for this sort of thing. We had to deal with this shit in ’Nam. We worked with whoever we had to, to get the damn job done.”
“The younger generation just doesn’t seem to get it.”
“But Mary Bard is a hell of an asset to have.”
“Quite accommodating of our Russian friends.”
“Even Moscow is scared of the terrorism beast. They’ve got money now, and an economy worth protecting. They know they’re a target. So I snagged her from the FBI as soon as I heard she was in town. I’ve worked with her before actually. Steve Lanier, the AD, was not pleased, I can tell you that.”
“I’m sure. I’m looking forward to deploying her again.”
“Don’t overuse her. There are enough damn bodies floating around as it is.”
“Absolutely, sir.”
But one or two more won’t really matter, thought Burns.
CHAPTER 105
I APPRECIATE you meeting with me, Cassie.”
Roy was walking along K Street with Cassie Benoit, who worked at DLT, the escrow agent Shilling & Murdoch used for its business transactions.
“No problem. I was heading out for a sandwich anyway. What’s up?”
“Just a document snafu, at least I think. You remember the Dixie Group purchase we closed two months ago?”
“A bunch of shopping malls in Alabama and Texas. Purchaser was a partnership in the U.A.E.”
“Good memory. That’s the one.”
“What’s the snafu? Money got there, I know that.”
“Seven hundred and seventy-five million plus assumption of debt.”
“I remember it was something like that. I can’t keep all the figures straight after a while. Too many deals.”
“Tell me about it.”
“But anyway, we only dealt with the cash, not the debt assumption, of course,” she said, biting into her tuna fish sandwich as they walked along.
“The cash got there, but two of the contingencies may not have been met.”
“Which ones?’
“One deed recordation might’ve had a problem. And there’s an outstanding issue with the anchor tenant in the Dallas–Fort Worth mall that was supposed to be resolved prior to the funds going out. There was supposed to be a release in the file but there’s not.”
“Shit, did we screw up?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure if we screwed up either. I wanted to come by your office and take a look at the records you have.”
“I’m swamped today, Roy. That’s why I’m eating my sandwich on the run.”
“How about after office hours?”
Cassie looked doubtful. “I had concert tickets at Constitution Hall.”
“I haven’t mentioned anything to the client. I was hoping to clean up the issue before anyone had to make those calls. And you know the U.A.E. guys. If there was a foul-up you and I might have to jump on a jet and go and apologize to the sheiks.”
The blood drained from Cassie’s face. “But I hate to fly.”
“Better we get it resolved on this side of the world, then.”
Cassie sighed and threw the rest of her sandwich into a trash bin. “How about seven tonight? Everybody will be gone but I can let you in.”
“That sounds perfect, Cassie, I really appreciate it.”
Roy left her, checked his watch, and called Mace. She filled him in on her meeting in Newark. She also told him she’d tried to catch an earlier train, but it was full. And the train she had just gotten on was delayed because a piece of equipment on a train in front of them had fallen off, been run over by the engine, and part of the power grid for the Northeast corridor might have been damaged.
“It’s going to be a while,” she’d said glumly. “Maybe tonight. Hell, I could probably walk there faster.”
“Let me know when you get in. By the way, I’m being sued by my old firm.”
“What? Why?”
“I looked at the complaint. It’s all bullshit.”
“Well, if I hear of a good lawyer I’ll let you know.”
A minute before seven, Roy appeared at the office of DLT. The firm shut down at six-thirty, which seemed early but DLT opened at six a.m. because of all its international work. After long days of crunching numbers, meeting strict deadlines, and authorizing the catapulting of electronic currency around the globe, most of the firm’s employees stampeded to the door right at closing.
Cassie answered his knock and let him in. She had taken her hair out of its usual bun and it swept around her shoulders. Her heels had been replaced with socks and tennis shoes.
“I pulled the docs that we have,” she said. “Come on back.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“I went through everything but I couldn’t find what you were talking about. But then I’m not a lawyer.”