Part 10 (1/2)

”Let me think about it and send you an e-mail tonight. Whatever comes up, it'll be 'scrambled eggs.'”

”Thanks, Atlas.”

”Scrambled eggs” was a reference to a made-up code system they'd used in college. A name or number was encoded by interlacing it with their old phone number. This time the interlaced number would be an access code for proprietary NIH data.

”I do not think I'm long for the world here at the Sentinel. We're forming a mutual hostility society.”

”I sure as h.e.l.l hope you've got a new career concept ready for the day when they give you the ax.” Dale's attempt at a light tone did not quite disguise his concern.

”Funny, but that's the second time I've received that advice in the last half hour. I deem that unlucky.”

”Stone, sometimes I think you ought to try not living your life so close to the d.a.m.ned edge. Maybe you ought to start practicing a little prudence, just to see what it feels like.”

”I'm that wild ox we used to talk about I like to scrounge.

But I also like to look around for the biggest story I can find. I'm trying to get an interview with a guy on Bartlett's staff. Maybe our 'scrambled eggs' will flush him out.”

”Just take care of yourself and keep in touch.”

”You too.”

And they both hung up.

Was this going to do the trick? he wondered. As it happened Stone Aimes already knew plenty about Bartlett's business affairs. He had been a lifelong student of Bartlett the man, and as part of his research into the Gerex Corporation he had pulled together an up-to-date profile of Bartlett's cash-flow situation. If you connected the dots, you discovered his financial picture was getting dicey.

Bartlett was overextended and, like Donald Trump in the early 1990s, he needed to roll over some short-term debt and restructure it. But his traditional lenders were backing away. He had literally bet everything on Van de Vliet. If his research panned out, then there was a whole new day for Bartlett Enterprises. That had to be what he was counting on to save his chestnuts.

The funny thing was, Bartlett didn't really like to spend his time thinking about money. One of his major preoccupations was to be in the company of young, beautiful women, usually leggy models.