him with wide eyes.

"Anyway, Ned and James found out about it. James was inclined to laugh it off, but not Ned. He challenged Dickie. The result was that Dickie had to play The Game. If he won he would be clear. If he lost he had to climb the cliff.

"He lost. The day was set for his punishment. It rained all day, one of those rains that never stop. And the fog. You couldn't see more than a few feet. Dickie begged to have it postponed. Ned said he had to do it or he, Ned, would throw him off the cliff. You know the rest."

"I don't believe Ned would do that," Arrow said, heatedly.

"He had a temper, that Ned," Michael said. "You didn't want to cross him."

***

"Do you believe Michael's story?" Arrow asked as we headed south on A99.

"Before you make a judgment," I replied, "let me tell you something else I found out. After Michael let me into his email system he left me alone for several minutes. I just happened to check his email address book. One of the addresses is for a James B.

"James Buchanan! Or it could be someone else-like James Baker."

"The actual address is JB@tartan. com. Is that enough to convince you?"

"If Michael is trying to hide the fact that he knows James from us, it was careless of him to let you into his email system."

"Especially since I can access my own email from any computer," I said, smugly. "I didn't need to use his email. In fact, I checked my email messages yesterday and even sent some replies."

"Okay, Mr. Super-techie, tell me why Michael doesn't want us to know that he knows James."

I shook my head. "Damned if I know. But it does make his story about Ned suspicious."

"You mean because he might be bad-mouthing Ned to cover up for something James did?"

"Precisely. And if it is true, what would we tell Elma?"

"I wonder if Michael and James traded emails yesterday."

"I didn't have time to check his inbox."

"Maybe we can extract the truth from this guy in London-what’s his name? Seamus Zebra?"

"Something like that."

***

"We'll stop at Spean Bridge," I said, looking at the map while Arrow drove. "Or we could go on to Fort William."

"I remember Fort William from the drive up," Arrow said. "It's rather large. I prefer the smaller places."

"Large being a relative term. It's not Glasgow large-to say nothing of Los Angeles large. All the people in northern Scotland wouldn't fill a Los Angeles suburb."

"You know what I mean. The smaller towns are more picturesque."

Speaking of picturesque, we were driving along the southern shore of Loch Lochy. The smooth surface of the water displayed a mirror image of the cliff rising from the north shore of the loch. The sun had decided to put in an appearance, making the picture clean and sparkling.

"About getting rooms…," Arrow started, then stopped.

"The guidebook talks about several B amp; B's in Spean Bridge," I said. I was becoming an expert at this travel business.

"What I'm trying to say is, maybe we should get only one room."

That was a surprise. I didn't have a suitable answer prepared. "You mean with twin beds?" Since we were on an expense account we weren't exactly pressed for money. "What will my father and John say if we put in an expense report for only one room?"

"They won't say anything because they both think you're gay. But no, not twin beds. After all, we slept in the same bed last night."

"There were extenuating circumstances. If we did it again I would expect to be more than just a comfort to you. My male animal lust…"

"Karl, don't you like me?"

This was getting very confusing. Was she implying what it sounded like she was implying? If so, was it because she felt obligated to me? "Of course I like you." Too glib, too pat. "You are smart, and beautiful, and sexy. Of course I like you," I ended, lamely.

"But you don't want to sleep with me. I mean, you don't want to have sex with me."

I was stuck for an answer. Along with her other traits, Arrow was dangerous. Meaning that she would be easy to fall for. How did I explain that?

"Am I damaged goods? Is that the problem?"

"Of course not."

"I mean from last night. I know that getting pawed isn't in the same class as getting raped. But still…"

"It had no effect on my feelings about you." That was only a little lie. How could something like that not have some effect? "Arrow, I like you very much. But I have a girlfriend."

We were entering the village of Spean Bridge. Almost immediately, I spotted several B amp; B's off to the left, and Arrow turned at my suggestion.

"There's Larry," Arrow said, as we approached the first one.

"Larry?"

"The walker."

There he was, sitting in front of a B amp; B. Arrow stopped the car and said, "He must be staying there. So it has to be a good one."

I couldn't argue with that logic. We crossed the narrow street and greeted Larry, who was sitting in the sun in shorts and a T-shirt. I noticed he was barefoot.

He was surprised to see us. "I took the day off today," he said, somewhat sheepishly. "It wasn't on my schedule. You would think, after all the walking I've done, I'd know how to prevent blisters."

"At least you've got a scenic place to rest," Arrow said.

"Yes." Larry pointed to some peaks in the distance, with snow on them. "The tallest one is Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the UK. The legend says that when the snow on Ben Nevis melts, Scotland will become independent from England."

After chatting with him for a minute I went inside and booked two rooms.

***

Larry lifted his beer mug and proposed a toast. "May you be in heaven an hour before the devil knows you're dead. Or is that Irish? I can never remember."

Whatever it was, we drank to it. And to other toasts. It was a relief to be with someone who wasn't after something or trying to hide something. As we ate dinner, Larry told us about himself.

"I'm going to hit the road again tomorrow," he said. "It gets lonely being in one place, especially since I don't have a car. I don't notice the loneliness so much when I'm moving. I ended up walking around town today, even though I was trying to rest my feet."

"Are you married?" Arrow asked.

Her cheeks were flushed and she appeared to be having fun. She hadn't mentioned our earlier discussion again. She had changed into a very flattering short skirt and blouse. Larry had complimented her appearance, something I should have done.

A shadow crossed Larry's face. "My wife died a year and a half ago. She used to provide support for me when I walked, even though it was boring for her. She told people I was hard to explain. I still am. But now I don't have anybody trying to explain me. And her complaint was that after walking 25 or 30 miles I couldn't have sex."

"But now you've had a day to rest," Arrow said.

"Yes, a day of rest works wonders for my old body."

"You're not old. Anybody who can walk 900 miles is young."

We told him why we were there-it wasn't classified information-and he said he owned some Dionysus stock and was in favor of any action that would make the price go up.

"I own other stocks too. As long as the stock market holds up I can do this instead of working."

We weren't feeling any pain by the time we left the restaurant. We walked through the streets of Spean Bridge singing "My Bonnie Lassie," as well as we could remember the words, and then "The Heather on the Hill," from Brigadoon.

We climbed the stairs to the second floor of the B amp; B. The doors to our rooms were on the same hallway. Arrow stopped at her door and said to Larry, "Would you like to come in for a minute? You can show me on the map what route you're taking."

Larry hesitated, and looked at me.

"Go ahead," I said, faking a yawn. "I'm beat. I'm going to bed." I went into my room and shut the door.

Beer sometimes gives me insomnia and the noises I thought I heard through the wall didn't help, either.

Chapter 24 LONDON

Sussex Gardens has a line of small and narrow hotels on either side of the street, crowded together like vertical dominoes. These are not the London hotels where the rich and famous stay, but they were very suitable for our purpose, interviewing Seamus Zeebarth, because we had agreed to meet him in nearby Hyde Park.

I had called him from the Glasgow Airport the day before while Arrow and I waited for our plane to London, half-expecting him not to be home because it was Monday. However, he answered the phone after two rings and when I briefly introduced myself, said he would be happy to talk to us.

We flew into Heathrow and were whisked via the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station in only fifteen minutes, which was amazing considering the length of time this trip took by bus or the Underground. From there it was a short walk to our hotel, pulling our wheeled suitcases behind us.

We had Tuesday morning free because Mr. Zeebarth worked evenings and slept late. Arrow wanted to see everything at once. We settled on a tour of the Tower of London, led by a Beefeater in his fancy costume, topped by a beaver hat.

We saw prison cells with graffiti from hundreds of years of prisoners, the crown jewels and the place where Anne Boleyn lost her head. I remembered a song I learned in college with lyrics that went, "With her head tucked underneath her arm, she walks the bloody tower…"

By 1:45 we had eaten lunch and were at the entrance to the park. Our meeting with Mr. Zeebarth was scheduled for two.

"Let's walk around for a while," Arrow said. "It's such a pretty day and pretty place."

Indeed, we were blessed with nice weather. We strolled along one of the walkways. Arrow and I were being cordial to each other. We hadn't spoken about what if anything had happened between her and Larry. I didn't want to know.

Larry was already eating breakfast the next morning when we went down. He and Arrow spoke casually to each other, but there were certain inflections in their voices. Or was it my imagination?

Young women, perhaps the famous British nannies, pushed babies in prams; older children gamboled on the grass; young adults did things on the grass that Americans generally reserve for a more private place; pensioners walked slowly or sat on the benches. Ducks paddled on the snake-like pond, called the Serpentine.

"If I'm interpreting his directions correctly, we're supposed to meet Mr. Zeebarth over there," I said, pointing to some benches. "He'll be wearing a tam and carrying a walking stick."

"There's a gentleman there already who meets that description," Arrow said.

I saw him too, sitting on a bench, and wondered if our man had arrived early. We were still some distance from him. As we watched, another man sat down beside him, a younger man, dressed much more casually, with his hair shaved off. The two started talking.

"That must not be him," Arrow said. "Those two seem to know each other."

It looked that way. The conversation grew more heated as we approached and suddenly the younger man shoved the older man, almost knocking him off the bench. Arrow did a sharp intake of breath. I looked around quickly but nobody else seemed to notice.

I ran toward them and called, "Mr. Zeebarth." The older man, who was trying to recover his balance, looked at me. I said, "May I help?"

"Who the bloody hell are you?" asked the younger man, although his "who" sounded more like "ooh."

"I'm a friend of Mr. Zeebarth," I said, coming up to them.

The younger man stood up. He was shorter than I was, but his body was thicker and more muscular.

He stepped toward me until we were nose to nose and said, "This is none of your bloody business."

I stood my ground, despite a strong compulsion to step back. I said, "We've come to talk to Mr. Zeebarth."

"Mr. Zeebarth can't see you today," he said. "Get along now."

I was partially prepared when he shoved me, but it happened so fast that I staggered backward. Then he charged me, driving his head into my chest. I fell over onto my back, with him on top. He knelt over me and pummeled me with his fists. I tried to ward off his blows with my arms, mostly unsuccessfully.

Before I had a chance to try anything else, Arrow jumped on his back. They struggled briefly and then he suddenly screeched so loudly that my ears rang. His head jerked sharply to one side. He shook off Arrow, stumbled to his feet and ran away through the park, not looking back.

Arrow watched him for a few seconds and then bent over me and said, "I don't think he's coming back. Are you all right?"

"I don't know," I said. I took inventory. "The back of my head hurts and my cheek hurts."

"You've got a bruise on your cheek," Arrow said, inspecting it. "And your head hit the ground."

"At least the ground is soft," I said, and since it had, apparently rained during the night this was true. I sat up and Arrow brushed some dirt off my back.

"Tell me," I said, "what did you do to our friend to make him scream like that?"

Arrow grinned. "I took a course in self defense. The instructor told us about vulnerable parts of the human body; one of them is the ear. First I pulled his ear, but that didn't faze him so then I really yanked it; I think I almost tore it off."

"Thanks. That makes us even," I said, taking her offered hand to help me up.

"That was an amazing exhibition," Mr. Zeebarth said.

That brought me back to the reality of the moment. Not only he but also others must have witnessed the altercation. I looked around; we were getting some curious glances, but since one of the combatants had exited the scene, apparently they thought everything was all right now. At least no Bobbies were approaching.

Mr. Zeebarth had stood up. Arrow said, "I'm Arrow and this is Karl."

"Seamus Zeebarth." He formally shook both our hands. Under his tam his hair was all white and his face was rugged and ruddy. His neat attire included a pressed pair of pants and an ironed shirt.

"Your chin is bleeding," he said to Arrow.

"He butted me with his head when he tried to get away," Arrow said, feeling her chin. When she pulled her fingers away they had blood on them. She opened and closed her mouth a few times to see if her jaws worked.

"His head should be registered as a lethal weapon," I said, ruefully. "My ribs hurt." I hadn't noticed them before.

Mr. Zeebarth took a clean white handkerchief out of his pocket.

"I'll get it all bloody," Arrow said, seeing that he meant to use it on her chin.

"It's the least I can do. Hold still." He pressed it to the cut and said, "Hold it there until the bleeding stops."

Arrow obediently placed one hand on the handkerchief and held it in place.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Mr. Zeebarth said, "but I must confess that I never saw that man before in my life. He came up to me and told me he knew I was meeting some people. He said they-you-were dangerous and not to talk to you. Since he was not exactly what I would call a savory character I was skeptical and I started asking him questions. He became belligerent and shoved me. That's when you came up." He indicated me. "I thank you for that but I'm sorry you had to suffer for it. And you," he said, turning to Arrow, "are about the bravest lass I've ever seen."

Arrow acknowledged the compliment with a smile and a curtsy.

"We may be able to shed some light on what happened," I said. "Do you want to talk here or should we go somewhere else?"

"As much as I like the park, I would be just as happy to leave it for the moment. I know a nice pub not far from here where we can drink a pint to calm our nerves."

***

"We don't get into fights on a daily basis," Arrow said, holding the handle of a beer mug. Her chin had clotted, leaving a black scab.

The pub we were in was almost deserted, except for a few darts players. Nobody was close enough to hear us talk. Mr. Zeebarth had just expressed admiration for our fighting ability-or at least Arrow's fighting ability.

"Lately, I'm afraid we've had more than our share of fights," I said. And then to change the subject, "We were just in northern Scotland." Mr. Zeebarth's eyes showed interest. "Do you remember a Michael McTavish from your youth?"

"Aye, that I do. He was one of me mates, but I didn't like him much. Sneaky bloke."

"He knew we were coming here to see you. It's a complicated story, but I think he may have been involved in recruiting the hooligan who attacked us." In fact, I was sure of it. I had called McTavish from Glasgow after I had talked to Zeebarth-at McTavish’s request. His pretence was that he was trying to locate another of Buchanan’s mates for us to talk to. When I told him on the phone that I had reached Zeebarth, he wormed the information as to the time and place of our meeting out of me. I was going to have to learn to be more discreet.

"It would not surprise me. We never did see eye to eye."

"We'll tell you as much as we know." He had an honest face and I was inclined to tell him everything. "But first, how did somebody from Scotland get a name like Zeebarth."

His laugh was engaging. "My ancestry is all mixed up, but at least there is enough Scottish in it for me to get along there."

"I know how you feel," Arrow said. "I have a mixed-up ancestry too."

"But in your case you got the best of all the pieces. I have never seen a more becoming lass. I always thought red hair and freckles were over-rated."

Arrow basked in Mr. Zeebarth’s words. I told him the major points, including what Michael had said about Ned and Dickie and the cliff. He listened, intently, without interrupting.

When I finished he said, "Michael has it all wrong. That must be why he didn't want me to speak to you. James always kept him in his hip pocket. It sounds as if he is still there.

"I remember that particular incident very well because it led to Dickie's death. Dickie was not a great scholar; in fact, he was failing some of his courses at school. His da beat him when he received a bad report. Dickie came to James for help because James had the brains in our group. He received top grades without much effort.

"The arrangement was that James would write some papers for Dickie and otherwise help him with his studies. Of course, Dickie had to play The Game first. He lost, but it was James who insisted he go through with his penalty on a stormy day, not Ned. In defense of James, he always kept his promises and he expected others to do the same."

Mr. Zeebarth paused, took a long drink of beer and said, almost as an afterthought, "It amused James to play games with other peoples' lives."

We chatted some more about James and Ned and the others, but Mr. Zeebarth didn't say anything else that was earthshaking.

When I suggested another round of drinks, he looked at his watch and said, "Not for me. I have to be at work in something over an hour, in a reasonably sober state since I work in a hospital. But we have time for a game of darts."

"I've never played darts," Arrow said.

"It should be an easy game for a lass as coordinated as you," Mr. Zeebarth said. "I'll show you."

I had never played darts, either, but it was obvious I wasn't going to receive individual instruction like Arrow. Mr. Zeebarth very carefully helped position her body and then showed her how to hold the dart lightly between thumb and forefinger and guide it with her third finger. He pulled her arm back to her ear, and told her how to aim and release the dart in an economical overhand throw for maximum accuracy.

He was so solicitous of her that it made me want to barf. And she soaked it up. Everybody was getting along better with Arrow than I was.

Naturally, she beat me.

While we played, the talk turned to the Internet. Mr. Zeebarth said that the owner of the pub had Internet access. Half-jokingly, I wondered aloud whether he would let me check my email. Mr. Zeebarth asked him and next thing I knew I was sitting in his office in front of a monitor.

I read several routine messages. Then came the shocker: a message from eBay to the effect that I was the winner of the T-206 Wagner baseball card, with a bid of just over $380,000. I hadn't thought about that card since leaving the US. Now what should I do?

I read the next message. It was from the seller of the card, congratulating me, telling me the amount of the postage and where to send a check. I had to stall him. I quickly typed a response to the effect that I was out of the country and would mail him a check in a few days.

If I reneged, that information would be all over the Internet and my baseball card business would go down the tubes. Nobody would deal with me again.

My face gave me away when I returned to the darts game. Arrow asked me if I had a problem. "Not if you happen to have several hundred thousand dollars you can lend me," I said.

Chapter 25 WINNER

The next day we raced the sun back to Los Angeles and arrived only two hours after we started, local time. The route took us over the whiteness of Iceland and Greenland. Mini-icebergs floated in the bays and snow covered the land, with no relief from the starkness and cold.

In spite of being punchy after a ten-hour flight I was determined to call James Buchanan as soon as I got home. I had to come up with the money for the baseball card, but I couldn't afford to be obligated to him, especially since he was the enemy. Maybe he would just take the card, himself, and resell it. He could probably make a quick profit and he was, after all, in the business of making money. I clung to that hope as the airport shuttle deposited me at the gate of the castle.

Before I called James I went to check on my father. He was dressed and sitting downstairs, reading some reports. He looked fairly good, except for a few new wrinkles and more gray hair. He also looked as if he had shrunk. The bones in his face were more prominent and I was sure he had lost weight.

I didn't tell him any specifics about our trip; Arrow would be coming tomorrow to give him a briefing. I considered asking him to lend me $380,000, but rejected the idea. Whatever credibility I had gained with him during the last two weeks would be lost-and more.

Enough stalling; I had to make the call before the business day ended. A young man answered the phone, as I expected. He said Mr. Buchanan was out of town. Damn! This couldn't wait. Every day I delayed in sending the check lowered my credit rating with the buyer-and everybody else because he would share his dissatisfaction with the Internet.

"Is Stan there?" I asked.

"One moment, please."

A lot of moments passed.

"Stan here."

"Hi Stan, it's Karl Patterson."

"Hey, Karl, how they hangin'?"

"Uh, fine. Listen, Stan, I need some help. I talked to James a few days ago about a very rare baseball card that was up for auction, and he said to go ahead and bid on it."

"A Honus Wagner, right?"

"You know about it then."

"James filled me in. He said you might be calling. Did you get the card?"

"Yes. I…"

"Okay, give me the amount and the name and address to send the check to."

I gave Stan the information, but I had the distinct impression that I was sliding down one of those Arctic icebergs with nothing to stop me until I hit the freezing water.

"Shall I have the card sent to you?" I asked.

"No; you're the owner of the card. We don't know anything about baseball cards here. You have a safe deposit box, don't you?"

"Yes. But what I was thinking is that since I can't really afford the card at this time you might want to turn around and resell it for a quick profit."

"Any profit on resale goes to you, since you're the owner. The most we'd do is charge you nominal interest. However, I don't see reselling it, Karl. Owning a rare card like the Wagner is a dream come true for a collector, such as yourself.

"I suggest that you get your ass up here on Monday, when James will be back in town, and work out a deal with him to pay for the card. You know that James is a reasonable man."

As reasonable as a king cobra. What could I do for James that was worth $380,000? I didn't want to think about it.

***

"I'm not surprised that James would do something like that," my father said the next morning after Arrow and I filled him in on our adventures. "He still tramples on people."

That didn't make me feel good. We had made light of our two fights, the only visible evidence of which was the bruise on my cheek and a Band-Aid on Arrow's chin. We had presented all the evidence, including the contradictory stories told by Michael and Seamus.

When I mentioned the email link between Michael and James, my father said, "James has connections all over the world. It makes sense that he would have one where he grew up. Michael probably didn't admit to you that he had contact with James because he was suspicious of you. Then, after your meeting they exchanged emails. If Michael is in the pay of James he isn't going to say bad things about him."

And he might have hired the thug in London to scare Seamus away from us.

Arrow was going to talk to Elma that afternoon. We agreed that Arrow would tell her the Seamus version of events, but not the Michael version. Three reasons. There was no sense bad-mouthing Ned to Elma, especially since he was dead. There was no sense bad-mouthing Elma to herself by implying that something torrid had happened between her and Dickie Stewart. The third reason, of course, was that the Seamus version suited our purposes. We needed Elma's shares to keep James from taking over Dionysus.

When we had finished our discussion my father indicated that he had something to say. He cleared his throat and looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable. He said, "You two did a good job-certainly beyond the requirements of your job, Arrow-and Karl, you're not even an employee. You're just trying to help your old man, which I appreciate."

No wonder he was uncomfortable. He had never spoken to me like this before.

"I don't ask anybody to do anything I wouldn't do," he continued, "especially if it places them in physical danger. With that in mind, I'm telling both of you to stay away from James. From now on I will fight him from behind a phalanx of lawyers. They get paid to do that sort of thing."

I escorted Arrow out to her car, wishing that I could indeed stay away from James. As she prepared to get in she said, "In spite of our personal differences and the problems we ran into, I really enjoyed the trip."

"Me too," I said.

"I just wanted you to know that because I don't suppose we'll be seeing each other again soon."

"We'll always have Wick," I said, and immediately regretted speaking so glibly.

"I think I'd rather forget Wick."

Arrow looked into my eyes for a long count, during which I had a compulsion to spout some inanity just to break the silence, but I restrained myself. Then she hugged me, a hard, committed hug. I hugged her back. She got into her car, started the engine and drove away without looking back.

I walked back into the castle to speak to Luz. I hadn't talked to her since before the trip. Jacie intercepted me in the living room, which looks out onto the street.

"Arrow really likes you," she said, and I knew she'd been watching us. "It's too bad you are…the way you are. You would make a nice couple."

Was Jacie trying to protect her turf by matching up Arrow? Or was she being sincere. I wasn't sure, but Jacie had changed. For one thing, she had never been so cordial to me before.

I decided to go to Emerge that afternoon. It wasn't Tuesday, my usual day, but I had missed Tuesday. And they could use the help any day and every day. Besides, I wanted to see Esther. Maybe seeing her would help me clear my head.

Chapter 26 HOMEBOYS

The building with the Tartan Enterprises logo on it was up the hill from Market Street. I wondered whether Tartan owned the building or was just the major lessee. If James considered San Francisco real estate to be a good investment, I knew he'd be in it. Tartan occupied the highest floors of the building, a dubious perk in a city that had been ravaged by strong earthquakes as recently as 1989.

The first thing I discovered upon exiting the elevator was that Tartan actually had some female employees, including the efficient receptionist who greeted me. In addition to assisting walk-in visitors, she answered telephone calls and pounded on a computer keyboard at something approaching the speed of light.

When I told her I had an appointment with Mr. Buchanan she called his suite and then directed me to a private elevator, not available to ordinary mortals. It whisked me to the top floor of the building, where I was greeted by Stan.

"It's great to see you, Karl," he said, shaking my hand. "Did you have a good flight up?"

He was dressed in a dark suit, similar to what James' assistants wore at the casino, and I was glad I had worn my one and only suit for the occasion.

I resisted the impulse to voice one of several retorts that came to me and merely said, "Marvelous flight. You're looking very professional today."

Stan led the way into by far the largest office I have ever seen. It was in the northeast corner of the building and the two outside walls were solid glass. The view encompassed both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Oakland Bay Bridge, as well as part of the San Francisco skyline and many other points of interest.

James was sitting at a gargantuan desk, talking on the telephone. He wore a sport shirt, unbuttoned down to his chest hair. Executive privilege.

He hung up the phone, trekked around the desk and shook my hand, saying, "Karl! You're looking good for a Monday morning. Thank you, Stan. I'll call you if I need you."

Thus summarily dismissed, Stan exited the office, but not before stealing a backward glance at us. I suspect he wanted to be in on the kill.

"You haven't seen our quarters here, have you?" James asked, and then before I could reply he started taking me around his office, pointing out the view in each direction, of which he seemed to be inordinately proud. When he finished he said, "Not bad for a boy who grew up in Wick, eh?" and looked at me for my reaction.

I said, "Aren't you afraid of going through the window?"

Not only was the glass floor-to-ceiling, but it actually slanted outward at the top.

James took a few steps back from the wall and ran limping at it, while I held my breath. He crashed into the window and I fully expected to see him disappear in a shower of broken glass and fall to the street below. However, he bounced back, grinning.

"Satisfied?"

"Don't try this at home."

"Actually, it's more dangerous to get out of your bathtub at home."

James waved me to a chair facing the glass wall and sat in a chair at a 45-degree angle to it. One of his male assistants brought us drinks without being asked, the clear drink that I had seen James with before and an iced tea for me. I must be in the database now.

When we were settled, James said, "First, tell me about your trip to the UK."

Taken aback by his brazenness, I was stuck for an answer. I half-stuttered, "You probably know more about it than I do."

James laughed, almost choking on his drink. He said, "You've got to warn me when you're going to tell a joke. Look, Karl, I didn't get where I am today by beating around the beaver. Did Michael tell you he was working with me?"

"No, but I figured it out. And I assume you had something to do with the hoodlum in Hyde Park."

James frowned. "Michael assured me he was dependable. That's what happens when you delegate. I understand he botched the job. He wasn't supposed to get rough. I hope you and Arrow didn't get badly hurt." He looked at the bruise on my cheek, still evident, as if spotting it for the first time. "But I heard you sent him away screaming."

"Arrow did."

"That girl's got more balls than any of the testosterone-challenged boys on my staff. It's too bad she's a…girl. I'd love to have her work for me."

"I'll tell her that. But I want you to promise me that no harm will come to Seamus."

"Oh, Seamus is safe enough from me. There's no point in locking the barn door after the manure is gone. I assume he told you bad things about me in connection with the Dickie Stewart incident."

"They weren't complimentary."

"There was never any love lost between Seamus and me. But you can't believe everything he tells you-just as you can't believe everything Michael tells you."

I saw no point in going into the details of what either one had told me so I kept quiet.

"Next topic," James said. "I understand you got your baseball card."

"I haven't actually received it yet, but I expect to soon. But I want to talk to you about that. Since I can't afford it, why don't we turn around and resell it."

"It's your card so your decision. But I suspect that you won't get your money back with too quick a sale. It's got to age for a while, like fine wine. And as far as what you owe me, that's easily settled. All I need from you is one little favor."

I had walked into his parlor and was entangled in his web, so what could I do but listen?

James appeared to gather his thoughts and then said, "If I have any investment philosophy it's to stay flexible. The approach I take varies from company to company. With some companies, I'm content to take a minority interest. In other cases I've purchased a controlling interest in a privately held company. The trickiest thing to do is to acquire a controlling interest in a publicly-held corporation because you usually have to battle management."

"Why would you want to do that?" I asked.

"There are companies with untapped potential. For example, they might have products that aren't being marketed properly. Profits could be greatly increased with the proper management. But when management is the problem, naturally the managers object to being replaced. That's why it's necessary to gain control of the company."

"And you feel that Dionysus is one of these companies." Isn't that what he was leading up to?

"Nothing against your father or Ned, God rest his soul." James sipped his drink through a straw and looked out at the ant-like cars crawling over the Bay Bridge. "As you know, I've known Ned all my life. I took an interest in Dionysus at the time Richard brought Ned into the company and I've watched it ever since.

"I never invested in Dionysus because I wanted to stay at arms-length from Ned, for personal reasons. But he and Richard did a brilliant job of growing the company. However, recently I felt they missed some bets."

"Is that when you started buying Dionysus stock?"

"Yes. Once they began to make mistakes, any obligation I had to Ned to stay out of his life ended. In the corporate world, management has a responsibility to increase value for the shareholders. If I can do it better than the current management, then the shareholders benefit if I take over the company."

"If," I said, marveling at his hubris. "But who's to decide if you're the knight in shining armor who is going to save the company?"

"The shareholders. By voting either for me or the current management."

"If you take over Dionysus, what is going to happen to my father, uh, Richard?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Richard has had a good run. The package he would get would put him on Easy Street. His stock would be worth more because I would pay him a premium over the market for his shares. He would be able to recover his health without the stress of business to worry about. He would live a good life. I think his new wife…"

"Jacie."

"Jacie would appreciate it too. They would have more time together. They could travel…"

"Sail off into the sunset. What about the other employees?"

"We'll need all of them to keep Dionysus growing."

"Including Arrow?"

"Including Arrow. I've got big plans for her, believe it or not."

I took a rain check on that one. "Okay, where do I fit into this?"

James leaned forward in his chair and looked me in the eye. He had an unblinking stare that was hard for me to meet, the mesmerizing stare of the predator before it strikes.

He said, "As you know, Richard opposes my takeover of Dionysus. However, even though he's your father you can rationalize letting me take over because it's for his own good. But without the votes of the stock he controls, there is only one way I can do it. I need to have Elma's proxy."

Suddenly, there wasn't enough air in the room. I abruptly rose and walked around, trying to get my breathing under control. I walked back to my chair, but I didn't sit down.

James watched me but he didn't move. He said, "Two weeks ago I thought I had her proxy nailed down. Then you and Arrow went on your pilgrimage and now I find that she has defected-or at the least is seriously wavering. Your job is to get her back in my camp. For reasons we've already gone over, this won't make you a traitor to Richard."

My brain was spinning, but I had sense enough to think of one thing. "If you can't convince her, how can I? She used to be your girlfriend…"

"We know each other too well. And we know how far we can trust each other. I need the intervention of a third person to plead my case. You have more credibility than anybody with her, except perhaps Arrow. And I don't…"

He stopped, but I could imagine the rest of the sentence: "I don't have anything to hold over Arrow at the moment."

I tried again. "You're a sporting man, James. Let me play blackjack for my freedom. If I don't increase my initial stake by ten times, I'll help you with Elma."

James laughed. "Too late. I've already given you the money for your card. You can't have it both ways. By the way, you've got two weeks to pull this off. That's when the Dionysus board meeting is."

"What if I fail?"

"You won't fail, Karl. Failure isn't in my vocabulary. And starting at this moment it isn't in yours."

***

Grant Avenue was its usual busy self, teeming with people and odors, basking in the infrequent warmth of a sunny day with no foggy strings attached. The odors, some of which emanated from an open fish market, might have unsettled my stomach if I had lingered too long. The plastic-wrapped people of my generation weren't used to being so close to the origin of their food.

I had made a quick change of clothes in my car so as to blend in with the tourists. I was just another sightseer strolling along with the crowds.

I turned onto the side street where Ned had met his demise, searching for I don't know what. It looked like any of a dozen other streets in the area, with shops selling an eclectic array of goods, restaurants with exotic names and food to match. I'm not sure I found the actual alley where Ned was killed. Alleys have a sameness about them.

I spotted the parking lot where Ned's car had been found and saw an attendant take money from an incoming customer and give him a ticket. A parking ticket. It occurred to me that Detective Washington had never mentioned that a parking ticket had been found in Ned's pocket.

What if the killers had found the ticket, gone to the car, planted the cocaine and then returned the car keys but not the ticket to Ned's pocket? The whole operation could have been conducted in ten minutes. And the parking attendant would not have been on duty that late so nobody would have observed what happened.

I turned several corners, at random, and found myself in a residential area-row houses that had seen better days. Fewer pedestrians here, not much auto traffic.

On a street corner ahead three homeboys-is that what they were called?-stood, smoking cigarettes. The shaved heads, rings through every protruding piece of flesh, tattoos, baggy jeans with crotches down to the knees, could have been in LA, except that I hadn't seen Asians who looked like this.

The sensible thing was to avoid them, go the other way. But I wasn't feeling sensible. Maybe because I was about to betray my father for a baseball card. Maybe because I was looking for a miracle to get me out of it.

I walked up to them and said, "I'm not a cop, but I'd like to ask you something."

They stared at me, coolly, insolently. One said, "Man says he ain't a cop."

Another: "Fuckin' right he ain't a cop."

The third: "We know all the cops. No cops we don't know. We know all the cars. We know everybody and everything in the hood."

The first: "You come in here, you don't belong, we pick you up on the radar. You hang around, you better have business here, and your business is our business."

The second: "You a lost tourist from Grant. You got no business here."

The Three Stooges, but they weren't funny. I should just walk away, except that they had shifted positions and were blocking the sidewalk.

"A guy was shot near Grant," I tried, "a couple of weeks ago. Name of Ned Mackay. Word is, someone paid to have it done. I just want a name. Who paid for it?"

"We don't know nothin' about no fuckin' shooting."

"We're good little boys, don't play with guns."

I tried again. "I don't care who did it. I just want to know who paid for it."

"How much money you got on you?" It was the first boy, possibly the leader.

"About a hundred dollars," I said, cautiously. I had at least that.

He spat. "A hundred dollars. Not even pocket money."

The third one said, "Rabbit, you'd sell your sister for 50.”

They chuckled. I chuckled. A very small chuckle.

Rabbit said, "Let's see the money."

Should I? What choice did I have? I pulled out my wallet and counted out five twenties. When he saw there was more he said, "Give me all of it."

Trying to appear cool, trying to hide my shaking hands, I pulled out all my bills and handed them to Rabbit. I put the wallet back in my pocket.

"If I give you a name," Rabbit said, "it didn't come from me. You come back here with the cops, I don't know nothing, you understand?"

I nodded. I had no plans to return under any circumstances.

"The name is Stan."

"Stan?"

"You heard me. I saw a credit card in there. Give me the credit card."

It was brand new. I had just received it in the mail. "It won't do you any good. You won't be able to use it." Reason with him. He's not such a bad guy.

"Give me the fuckin' credit card!"

He pulled something halfway out of his pocket. A gun. I took out my wallet again and gave him the credit card. I turned to walk away. One of the others blocked my path.

"Okay, I'm outta here," I said. Talk lightly. Breezily. I stepped to the side to walk around him. He stepped with me. Like a macabre dance.

"Let him go," Rabbit said, irritably.

"He might bring back the cops."

"He won't bring back the cops. He's a fuckin' tourist."

"I have to catch a plane," I said.

I stepped carefully around the guy and walked away, expecting to hear gunshots, expecting to feel bullets tearing into me with each jerky step I took.

Behind me I heard Rabbit say, "C'mon. I know where we can get cash for the card."

***

What next? I looked out the window of the plane, not seeing anything. I had called the credit card company. I had replenished my cash. Fortunately, they hadn't taken my ATM card. I had cut my financial losses, but what about my psychic losses?

The gangbangers I would get over, but being a Judas was not me. What if I did nothing? If Elma voted with James, I was in the clear. But what if she didn't? Chances are she wouldn't. According to my father, Arrow had convinced her to vote with him.

What would happen to me? What happened to Ned? Stan. Stan was the front man for James. He contracted with the killers. He knew where I lived.

Okay, go to the police. Tell them James paid to have Ned murdered. Right. James, one of the most influential men in San Francisco. And me without a shred of evidence.

Why did James have Ned killed? Because Ned owed him. Probably lost The Game and promised to deliver Dionysus to him. Then reneged. That's what happens to people who don't keep their promises to James.

I wanted to scream. Right there on the airplane. Make a disturbance, get myself arrested. If I'm in jail I can't be working on Elma. Hey, sorry, James, something came up. Did a little time so I couldn't help you. Heh, heh. Catch me again, later.

But James is a good businessman. We've got to separate that fact from his moral failings-meaning an occasional murder. If everything goes his way there won't be a problem. Everybody wins. Including my father. Everybody is happy. My father forgives me when he sees I was right.

The sun rises in the west.

Chapter 27 ELMA-2

"I'm going back to work next week."

Arrow and I looked at each other, but the news was not unexpected. My father looked better each day. His color had returned and he had started walking with Jacie, although more slowly and not as far as before.

I had asked to join them during Arrow's daily briefing because…to be honest, because I was afraid to speak to my father alone. I couldn't remember that I had ever convinced him of anything by myself or changed his mind on an issue.

Arrow was the buffer between him and me. I could speak more freely with her there, even though she might not agree with me-probably wouldn't agree with me.

She had the floor first and talked about various corporate issues. Among other things, she gave the latest official figures for Tartan's holdings of Dionysus stock. It was obvious that James was still acquiring the stock in the open market, but not in blocks large enough to cause the price to jump. The stock had gone up in the last week, but whether any of that gain was due to increased activity on Tartan's part we didn't know since Arrow's figures were weeks old.

Arrow saved the best for last. She pulled a piece of paper out of an envelope, with a flourish, and said, "Richard, I thought you'd like to see this with your own eyes. It's Elma's signed proxy, giving you the right to vote all of her shares at the meeting." She handed the paper to him.

My father smiled the broadest smile I had seen from him since his stroke, reached over and gave Arrow, who was sitting beside him on the couch, a big hug. It's a good thing Jacie wasn't in the room.

It was my turn to speak. I felt as if my team had just gotten the ball for the first time, behind by a score of 40 to nothing. My idea was to discuss the advantages of selling the company to James from an "objective" point of view. I even had notes; in fact, I had put together a written outline.

If I could convince my father of this course of action, then of course I wouldn't have to convince Elma, especially since he had her proxy. But I could tell from my first words that the momentum was against me. My father had won and he wasn't going to listen to an opposing point of view.

He interrupted me before I had made a single point and said, "I don't know why all of a sudden you're taking James' side on this, especially after what you and Arrow found out in London. But let me tell you right here and now that James is the last person I'd sell out to. I'd rather sell to Microsoft, and you know how I feel about Bill Gates."

I tried again, stumbling along, fighting against reality, and attempting to make my arguments sound plausible.

This time Arrow interrupted me. She said, "Karl, maybe you're just trying to play devil's advocate, but this is a strange time to do it. The decision has been made to fight James. Elma has given Richard her proxy. In fact, the fight is over because James can't buy enough stock in the open market to ever have more than a minority interest. The best he can hope for is perhaps one seat on the Board of Directors. If he will be satisfied with that, fine. If not, he'll probably sell the stock at some point."

When the meeting concluded I walked Arrow out to her car, hoping to mend fences. I said, trying to speak lightly, "It might not be so bad, working for James. He thinks very highly of you."

"Ha! About as high as any woman is going to get with James is receptionist, and only because most of the people he deals with are men. He needs someone with short skirts and nice legs to distract them until he can get in their pants."

How did she know about the receptionist? "I guess Elma is firmly in Richard's camp now."

"You saw the proxy form."

"You've done your job, it appears."

"Karl, you're acting very strange today," Arrow said, with a puzzled look on her face. "Maybe you need a vacation."

***

"Tell me again why you asked me out to dinner-not that I'm complaining."

Elma sat across from me with her green eyes smiling. She wore a dress that matched her eyes and complimented her red hair. Her freckles on an almost unlined face and youthful figure completed the picture of a woman who couldn't possibly have three grown children.

"I'm not satisfied that everything possible is being done in the investigation of Ned's death," I said, making it up as I went along. "I was just hoping that in talking to you I could pick up some clue that maybe…perhaps I could pass along to the police."

"I'll help you and the police all I can; you know that. But I've told about everything I know that I thought might be of use-which is practically nothing. However, I really appreciate the opportunity to eat a genuine steak for a change. Since I've been cooking just for Sarah and me I've made mostly salads and vegetarian stuff. And she eats practically nothing. I'm worried about her-I’ve been reading up on anorexia."

Elma chewed a bite of meat slowly, swallowed it and added, "It certainly helps the ambiance to have a handsome young man seated across the table from me."

"Thank you. Er, did Ned have any friends in San Francisco-other than James?" I asked, trying to sound offhand.

"None that I know of. Why do you ask?"

"No Asian friends, then?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

Even if the police had told Elma about the gun Ned had, they wouldn't know where it had come from. I couldn't very well say to Elma, "Did Ned have a female friend who he knew well enough to leave a gun with?"

Whoever this mysterious woman was, nobody but Pat Wong's uncle would even admit to knowing her, and even he wouldn't give her name. I was at a dead-end on that alley.

A live piano player tinkled the tune "Born Free" in the background. Although I had brought Elma here, intending to try to convince her to revoke her proxy to my father, somehow, the more wine I drank the less important that seemed.

I picked up my wine glass and said, "I would like to make a toast to a beautiful woman with a ton of courage."

With a impish grin, Elma said, "I'm afraid I don't know the lass you be toasting, but I'll drink to anyone with those attributes." And she drank from her own glass.

At least I could tell James I had tried. "James, I took her out to dinner, but she beguiled me the same way she beguiled you 30 years ago. Since you know what I mean I'm sure you will understand."

"I understand, Karl. I understand that you're a worthless shit. Stan, give your men the signal." Bang. Bang. All's well that ends well.

***

When I escorted Elma to her door she invited me in. I had enjoyed being with her and savored the prospect of a few more minutes. We had conversed easily on many topics, something Esther and I didn't do, and she didn't talk business, like Arrow. In fact, I had been so entranced conversing with her about non-business subjects I had never found a way to bring up her proxy.

"Sarah's on a sleep-over at a friend's house," Elma said as she ushered me in. "Tomorrow is a school holiday for some reason or other-perhaps it's national political correctness day. Why don't you sit in the big chair and I'll make us some tea."

She indicated the chair I had seen her sitting in before. I protested mildly, but she playfully shoved me into it. Since I was feeling no pain I went easily. I was glad I had driven the few miles back to her house very slowly and reflected that I could use the additional time and tea to sober up for the drive home.

Elma was back in five minutes with a tray, a teapot, cups, saucers, etc. She set them down on the table in front of me and said, "It's a big chair. Do you mind if I share it with you?"

I was in no shape to protest, but even if I had wanted to she sat down before I could open my mouth. There was just room for the two of us as long as we nestled together and I kept my left arm behind her on the back of the chair.

I sipped my tea, using my right hand while Elma used her left. Her right arm was half on my leg. We sipped in silence for a few minutes. My heart beat like that of a teenage boy the first time he is in close proximity to a girl.

After a while I twisted my head so I could see Elma's face. I had to pull my head a few inches away from her to prevent her from being a blur to my farsighted eyes. There were tears running down her cheeks.

She saw me looking at her and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do this. It's just…I miss him, Karl. I miss the feel of him; do you know what I mean? He was such a physical person."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Elma turned her body toward me and buried her face in my neck. I felt the wetness of her tears and I faintly smelled a delicious perfume that I realized even then I would always associate with her.

I put my left hand on her shoulder and patted her right arm awkwardly with my right hand. It was a scene I wouldn't mind lasting for a long time. We became still and I almost drifted off to sleep.

Then Elma lifted her face to mine. I started kissing away her tears, my lips roaming over her eyes and cheeks and lips. Our kisses grew more passionate and my right hand discovered a gap in the top of her dress. It fit easily inside. Her skin was surprisingly soft and smooth. I found out she was as excited as I was.

"Come to the bedroom," she whispered, starting to get up.

"Are you sure?" I asked. We shouldn't be doing this.

"Very sure," she said. She stood and with a firm grip on my arm, pulled me toward the bedroom.

Chapter 28 GEORGE AND MARTHA

I ran extra hard on Wednesday morning, perhaps trying to wash the guilt out of my system with the sweat. Images went through my mind as I ran: Elma laughing, Elma crying, Elma clinging to me. It occurred to me that I could easily get a crush on her. She was a very lovable woman.

Of course I couldn't afford to get a crush on her. Or if I did I couldn't do anything about it. This had been a one-night stand. But as my urgency to cleanse myself abated and my brain started to function normally, I began to realize that I need not have any guilt on Elma's behalf.

Elma had needed me in a way that was too complex for me to understand. Her last words to me as I left had been, "You saved my life."

I hadn't stayed the night; Elma couldn't afford the risk of having her daughter find me there. In addition, it would have destroyed the magic and the meaning of the moment to wake up together, with morning breath and morning reality. I had returned home and slept in my own bed, sleep being a relative term.

I ran to the post office and checked my mailbox. There was a small, padded package, big enough to hold baseball cards. Nothing unusual about that; I received cards all the time. I looked at the return address and didn't immediately recognize it. Then I did; this was the seller of the Honus Wagner card, the cause of all my misfortune. I laughed out loud, somewhat hysterically.

I couldn't wait to look at the card until I got home. I borrowed a pair of scissors from a postal clerk and carefully opened the package. Inside, the card was encased in hard plastic. I carefully inspected the front and the back. If anything, it looked better in person than the scans had looked on eBay. This was one helluva card.

I wrapped it up again, placed it carefully in my fanny pack and jogged back to the house. The card was in such good condition that maybe I could resell it for more than I paid. Even if I lost a few thousand dollars it would be worth it. Of course, carrying out another auction, even on eBay, would take more time than I had to square things with Buchanan. And it was too soon to place the card back on eBay.

Back home, my thoughts returned to Elma. Now, even as I understood as much as I ever would about what had happened between us, a tinge of guilt remained. I couldn't make it go away with logic. It continued to haunt me after I ate breakfast and started working on my baseball card business. And after I sent a thank you email to the seller of the card and gave him positive feedback on eBay, which would increase his credibility with other buyers and sellers.

Conflicting ideas went through my head. On the one hand, I wanted to protect Elma and help her. On the other hand, I wanted to convince her to give her proxy to James-the man who had killed her husband.

The incompatibility of those desires suddenly rang in my head with the clarity of the tone produced by a fork striking a piece of crystal. And I knew there was no way I could do what James wanted me to do. And I knew that if I didn't do what James wanted me to do I was a dead man.

For an hour I wallowed in despair. I felt sorry for myself. I, Karl Patterson, would be cut down in the prime of my life. Fortunately, after reaching the depths I began to understand how ridiculous these maudlin thoughts were. I fixed myself an iced tea and told myself sternly that I wasn't dead yet and until I was I had damn well better do something to improve my situation.

Okay, fine. What? The obvious answer was to prove that James had arranged to have Ned murdered. Easier said than proved. Maybe the way to get at James was through Stan. Was Stan possibly a weak link? He had been the front man. Could I get him to admit that?

Arrow knew Stan much better than I did. But in order to get her assistance I would have to confess to her that I had sold my soul for a baseball card. The idea galled me, but what choice did I have?

Could I intercept Arrow when she came for the morning briefing of my father? No, because she wasn't coming today. I had heard her and my father discussing that yesterday. She was working on something else.

I called Arrow and got her voice-mail. I left a message, asking if she was free for lunch, knowing that I wouldn't hear from her. She didn't need me anymore and in the business world that put me at the bottom of her list of calls to return. And low priority calls never got returned.

***

The phone rang at three o'clock in the afternoon while I was buried in my baseball card business, trying to forget about my impending doom. It was Arrow. Arrow! I had completely given up on her.

"Karl, I'm sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner. I had to finish a project by two. I haven't eaten lunch yet. What about you?"

"No," I lied. I never skipped a meal and probably wouldn't, even if I were on the way to the guillotine. Which I was. "Can we get together?"

"You sounded upset in your message. Is anything wrong?"

"I'll tell you about it at Norms. See you in half an hour?"

"If that's enough time for you."

"I think we've had this conversation before."

***

We sat in the same booth we had used the first time we had met at Norms. I attempted a joke, saying, "I see they saved our table for us," but it didn't sound very funny to me.

At first it was difficult for me to look Arrow in the eye. Would she suspect what I had done with Elma? Reason told me she didn't even know I'd been with Elma. What does reason know?

Arrow's normalcy brought me back to earth. She acted concerned but not suspicious. Since I'd already eaten I ordered a piece of pie. After we finished ordering, Arrow said, "Okay, Karl, I can see you're not your usual exuberant self today. Tell me what the problem is."

"You aren't leaving me much wiggle-room," I said, "so I guess I'll have to tell you. Remember when I told you I needed several hundred thousand dollars?"

"That was in London when I was beating you at darts."

"Rub it in. Well, the reason I needed the money was to buy a baseball card."

"One baseball card?"

You would have thought I had said one piece of bubble gum. I explained to Arrow why the Wagner was so valuable. I wasn't sure she understood. Then I told her that James had lent me the money. Her eyes got very wide.

"You are a complete idiot," she said.

"I knew you'd understand."

"I don't want to hear this, but how are you going to pay him back?"

I told her I had to get Elma's proxy for James. Now she looked horrified.

"Karl," she said, quietly, "you are betraying your father."

"I know. If it's any consolation to you I'm not going to do it."

"Then what the bloody hell-excuse my Londonese-are you going to do?"

I started to tell her about my meeting with the gangbangers.

Her response was quick. "You could have been killed."

"But I wasn't." I told her they had mentioned Stan's name.

This time she didn't respond immediately. Then she said, slowly, "How can you trust them?"

"I can't, but I don't think they would have pulled a name like Stan out of thin air. That's too much of a coincidence."

"It's difficult to picture Stan killing anybody. But isn't that always the case? When reporters question the neighbors of the murderer they always say, 'He was such a good boy.'"

"Then you admit it's possible."

"You can't prove it, Karl. You said yourself that the gang members won't talk to the police."

"I was hoping you'd have an idea about…about how to make Stan confess."

I must have looked forlorn because Arrow reached across the table and took my hand. She said, "You're in serious trouble, Karl."

"Maybe it's better if you stay out of it. Don't make it a company problem."

It's already a company problem. Ned's death is a company problem and as long as James is a Dionysus stockholder, even a minority one, that's a company problem. Besides…"

Arrow paused for so long that I prompted her. "Besides what?"

"Before, you were always the self-sufficient outsider, aware of the problems of Dionysus and your father, but not personally affected by them. This is the first time you've been…vulnerable."

"So, are you going to come galloping to my rescue?"

Arrow smiled and let go of my hand. "Yes, if I can. You and I are going to have a talk with Stan."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. That could be dangerous."

"Your life could be in danger if we don't. We'll be careful. We'll make a plan. We'll play good-guy, bad-guy, like the cops do. Or maybe seducer, seducee."

"If we do that, knowing Stan's proclivities, I would have to be the seducer. And the thought of his hand on my knee…"

"You might have to go a lot further than that…"

"Arrow!"

"Okay, scratch that idea. We'll come up with something." She whipped her cell phone out of her bag and started pressing buttons.

"And you're calling who?"

"The airline, to see if we can catch the six o'clock commuter flight to San Francisco."

"Don't you have to tell my father-Richard?

"I will; I'll call him from San Francisco."

"I wonder if you can leave frequent-flyer miles to your heirs."

***

Of course there wasn't a parking place within several football fields' lengths of James' house so I jammed our rental car up behind several other cars in the driveway. If someone needed to get out they would know where to find me. It was a little past 8:30. We had driven directly here from the San Francisco airport.

Arrow wore about the brightest and tightest red dress I had ever seen. As I helped her out of the car it rode up almost to her waist. One of the benefits of being a gentleman.

My surge of hormones made me realize that I had fallen well behind my quota in complimenting her. I said, "You look fabulous in that dress, especially since you had about five minutes to both pack and get dressed."

"Ten, actually, since I had to wait for you to pick me up. But, thank you, sir. You look pretty sharp, yourself."

I wore a sport coat and tie.

"You'll notice that tonight I'm actually wearing underwear," she continued. "If we have to take off our outer clothes as part of our investigation I have a second line of defense."

Had she caught me looking? "I trust we won't have to go that far."

"You never know."

She was pretty upbeat, considering the gravity of the situation.

Another car pulled up behind ours. As we walked up the steps, with Arrow's arm in mine so that she wouldn't stumble in her high heels, a couple got out of the car, not much older than we were. They followed us up the steps and caught us as we reached the landing by the front door.

"Good," the woman said. "You can help us with the puzzle. George always screws it up and then I have to get out a pencil and paper and solve it. Men are supposed to do those things."

"I just pick a number," I said. I rang the doorbell. "I'm Karl and this is Arrow."

"George and Martha," the man said.

We shook hands all around.

A voice unknown to me said, "Yes? Oh, hello, Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin. Are those your friends?"

"Uh, I'm Karl Patterson and this is Arrow Andrews," I said, somewhat embarrassed at not being recognized.

Silence from the speaker.

"I'm sure we're in the database," I said, lamely, trying to recover with George and Martha. "At least they know I like iced tea."

"Don't worry about it," George said, laughing. He had a grating laugh and looked like an entrepreneurial type, with short hair and rimless glasses. "Sometimes they don't recognize us, either. It just depends on who's manning the camera."

"Arrow-what a great name," Martha said. "And I love your dress."

"Thanks," Arrow said. "It's worked so far."

Martha's own dress hadn't exactly come from a thrift shop. She was fashionably thin and her hair was suspiciously blonder than that of 999 out of every 1,000 people in the world.

The voice from the speaker said, "Here is the puzzle for tonight. Let's say that A and B both collect spiders. A says, 'B, I'll buy 18 of your spiders. Then I'll have twice as many as you do.' B says, 'Au contraire, I'll buy 18 spiders from you. Then we'll have the same number.' How many total spiders are there?"

"Jesus!" George said. "What we have to go through to come here."

"Do I have to get out the pencil and paper?" Martha asked. She opened the clasp of her purse.

"Karl will figure it out," Arrow said. "He's brilliant at this sort of thing."

As she said this she took hold of my arm, possessively, as if we were married or at least sweethearts, and pulled it against her body. This gave me an additional hormonal boost, but not the kind conducive to solving math puzzles.

"Thanks for putting me on the spot," I said, trying to clear my head. Okay, let's see. If they swap 18 spiders and then have the same number, one has 36 more spiders than the other to begin with. They swap the other way and one has 36 plus 36 or 72 more spiders than the other. That's twice as many as the other so the other must have 72. Seventy-two times two is 144. Subtract 18 from 144 and you get 126. Add 18 to 72 and you get 90. Ninety is 36 less than 126, so that checks out. The answer is 126 plus 90 or 216. Right?"

"If you say so," George said.

"My hero!" Martha said, dramatically.

Maybe she was an actress. I gave Arrow some time to pick apart my logic, but she couldn't do it so I announced our answer to the faceless voice within. A click told me I was correct and I opened the door.

We made our way down the stairs to the casino, to the mellow tones of Tony Bennett singing, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Appropriate. Wednesdays must be slow nights because there weren't many people here. I didn't recognize the man standing at the bottom of the stairs to greet us. He looked older than Stan and even had some gray at the temples.

He shook hands with the Goodwins and welcomed us all to the casino. He told Arrow and me his name was Art and that he was the floor manager on duty. I asked him if Stan was working.

"Not tonight," Art replied. "He's scheduled to work tomorrow night."

"Is he in the house, do you know?" I asked.

Art shook his head. "I believe he's out for the evening. However, I'll ring his number and check for you."

He headed for the room under the stairs. "Is James in?" I called after him.

He shook his head again and said, "He's on a business trip."

"I guess I was too impetuous," Arrow said, frowning. "It looks like we've wasted the evening."

"Have a drink with us," George said in a hearty voice.

"What I would really like is something to eat," I said. I had ordered a burger to go from the Norms when we had decided to fly here, but since then all I had eaten was some crunchy stuff served in tiny packages on the airplane with a list of ingredients that covered the package.

Fortunately, there was some food left at the buffet table. Arrow and I filled two plates and sat at a table with Martha and George, who had ordered drinks. Art came over and confirmed that Stan was not at home.

"So, have you been coming here long?" George asked us.

"This is my fourth time and Arrow's second," I said. "What about you?"

"We've been coming here off and on for six months," George said.

"And lost our shirts in the process," Martha said.

I detected real bitterness in her voice and I wanted to ask for details, but all I said was, "Oh?"

"We'll probably lose our company," Martha added.

George said, "Martha…"

"We might as well tell them. It'll be common knowledge soon. Maybe we can save them from having the same experience. Have you heard of a company called everything. com?"

I hadn't but Arrow said, "Yes. I read in a trade journal-a number of months ago, I think it was-that you were going to do an IPO."

"Yes, we were all set to have a stock offering," George said. "Then the market turned sour, and now it's too late."

"Too late," I repeated, wondering how James entered into this.

Martha said, "You see…"

"I'll tell it," George interrupted. "I want to make sure it's told right."

Martha gave him a dirty look.

"I had this great idea for a dot-com company and was able to raise some venture capital to get started. Originally, Martha and I were the only employees. Then we started growing…"

"But we were still losing money," Martha said.

"Yes, but that's normal for a young, rapidly growing company. We planned to have the initial public offering to raise more capital. When the stock market tanked we put it off, expecting the market to come back."

"But we were bleeding money too fast," Martha said, "and needed more right away. Suddenly we were pariahs. Our venture capitalist wouldn't give us any more money; he said it was too risky."

"To make a painful story shorter," George said, "we came to James, who we had heard of through friends, and told him our situation. He offered us a deal: we could gamble for an infusion of capital. If we won he would put money into the company in return for stock. If we lost he would get the stock anyway but wouldn't put in any money.

"It sounds one-sided," Arrow said.

"That's James' adult version of The Game," I said.

"We were desperate," Martha said, "and we took it. We played roulette…"

"And you lost," I said, picturing the situation. "But if the company goes out of business, what good is the stock to James?"

"He has no intention of letting the company go out of business," George said. "He has offered us two more deals: the first is to gamble again for another cash infusion. Of course, if we lose again he gets most of our remaining stock. Then he'll put money into the company and try to save it. The second alternative is to sell him practically all our stock at a bargain-basement price. He made the same offer to our venture capitalist for his stock."

"The diabolical part," Martha said, "is that the offer becomes worth less each week-so the longer we delay in making a decision, the worse off we are."

"If your problems are so bad that nobody but James will help you," Arrow said, "then there must be a substantial risk that you will go out of business-and that James will lose his investment."

"But James makes it up in volume," I said, suddenly understanding the big picture. "If he invests in ten small, high-tech companies, even if only one makes it, his return on that one will be enough to pay for the nine losers many times over."

"You should go to work for James" Martha said, ironically. "You obviously have the kind of mind he's looking for."

"He offered me a job."

Arrow kicked me under the table and I almost yelled out loud.

She asked, "What are you going to do?" in a sympathetic voice.

"That's why we're here tonight," Martha said. "George thinks he has a system for beating roulette. He wants to practice."

She made "system" sound like a dirty word.

"Is everybody who comes here in the same boat?" Arrow asked.

"Pretty much," Martha said. "If they're not gambling for their lives already, they're thinking about it."

"Do you know the odds against winning at roulette?" I asked George, trying to sound more empathetic.

"I do," George said, "but what choice do I have? We could take James' piddly offer to buy most of our stock. He would still employ us to run the company-on a salary, of course. Then, if we succeed he makes billions while we make chicken-feed."

"Or we can lose at roulette," Martha said, "and hand him the stock for nothing."

"But using my system we might win," George said, "and then we'd get to keep a substantial amount of stock."

George had polished off three drinks during our conversation so I already knew one probable flaw in his system. I said, "Explain your system to me."

"I play only red or black, even odds. Forget the long shots. I start with what I call my basic bet. If I win I keep my winnings and keep betting my basic bet as long as I keep winning."

"And if you lose?"

I double my bet. Then, when I win it cancels out my loss."

"What if you lose five times in a row? Do you keep doubling your bet each time?"

"Yes."

"At that point you would be betting 32 times your basic bet."

"Something like that."

"What happens if you lose enough times in a row so that you don't have enough money left to double your bet?"

George squirmed in his chair. "If I make my basic bet low enough it should never happen."

"In statistics," I said, lecturing like a professor, "anything that can happen will happen eventually. And if you make your basic bet too low it will take you forever to win the amount of money James has decreed you need to be a winner, even if you get lucky. The other problem with your system is that the odds aren't even on red and black. The zero and double-zero on the roulette wheel make them less than even."

George stared at the table and said nothing. Had I been too hard on him? I was trying to save him what money he had left.

"Thank you," Martha told me. "Maybe he'll listen to you. He won't listen to me."

Arrow had been unnaturally quiet during this discussion. Now she said, "I think you should listen to Karl. He knows what he's talking about."

***

George and Martha left soon after that. Hopefully, they wouldn't be back.

Art had the cashier issue us some "fun" chips and Arrow and I played blackjack, side by side. I coached her on the basics and she about broke even while I counted the cards and amassed a large pile of chips. It's easy when you're playing for the hell of it.

At some point Art asked me to move the car to let some people out and I was able to park it on the street.

After we tired of blackjack we wandered around the room, betting a few chips at the craps table and the roulette wheel. I started watching the other players. I noticed that there were two kinds of chips, the fun chips, like the ones we were using and the serious chips, for those who had some kind of a bet going with James.

The people betting the serious chips were themselves much more serious than the others because they were possibly betting their companies. It occurred to me that some of these sessions might go on for a number of nights while the bettors tried to increase their winnings sufficiently to, in effect, win their bet with James, or until they lost their stake.

This was borne out when I saw one couple take a pile of serious chips to the cashier and get a receipt for them. I was sure they would be back tomorrow. I glanced at my watch; it was close to eleven.

"I'm starting to drag," Arrow said. "When you get up at five, 11 p.m. isn't on your clock."

I was tired too. "There's one small problem," I said. "We don't have a place to stay." We hadn't done anything about it before, thinking we would take a night flight back to LA. Now it was too late.

We approached Art, hoping he could help us find a hotel.

"We have a spare bedroom here that isn't being used tonight," Art said. "We could let you sleep there."

"One?" I asked.

"One," he said, looking from one of us to the other, with just a hint of a leer.

"How many beds?" I asked.

"Two double beds."

"Can you trust me to stay in my own bed?" I asked Arrow.

She nodded, sleepily.

Chapter 29 ELMA-3

I awoke to see daylight trickling into the room through the slats in the blinds. I glanced at my watch, still on my wrist; it was approaching 6 a.m. I was still tired and considered going back to sleep, but then my brain kicked into gear.

I twisted my head around and saw Arrow's short curls in the other bed and nothing else but blanket and pillow. She didn't move. I quietly got out of bed and pulled on my pants. I had slept in my underwear. I didn't know what Arrow had worn to bed. When she had come out of the bathroom last night I had been deliberately facing the window. Her red dress was draped over the back of a chair.

The bedroom was large enough to be a master bedroom, several times over, with appropriate fancy furnishings. I tiptoed past Arrow's bed to the monster bathroom that went with it, complete with dual sinks, dual showers and gold-colored faucets. After washing my face and running a comb through my hair I exited the bathroom and the bedroom, barefoot.

I entered a hallway that led to the top of the stairs. The bedrooms were two stories above the casino. One of the assistants had showed us to the room last night and pointed out the kitchen on the main floor. I walked down one flight of carpeted stairs and made my way toward the kitchen.

It occurred to me that I didn't know whether there was anybody else in the house, except Arrow and me. James was on a business trip. Stan had been out last night. Perhaps he had an assignation. Who knew what his understanding with James was on that score. I had heard muffled noises after we had gone to bed, but they could have been connected with closing the casino for the night.

My answer came swiftly. The sounds coming from the kitchen were not muffled. I didn't want to scare whoever it was so I said, "Hello," at the kitchen door. As I walked in I saw the startled face of Stan.

"What the hell are you doing here?" was his greeting.

And I thought James trained his staff to put customer service first. "I was in town so I dropped in here last night," I said, blandly.

"Did James say you could stay here?"

"I was told that James is out of town. Art said I could stay here."

"Nobody stays there without James' permission." Stan glowered at me and then turned his attention to fixing himself a cup of coffee. He was already dressed for work, in a white shirt and tie.

"Do you have any oatmeal?" I asked.

He pointed at a large cupboard. I opened the door and came face-to-face with lots of sugar-saturated cereals I hadn't been able to tolerate since I was a teenager. Finally, in the back I spotted the familiar round box and pulled it out. Long arms can come in handy. As I found a pot and measuring cup with Stan's grudging help, it occurred to me that this meeting might be an opportunity for me.

"May I ask you a question about Ned?" I asked, trying to formulate a plan.

Stan's Neanderthal grunt didn't immediately convey any meaning so I interpreted it as a yes. I said, "James is trying to gain control of Dionysus. To do that he needs the proxy of Elma, Ned's widow. It follows that when Ned was alive he needed Ned's proxy. Did Ned promise James his proxy in return for, say, becoming CEO of Dionysus?"

Stan, who was now sitting at a breakfast table, sipping his coffee and eating a sweet roll, contemplated me for a moment and then said, "Ned made a pest of himself. Not only did he want to be CEO of Dionysus, he wanted a piece of Tartan, too. But James put up with him. Even let him stay in the guest room sometimes. I know James and Ned had worked together before. I know they grew up together. Ned felt he had always gotten the short end of the stick and was trying to make up for it. But the truth is, he was a goddam pest and yet James put up with him."

I was surprised at Stan's vehemence, but now that he had started talking I wanted to take advantage of it. I sat down opposite him with my cereal and said, "So what happened? Did Ned agree to gamble for a piece of Tartan and lose?"

Stan shook his head. "Ned wouldn't gamble with James. He told me once he knew James too well to do that."

Smart fellow. I remembered something. "James wanted Ned to exercise his stock options and keep the stock, didn't he? That way, Ned's proxy is worth more and James doesn't have to buy as many shares in the open market."

"If you know so much, why are you asking me?"

Oops, I didn't want to aggravate him. In reality, Ned had exercised his options and immediately sold the stock, so something must have come between him and James.

"I heard a wild story," I said, "that James and Ned were in a casino in the desert east of LA and Ned lost a ton of money playing blackjack."

"It's true," Stan said. "James and Ned went to Palm Springs to look at a company there, a possible acquisition for Tartan. I don't know why he took Ned along; I did the analysis on the company and I knew a hell of a lot more about it than Ned did."

Stan poured himself a fresh cup of coffee and stirred milk into it with such vigor that it sloshed over the side of the cup and onto the saucer.

"So they stopped at the casino," I prompted.

"They stopped at the casino and Ned completely lost it-his head and his money. James was so amazed that when he returned here that he couldn't stop talking about it."

"And so that was the end of their deal?"

"Which deal?"

"The deal for Tartan to acquire Dionysus."

"It should have been. Especially if the deal meant Ned being CEO of Dionysus. I mean the guy was two quarts low. But, incredibly, James stuck with him. He still wanted to do the deal, make Ned CEO and all. I can tell you, he wouldn't have done that with anybody else."

"Then why did he have Ned killed?"

Stan looked at me as though he hadn't heard me. I knew he had so I stared back at him, trying to remain calm. He deliberately got up from the table and walked toward the door to the kitchen. When he got there he turned around and said, "You'd better be careful what you say. You don't want to end up like Ned."

This was the second time he had voiced that threat.

***

When I opened the door to the bedroom I heard the click of computer keys. Arrow was sitting cross-legged on her bed, wearing a T-shirt, with her laptop, appropriately, in her lap. The computer was connected to a phone jack in the wall. She looked good in the white shirt against her tan-colored arms and bare legs, but then she looked good wearing anything-or nothing.

"Is this the newest in leisure wear for the up-and-coming female executive?" I asked.

"I found it in your overnight bag," she said, tossing a mock-coy look at me over her shoulder and then turning back to the keyboard. "I hope you don't mind. I figured I should be wearing something when you returned. You don't seem to like me when I'm wearing nothing."

Apparently, I hadn't communicated my likes and dislikes successfully to Arrow. "So you're being diligent, checking email and executing all the other important duties of your position."

"I am feeling guilty because we didn't accomplish anything yesterday."

"We know more about how James operates and how he plays his current version of The Game."

"But that doesn't help us pin Ned's murder on him. Besides, I have to call Richard at nine to tell him where we are and give him the daily briefing." She paused and looked around at the antique furniture, including a huge rocking chair that had probably survived the 1906 earthquake. "I love this room. And did you see that bathtub? It has jets and everything. I could spend my life in that. How long do you think they'll let us stay here?"

"If we stay here tonight we might end up with bullets in our backs."

"Meaning…"

"Meaning that I just talked to Stan and made him mad."

"Is he still here?"

"No, he left, either to go to work or to look up the gangbangers who do his dirty work for him." I gave Arrow a short description of our meeting.

"Is it a good idea to antagonize Stan? If he was really the one who got Ned killed…"

"What was he going to do, stab me with a kitchen knife? Somehow, that doesn't seem like his style. But we are going to have to be careful around him."

"Do you think James had Ned killed because Ned somehow didn't carry out his part of their bargain in regard to Dionysus?"

"James apparently doesn't suffer defectors lightly." And if I didn't produce Elma's proxy, I would be a defector.

Arrow considered that. "Should I try to talk to Stan?"

"For reasons already stated, I don't think it's a good idea, especially since you're associated with me."

"So what's the next step?"

I had one in mind, but I didn't want to discuss it with Arrow. "Fly back to LA and collect more frequent-flyer miles."

Arrow sighed. "So I won't get a chance to try out the bathtub."

"You may have one hour in the tub."

"And what are you going to do?"

"I'll get us return reservations and, if you'll let me use your laptop, check my email and work on my baseball card business."

"So who's the workaholic?"

Arrow insisted on leaving the bathroom door open so, as she explained, we could communicate with each other. It made communication easier but working much more difficult as I listened to the jets and pictured where they were massaging her.

***

I spotted Elma before she crossed the street to the Hermosa Beach plaza that extended inland from its pier. She looked very jaunty in denim shorts, a thin, frilly top and dark glasses.

I knew intellectually that what she and I had done together hadn't ruined her life, but, nevertheless, I was relieved to see the lightness in her step. I had agreed to meet her here because I wasn't sure I had enough willpower to keep a meeting at her house on purely a business level.

I had called Elma from James' house to set up this late lunch. Arrow had been running the jets in the bathtub at the time. I didn't want Arrow to know I was meeting Elma, for whatever reason.

She spotted me and waved. The walk light flashed "walk," she crossed the street and gave me a hug. I caught a whiff of the same scent she had worn on that night and memories returned.

"Are you hungry?" I asked. She nodded and we picked one of the cafes where we could sit outside. We kept to small talk while we read the menus and ordered, carefully avoiding what was on both of our minds.

But I hadn't come to talk about that. After we gave our orders to a waitress I said, "An incident happened between Ned and James that I haven't told you about because I didn't know if it would upset you. However, I don't think it will now. And I'd like your interpretation of it because it might explain something about their relationship and possibly…relate to Ned's murder."

"Are you saying that you think James killed Ned?"

"I think we have to consider the possibility."

"All right, tell me what happened." She put her chin in her hands and leaned toward me, a teenager fawning on her date.

I started by saying that Ned hadn't actually lost any money because I wanted her to concentrate on the deception and not worry about whether he had squandered her estate. Then I set the stage at the desert casino where Ned had played blackjack. When I was explaining how Ned carried out the ruse, Elma interrupted me and asked whether James had ever caught on. When I said no she started laughing.

She explained, "Ned didn't get the best of James very often. I'm glad he did this once."

She let me finish the story. When I was through I waited for her reaction.

"Ned tried to make a complete break with James years ago, when he went to work for your father," she said. "As far as I know it was successful until James got this bug in his ear about acquiring Dionysus. Ned didn't tell me James had contacted him again, I'm sure because he knew what my reaction would be. He didn't tell me he was visiting him in San Francisco.

"James had a strange power over Ned. Ned had a hard time saying no to him. And if James promised him the CEO job, that was a carrot Ned might not have been able to resist. But somewhere along the way Ned probably had an attack of conscience, and also remembered what the reality of working with James was like, certainly much worse than working with your father.

"I suspect Ned wanted out of the deal but still couldn't tell James no. So he did something so terrible, so absurd, that James would have nothing more to do with him. And nothing is so absurd to James as somebody trying to fight the odds. The laws of chance rule his life."

"James' assistant told me that James still wanted to do business with Ned, even after that incident."

"At that point perhaps Ned finally got up the courage to say no."

"And James was so upset he had him killed?"

Elma hesitated. "You know, I still can't picture James as a murderer. Maybe it's because I'm a sentimental fool. James has many faults, but I'm not sure that's one of them. Even after hearing the story about Dickie it's hard for me to believe…"

She stopped, and I decided it was time to switch to lighter subjects. I was able to get her to smile again. When we said goodbye Elma said, "You know, a lady is not supposed to do this, but I want to thank you for the other night. I have been seeing things a lot more clearly since then."

She hugged me and walked away with the same spring in her step I had seen when she arrived. I was happy and sad at the same time, realizing that she didn't need me any more-at least not like that.

Chapter 30 THE BET-2

The voice that answered my ring didn't belong to Stan. I was glad of that; I hoped Stan wasn't here tonight. When I gave my name the voice got back to me in 30 seconds with the puzzle of the day.

I solved it within two minutes and was clicked into the house. As I walked downstairs to the casino I heard the perfect diction of Nancy Wilson as she sang "When Sunny Gets Blue." The crowd was even lighter than it had been last Wednesday. Monday night must be the slowest night of all. Either that, or James had cleaned out everybody in San Francisco.

The young man who greeted me at the bottom of the stairs was neither Stan nor Art, but a clone whose name I promptly forgot. I asked him whether James was present-Art had assured me last week that James would be back here on Monday-and received a positive response. He went into the control room to retrieve James while I waited, rehearsing what I was going to say.

James bustled out with a broad smile on his face and said, "Karl, baby, what a pleasure. Where's Arrow? I heard that you and she stayed here last week."

Instead of shaking my hand he gave me a quick, masculine hug and I half-expected the kiss of death to follow.

"I'm all alone tonight," I said and waited for him to mention that I had accused him of murder.

Instead, he said, "That's a damn shame. Arrow is on my all-time list of favorite women. Well, did you come to give me a report on one of my other favorites?"

Meaning Elma. "She's a tough nut, but I'm working on her. I feel confident I can swing her over."

"Well, you've got a few more days." He dismissed my news with a wave of his hand. "What would you like to do tonight?"

"Make you a proposition."

"Another one?"

"Yes. This one depends on your reputation for absolute honesty." Elma had told me that James' best trait was that he always kept his promises. Of course he expected others to do the same. Seamus had also said that. The Goodwins, too.

James looked amused. "This sounds serious. Shall we sit down?"

He led me to a vacant table. I struggled with how to phrase my request. After a couple of false starts I said, "I-I need to have the answer to…need to have you answer a question for me. A yes-no type question."

"Go ahead; ask me the question."

"It's not that simple. If I just ask you the question you can decline to answer. I don't want to ask the question until I'm sure you will answer it."

Drinks magically appeared in front of us, a clear liquid for James with a slice of lime and a straw, iced tea for me. James sipped his drink through the straw and regarded me with his blue eyes. He said, "This must be a very serious question. What do you propose?"

"I'll gamble for the right to ask the question. But you have to promise to answer it."

"So I have to think back over my whole life and determine whether there is anything I've done that I wouldn't admit. Is that it? Because you know more about my life than most people. You've even been to the town where I grew up and talked to people there.

"But I must admit that this is intriguing. I've lived my life in a straightforward manner; I'm not trying to hide anything. What question do you want the answer to that you wouldn't just come out and ask me? More information about the Dickie incident? I can't think of a question answerable by yes or no that would help to clarify that. The truth is rarely a yes-or-no affair."

I was tempted-tempted to ask the question: Did you have any part at all in Ned's murder? But if it were that easy, getting murder convictions would be a snap. No, James lived and died by The Game. And winning The Game was the only way I could ensure getting a truthful answer.

"What kind of odds will you give me?" I asked.

"Most people who come here do so because I'm their last hope. If they're going to lose their company anyway, they're willing to buck the odds to save it. But with you, Karl, it's a different story. All you want to do is ask me a question. Besides, you have a better head for figures than most of the others. You know the odds are against you."

"I'll be honest with you," I said. "I plan to play blackjack and count the cards. If your dealer uses a single deck and plays to the last card I can swing the odds in my favor."

"In theory, yes. But can you really carry out that program? If you'd been practicing for the last two years under live conditions, I would say that you probably could. But playing in your living room with nothing to lose is a completely different matter. The difference is like a baseball player going from Little League straight to the World Series."

"Are you going to take me up on it?" I didn't want to talk all night.

"I like you, Karl, and I don't want to see you lose. But if you really want to do it I won't stop you. We need a penalty if you lose." James sipped and I waited. "I've got it. You have to work for me for a year. Of course, I'll pay you a regular salary; I'll even give you stock options."

If I lost I might be a dead man, in which case that would become irrelevant. "Agreed."

"I'll give you an initial stake of $1,000. You have to increase it to $4,000 to win."

I was expecting that and again I agreed.

"When do you want to start?" James asked.

"Right now."

"Well, you look sober and alert. Why not?"

***

There were two blackjack tables. The ideal situation would have been for me to play one-on-one against a dealer, but when I mentioned that to James he said he couldn't afford to tie up a dealer and a table just for me. Especially since my bet was puny compared to some of the other players. But it wasn't puny to me.

I picked a table with two other players and sat in the left-hand seat so that I would have the maximum opportunity to see the cards of the other players before I decided whether to take a hit. The dealer did play with one deck and did play to the last card so the odds were already better than in any other casino I was aware of. I think James allowed that out of a sense of sportsmanship because the players were not professional gamblers. He wasn't all bad.

The quick way to increase $1,000 to $4,000 was to bet the thousand on the first hand and then if I won bet $2,000 on the second hand. Unfortunately, I had less than a 25 percent probability of winning with this strategy and I needed a certainty.

I waited until the dealer shuffled before I started to bet. He offered the deck to me to cut and welcomed me to the game with a nod. I bet only a dollar a hand to start, setting my mind to the discipline of counting the cards worth ten (ten, jack, queen, king) and the others and calculating the ratio between them in my head. A ten-rich deck swings the odds in the favor of the player.

The first time the ratio reached 50-50 I bet $10 and felt a surge of adrenaline. I won the hand; my system was working.

I played for an hour and was modestly ahead. I decided to take a break and review my strategy with the intent of increasing my bets when the odds were in my favor. If you varied your bets too much in Las Vegas you got thrown out on your ear. Here, James already knew what I was doing.

I felt the presence of someone to my left. I looked up from my cards and saw Arrow's black curls. Startled, I said, "What are you doing here?"

She said, "The question is, what are you doing here? Karl, I need to talk to you."

"It's time for my break, anyway," I said, deciding to yield gracefully rather than risk a scene. I placed my loose chips in the rack I had been given and followed Arrow to a table, where we sat down. She didn't look happy.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her again.

"I tried to call you this morning," Arrow said. "I called Elma to discuss her finances and she told me she had met you and you regaled her with the story about Ned's desert blackjack game. You did that Thursday afternoon, right after you and I flew back from San Francisco. And yet you told me you weren't going to try to get Elma's proxy for James."

"I wasn't trying to get her proxy." I felt myself growing hot.

"Richard came back to work today and I told him about your bargain with James. He went ballistic. I thought he was going to have another stroke."

"How could you do that?"

"I had to, Karl. Things were getting out of hand."

"Thanks a lot. With friends like you I might as well fall on my sword."

"Don't give me that shit. I have to protect Dionysus. I also told Richard why we came here last week. He told me in no uncertain terms to stop working on Ned's murder. First, he doesn't want us to stick our necks out and, second, he doesn't believe James had any part in Ned's murder."

"How did you find out I was here?"

"I tried to call you, as I said. I left several messages, but you didn't return my calls. When I was going to Richard's house to give him briefings I got to know Luz. She told me that when you went out for more than a few hours you told her so that she wouldn't cook for you. So I called her and asked if she knew where you were. She told me you had flown to San Francisco."

"You get 'A' for detective work."

Arrow ignored my sarcasm and said, "There's only one reason you would go to San Francisco and that is to work on Ned's murder. I had to tell Richard. What he said I won't repeat, but I finally convinced him that even if he didn't want to help you as a father, he had to do it as CEO of Dionysus. A phone call here wouldn't be sufficient because what can you accomplish on the phone? So I caught the next plane."

"How did you solve the puzzle of the day with your feeble MBA brain?"

"One of James' lackeys tried to give me the puzzle. I told him to shove it and to put James on the intercom. I told James what I thought of his stupid-ass puzzle and that I needed to talk to you."

"And he let you in."

"Of course."

She was definitely CEO material. "Well, now that you're here you can turn right around and fly back to LA. I don't need you."

Arrow looked at me steadily and said, "Karl, you've got to tell me what you're doing."

"I'm just having a little fun."

"If that grim expression means you're having fun, I'd hate to see you when you're not. I don't play games, remember? You're using the serious chips. You made another bet with James, didn't you?"

She knew too much. "So what if I did? That's my business."

"It's Dionysus business so it's my business. And your father's business."

"My father doesn't care if I rot in hell."

"He does! He does care for you. He just thinks you're too…reckless. And that recklessness is jeopardizing Dionysus, not to mention your own skin."

How could I get her off my back? "Okay, I made another bet." I looked around to see if anyone was within earshot. "If I win I'll find out whether James had any part in Ned's murder."

"How are you going to do that?"

I explained my reasoning in a low voice, making Arrow strain to hear me over the crowd noise. When I said it out loud it didn't sound so grand. If I couldn't even convince myself that it would work, how could I convince Arrow?

At least Arrow didn't interrupt me. When I was through, she said, "You're trying to extract a confession from a murderer, based on his personal integrity. How much integrity does a murderer have?"

I couldn't answer that question. Why did she have to show up to complicate my life?

"I sat within a few feet of this spot," she continued, "and listened to you tell that guy George why his system wouldn't work. You sounded very wise. But you don't follow your own advice, do you?"

I felt like strangling her to shut her up. But she wasn't through.

"It would break Richard's heart if you went to work for James, when you won’t work for him-your own father. So I'll tell you what I'm going to do, for Richard's sake. I'll be your assistant and your moral support. Even if that means just carrying your chips. But why can't you just cancel the bet now like we did before?"

"It's too late." Meaning that my own integrity was at stake.

Arrow looked ready to argue the point but apparently decided not to. She said, "Okay, tell me what your strategy is. That way I'll know if you're veering off course."

Even though she had turned traitor and squealed on me to my father I felt more comfortable with Arrow here. She could help me maintain my discipline. I told her my basic strategy and we agreed that I would play no more than an hour at a stretch and then rest for at least fifteen minutes. And no alcoholic beverages.

At 11 o'clock I had significantly increased my stake. I think Arrow's presence helped me stick to my plan.

Arrow suddenly said, "Okay, that's it. You're through for the night."

I remembered we had agreed on an 11 o'clock stop time, but I didn't want to quit. I figured that I could keep on winning. But Arrow grabbed my rack of chips and walked away. My urge to strangle her returned. I took several deep breaths and forced a smile at the dealer. I said, "I guess I'm through." He saluted me and I left the table.

When I caught Arrow she said, "I think it's better to quit while you're ahead. It will give you a positive attitude going into tomorrow's game."

She had a point there, although I didn't admit it. She told me she had a hotel room booked. I did too, but not at the same hotel. She said she would work at her hotel tomorrow and meet me here at seven when the casino opened.

I got a receipt for my chips and we walked toward the stairs. James came over to us from some people he was talking to and said, "Arrow, I don't know whether I'm glad or sad that you showed up. I'm glad to see you again, but you obviously have a steadying influence on Karl. He plays better with you here."

"Why don't you just let him cancel the bet?" Arrow said. "He's proved he can be cool under fire."

"Not now," I said, heatedly. "I'm going to win."

"Besides, I couldn't do that," James said with a smirk. "Then I'd never find out what question you want to ask me." He turned to Arrow. "And now that I know you're as feisty as you are beautiful I wish I'd made you part of the package and insisted that you work for me if Karl loses."

"In your dreams."

Chapter 31 FLORA

There was nothing like walking the hills of San Francisco to clear the head. When all your energy is required just to get to the top of a hill where the cars parked perpendicular to the street tilt so much that the slightest touch will tip them over you don't have any energy left for negative thoughts.

Such as what would happen if I lost the bet and actually had to go to work for James. That thought had come to me during the night and I was trying to expel it now.

I finally sat down in a small park to rest, fearful that I would exhaust myself so much I wouldn't be at my best at the blackjack table. I watched two hummingbirds play tag in the air and reviewed the last few weeks.

The day my peaceful world had turned upside down was the day my father had come to me for help. That was the day Ned had been murdered. Since then, I had been told by my father and others not to try to solve the murder. But here I was doing just that, more to save my own skin than anything else.

If I knew James had ordered Ned’s murder, somehow I thought that would free me of any obligation to James, such as the money I owed him or my agreement to obtain Elma's proxy. Even if I couldn't prove it in a court of law. But it was naive of me to think that James would actually tell the truth, even if I won the bet.

So what else could I do? There was at least one string that hadn't been explored, I was sure, by the police. That was the mysterious Chinese lady who had Ned's gun in her possession. She and Ned must have been old friends. Or were they more than friends?

It occurred to me that the woman with James at Ned's funeral could have been Chinese. I hadn't gotten a good look at her, but she definitely had Asian features. Was this another case of James and Ned sharing a woman? There was certainly precedent for it.

Suddenly, I wanted to find and talk to this woman. But how? I remembered that I had passed an Internet cafe a few blocks back. Sip cappuccino and check stocks and email. I got up and headed in that direction.

***

I bought an iced tea at the counter and headed for an available personal computer. It took me only a few seconds to access the Tartan corporate website. I looked at the site index. There were pages listed with the information you would expect: financial reports, recent acquisitions, profiles of James and other corporate officers. What wasn't there was what I was looking for: a sub-index with names and addresses of clients and other people and organizations important to Tartan and James.

Of course this was confidential information and wouldn't be made available to the world. But I knew it was on the website because the night Ned was murdered James had accessed the telephone numbers of Ned's hotel and the police from it. I had been looking over his shoulder when he did it.

Then he had made another phone call he had later denied making. Was that call to the Chinese lady? From James' side of the conversation I had gathered that the caller had seen Ned that evening. My recollection was that James didn't look up her phone number on the website; he knew it by heart. But still, it could be there.

What had James done to get to the private part of the website? He had gone to a certain page and entered a password. That page wouldn't be in the index but now I could remember James entering the Tartan URL and the word "private."

I typed in the Tartan URL followed by a slash and "private." The page I remembered seeing came up, containing a place to enter a password. What was the password? Of course the password had appeared as x's on the screen when James had entered it, but maybe I could reconstruct it.

I didn't have a computer program like you see in the movies that tries every possible combination of characters until it finds the correct password. The technology wouldn't allow me to do that, anyway. That was fiction. But most passwords were made simple so they would be easy to remember. And apparently all Tartan staff members knew it.

Now what? I could actually see James type in the password. I'm a nosy guy and I had watched him. And James wasn't a fast typist so it was possible to follow the keys he struck. I remembered at the time thinking that the password was an actual word and too obvious.

Except I couldn't remember what word it was. Six characters, I thought. I tried "tartan" and received an error message. Those weren't the keys James had pressed, anyway. He had started with the forefinger of his left hand, but not the "t." I checked the keyboard. That finger is used to type seven different letters. Great.

What words started with those letters? I drew a blank on all of them until I got to "c." "Casino." Of course. I typed "casino" and clicked Enter. Another error message. Damn.

The more I recalled the night of Ned's murder the more I was sure that "casino" was correct. So why was I getting an error message? Persnickety computer. I tried "casino" again. Same result. Think, Patterson. I thought about smashing the computer, which was not logical. And computers are logical, if nothing else.

I typed in "casino" again but didn't click Enter. Why wasn't this correct? It seemed so right. But of course memories can be self-fulfilling. I stared at the word and noticed that there was still a space remaining in the password box. Another character was needed.

I typed in a "1" after "casino" and clicked Enter.

Error.

I poured ice from the bottom of my glass into my mouth, crunched on it and froze my mouth.

Then it came to me; I remembered how awkward it had been for James to type an "s" because the tip of the fourth finger on his left hand was missing. And he'd had to use that finger twice when entering the password.

"I typed in "casinos" and clicked Enter. No error message. The index page of organizations and people that I had seen James refer to appeared, in alphabetical order. It was many screens long. I scrolled down and scanned the names, looking for Chinese-sounding names.

I wrote one down and kept going. I came to my own name, "Patterson, Karl." I clicked on it and went to my page. It contained my address, telephone number, email address and the fact that I was Richard Patterson's son. It noted that I drank iced tea and that I was a card counter. So James did care about that, even though he pretended indifference.

I continued down the list and wrote another name. I finished the list, went back and clicked on the first of the two names. A personal page appeared. The woman lived in Paso Robles, well south of San Francisco.

I clicked on the other name, Flora Sung. Her address was San Francisco, but I didn't recognize the street, so I looked it up on my map. It was just two blocks from Grant Avenue and less than a block from where Ned had parked his car. And close to the spot where he had been murdered.

***

I walked up a few steps to the front door of the row house, into a sheltered entryway. There were two buttons beside the intercom. Evidently, the house contained two apartments. I matched one of the buttons to the street address I had and pressed it.

The house had been here for a while, but it was freshly painted and well cared for. A green plant grew out of a pot on the landing.

"Who is it?" a female voice asked. I detected a slight accent, probably Chinese, even through the questionable sound quality of the intercom.

"My name is Karl Patterson," I said. "I'm a friend of James Buchanan."

"What do you want?"

That could be the stopper. However, I had nothing to lose. "I…I'd like to talk to you about Ned Mackay."

Silence. It appeared that I had struck out. Then, "Are you from the police?"

"No, ma'am. I am…I was a friend of Ned's." Better not say anything more.

Finally, the welcome sound of a click and the voice saying, "Come up the stairs."

I opened the door and found the stairs directly in front of me. They creaked as I ascended them. The dark brown color of the wooden stairs and paneled walls didn't lighten the gloom. Nor did several dim lights mounted on a wall.

The door at the top of the stairs opened, letting out welcome light from the room beyond. In the doorway stood a small woman with short, dark hair and bangs, wearing a skirt and blouse. I couldn't see her face clearly because her back was to the light, but it was round and could be Asian. The sound of opera emanated from beyond the doorway, featuring a man and woman dueling with their exquisite voices.

"How did you find me?" the woman asked as I climbed the steps toward her.

"Uh, it's a long story," I said, "but James didn't give me your name, if that's what you're thinking."

"I wouldn't expect him to," the woman said, holding the door open so I could precede her inside. "He wouldn't want to identify anyone who could bring him into this."

That was an interesting statement. I walked into a beautifully decorated room, with expensive furniture and trappings. The voices of the opera singers filled the parts of the room not occupied by furniture.

"I'll turn that down," the woman said, going over to a cabinet and twisting a button on an amplifier. "Would you like some tea, Mr. umm…"

"Patterson. Yes, if it's no trouble. And you are Flora Sung?"

"I am she." She gave me a smile that lit up her face and then disappeared into the next room. Her small size tempted one to describe her as cute, a word that is overused, but in her case it fit. I guessed that her age placed her in the same generation with Ned and James.

When she returned she caught me looking at a somewhat abstract painting on the wall.

"That's a Joan Miro original," she said. "I bought it one time when I was feeling giddy."

She ushered me to a seat on a large sofa, sat down beside me and poured tea into china cups.

"So, do the police know about me?" she asked.

"No…that is, I don't think so."

"Are you going to tell them?"

That was a stumper. "I…don't expect to," I said, hedging a little.

"Well, you're a nice looking boy so I hope I can trust you. Tell me how you knew Ned." Her voice had a musical sound now that she had accepted me.

"He worked with my father, Richard Patterson."

"Oh, that Patterson. I thought your name sounded familiar." She looked at my face with her dark eyes. "Yes, you do resemble your father."

"So you know him."

"I've met him a couple of times. And I own some stock in Dionysus. Tell me, has he recovered from his stroke?"

"Er, yes," I said, caught off guard. "He's back at work. Ms. Sung, I wanted to ask you about the night Ned died. I heard that he might have come here before he was shot, to get a gun."

"My, you're just a fountain of information, aren't you?" Ms. Sung said, looking at me with surprise. "Tell me what else you know."

"That's all."

"That's a relief. For a minute there I thought you were going to tell me my life story. The gun actually belonged to Ned. He insisted that I keep it to defend myself because I live alone. But I can't picture myself ever shooting anyone."

Ms. Sung stopped talking and sipped her tea. I didn't say anything, hoping she'd continue.

"I don't think Ned intended to take the gun when he first arrived," she said, and then apparently rethinking the way that sounded, continued, "I've known Ned almost forever. James, too. Anyway, the phone rang and I answered it. It was a woman who said she had a message for Ned from James, or Mr. Buchanan, as she called him. I thought that was strange because, as you know if you know James at all, he surrounds himself with young, good-looking men like yourself."

"But he does have a woman receptionist."

"Anyway, I gave the phone to Ned. He talked for a minute, then hung up and asked me for the gun. Naturally, I was concerned so I asked him why he wanted it. He said James wanted to meet him in a questionable part of town so he felt safer carrying the gun. He said he would return it later in the evening." Her voice faltered when she said the last.

"But you didn't see him again."

"No." Softly.

"Do you know what time that was?"

"A little before nine, I think."

"Did Ned say why he was meeting James?"

"They had been talking together about a possible takeover of Dionysus by Tartan, James' company. Ned would have become CEO of Dionysus. Your father would have been out but he would have been left financially well off so I didn't feel too sorry for him. But then Ned had a change of heart and decided he didn't want to team up with James again. I think he was going to tell James this."

"You know more about what Ned was doing than his wife," I blurted.

"I've known him longer than his wife-at least in this country," Ms. Sung said, an inscrutable look in her eyes.

She had been honest with me, as far as I could tell. Should I ask the definitive question? Why not? "Do you think James had Ned killed?"

Her dark eyes studied me. "No, James isn't a killer. What I do think is this. I think Ned may have taken the gun to give him the guts to tell James off. Not that he would have ever used it against James."

"But then, was the telephone message from James legitimate or not? I don't think James left his house all evening." A fact easily verified.

"James told me the message did not come from him. I believe him."

Then who did it come from?"

Ms. Sung smiled, sadly. "If you can answer that question you can probably find the killer."

"Shouldn't you go to the police and tell them what you know?"

"I don't know anything that would help. It is too late to trace the telephone call and I don't believe James did it so I am not going to implicate him."

"But it was you that James called when he was looking for-or pretended to be looking for-Ned."

"Yes."

"So he knew Ned had been here."

"But that was no surprise. Ned visited me every time he came to San Francisco. And James, bless his sexually mixed-up little heart, knew that."

I tried not to show a reaction. "What about the cocaine?"

She shrugged. "Ned was as clean as a newly diapered baby. I don't know anything about the cocaine."

I couldn't think of any more questions. I said, "Ms. Sung, thank you for your time." I stood up.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked, also standing. "Are you going to tell the police about me?"

"No. Although…I would like to reserve the right to do so if I can find out who made the phone call-so that you can verify that the phone call was actually made."

"If it will clear James I will testify. But I don't think my testimony would make Ned's wife very happy."

"Probably not. But I guess that's a chance we'd have to take."

Chapter 32 LOSER

I arrived at James's place in my rental car just before seven. Arrow pulled into the driveway ahead of me. We walked up the steps together. I had decided not to tell Arrow about Flora Sung because doing that would be tantamount to telling my father and the whole world.

I was feeling better about Arrow being there. I said to her, "Are you going to solve the puzzle tonight or am I going to have to do it?"

She said, "The Arrow approach is to bull your way in."

"Like Alexander the Great cutting the Gordian knot."

Stan answered our ring and I wondered whether he would let us in at all. He did, without even giving us the puzzle. Either Arrow had set a precedent or you didn't need to solve the puzzle when you were in the middle of a bet.

Stan met us at the bottom of the stairs. He gave Arrow a hug and shook my hand. I didn't detect any animosity toward me, but that didn't mean it wasn't there.

He did say to me, "I understand you're going to come to work for us."

"If he loses," Arrow said. "But he's not going to lose."

Stan laughed and said, "If we had voted for the most determined student in grad school you would have won. But I'm afraid you can't substitute determination for luck."

But my luck, or rather my skill, was working and I increased my stake to $3,000 in a relatively short time. Only $1,000 to go. At that point Arrow made me take a break, even though I was hot.

"I don't know what you mean by hot," Arrow said after we sat down. "I took statistics in grad school and I know that each trial is independent of all others. Each throw of the dice, each deal of the cards, has no relationship to what happened on the previous throw or deal. So there's no such thing as hot."

I grinned sheepishly and said, "I guess you really did learn something at Stanford."

"One thing I know that I didn't learn in school is that the longer you play the harder it will be for you to maintain concentration. Therefore, I suggest the following: Bet small until the odds swing in your favor. Then bet a thousand or whatever you need to win."

"In other words, all or nothing."

"Not quite. If you lose you'll still be ahead of your original stake."

The more we discussed this the better it sounded. I went back to the table determined to try to win quickly while Arrow kept an exact count of my chips. The opportunity came three deals later. Toward the end of the deck the odds swung radically in my favor.

I nudged Arrow. We did a quick calculation and pulled out the chips I needed to reach $4,000. If the dealer was surprised at my bet he didn't show it. He dealt two cards each to the other two players, to me and to himself. His up-card was a six.

This was the best of all possible worlds. I cautiously looked at my cards. A king and a jack. I mentally counted my money. The other players didn't take any hits and neither did I. The dealer flipped over his down card. It was a five. He dealt himself a jack. Twenty-one. I had lost.

***

"Are you ready for your comeback?" Arrow asked.

She had made me stop playing for a full half-hour to regain my composure. She had taken the loss much more lightly than I had, but of course she had a lot less to lose. I still had about $2,000, double my original stake, so I could have been in worse shape.

"What do you think about me betting the whole thing at the next good opportunity?" I asked.

"That would really be win or lose. No, I can't let you do that. Based on the rules of capital preservation, which you, yourself, taught me, I think your maximum bet for the moment should be $100, until you build up your capital again. Don't worry; I'll stick with you as long as it takes."

I agreed to this strategy, went back to the table and immediately started losing. I knew there was no such thing as hot or cold, but if there had been I was an iceberg. Soon I had less than my original thousand. We took another break.

"There's nothing wrong with your strategy," Arrow said. "You're playing the same game you were before. All I can think of is one of your own quotes: If you play games of chance long enough you'll see every combination that is statistically possible."

"It's very comforting that my own wisdom explains why I'm dying," I said. "Well, we might as well get it over with."

It didn't take long. I lost my last dollar as someone sang about that old Bilbao moon. Bilbao, Spain. I wished I were there instead of here. Arrow patted me on the back like a mother patting a child. She didn't say anything. There was nothing to say.

The dealer must have pushed a button or something because James immediately appeared out of nowhere. He shook my hand and said, "I'm told you played very well. The fates just weren't with you tonight. Let's the three of us sit down for a minute. I want to ask you a question."

I was too stunned to do anything but obey. We talked about the gods of chance until our drinks appeared, including a margarita for Arrow who had decided it was time to fall off the wagon.

"I have a question for you," I told James. "What is it that you're always drinking? If I'm going to work for you I have to know things like that."

"Of course you do," he said, smiling. "It's water."

"Perrier, or some other designer brand?"

James shook his head. "I reserve the Perrier for my guests. I drink tap water. I learned in school that water is water, H2O, and there's not much you can do to it, and since the city of San Francisco assures me that the tap water has no dangerous levels of carcinogens in it, why not? I drank it in Scotland and I can drink it here."

If I was going to go to work for James I needed to make arrangements with him. I was about to mention that when he started talking again.

"What I want to know," he said, "is what question you wanted to ask me that was so important that you were willing to risk having to work for me for a year to ask it. Although working for me is not going to be as bad as you seem to think."

"It doesn't matter now," I said. I was formulating a vague plan about infiltrating James' organization from the inside and solving the murder.

"Ask me the question, Karl. Who knows, I might even answer it."

Why not? What could he do, fire me? Or have me killed sooner than he would, otherwise? Actually, asking the question with Arrow there was a relatively safe thing to do. I cleared my throat and said, "What I want to know is…the question is, did you have anything at all to do with the murder of Ned?"

I watched James' face closely. He looked flabbergasted at first. Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face and he started to chuckle. Finally, he turned sober and said, "I'm glad we got this out in the open. What kind of an animal do you think I am? Okay, it's true that I prey on people, on their dreams and hopes and fears. On their abiding faith that they can beat the odds. But I don't kill them. That wouldn't be sporting."

He sounded so sincere that he had me convinced, at least for the moment.

Arrow said, "Karl isn't the only one who has considered that possibility. I have, too. Can you prove you didn't kill Ned?"

James became irritated. "Do you mean, do I have an alibi? As Karl can tell you, I was here with him around the time it happened. But that doesn't mean I couldn't have ordered it done. If I had I probably wouldn't have told people that the drugs found in Ned's car looked like a setup. Why would I help to refute my own misleading evidence?

"But more than that, I had no reason to kill Ned. As you two know, we grew up together, worked together, played together, even shared Elma." He smiled. "I might have had a better motive to kill him then than I do now. It's true that Ned and I were talking about Dionysus. We had our differences and might not have reached an agreement. But that's business.

"If I killed people because of business disagreements I'd be the leading serial killer of all time. Besides, Ned started acting a little crazy before he died and I wasn't sure I even wanted to do business with him."

"So you won't have me killed if I don't deliver Elma's proxy," I said.

James smiled again and said, "No. But I might ask you to work for me for an additional year. I suspect that you and I can make a lot more money together than that baseball card is worth. You have good instincts and you're not afraid to take chances. All I have to do is train you to take chances when the odds are in your favor."

***

"I completely screwed everything up." I didn't say this directly to Arrow, although she was the only person within earshot. It was a general statement to the universe. We were standing next to Arrow's rental car, after having left the casino.

"Talk to your father, Karl. Tell him that you didn't try to get Elma to change her proxy. You didn't undermine him. He'll respect that."

"Even if he believes me, how can I explain why I'm working for James when I won't work for him?"

"Lots of kids don't want to work for their fathers. You haven't done anything to hurt Dionysus, that's the main thing. In fact, you have been trying to solve Ned's murder. And you and I gathered the evidence that swung Elma's proxy over to Richard."

My behavior had been Jekyll-and-Hyde toward my father, toward Dionysus. I wasn't proud of it. In addition, I had ethical questions about working for James, even though I knew I would learn a lot. I needed time alone. My head was a swirling mass of confusion.

I said goodnight to Arrow. She patted me on the shoulder again. She had become my mother. After she drove away I checked my rental car to make sure it wasn't blocking anybody. I didn't feel like driving; I needed to walk.

The route to my hotel went steeply uphill at first. That was good. It would get my heart pumping, help me exhale the poisons from my body. Soon I was panting in fine style.

My mind went back to what James had said. Could I believe him? If he wasn't Ned's murderer, who was? Maybe I could find out more by working for him. If there was anything to find out. But it would give me a purpose in working for James.

I went over the top of the hill and down the other side. After a while the road became less steep. A car drove slowly past me and stopped some distance ahead, in a driveway, since the legal parking places were filled. The driver got out and came up on the sidewalk. He stood there in the dark. I would have to walk past him.

I thought about Ned. Was this man a mugger? No, Ned was killed by the gangbangers. Still, mugging was always a possibility. Did muggers drive late-model German cars? Only if they had stolen them.

I had to make a decision about turning around or crossing the street. Then I recognized Stan. Or thought I did. He moved and a ray from a streetlight shone on his face. It was definitely Stan.

As I approached he said, "Why are you walking? Let me give you a ride."

"Did you follow me?" I asked.

"I saw your car at the house after you left. I figured maybe you had car trouble and decided to walk rather than bother us. I knew your approximate route because I drove you back to your hotel before. So I took a chance. At first I didn't recognize you because the parked cars blocked my view. Then I got a good look at you in the rear-view mirror."

"I'm walking on purpose," I said. "There's nothing wrong with my car."

"But how will you get your car?"

"I'll pick it up in the morning."

"Well, I've come this far so let me take you to your hotel. It's dangerous to walk this late at night."

He had a point. Suddenly, I felt very tired. I got in the car when he opened the door. As he started it I said, "Nice car. Is it yours?"

"Of course. Whose did you think it was?"

"When you drove me back to the hotel before, I guess I somehow assumed it belonged to James."

"Why should I drive his car when I can afford my own? With Tartan stock doing so well I've made a ton of money on my options. You will too. Didn't James talk to you about stock options?"

"He mentioned them." It hadn't occurred to me that working for James might actually make me rich. Or that all the young men who worked for him were rolling in money. But it made sense. I looked at Stan with new eyes. "Why are you living in his house, then?"

"It's a nice place to live. Better than an apartment. Cheaper, too, since I don't pay rent. But I could afford to pay rent if I wanted. Or even buy a house."

Stupid question. My suspicions about Stan and James must be correct.

"Did James invite you to the team-building exercise over the weekend?" Stan asked.

"He mentioned it and said I was invited. I'm going to talk to him tomorrow to get more details about my job, but perhaps you can tell me what that's all about. Team-building. It sounds like spring football practice."

"It's definitely along the same lines. James believes in teamwork. We all have to trust each other, work together, fit together like cogs so that the company runs like a well-oiled machine. That sort of thing. We climb cliffs and belay each other with ropes. Stuff like that. You're an outdoor person, anyway, so you'll enjoy it."

Chapter 33 CLIFFHANGER

So my first official duties with Tartan Enterprises consisted of running off into the wilderness with Stan and some of the other men who worked for James. James didn't come with us. I guess he was too old and too smart to participate.

Actually, Pinnacles National Monument isn't wilderness, exactly, but it does have a lot of jagged rocks. And we were supposed to climb some of them to prove we could trust each other. The only rock climbing I had done had been on a wall in a gym with a very secure rope holding me, but I figured if the others could do it I could.

A dozen of us had carpooled to Pinnacles in three vans from San Francisco on Friday evening. Before that I had spent two days at home, gathering some essentials together to be shipped to San Francisco. James had said I could use his guest bedroom for a couple of weeks until I got my feet on the ground. He mentioned that several of his employees might need roommates and that I could probably share an apartment with one of them. I hoped they weren't all gay.

I had spoken briefly to my father to try to make peace with him. I think he believed me when I said I hadn't tried to get Elma to switch her proxy, but it was obvious he couldn't understand why I was going to work for James. I told him that when I learned enough I might work for him. And perhaps I would.

I had said goodbye to Emerge and to Esther. I had explained to Esther why I was moving to San Francisco-perhaps over-explained because I didn't want to hurt her. She had accepted my explanations and said I should do what was best for me. Not to worry about her. She would be fine. She cried a little.

But I had realized for some time that I could never marry her and this was a convenient time to break off the relationship. It wasn't fair to her if I continued to use her for my own selfish purposes. She deserved a chance at happiness.

The Tartan crew camped out in tents and sleeping bags and awoke early Saturday morning to bracing temperatures and hot chocolate. After we had eaten pancakes cooked over Coleman stoves and buried in maple syrup the world didn't look bad at all. Stan, who was apparently our leader, started giving directions. He split us up into pairs.

My partner was Jed, who had been in the same van with me. I had seen him once in the casino, working as a croupier at the craps table. I wasn't sure I wanted to trust my life to him just because he knew all the bets you can make with a pair of dice, but when he stripped down to a T-shirt I saw that he was quite muscular and my confidence in him grew.

Jed had been here before and he picked a relatively easy climb for us to start on.

"Since you're new at this it will give you a chance to get your feet wet," he said. "First, I'll belay you from the top while you make the climb and then we'll reverse positions. We'll have a chance to build up confidence in each other so we can go on to something tougher."

"I guess you never know when you might have to climb up the side of a building in the business world," I said. "Is that part of being a corporate raider?"

Jed smiled and said, "Listen, Karl, I don't agree with everything that I have to do, either, but you learn to roll with it. Especially when the stock is going up. James gets a bug in his ear about team-building about every six months. So just relax and enjoy it. Let me show you how to tie a bowline."

We had a rope that I wrapped around my waist. I felt like a sailor as I put a loop in the rope, took the end and passed it through, then around the rope and back through the loop again. A bowline wasn't hard to tie, but once tied it didn't come undone. My confidence grew another notch.

Fortunately, the rock we were climbing had a walking path up the back of it. Only one side was steep. I watched a couple of the other guys climb the route first. I noticed where they placed their hands and feet and how they used their centers of gravity to bind them to the rock rather than tear them away from it.

I didn't have any special climbing shoes. I wore my running shoes, but we weren't supposed to tackle anything difficult enough to require advanced equipment.

When it was our turn, Jed walked up to the top and lowered one end of the rope to me. I tied the bowline securely around my waist and called up to him, "Belay on."

Jed pulled the rope taut from above and I gingerly started looking and feeling for the footholds and handholds the others had used.

I slipped when I was just a few feet above the ground, but Jed held me easily before I had fallen six inches. Knowing that I was safe made me bolder and soon I was using cracks for footholds that I wouldn't have trusted with my weight before.

I received some coaching from several others and after 20 strenuous minutes I climbed over the last pitch and onto the relatively flat surface at the top, fifty feet above the ground.

Jed sat there with his feet firmly braced against a large rock, hauling in the rope, which went around his body.

"Good job," he said. "Now you can belay me. Remember, if I fall you hold my weight with the hand gripping the end of the rope that has gone around your body. That gives you a mechanical advantage and all the work is done by your legs, which contain your strongest muscles."

"Sounds logical to me," I said. "If you're willing to trust me I'm willing to trust myself."

I sat where Jed had sat, with my legs firmly braced and the rope around me. He pulled on it a few times until I became confident that I could hold his weight. Then he walked down to the bottom and made the climb while I belayed him. He did it without falling, for which I was thankful.

Later in the morning we made another climb, somewhat tougher than the first one. I slipped once, but Jed held me and I made it to the top with muscles straining.

The picnic-style lunch wasn't bad. It turned out that several of the guys were pretty good cooks and they whipped up potato salad and sandwiches. The banter was what you would expect from young men, ribald jokes, talk about sex. I got the impression that most of them were straight, sexually speaking. It shouldn't be too bad rooming with one of them. They joked about James, too, but they all seemed to respect his business acumen.

I had about decided that I should fit into this group without much of a problem. After lunch we did two more climbs, with about the same difficulty level as the second one we had done in the morning. We were resting in the shade and watching others climb when Stan appeared.

"Karl," he said, heartily, slapping me on the back, "I hear you're a natural rock climber, a regular mountain goat."

"Not quite," I said. "I think I'm a bit too big to make this a career. The more compact guys seem to have an advantage."

Stan, who qualified as one of the more compact guys, said, "In some ways, yes. Perhaps in balance, as an example. But with your long arms and legs you have an advantage in reaching for handholds and footholds. I know an interesting climb I'd like you to try. Come with me; I'll be your partner."

"I'm not sure I'm up for another one," I said. "I'm discovering muscles I never knew I had. And they are rebelling against having to support my weight with my knees constantly bent and my body in awkward positions I've never been in before."

"Not even when having sex? Well, just let me show it to you. If you don't feel up to it you don't have to do it."

Stan said this with enough of an edge in his voice so that if I refused it might be interpreted as weakness on my part. Since I was the new guy I had to be careful. I got up slowly-I did have sore muscles-and followed him along the stony path that led between the rocky pinnacles that gave the monument its name.

After ten minutes of ups and downs and having to watch my step, I said, "You must know this place pretty well."

"Well enough," Stan replied. "This is my fifth trip. But take heart. We're almost there."

Something had been bothering me about Stan for several days, but it had remained fuzzy. The uneasy feeling came back to me now that I was alone with him. It had started on the street in San Francisco-when he had picked me up in his BMW. That was it. It had to do with the knowledge that Stan had made a lot of money with Tartan stock options.

The cliff he stopped in front of was higher than anything I'd tackled so far. The slope at the bottom wasn't so bad, but it became almost vertical at the top. As I mentally gauged the difficulty I felt tired just thinking about doing it.

"It isn't as bad as it looks," Stan said. "In fact, the bottom part is no harder than anything you've already done. If you don't want to do the top part, just tell me and I'll lower you back down."

If anybody else had suggested I attempt this I probably would have refused, but for some reason with Stan I thought I had to prove something. Maybe it would give me an edge over him if I made it to the top. Maybe it was his suggestion that I couldn't do it that gave me determination. I decided to prove him wrong.

As with some of the other rocks, there was an easy walking route to the top. Stan followed that and lowered the rope to me. By now I was an expert at tying bowlines. I pulled the loop snug around my waist and called, "On belay."

If anything, the first part proved to be easier than the rocks I had already climbed. I temporarily forgot my aches and went about the business of climbing. I didn't have to worry because Stan was belaying me from above.

I saw another mental picture of Stan: talking about how much James had liked Ned. Stan had acted-what? Jealous? Could Stan have been jealous of Ned? Jealous of the fact that James and Ned had known each other all their lives. That Ned might again assume a major role in the life of James?

I concentrated on my climbing and made it to the vertical pitch in just a few minutes. But there I got stuck.

I stood on a narrow ledge, with two decent handholds, so I wasn't in immediate danger. I searched the rock wall with my eyes, looking for additional handholds and footholds. Letting go with one hand at a time, I carefully felt along the rough surface, trying to detect cracks that I couldn't see because I had to keep my head close to the cliff face for balance.

A rock projected out from the face above me and just within my reach, but it was below an overhang. Even if I had been strong enough to pull myself up onto it I couldn't have kept my balance.

I also couldn't climb down. The irony of rock climbing is that you can climb up pitches that you could never climb down.

"How are you doing down there? You haven't moved for a while."

Stan's voice wasn't far above me. We were close enough to converse easily, even though I couldn't see him. Another picture came to me, the picture of the gangbanger called Rabbit giving me Stan's name. It all fit together now. I had thought James had ordered Ned's murder, but I had been wrong. Stan had paid to have Ned killed, not James. Stan had the money and he had the motive.

"I can't move. You'd better lower me down." I tried to keep any hint of panic out of my voice.

"You've almost made it. It would be a shame to stop now. I know the holds are there. You stay where you are. I'll go back down and spot the holds for you. I have a small pair of binoculars."

"Stan, don't go off belay. I can't stand here much longer." The palms of my hands were suddenly wet with sweat. I couldn't hold onto the rock with slippery hands.

"It'll just take me a minute to get to the bottom. Belay off."

I pressed my body against the face of the rock. One small shift of my weight would throw me off balance. That hadn't bothered me when I felt secure, but now my body became my enemy. My left leg started to tremble from having to support my weight in an awkward position. I tried to picture myself glued to the rock and to wipe out all other thoughts.

It was probably no more than a minute, although it seemed much longer, when I heard Stan's voice below me. I very cautiously bent my head and looked down. A wave of vertigo made me quickly raise my head. It was a long way to the bottom and there were jagged rocks below me.

"Karl," Stan called, "I'm looking for holds. Don't see too many. I guess you're right about that. The route you should have followed is more to the left, away from the overhang."

"Too late now," I said. "Please get the hell back up here and lower me down."

"I don't think so."

"What!"

"This is part of your initiation. You have to find your own way down."

"Bullshit! That's fucking bullshit! Get your ass up here."

"Relax, Karl. You don't want to panic. I'm sure you can do it. At least I'm giving you a chance. That's more than Ned had."

"What does Ned have to do with it? Get up here!"

"I couldn't give Ned a chance. He was moving in on my territory. He and James were too buddy-buddy; they went back too far together."

"You paid to have Ned killed." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Of course. What better way to utilize my stock-option gains than to ensure that I'll remain top dog with James."

"Stan, you're sick. We can get help for you."

"Not too sick to know that you're also trying to horn in on my territory. Horn in, get it? Even staying in the house with James. I was going to shoot you the other night when I followed you, but I decided that was too desperate; I would have been caught. But an accident…that could happen to anybody."

"You can't get away with it."

"Of course I can. I'm going back to the campsite now. I'll say that we got separated, but that you are an experienced outdoor person and can find your way back. When it's time to leave and you haven't shown up I'll volunteer to stay behind and look for you-along with a couple of others for witnesses. We'll locate your body before dark. You tried to climb a cliff by yourself and fell."

I started to say something about the rope tied around my waist being incriminating evidence, but stopped. Stan had left the other end of the rope at the top of the cliff and I didn't want him going up there again if he wasn't going to help me.

I argued with him, but I heard his voice getting farther away. I cautiously looked down and saw him moving along the trail. He would be out of sight in a minute.

Chapter 34 STANDOFF

I had to act now. I carefully pulled on the rope with my right hand where it snaked up the cliff. It didn't move. I pulled a little harder. If I had to jerk it I would lose my balance. Still no movement. I didn't have any margin for error. I tugged again. It moved a little. At least it wasn't wedged between two rocks.

I slowly pulled it down, foot by foot. I wanted to coil it over my left shoulder, but to do this I had to take my left hand off the cliff momentarily for each coil. I pressed my right shoulder against the cliff and found I could still use my right hand to make each loop and keep my balance.

It was tedious work and I was losing strength rapidly. In addition, although the rope was light, its weight changed my balance as I coiled more and more of it around my left shoulder.

If I went too fast I would lose my balance. If I went too slowly I would lose my strength and then my balance. My leg trembled continuously now. My whole body was drenched in sweat.

The last section of rope fell down the cliff and stopped just below me. I took hold of the rope a few feet from the end and maneuvered it behind my right shoulder. I planned to flip it over the rock that protruded above me with my right hand. Not too strong a flip or I would upset my delicate balance.

I practiced my throwing motion several times. Then I did it for real. I kept my balance but I didn't throw hard enough. The rope didn't go over the rock. My jaw hurt and I realized I was gritting my teeth. I had to make another throw. Had to hang on a little longer. I pulled the rope back into position.

Practice throwing motion. Again. Ready for the real throw. Now. Good strong throw. The rope went over the rock, the end came down the other side and swung toward me. I grabbed for it with my left hand and lost my balance.

My feet came off the ledge just as I gripped the rope with my left hand. With my right hand I grabbed the section of rope coming down from the other side of the rock. I swung in mid-air, holding on to both pieces of rope with grips of desperation.

For one awful moment I wondered whether the rock was going to break off or whether the rope was going to slide off it. Neither happened. My arms were stronger than my legs right now and I could hold my weight.

But I had to get my legs back on the ledge. My feet frantically searched for it. They found it at last. With difficulty I stabilized myself. I was breathing very fast and my heart sounded like a kettledrum in my ears.

I still had to pass the whole length of the rope over the rock until the section between where I was tied to it and the top of the rock was tight. Slowly, I began pulling down on the other end of the rope, uncoiling it from my shoulder at the same time and allowing the uncoiled section to pass over the rock and then snake down the cliff.

This was the opposite of what I had done before and, in some respects, more difficult because the loop I was uncoiling might be caught in the other coils. My legs were giving out. I stopped and rested on my arms, holding onto the rope on either side of the rock.

Back to work. Pull the rope down slowly. Uncoil it from my shoulder a coil at a time. The next coil was snagged in the other coils. Don't tug it. Work on it carefully with one hand. It was hard on my fingers. The coil came loose and I started pulling the rope down the other side of the rock again. Slowly. Slowly.

Three more coils to go. Two. One. The rope was uncoiled and taut from me up to the rock. I could support my weight by holding onto the rope from the other side of the rock. By letting it out I could lower myself down the face of the cliff. Like a pulley system.

I held the rope with both hands and starting letting it move up a little at a time. The rope passed over the rock and down the other side, lowering me in the process. The system was working. I just had to have a little more patience.

Don't go too fast. Don't risk losing control of the rope. Keep a tight grip with one hand while the other hand changes position on the rope. My hands hurt as the skin was rubbed off them. Ignore the pain. Hand over hand. Walk down the cliff face backwards.

I found the courage to look down and saw that the ground was much closer. Almost there. Then I saw the other end of the rope coming up as my end went down. I was going to run out of rope before I reached the ground. The total length of the rope was less than twice the distance from the ground to the rock.

In a few seconds it happened. I was out of rope and I still had 20 feet more to go to reach the ground. Only 20 feet. It seemed like a mile. But maybe I could climb down. I found a foothold and stood, still holding the rope.

I looked directly beneath me. The cliff wasn’t as steep here. There were holds, if I could reach them. If I was careful. To climb down I had to let go of the rope. It was my security blanket and I didn't want to lose it. I stood for a full minute, undecided about what to do.

I had no choice. My legs were beginning to shake again. I released the rope and plastered my body against the cliff. But I had to move. I quickly untied the other end of the rope from around my waist so that I wouldn’t rely on it to hold my weight, without thinking. Cautiously, I lowered one hand and found a hold. Then I moved a leg. I worked it down the rock, supporting myself on my other leg, which was bent double at the knee.

Just a little farther. My support leg gave out. For a few seconds I held myself with my hands, scrambling with my legs to find holds. My handholds weren't good enough. I started sliding.

I turned my body and ran down the cliff, out of control. I launched off a small ledge and was airborne for the last eight or nine feet. My stomach muscles contracted in a spasm of fear as I tried to land in a spot relatively free of rocks. My feet hit and then my knees hit hard. A shockwave went through my body and I couldn't breathe.

I rolled onto my back and struggled to get some air into my lungs. Was I dying? I put my hands on my chest and tried to pump it in some sort of artificial respiration but I couldn't get any leverage.

I can't account for the next few minutes, but I must have started breathing again because gradually I became aware of my surroundings. I lay on my back in a sea of pain.

I tried to move and the pain became excruciating. I lay still for a while, hoping that everything would be all right. Finally, I realized that I had to help myself. I made small movements to find out where the pain was coming from and discovered that it was in my back. Since my back hadn't hit anything I wasn't sure why, but my knees had hit hard enough to knock the wind out of me so the shock must have hurt something in my back.

My knees were skinned but they seemed to work. Gradually, I rolled over and got to a kneeling position, gritting my teeth against the pain. I made it to my feet, but with every step pain washed through me. I knew approximately where the park headquarters was but I couldn't walk there, at least not in a reasonable length of time.

I remembered Stan saying that he would come back and find my body. If he found me alive he would put me out of my misery. I had to hide. The jumble of rocks meant that there were plenty of hiding places. The trick was to find one that was comfortable enough so that I could stand it.

I picked up my daypack, which had some water and granola bars in it, and hobbled a few yards away from the cliff to a cluster of boulders. I had to climb about ten feet, but I managed to work my way into the middle of them.

A crack between two of the rocks faced toward the cliff, where both ends of the rope still hung from the outthrust rock, above. In my current state of pain I couldn't picture myself climbing up that cliff and I wondered how I had ever done it.

I found a sitting position that was bearable. I leaned my back against a smooth rock. I drank some water and chewed on a granola bar and hoped that someone else would show up before Stan did.

It became very quiet when I stopped moving, the kind of quiet unknown to a city, the kind that is scary to somebody used to constant noise. But it lulled me and I started to daydream, helped by the warmth of the afternoon sun. I must have fallen asleep.

A noise startled me and I opened my eyes. Through the crack between the rocks I could see somebody moving, a little below me, near the face of the cliff. I blinked my eyes to focus them. It was Stan. He was looking up at the rope. Both ends were well above his reach. He couldn’t get to it unless he climbed partway up the rock. The rope might be used as evidence against him.

He also had another problem. There was no body. That meant I was still alive and he had to find me before someone else did. The sun's rays slanted almost horizontally from the west. It would be dark soon. He needed to find me before dark. And I needed to get out of this mess before dark.

Stan looked around. I didn't move. He shouldn't be able to see me because I was in shadow and the crack between the rocks in front of me wasn't very big. He walked a few steps to the side and disappeared from my view. I moved closer to the crack to increase my field of vision and spotted him, still looking around. I felt a lot better when I could see him. I had to keep him in sight.

Without showing myself I called out, "Stan, here is the puzzle for today."

I paused and he looked in my general direction. If I remained hidden he wouldn't know I was hurt and he would hesitate to approach me, especially since he had to climb uphill, out in the open, to do it.

I continued, "If party A pays party B to kill party C, does that make party A a coward?"

"I know where you are," Stan said, but he didn't move in my direction.

He took off his backpack and pulled out a gun. I had been afraid of that.

"You can't use a gun here," I said, partly to let him know I could see him.

Stan continued to search with his eyes, but he didn't spot me. He walked slowly toward the base of my rocks. I couldn't let him get too close. I picked up a loose stone. I stood up quickly and lobbed it at him, almost screaming at the pain in my back.

The stone bounced harmlessly a few feet from him, but he fired twice at where I had been. The shots reverberated off the cliff walls. Stan retreated several steps while I kept silent. Somebody would hear the shots and show up soon. I just had to wait him out.

He must have realized that his time to shut me up was limited because he started toward my position again and reached the bottom of my rock pile. If he killed me he might be able to declare self-defense or even get away. I showed myself briefly and lobbed another rock at him, audibly grunting. It missed again. He fired at the air.

Stan started to climb toward me, keeping his gun pointed in my direction. He was too close and too alert for me to show myself again. I had moved so I could only see his legs through the crack. If I couldn't see his eyes he couldn't see me. I hoped.

But I had to do something fast. I stuck my hand out through the crack, waved it quickly and pulled it back in. He didn't fire but I could tell he had seen it by listening to the noises his feet made. What he couldn't see was the actual entrance I had used to get into my sanctuary because it was around to the side.

I picked up a good-sized rock and crawled painfully toward that opening. I could tell by Stan's noises that he was almost to the crack. It was now or never. I stood up, suppressing my desire to cry out at the pain.

Stan's side was toward me now and his head was partially hidden. He stuck his gun into the crack in the rocks. I drew a deep but silent breath to help me stand the pain and then took two giant steps toward Stan. I raised the rock over my head with both hands.

My war cry was more of a scream as I launched the rock at his head. He moved slightly and it caught him mostly in the shoulder. I covered the rest of the distance between us in one painful bound.

I managed to knock his head into the rock face, but the effort hurt so much that I lost my breath again. I sat down heavily. Stan appeared to be stunned. His eyes looked toward me, but I'm not sure he saw me.

We sat there a few feet apart, two injured combatants, too hurt to fight. Stan slowly pulled his arm out of the crack in the rocks, not appearing to notice that he was doing it. I kept my eyes glued to it, waiting for the gun to appear. There was nothing more I could do to stop him.

After an eternity his hand came into sight. The gun wasn't in it. He must have dropped it when I hit him. I would have breathed a sigh of relief but it hurt to breathe. The only way to retrieve the gun was to go in the entrance to my former hideaway, and neither of us could get that far. We sat for another five minutes, not speaking, hardly moving.

A voice from below called, "Are you two all right?"

It sounded like Jed. I said, as loudly as I could, "We're hurt. We need help."

I turned my head and watched Jed climb up the rocks toward us. When he got to us I said, "Stan killed Ned Mackay and he tried to kill me."

Chapter 35 JAMES

As I lay on a gurney in the emergency room I tried to remember whether I was already covered by the Tartan medical plan or whether there was a waiting period for new employees. That's one of the things you don't usually worry about when you're young and healthy and starting a new job and I hadn't, until now. Jed had told the admissions people I was covered in order to get me admitted, but still I wondered.

My brain had short-circuited and was running in circles, partly as a result of the painkiller the nurse had given me after it had been determined from X-rays that the only thing wrong with me was a cracked vertebra. When I wasn't trying to sort out the insurance problem I was replaying the last few minutes I had spent with Stan and wondering how I had survived.

I should feel fortunate that I had. All I needed to do was to wear a body caste for a few weeks. It would be applied as soon as the doctor was freed up from taking care of a heart-attack victim who apparently had priority over me. Certainly, he was in worse shape than I was. With luck, I would be out of here in an hour.

Jed had driven me all the way back to San Francisco because I had made light of my injury and said I could stand it. During the trip, when we had bounced over bumps I had rued not asking to be taken to the nearest hospital, but now I was glad I wasn't stuck in Salinas.

The others had placed Stan under a form of house arrest and brought him back, also, after tying him up with one of the climbing ropes. It was felt that his crimes could more adequately be dealt with here in the city than out in the sticks.

Somebody came into my room. Hoping it was the doctor, I turned my head to look. The flashy sport shirt immediately told me it wasn't and the limp looked familiar. I blinked to clear the haze from in front of my eyes and verified that it was indeed James.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. It must be around midnight.

"I came to make sure you weren't going to kill yourself to get out of working for me," James said, patting my shoulder. "You know, most young men would give their eye teeth to work for Tartan, but you've played hard to get. That's one reason I like you."

"I broke my back for you."

James looked concerned, the first time I had ever seen that look on his face since we had tried to find Ned. "They told me that you'll be fine in a few weeks."

"I'll be fine." But not Stan. How much had the guys told him about Stan?

"I'm sick about Stan," James said, reading my mind. "I'm beginning to understand why you thought I was involved in Ned's murder. If Stan commissioned it, I must be behind it. But Ned was my best friend, even though we had our differences. I've done some things I'm not proud of, but I'm not a murderer. But Stan…"

James shook his head, at a loss for words. I'm sure he couldn't understand how a brain like Stan's worked. I couldn't, either. I felt I should say something to console him. He and Stan had been… Whatever it was, it had gone beyond the usual employer-employee relationship. Otherwise, why would Stan go off the cliff, so to speak?

There was an awkward silence, during which I tried to think of words that wouldn't come. James broke it, saying, "To show you I'm not such a bad guy, I'm going to let you off the hook. You don't have to work for me and I'm going to cancel your obligation on the baseball card. I've caused you enough trouble by not being alert to what Stan was up to."

My first inclination was to say, "You don't have to do that," but I was afraid if I did he might take it back. I should learn a lesson from him. When somebody owes you, collect. And James obviously felt he owed me.

"I'll tell you what," I said, talking slowly to buy time as the idea formulated itself in my head. "I'll keep the job and I'll pay you for the card if you stop trying to take over Dionysus. Don't solicit proxies, and divest Tartan of the Dionysus stock it holds, in an orderly manner so as not to upset the market."

James smiled as if I had said something funny. "You're a smart young man," he said, "and I'm sure you already know what I'm about to tell you, but I'm going to do it anyway, to give you a chance to change your mind. Number one, if I can't get Elma's proxy, the chances of Tartan taking over Dionysus are slim, and at the moment she doesn't appear to be in my corner. And I have a feeling that when she hears a Tartan employee murdered her husband the news will not endear her to us.

“Number two, being a part of Tartan might actually be good for Dionysus, for several reasons. It would certainly put your father on easy street, financially, and I have a feeling some of that would dribble down to you.”

"My father can take care of his own financial interests," I said. Why did I feel I had to defend him? "I've seen you in action enough to know that you usually get what you aim for so I'm not sure Elma is enough to stop you. But in addition…my father wants…that is, he wants to continue running Dionysus. He doesn't want to give it up yet. It's his life."

James looked surprised. "You're doing this for him, aren't you?"

"Don't tell him we had this conversation," I said, quickly.

"I have two daughters. I can't remember that they've ever done anything for me. Oh, they send me Father's Day cards and they come for obligatory visits. But mostly it seems that they want things from me. I think big weddings are next on the agenda."

The conversation was headed in the wrong direction. "I don't mind working for you," I said. “I might even learn something."

"The good news is that Tartan will make money on the Dionysus stock it holds." James grinned. "As some famous investor said, 'Nobody ever went broke taking a profit.' I have just one question: Where are you going to get the money to pay me for the baseball card?"

"From my Tartan stock options."

James laughed, long and loud

Chapter 36 ARROW

It was difficult to get dressed while wearing a caste around my body, a caste that covered my chest and most of my back. It was difficult to do a number of things: sleep, wash, drive and even use a computer. I wore a loose sweater to cover the caste. My image in the mirror was much too bulky to be me.

I was beginning to get the hang of driving while keeping my back straight as I parked beside Arrow's condominium complex. She should be home from work. I knew this because I had called John, my father's administrative assistant, earlier, and asked him to let me know when she left the office.

John had wanted to talk. He had heard stories about my adventures in Northern California and they excited him, but I cut him off by telling him that I would give him the whole scoop some day. In about a million years.

It was painful getting out of the car because I had to bend my head and that radiated down to my cracked vertebra. The doctor had said I should be thankful it was only cracked and that it would be healed in a few weeks. Meanwhile, no heavy lifting, no strenuous exercise-especially, no running. I missed that the most. In a few days I could start a walking program. Walking jars the body only a fraction as much as running does. I would walk like my father walked. I had a real job like my father had. I had almost become my father.

I walked into the complex slowly, feeling like an old man. Looking like one too, I was convinced. I rang Arrow's bell and half-hoped she wasn't there because I didn't know what to say to her.

However, I soon heard a click. It sounded like the click at the door to James' house and I automatically reached for the doorknob. It came open and I had to take a short step forward to keep my balance. This caused a shot of pain in my back.

My head in the doorway and the agonized expression on my face must have startled Arrow because she took a step backward. I attempted a smile and said hi and she said hi and then we looked at each other as I tried to remember what came next.

Finally, she said, "Come on in," and opened the door wider. "How are you?"

"Thanks. I'm fine." When I moved I was reminded of the flowers I was holding. I thrust them toward her and said, "These are for you."

"Thank you," Arrow said, taking and sniffing them. "They're beautiful. What's the occasion, other than your escape from death? I should be buying you flowers, although I must admit, I didn't expect to see you."

"I wanted to talk to you before I went back to San Francisco."

She offered me a chair and I sat down. When she saw how stiff I was she said, "Tell me about your injury, as soon as I put these in a vase."

Women instinctively know what to do with flowers. Arrow disappeared into her kitchen and reappeared a minute later with the flowers in a vase half-filled with water. She placed them on her coffee table and sat in another chair. Before I came she had changed from her work clothes to shorts and a T-shirt and her feet were bare. She looked sweet and appealing.

She laughed and said, "At least I'm not cleaning up a mess in my kitchen. As I recall, I was on my hands and knees the last time you were here. I heard part of what you went through with Stan, from Richard, but I'd like to hear the rest from you."

"Do you think my father has accepted the fact that I'm working for James?" I asked.

"I guess he's resigned to it. He said you told him James was providing a valuable service to the owners of high-risk start-ups, even if his methods were unorthodox. And that you thought you could make James a kinder, gentler person. He’s also inclined to think a little better of James because James officially told him he has stopped trying to acquire Dionysus. I wonder why James relented.” She looked a question at me.

Don’t go there, Karl. "I’m not sure, but it may have something to do with Stan and Ned. James was very upset and very apologetic about Stan. Anyway, I know I'll learn a lot from him. By the way, he gave me a week off with pay to recover from my physical and emotional wounds. I think he actually has a human side to him."

"Speaking of being human, your father was deeply touched that you risked your life to solve Ned's murder, but he doesn't want you to do it again."

"He told me that-at least the part about not getting into any more trouble."

"Is Stan badly hurt?"

"Just a brain concussion. He'll be nicely recovered by the time he stands trial. After I talked to the police I heard that they've already found out that Stan had made a large cash withdrawal from his bank on the day that Ned was murdered.

"In addition, James told both me and the police that he knew where Ned's business meeting was that evening because they were scheduled to get together later to talk about Dionysus, which, by the way, is why Ned told me to meet him at James'. He was probably going to tell James off, once and for all. That may be why he appeared to be so nervous to me. Elma told me he had a hard time telling James no.

"Stan would have known about Ned's meeting from James. He probably called the restaurant and found out it had been cancelled. He also knew about the Chinese lady, Flora Sung. Stan made it his business to know everything. James suspects Stan got a message to Ned at the home of Ms. Sung and made Ned believe it was from him, James, telling Ned to meet James near where he was shot."

"I'm sorry Stan turned out to be such a bastard," Arrow said. "I really liked him. Tell me all about your confrontation with him. But first, can I get you a drink?"

"No. In fact, that's why I came here. I'd like to take you out to dinner. Someplace better than Norms and you don't have to put it on your expense account because I'm buying."

Arrow looked perplexed, perhaps because of the solemn manner in which I had delivered my message, and said, "Is this…is this like a date?"

I had been subconsciously wondering that very thing. Now, faced with it on a conscious level, I said, "Yes. I'd like to ask you on a date."

"I hope you're not doing this because you feel you owe me something," Arrow said. "We've been through a lot together, but I think that basically we're even."

I had to say something to remove the reserve that had grown between us. I said, "I know I acted standoffish before, but it wasn't because I wasn't attracted to you." Double negative-great. "There were other reasons. But they no longer apply. I am…attracted to you and I would like to go out with you." I suddenly had doubts. "Of course, if you don't want to…"

"Give me five minutes to change into something suitable for a real date," Arrow said, smiling and moving toward the stairs. "I have just one question; if this gets beyond casual, how are we going to see each other, with you in San Francisco and me in LA?"

"I have a lot of experience with airline commuting," I said, gaining confidence, "and I don't want to let it go to waste."

Content

Aces and Knaves

Alan Cook Chapter 1 THE REQUEST

Chapter 2 ARROW

Chapter 3 BUSINESS PLAN

Chapter 4 NED

Chapter 5 THE CASINO

30.

1-2.

Chapter 6 DETECTIVE WASHINGTON

Chapter 7 DEBRIEFING

Chapter 8 ESTHER

Chapter 9 DRUGS

Chapter 10 SAN FRANCISCO

Chapter 11 JAMES

Chapter 12 THE BET-1

Chapter 13 THE PARTY

Chapter 14 THE CRISIS

Chapter 15 ELMA-1

Chapter 16 THE HOAX

Chapter 17 THE FUNERAL

Chapter 18 T206 WAGNER

Chapter 19 PROXIES

Chapter 20 SCOTLAND

Chapter 21 WICK

Chapter 22 THE GAME

Chapter 23 LARRY

Chapter 24 LONDON

Chapter 25 WINNER

Chapter 26 HOMEBOYS

Chapter 27 ELMA-2

Chapter 28 GEORGE AND MARTHA

Chapter 29 ELMA-3

Chapter 30 THE BET-2

Chapter 31 FLORA

Chapter 32 LOSER

Chapter 33 CLIFFHANGER

Chapter 34 STANDOFF

Chapter 35 JAMES

Chapter 36 ARROW