Two Jakes by Lawrence de Maria Read Free Book Online Page B

Adele’s
passing. She is in my prayers. As are you.”
    “Thank
you, your Eminence. That’s very kind.”
    The
Cardinal looked at Scarne, who stood. Shields made the introduction. The last
time Scarne had met a Cardinal was at his confirmation and he’d kissed his
ring. He was relieved when this Cardinal stuck out his hand for a manly shake.
Condon winked at Scarne as they left.
    “Where
does Victor Ballantrae figure into all of this?”
    The
old man's shoulders slumped. He waved to the waiter.
    “I
will have another brandy.”
    The
waiter looked at Scarne, who shook his head. Shields took a healthy pull of his
drink and then reached across and gripped Scarne’s arm.
    “Josh
was investigating the Ballantrae Group.” He sagged back in his chair. “And it’s
my fault.”
    “I
don’t understand.”
    “I
know Ballantrae. Hosted him several times on our yacht. That’s one of my
responsibilities. One of my few responsibilities. Randolph – I should say we –
may need some deep-pocket partners. Our company is not immune to the inroads of
the Internet. Ballantrae has offered us a substantial infusion of capital for a
minority stake.”
    “That
would also explain the glowing profiles.”
    “Yes.”
    “So,
what was the problem?”
    “Randolph
thinks Ballantrae is a hale fellow well met. Blinded by his money. No, that’s
not quite fair. They have a lot in common. Bigger than life, buccaneers. Talk
women and golf incessantly. You know the sort. But something about him just
didn't sit right with me. I can’t put my finger on it. Call it intuition.”
    “Surely
your brother did his due diligence.”
    “If
a check clears, that's all the due diligence Randolph needs. Especially now,
with other sources of money drying up.”
    “Did
you tell him about your doubts?”
    Shields
sighed.
    “My
brother doesn’t have a high opinion of my financial acumen. Or my intuition. I
needed some ammunition. I asked someone in our cable news division to
discreetly look into the Ballantrae organization. He wasn’t discreet enough and
Alana Loeb got wind of it.”
    “Alana
Loeb?”
    “Ballantrae’s
chief of staff. She called Randolph and demanded an explanation. He naturally
didn’t know a thing about it and denied any involvement. When he tracked down
the reporter and found out it was true, he was justifiably outraged. I’d put
him in a bad spot.”
    Scarne
thought about that. His sympathies were with Randolph. Just what the man
needed: a meddlesome, passed-over brother second-guessing efforts to save the
family company. Moreover, everything he’d read about Victor Ballantrae was
positive, even discounting the public relations hype. He was becoming a
national icon for funding rehab facilities for wounded veterans. The Ballantrae
Invitational was one of the premier events on the pro golf tour, raising
millions for childhood cancer research. Scarne had been lobbying with friends
to get an invitation to the tournament’s Pro-Am for months.
    “What
happened?”
    “It
was all I could do to save the reporter’s job. And I had to fly down to Miami –
that’s where Ballantrae happens to be headquartered – and apologize in person.
I was humiliated. And angry. So while I was there I told Josh what happened. I
should have known he’d follow up.” Shields took a sip of his brandy. “Maybe I
did. Maybe I wanted him to.”
    “But
you both must have realized Ballantrae would find out.”
    “Josh
wouldn't trade on his name. He wrote under the byline ‘Joshua Hidless.’”
Shields spelled out the last name. “It’s an anagram of Shields. I’m afraid it’s
also a dig at my brother, a rather poor pun indicating that now he could write
what he wanted.”
    “Did
he come up with anything?”
    “I
think so. He called and asked me if any deal with Ballantrae was imminent. I
told him that it was some months away. He was relieved. He said he had gathered
information about Ballantrae that was too explosive to talk about over