A World Without Secrets by Thomas DePrima Page B

You're such a sensitive and caring person. I guess I think of bounty hunters as knuckle-dragging brutes."
    "That's just an unfair stereotype. Are you busy tomorrow?"
    "No."
    "Good. Want to spend the day with me?"
    "I'd love to. What shall we do?"
    "I thought we'd start off with a morning walk in the park and then take in a matinee."
    "Okay. What time?"
    "I'll stop by your place at ten."
    "It's a date."
    * * *
    On Monday morning, I called William Kovacs' office. I was surprised to get put through immediately.
    "Good morning, Mr. James. How was your trip to Philadelphia?"
    I immediately realized that Captain DeRosa must have called Kovacs to check my credentials. "Good morning, Mr. Kovacs. It was very— informative. Captain DeRosa was most cooperative."
    "Good. What can I do for you today?"
    "I was wondering if you had some time today. I'd like to drop down and see you."
    "It's a bad day, James. I'm free for periods this morning, but I'm going to be tied up in meetings all afternoon. I can't possibly cancel any of them."
    "I could make it there this morning if you can spare me just ten minutes."
    "Well— okay. But not a second more. Not today."
    "Fine, I'll be there within the hour."
    I hurried out of the house and flagged a cab at the corner. In twenty minutes from the time I had hung up the phone I was entering Kovacs' outer office. His secretary asked me to have a chair and I waited for twenty-five minutes while several people came and left Kovacs' office. It wasn't so bad though. I got to enjoy the spectacular curves of a twenty-something blonde who was the antithesis of the dumb blonde stereotype. Her desk was one of those minimalist modern pieces of furniture that left most of her body visible. I almost felt like I was cheating on Kathy, but we didn't have an established relationship, and I was only looking at a fully clothed body. I fully expect that I will continue to look at, and appreciate, beautiful women until the day my body reaches room temperature. At least I hope so. I don't consider myself to be sexist. I just have a healthy attraction to the opposite sex. I was almost sorry when I was finally told that Kovacs could see me.
    "You've got ten minutes, James," Kovacs said as I walked to his desk. "It's all I can spare today. So tell me what's on your mind. Did you learn something in Philadelphia?"
    I knew he was expecting a non-committal response, so I said, "Something? Why— I learned everything , Mr. Kovacs."
    The smile slowly faded from his face as he tried to determine if I was joking. "Are you saying you located the paintings?"
    It was my turn to smile now. "I learned the method, the identity of the thieves, and the present locations of both the paintings and the thieves."
    "That's not possible. You've only been working on it for a week."
    "How long is it supposed to take?" I said with a perfectly straight face. "I could come back in a few months."
    "If this is a joke, James, it's not funny."
    "No joke. I dropped by today to see what a check for one point four mil payable to me looks like."
    Kovacs stared at me in silence for several seconds before asking "Who did it?"
    "First things first, Mr. Kovacs. I'd like a letter from you stating that when the paintings are recovered, I receive the promised amount. You pick up the artwork; I pick up the check. Next day. Not thirty, sixty, ninety days, or a year later."
    "We're a major company, Mr. James. We have the money. You don't need a letter."
    "I know the company has the money, Mr. Kovacs, or I wouldn't have taken this case. I just want to make sure that I get it. My first skip case taught me a valuable lesson. I offered a lowball price of only a thousand dollars just to get my foot in the door. After delivering the felon and saving the bail-bondsman a hundred thousand, he tried to give me only five hundred. He said that I had misunderstood our verbal arrangement. I realized I didn't have a legal leg to stand on without witnesses to the promised amount or a