by Arthur Rawl
“Good, we’ll talk about it on the ride into São Paulo. Have things been quiet here?”
“Somewhat … that unfortunate noise about your former employer has quieted down. The news people have moved on to fresh rumors and scandals. Remind me to speak of two details when we are in the car.” He reached into his briefcase and pulled out another envelope much thicker than the last. “These are for you and Sra. Robin. As you bankers would say, the name is a working name for the deal although for your protection there is a real corporate structure behind it. The legal papers were filed yesterday in London, the day after you confirmed your firing by Sam to Laser’s Board.”
I slid two stacks of business cards from the envelope, one with my name and one with Robin’s. ‘Matthews and Associates Ltd.’ with offices in St James’ in London and at Renngasse 1/Freyung in Vienna’s old city. Both locations were very well known to members of the international financial community and they were where many merchant banks and the professionals who served them had offices.
“Well done my friend. Do I have a bank account with money in it?”
“As a matter of fact yes you do. A new Austrian client wired a million Pounds Sterling into your account as a retainer. Its representative will be in your new office on Ave Faria Lima at ten on Monday morning. Sra. Robin inspected the office yesterday and seemed pleased. She said something about it being a block away from Shopping Iguatemi, her favorite recreation. Have you finished your coffee? Your apartment is waiting for you and my children are waiting for me.”
“Good idea I could use a shower and an uneventful day.”
It took us ten minutes to get out of the airport parking lot during which we talked about the weather and the upcoming election. It was only after we were swallowed up by the Saturday morning traffic that Juan got around to what I wanted to know.”
“I am certain you have concluded that the unfortunate accident in the Hamptons had help in it happening.”
“Yes I did but I’m surprised at how quickly it happened. I assumed there was something behind the suggestion that I be on last night’s plane but I never thought it could be that I might need an alibi for early Saturday morning.”
I sincerely doubt whether you would need an alibi my friend and I believe that is all you need to know about the accident except I am told the owner left for medical treatment in Italy this morning. It was better to get you away from New York and back to work in Brazil with reasonable speed. I think there are too many potential distractions in New York that could have held you there too long.
It is easy enough for you to contact your solicitor in London from Brazil and instruct him to retain a firm in New York to proceed against Laser in court to both distract them and perhaps recover a bit of money for you. One of my stakeholders instructed me to tell you your legal costs will be repaid to you.”
“I’m sure they will need documents and access to me so I’ll probably have to be back in New York very soon.”
“Do not be too certain of that. My employer has been working with people in the US on a new technology, video conferencing. It links compatible video and voice collection equipment at different locations over the internet and creates conference room like conditions for people who are in multiple remote locations. Coincidentally I saw a demonstration yesterday with people here in São Paulo and others in London and Vienna. It was very impressive. As for documents, they can be scanned and sent almost anywhere electronically.”
“I’ll see what the lawyers think.”
“Of course, some of them look to the future and others to the past not worrying about their clients’ needs to carry on their own activities.”
“One last piece of business please, you said I have an appointment on Monday. Who am I meeting?”
“As I said before, an Austrian. To be more precise, he is an older Austrian gentleman and a respected businessman who lives and works in Vienna. He was educated at Oxford and later attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for Officer training as a guest of your government. He then served in the Austrian Army for thirty years and retired a General Officer. I will allow him to introduce himself but I will say he is a longtime associate of one of BrasTel’s stakeholders.”
“Naturally …”
Juan’s flashed a rare smile, “I am sure you will agree it is important to know who your friends are and more important who among them you can trust.”
“I agree and that is why I wonder why I seem to be included among the trusted. Up until a few months ago no one in Brazil knew I existed.”
“I would not worry about that for now. If after our project is successfully completed you are still concerned about the reason you might consider asking one of your new Brazilian friends.”
“Which one …?”
“I am sure if you reflect upon your question the answer will become obvious. For now, we are close to Haddock Lobo and I have my children waiting. If I did not say so before, welcome back to Brazil. Oh yes, one or two additional details. First, you have been evicted from your apartment and another of our trusted friends has become the new leaseholder. Practically speaking, nothing else has changed including the keys other than he will pay the rent and his name will appear as the registered occupant.”
“Convenient, if someone tries to trace me I’ve disappeared.”
“Not completely, your name and Sra. Robin’s name appear on the register of a delightful new five-star hotel on the other side of São Paulo and two people who look somewhat similar to you both will occupy the rooms most evenings. Should anything including calls come to the hotel for you or if there is anyone looking for you there we will be sure you get it or appropriately deal with anything that needs, shall we say … immediate attention. I will let you explain to Sra. Robin why her room at the Maksoud is now in the name of a Chinese Corporation and anyone asking for her is being told she has relocated to the new hotel and is no longer a guest.”
“All I have to tell her it’s for safety reasons and she’ll feel fine for no more than five minutes. Then, she’ll start worrying about why we should be so concerned about safety.”
“I’m not surprised. The one time I met her she appeared to be a charming and capable colleague however I noticed she seemed a bit anxious.” As we stopped in front of my apartment, “Lastly, your former driver has been told you arrived and he can be reached on his cellular phone. That number, Sra. Robin’s new number and my numbers are in this new cellular phone. Please give me you old Brazilian cellular and I will have it wiped clean after copying your information into a device that will load it on the new phone. We will have your old phone along with Sra. Robin’s old phone left in your old office along with the satellite phones you had been using. Ate logo my friend.”
“Thank you for everything Juan.” I grabbed my bag and was buzzed through the front gate with the customary ‘bon dia Senhor’ accompanied by a knowing look. It had only been four days since I left for New York but it felt like an eternity. For the moment everything seemed to have changed even though very little really had … little except perhaps me and who I was working for. There was one thing I was certain hadn’t changed. The not so subtle target was still on my back and there was someone new in the crowd trying to take aim at it, possibly Sam Watson and most probably Conde del Eccio.
In the small glass lobby the mail box assigned to my apartment had a fresh white card with the name Eduardo Duarte carefully written on it to misguide the curious and inquiring. The too small elevator felt the same as did the hall in front of my door but my hand hesitated at the door lock. Had I heard something, someone inside the apartment. The door handle turned from the inside, it had to be Alana. The door slowly started to open … it was only José Carlos.
“Sr. Carl, I did not know you were here already. I came to pick up my sister before you arrived. She has been preparing the apartment. We were just leaving.”
“Thank your sister for me. Can you do something for me later?”
“Yes, whatever you wa
nt Senhor.”
“I am going to call Robin and tell her you will pick her up at the Maksoud at 5:30. Bring her to the small French restaurant around the corner on Al. Tiete. I’ll walk over there and meet you.”
I walked off to the bedroom and started to unpack. I wanted to put Alana’s earrings, my passport and my US Dollars in the safe and get my Brazilian Reals out. After I heard the door close behind José and his sister I fished my new cellphone out of my jacket pocket and dialed Robin.
“… so you’ve got my new number. You must be back.”
“Good morning Robin. Are you well? Did you miss me?”
“Yeah, how did the meeting go?”
“I’ll tell you at dinner. José Carlos will out front of your hotel at 5:30.”
“That was a short vacation. Well at least the vacation pay was reasonable. Where are we going?”
“José Carlos knows where. See you later.”
I threw the phone on the bed and went to the window and looked out at my corner of São Paulo. Strangely enough, I seemed to have missed it. My eyes drifted downhill toward the Jardims, the Gardens neighborhood where the Senator was probably watching his grandchildren using the morning coolness to play in his private woodland … and where was Alana? Was she a prisoner being kept from me or a loyal follower happily carrying out her master’s bidding? Neither Robin nor José Carlos said anything about the return of the gift I had sent. I needed to find out.
Alana,
I had to go to New York for a few days. The two nights in the air gave me a lot of quiet, undisturbed time to think. I would like to see you and tell you where my thoughts led me and what I came to see very clearly. Please meet me at Café Antique tomorrow night at 8:00 so we can talk about eliminating the distance between us forever. All my love.
Carl
I sealed the envelope and placed it on the desk in front of me. Although I wasn’t satisfied with what I had written José Carlos would deliver the note while Robin and I were at dinner. Should he wait for her answer … no it would be too pushy. Surprising what a couple of days in New York does to you. In the early afternoon, tomorrow I’ll have José go back with flowers and instruct him to ask for her answer to my dinner invitation. My eyes drifted down to the envelope placed too squarely on the desktop. Damn I’m so much better at writing contracts.
No, the hell with sending José, what I really should do is just barge in and find out what’s really going on with Alana. Was it her or was it her ‘good’ but misunderstood General? Sure, that’s all I need to do, go barging in there and it would probably blow everything sky high. The new deal; my settlement with Lazer; my promises to Robin; all of them would be toast. Damn I had no choice.
After a hot shower, I walked down to the café on Oscar Freire stopping for the newspapers and again to look into the corner shop window at a display of Mont Blanc pens that hadn’t been there the last time I walked by. It was a quiet morning. Too late for breakfast and too early for shopping and lunch, the café was empty.
The sun was getting high in the sky and the heat of the day was starting to build so I took a table just inside the empty café where the air conditioning escaping into the street was still cool enough to keep me comfortable and I was still able to watch the sunlight filtering through the deep green leaves of my tree. My tree, had I adopted it or had it adopted me? Either way it had become a friend, an uncomplicated one that whispered to me as the breeze passed through its canopy. In New York where the streets are filled with limitless scattered energy but there wasn’t a tree like it.
The rattle of a cup and saucer accompanied by “boa manhã Senhor” and the rich aroma of Brazilian coffee combined to form an eloquent welcome home. My usual “eggs, toast and orange juice please” was answered by a big smile from the waitress who took care of me every morning. Another smile and she hurried off to the kitchen.
I reached for my newspaper but suddenly a shadow blocked the light from my tree.
A deep scratchy voice announced, “Sr. Matthews, a promised gift from Conde del Eccio”, a hand cleared the inside of his shadow darkened jacket gripping a large automatic.
Everything slowed as if in slow motion except my now racing heart. My hand that had been moving toward my newspaper now self-driven jerked upward smashing his gun hand aside. In the same moment, I sprang from the chair, my other hand grabbing the dull pointed breakfast knife driving it up deep into his throat while my eyes remained fixed on his. The gun exploded above me. The bullet went wide slamming into the plaster wall behind me. All time stopped, his eyes bulged from his twisted face … then he sagged pulling the knife from my hand. His body crumbled backwards falling away from me. The gun fell crashing like a hammer onto the table restarting time. The waitress was screaming. Somehow, I was still alive but there was no doubt he was dead.
Moving away from the table, grabbing the waitress, pushing my hand tightly over her mouth, “Favor, no Police … no Police.” I grabbed a table cloth from the service station and threw it covering the body. Fingers struggling to work the cellphone, “Juan I need help. I’m in the café on Oscar Freire at the corner of Haddock Lobo. Someone …”
He cut me off, “Not on the phone”. I heard instructions in the background, “The men from my home will be there in three or four minutes. I will be a minute or two longer. It is necessary to close the restaurant at once. Do so if you can and keep everyone there.”
I dropped the phone and pulled the shutters across the entryway … then my hands started to shake. My right hand hurt like hell. It was now my turn to sag but it was into a chair. It seemed as if only seconds had passed before someone was knocking on the shutter and whispering my name. Pulling it open a crack I saw a familiar face one I had seen with Juan many times before. I pushed the shutter open just enough for two of them to get in.
One herded the waitress and kitchen staff together in a distant corner. I could hear the soothing tone of his voice calming them. The other bent over pulling back the table cloth, “Mãe de Dios” just as Juan pushed open the shutter and came through followed by a giant of a man. Juan looked down, at the gun on the table and then at me, “You’ve had an eventful breakfast. I thought you would be safe and gave the men the weekend off. Forgive me.”
He gave some instructions to each of his men then turned to me taking note of how I was rubbing my right hand, “Are you alright, not hurt?”
“Nothing, just my right palm is very sore. It’s probably from the blunt end of the knife.”
“Probably … it takes a lot to kill someone with a bread knife. We’ll have your old friend check it. In a few minutes, you will come home with me, he lives in my building. On the way, you can tell me what happened.”
I sat down “Damn, he scared the shit out of me.”
“I would think so my friend. I read somewhere that the definition of courage is feeling fear but remaining calm enough to be in control of yourself. You showed courage today.”
I looked down at the legs sticking out from beneath the stained, crumpled tablecloth, “What about him?”
“He will simply join the legion of the missing. Do not worry about the restaurant staff. They will be paid enough to forget what happened. Enough to forget there was a Saturday in this week if necessary. Brazilians understand these things much better than we Europeans.”
Juan took one of his people aside and spoke to him very quietly while gesturing energetically with both hands. The listener stood almost as if he were at attention on a military drill field doing nothing but nodding his head in acknowledgement every few seconds. Then Juan turned back to me, “Come, you will have breakfast at my home and rest while we wait for the doctor to finish his morning visit to hospital patients. You must still be a little shaken up. Do you need help?”
“To the first yes but thank you, no to your offer of help, I’ll make it out of here under my own steam.”
When we were settled in Juan’s armored car he asked about the dead man, what did he do, what had he said.
“He just appeared Juan. I hadn’t seen him following me. The only thing he said was ‘it was the promised gift from Conde del Eccio’. del Eccio must have assumed I wasn’t going to play and set his dog loose as soon as I headed for the airport.”
“I am sure he did and I am afraid this sort of thing may continue unless your friend in Italy receives a message he understands. Hopefully he will be smart enough to respond reasonably but until we are sure I will provide tighter security for you than before. My stakeholders will expect it.”
“Can we talk about this later please? Maybe after I had a gallon or two of coffee to put things back into perspective. Right now, all I can say is that I have more a lot more sympathy for Robin’s position.”
“What is her position?”
“She sleeps with an airline ticket under her pillow.”
“Unfortunately, the world has become a very small place, too small.”
“Please, I understand he has to be dealt with. I just don’t want to think about it right now.”
“As you wish but, while you with are me I will have BrasTel’s security Chief develop a new plan to protect you that you will have to respect. Here in Brazil we can assure your safety. You will have to stay with us until we determine it is safe for you to travel beyond São Paulo.”
“I have no plans to go anywhere before our business is finished. I told my lawyer not to expect me to go back to New York for several weeks so he should move slowly with the Laser settlement discussions.”
Juan had an unusual worried look on his face, “Sra. Robin must be looked after also. I am afraid she may also be at risk because she is tied to you in our business matter. You must explain this to her.”
“Explaining it to her will be easy. Keeping her feet on the ground will be another story. I’m having dinner with her this evening so you’ll have to tell me what’s been arranged. She misses nothing and imagines too much so I have to be frank as I can be with her while not causing her to create shadows in every corner.”