Dead and Gone - Andrew Vachss [128]
“I understand. And on Darcadia—”
“I assume the third consideration is not necessary to mention, despite its being inherent in my requirements.”
“I am sure not,” he said, smoothly, refusing to take offense at my constant interruptions. “Waterfront property is available, with sufficient dockage constructible to accommodate ships of any size. But I believe ambiguity is a potential source of dissatisfaction between associates and, thus, should be eliminated. So, as to your other specifications, if you will enlighten me …”
“Certainly, sir. Those ‘accommodating’ governments of which I spoke are run by mud people. I will not spend my final years in a country controlled by animals. You describe Darcadia, if I have read your prospectus correctly, as a country which would be openly racialist in its orientation.”
“Darcadia is a sovereign area. As such, it is free to—”
“Are you deliberately evading my question?” I snapped at him.
“Mr. Preston, my apologies if you took that to be my intent. Let me match your bluntness with my own. Non-Aryans will not be permitted on Darcadian soil.”
“Ah, that is unfortunate,” I said, setting my own hook.
“Sir?”
“I have certain … servants, if you will, who are not Aryans. They are my … preference. Am I communicating sufficiently?”
“You are,” he said, returning serve effortlessly. “My apologies. I should have explained that the prohibition is against citizenship and tourism. But Darcadians who enjoy a certain … status would be free to operate their private estates entirely at their own discretion. Is that satisfactory?”
“It … sounds so,” I said, centering myself for the bluff that the whole thing hinged on. “But I would need to see who I would be dealing with as well as the specifics of the deal. After all, what I would be investing in is, to some extent, intangible … at least for the present. But what I would be delivering is quite tangible. So, if you can come to my estate on Key West, at your convenience of course, we could finalize—”
“My regrets,” he said. “This would be, frankly, impossible. News of Darcadia has attracted considerable government interest. And I am, at least on paper, an American citizen. Neither I nor my Cabinet can subject ourselves to the jurisdiction of—”
“Yes, yes,” I cut him off, impatience dominating my voice. “All right. You pick our meeting place, then. But let me caution you: I will not fly. I simply don’t trust airplanes. So, if it is a considerable distance, be prepared to wait until I can make the journey by ship.”
“You are being more than reasonable, sir. Could I ask you to call back in twenty-four hours? I will have an answer for you then. A satisfactory answer, you have my word on that.”
“Twenty-four hours from right now? Or at eight-ten my time tomorrow night?”
“You are a very precise man.” He chuckled appreciatively. “Let us say eight-ten once more. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” I said. And hung up on him.
“Call them in,” I told Gem.
The next night, I went through the same routine, including the “receptionist,” and got him on the line. As soon as he started talking, I had to shut him down.
“Look,” I told him, allowing the impatience of the character I was playing to come through clearly, “just because I own a yacht doesn’t make me a damn sailor. You’re going to have to go slow; I need to write this all down.”
“Certainly,” he said, calmly. “Remember, we are meeting on your terms. That is, a place you can reach by boat. Your captain will know the Oregon coast …?”
I felt a bone-deep chill. How could he …? I rotated my head, slow and soft, like Max had shown me. Then reversed the direction. When I had control of my voice, I said: “What are you asking? Can he find the damn coast, or is he familiar with it?”
“The former, sir.”
“Then of course!”
“All right. Please set