Authors: Stephen Douglass
The drum was driven to a wharf and loaded onto a small fishing vessel. The vessel traversed Burlington Bay and headed under the Burlington Skyway, eastward into Lake Ontario. When it was almost out of sight of land, the drum was committed to the deep.
CHAPTER 90
New York. Friday, September 14, 9:00 A.M.
Six men, three from the F.B.I., and three from the Criminal Investigation Division of the I.R.S., burst into the offices of Mara, Griesdorf and Visconti. After three hours of frantic searching and intensive questioning of all available personnel, they found nothing, no trust, no money, and no Visconti. Sue Franklin, Visconti’s secretary, subjected to intensive interrogation, was unable to explain the mysterious disappearance of the money and all of the files related to the trust. She said her boss had told her he was leaving for a short European vacation.
Toronto.
Dan Turner placed an urgent call to Mike at ten-thirty. “I have some extremely bad news,” he said, pausing to allow his point to sink in. “William Dare, an attorney and two other heavy hitters from Revenue Canada came in here this morning and made such a stink about wanting to see me, I had to cancel a meeting. They told me Phillip paid them another visit yesterday and sang like a bird. He told them you’ve known for ten years of the existence and location of Jim Servito’s money. Significantly, he didn’t mention his mother. He went on to tell them the trust was managed by Louis Visconti, and that Visconti’s disappeared to Europe with the money.”
Mike closed his eyes and exhaled. “I guess the game’s over. Why the hell didn’t they just come over here and arrest me?” he asked, his mind in a spiritless state of surrender.
“They said that in view of their past mistakes in this case, they wanted to be absolutely certain… Why did Phillip do that, Mike? Obviously something provoked him.”
“I lost it, Dan. He came in here yesterday and asked if I had given his money to charity. I told him everything, including Visconti’s plan to kill him.”
“How did he respond?”
“He was mad as hell. He said he was going to mess up my life. Then he blew out of here.”
“Well Dare and his boys are mad as hell, too. They smell blood, and I don’t think they’re going to stop until they get it.”
“What did you tell them?”
I said I wasn’t acting for Phillip and could not account in any way for his behavior, or his claims. When they asked about you, I told them I wasn’t prepared to comment until I had an opportunity to consult with you. Needless to say they want to talk to you as soon as possible.”
“I can’t believe it! That money is a cancer.”
“Well you had better believe it, and it’s metastasizing, fast.”
“What are my options? I really need your advice, Dan”
“Tell the truth. Admit you were aware of the existence and location of the trust from its inception. Then add that you had recently decided to turn the entire amount over to them and the American government. Tell them you asked me to be your intermediary, but you were prevented from proceeding by Louis Visconti. I will certainly corroborate.”
“Where does that take me?”
“… They’ll prosecute. You’ll be fined and assessed with back taxes, possibly do some time. It’s difficult to tell at this point. It all depends on how they view your actions. What you’ve done is very unique. You were not the one who stole the money. In reality, all you did was to follow the wishes of Phillip’s natural father, albeit with malicious intent.”
“Do I have any other option?”
“Yes… I almost hesitate to suggest it… You could disappear and hope some miracle happens to end this thing. You must understand if you do that, your disappearance is tantamount to admission of guilt. When the Feds realize you’ve gone, they’ll come after you with everything they’ve got. If they find you, you can kiss your ass goodbye.”
“Maybe I should just blow my brains out.”
“That’s not an option and you know it,” Turner admonished. “There is a positive aspect of the second option. Your absence is reversible. In other words, it’s the least final of all of your options. If the Feds can’t find you or the money, they might tend to be more amenable to negotiation.”
“How much time do I have?”
“The meter’s running fast. You could look for a subpoena within hours.”
“I’ll let you know what I’ve decided.” Devastated and deprived of all human consolation, Mike hung up and began to consider his future, all of which was extremely unpalatable. Jim Servito’s money had once again become the main focus of his existence. Miserably unhappy, unwilling and unable to continue his work, he picked up his briefcase and left for home and Karen, invariably his emotional salvation.
“It looks like you could use a friend,” she whispered, pulling Mike closer.”
He held Karen’s head close to his chest and wept. “If God had prescribed a worse nightmare, I can’t imagine what it would be… It’s Phillip. He went to the Feds and told them the whole damn story, and it’s my fault… I unloaded on him yesterday… He came into my office and asked if I had given the money away.”
“Did you tell him everything?”
Mike nodded. “I couldn’t think of any other way.”
“You did the right thing.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt so helpless and guilty in my entire life. Every time I do what I think is the right thing, it gets worse.”
“Does Dan know?”
“Yup. The Feds nearly broke his door down this morning. I’m in big trouble. I have two options. You won’t like either of them.”
Karen gave Mike an understanding smile. “There’s only one choice, King. We run.”
Mike shook his head. “They want me, Babe. Fortunately, Phillip didn’t implicate you.”
“Doesn’t matter a damn to me. We’re in this thing together. We’ve been there since the beginning.”
Again he shook his head. For better or worse, his decision to hide from the Feds had been made. “I love you for your loyalty, but you don’t go. I’m going to need you here. I need to hide alone. Somewhere quiet.”
“Go to Azimuth Island. There’s no one there now. There’s enough food in the freezer to last for months. No one would find you there until you decide to be found. I’ll have to tell dad you’re there. I wouldn’t want it to come as a surprise to him.”
Mike’s frown melted to a grin. “That’s a perfect place. Can you stand living without me?”
“No.”
He kissed her forehead, then looked into her eyes. “Thank you for being the most incredibly wonderful woman I’ve ever known, and for putting up with all of my crap.”
Karen left Mike’s embrace to answer the telephone. “Yes,” she said without hesitation, accepting the collect call. She cupped her hand over the mouthpiece and turned to Mike. “It’s Kerri. She’s in France.”
Mike hurried to accept the receiver from Karen. “Kerri, are you all right?” he shouted, his heart pounding.
“I’m okay. I’m…”
“Don’t say anything more. Give me one minute to get to my car, then call me again. Do you have the number?”
“Yes. Please hurry. I don’t have much time.”
Mike hung up, ran from the house to his car and waited. When the phone rang, he jerked it to his ear before the first ring had ended and accepted the charges. “Kerri, now talk your heart out,” he demanded.
“I’m at a pay telephone at the airport in Nice. Louis is getting the bags. He’s going to rent a car and drive us to Monte Carlo from here. We’ll be staying at the Hotel de Paris. I’ll call you from there as soon as I get a chance. I’m going to nail him, dad. I’m going to stay with him until I do. I don’t care how long it takes… How’s Phillip?”
“Right now, I don’t know. You should know he went to the Feds and told them the whole story yesterday.”
“Oh no! Why? Was it because of Louis?”
“No. It was my fault. I accused him of lying to me and I told him about Visconti’s plan to kill him.”
“So what’s going to happen to you?”
“I don’t know. I’m going into hiding for a while to think about it. I’ll be at the Taylor’s cottage in Muskoka.” He gave her the cottage telephone number. “From now on, call me at that number. I’m sure it’s not bugged.”
“Dad, I’ve got to go. Louis is coming. Love you.” She hung up.
CHAPTER 91
Toronto. Ten minutes later.
Mike and Karen stared at each other, hearts throbbing, trying to decide if their telephone should be answered.
“You get it,” Mike said. “If it’s the Feds, tell them you don’t know where I am.”
Karen answered.
“Hello Karen. It’s Alfred Schnieder. May I speak to Mike, please?”
“Hold for a second, Alfred,” Karen said, then cupped her hand over the mouthpiece and turned to Mike. “Alfred Schnieder,” she mouthed.
Mike closed his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t want to talk to him,” he groaned. “He’s a goddamned crook. He told Visconti everything.”
“How do you know that?”
“Visconti told me. That knowledge gave him his confidence. Without it, there’s no way he would have had the balls to scoop the money.”
“Talk to him,” Karen demanded. “He might have something very important to tell you.”
Mike compressed his lips and nodded slowly.
Karen took Schnieder’s number and Mike reluctantly called him from his car phone. “What do you want, Alfred?” he asked, totally disinterested in anything he might want.
“I was anxious to tell you our window of opportunity with the Creditsuisse Bankhaus is about to close. Olaf Leutweiler has advised me that he is about to leave for an extended stay in the Far East.”
“As far as I’m concerned Alfred, you can take your window of opportunity and shove it up your ass. Tell Olaf there’s no money and there probably never will be.”
“There is trouble?”
“There wouldn’t be any if you hadn’t opened your fat mouth ten years ago. How could you do that? I thought banking secrets were sacred.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Please explain.”
“Visconti just took off for Europe with all the money in our trust. It might interest you to know that our little secret gave him the balls to do it. He said if I tried to stop him, he’d go straight to the Feds and spill his guts. He was laughing at me, Alfred, deliberately trying to humiliate me. He was so certain I wouldn’t try to stop him, he even told me what he did with the money.”
“And what was that?” Schnieder asked, extremely curious to know why Visconti had not shared the money with him in accordance with their plan.
“He used it to buy shares in some mirage company in Europe. I’ll give you three guesses who the seller was. Now he’s got the money and I’ve got the Feds coming at me from all directions.”
“He told the Feds?”
“No. Phillip did. Your friend Visconti conned him into believing he was going to help him get his money. In fact, he was planning to have Phillip killed. For all I know, he may have already done that.”
“That is not good news. Regrettably, Louis conned me as well. I am ashamed to tell you I was his accomplice. We planned to relieve you of your problem and the trust of its money. Instead of respecting your wish to give the money to charity, we planned to keep it for our own selfish purposes.”
“That’s beautiful,” Mike said, then chuckled at Schnieder’s admission. “You know the intriguing reality of the whole thing, Alfred? It’s never a question of whether anyone has a price. It’s only a matter of how high it is.”
“Very true. In addition to preserving clients’ secrets, it is a lesson one should learn very quickly in the banking business. After all my years in the business, I am guilty only once. Unfortunately, you are the innocent victim… I only wish there was some way I could make it up to you.”
“Only if you could turn back the calendar, Alfred.”
“Please accept my sincere apology… If you ever discover where Louis went, please let me know.”
“He’s staying at the Hotel de Paris, in Monte Carlo. You should go down there and do lunch with him. You deserve each other.”
“How did you find him so quickly?”
“It’s a secret, Alfred. If I thought you could keep it, I might have been inclined to share it with you.”
CHAPTER 92
Muskoka. Tuesday, September 19.
It was dark. No moon. Only a vague silhouette of Azimuth Island could be seen from the shore of Lake Muskoka where Mike stood. After lowering himself into the stern seat of George Taylor’s canoe, he pushed off and began to paddle into the blackened serenity, each stroke taking him deeper into his self-imposed exile.
The Hotel de Paris, Monaco.
Prosperity abounds in Monaco, one of the most opulent tax shelters in the world. Unemployment is almost nonexistent, and there is no income tax. Tax evasion is not a criminal offense, so its perpetrators cannot be extradited. Most residents are hiding themselves, their money, or both. Numerous sports celebrities call it their home, attempting to preserve the huge but short term incomes they generate. Squeezed between sea and mountains, Monaco is a place where land is at a premium, measured by the square meter, or centimeter. Grand old villas have been replaced by towering condominiums. Real estate companies have proliferated. Generous sunshine bathes hundreds of ultra expensive cars, the beaches, the beautiful people, the obscenely expensive yachts in the blue harbor.