“Why don’t you two come stay with me? I’ve got plenty of room and there really isn’t much point in trying to rent anything for the little bit you’ll be around town.”
“I’ll talk to Norman about that but for now we are kind of settled in our hotel room and the insurance is picking up the cost for now. The adjuster started his investigations this afternoon and might be able to give us an answer tomorrow. I’ve had some offers from a couple of developers in the past and with my new job and the house being gone it would make it easier to take the money and walk away.”
“A hundred and fifty acres sitting where it is would bring a very nice price and would give you a very good fresh start when your contract expires.”
“Yes it would, besides I’ve been trying to figure out how to cover the property taxes on it in the future as it keeps going up in value.”
“I can certainly understand that. Well you and Norman will be wanting dinner and we can talk later so just remember my offer.”
“I will Mom.”
Norman gives her a puzzled look as he sits down on the opposite side of the vacant desk.
“I didn’t know you had been approached by developers about your land.”
“Well I never really shared that with anyone because I never intended to sell but, like I told Mom with the house gone it is a lot simpler.”
“How much have you been offered?”
“The last offer was for seven hundred fifty thousand.”
“A lot of money, it would be best handled by a tax attorney then the remainder put into an offshore account.”
“A tax attorney? Why, you’re a lawyer, couldn't you do it?”
“Abraham Lincoln once said something like this, “A man who represents himself has a fool for a client.” I do not even try to act like I understand tax law, I know a guy that owes me a favor who does. I'll give him a call in the morning. How did the ordering go earlier?”
“Fine, we should see everything in about two weeks. They’ll call right before delivery to confirm the shipping address and then we just have to get it all sent to Peru.”
The rest of the evening is spent eating dinner and starting to search down little things that they will need that they couldn’t get from Cabella’s. The next morning Wren is up long before Norman and sitting in the bathroom so as not to disturb him, as she starts back to looking through Hacker’s laptop. The list is getting thinner but she knows the last few will be the worst.
“Josh Standard, works at Missouri Baptist hospital, two different vehicles, a two thousand Chevy cavalier and a nineteen eighty Harley-Davidson. I wonder if he still lives on Tuxedo Boulevard, I guess there is really only one way to know for sure.”
Having chosen her next mark she closes up the laptop and climbs into the shower. She wakes up Norman half an hour later and once he is in the shower starts to contemplate how to deal with mister Standard.
“What are you up to?”
“Contemplating.”
“Your next mark?”
“Yea, I think we’ll make a slight detour down Tuxedo Boulevard on our way to your office this morning.”
Taking forty-four to Big Bend Wren heads up what turns out to be anything but a short distance. After several miles they spot Tuxedo and make the left onto the side street. Just a few houses down and there it is the white cavalier sitting in the street in front of the house and a man on a Harley just looking to pull out of the driveway. He looks along the busy street and stares at Wren for only a moment then narrowly avoids being hit as he takes off in a flash back the way Wren has just come.
“You know dear, I think he was expecting you.”
“You get that impression too? Funny thing is I wouldn’t dream of doing him in here, too many witnesses. But I now have an idea what his bike looks like.”
“So I guess it’ll be soon.”
“Tonight. I think I’ll drop you off at work then I’m going to try to find some replacement books for my new job and then I’ll pick you up for lunch.”
“Sounds fine to me.”
Wren spends most of her morning talking to her old professors and accumulating a list of recommended reading materials and reference books to take along with her to Peru. The rest of the time is spent in various book stores scattered across the city. It is close to one before she finally picks up Norman for lunch.
“I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about our lunch date.”
“Sorry, I got a little tied up with picking up books.”
“That’s alright I just need to be back about a quarter to two because I have an important meeting at two.”
“Well, how about that little sub shop around the corner.”
“Works for me. I spoke to Doctor Hernandez a little bit ago.”
“Oh! I forgot about the express letter coming in this morning. Why didn’t you call me?”
“It arrived late, about eleven thirty and I figured I’d see you within about half an hour. Anyway as I was saying, he has already arranged for a shipping container to be delivered for your gear to be transported in. I went ahead and agreed to have it sent to our previous address. I looked through the paperwork he sent and it all looks pretty straight forward. They agree to cover the cost of my arrival, my food and benefits, and an additional ten thousand a year in pay.”
“Well that’s good.”
“I thought so, I also heard from my car insurance company and they will be delivering a check tomorrow for my truck. Your homeowners adjuster agrees with the fire marshal that it was definitely an act of arson. However, since we have airtight alibis as to our whereabouts, everything was paid for and we would not show any monetary gains by the destruction of the property they have agreed to cut a check for the actual replacement cost of the house so about one hundred fifty thousand dollars.”
“Well, that will more than pay for our gear.”
“I kind of thought that myself. I made a few calls and started setting up an offshore bank account for us.”
“Why?”
“Well, I think it is safer than leaving our money in an account here. If they ever found out about you the very first thing they would do is to freeze all of your assets. I found a bank with an office in Cuzco and another here in Chicago. It means a trip to Chicago but I think it will be worth it in the long run.”
“I’m going to trust you on the legal stuff. If you think it best it probably is. When did they say the shipping container would be delivered?”
“The day after tomorrow, that’s the earliest I could get it. Speaking of which, we also need to start making our flight arrangements soon.”
“My cousin Abby is a travel agent and can handle that for us, I’ll call her after lunch. So did Doctor Hernandez say when we should be there?”
“Yes the shipping container is to be picked up on July the eleventh and we are to meet him at his office on August first.”
“Not much time, not much at all. We need to be in Lima by July thirtieth.”
“Why not the thirty-first?”
“Peru is ninety percent Roman Catholic and very orthodox, you’d never get around on a Sunday so we need to be there by Saturday.”
“Well we need to be getting back and I’ll leave the transportation to you.”
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