Sight Unseen Read Online Free PDF Page B

smiled and shook Manners’ hand. “Let’s try it.”
    “Good. After all, we both want to get the bombsight back and make America strong against the Huns.”
    Lockwood winced slightly at Manners’ crude attempt to con him, smiled again, and nodded, waiting for it, and then Manners
     threw it at him.
    “So, when can Transatlantic give Northstar the check? Can you make it certified? They have a payroll to meet in five days,
     and they were counting on picking up the next Air Corps check this Friday.”
    “Look, Mr. Manners,” Lockwood said. “I’ve been on this —what?—five hours? I’ve got a lot of work to do, and with all this
     secrecy and locked doors and the stand-offishness of your people, I haven’t even got started.”
    “I’m not getting any cooperation out of you.”
    “I’m not paying without an investigation.”
    “The Treasury Department will investigate.”
    Lockwood folded his arms and shook his head.
    Manners said, “Transatlantic might find it difficult to do business.”
    “We have
state
charters.”
    “We’ve got connections in state capitols, Lockwood.”
    “It’ll take you months, Manners.”
    “Maybe I’ll put you in jail.”
    “Maybe you will. You think that’s going to get a check written?”
    “I’m a federal officer!”
    “Good for you.”
    Manners walked to the door, turned back, walked again to the door, then turned around again and said, “All right. Can we work
     together?”
    “What does that mean?”
    “You let me know what you turn up, and I let you know what I turn up.”
    “It’s fine by me, but I can’t imagine you thinking an insurance dick will come up with anything.”
    Manners flushed, caught out. “I want to give you enough stuff so that the claim is paid off fast. Then you’re out of here.”
    Lockwood sighed in exasperation. “Let me level with you, Manners. Don’t go by the ads Transatlantic runs in the
Saturday Evening Post
and
Harper’s
that say we send out a cheerful, solicitous claims adjuster within hours of your loss, ads that make it look as if you get
     your check by nightfall. Faced with a good-sized claim, insurance companies make sure they aren’t being spoofed, or after
     a while we’d go out of business. Take this case. First, somebody’s got to prove to me there
was
a bombsight, and that it was here yesterday. Then I want to know that it was worth $75,000, the face amount of the policy.
     I want all this proved, with evidence, the sort of evidence that will stand up in court—because if Dzeloski and crew can’t
     come up with it, then we let
him
take us to court, and we just sit it out.”
    “Which could take months.”
    “Years. Now, after I get those things
proved
, then I want to make sure Dzeloski didn’t just roll the damn thing down to the basement and cut the hole in the fence himself.”
    “You found the hole?”
    “Sure. Doesn’t prove anything. We don’t pay a beneficiary if he caused the loss. You with me so far?”
    “I don’t know that I want to hear any more,” Manners said. He was getting much less friendly. He looked vaguely around the
     room, as if he was considering just walking away from Lockwood, then seemed to change his mind. “We know how to play these
     games in the Treasury Department. You’re going to stall with a million different rules and requirements, and no matter how
     hard Dzeloski tries, he’s never going to quite satisfy them.”
    “It’s not that bad.”
    “You pay off some policies?”
    “Sometimes even in four to six weeks.”
    “And here?” the T-man asked. “There is a ‘time of the essence’ clause, isn’t there? Can’t Northstar sue you for damages if
     you pay late?”
    “Sure. They can collect too—if they win every appeal.”
    Manners nodded bleakly. “And I thought the Government was bad. It’s a wonder you guys have any customers.”
    Lockwood grinned. “It doesn’t mean I’ll take it that far, just that I have a job to do. If I’m pushed too hard