Out of Bounds

The cake was appropriate, an ice cream base glazed with chocolate frosting. Sculptures of two golfers adorned the top. “Come on you guys, eat one more piece; Fred, Sven, Steve, anybody?”

  There were no takers. Sven just shook his head. He had been silent and brooding since learning about Dagfin. Who could blame him?

  “Mary, the cake is great, but you can’t expect us to eat three pieces just because some of your guests had to leave early.”

  “Dave, your humor isn’t always appreciated by everyone. Well, if everyone is done, I’m going to take this opportunity to powder my nose. Anyone care to join me?”

  “Sounds interesting,” Dave replied, “but we have a little man-talk to take care of before we leave. Maybe Ginny and Jill can join you?” The ladies took the hint and Chris took the opportunity to get something from the car. Better yet, she also picked up the tab.

  Bradford looked across the table at his best friend. “Fred, you mentioned once that you had an option to buy out Mario’s share of the restaurants in the event Mario is ever convicted of a crime. Is that clause similar to the buyout option you prepared for Dagfin?” Fred’s eyes hardened but he didn’t say a word.

  Bradford stared across the table at Sven. “Are you going to remain silent? Isn’t it obvious that they were using you?”

  Sven sat silent for a long time before he raised his eyes and looked at Fred. “My Board of Directors and I knew this man only as J.R. I didn’t know his real name until I saw him at the funeral. J.R. brought us this investment opportunity and mandated that we authorize the funding. I see now how badly we were used. J.R. is Chairman of the Board.”

  Fred didn’t say a word or react to Sven’s accusations.

  “You used me too, Fred,” Bradford continued. “You used my friendship to find out what we knew about your operation. You used everybody you dealt with; Sven, Mario, Romano, everybody; didn’t you?”

  “You are not making any sense, Dave. What do I stand to gain from all of this; Mario’s share in the restaurants? That’s peanuts.”

  Steve interrupted. “You’re right, Fred. It didn’t make sense because it looked like the only winner in all of this was Dagfin. Ken mailed Buzz a copy of the contract we showed Sven. It makes Dag the big winner if the partnership collapses.”

  “Go on, you have the floor.”

  “We still didn’t figure it out until this afternoon, when Dave got a package from Ken. This package had pictures plus a lot more,” Steve lied. “This picture is Dave’s favorite; the one showing you and Dagfin shaking hands at the Zurich airport. You were playing both ends, Fred. It wasn’t Romano, it was you.”

  Dagfin was your man in Cabo San Lucas, and based upon what Sven said, it sounds like you controlled the majority of the Board of Directors in Zurich.

  Fred’s confidence started to crack. “This doesn’t prove a thing. I needed the Swiss to win. I bet on them.”

  “No Fred, that was your cover” Steve explained. “Either way the profits from the drug money ended up in the same accounts. Romano’s accountant, Bob Murphy, initially transferred the funds directly into Mario’s accounts in the West Indies. When you found out Dave won the golf match, you had Dagfin wire transfer the money into the Swiss accounts just in time for Dagfin pay Mario the $988 Million. Dag’s computer and the computer recovered at the drug bust will bear this out.”

  “What does this have to do with me?” Fred said defiantly. “I know nothing about any of this.”

  “We just need to follow the money,” Steve replied. “It’s interesting that the FBI could only trace the money when Dag made the transfer to buy out Mario. We still cannot break the encryption code Murphy used to transfer the money at the Fairgrounds. We will. We have his computer, so it’s only a matter of time.”

  “Does that mean that they would have gotten away with it if Buzz had won?” Bradford said aloud.

  “That’s right, Dave. If Buzz wins, they probably get away with it.”

  “Clutch putt,” Buzz said to with a grin.

  “Convenient miss, Buzz,” Dave thought.

  “I still don’t see how this has anything to do with me,” Fred insisted. “What do I gain if Buzz had won?”

  “If Buzz won, you and Romano have the casino and the money,” Steve answered.

  Hector interrupted. “You also have a friend in the governor’s mansion. You wanted Buzz to win the match so bad, you had Bill Martin hire Jesus and his friends to kidnap Mary. ”

  “That’s crazy. Dave, I would never hurt Mary. Who says so?”

  “Jesus,” Hector answered.

  “Jesus is dead,” Fred retorted.

  “How did Fred know Jesus is dead? I wondered.

  “Almost, but not quite,” Hector replied. “He lost a lot of blood plus other parts of his anatomy, but he is talking. He has been cooperative.”

  “I want a lawyer,” Fred said. “You can’t prove a thing.”

  “I’m afraid we can, Fred. We have a lot more and I’m sure Sven and Dagfin will decide to cooperate,” Steve replied as two FBI agents escorted Fred outside, moments before the ladies came back from the powder room.

  “Are we ready to go?” Mary asked.

  “Where’s Fred?” Judy asked. “His shoes are still here.”

  Chapter 9

  The Parking Lot