Scam

don’t want to answer them, I have to assume my purpose does not please you. In light of which, I can draw my own conclusions.”
    Rothstein took a breath. “I’m not calling security, but I don’t think I’m discussing this either.”
    “Oh, yeah?” I said. “How do you think she’ll vote?”
    “Who?”
    “Miriam Pritchert. You get her vote lined up when you took her out to lunch?”
    Rothstein’s eyes narrowed. “So that was you.”
    “What?”
    “Coming out of her building the other day. I thought that was you.”
    “You saw me?”
    “Sure, I did. I even asked her about it. In fact, I knew it was you because she said so. I just didn’t make the connection till now. Yeah, I knew it was you. But you were leaving. How did you know I took her out to lunch?”
    “How’d you know I left?”
    “I saw you get into your car.”
    Aha. Score one for MacAullif. Except, if he thought I left, he must have thought the car was gone. And you can’t hide a gun in a car that isn’t there.
    “So,” I said. “You didn’t see my car when the two of you came out.”
    He frowned. “What are you saying?”
    “I’m saying I’m hoping you had a nice lunch, and did you happen to lock up the young widow’s vote?”
    “I find your questions insolent.”
    “Wait’ll you hear my lawyer’s.”
    “What?”
    “As I say, on the stand these things will come out.”
    “On the stand? But I’m not going on the stand.”
    “You are if we slap a subpoena on you. If I go to trial, my lawyer’s going to try to create reasonable doubt. I hate to tell you, but you’re it. For starters, the guy was killed in your office. Then you try to tie up the widow’s votes. How does that look to you?”
    Rothstein blinked.
    I put up both hands. “But, please. That is not why I’m here. Someone killed your business associate. I didn’t do it, and I want to know who did. If you didn’t do it, I would think you’d want to know who did too. I was hoping between the two of us we could come up with a lead.”
    Rothstein frowned. “How do you mean?”
    “It all seems to hinge on this proxy fight. Whether you’d locked up Miriam Pritchert’s votes or not is neither here nor there. According to what Kevin Dunbar said, it wouldn’t matter anyway, it’s not enough votes to swing the thing.”
    “Kevin said that?”
    “No, no. Not specifically. Not those votes, and not that you’d locked them up. He said in general. That the holdings weren’t big enough to swing the thing, and that it would come down to the proxies.”
    “Well, that’s true.”
    “What about the girl—Amy Greenberg—what about her?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Did you approach her too?”
    “What are you insinuating?”
    “I’m asking you if you asked her about voting her stock. It’s a logical question—she’s gotta vote for someone , you’d like it to be you—I can’t imagine you not asking her.”
    “All right. So I asked her.”
    “What did she say?”
    “Something noncommittal. Hell, practically incoherent.”
    “I can imagine. You ask her in person?”
    “Huh?”
    “You take her out to lunch?”
    “I tried, but she wasn’t buying.”
    “So you only spoke to her on the phone?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “What about the stockholders?”
    “What about ’em?”
    “You contact any of them personally?”
    “What’s that got to do with it?”
    “I’d kind of like to know.”
    “I called some of the larger ones, yes.”
    “Get any commitments?”
    “Some.”
    “Some waffled?”
    “Some wouldn’t commit. People are like that. It’s nothing to do with me, you know?” He frowned. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”
    “Maybe you believe me.”
    “Yeah, maybe,” he said dubiously.
    “Tell me something,” I said. “The bit about the girl in the bar—you’ve heard all about that, of course.”
    “Yes, of course.”
    “Had you heard anything before the murder?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Just that. Did you know anything at all about Cranston Pritchert’s problem—the girl in the bar, the fact he thought he was set up—did you have any inkling any of that was going on before the murder took place?”
    “Absolutely not. Why should I?”
    “I wouldn’t know. I just wondered if you did.”
    “Well, the answer is no.”
    “What about the stockholders?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “The ones you called—to ask about their votes—did any of them mention to you about having heard anything about Cranston