Town Proper

Kevin Murphy had difficulty rising when the alarm sounded at six-thirty.  He had been out ‘till two in the morning drinking with some buddies, but his partner, Rory, had arranged an eight o’clock breakfast meeting with an overseas client of considerable wealth who was interested in investing in local real estate projects.  He was from Amsterdam, a Richard van Braun, and had been recommended by Dave Goldman whose father had a financial interest in the project, also.  This must be big thought Kevin --. a command performance.   Sometimes he regretted that he and Rory were partners, but he knew Rory was a man of action, a man with keen intelligence and  myriad  contacts.

Basically he knew himself to be lazy, a playboy who only became engaged when he saw a fast dollar to be made.  He had been running cons since his teenage years.  When he ran into legal problems an older brother, a lawyer, fixed everything.  Lots of money had been made with this partnership.  Kevin himself was intelligent enough, but he recognized his shortcomings.  People in town believed he had a demented personality and lived a very strange existence, but he had his faithful followers, too.

What was this latest enterprise thought Kevin?  Anything with David Goldman was big and usually just this side of being legal.  More than once David had been threatened with sanctions by the State Board.   What seemed obvious violations were always settled in Chambers.

There were the foreign investments: buy-outs of bankrupt or near bankrupt companies, and the acquisition of prime real estate.  These ventures were very lucrative.  He himself had made connections through Rory and Dave which he pursued on his own.  He  was a risk taker and not too many people knew he had a yacht docked in the Islands where he conducted some of his own business, and there was no question – this business was illegal.

Kevin checked his watch.  It was seven-thirty. Better get my ass in gear, he thought.