Deadly Lode (Trace Brandon Book 1) (20 page)

When I got back to my office
,
my first call was to Tina.

“
Tina, it
’
s Trace. How
’
s your mom doing?
”

“
Better, Trace
,
but it
’
s going to be a long haul. How was your trip?
”

“
It got cut short. One of Cyrus
’
s associates was killed in Vancouver
,
and he
had to get back.
So I didn
’
t get much on-island time
,
but what I did see
,
I liked. When we get a break
,
and your mom
’
s better, I
’
ll take you down there.
”

“
Sounds good, Trace
,
and I
’
m sorry about Mr. McSweeny
’
s friend
,
but I
’
m
very
glad you
’
re back.
”

“
Let me get caught up a tad
,
and we
’
ll spend some time together.
”

“
Y
ou
’
ve got a date,
cowboy
.
”

My second call was to Wally
,
in Vancouver. I wanted his take on what went down with Thorn
ton
.

“
Well, Trace,
Rosenburg told me this Thorn
ton
character
pulled a knife and
tried to steal
his Montana Creek Mining shares
.
Richard
kept a
revolver
in his safe and pulled it out instead of the
stock cert
’
s.
H
e
shot
Mr.
Thorn
ton
three times in the chest.
Point
-
blank range.
”

“
Damn, what in
the
hell is going on?
”

“
Good question. Listen, the name
Thorn
ton
seems
familiar to me. Do we know somebody by that name?
”

“
Remember Ike
,
the core rustler?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Well, Ike told me he
’
d been
hired by someone called
‘
Thorny
’
.
”

“
I
’
m surprised that idiot told you anything.
”

“
Yeah, well, I
had to use
e
nhanced interrogation
techniques.
”

“
What?
”
Wally said, stifling a laugh.
“
What
did you do to him
? Or maybe I don
’
t want to know
.
”

“
Nothing much
really. M
y techniques are
a few
levels
below
water
-
boarding.
”

“
Uh-
h
uh.
So
,
if Thorny
and
Thorn
ton
are one and the same, then this leads back to Cyrus?
”

“
Could be.
”

“
Stealing
the shares
for Carib
wouldn
’
t
have
work
ed
. The
shares would
have
to
be transferred legally. New cert
’
s issued from the transfer agent
, all the normal paperwork
.
”

“
Maybe
Cyrus
ha
s
something on Rosenburg
and w
as
trying to get the shares legally
?
”

“
Well, there were some rumors on the street about Rosenburg being into a Vegas casino for some serious money.
Could be
there
’
s a connection
?
”

“
Possible.
At least the shares are still in
Rosenburg
’
s
hands
. M
aybe we should see if we can buy him out
. Before someone else comes after him or he dumps
the shares.
”

“
My thoughts exactly.
And we better move fast
,
before
t
he Virus whacks him for killing his buddy, Thorn
ton
.
”

C
hapter
1
2

A
couple days later
I got a call from
Jim Lee at
International Uranium Corp.

“
Trace, Jim Lee with IUC
. G
ot a minute?
”

“
Yes,
sir
. How are you?
”

“
Good, Trace. I
’
m in Toronto meeting with fund managers and wanted to get back to you on acquiring a minority interest in Montana Creek Mining.
”

“
What did your board think?
”

“
Oh, th
ey
’
re like me
. T
hey
’
d like
a bigger stake
. B
ut I convinced them this is all that
’
s available at the present time. The situation hasn
’
t changed, I assume?
”

“
No, we
’
ll sell up to a twenty percent interest. I
’
ve already cleared it with my board.
”

“
Okay, Trace. We
’
re willing to take twenty percent of Montana Creek Mining at a twenty percent premium to the share price. Based on a thirty
-
day price average prior to the closing date.
We
’
ll also agree to
provide all the technical support you
’
ll need.
We would like a first right of refusal to meet or beat any offers, should you decide to sell additional interests in Montana Creek. And I would like a seat on your board.
”

“
Sounds
doable
, Jim. I
’
ll brief my board
,
and we
’
ll look forward to receiving a formal proposal.
”

“
I
’
ll Fed
E
x it to you today. I
’
ll be in Vancouver later in the week. Would it be convenient to meet
on Thursday?
”

“
Perfect, we can meet at Walter
Wilkins
’
s office. Wally
’
s one of our directors and a Vancouver attorney. I
’
ll bring Will Coffee
,
our other director
,
and we can approve the deal
in Vancouver.
”

“
Sound
s
good. My board has already approved the deal
in principal
,
and I
’
ll be able to sign for IUC.
”

“
Okay, I
’
ll e
-
mail you Wally
’
s coordinates after we hang up. I look forward to seeing you in Vancouver
,
and to a long and profitable partnership.
”

“
Same here, Trace.
”

I set up a conference call with Wally and Will and filled them in.

“
Boys, this is a hell of a deal for us,
”
I said.
“
We get a major mining company for a partner, technical expertise to production
,
and a cash infusion of about three and a
half
million
bucks
.
”

“
Should be enough cash to carry us through the drilling
,
”
Will replied.

“
I
’
m damned glad you got the standstill agreement, Trace,
”
Wally added.
“
This deal with IUC is going to whet a lot of appetites for a piece of Montana Creek Mining.
B
eing able to vote their shares will keep us out
of
a hostile takeover
attempt
.
”

“
Yes,
absent any further dilution,
it will,
”
I replied
.
“
However, fellows, at
some point we
’
re going to
be
approached to sell the balance of the company. Either to IUC or another major company.
”

“
You
’
ve just summed up our exit strategy,
Trace,
”
Will said.

“
Agreed,
”
Wally replied.

“
I
’
m glad you guys agree. It
’
s the only way for the three of us to cash out and leave the company
,
and our shareholders
,
in good stead.
”

Cyrus was not subject to a standstill agreement.
He hit speed dial and called Malcolm.

“
Malcolm, Cyrus here.
”

“
Yes, Cyrus, how are you
, and what can I do for you
?
”

“
I
’
m fine. I
’
ve taken care of Thorny
’
s family
,
and now I
’
m ready to take care of that miserable son of a bitch, Rosenburg.
”

“
What
’
ve you got in mind?
”

“
Getting his
Montana Creek Mining
shares
,
is what I
’
ve got in mind. I
’
m out eight hundred
grand
I paid the
Pantelli
s
,
Thorny
’
s dead
,
and
I want some
payback.
”

“
Well, he still owes the million
-
dollar debt
Pantelli
assigned to you. I can make contact with him and tell him we
’
re taking legal action to collect.
I
’
ll make it plain
we
’
d
like
his Montana Creek Mining shares as payment in full.
”

“
Okay, but the gloves are off. You let that SOB know if he doesn
’
t cooperate
,
it
’
ll go hard on him.
”

“
I
’
ll get the message across,
sir
.
”

“
You do that
,
and get back to me.
”

Rosenburg was working the phones too, calling the best stock promoters in Vancouver.
He was looking for a home for his
half
million shares of Montana Creek Mining
,
and he really didn
’
t give a shit who bought
them
.

He
’
d just hung up from pitching his deal to a notorious pump and dump promoter when he got an incoming call.

“
Rosy, it
’
s Al
Pantelli
. I wanna thro
w
something out to you.
”

“
Okay, I
’
m listening.
”

“
My family wants to buy your shares of Montana Creek Mining.
”

“
I
’
m still listening.
”

“
We
’
ll pay you two dollars a share
,
and
I
’
ll work out something with the
Carib
people.
You
’
ll be in the clear and have a million bucks in your pocket.
”

“
What kind of deal with Carib?
”

“
You let me worry about that.
”

“
How about two
-
fifty a share? I think this company
’
s mine is the real deal.
”

“
How about we break your
f
reakin
’
legs and buy your note back from Carib?
You get my drift,
Rosy
?
”

“
Y
ou make a very
convincing proposal
, Al
. H
ow could I refuse
?
”

“
Smart move, Rosy.
Catch a plane and be down here tomorrow with the stock cert
’
s and signature
-
guaranteed stock powers.
Capisce
?
”

*****

Will and I flew to Vancouver
to meet
James Lee at Wally
’
s
law
office
.
We took a cab from the airport to
Wally
’
s office
in the
Hastings
Building
in downtown Vancouver
. Wally
’
s office was on the twentieth floor.

“
Trace, Will, good to see you fellows,
”
Wally said, shaking our hands.
“
Jim
’
s already here. He
’
s in the conference room.
”

The three of us went into Wally
’
s conference room. The view
of the harbor
and
the
mountains above North Vancouver was spectacular. Wally had done quite well for himself in Vancouve
r
.

“
Gentlemen, Jim sent me a copy of IUC
’
s proposal
,
and I
’
ve drafted an agreement I believe covers all the terms and conditions,
”
Wally said, handing each of us a copy of the twenty
-
page
document
.

It took a couple of hours to work through the
agreement
. With just a couple of minor changes, we affixed our signatures.

“
Really good job on the agreement, Wally,
”
I said, pushing the signed agreement across the table.

“
I couldn
’
t agree more,
”
Jim said, putting his
gold
pen back in his shirt pocket.
“
It
’
s going to be a pleasure working with you
fellows
.
”

“
Now that we
’
re partners, I think a little celebration is in order,
”
I said.
“
How about supper at
the Blue W
hale
Café
?
”

“
Is it a good place?
”
Jim asked.
“
I would love some fresh
P
acific
N
orthwest seafood.
”