Numbered Account

Early Monday morning, Nick found himself seated next to Wolfgang Kaiser on a leather couch that ran along the right-hand wall of the Chairman's office. Two demitasses of espresso sat untouched on the table before them. The red light above the Chairman's door was illuminated, indicating he was not to be disturbed. Rita Sutter had been informed to hold all calls, and Kaiser meant all of them, no exceptions. "I have important business with young Neumann," he had explained to his secretary of eighteen years. "The future of the bank, no less."

Kaiser had embarked on a lecture decrying the loss of the well-rounded banker. "Today it's all specialization," he said disparagingly, flicking up the horns of his mustache. "Take Bauer in risk arbitrage. Try asking him about the current mortgage rate and the man will look at you as if you had asked directions to the moon. Or Leuenberger in derivatives. The man's brilliant. He can talk until Christ's second coming about index options, interest rate swaps, the like. But if I had to ask him whether we should loan two hundred million to Asea Brown Boveri, he would panic. Probably shrivel up and die. The United Swiss Bank requires managers who can grasp the finer points of all our bank's activities and fashion a coherent strategic vision from them. Men not afraid to make the difficult decision."

Kaiser reached for the cup of espresso and raising it to his lips, sought Nick's eyes. He took a brief sip, then asked, "Would you like to be part of that management, Neumann?"

Nick paused long enough to dignify the moment. He sat upright, his back as rigid as if he'd been called onto the carpet by the commandant of the Corps himself. He'd been up since five making sure his clothing was spiffed up, his shoes shined, and his trousers properly creased. The invitation to the Chairman's office was a surprise, he reminded himself, his elevation to the Fourth Floor a shock that hadn't worn off yet. And in truth, it hadn't.

He looked the Chairman in the eye and said, "Absolutely, sir."

"Outstanding," said Kaiser, as a preface to slapping Nick on the leg. "If we had the time, I would turn you right around and send you down to Karl in DZ. That's where all our apprentices started. Me. Your father. Dokumentation Zentrale. Down there you learned how the bank was structured, who worked where, who did what. You saw it all."

Nick nodded appreciatively. DZ was just the place he needed to be. Cerruti had said the bank hadn't thrown away a paper in over a hundred years. He could only assume that more of his father's memorandums sat on some forgotten aisle gathering dust.

"After those two years, you received your first assignment," said Kaiser. "To be given a posting in private banking was the Golden Fleece. Your father was assigned to me for his first stint. I believe it was in domestic portfolio management. Alex and I took to each other like brothers- which wasn't always easy with your father. He was a feisty one. Spirited, they would say today. Then we called it insubordinate. He was never the type to unquestioningly do what he was told." Kaiser inhaled sharply. "It seems that his blood flows in your veins."

Nick made the appropriate sentimental noises while wondering what Kaiser knew about his father's death, if anything.

"Alex's curiosity made me sharper," continued Kaiser, his far-off gaze betraying a keen interest in his own past. "He helped me get where I am today. His death was a great loss to the bank. And to your family, of course. It must have been difficult to lose your father under such terrible circumstances. But you're a fighter. I can see it in your eyes. You have your father's eyes." The Chairman smiled wanly. After a moment's reflection, he rose and walked to his desk. "That's enough reminiscing for now. We'll all be teary-eyed before long, God help us."

Nick stood from the couch. As he walked the few steps to the Chairman's desk, he marveled at Kaiser's skills as a thespian. There sat a man who'd probably cried once in his life, and that had been when his bonus failed to meet his expectations.

Wolfgang Kaiser surveyed the stacks of memos, company reports, and phone messages that formed a paper amphitheater around his work space. "Ah! Here's what I was looking for." He picked up a black leather folder and handed it to Nick. "It doesn't do for the Chairman of a relatively important Swiss bank to have trainees working for him. No one has thanked you for the actions you took Thursday afternoon. Most men I know would have relied on procedure to absolve themselves of the responsibility you took on your shoulders. Your decision was made for the bank, not for yourself. It required foresight and courage. We need that kind of clear vision, especially in these times."