Iron Orchid

“Well, anyway,” Kerry said, “it lets us tie Teddy to the death of Mr. Justice What’s-his-name.”

“It would, if we had found any material evidence that Teddy had ever been in this hangar,” the tech guy said. “Without prints or other evidence, we can’t prove he was here.”

“Better circumstantial evidence than no evidence at all,” Kerry said.

“if you say so,” the tech guy replied. “But this Teddy is really something, you know?”

“I know,” Kerry replied.

Holly knew, too.

THIRTY-FOUR

HOLLY GOT BACK shortly before dark and took Daisy for a run, cutting over to Park Avenue. She liked the broad boulevard, with its garden down the center and its elegant apartment buildings. She wondered what a small apartment on Park cost, and if there were any small apartments. She could afford to buy something, if it wasn’t too outrageous, and she was getting tired of living in what amounted to a dormitory. There was almost no privacy, unless she locked her door, and if she did that, she felt claustrophobic in her small room.

Back at the Barn, she picked up a New York Times at the front desk and took it upstairs with her. After feeding Daisy, she took a shower and stretched out on her bed with the paper. She came to the classifieds and, on a whim, turned to the real estate section. Almost immediately, an ad caught her eye:

Park Ave. 60’s est. sale, lg 1 BR w/wbf, sep. dr. fur. avbl. 650K.

She called the number, got a woman immediately and made an appointment for the following morning.

Holly arrived at the building, which turned out to be a large, limestone-fronted edifice with a uniformed doorman who found a cookie for Daisy. He called the apartment and told Holly to take the elevator to the twelfth floor, apartment A. She was met by a well-dressed woman in her forties, whom she assumed was the real estate agent.

“I’m Clarissa Bo

Holly followed her around the rooms, which were surprisingly large, with high ceilings. The place was furnished in a rudimentary way, but didn’t look lived-in. When they had seen the whole place and talked about the building, Mrs. Bo

“Let me tell you what’s happened,” Mrs. Bo

“I’m afraid I don’t know anything about how a co-op works,” Holly said.

“It’s like this: the building is incorporated, the corporation owns the building and leases the apartments. Each lessee owns a number of shares in the corporation, corresponding to the square footage of his apartment. Co-op boards can be very picky, but ours is generally all right. You would have to demonstrate a net worth and income that would show that you could pay the monthly maintenance, and you’d have to meet with the board.”

“How do they feel about pets?”

“No problem with that, as long as your dog is well-behaved, and Daisy certainly appears to be.”

Holly’s mind was racing. She loved the apartment, and she had a feeling Mrs. Bo

“Mrs. Bo

Mrs. Bo

Holly offered her hand. “Done,” she said. “What do I do now?”

Mrs. Bo

“Is there a broker involved?” Holly asked.

“No, you can give me a check for ten percent as earnest money, and there is a standard purchase contract in the folder.”

Holly wrote the check. Mrs. Bo

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you,” Mrs. Bo

Holly hit the street, practically at a run. As she left the building she collided with a man in a sheepskin coat, a tweed hat and big sunglasses. “Oh, excuse me,” she said.

“Quite all right,” the man replied. He gave Daisy a pat. “Beautiful dog.”

“Thank you.” She got a cab back to her building and went looking for Lance. She had the money, all right, but she couldn’t list all the cash in the Caymans account on her financial Statement.

HOLLY EXPLAINED EVERYTHING to Lance. “So, do I use my own name? Do I tell them who I work for? Is my two-million-dollar net worth going to be enough to satisfy the co-op board?”

“Yes, use your own name, but not the name of your employer,” Lance said. “We have a front outfit that is, ostensibly, in a private investment firm at this address. We’ll make you a senior vice president. How much are you paying for the apartment?”

“Six hundred thousand.”

“I don’t know whether or not two million will do it with the board, so we’ll set up a paper account in your name with the firm and show a list of stocks and a balance of, say, six million? We’ll produce a monthly statement for you, and you can include that with your application, and we can supply you with three years’ tax returns, too, federal and state. When you’re questioned by the board about your job, say that the firm manages the money of one extended family, whose name you may not divulge. I’ll get you some letters of recommendation from real people, too. Our security people will have to vet the building, of course, but I don’t anticipate a problem with that; it’s the kind of building they like.”

“Thank you so much, Lance; I really appreciate this.”

“Take some time off and get all the paperwork together and make your financial arrangements. I’ll set up everything else and get your letters of recommendation before the day is out.”