Flash

for your vacation." Al sighed heavily. "I was afraid this wasn't going to work."
    Jasper covered his free ear with his hand to block the roar of a small, private plane that was revving up for takeoff. "Listen, Al, has anything happened while I've been out of town?"
    "Nothing significant. I would have contacted you if there was anything you really needed to know."
    "How about anything insignificant?"
    "Just the usual stuff." Al's tone conveyed a shrug of unconcern. "The Bencher deal is coming together nicely. I should have everything tied up by the time you return. We've got an interesting application for funding from a small firm that specializes in sound wave technology. Worth a look."
    "It's your decision now, Al. You're going to own the company as soon as we get the papers signed. Anything else I should know about?"
    "Nothing serious. None of our clients has gone bankrupt or anything like that. Hang on, I think there were a couple of phone calls from a lawyer."
    "Which lawyer?"
    "Just a second, I'll ask Marsha."
    Jasper drummed his fingers on the small shelf beneath the phone while he listened to the muffled exchange between Al and Marsha.
    After a moment, Al came back on the line. "Okay, here it is. The lawyer's name is Winchmore. He wants you to get back to him at, and I quote, your earliest convenience."
    "Winchmore." Jasper swiftly sorted through some mental files. "That doesn't ring any bells. Wait a second, is that Winchmore of Winchmore Steiner and Brown?"
    There was another short pause while Al communicated with Marsha.
    "Right. Something about wanting to notify you of the death of one of your clients. But the name wasn't in the files. Marsha told him you were out of town until the end of the month."
    Outside on the island's single runway, the small plane launched itself into the air with a noisy whine. Jasper pressed the phone more tightly against his ear. "What was the name of the client?"
    "I didn't recognize it, and like I said, we couldn't find a record. Must have been someone you dealt with before I came on board." Al paused to converse again with Marsha.
    Jasper watched the little plane climb into the endless blue sky.
    "Here we go," Al said finally. "Roland G. Chantry. Marsha said the story was a bit sketchy. apparently Chantry and a friend named Wilbur Holmes were both killed in a sightseeing balloon crash while on a photo safari in Africa three and a half weeks ago."
    "Damn." Jasper had a sudden, vivid mental image of a vital, silver-haired, debonair man in his early eighties. Rollie Chantry had been a savvy businessman with an unquenchable enthusiasm and a zest for life. "You're certain he's dead?"
    "According to Winchmore, he is." Al's voice shaded with concern. "Sorry. Was Chantry a close friend?"
    "No, but we did business together. I liked the guy. He owned a company called Glow, Inc., there in Seattle."
    "I've heard of it. Designs and manufactures high-tech and industrial lighting fixtures?"
    "Right. Chantry came to me for venture capital funding two years ago, just before you joined Sloan & Associates. He wanted to expand the R&D side of his business. No bank would touch him because of his age."
    "So you backed him?"
    "Sure. He obviously knew what he was doing, and he looked pretty damn healthy to me. Played tennis three times a week. From my point of view, Glow has always been a money cow, but now it's set to become even more profitable."
    Assuming the company was properly managed during the tricky transition period ahead
. Jasper considered the problem. The loss of the founder and sole owner could easily deal a devastating blow to Glow, Inc., at this particular juncture.
    "Why isn't there a file on him?" Al asked. "You're infamous for your files."
    "There is one, but it's in my personal files at home. I made a private arrangement with Chantry."
    "Private? You mean this was not a Sloan & Associates deal?"
    "No. Just me and Chantry."
    There was a short pause before Al asked delicately, "Mind if I ask why?"
    "I saw it as an opportunity for a personal, not a company investment."
    It was as good an explanation as he could come up with. The truth was, Jasper thought, he did not really know what had made him sign that contract with Chantry. It had just seemed the right thing to do at the time. When it came to business, he always followed his instincts.
    Now it looked as if he had unwittingly made an investment that would change his future.
    "I see." Al thought for a moment. "Glow is a closely