Death in the Haight Read Online Free PDF Page A

they say? Exactly, if you can.”
    â€œJust what I said, Mr. Lang. ‘Mr. Vanderveer,’ they said, ‘we have your son and we will kill him unless you provide us with one million dollars in unmarked new and used one hundred dollar bills.’ They were very clear and straightforward.”
    â€œThey sound nervous?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œOld, young, accent?” Lang asked.
    â€œI don’t know. It was all muffled or altered in some way. No accent that I could tell.”
    â€œThey say anything else?”
    â€œThey told me that if I went to the police they would kill him. And that I should come to San Francisco and they would provide instructions when they were ready.”
    â€œThey said to come here? This hotel?”
    â€œHere, meaning the city. Again, this all made sense. I wondered if it was just someone who knew my son had run away. And they would use that to extort funds. But as I said, they had my personal phone number, how else could they have gotten it? They were in San Francisco, and they sounded very professional.”
    â€œWhy did you go to the police?” Lang asked. “They told you not to.”
    â€œI’ve learned over the years to always talk to the experts,” he said. “I made a mistake.” Again he looked at his wife. She stared daggers. “After meeting with them, neither Miriam nor I are comfortable with the people assigned to the task.”
    â€œIs that it?” Lang asked.
    â€œNo,” Mr. Vanderveer said. “They think Michael was involved in the murder of a young girl and that the ransom is his idea to finance, I presume, a trip to Brazil or something.”
    â€œThat’s why homicide cops are involved,” West said.
    â€œSo if we get him back, he might be arrested?” Lang said.
    Mrs. Vanderveer looked away angrily, then looked back.
    â€œWe believe finding him will clear things up,” Miriam Vanderveer said. “He’d have nothing to do with murder.”
    â€œHow is it you have easy access to a million dollars?” Lang asked.
    â€œI don’t know about ‘easy,’ but I could get it and did.”
    â€œWhat is the source of your wealth?”
    â€œIs that necessary?” Mr. Vanderveer asked.
    â€œTell them what they need to know,” Miriam Vanderveer said.
    â€œMy father was in the furniture business, back when that could be done in America. He made furniture is what I mean to say. That kind of manufacturing is long gone, but we had holdings and I earn a substantial enough income from investments. In other words, I can afford you, Mr. Lang.”
    â€œI asked because I’d also like to know how the kidnappers knew you could afford their demands,” Lang said. “They had to know something about your finances. Perhaps your son said something inadvertently, and that was why he was taken.”
    â€œI understand,” Mr. Vanderveer said. “Where do we go from here?”
    â€œWhat have you told the police? Do they know you are at the hotel?”
    â€œThey don’t know we’re in the city. We told them we were leaving, going home.”
    â€œAnd your other son?”
    â€œHome,” Miriam said. “He wanted to come, but we thought he should . . .”
    â€œHold down the fort,” Mr. Vanderveer said.
    â€œAre they close? The boys?” Lang asked.
    Mr. Vanderveer looked at his wife. Lang could detect a slight shaking of her head negatively. Either the boys weren’t close or she was still angry with him.
    â€œI know of brothers who are closer,” Mr. Vanderveer said.
    â€œThey have different outlooks on life,” Mrs. Vanderveer said.
    Mr. Vanderveer looked away.
    â€œHere’s what I suggest,” West said, leaning forward. “You provide me with a modest retainer so that, in effect, you have hired me to handle your legal affairs and I will hire Paladino and Lang Investigations. Working for an