The Scarletti Inheritance - By Robert Ludlum Page 0,76
pages. 'It's all here. Four Americans, two Swedes, three English, two French, and three German. Fourteen in all.'
'Do you have any rundowns?'
'Only on the Americans. We've sent for information on the rest.'
'Who are they? Besides Rawlins.'
'A Howard Thornton, San Francisco. He's in construction. And two Texas oilmen. A Louis Gibson and Avery Landor. Between them they own more wells than fifty of their competitors combined.'
'Any connections between them?'
'Nothing so far. We're checking that out now.'
'What about the others? The Swedes, the French?... The English and the Germans?'
'Only the names.'
'Anyone familiar?'
'Several. There's an Innes-Brown, he's English, in textiles, I think. And I recognize the name of Daudet, French. Owns steamship lines. And two of the Germans. Kindorf - he's in the Ruhr Valley. Coal. And von Schnitzler, speaks for I. G. Farben. Don't know the rest, never heard of the Swedes, either.'
'In one respect they're all alike - '
'You bet your life they are. They're all as rich as a roomful of Astors. You don't buy places like these with mortgages. Shall I contact Canfield?'
'We'll have to. Send the list by courier. We'll cable him to stay in London until it arrives.'
'Madame Scarlatti may know some of them.'
'I'm counting on it - But I see a problem.'
'What's that?'
'It's going to be a temptation for the old girl to head right into Zurich... If she does, she's dead. So's Canfield and Scarlett's wife.'
That's a pretty drastic assumption.'
'Not really. We're presuming that a group of wealthy men have bought fourteen estates all adjoining one another because of a common interest. And Boothroyd - courtesy of a generous father-in-law - is one of them.'
'Which ties Zurich to Scarlatti - '
'We think so. We believe it because Boothroyd tried to kill her, right?'
'Of course.'
'But the Scarlatti woman is alive. Boothroyd failed.'
'Obviously.'
'And the property was purchased before that fact.'
'It must have been - '
Then if Zurich is tied to Boothroyd, Zurich wants Scarlatti dead. They want to stop her. Also... Zurich presumed success. They expected Boothroyd to succeed.'
'And now that he's gone,' interrupted Glover, 'Zurich will figure the old woman found out who he was. Maybe more... Ben, perhaps we've gone too far. It might be better to call it off. Make a report to Justice and get Canfield back.'
'Not yet. We're getting close to something. Elizabeth Scarlatti's the key right now. We'll get them plenty of protection.'
'I don't want to make an alibi in advance, but this is your responsibility.'
'I understand that. In our instructions to Canfield make one thing absolutely clear. He's to stay out of Zurich. Under no condition is he to go to Switzerland.'
'I'll do that.'
Reynolds turned from his desk and stared out the window. He spoke to his subordinate without looking at him. 'And... keep a line open on this Rawlins. Boothroyd's father-in-law. He's the one who may have made the mistake.'
Chapter Twenty-five
Twenty-five miles from the ancient limits of Cardiff, set in a remote glen in a Welsh forest, stands the Convent of the Virgin, the home of the Carmelite sisters. The walls rise in alabaster purity, like a new bride standing in holy expectation in a lush but serpentless Eden.
The field accountant and the young wife drove up to the entrance. Canfield got out of the car and walked to a small arched doorway set in the wall in which was centered a viewer. There was a black iron knocker on the side of the door that he used, then waited for several minutes until a nun answered.
'May I help you?'
The field accountant drew out his identification card and held it up for the nun to see. 'My name is Canfield, sister. I'm here for Madame Elizabeth Scarlatti. Her daughter-in-law is with me.'
'If you'll wait, please. May I?' She indicated that she wished to take his identification card with her. He handed it to her through the small opening.
'Of course.'
The viewer was closed and bolted. Canfield wandered back to the car and spoke to Janet. 'They're very cautious.'
'What's happening?'
'She's taking my card in to make sure the photograph's me and not someone else.'
'Lovely here, isn't it? So quiet.'
'It is now. I make no promises when we finally see the old girl.'
'Your callous, unfeeling disregard for my well-being, to say nothing of my comforts, is beyond anything I can describe! Do you have any idea what these idiots sleep on? I'll tell you! Army cots!'
'I'm sorry - ' Canfield tried not to laugh.
'And do you know the slops they eat? I'll tell you! Food I'd prohibit in my stables!'