Sons of Fortune Read online

  “But his son is still there, as chairman.”

  “And he has me breathing down his neck to make sure people like you are charged when we give them a professional service. Though you’ll be interested to know that the mall has been a great success, showing an excellent return for its investors. So what brings you to Hartford?”

  “I read that there are plans to build a second mall on the other side of the city.”

  “That’s right. The council is putting the land up for sale with a development permit.”

  “What sort of figure are they looking for?” asked Julia as she sipped her soup.

  “Around three million is the word on the street, but I think it’s likely to end up nearer three point three to three point five after the success of the Robinson’s site.”

  “Three point five is our upper limit,” said Julia. “My company is by nature cautious, and in any case, there’s always another deal around the corner.”

  “Perhaps we could interest you in some of the other properties we represent,” said Nat.

  “No, thank you,” said Julia. “My firm specializes in malls, and one of the many things my husband taught me was never to stray away from your field of expertise.”

  “Wise man, your late husband.”

  “He was,” said Julia. “But I think that’s enough business for one night, so once my money has been deposited, perhaps the bank would be willing to represent me at the auction? However, I require complete discretion, I don’t want anyone else to know who you’re bidding for. Something else my husband taught me.” She turned her attention to the hostess. “Can I help you with the next course?”

  “No, thank you,” said Su Ling, “Nat’s hopeless, but is just about capable of carrying four plates into the kitchen, and when he remembers, pouring the occasional glass of wine.”

  “So how did you two meet?” asked Nat while, prompted by Su Ling’s comment, he began to refill the glasses.

  “You wouldn’t believe it,” said Tom, “but we met on a building site.”

  “I’m sure there has to be a more romantic explanation.”

  “When I was checking over the council land last Sunday, I came across Julia out jogging.”

  “I thought you were insistent about discretion,” said Nat smiling.

  “Not many people seeing a woman jogging over a building site on a Sunday morning think she wants to buy it.”

  “In fact,” said Tom, “it wasn’t until I’d taken her out for dinner at the Cascade that I discovered what Julia was really up to.”

  “Corporate real estate must be a tough world for a woman?” said Nat.

  “Yes, it is,” said Julia, “but I didn’t choose it, it chose me. You see, when I left college in Minnesota, I did some modeling for a short time, before I met my husband. It was his idea that I should look at sites whenever I went out jogging, and then report back to him. Within a year I knew exactly what he was looking for and within two, I had a place on the board.”

  “So you now run the company.”

  “No,” said Julia, “I leave that to my chairman and chief executive officer, but I remain the majority shareholder.”

  “So you decided to stay involved after your husband’s death?”

  “Yes, that was his idea, he knew he only had a couple of years to live, and as we didn’t have any children he decided to teach me everything about the business. I think even he was surprised by how willing a pupil I turned out to be.”

  Nat began to clear away the plates.

  “Anyone for crème brûlée?” asked Su Ling.

  “I couldn’t eat another mouthful; that lamb was so tender,” said Julia. “But don’t let that stop you,” she added, patting Tom’s stomach.

  Nat glanced across at Tom, and thought he’d never seen him looking so content. He suspected that Julia might even come to dinner a third time.

  “Is that really the time?” asked Julia, looking down at her watch. “It’s been a wonderful evening, Su Ling, but please forgive me, I have a board meeting at ten tomorrow morning, so I ought to be leaving.”

  “Yes, of course,” said Su Ling, rising from her place.

  Tom leaped up from his chair and accompanied Julia out into the hall, before helping her on with her coat. He kissed Su Ling on the cheek, thanking her for a wonderful evening.

  “I’m only sorry that Julia has to rush back to New York. Let’s make it my place next time.”

  Nat glanced across at Su Ling and smiled, but she didn’t respond.

  Nat found himself chuckling as he closed the front door. “Some woman that,” he said when he joined his wife in the kitchen and grabbed a drying-up cloth.

  “She’s a phony,” said Su Ling.

  “What do you mean?” asked Nat.

  “Exactly what I said, she’s a phony—phony accent, phony clothes, and her phony story was altogether too neat and tidy. Don’t do any business with her.”

  “What can go wrong if she deposits five hundred thousand with the bank?”

  “I’d be willing to bet a month’s salary that the five hundred thousand never turns up.”

  Although Su Ling didn’t raise the subject again that night, when Nat arrived at his office the following morning, he asked his secretary to dig up all the financial details she could find on Kirkbridge & Company of New York. She was back an hour later with a copy of their annual report, and latest financial statement. Nat checked carefully through the report and his eye finally settled on the bottom line. They had made a profit of just over a million the previous year, and all the figures tallied with those Julia had talked about over dinner. He then checked the board of directors. Mrs. Julia Kirkbridge was listed as a director, below the chairman and chief executive. But because of Su Ling’s apprehension, he decided to take the inquiry one step further. He dialed the telephone number of their office in New York, without going through his secretary.

  “Kirkbridge and Company, how can I help you?” said a voice.

  “Good morning, would it be possible to speak to Mrs. Kirkbridge?”

  “No, I’m afraid not, sir, she’s in a board meeting,” Nat glanced at his watch and smiled, it was ten twenty-five, “but if you leave your number, I’ll ask her to call you back just as soon as she’s free.”

  “No, that won’t be necessary,” said Nat. As he put the phone down it rang again immediately. “It’s Jeb in new accounts, Mr. Cartwright, I thought you would want to know that we have just received a wire transfer from Chase for the sum of five hundred thousand, to be credited to the account of a Mrs. Julia Kirkbridge.”

  Nat couldn’t resist calling Su Ling to tell her the news.

  “She’s still a phony,” his wife repeated.

  31

  “Heads or tails?” asked the moderator.

  “Tails,” said Barbara Hunter.

  “Tails it is,” said the moderator. He looked across at Mrs. Hunter and nodded. Fletcher couldn’t complain, because he would have called heads—he always did—so he only wondered what decision she would make. Would she speak first, because that would determine at the end of the evening that Fletcher spoke last? If, on the other hand…

  “I’ll speak first,” she said.

  Fletcher suppressed a smile. The tossing of the coin had proved irrelevant; if he’d won, he would have elected to speak second.

  The moderator took his seat behind the desk on the center of the stage. Mrs. Hunter sat on his right, and Fletcher on his left, reflecting the ideology of their two parties. But selecting where they should sit had been the least of their problems. For the past ten days there had been arguments about where the debate should be held, what time it should begin, who the moderator should be, and even the height of the lecterns from which they would speak, because Barbara Hunter was five foot seven, and Fletcher six foot one. In the end, it was agreed there should be two lecterns of different heights, one on either side of the stage.

  The moderator acceptable to both was chairman of the journalism department