The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

Friend was every bit as substantial as he claimed to be.
'Can you recommend a good local realtor?' Russell asked the very solicitous
banker.
'Right down the street, third door on the right. I'll have your checks ready
when you get back.' The banker watched him leave and placed a rapid phone call
to his wife, who worked in the real-estate office. She was waiting for him at
the door.
'Mr Friend, welcome to Roggen!'
'Thank you, good to be back.'
'You've been away?'
'Spent some time in Saudi Arabia,' Russell/Friend explained. 'But I missed my
winters.'
'What are you looking for?'
'Oh, a medium-sized ranch, place where I might raise some beef.'
'House, barns?'
'Yeah, a good-sized house. Not that big, don't need it – there's just me, you
see – say about three thousand square feet. I can go smaller for good land.'
'You originally from around here?'
'The Dakotas, actually, but I need to be close to Denver for the transportation
– air travel, I mean. I do a lot of that. My old homestead is too far from
things.'
'Will you want help to run your ranch?'
'Yeah, I'll need that, say a place enough for two hands – maybe a couple. I
really should have a place closer to town, but, damn it, I just want a place
where I can eat my own beef.'
'I know what you mean,' the realtor agreed. 'I have a couple of places you might
like.'
'Then let's go see them.' Russell smiled at the lady.
The second one was perfect. Just off Exit 50, five hundred acres, a nice old
farm house with a new kitchen, a two-car garage, and three sturdy outbuildings.
There was clear land in all directions, a pond with some trees half a mile from
the house, and plenty of room for the cattle that Russell would never see.
'This one's been on the market for five months. The owner's estate is asking
four hundred,' the realtor said, 'but we can probably get them to go for
three-fifty.'
'Okay,' Russell said, checking access to Interstate 76. 'Tell them if they sign
the contract this week, I'll make a fifty-thousand cash deposit, settlement in,
oh, say four or five weeks. No problem on financing. I'll pay cash for the whole
thing when I get the rest of my funds transferred. But – I want to start moving
in immediately. God, I hate living in hotels, done way too much of that. You
think we get all that done?'
The realtor beamed at him. 'I think I can guarantee it.'
'Great. So, how did the Broncos do this year?'
'Eight and eight. They're rebuilding. My husband and I have season tickets. You
going to try and get tickets for the Superbowl?'
'I'd sure like to.'
'Going to be pretty hard,' the realtor warned him.