Progresso, New Mexico shuddered.
Cecile imagined the path their conversation would follow when she called Miguel Gutierrez on a phone only a handful of people could reach.
Their conversation would drip the false notes of excessive cordiality only criminals can conjure.
He would tell her how surprised he was to hear from her and ask what he could do. He would toss in a barb and suggest he had done enough for her already, three billion dollars’ worth of favors. He would wonder, with amplified anguish, what more could he possibly offer.
Aside from an acidic comment or two, there would be no hint of embarrassment or fury.
She would tell him to log into his Banco Azteca account.
Miguel Gutierrez would be surprised to see that within the past hour, a billion and a half dollars had been transferred to Providencia Holdings S.A. from the Union Bancaire Privee in Geneva.
She would tell him the bulk of the balance due would be forthcoming if he called off his assassins and assisted with a project she was working on.
Then he would laugh.
He would complement her on her mystery and mention how much he admired her enigma. He would thank her and offer assurances that, for the time being, she had nothing to fear.
Miguel Gutierrez would pause and sigh and with untoward regret, tell her that his assistance with whatever project she had in mind would be unlikely.
She would say they could discuss this later. For now, he should keep an eye on his Banco Azteca account in Panama to make sure a quarter million dollars was being transferred in every day.
He would ask what sort of assistance she had in mind, not that he would consider providing it, but simply to satisfy his curiosity.
And that would be when Cecile would wind down the conversation with a few false cordial notes of her own.
“Something only you can orchestrate with the perfection I need. When there’s another million dollars in the Providencia Holdings S.A. account, we can revisit this. Have a wonderful day, Miguel.”
Progresso, New Mexico couldn’t shake off its concerns. The whole town shuddered.
