She sat and turned toward Lyza with a big grin. “I thought you were going to Germany.”
Lyza suppressed a jubilant smile. Thank God I don’t have to stay another minute in a boring office. Thank you, Las Vegas! And thank you, Leesa, for liking this part of the job! “Always glad to hold down the fort for you.” She gathered her papers and stood. “But now that you’re here, I do have a flight to catch. I’ll keep you posted.”
Leesa’s tone changed slightly. “Oh, I know you will.”
As Lyza turned to leave, she caught an uncertain expression on Leesa’s face that vanished when their eyes met. Curious. What are you up to, Miss Goody Two-Shoes?
Chapter Two
As Lyza’s jet descended into Nuremberg, she recalled enduring endless stories of how the grandparents she’d never known had died in a death camp in that godforsaken country. Now she planned to take advantage of some Germans. She rested in the thought that her deeds that day might result in a sweet surprise for Father. Her spirits lifted with the thought that neither her family nor the German government might ever discover her part in the deception that was about to take place. And if they learned about it later, after it was too late, it would be even sweeter.
She had four hours before her meeting. Her limo arrived to take her to the Sheraton Carlton. As they passed through the streets of Nuremberg, she pondered the significance of this city. The Nuremberg Trials and other war crimes trials had taken place in the Palace of Justice after World War II.
Nuremberg had symbolically provided the setting for the trials, and Lyza expected to get a little of her own justice today. Perhaps a little late, she would do her part to add to the collapse of the economy of the country that had allowed death camps.
In addition, the deal promised to be a one of her biggest. See Leesa top that! She pulled her mink coat around her. Father will be delighted. Her three-carat diamond ring caught a ray of sunshine and spread light across the limousine ceiling. Life is good. Her favorite ruby earrings matched her red designer miniskirt and black Dior blazer. They pulled up to the front of the hotel and the chauffeur jumped out to open her door. Lyza hurried past the doorman to the registration desk.
The uniformed man behind the desk greeted her. “Welcome to the Sheraton Carlton Hotel, Miss Lane. Your bags are in your room. My assistant, Max, will escort you to the penthouse. Have a nice visit in Germany. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you.”
She turned toward the elevator. “Thank you. I will.”
Max punched the penthouse floor. “Did you have a good flight?”
She smiled. “Uneventful, and that’s always good.”
The elevator stopped outside the penthouse suite. Max held the door as she exited, then stepped in front of her to unlock the penthouse door. After he showed her around the suite, she handed him a tip and watched his eyes enlarge. Then she closed the door behind him, glad to be alone. After a short nap, a relaxing bath, and a light lunch, she changed for the meeting. The earrings with the fifteen-carat ruby pendant worked with the other red miniskirt she brought. The black Dior blazer would do. Her black stilettos with sparkling diamond chips finished the outfit. She opted for the shorter blond mink to show off her shapely legs. She was ready for battle. Bring it on!
***
Father patted Leesa’s shoulder. “I think the weekly meeting went well.”
She nodded. “Me, too.”
He flipped through several pages of notes, then looked up at her. “You did a great presentation. No one resisted the proposed reorganization. Let’s celebrate at the club.”
Leesa stood to leave, then sat back down. “I’d love to, but can we talk about the Norton deal?”
He tucked reports into his attaché case. “Is there a problem?”
Leesa avoided meeting his eyes. “Oh, no, nothing like that. I’m not sure how much the market will bear on this deal. With all the negative press on real estate these days, I’m afraid the asking price on this commercial property may be a deal-breaker. We meet for final negotiations tomorrow.”
He grinned and shook his head. “Leesa, Leesa, Leesa. I thought I taught you better. Don’t worry.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know as well as I do that price has little to do with this deal. Norton wants this property so bad he can taste it. Downtown ground is expensive, but he can afford it. Don’t let him sing you a sad song about the real-estate collapse. Prime real estate demands prime prices.” He leaned forward and patted her hand. “There’s no way you can mess up this deal, sweetie. Twenty million dollars is chump change to Norton. He needs a building as big as his ego.”
“I appreciate your confidence.” She smiled. “Since I can’t possibly mess it up, I guess I do have time for lunch.”
***
Lyza entered the glass-walled conference room. Surrounding the huge mahogany table were young attorneys, gray-haired consultants, and Mr. Klaus Müller of Müller and Sons.
Lyza extended her tiny hand. “Good afternoon, Mr. Müller.”
“Miss Lane.” Mr. Müller shook her hand. “I trust you had a good flight.”
“Oh, yes.” She took the chair next to him, placing her attaché case on the conference table in front of her. “Shall we begin?”
Mr. Müller introduced the others. “I’d like you to meet my attorney, Benjamin Schmidt. And this is Gretchen Marx, my personal secretary, and her assistant, Carol.” He pointed across the table. “Martin is the architect who will eventually head up the renovation of the property. This is his assistant, Jill, and her secretary, Jeff.”
Lyza nodded to the familiar figure entering the room. Elizabeth’s thick brown hair matched her dark leather briefcase.
“This is the attorney for the Lane European headquarters, Elizabeth James.” Elizabeth took her place in the empty chair next to Lyza.
Lyza glanced at Mr. Müller. “I believe everyone is present.”
He nodded.
Lyza stood. “Let me open the meeting by making sure each of you has a copy of the drawings and statistics.” She reported to the group that the property consisted of one hundred acres with seven buildings on the Pegnitz River near the Rhine-Main-Danube canal. Concrete parking lots and loading docks surrounded the three four-story buildings. Four smaller buildings sat on a tarmac allowing air transport of goods and materials.
She wound up her initial presentation by stating the obvious. “The beauty of the property is that it will accommodate both local and international distribution.”
“Excuse me, Miss Lane.” Mr. Müller pointed to a memo in his hand. “Is there any reason for us to confer with governmental authorities regarding international air traffic control?”
“Herr Müller, I believe it would be prudent to do so. I have not looked into it because I’m not sure I know your purpose for the property.” Her heart raced at her outright untruth; she knew why they wanted it. “I’m speaking of the potential of the property.”
“Of course, Miss Lane.”
“Now, if I can continue.” Klaus Müller would use the property to manufacture veterinarian drugs. The property included buildings on the Pegnitz River near the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. She knew Mr. Müller would divert some chemical waste to the waters surrounding the property as the former occupants, pharmaceutical manufacturers, had done. Part of her plan was to alert governmental agencies after the sale—but reporting Mr. Müller’s indiscretions was for the future. Right now she had to concentrate on the subject at hand and close the deal.
“The mantra of real estate is location, location, location.