“Congratulations, Tom,” said Su Ling, as she opened the front door. “I’m so pleased for both of you.”
“That’s kind of you,” said Julia, as Tom handed his hostess a bunch of flowers.
“So when are you going to get married?”
“Sometime in August,” said Tom, “we haven’t settled on a date, in case you and Luke were booked for another trip to Disneyland, or Nat was off for a spell of night ops with the reserves.”
“No, Disneyland is a thing of the past,” said Su Ling, “Can you believe Luke’s now talking about Rome, Venice and even Arles—and Nat’s not due down at Fort Benning until October.”
“Why Arles?” asked Tom.
“It’s where Van Gogh ended his days,” said Julia as Nat walked into the room.
“Julia, I’m glad you’re here, because Luke needs to consult you on a moral dilemma.”
“A moral dilemma? I didn’t think you started worrying about those until after puberty.”
“No, this is far more serious than sex, and I don’t know the answer.”
“So what’s the question?”
“Is it possible to paint a masterpiece of Christ and the Virgin Mary if you are a murderer?”
“It’s never seemed to worry the Catholic Church,” said Julia. “Several of Caravaggio’s finest works are hanging in the Vatican, but I’ll go up and have a word with him.”
“Caravaggio, of course. And don’t stay up there too long,” added Su Ling, “there are so many questions I want to ask you.”
“I’m sure Tom can answer most of them,” said Julia.
“No, I want to hear your version,” said Su Ling as Julia disappeared upstairs.
“Have you warned Julia what Ralph Elliot is up to?” asked Nat.
“Yes,” Tom replied, “and she can’t foresee any problems. After all, why should it ever occur to Elliot that there were two Julia Kirkbridges. Don’t forget, the first one was only with us for a few days and has never been seen or heard of since, whereas Julia has been around for a couple of years now, and everybody knows her.”
“But it’s not her signature on the original check.”
“Why’s that a problem?” asked Tom.
“Because when the bank cleared the $3.6 million, the council asked for the check to be returned to them.”
“Then it will be tucked away in a file somewhere, and even if Elliot did come across it, why should he be suspicious?”
“Because he has the mind of a criminal. Neither of us thinks like him.” Nat paused. “But to hell with that, let me ask you, before Julia and Su Ling return, am I looking for a new chairman, or has Julia agreed to settle in Hartford and wash dishes?”
“Neither,” said Tom, “she’s decided to accept a takeover bid from that fellow Trump, who’s been after her company for some time.”
“Did she get a good price?”
“I thought this was meant to be a relaxed evening to celebrate…?”
“Did she get a good price?” repeated Nat.
“Fifteen million in cash, and a further fifteen million in Trump shares.”
“That’s a PE ratio of about sixteen. Not bad,” said Nat, “although Trump obviously believes in the potential of the Cedar Wood project. So does she plan to open a real estate company in Hartford?”
“No, I think she ought to tell you what she has in mind,” said Tom as Su Ling returned from the kitchen.