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“And for you, Officer?”
“If it’s no trouble.”
“Not at all, not at all. Such a wonderful hotel. Everything you could possibly need or want right at your fingertips. I have to admit, when Magda had the brainstorm to hold the event here, I wasn’t happy. I’ve certainly changed my mind.”
“She was set on it?”
“Ummm. She wanted the auction in New York. She had her first professional role onstage here. Though she made her true mark in film, she’s never forgotten it was Broadway that gave her the first break.”
“You’ve been together, you and Magda, a long time.”
“Longer than either of us would like to remember.”
“Like family,” Eve said, remembering Peabody’s statement.
“Oh yes, very much like family. All the ups and downs and the byways,” he said as he brought over the coffee. “We’ve stood up for each other at weddings, held onto each other at funerals, paced the floors for each other at births. I’m godfather to her son. She’s a magnificent woman. I’m honored to be her friend.”
Eve said nothing while he took his seat. “Friends can be protective of friends. Sometimes too protective.”
He gave her a puzzled expression. “I don’t follow you.”
“Does she know just how big a financial hole Vincent Lane is in this time?”
“I don’t discuss the personal lives of my friends, Lieutenant. And as Magda’s manager, would hardly discuss her finances or those of her son with the police.”
“Even if discussing it might save her considerable grief? I’m not a reporter, Mr. Mince. I’m not here for gossip. I’m concerned with the security of your friend and her belongings.”
“I hardly see what Vince’s financial position has to do with security.”
“You’ve bailed him out before, haven’t you? One or the other of you. And you keep bailing him out. He sinks again. Consider this. His main meal ticket, his mother is about to give away upwards of a billion dollars. How does that sit with him?”
She caught the flicker in his gaze before he looked away. “I hardly see what—”
“Mr. Mince. I can get warrants. I can oblige you to come into Interview and ask these questions on the record. I don’t want to do that, for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is my husband has a great deal of admiration and affection for your friend. I’m thinking of him, and of her, and what it could mean to both of them if there’s any scandal with this auction.”
“Surely you don’t think Vince means to cause any trouble? He wouldn’t dare.”
“Does she know his current financial situation?”
Mince seemed to sink in his chair. Worry creased his forehead as he set his coffee aside. “No. I haven’t told her this time. She thinks he’s turned over a new leaf. She’s so thrilled that he’s taken such a personal interest in her foundation, in the auction . . .” He trailed off, looked back at Eve, horrified.
Then he shook his head. “But no. No. There’s nothing he can do at this point to stop the event from going through. It’s done, as far as the end result. All the paperwork is filed. The proceeds go to the Foundation. That’s locked in. He can’t stop it. It doesn’t matter that he was against it initially.”
“He tried to stop it?”
Mince rose, paced the room, his palms pressed together as he tried to think it through. “Yes. Yes, he argued bitterly against it. She was giving away his inheritance, his birthright. They had a terrible row over it. She’d reached the end of her rope with him, told him it was time he worked for a living, and that she would not again sail to his rescue with money to plug the holes he kept digging in his life. She said one of the benefits of the Foundation would be that she couldn’t just pass him the money. She was setting it up that way for him, for herself, and for those who needed a helping hand.”
“What happened to turn him around?”
“I don’t know.” He lifted his hands, spread his fingers. “He walked out on her, furious. Brought her to tears, and she doesn’t shed them lightly. He was out of contact for over two weeks. None of us knew where he was. Then he came back, head bowed, full of contrition. He said she was right, of course, that he was sorry and ashamed and wanted to do everything he could to make her proud of him.”
“You didn’t believe him, did you?”
He opened his mouth, then let out a sigh. “Not for a minute. But she did. She adores Vince, even as she despairs of him. She was so thrilled when he asked to work on the event. And it seemed, for a time, he’d meant everything he said. Then the bills began coming in again. I had them transferred to me directly to try to spare her. I talked to him, paid them. Talked to him, paid them. Then I threatened to go to Magda. He broke down, begged me not to, promised it would be the last time.”
“When was that?”
“Just before we came out East. He has been on his best behavior since, but . . .” He glanced back toward the data center. “A number of new bills have just come in today. I’m at my wit’s end.”
