Play It Safe(68)

I kept talking.

“I’m here to pay for Miriam Cody’s stay for a year.”

She blinked again but this time she added her mouth dropping open.

Then she whispered, “What?”

“I’m here to pay for Miriam Cody’s stay for a year.”

“But…Mirry’s movin’ out next month,” the receptionist told me.

“Not anymore,” I replied.

“I…should we…I don’t know…” Her eyes were darting everywhere, taking all of us in. Then she pulled it together, focused on me and said, “I’m not certain sure but I think we need to call Gray.”

“I would prefer you didn’t do that simply because I don’t have the time. I have two other stops scheduled and a dinner reservation tonight. I’d like to do this and move on,” I told her.

“Are you doing this anonymously?” she asked.

“No,” I answered. “You’re welcome to tell Mr. Cody and his grandmother about my gesture I just don’t have time for you to call Mr. Cody at this juncture.”

“Your, uh…gesture?” She sounded dumbfounded.

“Indeed,” I replied.

“I, well, you know, a year on a private room like Gray has for Mirry is…”

Then she told me how much it was.

I immediately divided it to monthly.

Jeez. No wonder Gray was losing the ranch. Holy crap.

I turned and looked over my shoulder at Brutus. He stepped up, slapped the briefcase on her counter, flipped the latches and opened it, twirling it around so she could see the stacks of money in it.

Her eyes bugged out.

Then they shot to me.

Then she whispered, “I’ll just go get the Administrator.”

“I’d be grateful,” I replied.

Then I smiled.

* * * * *

We settled at the desk, the man in his cheapish but well-fitting suit across from us, Lash in the chair beside me, Brutus standing at my back with his briefcase.

I saw him when I walked in.

Buddy Sharp sitting behind a huge desk in a glass walled, corner office.

He’d undoubtedly moved his way up in the last seven years.

Dickhead.

The loan officer’s eyes settled on me.

“This is highly unusual, Ms. Larue, and I must inform you again that I cannot discuss the details of Mr. Cody’s loan with you.”

“I don’t want the details. I simply want to know how much it will cost to bring his payments current, including any penalties, and how much you’ll need for me to pay his payments for a year in advance. I will then give you the cash. You’ll print out and provide me with a statement for this transaction and send a copy to Mr. Cody,” I told him.

“Again, Ms. Larue, this is highly unusual,” he told me.

“That may be so but that doesn’t interest me. I have very little time, sir, and I have more business to see to today so if you’ll just…” I paused, twisted my neck, looked up at Brutus and he did the briefcase trick, this time on the corner of the loan manager’s desk. Once it was open and the loan manager was facing the cash, I kept going. “Give me a figure, we can proceed.”

Freddie and my schtick didn’t work a treat like the last time, unfortunately.

“Ms. Larue,” the loan manager started, “unless you’ve arranged with Mr. Cody to invest in his property, this is essentially a gift and the Internal Revenue Service needs to be informed of any gift to an individual that’s over five thousand dollars. What you wish to do is well over five thousand dollars. There will be taxes to be paid.”

“That’s not your concern,” I replied. “That’s between myself and Mr. Cody.”

That was a lie. I was never going to talk to Gray again. I paid for Grandma Miriam’s nursing home, I got his land safe, he could pay the taxes on me doing it.

His eyes slid to Buddy’s office.

My stomach curled.

Lash saw it and stepped in.

“It is highly likely that an established institution like this refusing payment on a citizen’s loan regardless of where the money was coming from might be misconstrued and definitely would be questioned by certain authorities especially if the property in question were to end up in the hands of an employee at the bank that refused the payment. Indeed, it might lead to an inquiry. And it is equally highly likely that inquiry would be uncomfortable and public. It is my understanding that Mr. Cody and the land he owns has a special meaning to the people of the county next to yours which would no doubt garner further attention should you refuse payment to keep that land safe in the family that has tended it for six generations. Ms. Larue has explained her intentions as well as the fact that we’re facing time constrictions. I would be grateful if you would quickly consider what I just explained and then didn’t delay further.”

The loan officer watched him talk then he took in Lash’s suit that was not cheap, his Rolex, his haircut, his tan and his dentist office whitened teeth. Then he took in all that was Brutus. Then he took in me, my outfit, the blouse of which cost more than his suit and he might not know that but it was so exquisite, he could guess, and my jewelry.

Then he made an intelligent decision.

He turned to his computer and muttered, “I’ll just call up the account.”