Aces and Knaves by Alan Cook

have considered him part of my universe. That was when I had started taking investing seriously.
    I found out that he was 47 years old and had started his investing career right out of college. He and a partner had managed to gain control of a faltering printing business and turned it around. The partner's name was Ned Mackay. With the cash flow generated they had acquired other companies. Eventually, Buchanan had bought Ned out, renamed his company Tartan Enterprises and continued to invest very successfully in corporations large and small.
    Buchanan had been married and had two children, but his wife had divorced him 12 years ago. Irreconcilable differences. Of course, that was the only cause for divorce in California.

    Chapter 10 SAN FRANCISCO
    It was still dark when I drove the Toyota to the airport Friday morning. I picked up Arrow at her condominium in Redondo Beach. I parked on the street and wondered how she had been able to raise the down payment to buy into a new development. It was undoubtedly a good investment, especially since the tax laws greatly favored homeowners over renters.
    It was too bad Esther couldn't buy a house or a condo. Unfortunately, I knew she lived from month to month and had almost no money saved at all.
    Arrow came along the sidewalk of the complex, wearing a tailored pantsuit some shade of dark green and carrying a new-looking overnight bag. I got out of the car and opened the trunk. We said hello, stashed the bag and I opened the passenger-side door for her.
    As I drove north toward the airport I could feel Arrow glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. I realized I hadn't spoken much so I said, "Thank you for calling me about the cocaine. It helped to level the playing field between me and Detective Washington. And I was relieved to get your second message." Arrow had left another message while I was at the library saying that the search by the police had not turned up anything.
    "Elma was magnificent," Arrow said. "When I met her I wondered whether she would be able to cope with Ned's death, but the way she acted yesterday dispelled my doubts. She handled the police as if she was born to rule. She did more than the attorney to keep them from completely ransacking the house. But they did check it thoroughly."
    "And they came up empty."
    "Completely. They had a sniffer dog and everything."
    "Of course, they could take the position that if Ned had anything hidden Elma might have been able to get rid of it."
    "From my own point of view, I know that Elma has been struggling just to keep herself going, and dealing with the overwhelming reality of Ned's death, and hasn't had time to do anything else. In addition, that point of view assumes that if Ned were into drugs that Elma was part of it."
    "Yeah, you're right."
    "Karl?"
    "Yes, ma'am."
    "You didn't want me to go on this trip, did you?"
    "I know I've been a little quiet, but you have to understand that I missed my run this morning for the second time this week. That run is for me what coffee is to some people."
    "No...it's more than that." Arrow seemed to be searching for words for the first time since I'd met her. "When I talked to John, for example, he told me that you wanted me to fly back this afternoon after your meeting with the police and not to stay overnight."
    "I want to try to talk to James Buchanan again, but I don't know how successful I'll be. It might just be a waste of your time."
    "You didn't bother to tell Richard that, did you? I don't think he wants you messing around in company business."
    "Only if an employee is getting murdered."
    "I'm sorry...that came out wrong. But still, we...you shouldn't be negotiating without his knowledge."
    "No negotiating. This is strictly fact-finding."
    "My charter from Richard is to be involved with anything you do that affects Dionysus. And if Buchanan is really trying to take over Dionysus, that certainly qualifies."
    "Yes," I admitted. I hadn't previously seen a role for Arrow in the