joint. But I gather that
he doesn't stay here all the time. Sort of a world traveler you
might say."
"Uh huh. The housekeeper didn't mention
him."
I said, "That doesn't surprise me. She
didn't mention the others either, did she."
He produced a notebook, glanced at it, told
me, "Household staff of three, including her; two gardeners and a
general maintenance man live in the cottage in the garden area—all
Chinese, no English spoken; you, and Miss Amalie. No mention of
a—how do you spell that?"
I found my overnight kit,
produced the two bundles of money wrapped in the power of attorney,
placed the package in Alvarez's hands, told him, "Note the date on
the document. The ten grand was dropped on me at Malibu. Sloane
delivered the power of attorney after I got here yesterday. Why
would I push the man out my window? I had just been hired—or let's
say retained to work with him in an effort to save this property
from confiscation by the state."
The cop was examining the bundles. He looked
up to say, "So you'd met with this Medici before you came down from
Malibu."
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that he dropped the money on me
and asked me to come immediately."
“ So the two of you
came—?”
"No, he just dropped the money and the
summons, then disappeared. I came on—"
"How disappeared?"
"Same way he appeared. Blip, he's in. Blip,
he's out."
"I'm not sure I understand"
“ Don't try, not yet. I
don't understand it either yet.”
"You sound like you think you will
though."
"I usually manage to,
sooner or latar. This one may be more later than sooner, so don't
hold your breath. I—"
"Wouldn't think of it. Who
were the other people at dinner?"
I gave him a long, quiet look, then told
him, "You really don't want to know, not yet."
"Try me," the cop
invited.
I said, "Well, let's see—we had John the
Ascetic—he poses syllogisms, and—"
"Poses what?"
"Syllogisms. It's a
prepositional form of deductive logic—the kind of games cops
play—"Elementary, my dear Watson," that kind. Only John's are done
for fun; you're supposed to come up with comic examples of flawed
logic."
"Okay. Who else?"
"Hilary the Fanatic—some
sort of priest—I don't know, maybe a Jesuit. Rosary the Devout—a
nun, but I don't know which order, her habit looks like it came
from medieval times. Pierre the Lunatic—chemist, he says, but I
think alchemist. Karl the Magnificent is an engineer; I get it that
he specializes in feats, like Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower or
maybe even pyramids—who knows? Last but certainly not least, we
have Catherine the Impudent, who insists that she's a whore but I
think may still be a virgin. Did I give you six?"
Alvarez was standing near the doorway with
notebook in hand and pencil poised but unmoving, his mouth open,
gazing at me with the look of a highly intelligent man who wonders
if he is being double-talked.
He put the notebook away and pocketed the
pencil, turned toward the open door and said, without looking at
me, "What is this lawsuit? On what grounds is the state
confiscating?"
"They contend that the
legal owner of record would now have to be at least 150 years old,
that obviously he has died intestate and without heirs."
“ So what about Medici?
Can't he produce—?”
"He is that legal owner of record."
"You mean...?"
"Uh huh."
Alvarez went on to the
door, then turned back to look in my general direction but not
directly at me, said, "Stewart recommended that I give you space to
operate. Okay, but that does not mean space to bamboozle. Don't
leave the property without notifying me first."
I replied, "Thanks. How much time does that
space buy me?"
"Not much," he said, shifting his gaze to
meet my own. "Just till I can unscramble things a bit. Be advised;
you are a suspect at least until I can do that."
I requested, "Give me a time frame."
He replied, "How can I do that? But let's
say twenty- four hours. I could book you right now, just on
he doesn't stay here all the time. Sort of a world traveler you
might say."
"Uh huh. The housekeeper didn't mention
him."
I said, "That doesn't surprise me. She
didn't mention the others either, did she."
He produced a notebook, glanced at it, told
me, "Household staff of three, including her; two gardeners and a
general maintenance man live in the cottage in the garden area—all
Chinese, no English spoken; you, and Miss Amalie. No mention of
a—how do you spell that?"
I found my overnight kit,
produced the two bundles of money wrapped in the power of attorney,
placed the package in Alvarez's hands, told him, "Note the date on
the document. The ten grand was dropped on me at Malibu. Sloane
delivered the power of attorney after I got here yesterday. Why
would I push the man out my window? I had just been hired—or let's
say retained to work with him in an effort to save this property
from confiscation by the state."
The cop was examining the bundles. He looked
up to say, "So you'd met with this Medici before you came down from
Malibu."
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that he dropped the money on me
and asked me to come immediately."
“ So the two of you
came—?”
"No, he just dropped the money and the
summons, then disappeared. I came on—"
"How disappeared?"
"Same way he appeared. Blip, he's in. Blip,
he's out."
"I'm not sure I understand"
“ Don't try, not yet. I
don't understand it either yet.”
"You sound like you think you will
though."
"I usually manage to,
sooner or latar. This one may be more later than sooner, so don't
hold your breath. I—"
"Wouldn't think of it. Who
were the other people at dinner?"
I gave him a long, quiet look, then told
him, "You really don't want to know, not yet."
"Try me," the cop
invited.
I said, "Well, let's see—we had John the
Ascetic—he poses syllogisms, and—"
"Poses what?"
"Syllogisms. It's a
prepositional form of deductive logic—the kind of games cops
play—"Elementary, my dear Watson," that kind. Only John's are done
for fun; you're supposed to come up with comic examples of flawed
logic."
"Okay. Who else?"
"Hilary the Fanatic—some
sort of priest—I don't know, maybe a Jesuit. Rosary the Devout—a
nun, but I don't know which order, her habit looks like it came
from medieval times. Pierre the Lunatic—chemist, he says, but I
think alchemist. Karl the Magnificent is an engineer; I get it that
he specializes in feats, like Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower or
maybe even pyramids—who knows? Last but certainly not least, we
have Catherine the Impudent, who insists that she's a whore but I
think may still be a virgin. Did I give you six?"
Alvarez was standing near the doorway with
notebook in hand and pencil poised but unmoving, his mouth open,
gazing at me with the look of a highly intelligent man who wonders
if he is being double-talked.
He put the notebook away and pocketed the
pencil, turned toward the open door and said, without looking at
me, "What is this lawsuit? On what grounds is the state
confiscating?"
"They contend that the
legal owner of record would now have to be at least 150 years old,
that obviously he has died intestate and without heirs."
“ So what about Medici?
Can't he produce—?”
"He is that legal owner of record."
"You mean...?"
"Uh huh."
Alvarez went on to the
door, then turned back to look in my general direction but not
directly at me, said, "Stewart recommended that I give you space to
operate. Okay, but that does not mean space to bamboozle. Don't
leave the property without notifying me first."
I replied, "Thanks. How much time does that
space buy me?"
"Not much," he said, shifting his gaze to
meet my own. "Just till I can unscramble things a bit. Be advised;
you are a suspect at least until I can do that."
I requested, "Give me a time frame."
He replied, "How can I do that? But let's
say twenty- four hours. I could book you right now, just on
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