'Nah,' he said, 'it's peanuts. How much is that estate — four mil? Five mil? It's worth fifty grand to make sure it goes to the right people, ain't it?'
' Well. . ' I said, 'I'll certainly bring this to Mr Tabatchnick's attention the moment I get back to the office.'
'Don't jerk me around, sonny,' he said. 'I got another hot customer for this property. I'm meeting with them later today. First come, first served.'
'I'll contact you as soon as Mr Tabatchnick comes to a decision,' I said. 'Would you mind giving me your full name? You can't expect us to make a payment of that size to someone we know only as Marty.'
He thought that over, squinching his eyes and wrinkling his nose.
'I guess it won't do no harm,' he said. 'It's Reape. R-e-a-p-e. Marty Reape. As in 'Rook before you Reape' — right? You can reach me at that number I gave you. I'll be in late this afternoon.'
I nodded and slid out of the booth. 'Nice meeting you, Mr Reape.'
'Yeah.' He showed no intention of leaving with me.
That this was a ploy to avoid being followed was obvious, but he underrated my professionalism.
Outside I turned west, crossed Ninth, and immediately chose a doorway for the stakeout. Then I settled down to wait, hands in my pockets. I stamped my feet occasionally to keep them from becoming lumps. Now and then I took my hands from my pockets to hold my ears. He came out finally, stood at the kerb, zipping up his parka and looking around. Then he turned and started walking east towards Times Square.
He was on the south side of West 46th Street. I stayed on the north side, well back of him. The sidewalk was filling up with people rushing to get a lunch table at one of the restaurants that lined the street, so Marty Reape moved slowly. Even in the crowd the cap and anorak were easy to spot. If he suspected he might be followed, he certainly gave no indication of it; never once looked over his shoulder or glanced in a store window to catch a reflection.
I tailed him to a few doors east of Eighth on 49th, where he turned into a building next to a porn movie house that was showing 'Teenage Honey Pot.' When he'd had time to clear the lobby I trotted across the street and ducked in.
There was a directory on the greasy marble wall.
MARTIN REAPE: PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS.
I practically ran back to the office to give Mr Tabatchnick my report, but Thelma Potts said he was at lunch and that she would buzz me when he returned.
I had a cheeseburger and a container of milk sent in and ate at my desk while I typed a report of my meeting with Martin Reape. I put it away in the Kipper file and then I called Mr Teitelbaum's office. He never went out to lunch; he had a cup of tea and two graham crackers at his desk. I told him I'd like to meet and question the Stonehouse family and I thought it would go a lot easier if he called first and set up the appointment for a time when all the family and the servants would be present.
'Yes, yes,' he said testily. 'I'll call you back.' He hung up abruptly.
Maybe his graham crackers had been stale.
I had no sooner hung up than Thelma Potts called. I took the elevator to the fourth floor with two clerks carrying stacks of law books up to their eyebrows.
'Twice in two days,' Thelma Potts said. 'My, what would this company do without you?'
'Stick with me, kid,' I said, 'and you'll be wearing diamonds.'
I knocked once and went in. He was feeding his fish, crumbling some white stuff into the tanks and making little sounds with his tongue and teeth. It sounded like, 'nk, nk, nk.'
'Mr Tabatchnick,' I said, 'I had a meeting with Marty about the Kipper estate.'
He went on feeding fish. 'Sit down and tell me,' he said.
When I mentioned the $50,000, Mr Tabatchnick's hand jerked and one of his finny friends got an unexpected banquet. I finished describing the meeting and he came back to his swivel chair behind the trestle table, dusting his hands.
'I like it less and less,' he said. 'If he had asked for five hundred, or a thousand, or even five thousand, I would 49
have assumed he was merely a cheap chiseller. But he obviously believes his information is of considerable value.
And if he is a private investigator, he may indeed have discovered something of consequence. Repeat exactly what he said regarding the nature of his information.'
'He said, quote, What 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.'
