“I understand, and I wish you luck. Let me know when Jim has completed the sale, and I’ll get the funds wired.”
“Thanks, Stone.” They both hung up.
Stone called Rick Barron and gave him the news about Jack Schmeltzer’s decision to vote his shares against the sale.
“What a relief!” Rick said. “This has been a real roller-coaster ride; what else can happen?”
“Don’t ask,” Stone replied.
36
Stone was driving back to the Calder house when his phone buzzed again. He stopped at a traffic light. “Hello?”
“It’s Carolyn Blaine; where are you right now?”
“At Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset,” he said.
“Can you meet me at a coffee shop in fifteen minutes?”
“Where?”
She gave him the address. “It’s near my office.”
“I’m on my way.” He hung up and turned left on Sunset.
“Who was that?” Dino asked.
“Carolyn Blaine.”
“What did she want?”
“She wants me to meet her in fifteen minutes. She’s nervous about talking on the phone.”
Stone drove to the address in Westwood and parked the car. “I’ll leave the a/c on for you,” he said to Dino, then got out and walked into the coffee shop. Carolyn was already at a table.
Stone sat down, and they both ordered coffee. “What’s up?” “I should ask you that,” she said. “Terry has gotten very edgy and prickly, too.”
“Why?”
“For some reason, you really get to him. Every time he sees you he comes back fuming. It’s creepy.”
“Well, I’m sorry if I’ve made life more difficult for you.”
“What did you talk about last night at Jack Schmeltzer’s?”
“Terry took me aside and talked to me about Arrington Calder’s property in Bel-Air. Thanks for passing that information.”
“You’re welcome; what did he say?”
“He offered two hundred million bucks and to build a house for her on the grounds.”
“He’ll go higher,” she said.
“How high?”
“Two-twenty-five, maybe two-fifty mil.”
“Wow.”
“It’s a unique piece of property,” she said. “There’s nothing else like it in the United States. He likes a lot that it’s across the street from the Bel-Air Country Club. He’s a member there, and he thinks he could do some sort of deal with them to let his hotel guests play there.”
“He seems to be moving very fast.”
“Oh, yes; he’s already got his architects doing site plans.”
“Yes, he told me about his idea for putting all the parking underground.”
“It’s a good use of the space; he can put buildings or tennis courts over the garage area. Have you heard anything from Jim Long?”
“I heard this morning that he’s conscious and will make a full recovery.”
“When Terry hears that he’s going to go absolutely nuts.”
“You think he might make another attempt on Long’s life?”
“In the state he’s in, he’s capable of anything. Did you come to any sort of agreement on the Centurion deal?”
“No. In fact, I told him that Arrington would not consider selling him the Bel-Air property without a binding agreement for him to withdraw from the Centurion deal first.”
Carolyn looked astonished. “And he agreed to that?”
“No, just the opposite, but I think he’ll come around.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” she said.
“What is it that I don’t know?”
“I’ve learned that the money behind the Centurion deal is from some business associates of his late brother, the drug king.”
“South American interests?”
“Colombian and Mexican. They’re very excited about the Centurion property, and they fronted all the planning money.”
“How are they likely to feel about the Bel-Air deal?”
“Oh, Terry would never let them in on that. That will be his personal triumph, his pet project. If those people ever thought that he would kill the Centurion deal in order to buy the Bel-Air property, they would be incensed, and they’re not the sort of people you’d want angry with you.”
“That’s very interesting,” Stone said.
“It’s Long’s shares that will give you a majority of the votes, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Stone said. He wasn’t about to tell her about Jack Schmeltzer’s shares.
“How did you get on with Jack Schmeltzer?” she asked.
“I shook his hand; he was very cordial.”
“Did the Centurion deal come up in your conversations?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
“Well, he’s s one of the shareholders that Terry has in his pocket.”
“I didn’t know that,” Stone said.
“You didn’t know Schmeltzer before last night?”
“No, someone else invited me to his party. I’d never heard of him before that.”
“Are you really serious about selling Terry the Bel-Air property?”
“If the price is right, and I think building Arrington a house would be a very good carrot.”
She looked at her watch and set down her coffee cup. “I’ve got to get back,” she said. “He’ll be out of his meeting soon, and I want to be back in my office by then.”
“Carolyn, if you get the impression that Prince is going to make a move against Jim Long, please get in touch. He’s got personal security now, but he may want to beef it up.”
“Well, I can give you my opinion on that,” she said. “If Long goes back to jail, he’s a dead man.”
“Thanks, I’ll pass that along.”
She shook Stone’s hand and left.
Stone paid the bill and went back to the car, where Dino had a jazz station on the Bentley’s radio.
“So?”
“She says Prince is getting crazy,” Stone replied. “She says the money behind the Centurion deal is drug-related, and if the deal falls through, his partners will… well, they’ll be very angry.”
“Interesting,” Dino said.
“I told Prince that there would be no deal on the Bel-Air property unless he dropped his bid for Centurion.”
“Well,” Dino chuckled, “he can’t do that, can he? Not without making the wrong people mad.”
“Seems that way,” Stone said.
“You’re going to nail him to the wall, aren’t you?” Dino asked.
“Only if I get the chance,” Stone replied.
37
Stone was back at the Calder house when Rick Barron called.
“Stone, the Centurion shareholders’ meeting is set for early next week to take a vote on Prince’s final offer.”
“Has he come up with a final offer yet?”
“No, and he’s playing his cards very close to his vest.”
“We have a couple of new cards, too.”
“Tell me.”
“Jim Long is recovering; I think we’ll own his shares before the meeting.”
“And if we don’t?”
“We have fifteen thousand new shares that will vote our way.”
“From whom?”
“I promised I wouldn’t say. He doesn’t want it known until he actually votes. Frankly, I don’t blame him, what with the way that others have been dealt with.”
“Neither do I,” Rick said. “Do you feel confident he will actually vote with us?”
“He gave me his word, and I had a very strong impression that he meant it.”
“God, I hope I get through this without having a stroke,” Rick said.
“Just relax, Rick; it’s going to be all right.”
“I hope you’re right, Stone. Talk to you later.” They both hung up.
Manolo came out to the patio and handed Stone a brown envelope. “This was delivered by messenger a moment ago.”
Stone opened the envelope and found a formal offer for the Bel-Air property for two hundred fifty million and the new house. There was no mention of the Centurion deal. Stone called Arrington.
“Hello?”
“You out of your house?”
“I am; I’m in the rental.”
“We got an offer from Prince for your Bel-Air property a moment ago: two hundred fifty million and a house for you, built to your specs.”
“Wow!” she said. “I never thought he’d go that high.”