Numbered Account

Nick looked up from his work, surprised. He hadn't seen her outside Kaiser's suite of offices once in the four days he'd been on the Fourth Floor. "Not much choice, if I want to keep up with the Chairman."

"He brings out the best in us all," she said, venturing a foot inside. She was wearing a navy blue dress, a strand of pearls, and a white cardigan, and carrying a sheaf of papers. She managed to look chic, mature, and a little bit sexy all at the same time. "I haven't had the chance to congratulate you on your promotion. You must be very excited."

Nick sat back in his chair, confused by her solicitous approach. She was hardly the kind to engage in idle chitchat. Her primary responsibility was the ordering of the Chairman's day, and she performed her task with a mastery worthy of a seasoned military staff officer. Nothing reached Kaiser without her prior knowledge and approval. No phone calls, no letters, and certainly no visitors. (Sterling Thorne being the exception.) No matter how hectic the day became, she kept Kaiser focused and on schedule, all the while retaining a composed, unflappable air. Nick wondered what she wanted.

"It's an honor to be here," he agreed. "Though I wish the current circumstances were a little different."

"I'm sure Herr Kaiser will manage just fine. He won't let go of the bank without a fight."

"I don't imagine he will."

Rita Sutter came closer to the desk. "I hope you don't mind if I tell you how much you look like your father."

"Not at all." He had been curious to learn how well she had known him but hadn't yet found the right moment to ask. "Did you work together?"

"Why yes, of course. I started at the bank a year after he did. In those days we were a small group, about a hundred of us. He was a good man."

"About time someone confessed to liking him," he said under his breath, then stood and motioned to the chair opposite his desk. "Please have a seat- that is, if you have a few minutes free."

Rita Sutter sat down on the edge of the chair, fingering her pearls. Her tentative stance suggested a brief visit. "Did you know that we all came from the same neighborhood, Herr Kaiser, your father, and myself?"

"You lived on Eibenstrasse too?"

"Manessestrasse. Around the corner. But Herr Kaiser lived in the same building as your father. They were never close as children. Your father was a much better athlete. Wolfgang kept to his books. He was still quite shy in those days."

"The Chairman, shy?" Nick imagined a small boy with a limp arm dangling uselessly at his side, no thousand-dollar suits to camouflage it. Then his thoughts turned to his father, and he fought to locate some memory of him as an athlete. Sure his dad had played golf, but he had never once thrown a baseball or kicked a soccer ball with Nick.

"We don't talk about the past very often here," she said. "I felt, though, I had to tell you how much I admired your father. He had a very positive influence on my life. He was a strong believer. To him anything was possible. Sometimes I ask myself if I wouldn't be working for Alex instead of Wolfgang, if your father were still…" She let her words drift off, then smiling suddenly, brought her attention to Nick. "He was the one who pushed me into getting my degree at HSG- the Hochschule St. Gallen. I'll always be grateful to him for that. Though I don't think he would have liked how I used it."

Nick was impressed. HSG was Switzerland's most respected business school. "You practically run the bank," he said, meaning it. "That's pretty good, isn't it?"

"Oh, I don't know, Nicholas. I haven't seen Rudolf Ott fetching the Chairman coffee and biscuits." She stood up and patted her skirt into place.

Nick circled the desk, accompanying her to the door. He had wanted to work the conversation around to his father's duties at the bank. Now it seemed there wouldn't be time. "Can I ask you something about my father?" he said awkwardly, hating to broach this subject out of the blue. "Did you ever hear of him doing anything that might have harmed the bank? Something that might have hurt USB's reputation?"

Rita Sutter stopped abruptly. "Who told you that? No, don't tell me. I can imagine." She turned so her body brushed against Nick and looked him in the eye. "Your father never did anything to tarnish this bank's good name. He was an honorable man."

"Thanks, I had just heard that-"

"Shhh." She brought a finger up to her lips. "Don't believe everything you hear on this floor. Oh, and about that letter you're drafting for the Chairman, he asked that you keep the proposed staff cuts to a minimum. Here are his ideas."

She handed him the sheaf of papers and left the office. He glanced down at the topmost sheet. It was entirely in her writing.

***

An hour later, Nick arrived at a final draft of the Chairman's letter- including Rita Sutter's suggestions on how to minimize any proposed staff cuts. He was rereading the document, deciding if it was satisfactory, when the phone rang.

"Neumann speaking."