Flyaway / Windfall (34 page)

A company wanting to take over another, as in the Electronomics case, would like to know the victim’s defensive strategy. Someone wanted to know what bid price Electronomics would jib at, and employed Peacemore to find out.

Of course, no one on the Board comes right out and says, ‘Let’s run an espionage exercise against so-and-so.’ The Chairman or Managing Director might be thinking aloud and says dreamily, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we knew what so-and-so are doing.’ Sharp ears pick up the wishful think and the second echelon boys get to work, the hatchet men hungry for promotion. Intermediaries are used, analogous to the cut-outs used in military and political intelligence, the job gets done with no one on the Board getting his hands dirty, and an under-manager becomes a manager.

Defence is difficult because the espionage boys go for the jugular. All the security guards in creation are of no avail against human weakness. So Stafford Security Consultants investigated the personnel of their clients, weeding out
doubtful characters, and if that was an offence against human rights it was too bad.

And sometimes we fail, thought Stafford.

He sighed and picked up the neglected whisky which Curtis had brought in. And now Gunnarsson was mixed up in the affairs of a friend. Not that Stafford felt particularly friendly towards Dirk Hendriks, but Alix was his friend and he did not want her hurt in any way. And Gunnarsson was not acting in a straightforward manner. Why had he not produced the missing heirs?

Stafford checked the time. It was probably after office hours in Jersey but he would try to talk with the Jersey law firm. There was no reply.

The next morning, just after he arrived at the office, Stafford took a call from Peter Hartwell, the director of the Jersey holding company whom he had queried the day before. Hartwell said, ‘Your man, Hendrykxx, died a little over four months ago. The body was cremated. I checked the newspapers and it went unreported except for the usual formal announcement.’

‘What was the cause of death?’

‘Heart attack. It was expected; he had a history of heart trouble. I discovered we shared the same doctor so I was able to ask a few questions. I went to the Greffe and saw the will. Makes bloody interesting reading, doesn’t it?’

Stafford said, ‘I’m surprised the newpapers didn’t get hold of it. It’s not often multi-millionaires hop their twig.’

Hartwell laughed. ‘Millionaires are not uncommon here—they’re just plain, ordinary folk. Besides, Hendrykxx lived very quietly and didn’t make waves. The news boys don’t read every will deposited in the Greffe, anyway.’

‘How long had he lived on Jersey?’ asked Stafford.

‘He came in 1974—not all that long ago.’

‘What about the executor? What’s he like?’

‘Old Farrar? Good man, but damned stuffy. What’s your interest in this, Max? Isn’t it a bit out of your line?’

‘Just doing a favour for a friend. Thanks, Peter; I’ll get back to you if I need anything more.’

‘There is one odd point,’ said Hartwell. ‘The clerk in the Greffe said there’s been quite a run on copies of that particular will. One from England, two from America and another from South Africa.’ Hartwell laughed. ‘He said he was considering printing a limited edition.’

After he put down the phone Stafford leaned back and thought for a moment. So far, so uninteresting, except possibly for the requests for copies of the will. He snapped a switch, and said, ‘Joyce, get me Mr Farrar of Farrar, Windsor and Markham, St Helier, Jersey. It’s a law firm.’

Five minutes later he was speaking to Farrar. He introduced himself, then said, ‘I’m interested in the late Mr Jan—Willem Hendrykxx. He died about four months ago.’

‘That is correct.’

‘I believe you are having difficulty in tracing the heirs.’

‘In that you are mistaken,’ said Farrar. He had a dry, pedantic voice.

Stafford waited for him to continue but Farrar remained silent. Well, Hartwell had said he was stuffy. Stafford said, ‘I take it you refer to Henry Hendrix of Los Angeles and Dirk Hendriks of London.’

‘You appear to be well informed. May I ask how you obtained your information?’

‘I’ve been reading the will.’

‘That would not give you the names,’ said Farrar dryly. ‘But essentially you are correct. Mr Henry Hendrix is flying from the United States tomorrow, and Mr Dirk Hendriks has been informed.’ Farrar paused. ‘It is true that I was surprised at the length of time taken by…’ He stopped as though aware of being on the edge of an unlawyerly indiscretion. ‘May I ask your interest in this matter, Mr Stafford?’

Stafford sighed. ‘My interest has just evaporated. Thanks for letting me take up your time, Mr Farrar.’ He hung up.

The telephone rang almost immediately and Alix came on the line. ‘It’s true, Max,’ she said excitedly. ‘It’s all true.’

‘If you mean about Dirk’s inheritance, I know. I’ve just been talking to Farrar.’

‘Who?’

‘The executor of the estate. The Jersey solicitor.’

‘That’s funny. The letter came from a solicitor called Mandeville in the City.’ Alix hurried on. ‘Dirk knew all the time. He said he didn’t want to excite me when I was having the baby. He had to go to South Africa to collect evidence of identity. He got back this morning and he’s seeing the solicitor tomorrow. And there
is
a long-lost cousin, Max. He’ll be there too.’

‘All very exciting,’ said Stafford unemotionally. ‘Congratulations.’ He paused. ‘What do you want me to do about Hardin?’

‘What would you suggest?’

‘He strikes me as being an honest man,’ said Stafford. ‘From the way it looked there
could
have been jiggerypokery, and Hardin did his best to put it right at considerable personal effort. I suggest you pay his London expenses and his total air fare. And you might add a small honorarium. Shall I take care of it?’

‘If you would,’ she said. ‘Send me the bill.’

‘I’ll break the news to him at lunch. ‘Bye.’ He rang off, asked Joyce to make a lunch appointment with Hardin, and then sat back, his fingers drumming on the desk, to consider the matter.

There did not seem much to consider. Mandeville was probably Farrar’s London correspondent; law firms did arrange their affairs that way. Stafford wondered why Dirk Hendriks had not told Alix before he went to South Africa—she had had the baby by then—but he always had been an inconsiderate bastard. There were a couple of minor points that did not add up. Who shot Hendrix and why? And why
hadn’t Gunnarsson produced Hendrix in England as soon as he had been found? But he had only Hardin’s word for those events. Perhaps Hardin really was a con man and playing his own devious game. Stafford, who prided himself on being a good judge of men, shook his head in perplexity.

He got on with his work.

Stafford stood Hardin to lunch in a good restaurant. The news may have been good for Hendrykxx’s heirs but it was bad news for Hardin, and he judged a good meal would make the medicine go down better. Hardin said ruefully, ‘I guess I made a fool of myself.’

‘The man who never made a mistake never made anything,’ said Stafford unoriginally. ‘Mrs Hendriks doesn’t want you to be out of pocket because of this affair. How long is it since you left Gunnarsson Associates?’

‘Just about a month.’

‘What did he pay you?’

‘Thirty thousand bucks a year, plus bonuses.’ Hardin shrugged. ‘The bonuses got a little thin towards the end, but in good years I averaged forty thousand.’

‘All right.’ Stafford took out his chequebook. ‘Mrs Hendriks will stand your air fare both ways, your London expenses, and a month’s standard pay. Does that suit you?’

‘That’s generous and unexpected,’ said Hardin sincerely.

Again Stafford wondered about Hardin, then reflected that sincerity was the con man’s stock in trade. They settled the amount in dollars, Stafford rounded it up to the nearest thousand, converted it into sterling, and wrote the cheque. As Hardin put it into his wallet he said, ‘This will keep me going until I get settled again back home.’

‘When will you be leaving?’

‘Nothing to keep me here now. Maybe tomorrow if I can get a seat.’

‘Well, good luck,’ said Stafford, and changed the subject.

Over the rest of lunch they talked of other things. Hardin learned that Stafford had been in Military Intelligence and opened up a bit on his own experiences in the CIA. He said he had worked in England, Germany and Africa, but he talked in generalities, was discreet, and told no tales out of school, ‘I can’t talk much about that,’ he said frankly. ‘I’m not one of the kiss-and-tell guys who sprang out of the woodwork with Watergate.’

Stafford silently approved, his judgment of Hardin oscillating rapidly.

Lunch over, Stafford paid the bill and they left the restaurant, pausing for a final handshake on the pavement. Stafford watched Hardin walk away, a somehow pathetic figure, and wondered what was to become of him.

Dirk Hendriks rang up next day, and Stafford sighed in exasperation; he was becoming fed up with
l’affaire
Hendriks. Dirk’s voice came over strongly and Stafford noted yet again that the telephone tends to accentuate accent. ‘I’ve seen the solicitor, Max. We’re going to Jersey tomorrow to see Farrar, the executor.’

‘We?’

‘Me and my unexpected cousin. I met him in Mandeville’s office.’

‘Happy family reunion,’ said Stafford. ‘What’s your cousin like?’

‘Seems a nice enough chap. Very American, of course. He was wearing the damnedest gaudy broadcheck jacket you’ve ever seen.’

‘Three million will cure any eyestrain, Dirk,’ said Stafford dryly. ‘Did you find out about the Ol Njorowa Foundation?’

‘Yes. It’s some sort of agricultural college and experimental farm in Kenya.’ Hendriks hesitated. ‘There’s a funny condition to the will. I have to spend one month each year working for the Foundation. What do you make of that?’

Stafford had noted the clause. His tone became drier. ‘A month a year isn’t much to pay for three million quid.’

‘I suppose not. Look, Max; this character, Hardin. What did you make of him?’

Stafford decided to give Hardin the benefit of the doubt. ‘Seems a good chap.’

‘So Alix says. She liked him. When is he going back to the States?’

‘He’s probably gone by now. He said there wasn’t anything to keep him here, and he has to find a job.’

‘I see. Could you give me his address in New York? He must have run up some expenses and I’d like to reimburse him.’

‘It’s all taken care of, Dirk,’ said Stafford. ‘I’ll send you the bill; you can afford it now. In any case, he didn’t leave an address.’

‘Oh!’ In that brief monosyllable Stafford thought he detected disappointment. There was an appreciable pause before Hendriks said, ‘Thanks, Max.’ He went on more briskly, ‘I must get on now. We’ve just left Mandeville who seems satisfied, and Cousin Henry, Alix and I are having a celebratory drink. Why don’t you join us?’

‘Sorry, Dirk; I’m not a bloated millionaire and I have work to do.’

‘All right, then. I’ll see you around.’ Hendriks rang off.

Stafford had told a white lie. Already he was packing papers into a briefcase in preparation to go home. There was a Test match that afternoon and he rather thought England would beat Australia this time. He wanted to watch it on television.

He walked into his flat and found Curtis waiting for him. ‘The Colonel has a visitor. An American gentleman, name of Mr Hardin. I rang the office but the Colonel had already left.’

‘Oh! Where is he?’

‘I settled him in the living room with a highball.’

Stafford looked at Curtis sharply. ‘What the devil do you know about highballs?’

‘I have been drunk with the United States Navy on many occasions, sir,’ said Curtis with a straight face. ‘That was in my younger days.’

‘Well, I’ll join Mr Hardin with my usual scotch.’

Stafford found Hardin nursing a depleted drink and examining the book shelves, ‘I thought you’d have gone by now.’

‘I almost made it, but I decided to stay.’ Hardin straightened. ‘Did Hank Hendrix arrive?’

‘Yes; I had a call from Dirk. They met the lawyer this afternoon. He seemed satisfied with their credentials, so Dirk says.’

‘The lawyer’s name being Mandeville?’ ‘Yes. How do you know that?’

Stafford had thought Hardin had appeared strained but now he looked cheerful, ‘I bumped into Gunnarsson this morning at Heathrow Airport. Well, not bumped exactly—I don’t think he saw me. I decided not to leave right then because I wanted to follow him.’

Curtis came in with a tray and Stafford reached for his whisky. ‘Why?’

‘Because the young guy with him wasn’t the Hank Hendrix I picked up in Los Angeles.’

Stafford was so startled that he almost dropped the glass. ‘Wasn’t he, by God?’

Hardin shook his head decidedly. ‘No way. Same height, same colouring—a good lookalike but not Hank Hendrix.’

Stafford thought of his conversation with Dirk. ‘What was the colour of his jacket?’

Hardin grinned crookedly. ‘You couldn’t mistake him for anyone but an American—Joseph’s coat of many colours.’

That did it. Curtis was about to leave the room and Stafford said abruptly, ‘Stick around, Sergeant, and listen to this. It might save a lot of explanations later. But first get Mr Hardin another highball, and you might as well have one yourself. Mr Hardin; this is Colour-Sergeant Curtis, late of the Royal Marines.’

Hardin gave Stafford a curious look then stood up and held out his hand. ‘Glad to know you, Sergeant Curtis.’

‘Likewise, Mr Hardin.’ They shook hands then Curtis turned to Stafford, ‘If the Colonel doesn’t mind I’d rather have a beer.’

Stafford nodded and Curtis left to return two minutes later with the drinks. Stafford said, ‘So you followed Gunnarsson?’

‘Yeah. Your London taxi drivers don’t surprise worth a damn. I told mine that if he kept track of Gunnarsson’s cab it was worth an extra tip. He said he could do better than that—they were on the same radio net. Five minutes later he said Gunnarsson was going to the Dorchester. I got there before him and had the cab wait. It ran up quite a tab on the meter.’

‘You’ll get your expenses.’

Hardin grinned, ‘It’s on the house, Mr Stafford. Because I’m feeling so good.’

He sipped his replenished highball. ‘Gunnarsson and the other guy registered at the desk and then went upstairs. They were up there nearly two hours while I was sitting in the lobby getting callouses on my butt and hoping that the house dick wouldn’t latch on to me and throw me out. When they came down I followed them again and they took me to Lincoln’s Inn Fields.’

‘Where Mandeville has his chambers. Right? That’s where you got the name.’

‘Right. I still kept the cab and hung on for a while. Gunnarsson came out just as Mrs Hendriks went in with a guy. Would he be Dirk Hendriks?’

‘Big broad-shouldered man built like a tank?’ Like a lot of South Africans Hendriks was designed to play rugby scrum half.

‘That’s the guy.’ Stafford nodded sharply, and Hardin said, ‘They went into the same place. I followed Gunnarsson to the office of Peacemore, Willis and Franks. I didn’t think I could do much more so I came here and paid off the taxi.’ He looked up. ‘I thought it was better I came here instead of your office.’

Stafford nodded absently, mulling it over, then he said, ‘All right; let’s do a reconstruction. You found Henry Hendrix and took him to Gunnarsson in New York. Gunnarsson, who had been hoping for a gold mine, realized he’d found it. Hendrix had no family, he’d never been out of the States, and it wouldn’t be too hard to drain him of information and put someone else in as a substitute here in London.’

Curtis coughed. ‘I don’t really know what this is about yet, but where is the real Henry Hendrix?’

Hardin gave him a sideways glance, ‘I wouldn’t care to guess.’ There was a silence while they digested that, then he asked, ‘So what do we do now?’