Numbered Account

The lights dimmed, and Rudolf Ott rose from the table and walked to the dais. A heckler from the rear of the auditorium yelled, "Where is the Chairman?" His cry was quickly picked up by others. Nick craned his neck in the direction of the catcalls, then after a moment, returned his gaze to the stage. Two rows in front of him, all seats were filled but one. Only Rita Sutter had not yet arrived.

Ott placed a sheaf of papers on the lectern, then removed his glasses and laboriously polished them as he waited for the jeers to die off. He adjusted the microphone and very audibly cleared his throat. The audience quieted and soon an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

Waiting for Ott to begin, Nick couldn't keep Sylvia's words from playing over and over in his head. "You've got the wrong woman." Where was Rita Sutter? he began to wonder in earnest. Why wasn't she attending the most important general assembly in the bank's history? He recalled the photograph of Rita Sutter kissing Kaiser's hand at his father's going-away party in 1967. Had it been more than just a show for the camera? He remembered wondering why Rita Sutter would settle for a job as Kaiser's secretary when she was clearly capable of so much more.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Ott said, finally, "normally, I would open the proceedings with a brief welcome followed by a summary of the past year's activities. However, recent events dictate that I depart from our traditional schedule. I have news of a special nature that frankly, I cannot keep to myself any longer."

Nick sat up straighter, as did every other living, breathing being in the auditorium.

"Following the directives of Klaus Konig, the Adler Bank no longer wishes to present its own slate of candidates for election to the executive board of the United Swiss Bank. Therefore, I am pleased to hereby nominate all sitting members to a term of one year."

A cheer erupted from the gathered employees. It rippled through the hall and spilled into the foyer and washed out onto the street. A string of reporters ran from the auditorium. An orgy of flashbulbs exploded.

With one sentence, the monster had been defanged.

No explanation was given, though Nick figured he knew why. All shares held in the Ciragan Trading account had been indefinitely frozen by the Swiss federal prosecutor's office. The Adler Bank would be prohibited from exercising its proxy on the shares until such time as rightful ownership could be determined- meaning that for the next several years the shares would be without any voting power. When it could be proved that the shares belonged to Mr. Ali Mevlevi, a heroin-smuggling murderer, now deceased, the Adler Bank would file claim to their unfortunate client's assets in Federal Court- as would the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and any other agency that had the least bit to do with the pursuit of Mevlevi. No decision regarding the ultimate disposition of the shares would be made for a decade. The United Swiss Bank could rest easy until then.

Nick remained seated while everyone around him stood and cheered. He told himself he should be happy too. USB was rid of Kaiser and free of Mevlevi. The bank would stand alone as it had for the past one hundred twenty-five years. Its continued independence might be his only victory.

In front of him, Martin Maeder pumped Sepp Zwicki's hands. Ott paraded up and down the dais, patting his fellow board members on the back. The king is dead, Nick thought, staring at his pudgy figure. Long live the king.

Nick lowered his eyes and found himself staring at Rita Sutter's empty chair. Practically the entire bank was here, but not her.

"You've got the wrong woman."

And then he knew.

Abruptly, Nick rose and made his way to the aisle. He had to get to the bank. Wolfgang Kaiser was there. Now. Forcing his way through the exuberant crowd, Nick ran his suppositions through his mind over and over again. Kaiser had never expected to be a fugitive from justice. Faced with the prospect of an uncertain term in a Swiss jail or flight to a country with lax extradition laws, he would choose the latter. Nick had been foolish to think Kaiser might show up at the general assembly, but he was certain that the Chairman wouldn't flee before learning that Konig had lost his battle for seats on USB's board. Kaiser was too prideful for that. Before leaving, he would need to retrieve some belongings- cash, passport, who knew what- from the bank. And this was the only time that had been left him. The bank would be nearly deserted, with only a skeleton staff on duty. And one very efficient executive assistant.