Clint Faraday Mysteries collection A Muddled Murders Collector's Edition (35 page)

Clint thanked him, nodded at Downy and Abel
and went toward the pier. Abel said something to Downy and they
turned to follow him. He stopped at the entrance to the pier and
Abel asked if they could have a word with him. He said they
couldn’t help but overhear him asking about investments.

He shrugged and said he’d been warned about
dealing with gringo real estate agents. They said they were just
investors and were looking into some things. They might have found
a deal or two he would find interesting. They introduced
themselves. Clint said he was Denton Hanrady, from Georgia.

“
I’m
always interested in things that have a decent potential for
returns. I tend to take long shots if I’ve investigated them enough
to be sure they’re not the common scams or some idea that’s too far
ahead of its time.”

“
Too far
ahead? I don’t understand?” Abel suggested.

“
Well, my
father invested in Atari when it was just a new idea. He died three
months before the breakthrough. It was fortunate for my sister and
me that he did, but he could have invested the same money in
several things at that time that would have made something for
him.”

“
Oh. I
see what you’re saying. No hardwood farms that won’t even be
harvestable for eighty or ninety years. Something for the
grandkids, but not for your own investment. You won’t be around to
turn it over!”

“
Yes. And
I won’t have any grandkids. I’m past the time I want a family. I
just want to do something that could fund a school or hospital or
that kind of thing. My immortality won’t be through progeny, it’ll
be through memorable acts.”

“
You
would have to build quite a portfolio for that kind of thing!”
Downy said. “You’d need something that would return a huge profit
over an extended period.

“
Listen.
We have a project an associate from the states seems to have
stumbled on not far from here. A little east and over near the
Costa Rican border. It has the potential of literally millions to
one on an investment.

“
I can’t
say more because word mustn’t get out yet, but we have the
permitting process almost completed. You have to get the concession
from the government for some things.

“
It’s
being sold only on percentages. We have confirmation from experts
who’re in the business of locating such finds. This was found by
accident by our partner and his girlfriend when they were whi ...
following a favorite sport.

“
I’ve
said too much already. Almost all the percentages have been sold. I
think there’s only about seven or eight percent left by now and a
group are coming today or tomorrow who want to purchase that
percentage. They’ve already gotten confirmation about the, er, that
the product is actually there and in the amounts we’ve
estimated.

“
It’s not
cheap. We have to take it out of the earth. That’s what the
investment is there for. To extract the product. It’s an expensive
proposition, but the returns are as much as phenomenal!”

“
There
aren’t any mineral lodes here in large deposits, certainly not gold
or silver,” Clint said with a hard look of suspicion at them. “I’m
not some green idiot!”

“
No! This
is worth more than gold or silver in today’s world!” Downy
cried.

“
Uranium?
I guess it’s possible. Not enough platinum in concentrated lodes to
make mining it profitable. Cinnabar doesn’t have that much value
anymore since the damage to the environment is so much better
understood.

“
Really?
I know there’s some oil down near Venezuela, but not enough to....
It would have to be. I heard there’s a lost seepage area some
botanists came across either just inside Panamá or just inside of
Costa Rica. It’s not likely ... but stranger things have happened.
I’d take one hell of a lot of convincing on something like
that.”

“
We can
convince you with just the surveys and expert assessments,” Downy
suggested. “We’d rather have as few people involved as possible. We
understand the people coming are a little investment group. They
won’t know anything about this kind of thing and will be no end of
headaches. It isn’t cheap. That would be the first giveaway if it
was a scam. Fifty thousand per percent.”

“
Three
fifty grand? Hmm. I have a bit more than that to do a bit of
speculation with. I will take one hell of a lot of convincing. I
was almost taken in by some clever crooks back in the states with a
scheme to reopen some wells in Texas and Louisiana. It would have
to sell for five hundred a barrel to make anything.

“
I have
an appointment in the morning. Perhaps we could meet around
noon?”

“
We can
go over to the office now,” Abel suggested. “I know our partner is
there doing some work on the permits and concessions. We have a man
who’s in tight with the government agencies. He gets things
done.”

Clint shrugged and they headed for Batty’s
office where Yvon and Vern were having a little cocktail hour.
Clint saw Monica a block away, heading toward her rental. Vern gave
him a look, then grinned and said he was glad to meet him. The
others went into Batty’s office and Vern said to ditch the ring.
He’d noticed it several times because it WASN’T flashy like these
cruds wore. Clint looked surprised and said he’d never made that
kind of mistake before. Thanks.

“
It’s a
scam?” Vern asked.

“
I think
so. We’re okay?”

Vern grinned and said it would be fun. He
didn’t like those people and Yvon and Monica were all over him now.
They thought he would have all that MUNNEEE from Sally. They made
him sick!

Batty came to tell him to come in. He had
some things to show him. He introduced himself and said Abel had
told him I was Denton Hanrady?

“
Yes.
Mother’s family name was Denton so they named me after that. Her
father was Denton D. Denton. I suppose he was fortunate his middle
name was Daniel.”

They gave that a little “ha-ha-ha” and Batty
said he resembled a friend in Bocas. Clint Faraday.

“
So I’m
told. Some people in Santiago said the same thing. Fellow came from
Florida.

“
Let’s
understand each other about this deal. I’m not going to be easy to
convince. I know how to read most survey readouts and have been
exposed to about every scam you can imagine here.

“
I’m not
accusing you of anything here. Even if it is a scam you’re probably
on the wrong end of it yourselves. There are some very good con men
here.”

“
We hope
you’re that good!” Abel agreed. “We want every suspicion done away
with ourselves. As you say, if it’s a scam we’re due for a very
unpleasant shock for what we already invested. I have almost a
million and so does Sam and so does Batty.

“
This is
simply a survivor’s compact until it’s completed. One person has
already died – which is why there is any stock available to sell at
all.”

“
Died?
When? Who? I heard there was a woman murdered here, but that it was
about counterfeit money.”

“
Oh, yes.
Very sad thing,” Downy said. “Sally was an investor, but her
husband is still here and was on the papers with her so he’s still
in.

“
The man
who died was John Griffin, an investor from San Diego, California.
He had a long-term heart condition and died just a month ago or a
little more of acute heart failure.”

They chatted a moment more. Batty took the
same sonic maps he’d seen in Panamá City out and said the site was
found by accident, blah, blah, blah. They had paid a well-known
expert to map the area and they had found this.

Clint studied the map a minute, shrugged and
said, “Sulfur? What the hell!? At that depth you couldn’t hope to
get your investment back, much less make a profit! What the hell is
this crap? I SAID I’m no greenhorn! Christ!”

Abel looked like he was going to be the next
to die of acute heart failure. Downy was staring at the map with
his mouth hanging open. Yvon’s eyes were wide and her face was
showing almost sheer terror. Batty didn’t know whether to faint or
try to explain. His eyes said he was the one pulling the scam. He
was thinking a mile and a half a minute.

“
But ...
but! NO!” Batty cried, after a few seconds. “There’s some mistake!
Our engineer said there’s a huge pool of crude oil there. Right
here, see? A mountainous dome of pure crude oil!”

“
No, no.
Crude is viscous and rather muting at that pressure and
temperature. Sulfur is just before liquid and carries the sonic
impulses quite differently.

“
See
these numbers? That’s sulfur, dead cert! Whatever made you think
there was oil ... that’s almost right on Volcan Baru’! There’s
nothing but a little near-surface seepage in a volcanic
area!”

Batty got a jar of thick oil from a cabinet
and whined, “This was taken where it seeps onto some rocks just to
the west of the dome! Arnold swore it was a dome of pure crude.
Tens of millions of barrels of pure crude!”

“
Bill
Arnold from Texas? I think I met him a year or so ago. Mapping
Chiriqui. There’s some zinc in the area.”

“
But he’s
a partner in this. He swore it’s a legitimate find!” Abel gasped.
“Oh, dear God! Oh, God!”

“
I think
I see what’s going on here,” Batty hissed. “He found this and is
collecting the funds, then will claim it was all a big mistake and
we’re SOOOO sorry we spent all your money drilling, but I was
CERTAIN it was oil! Oh, what will become of my reputation for
making such a HUGE mistake!”

“
The
engineer gets the funds?” Clint asked, looking around at them like
they were a bunch of idiots.

“
He’s
co-treasurer. He needs funds to hire the drilling crew as soon as
the permits are done,” Yvon said. “I have my whole life’s savings
tied up in this! We HAVE to get our money back!”

“
Well, I
hired Clint Faraday, as you well know, to see if this deal was
legitimate. That’s why he was actually here, not because of that
mafia don, Laredo or whatever,” Batty said, drawing himself up to a
stance of indignation. “I was just the least bit suspicious and
wanted all doubts cleared up and accounted for. I’m a co-treasurer,
too! I’m going to transfer every centavo that’s still in the
account into my name and will figure ... no! It goes into the name
of ... who? Who can we all trust? I know you’ll have suspicions
about anyone here. After all, WE got you involved!

“
Vern! Is
Vern still out there?”

Yvon ran to the front and came back in with
Vern in tow.

“
Vern,
you are now the treasurer with full control of all funds we can
save in this gawdawful mess!” Batty said. “Von, Frank, you, me and
Sam represent a majority vote. Carried. I’ll get everything I can.
With that much in deposit, I can call Garcia and have the funds
transferred right now! He’s president of the bank and can handle it
electronically from his home, I’m sure.”

He took out his cell phone and called a
number, said they had discovered a probable scam and he must speak
with Garcia, then called another and spent about twenty minutes
convincing Garcia that they had uncovered a scam and wanted the
money out of the hands of the present handlers, himself included.
He didn’t want any suspicion directed at himself for any
reason.

They stood around for about ten minutes, then
Batty got a call. He said a lot of the funds were gone, but there
was still over two million in the account that they would be able
to split among the stockholders. At least they wouldn’t go totally
broke from this.

They decided to go to El Critico because they
could get a private meeting room there and could call everyone in.
Lariez was there and greeted them. He was with two bimbos who were
most definitely NOT terrified of him. He looked sharply at “Denton”
for a second or two, then seemed convinced he wasn’t Clint and left
with the two girls and his tag-along thug, who had picked up a girl
of his own.

They went into the meeting room and ordered a
round of drinks and some food. Clint said he wasn’t going to drink
anything but water. He never took alcohol except a glass of wine
now and then at meals. No one seemed to know how to start it so
Clint stood and said they had to discuss the problem whether they
wanted to or not. He was certainly no part of it, but had some
experience with such things and would offer advice – if they wanted
it.

They didn’t have a clue as to how to proceed
so asked him what they should do, but wait until the others were
there.

Half an hour later they were all there except
Monica. Yvon called her and she said she had gone to Panamá City.
She had some kind of emergency that came up. She was on the bus
nearing Santiago at that moment.

Veeeddddy inderesdink! Was she supposed to
hustle a certain engineer out of the country? Was she going with
him?

Batty looked confused and a bit afraid. No
one else reacted much at the news. Batty said he had to use the
bano, then they could discuss what to do.

After about two hours they had decided to
take the money that was left – Vern would check the exact figures
first thing in the morning – and divide it according to the
percentages held. Batty and Yvon said they would use what they got
as investment capital in land. At least they would get a little
back. They would meet at Batty’s office at nine. They would
appreciate it if Clint would be there. Vern suggested that. Clint
said he would put his appointment off until ten thirty. He’d be
there.