Adam Blake - 83. Chapter 83

We walked into the bank, I asked to see Mr. Jacob, I whispered to Gerry, bank president.

The secretary came back out, “May I tell him who is calling?”

Before I could answer, Gerry said “Tell him the Viscount of Liechtenstein”

I looked at him, “In my country that is who you are. You can’t be my guardian unless you are Titled.”

It didn’t take her long to show us in. He knew me since he knew my father for many years. He looked puzzled and then looked at Gerry.

“Hello Adam, I’m guessing you are the Viscount,” looking at Gerry.

“No sir” pointing to me, “He’s the Viscount.”

Now he was confused and then he must have thought it was a joke. I could see Gerry getting angry. “No Herb, it isn’t a joke. I have a very important role to play as this man’s father, he has honored me by making me a Viscount. Here it doesn’t mean anything but in his country, it means a lot. We need to rent a safe deposit box, and it must be the most secure box you have.”

“Adam, all of our boxes are secured.”

“Where do you store your gold deposits.”

“We don’t have gold deposits.”

“Herb, you can fool the locals, but not us. I know that bank-to-bank transactions aren’t in cash but mostly in gold. I’m not kidding you, what we have to store here is worth more than the gold you have below this floor.”

“How do you know what is below this floor.”

“I know about construction, I know about rooms blocked off with special access, so come on and show us where the most secure room you have is located.”

“I can’t do that? You know we are a branch of the main bank, I don’t have that authority.”

“Who does have that authority?”

“The main bank in New York.”

“Herb, is the bank privately owned or traded?”

“35 percent is privately owned and the rest is traded.”

“May I use your phone?”

I called a broker my dad uses, 'Hey Sammy, this is Adam… Yes, we are fine and the job is fantastic. My stocks are doing well. I mouthed to Gerry 'I didn’t know I had stocks.' Sammy, I want you to start buying stock in a bank listed as Merchant Bank, New York. You know how to buy it, the money will be in your account in, looking at Gerry, 30 minutes. Yes, you can buy on leverage, just let me know the amount and I’ll see you’ll get a wire transfer. I also understand there is a private investor who owns 35 percent can you find out who that is. ’Sure call me on my cell.” I gave him my cell phone number and hung up. Herb looked at me, “Want to show me the vault or wait until I own the bank.”

He took a set of keys from the safe, and we followed him down a set of stairs to a safe, he opened the safe and there were the safe deposit boxes. He went to one of the boxes, inserted a key, and turned it, a small portion of the wall moved, he turned on the light and we saw a flat of gold bars. Against the far wall were small safes.

“This is the most secure place we have. These safes are controlled by the client, it’s a combination of code and DNA.”

“Herb this is perfect. Why didn’t you show us this before? Then I wouldn’t have had to buy the bank. Which one is empty." He showed us one in the corner.

“Ok, here is the key, which you keep, there are no other keys but this key, lose the key, you lose everything inside. We take a fingerprint and a drop of blood to confirm for DNA, The results are automatic. No copies.”

I looked at Gerry, he looked the area over, he looked at me. “Can there be two people who have access?”

“Yes, but it is highly irregular, the same procedure is followed.”

“It’s your call.”

“We shall take that safe.”

I watched Herb open the safe, he took an additional key, gave them both to me. Then he pulled out a keypad, took a print from our index finger, each time writing our name, then he took out a small machine, set a number on it, he slid it on my finger and I felt a pinch, he did the same with Gerry. He closed the safe. “When the small light flashes, insert one of the keys, you have 2 seconds to do that. The wall here will slide open, place your finger here, again you have only a few seconds. If you fail, you’ll need to wait 24 hours before trying again.”

“Thanks, Herb. Gerry, want to try it?”

He nodded, “How do we make the light flash.”

“Pass your hand in front of it like this.” He went to another safe and did it.

Gerry had his key ready, passed his hand in front, the light flashed, he inserted the key, turned it, a spot on the wall next to the safe door uncovered another keypad, he placed his finger on it and the safe opened. I gave him the papers from my briefcase he put them in the safe, and now the ring.

“Before you put in the ring, I want to take a picture of it. We’ll get a fake one made in case someone has ideas.” That, someone, was his stepmother.

We set the ring on my case, and I took a picture of the top and both sides. Gerry took the ring, kissed it, and said something in his tongue, placed the ring in the safe, and closed it. He tried to open it again and the key wouldn’t turn. “Herb thank you, I didn’t like forcing you but you haven’t the slightest idea the importance of those papers and ring.”

“Dad, we need to show him that even though he delayed us, we are good people.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Don’t you have a bank account here?”

“Yes, if you want to call it that.”

“Sir, may I have my dad’s bank account number.”

I watched Herb, this man was so confused. He checked his records and showed Gerry my bank account number. “Dad, is this all of the money you have?”

I wasn’t going to tell him where else my money was in front of Herb. “Dad, let me have your phone, I gave him my phone, he started talking to someone in his language, but I knew what he was doing. I shook my head no, he smiled and continued talking, then he read off the numbers. He confirmed everything, said goodbye.