Shark and Octopus Read online

  “What should I do with the box?”

  “Hold onto it. Now, next step. Go online. Find out how much an 18th century violin typically weighed. If you can find out how much the 1742 Guarneri del Gesu weighs, better still. Figure a couple extra ounces to account for the weight of foam pads that would protect a violin shipped in a box like this.”

  “And then?”

  “And then, Kit, stuff that amount of weight into the violin box. Be as exact to the weight as you can. Buy a scale. Then, when you have placed the exact same weight of whatever you’re using to stuff the box, and it weighs the same as a violin, seal the box up.”

  “Okay,” he answered, “But stuff the box with what?”

  “Stuff it with whatever you’d like,” Griffin answered. “We want someone who’s extremely knowledgeable about violins to be convinced there’s a violin inside that sealed box.”

  *

  Griffin spent most of the next hour on the couch, petting Dr. Eckleburg, that spot under the chin she liked so much. At 1:15 he abruptly stood up, sending Dr. Eckleburg tumbling off the couch. Griffin thought for a few seconds, searching for the right words. When he had them, he called Saif.

  “Here’s what I came up with,” he told Saif, without much of a hello. He was getting as bad as Grace. “This is only the opening move in the chess match. We don’t want to show the cards in our hand. To mix metaphors atrociously. I need you to post a message. All three websites. I’m trying to keep our message both simple enough and vague enough.

  “Here’s the message for you to send: ‘Attention: My client has recently come into possession of a renowned 18th century string instrument. Serious buyers only please.’ Don’t sign it with my name or anybody’s. That’ll increase the mystery. Post it on the message boards of all three websites you selected.”

  “I’ll send the message-”

  “But not over your professional electronic address, Almost-Doctor Venkatesan. I am counting on you to maintain an unbridgeable gap between your professor’s life and what we’re doing here. Remember the firewall we talked about when all this was starting?”

  “No one at Hopkins can know I’m consorting with the likes of you.”

  “That’s more true than ever, my friend. You’re not even one week or so away from becoming Dr. Venkatesan. Stay off the university server. You have a personal lap top. Use that.”

  “I will. But, Griffin? In your message you’re not specifying the asking price or the kind of string instrument. Could be a viola, could be an Aeolian harp, could be a hammered dulcimer, could be a six string guitar, all of which are currently for sale on these websites. And without an asking price? You are likely to get a great many responses.”

  “That’s okay if we do. There are only two we’re interested in.”

  “Alexander Webb and Roberto de Ruiz.”

  “Alexandra Webb and Roberto de Ruiz.”

  “You’re setting out the bait, aren’t you, Griffin?”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “Maybe one of them will nibble.”

  “Better still, both of them. And better yet – they both don’t just nibble, but take the bait, hook, line and proverbial sinker. Saif, can you check the websites every hour or so, between classes and prepping for your doctoral defense?”

  “No prob.”

  “Call me as soon as you get any nibbles.”

  *

  At 10:30 the next morning Saif did exactly that.

  Griffin was on the couch with Dr. Eckleburg when the phone rang. When he saw it was Saif calling, Griffin got to his feet so quickly Dr. Eckleburg took another tumble to the floor.

  Saif’s voice was rushed, not with the demands of a crowded schedule but with excitement.

  “We’ve had dozens of responses on the websites to our notice,” Saif began. “Including Alexandra Webb, I’m pretty sure.”

  “Not that I doubt you, but what makes you say that?”

  “One reply email came to the website from De-BOR-ah Miller’s address at Future-Ride. So I called up there, pretending to be tech support. I’m no actor like Bobby, but I can fake it as a techie.”

  The delight in his voice was unmistakable. Griffin thought back to that first night when they discussed the man in white over pizza. How had Saif described Griffin, Annie, Bobby, and Kit? You’re off road guys. Clearly Saif was enjoying his time off road.

  He said, “Guess what? De-BOR-ah Miller’s been out sick all week. Alexandra Webb used her email account. I assume without her knowledge. Why would she do that, do you think?”

  “If our offer somehow blows up on Alexandra, she’d claim she knew nothing about it. She’d say De-BOR-ah went rogue on her. I don’t know if buying a violin stolen by the Nazis is against American or international law; I do know it’s not the sort of activity the CEO of a Manhattan investment firm wants to be caught engaging in. She’s using De-BOR-ah as her fall girl. Talk about throwing De-BOR-ah under the bus? Alexandra Webb would be willing to toss her associate under the bus, jump behind the wheel, and stomp on the accelerator.

  “De-DOR-ah has all the likeability of the flu, but she deserves better than that. No question about it – anyone trusting Alexandra Webb is taking a huge risk. What did she say in the email?”

  “Four words, Griffin: ‘Which instrument? What price?’”

  “Sounds like the lady of the dissertation, doesn’t it? Money-driven and to the point. Remember that Alexandra Webb probably has a commission arrangement with Roberto Ruiz?”

  Saif did. He said, “The websites say twenty percent is typical for commissions.”

  “A twenty percent commission of the forty five million-”

  “Or more.”

  “Or more. Whatever the Guarneri del Gesu sells for is her payday,” Griffin agreed. “But that’s all this is for her. A payday, nothing more. For Roberto de Ruiz, the del Gesu is something else entirely. Speaking of – any word from our man in white, Roberto de Ruiz?”

  “I don’t think so, Griffin. Not yet anyway.”

  “I’d be surprised if he replied right away. He’s too careful. It’s a safe bet he’s aware of our initial offering. But for now he’s sitting tight.

  “Even if he didn’t notice the posting,” Griffin went on, “Alexandra Webb certainly did and will tell him about it, if she hasn’t already. This is the first step for her in gaining that ginormous commission for obtaining the del Gesu. She’s got to be feeling extremely fortunate right around now. All those months of calling Hans Baeder without result. The many fruitless trips to Ulm and Hamburg. Instead, the object of all her searching suddenly appears to be for sale.

  “Can I call you this time tomorrow, Saif? It’s my sense we need to keep this moving quickly. I don’t think we should just shoot Senor de Ruiz an email with all the necessary information. Instead, he’ll get a series of emails, each with another piece or two of information. Let’s keep him wriggling on the hook, anxious and guessing a bit.

  “But before then, our favorite actor has to step back on stage.”

  *

  “I’m calling from a pay phone? And, I’m calling collect?”

  “Bobby, you’re Dr. Walter Briggs, who is not only frugal, but weirdly so. Trust me. Alexandra Webb will take your call.”

  “How do we even know she’s still in the Future-Ride office at quarter after five in the afternoon?”

  “Grace has helped us with that at my request. She had someone on her staff call Future-Ride. The staffer claimed she has heard such wonderful things about Future-Ride. She wants to invest with the firm. A 1.32 million dollar investment. She’s going to call Future-Ride about financials and discuss investment strategy. This all takes place at 5:30, today. Alexandra Webb won’t be leaving early today.”

  They were standing by a pay phone at a 7-11 on The Alameda. The store’s only customers were a pair of twelve year old boys filling a Big Gulp cup with every flavor available. The twelve year olds wore hoodies and shorts so oversized they seemed destined to wind up aroun
d their ankles.

  “Bobby, you tell Alexandra Webb you won’t be investing with Future-Ride after all.”

  “That’s it? I’m, sorry but-”

  “You’re not sorry at all! Dr. Walter Briggs wouldn’t care about disappointing anyone. It’s a simple fact you’re imparting. You won’t be investing with Future-Ride. Remember when we were in the Future-Ride offices in Manhattan? Almost the last words Alexandra spoke to me were to ask we call her, whatever our decision on investing. That’s why you’re calling her now.”

  “She’ll ask why.”

  “Of course she will. We’re counting on that. That’s the real point of the call. Your explanation why you’re not investing in Future-Ride. We’re planting a seed in Alexandra’s greedy brain.

  “Bobby, you’re going to tell Alexandra Webb you have decided to invest every dime you own and every dollar you can borrow to buy a musical instrument. You do not identify the instrument. You do not name the seller. You’re a man of mystery. Nor do you mention the price. You do tell her the asking price for the instrument is so high you are part of a consortium of buyers going in together on the instrument. Your role is simply an investor. The point man for the purchase is your lawyer.”

  “That’s you,” Bobby said.

  “Me, indeed,” Griffin said. “You don’t know all the specifics of the investment. You’re Dr. Walter Briggs, inventor and above such trivial concerns. But you’ve been assured your lawyer will, soon after the sale, turn around and resell the never-named musical instrument for a sizeable profit. This is all about making money. That Alexandra will get.”

  Bobby watched the two boys leaving the 7-11, passing a Big Gulp cup back and forth. They got on their bikes and pedaled away, still passing the Big Gulp back and forth.

  “Bobby? Bobby, you sure you got all that?”

  *

  Bobby did; he absolutely did. The entire conversation – a virtual monolog for Bobby – took less than two minutes.

  The worry “sorry” never crossed Bobby’s lips. He did not apologize for investing elsewhere. He let Alexandra Webb know that any disappointment she might be feeling simply did not show up on his radar screen. He was marvelously mysterious about what instrument he and his consortium were buying. Alexandra obviously kept pressing on that point, but Bobby never deigned to answer her anxious questions.

  “My lawyer knows that,” he said several times, with just the right mixture of condescension, annoyance, and intellectual’s befuddlement.

  “My lawyer knows that,” he said one last time, before ending the call.

  “Oscar worthy,” Griffin told Bobby. To himself, Griffin muttered, “Now comes the tricky part.”

  THIRTY-THREE

  June 28

  10:39 am

  Griffin called Saif.

  “Let me close the door to my office,” Saif said. A few seconds later he returned to the call, asking, “What’s our next step?”

  “Next, we let Alexandra Webb and Roberto de Ruiz know we’re offering the biggest prize of all. Send out another email on all three websites. Reply directly to all who contacted us and post it for all others. Here’s the message: ‘Attention: Appraised value of the violin we are offering is $45 million. No intermediaries. We will deal only with buyer directly. Our client wants sale consummated in Baltimore-‘

  “Griffin, many of those responding live abroad. They wouldn’t necessarily know where Baltimore is.”

  “Not know where Baltimore is!” Griffin shouted in mock dismay.

  “Hard to believe, I know. Better you add, ‘Maryland, USA.’

  “Okay. Where was I? ‘Our client wants sale consummated in Baltimore, Maryland, USA by July sixth at a location of our choosing.’” Griffin continued. “The $45 million price tag should keep out the hoi polloi.”

  “The hoi polloi?” Saif laughed. He really was enjoying himself. “Who are the hoi polloi?”

  “You are. I am. Kit, Bobby and Annie are. Everyone who doesn’t have $45 million to buy a violin are hoi polloi. This is too rich for the hoi polloi. But not too rich for Alexandra Webb and Roberto de Ruiz.

  “Alexandra will of course recognize the $45 million as the value she placed on the 1742 Guarneri del Gesu in her dissertation. Senor de Ruiz will as well. He hired her; he knows her credentials. The violin is no doubt worth substantially more than that. But we’re making a point for Alexandra and Roberto. No one else is of interest to us. Let’s knock on their doors, see if anybody’s home.

  “One last detail.” Griffin opened the door to the Malibu. “Say, ‘Replies to this offer must be received within 24 hours.’

  “That’s a tight time window, Griffin. What if Alexandra Webb or Roberto de Ruiz don’t see the notice?”

  Griffin slid into the driver’s seat.

  “They’ll respond,” he said. “Both of them. In their very different ways, the 1742 Guarneri del Gesu simply means too much to let slip by. They’ll respond.”

  “Is this the time to mention that we don’t actually have a 1742 Guarneri del Gesu to sell?”

  Griffin started the car’s engine.

  “No, it’s not the time to mention that.”

  *

  Saif called back the next morning. When the phone rang Griffin was on the front porch, Dr. Eckleburg sunning herself on his right thigh. This time the cat moved more quickly than Griffin and avoided getting tumbled to the floor.

  “He replied, Griffin! He bit the bait,” Saif announced, in a voice loud enough that for him it qualified as joyous shouting. “I was just checking the message boards and I saw he replied.”

  “Roberto de Ruiz?”

  “Roberto de Ruiz himself. I’m certain of it.”

  “Not that I’m doubting you, but how can you be so sure it’s him, Saif? I assume he didn’t sign his name.”

  “He was hardly foolish enough to do that. He signs his posting simply ‘Buyer.’ Still, I’m certain he is the one who answered our posting. Here. I’ve got the reply up on my screen. Let me read it to you.

  ‘Price accurate. I desire to inspect the 1742 del Gesu-‘“

  “We never specified the make of violin.”

  “Exactly, Griffin. Exactly. The answer goes on to say, ‘I desire to inspect the 1742 del Gesu to establish its authenticity. If acceptable, payment to be made at time of sale.’

  “And, Griffin? The website requires those leaving messages to do so through email. The Europeans have a system which allows you to trace emails to the country, even city of origin. I can tell the email was routed through Berne, Switzerland.”

  “Berne’s where Grace said Roberto de Ruiz keeps one of his apartments. I’ll let her know. She‘ll have Interpol try to grab him, but I can’t imagine that will happen. It’s a safe assumption he’s since departed the premises. He’s good at moving quickly.”

  Griffin went on, “And Roberto Ruiz is referencing the Alexandra Webb dissertation when he says of the $45 million price tag, ‘price accurate’ and not ‘price acceptable.’ Any other buyer would say, ‘price acceptable.’ How many people in Berne would know about Alexandra’s dissertation? Think how long it took us to track it down and have it translated.”

  “It’s an inductive leap,” Saif concluded, “but I’m confident Roberto de Ruiz sent this.”

  “Give yourself a pat on the back, professor. You got time for our next step?”

  “I really should study for my doctoral defense,” the dutiful son and student replied. A few seconds later the friend and off road wannabe overruled himself. “But I wouldn’t miss this for anything. What do you need me to do?”

  “Our next step is to respond to Mr. Ruiz. Here’s our message, kind of good news-bad news for him: ‘Buyer: Your price is acceptable. We will consider no other offers. However, the client desires this transaction take place July Fourth.”

  “Griffin, the previous message said July sixth.”

  “I know. We’re accelerating the pace on him.”

  “You definitely are. July Fourth is only
six days away.”

  “We need de Ruiz rushed, a bit off balance, hopefully. He’ll have to scramble making travel and other arrangements on the crowded holiday weekend.”

  “Aren’t you afraid he’ll feel too anxious and rushed and won’t agree to our terms? Maybe he’ll just stay home.”

  Griffin did not hesitate. “No, he’ll come. He’s the hooker’s son, who’s spent his lifetime making the long climb from Chico Ruiz to Roberto de Ruiz. For the 1742 Guarneri del Gesu? For him, this is the ultimate prize. This isn’t merely a Van Gogh, like the one he picked up in Amsterdam. And for that matter, he’s not just any buyer – de Ruiz is a man who tells the world he’s related to Mozart. He wears a ring – one of fewer than three dozen in existence – of the Order of Maximilian the Younger. A 1742 Guarneri del Gesu? For that, he’ll be here.”

  “But we don’t have the violin,” Saif insisted.

  Griffin ignored the point. “End the message with this: ‘Buyer will be contacted with precise location and time and instructions for payment. Buyer must establish a private means for us to communicate.’”

  Griffin heard a distant knocking at Saif’s end.

  “I’ll send the message,” Saif said, over the knocking. “Should I provide a deadline for reply, like we did before? When he’s got to get back to us by?”

  “No timeline. Let’s see how quickly he gets back to us. That’ll be a measure of how anxious he is. The quicker the reply, the more anxious he is. The more anxious he is, the better for us.”

  Griffin heard more knocking, a little louder.

  “That’s my student at the door, Griffin. Malik’s late as usual. We’ve got to wrap this. What should I do about Alexandra Webb? She answered as well.”

  “What did she say?”