Bel-Air dead

34

Prince took Stone’s arm and propelled him to a corner of the room behind the grand piano, the player of which was apparently on break. Stone noticed that four other men wearing studiedly casual outfits moved with them. Prince had security, from all appearances, and Stone wondered why.

Stone extricated his arm from Prince’s grip. “What can I do for you?” he asked.

“First of all,” Prince said, “I want to apologize for the tenor of our conversation when we last met. It was not my purpose to establish an adversarial relationship with you or your client, and things, somehow, went awry. I hope we can establish a more cordial atmosphere for discussions from here on in.”

“I hope so, too,” Stone replied. “Now, what discussions?”

Prince looked around as if he were worried that someone might overhear them. “I understand that Arrington Calder has bought two pieces of property adjoining her Bel-Air estate. This is a matter of public record.”

“Then I have no problem confirming it,” Stone said.

“May I ask, then, what do those acquisitions bring her total acreage to?”

“I believe it’s eighteen acres,” Stone said.

“And this is quite near the Bel-Air Country Club?”

“Some of the property is directly across the street.”

“May I ask,” Prince said again, “how she and her late husband came to own such a large chunk of Bel-Air?”

“In much the same way that Vance Calder came to own such a large chunk of Centurion: a little at a time, as he was able to afford it. Vance enjoyed his privacy, and he liked having his neighbors, whoever they might be, at some remove.”

“It astonishes me,” Prince said, “that this piece of property could exist in Bel-Air without my having known about it until now.”

“Neither I nor my client has concealed this from you.”

“I would like you to know, and I would be grateful if you would communicate this to Mrs. Calder, that I would be very interested in buying the whole property from her.”

“For what purpose?” Stone asked.

“You may recall that I am in the hotel business,” Prince replied.

“You want to build a new hotel in the heart of Bel-Air?”

“That is correct.”

“In spite of the nearby competition from the well-established Bel-Air Hotel, which has just undergone a major refurbishment?”

“I am competitive by nature,” Prince said, “and I am perfectly capable of creating a hotel experience that would outshine that of the present hotel.”

“Would this have anything to do with your inability to buy the Bel-Air Hotel?” Stone asked.

“As I said, I am competitive by nature.”

“Well,” Stone said, “that is a very interesting idea. What makes you think you could get planning permission to build a hotel on that site?”

“I have already explored that possibility with the relevant authorities, and I am assured that they would regard a low-rise, discretely designed and landscaped hotel a welcome addition to the community. They were particularly pleased that I offered to put all parking underground.”

“Well, that’s all very optimistic of you, Mr. Prince.”

“Call me Terry, please.”

“Terry, what sort of offer did you have in mind for the property?”

“Something on the order of a hundred and fifty million dollars,” Prince replied.

Stone shook his head. “I don’t think I could recommend such a price to my client.”

“What did you have in mind?” Prince asked.

“Well, I haven’t had the opportunity to research the land values, but I should think something north of two hundred million dollars would be a good starting point for negotiations.”

Prince blinked. “And you haven’t researched the land values?”

“No, but I know what Mrs. Calder paid for her two recent acquisitions, which were based on the property values of four years ago, when her late husband took the options.”

“Would she sell at the right price?”

“I don’t know, really, but I do know that she enjoys visiting her property in Bel-Air, and since she has no need of the money, I’m uncertain what her reaction would be.”

“All right, then,” Prince said, “let’s see if we can move this along. Please convey to your client that I will pay her two hundred million dollars for her property, and I will build her a house of her own design on the property that she may occupy for her lifetime, with full hotel services provided.”

“Provided at no cost to her?” Stone asked.

Prince bit his lip. “All right, all services provided at no cost to her.”

“Well,” Stone said, shrugging, “next time I speak to her, I’ll mention your interest and see what she has to say.”

Prince looked irritated. “I would appreciate it if you would make it your business to convey my offer to her at the earliest possible moment, certainly no later than close of business on Monday. And please tell her that I wish my offer kept in the strictest confidence until such time as I wish to announce the acquisition permanently.”

“I don’t think you want to press her,” Stone said. “Mrs. Calder is a woman who does not respond well to pressure.”

“Of course not,” Prince said.

“I should also tell you that I believe strongly that your pursuit of Centurion Studios would be a serious impediment to her consideration of your offer.”

“What?”

“Both Mrs. Calder and her late husband have had a great affection for their association with Centurion, and she would be extremely reluctant to do business with someone who threatened the existence of the studio as it now is presently constituted.”

“My offer does not involve Centurion in any way. These are two separate transactions.”

“Mrs. Calder won’t see it that way,” Stone said. “Shall we just forget this conversation?”

“Please convey my offer to her as it now stands,” Prince said. “And call me when you’ve spoken to her.”

Stone shrugged. “If you wish,” he said, “but I’m not optimistic about this.”

“Perhaps she can learn to be optimistic about two hundred million dollars and a free house.”

“Speaking of houses,” Stone said, “when are you planning to move into your new Virginia residence?”

“I was planning to move in immediately,” Prince said, “but I now understand that there is a problem in the house with raccoons and bats.”

“I believe she stated that on the disclosure form,” Stone said, “and she told me she also mentioned it to you personally.”

“I did not think she was serious,” Prince said frostily. “Good day.”

And he marched out of the house, followed by his armed retinue.