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The management was buying the company on the cheap because that was part of the plan. It was all front- and back-end-loaded with fees for the M and A boys. The sub would then issue debt that it never intended to repay. They would use the proceeds from the debt offering to pay management a huge dividend. Then they would go back to the bankers, wrap the junk debt with some decently rated stuff into a CBO, or collateralized bond obligation, and then sell it off to pension funds, police unions, and grandmas. Management would next bleed the company dry, sell whatever of the assets it could make money off of, fire a quarter of the workers, raid the pension plan in such a complicated way prosecutors would never be able to prove anything, and eventually leave the remaining workers hanging without paychecks or health care. When the debt went bad, which it was designed to do, they would go back in, peel off the good stuff, and make even more money off that, while the grandmas and the workers went to the poorhouse. They had no recourse because to have recourse you needed to hire lawyers. And even if the grandmas had any money left, folks like Cowl already had the best attorneys in the business. The litigation would take years and by the time appeals were done, the deep pockets would have vanished under a wall of legalese and there was no money left to pay off any judgment. Whats Ted saying about all this? Okay, she said. Ill be back here when youre ready to go. Now, if youll excuse me a moment, I have another matter to attend to. Very well, about the purse. Did they run it? Im not sleepy yet, Vanessa said. Whatever will we do with the time? There was nothing that would indicate the purse couldnt have been dropped on Saturday night? Two very nice scores for us. She laughed.Thank you. I think I needed that to build my morale — otherwise, I wouldnt have fished for it. They are good. I know my good points, Mr. Mason, but sometimes Im afraid I dont know my bad points. Mason took the elevator to the fourth floor, followed the numbers of the apartments down the corridor, tapped on the door of 459. After all, Mason interrupted, I was the sucker who picked her up in the canoe Saturday night right after her escapade, and Im afraid that Claud Gloster not only suspects it, but may have some evidence. Its been rumored around the courthouse that hes been bragging about having all thirteen trumps. We’ll go see what Pete Cadiz has to say. You cant, not in court, which means its irrelevant as a defense. I make my rounds exactly at twenty past the hour. Takes me about twenty minutes. I have to key into certain areas so theres an electronic trail. That means I was in the lobby at midnightand at one ten. Nobody came into the lobby that night. I can count on one hand the number of times someone came in that late, and Ive been working here six years. They tell me Im pretty good at it. The room was painted institutional green. Cigarette smoke from the old days still tainted the air. Katherine was giving me news that could make the campaign even more difficult. I tried not to pound my fist on the desk and start running around screaming. Whos Felix? Mrs. Claffin. I think I can shed some light on that, said Nestor. About twelve years ago Cowl came really, really close to being indicted by the Justice Departmentand the State of New York for some financial shenanigans. I mean huge fines, delicensing, and possible prison time. They got on to him by electronic eavesdropping. Phone, computer, associates electronics. He used his money and influence and a fleet of high-priced attorneys and calling in chits from political pals to get out of the jam, but—..