'Glad to help, old buddy. By the way, I got a shell penguin for you. It's a beaut.'
'That's great,' Roger said faintly. 'Love to have it.'
Then he called Tony Harker. He told him about Keef-fringer's disappearance, the meeting between David Rathbone and Herman Weisrotte, and the discovery of Termite Tommy's body in the Coral Springs canal.
Harker didn't hesitate. 'Get back as soon as possible,' he said. 'The printer's not going anywhere; he'll be there when we want him. You schmooze with your buddies down here and see what you can pick up on the homicide.'
'They're not even sure it was a homicide.'
'I think it was,' Harker said. 'Don't you?'
'Yes,' Fortescue said.
48
They rehearsed their roles on the drive down to Miami. Both men were quick studies, and it didn't take long to cobble up a scenario and decide how it was to be played.
'Korne is not a megadealer,' Jimmy Bartlett said, 'but big enough. Most of his stuff goes to New Jersey and New England. He isn't in New York, but the last time I spoke to him, he was talking about expanding into Montreal and Toronto. He's an ambitious lad.'
'Lad?' David Rathbone said. 'Just how old is he?'
'Mitch? I don't think he's thirty yet. He's come a long way in a short time.'
'Do you call him 'Mitch' to his face?'
'I do, but I suggest you address him as Mr. Korne. He likes it when older men use Mister.'
'How did he get so far so fast? Is he a hard case?'
'Not personally. But he hires very dependable muscle and pays them well. I think the secret of his success is his business sense. He's a Harvard MBA, you know, and treats drugs like any other consumer product. That's what he calls dopers-consumers. He talks about his product line, distribution network, the need to maximize profitability, and so forth. Bribery of officials he calls Public Relations. His only regret is that he can't advertise. But he's considering putting a brand name on all his products as a guarantee of quality.'
'I'll snow him with Wall Street lingo,' David said. 'The smarter they are, the harder they fall.'
'By the way,' Bartlett said, 'how did you make out with the German in Lakeland?'
'In like Flynn. I could have sold him the Brooklyn Bridge. He bought the story of Termite Tommy being in the slammer. He promised to get started on our 50K of queer fifties.'
'And he agreed to accept twenty percent of the face value?'
'He did after I got half a jug of Beefeater in him. That guy must have a liver as big as the Ritz.'
'Who cares,' Bartlett said, 'as long as he does the job.'
The offices of Mitchell Korne Enterprises, Inc., were located in one of the raw, pastel-colored towers jazzing up downtown Miami. The firm was registered as an importer of South and Central American furniture, lamps, and decorative accessories. This business showed an annual profit apparently sufficient to justify a lavish suite of offices that doubled as a showroom for the company's legitimate imports.
Cocaine, marijuana, heroin, hashish, and other illicit substances were imported and marketed by another division with its own financial structure, personnel, and distribution. Both divisions, overt and covert, were controlled by the CEO, Mitchell Korne, although it was rumored that Mitchell Korne Enterprises, Inc., was actually a sub rosa limited partnership with several investors who financed the operation in return for an enormous quarterly cash distribution.
Korne's private office had none of the carved wood and Aztec-patterned upholstery of the reception room. It was severely modern: glass, chrome, leather, and built-in bookcases of polished teak. There were Japanese prints framed on the walls, and behind Korne's high swivel chair was a plate-glass picture window with a startling view of the Miami skyline and a small patch of blue water sparkling in the January sunshine.
After the introductions, they sat around a cocktail table: a single sheet of stainless steel supported on black iron sawhorses. There were no ashtrays in the room, no family photographs, mementos, or anything else that might yield a clue to the occupant's background and character. The office was as impersonal as an operating theater, and as sterile.
Korne was a tall, scholarly-looking young man with a hairline mustache and glasses framed in gold wire. Rathbone made him for a cold fish but was impressed by the dealer's three-piece suit of dove-gray flannel.
'How was Peru, Mitch?' Jimmy Bartlett asked.
'Impressive. I saw one huge valley that was almost totally coca shrubs. Very reassuring. Supply won't be a problem for the foreseeable future.'
'Which means, Mr. Korne,' Rathbone said, 'that distribution and marketing will be the keys to your bottom- line profitability.'
Korne looked at him with interest. 'Yes, I think that's a reasonable assumption.'
'David,' Bartlett said, 'why don't you make your presentation now. Mitch is a busy man.'
'Of course,' Rathbone said. 'I'll keep it as brief and on-target as possible. Mr. Korne, I'm from Indianapolis, and a number of associates and I have formed an ad hoc organization that is exploring a variety of ways in which undeclared income might be invested.'
Korne nodded. 'I understand,' he said.
'The associates I speak of are from Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa plus Ohio and western Pennsylvania. We have come up with a concept we feel has high upside potential and limited downside risk. In our home states are an enormous number of small colleges and universities. I can't quote the exact figure, but I assure you it's in the high hundreds. We feel the educational institutions in this area represent an exciting untapped market for your products. We propose to establish a network of distributors that would initially consist of one sales representative in each college and university. If initial results validate our optimistic computer analysis, we would eventually attempt to place a retail salesperson in every fraternity, sorority, and dormitory in every college throughout the target area.'
Mitchell Korne straightened up in his suede director's chair, then leaned forward intently. 'A very interesting game-plan. What specific product did you have in mind? Crack?'
Rathbone shook his head. 'I don't think so. You must remember that these college students are relatively wealthy. Crack is consciously or unconsciously linked with poverty. But cocaine is considered daring, glamorous. Look at all the movie stars and rock singers who have admitted frequent use.'
Korne nodded again. 'Yes, I think your decision to avoid crack is wise. It is certainly not a recreational product. Tell me, Mr. Rathbone, have you done any market research?'
'No, sir, we have not,' David said. 'Which is the reason I am here today. We-my associates and I-have decided to conduct a test in a limited number of dem-ographically selected markets. We feel it will take three months to have trained sales personnel on station. We would like to purchase fifteen kilos of high-quality cocaine to be delivered in three months. As proof of our dependability and serious intent, I have been authorized to pay the agreed-upon price immediately.'
'I see,' Korne said, sitting back. 'And what price did you have in mind?'
'Ten K per kilo.'
The dealer smiled coldly. 'I'm afraid not. It is far below the present market price, and the weight involved would not justify such a heavy discount.'
'I realize,' Rathbone said, 'that the sale of fifteen kilos hardly represents a significant transaction to a man in your position, Mr. Korne. But I want to emphasize that this initial purchase is merely for a market test. If our computer predictions prove viable, I have every expectation of requiring a vastly increased and regular delivery of the product in the future. What I am suggesting, Mr. Korne, is that if you are willing to take a chance on us in the formative period of our operation, you will find us a grateful and loyal customer in the years to come.'
'Another consideration, Mitch,' Bartlett said softly, 'is that you will have the use of a hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the three months prior to delivery. Surely the profits from investing those funds, even for a period of ninety days, will help offset the difference between what David is prepared to pay and the going
