THE TAINTED TRUST (Volume 2 of The King Trilogy)

CHAPTER 8

       Almost an hour later, Mike telephoned Alfred Schnieder from his hotel room.

"And what did you and Karen think of Louis Visconti?" Schnieder asked, struggling to mask his anxiety.

"We were impressed. It's not hard to understand why you recommended him."

Relieved, Schnieder leaned backward and flashed a golden smile. "Any negatives?"

"How much did you tell him, Alfred? How much information did you give him about the trust, its history and its current owner?"

Schnieder spun the stem of his glass between his index finger and thumb, staring at his swirling brandy. "I must remind you that many years ago, when I came to Venezuela from Germany, I learned very quickly that secrecy is of paramount importance in the banking business. I learned that if one wants to survive in the business, one must be discrete with his clients and their holdings."

"Never mind the crap, Alfred. What did you tell him?"

"I merely told Louis that you would be contacting him to arrange a meeting, and that the purpose of the meeting was to determine his suitability to manage the trust. I swear to you, Mike. I will go to my grave with your secret. Please rest assured that unless and until I am instructed to disclose any further information, my lips will remain sealed."

"I was afraid you'd told him more, and I needed to be certain. I want the memory of that money to die a natural death, Alfred. Only time and absolute secrecy are going to kill it."

"Mike, I must remind you that it is my intention to retire in August. On the fifteenth of that particular month, I will have completed my sixty-fifth year on this planet. Have you made a decision with respect to Louis Visconti? I must insist on an answer."

"Karen made her decision in New York, but I needed to talk to you before I made mine. It's absolutely crucial to me to know that our secret stays with you...Visconti's our man."

"Splendid!" Schnieder shouted, again flashing most of his gold teeth, thrilled that his net worth had suddenly escalated by five million dollars. "Would you like me to tell Louis the good news, or would you prefer the pleasure?"

"You do it, Alfred. Karen and I have officially started our honeymoon...Exactly how much money is in the trust?"

"It's quite difficult to give you a precise answer to that question at any specific point. The value is constantly fluctuating. Conservatively, however, I estimate it's current value to be close to its value when you left Caracas: three hundred and twenty-five million," Schnieder said, deliberately shorting the actual value by five million.

"Thank you for everything, Alfred. Your personal attention to our little secret is very much appreciated."

"The pleasure is all mine. I wish you, Karen and Phillip much happiness."