Tenth Commandment by Lawrence Sanders Read Free Book Online Page B

I got is going to upset the applecart. With what I got, the Kipper will ain't worth the paper it's printed on. Unquote.'
    'And he said he has another potential customer?'
    'Yes, sir. He said he was meeting with them later today.
    That's his word: " t h e m . " '
    We sat in silence for a long time. Finally he stirred and said, 'I dislike this intensely. As an officer of the court I cannot become involved in shenanigans. At the same time, I have a responsibility to our deceased client and to the proper distribution of his estate as set forth in his last will and testament.'
    He stared at me without expression. I didn't catch on for a moment. Then I knew what he wanted.
    'Sir,' I said, 'is there anything odd about that will?'
    'No, no,' he said. 'It's a relatively short and simple document. But I have not been entirely forthcoming with you, Mr Bigg. On the morning of the day he committed suicide, Sol Kipper called this office and said he wished to execute a new will.'
    'I see,' I said softly.
    'Do you?' he said. 'I don't. Now we have this "Marty"
    claiming to have information that may invalidate the existing will.'
    'Yes, sir,' I said. 'You want to pay him, Mr Tabatchnick?'
    'I told you,' he thundered, 'I cannot let myself become involved!'
    'Of course not, sir. But I'm not an officer of the court; I have latitude to act in this matter.'
    That was what he wanted to hear. Mr Tabatchnick settled back, entwined his fingers across his solid stomach, 50
    regarded me gravely.
    'What do you propose, Mr Bigg?'
    'The funds can't come from this firm, sir. There can be no connection, nothing on our books. The money must be made available from an outside source.'
    He thought a moment. 'That can be arranged,' he said finally.
    'And I must be the only contact Reape knows. No one else in the firm can speak to him or meet with him.'
    'I agree.'
    'The first thing for me to do is to call Reape and tell him we agree to his terms. Before he makes a deal with his other customers. I will then arrange a date for the transfer, postponing it as long as possible. Then I hand over the money and he hands over his information or delivers it orally.'
    'Why do you wish to postpone the transfer as long as possible?'
    'To give me time to devise some plan for getting the information without paying.'
    'Splendid, young man!' he said. 'If you can. But your primary objective must be acquiring the information. I hope you understand that.'
    'I do, sir.'
    'Good. Keep me informed. I'll need a day or two to provide the funds.'
    'Mr Tabatchnick, it would help if you could tell me something about the existing Kipper will. Specifically, who stands to inherit the most? And if the will is for some reason declared invalid, who would stand to profit the most?'
    He looked down at his big hands, now clasped on the tabletop.
    'For the moment,' he said in a low voice, 'I would prefer to keep that information confidential. Should the time come when it is vital to the successful conclusion of your, 51
    ah, investigation, I will then make available to you a copy of the will.'
    It was time for me to go.
    'Mr Bigg,' he said.
    I turned back from the door.
    'This conversation never took place,' he said sternly.
    'What conversation, sir?' I asked.
    He almost smiled.
    6
    I called Marty Reape when I returned to my office. No answer. I wondered if he was meeting with his other customers.
    I took off my jacket and started hacking away at inquiries that had been submitted by junior partners and associates. Most of these could be handled with a single phone call or a letter, or a look into Roscoe Dollworth's small library of dictionaries, atlases, almanacs, census reports, etc.
    What was the Hispanic population of the Bronx in 1964?
    How long does it take to repaint a car?
    In what year was penicillin discovered?
    Who was the last man to be electrocuted in New York State?
    What are the ingredients of a Molotov cocktail?
    I tried twice to call Marty Reape. Ada Mondora called to say I had an