A Change in Altitude by Cindy Myers Page B

can afford not to make the investment,” Gerald said. “The payoff stands to be quite profitable.”
    â€œWere you listening to a dang thing I said?” Bob practically vibrated in his chair and his voice rose. “If the gold’s that hard to get to, it can stay there for all we care.”
    â€œBut you only have a fifty percent say in how the mine is operated,” Gerald said in a tone one might use with a recalcitrant child. “My opinion counts just as much as yours, and I think we should move forward with the project.”
    â€œThen you can pay for it,” Junior snapped.
    Gerald’s smile might look pleasant to a casual observer, but Lucille didn’t miss the gleam of malice in his blue eyes. “According to the terms of the agreement drawn up when I purchased my shares in the mine, I can sue to force you to pay your half of operating costs,” he said. “That includes any investment needed to move forward with acquiring the gold.”
    Lucille looked to Reggie. “Is he right?”
    Reggie looked glum. “It’s open to interpretation, but there’s a good chance a judge would side with him.”
    â€œYou can’t get blood out of a turnip.” Junior tossed the report on the table. “Let him sue. If the money isn’t there, it isn’t there.”
    â€œA judgment against you could force you to sell off all of the town’s assets,” Gerald said. “I’d hate to see that happen to such a lovely community.”
    â€œWe wouldn’t be in this fix if those Swiss investments of yours had paid off,” Paul growled.
    â€œYou can’t blame me for the performance of the market. I explained the risks and the decision was all yours. And your lovely mayor’s.”
    Lucille wanted to be sick—preferably all over him. “Do you really hate me so much you’d resort to this?” she asked.
    His expression was so guileless she knew it had to be an act. “Lucille, darling, why would you ever think this was in any way personal? I told you when I first met you, I’m a businessman. I only want what’s best for business.”
    Still smiling, he stood. “I’ll let you all discuss this amongst yourselves, but I’m sure you’ll make the right decision.”
    No one said anything. Lucille listened to Gerald’s boots echoing on the wooden floor as he crossed to the front door of the restaurant and left. When he was gone, Bob was the first to speak. “I know a lot of old mine shafts where no one would ever find his body,” he said.
    â€œI didn’t hear that,” Reggie said.
    â€œWhat are we going to do?” Lucille looked once more to Reggie.
    The lawyer looked grim. “We can try to stall him—give him a little bit of money at a time and hope he grows tired of the game.”
    â€œOr we could try to change his mind,” Katya said.
    â€œThreats won’t work,” Lucille said. “I think that would only make him dig in his heels.”
    â€œI don’t understand it,” Paul said. “He’s asking us to spend all this money, but that means he has to come up with a big chunk of change, too. Does he really think they’re going to be able to pull that much gold out of the mine?” He tapped his copy of the report. “These engineers talk about probabilities and such, but they never come right out and say how much gold is really there.”
    â€œThe swindler didn’t like being swindled, so now he’s out for revenge,” Bob said. “He’ll spend his own money—or more likely, money he stole from some other poor saps—to get back at us.”
    â€œI think Bob’s right,” Lucille said. “He’s determined to take us down. And it’s all my fault.”
    â€œWe’ve been over that already,” Bob said. “He took us all in. What we have to do now is find a way to change his