He sat back and smiled genially.
“I am afraid you are mistaken. That is not an investment our firm would undertake.”
She tilted her head flirtatiously.
“Oh, that is not the word on the streets.”
“Well I'm afraid that word is false. We have no such enterprise.”
“Perhaps,” she said coyly, “the investment is not with your company but with you, personally.”
“I make it a habit not to discuss my own interests in my office. And it sounds as if you may have wasted your visit to me since you have such a specific investment need.” He moved his chair back as if to stand up.
“No,” she said firmly. “We are not done yet. We need to discuss the gold.”
“Why don't you tell me exactly what you think you know,” he replied. He knew from the partially opened door that Bellevue was carefully taking notes. Like Henry, Bellevue worked with him on John Grey's special matters when needed, and was aware of the current investigation.
He would have to admit that Miss Belden was far more attractive then he had expected, and apparently somewhat more intelligent, too. Was she, in fact, Karl's sister rather than his wife? He would have John get some men on that to verify.
Harriet remained sitting across from him looking coolly at William.
“Come now,” she drawled. “It is well known you were involved with that gold heist at Gettysburg half a dozen years ago. That gold completely disappeared and your company is thriving. I am not the only one to have made the connection.”
Well, she certainly wasn't beating around the bush now.
“I'm afraid I must deny everything you have just said. It has no credibility whatsoever.”
She smiled slyly as if she had information of which he was unaware. Well he would have to be unaware of it, since he hadn't have anything to do this with the gold theft. He had, rather, assisted in the investigation into its disappearance and, like the other investigators, had come up against a dead end. Someone knew where the gold was, but it wasn't he and, apparently, neither was it Harriet, as she was pinning her hopes on him.
His mind had been racing trying to figure out how to turn this situation into an advantage in his current investigation. Somehow he must determine where she had gotten this alleged information.
“When you say word is out on the street,” he said, “whose word?”
“Well that's for me to know and you to find out,” she replied pertly.
“Yes,” he responded calmly, “that is exactly what I'm trying to do. Find out. That person is the one who has the inside track, not I.”
She frowned. No, Karl had told her he had absolute proof that it was Belden behind the whole thing. Karl had been there himself and been cheated out of his share when the colonel had appeared. He had been unable to follow up for a few years, but now he was back out on the street and had seen Colonel Belden and followed him to this office.
Karl and his henchmen had determined this was where the trail would end. The gold itself might be long gone, but if it had been invested, he wanted his share.
Karl had been wrong to think that the son-in-law, Ralph, had anything to do with this venture, but they had cut their losses with him and now the others would have reason to know that Karl Krause meant business and would not be shaken off with false promises.
Harriet narrowed her eyes and tried flirting a bit again, to no particular effect. She stood up.
‘I think, perhaps, I need to visit again and bring my brother with me to explain why you should consider our offer to invest with you.”
“If you will give your direction to my secretary, I will be pleased to stop by your abode to find out what he has to say. I regret I can add no more to the conversation.” He had risen when she did.
Rather than having him visit her house, which she knew would not be to her advantage, she suggested a restaurant as their meeting place.
“Come alone,” she said.
“Oh, I trust my secretary with everything. I think it best if he attend as well.”
She considered for a while and then nodded. Yes, after all it would be a public place. There could be no harm and her crew would be standing by watching.
~~~
John later informed William that he and his men had counted five individuals surveilling them as they sat in the restaurant. He didn't believe any of his agents had been spotted, but he had come up with street names for most of the crew and was tracking down identities.
William had observed Harriet very closely at the restaurant. She and Karl looked nothing alike so her claim of kinship clearly had an ulterior motive. And when she had removed her gloves to eat, there was a dent, where she clearly normally wore a ring, on her wedding finger. He shared that information with John who confirmed that he had found a record of marriage between Harriet and Karl from 1862.
She had led an interesting life while Karl was in prison after being caught stealing horses. He had been fortunate not to be hanged for the offense, but had claimed he was liberating horses stolen by rebels. In retrospect it would have been convenient if he had been hanged.
Karl remained cagey about any source that might have supplied him the information that implicated William. But he basically made clear he didn't really care whether William admitted his part in the heist; he was merely concerned with getting his fair share now.
Harriet had proposed a marriage of convenience to allow her access to transactions and insure his cooperation, offering thinly veiled threats against his daughters and granddaughter.
“Oh,” she had cooed,
