Dragons & Dwarves by S. Andrew Swann Page B

path.
    I bore him no malice for that; it was part of the game, after all. He treated prosecuting attorneys and Council committees no differently.
    “You said you did business with him?” I opened.
    “To be precise,” he said with a bit of a grin, “I said I didn’t deny doing business with him.”
    “But you did.”
    “His company, yes. I presume you knew that.”
    “What kind of business did you engage in with him?”
    Baldassare steepled his fingers, “You should understand that I’m under contractual obligations. I can’t just itemize business dealings ad hoc. I can refer you to the quarterly shareholder’s report—”
    I shook my head. “Just, in general, what did Forest Hills Enterprises provide Aloeus?”
    “Aloeus, Incorporated, Kline. He may have died, but the legal construction carries on without him.”
    Interesting point . “So Forest Hills provided what?”
    “It is a real estate development company. Forest Hills does with Aloeus, Inc., what it does with everyone else. It buys and sells commercial development properties.”
    “In Mexico?”
    “Forest Hills Enterprises holds properties all across North America.”
    “And why would Aloeus, Inc. , want to buy acres of undeveloped property in Mexico?”
    Baldassare looked at me, “I suspect you would have to ask Aloeus that question.” He sipped his drink, and I had the eerie feeling that in our little game of conversational chess I had suffered a fool’s mate.
    I didn’t let him go at that. “Why would you think he bought property in a place he would never be able to go?”
    “If I were to theorize, which I do not, I would say that the property was purchased for the same reason it was sold. To make a profit.”
    “You’re saying that Aloeus was speculating in real estate.”
    “That seems to be the obvious conclusion.” He set the empty glass on the mosaic table. “Do you have any other questions?”
    “Do you associate with any other dragons?”
    “Some business contacts. They tend to be private creatures.”
    And wealthy, I thought. The community of money could inspire more solidarity than nationality or—I suspected in this case—species. “Do you know any who might talk to me?” I asked him.
    “Interesting question,” Baldassare shook his head. “They don’t line up for interviews.”
    “Could you set up a meeting?” I asked.
    “You don’t ask small favors.” Baldassare said.
    “I rarely ask any,” I replied. In his case, it was true. In my years of our relationship, I’d never asked him to perform any actions on my behalf. Not so much as an introduction. I had always felt the dynamic between us was too fragile and too one-sided for me to push things with him.
    I don’t know why I asked him to introduce me to a dragon. I suspect that Baldassare was as surprised that I’d asked as I was. I suspect that what prompted it was a gut-deep instinct that he would. I don’t know why I felt that way, unless it was an overall impression from Baldassare’s monologue, but it proved correct.
    “I can set up an appointment for you,” he said after a long, thoughtful pause. “An associate who might be willing. Her name is Theophane. She resides in the BP Building.”
    “Thank you.”
    “Kline, goodwill is a fragile thing with these creatures. Don’t make me sorry I did you this favor.”
    “You won’t be,” I assured him.
     
    I drove away from Baldassare’s estate with two conflicting emotions fighting for airtime in my head. First off, I was really pleased with myself for landing an interview with a dragon. That would be a real coup if I could pull it off. I certainly wouldn’t find a better source for background on Aloeus.
    But, on the other hand, I kept feeling that I’d slipped up somewhere with Baldassare. That thought kept nagging at me as I drove up the curvy, wooded road paralleling the Chagrin River. It kept nagging at me until my cell phone rang.
    I flipped it open to familiar static and incomprehensible