Disgruntled bear harassed by crickets.
He sat back frowning. “Plug in the address and an outfit called AOC, Limited, comes up. But a search for business licenses and DBAs pulls up nothing. The only link I can find is an outfit in Macao: Asian-Occidental Concepts. I go ontheirwebsite and everything dissolves. One more try.”
His thumbs worked. “Now it’s frozen.”
He switched the phone off and on. “Know anything about Macao?”
“Part of China, I think they like casinos.”
“Hmph—okay, it’s the—get this—Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. I’m visualizing a mail-drop in a dim sum joint.”
I said, “Sounds like a trade center with tax benefits. Is there a chamber of commerce?”
“Hold on…there is, indeed…but it’s gobbledygook…okay, here’s something: The place has cultural agreements in Europe. Company calls itself Asian-Occidental, maybe that’ll lead somewhere.”
He muttered as he worked.
“Lisbon, Portugal…nada…Coimbra, Portugal, nada…one more place in Portugal…Porto—that where the wine’s from? I could use some…also zilch…next stop…c’monLinköping, Sweden…thanks for nothing, Blondie…okay,herewe go, Brussels, Belgium.”
He gave the thumbs-up and returned to the screen. “The Belgium-Macao Friendship Society lists a whole bunch of companies and top of the list is AOC. Along with…three subsidiaries. First one is…hold on, this is a mouthful…Nieder…schön…hausen Fine Arts…then Western Import-Export, then Heigur, Limited. Why’s that third one familiar?”
I said, “Owner of the house where Okash delivered the painting.”
“Okash sells two paintings and one goes to her landlord?”
“Maybe some kind of swap for rent. The building isn’t exactly booming.”
“Okay, forget downtown, go west, young man.”
—
No cars in the driveway of the blue house on Clearwater Lane. Mail overflowed a tarnished brass box to the left of the front door. Bulk junk addressed toOccupant.Milo put it back, rang the bell, got the expected silence.
“Not exactly Xanadu. They have a Rolls, huh?”
“And a Volvo.”
“Automotive yin-yang…the place is obviouslynota mail-drop.”
I said, “Maybe it’s a layover for Macao execs when they’re here on business. Or some sort of tax dodge—keeping the ownership overseas where the rates are lower and depreciating the real estate here.”
“How does that work?”
“Above my pay grade,” I said. “I did have a custody case last year, couple was worth six hundred million, most of it in property. They bought, sold, traded up, kept depreciating, and paid no income tax. The wife threatened to expose it but it turned out to be legit.”
“She owned half and wanted to blow everything up?”
“You bet,” I said. “She hated her husband that much.”
“Nose, spite, face—doesn’t that level of ugly get to you?”
“This from you?”
“I live in one nasty world, you occupy two.”
“I’ve got a fulfilling outside life.”
“Feeding the fish?”
