Bel-Air Dead by Stuart Woods Read Free Book Online

pillow, then he filled the tiny wound with spirit gum, so it wouldn’t drain further.”
    “What’s spirit gum?” Stone asked.
    “It’s a thick, gummy substance that actors use to create makeup, and undertakers use to fill indentations in a corpse. The ME might have overlooked the wound, since he wasn’t expecting it, if Rivera hadn’t asked him to be thorough.”
    “Well, we’re in a whole new ball game, I think,” Stone said.

10
    Dino looked at Stone. “You look worried.”
    “I guess I am,” Stone said.
    “Something to do with Mr. Prince?”
    “Yes,” Stone said.
    “What was he like?”
    “Like Donald Trump, except with good taste and real money.”
    “I’m trying to get my mind around that,” Dino said.
    “He’s a very slick article, and I came away impressed, until you told me about Jennifer Harris.”
    Stone’s phone buzzed. “Hello?”
    “It’s Arrington. What are you doing out there?”
    “Dino and I had lunch with Rick Barron today, and then I met with Terrence Prince.”
    “And how did that go?”
    “Have you ever met or spoken to Mr. Prince, Arrington?”
    “No, neither.”
    “He seems very cocksure about your selling your shares. Have you indicated to anyone that you intend doing so?”
    “Nobody out there.”
    “How about at home?”
    “My lawyer and accountant.”
    “Do you trust them both implicitly?”
    “I guess. They’re the same man.”
    “Does he have any special qualifications for managing your affairs?”
    “I manage my own affairs; he’s the old-line go-to guy, and he has a good reputation, locally, for giving sound advice.”
    “What is his name?”
    “Howard Sharp.”
    “I think you should fire him at once.”
    “Why?”
    “Because, if what you’ve told me is true, he’s the only person who could have given Terrence Prince the assurance that you’re going to sell your Centurion shares to him, and that is a serious ethical violation. It means you can’t trust the man.”
    “And who should replace him, you?”
    “No, I don’t have all the skills required to advise you in a credible way. However, Woodman & Weld does, and if you become their client, I can see that you get their best attention.”
    “What can they do for me that Howard Sharp can’t?”
    “They can keep your confidences, for a start. They can also tell you how much you should pay for Champion Farms.”
    “Will you ask them to offer an opinion on that?”
    “They already have,” Stone said. “Thirty-five million at the most, thirty-eight, if you’re fond of Rex Champion and want to be generous with him.”
    “And how did they arrive at that number?”
    “Through due diligence,” Stone replied. “Something Mr. Sharp is not acquainted with, apparently. Tell me, did Mr. Sharp recommend that you pay fifty million for the farms?”
    “Yes, he said it was a steal.”
    “Does he also represent Rex Champion?”
    “I don’t know—possibly.”
    “He sounds like trouble to me.”
    Arrington was silent for a moment. “Why does Woodman & Weld think Rex will sell for thirty-five million?”
    “Because he’s nearly bankrupt, and he’s selling off his breeding stock for the cash to keep going.”
    “He assured me that both he and the business were doing well.”
    “Then he’s desperate, and that has made him a liar.”
    “I don’t relish looking him in the eye and offering him fifteen million less than he’s asking, and I don’t like putting his back against the wall.”
    “You shouldn’t do that, you should let me or Bill Eggers do it, and, as Bill has suggested, if you want to be generous with him, you can offer him thirty-eight million.”
    Arrington thought about it for a moment. “Offer him thirty-six million,” she said.
    “Is that a firm price, or are you going to wiggle?”
    “I’ll go to thirty-seven million, if I have to.”
    “I think you should make him a take-it-or-leave-it offer, and walk away if he doesn’t accept.”
    “All right, offer him