Spoils of the Game

by Lee Lamond

  “Well, you are good-looking, and I’m afraid that might not be a benefit in jail.”

  “Hey, you are scaring me. So where are you now?”

  “I am almost at Genoa. I should be in Antibes by morning.”

  “Make sure you get some coffee and something to eat and check your fuel.”

  “I’ll be okay. I will call you when I get there.”

  “Love you,” said Austin, hoping he would get the right answer.

  “Love you too.”

  Austin pulled into a rest stop before reaching Zurich. Using his laptop and the Wi-Fi at the rest stop, he made reservation at one of Zurich’s best hotels. He wanted security, and a few hundred dollars more for a room was not an issue. He also checked for e-mail from Andy, but none was obvious. He went down through the messages listed for today, and finally he spotted one from Global International Resources:

  Contact Peter Reif at ABI (Alps Banking and Investment) Zurich. No info on prices for stuff.

  Within the next hour, Austin was in Zurich, pulling in front of the hotel. The doorman arranged for Austin’s luggage, including the cases, to be unloaded and moved into the lobby. Within a few minutes both Austin and his luggage were in his room. Not knowing how long the banking process might take, he had made a reservation for three nights. Room service would provide dinner—or was it breakfast? From his room Austin had an excellent view of the city and the fortress lit with floodlights on the nearby hilltop.

  Morning brought bright sunshine and a call from Madeline. She was back in Antibes and going to bed. At nine o’clock on the dot, Austin called ABI and asked for Reif.

  “Good morning. Reif here.”

  “Mr. Reif, I am an American businessman who currently has some unusual banking requirements. I would like very much to visit with you to discuss my current needs.”

  “I am sure we can find some time this afternoon. Is this the first time you have done business with our bank?” asked Reif, who had a British accent.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Sir, I will need your name for security purposes. Please understand that your visit will be held in strict confidence.”

  “Thank you, sir. That is important to me. My name is Austin Clay.”

  “What time would be convenient for you, Mr. Clay.”

  “One-thirty?”

  “Fine, we will see you then.”

  “Mr. Reif, I will be bringing a large amount of investment materials. What is the best way to arrive at your bank?”

  “I will give you a security pass number. Please pull into the underground parking for the building, and the guards will direct you to where you can park securely. Your code number will be 456T5R. Please keep that number secret. Please understand that the security code will not be valid after two PM.”

  “Excellent. I will see you at one-thirty.”

  Austin spent the morning making notes on a variety of subjects. He wanted to call a woman in Antibes who was working on a project for him as part of a surprise for Madeline. A little surprise would be a good thing.

  At noon Madeline called. “Good morning, Austin. I had hoped I would have heard from you by now. What is the plan?”

  “I am sorry. I have been on the phone all morning. I have a meeting this afternoon at a bank that has been recommended, and we will know more later today. I am going to go slow and just see what happens. I hope to be out of here sometime tomorrow. Instead of driving down, I might get a plane from Milan to Nice. Can you pick me up at the airport?”

  “I would love to. My sister is going to send me the name of the doctor that knows of her son and thinks he might be able to help. I have to admit that I should have done more for them. The older he gets, the less likely it is that he will ever walk.”

  “Hey, my plan does not come with a guarantee. It might not achieve anything. We will have to see. I will call you when I know something.”

  “I miss you, and I wish you were here in Antibes. I love it here, and I want to spend some more time with you here before you go back to the United States.”

  “Hey, when I go back, I will not be going back for good. I have some things that I have to address. Perhaps you could go with me.”

  “That would be nice. I don’t know if I can get the time off.”

  “Hey, I know the guy who runs the Louvre. We’ll work out a deal.”

  “You and your deals.”

  “So what are you going to do today?”

  “I am going to lie in the sun and worry.”

  “Everything will be fine. I will know more later today, and I will call you with the details.”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  At one o’clock, Austin called for someone to help him move the gold. He was going to take it and perhaps just keep it in the car while he was at the bank, or perhaps he would have the bank put it in a safe place. At one-twenty, Austin entered the lower parking area of the ABI building. He provided the guard with the code number, and he was directed to park his car in a secure area. The guard directed Austin to the elevator to the third floor. At exactly one-thirty, Austin left the elevator and followed the signs to the reception area.

  “Mr. Clay? I am Danielle, and welcome to ABI,” said the receptionist. “Please let me escort you to your meeting room.”

  Within seconds Austin was ushered into a small but adequate meeting room with a large, marble-topped table and very comfortable chairs.

  “Can I offer you coffee or another refreshment?”

  “A little water would be good.”

  “Gas or no gas?”

  “No gas, please.”

  Danielle the receptionist excused herself, and almost immediately Peter Reif entered the room.

  “Mr. Clay,” said Reif as he extended his hand.

  Austin rose and extended his hand to complete the handshake. “Mr. Reif, thank you for seeing me on short notice. I appreciate your time and hope that my problem is one you can address.”

  “Mr. Clay, I will not say that we can handle everything, but short of God, we do pretty well with issues that involve money.”

  “Great.”

  Danielle reentered the room with a pitcher of cold water, ice in a separate bowl, and coffee for Reif.

  “Mr. Clay,” said Reif, “I have addressed the initial questions of so many first-time depositors that perhaps it is best that I begin this discussion. ABI is a full-service bank with many different products. We offer all of our services in complete confidence. It is important to understand that we do all of our banking in Switzerland and use third-party resources for banking outside of this country, and your identity and activities remain confidential. In fact, once an account number is assigned, it will not be necessary for you and I to meet or to discuss any aspect of your account, unless you believe it is necessary. Our business is the handling of money, and as your banker we are not concerned about your relationships with other governments. That is your responsibility. We do have an interest in the source of funds, and we try not to deal in funds that are the result of a felony, fraud, or human suffering. But we cannot be sure how our clients have acquired the money in question, and it is not our function to investigate.”

  “Well, in my case there may be some issues. In fact, I am coming to your bank with the hope that your full service can include many things. Mr. Reif … downstairs in my car is several hundred pounds of gold. The gold is in the form of coins, very old coins that we recently found in a search that I funded.”

  “I noticed on our closed circuit television that your car had Italian license plates. Was this collection of gold coins found in Italy?”

  Austin’s mind froze for a second. Had he violated one of the few scruples that Reif had referenced? “Perhaps. Our efforts covered many locations in Europe. My partners and I have agreed that secrecy is important in all aspects of our venture. I am sure that you understand.”

  Reif laughed. “Mr. Clay, it was an academic question. We understand the concept behind the laws that the Italians are trying to enforce.
Over the years, much of that country has been plundered, but they have become intolerable asses when it comes to the administration of the law. We Swiss think that the Italians are funny people, but we still love them.”

  Austin relaxed.

  Reif continued, “Mr. Clay, we can handle your gold inventory. Since it is in the form of historical coins, we will have to establish their value, and we have the resources to do that. I assume that it is your objective to sell the coins for more than the metal’s value.”

  “Mr. Reif, I have been charged with doing something very unusual. I am looking to sell off the inventory and then direct the proceeds to particular individuals in the medical community, to support research on a specific disease that affects an individual that we know. Perhaps it will require the establishment of a legal entity here in Switzerland.”

  “My, I am impressed with your charity. Our business makes money based on the account values that our clients maintain with our bank. It is for that reason that initial deposits are two hundred thousand dollars at a minimum. Perhaps it would be best if we worked with you on a fee-for-service basis. Since there is no offsetting revenue from the deposits, this service may appear to be expensive, but it may still address your requirements. I do not believe that we can begin a review of your coins until tomorrow, and to be honest, it may take several weeks to complete the process, based on the number of coins. Let me suggest that we remove your inventory from your car and place it in our vaults. Tomorrow morning we can meet with Mr. Dieter Joost, who does most of our appraisals. Would you be available at perhaps nine?

  “Yes, sir. Nine would be fine.”

  “In the meantime, please allow me to help you place your inventory of coins in our secure vault and issue the correct paperwork.”

  Austin and Reif exited the meeting room and made their way down a back stairway to the lower vault and Austin’s car. With some simple hand gestures, Reif gathered two guards and a cart, and they approached Austin’s car. Austin opened the trunk, and the well-ordered collection of cases was removed by the guards.

  “My congratulations, Mr. Clay. We appreciate a well-ordered method of transport.” Reif asked one of the guards to obtain some seals, which were placed at several locations around the edge of each case, and Austin was asked to sign across each seal. Reif signed each seal as well.

  “The seals, Mr. Clay, allow you to know that while in our possession, the cases have not been tampered with. In addition, we will assign you a storage area that has two keys, one for you and one for the bank. Both keys are required for the door to be opened. I respectfully request that you put the key in a very safe location.”

  Austin accepted the key that Reif handed him and placed it in his wallet. There was no identification on the key other than another number.

  “So, tomorrow at nine it is, Mr. Clay.”

  Austin shook Reif’s hand and headed back to his car and out into the daylight.

  Zurich was a modern city with a touch of the old world. The streets were clean, and traffic moved in a very orderly way. Shops were full of the finest products, including, of course, watches and the ever-present collections of Swiss Army knives. The Swiss had maintained a status of neutrality against the forces of the modern world. This neutrality was often for everyone’s benefit, regardless of what side of a conflict you might be on. The position of neutrality did not come with an assumption that invasion was impossible, which had resulted in a small and modern military and a militia mentality that affected everyone in the country. Invading Switzerland would be possible but painful. The Swiss had their political issues, which was normal, but they were very proud of their country and the lifestyle they had established for themselves.

  After leaving ABI, Austin went back to the hotel and let the doorman park his car. Without a map, he decided to take in the sights on foot. But first he would call Madeline.

  “Hey, good-looking, it’s me.”

  “So what happened? I have been waiting all day, and it has been driving me crazy.”

  “I am sitting on a bench overlooking a nice lake and soaking up the sights.”

  “Well, that is fine, but what about the bank? What did they say?”

  “It went very well, and I was impressed with the people and the way they run things. I think things will work out well. It’s a full-service organization, and they were open to our issues. I think they would prefer me to establish a long-term account and keep a hundred million in the bank, but they will work with us. The service fees might choke us, but this is probably the best approach. I am out of my element, because I don’t know what I can get away with, and I am not sure we are in a position to be dictating anything. Tomorrow morning I will meet with their coin expert, and we’ll begin the process of figuring out what the pile of coins is worth.”

  “We really don’t know what they are worth, do we?”

  “Madeline, what I know about coins is limited to the coins in my pocket. I used to have an uncle who was into coins, and he knew all kinds of useless stuff. I guess before this is over, I will be a minor expert. When I was packing up the coins and taking them out of the jugs, I noticed that some looked brighter than others, but that may be due to some of the jugs having more water and mud in them than others. From what I know, they should clean up well. If they are worth twice their metal weight, they should be worth perhaps twenty million. That should get the attention of any doctor.

  “I know my sister talked to several doctors, but in France I think the doctors like to do those things that are easy, and Benjamin might be a little too tough.”

  “Maybe we are thinking about giving the money to the wrong doctors. I know people back in the States that are very research-oriented.”

  “Let’s first see how much money is involved, and then perhaps we can do as you said before and support two doctors. It would be great if we could do something to help.”

  “Hey, answer another question. If I were to go buy you something nice while I am here in Zurich, what would it be?”

  “I don’t need anything. What I need is to get you back down here for whatever is left of my holiday.”

  “Well, I think I saw Santa Claus here in Switzerland. He asked me if you were good, and I said I wasn’t sure.”

  “When you get back down here, I will show you how good I can be.”

  “Oooh. I wish I were there now.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Well, if I am to help Santa, I’d better go.”

  “I am not going to stop you.”

  “I’ll call you later … love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Austin was sure that Madeline’s spirits were higher, and that was great news. The past several days had been tough on her. They had been tough on Austin as well. Hopefully tomorrow he would define the direction to take and perhaps a timetable to resolve the money issues and begin the process of giving away perhaps twenty million dollars. The whole thing was bizarre to him. His net worth was probably over a hundred and fifty million dollars, perhaps more, depending on the stock value of Clay Medical, but giving away ten or twenty million seemed like so much Monopoly money without Boardwalk and Park Place.

  Ever since he was a boy, Austin had been fascinated with watches. How could anything so small work so well and actually keep time? Looking at watches in a jewelry store was a minor hobby, and now he was in watch heaven. So many brands, and so many styles. How was he ever going to pick a watch for Madeline? It took an hour, but he did it. The Patek Philippe wasn’t cheap, but how often would he be in Switzerland? Dinner was at a very nice lakeside restaurant, followed by a walk along the lakeshore.

  At nine o’clock sharp the following morning, Austin was back at ABI and was met at the door by Reif.

  “Good morning, Mr. Clay. I trust your evening went well. Today we should learn a lot and perhaps put your plan to work.”

  “That would be great, Mr. Reif. I’m very appreciative of your help.”

  “Dieter called, and he will be her
e shortly. Why don’t we go to the vault and get your coins, and we can be ready when he arrives?”

  With the aid of one of the guards and a cart, the cases of coins were placed in a large conference room. Reif checked the seals and showed them to Austin, who confirmed that everything was still secure. To some extent, Austin felt that this was overkill, but it was part of the show. As the last case was placed on the table, Danielle opened the door, and a small man with wire-rimmed glasses entered the room. He was about sixty years old and wore a gray suit that was perhaps that old as well.

  “Mr. Clay, let me introduce Mr. Dieter Joost. He is our coin and currency expert, and we put a lot of faith in his comments and appraisals.”

  Austin extended his hand, and as he shook Dieter’s hand he became worried that he might hurt the small, frail man.