The receptionist used their new rotary phone to make the call. As Ava watched the wheel turn, the phone clicking the numbers home, she was astounded at just how quickly such an accomplishment had come to the city. Just five years ago, such a thing was incredibly rare. Now it seemed that there were direct-call rotary phones in most areas of the city.
Once the number was in, the receptionist leaned across the counter and handed Ava the phone. Within a few moments, she heard the surprisingly clear voice of another woman in her ear.
“You’ve reached Fulton and Donner Enterprises How may I help you?”
“My name is Ava Gold, a detective with the NYPD, Seventeenth Precinct. I was hoping to speak with Mr. George Albrecht.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am, but Mr. Albrecht and several others are in a meeting right now. From what I gather, it’s very important.”
“I see. Any idea when he’ll be out of it?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know. I’d be happy to take a message and make sure he gets it.”
Ava took a moment to consider her options. She wondered how much this woman might know about Albrecht and the so-called Race to the Sky. “You know, I think that’s okay,” Ava said. “I wonder, though…the questions I have are very basic. I wonder if you might be able to assist me. Do you work closely with Mr. Albrecht?”
“Not very closely, but I know enough about him, I suppose. I can try to answer any questions you have.”
“Well, I understand that he’s working very closely with some of the contractors over at the Chrysler Building. We’re trying to get a read on what builders he’s working with.” She felt a lie coming on and was a bit ashamed of the ease at which it arrived. She was even more ashamed when she used it withoutmuch thought: “Bear in mind now, this isn’t in pursuit of Mr. Albrecht himself. We’re looking into some unscrupulous details and reports about one of the builders.”
“Oh, I see,” the woman said in a hushed tone. “Well, I’m afraid I don’t know much about the contractors he’s working with. Besides that, the details of all of their investments are kept pretty private.”
“Oh, I’m sure. But I wonder if you might know the last time Mr. Albrecht visited the site?”
“I believe he’s been over there at least once every day for the past week or so. Just last night…no, wait…two nights ago…he met with a few men over there after he left work. They treated him to a private tour of the building, seeing as how it’s so close to being done.”
“Two nights ago, you said?”
“Yes.”
Two nights ago,she thought.The night Alfred Perkins was killed.Suddenly, the clandestine letter she’d found between Albrecht and Perkins seemed a bit more than just a thinly veiled attempt at funneling money and investors.
Just to keep up appearances and to make the lie seem more authentic, Ava added: “I don’t suppose you know who arranged that tour, do you?”
“Sorry, I don’t. Are you sure you don’t want to leave a message?”
She considered it for a moment before declining and ending the call. She had the letter linking Albrecht and Perkins, and now knew that Albrecht had been in the building on the same night Perkins had killed himself.
No, she did not want to leave a message. She didn’t want George Albrecht to know she had called. She didn’t want him to know she was coming.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ava grabbed lunch on her way over to the address she had for Fulton and Donner. It wasn’t located in one of the three buildings that were part of the Race to the Sky, but it was still an impressive place. It was only three blocks away from 40 Wall Street, a smaller three-story building made of steel and glass. Just looking at it gave the impression that whoever worked inside had to be of some importance.
She ate her deli sandwich and drank her pop on a bench across the street, formulating a plan. She was well aware that Step One of the plan should probably be to go back to the precinct to fill in Pawlowski but she felt that would be a waste of time; there was traveling over to the station, trying to convince an uninterested party, and then traveling back. She figured this way, she was saving at least an hour and a half and sparing the aggravation of a new partner that was already getting on her nerves.
The busy thrum of Wall Street was unlike any other part of the city. Even in the midst of the market crash, it still seemed to possess a vitality that other areas in the growing city just couldn’t match. Businessmen hurried along the streets, as if trying to escape the sad reality of the current financial situation. Vendors were still trying to peddle their wares here and there along the street corners. And above it all the buildings loomed high above them like sentinels.
Ava took it all in as she finished up her lunch. She honestly didn’t have much of a plan when she crossed the street. If Albrecht was still in his meeting, she may have to pull her badge and get forceful, insisting that she speak with him. Also, she had the letter in her jacket pocket if she really needed to press the issue.
When she entered, she found the front lobby eerily similar to the one back at 40 Wall Street. It was a bit smaller and compact, but still spoke of power and influence, backing up the feeling the building gave from the outside. There was only one woman sitting at the desk up front, probably the same woman she’d spoken to on the phone. Ava approached her with a friendly smile, surprised at the bit of freedom she felt without a partner at her side.
“Hey, there,” Ava said to the woman. “You may very well be the lady I spoke to on the phone about forty minutes ago. I’m Detective Ava Gold. I’d called with some questions about Mr. Albrecht.”
“Yes, of course,” the woman said, returning her smile. “And no more than ten minutes after you called, their meeting came to an end. As far as I know, Mr. Albrecht should be in his office.”
“Oh, thank you so much. Where is that located?”
“Second floor, Room 28. But I should warn you…whatever was discussed in that meeting left most of the men that came out in sour moods.” She sighed and leaned forward, as if about divulge a secret. “It’s been this way pretty much every single day since the market crashed.”