Style, you
either have it or you
don't. And if you have it, you have it
all the time.The Rogue's Quiet Weekend
by Tux Toledo
Page 5
"What
do you do for a living?" I asked.
"We're teachers," Ansley said.
"College teachers," Mary added. "Professors."
"Naturally. How did you become readers of The California Investment
News?" I asked.
Ansley placed the newspaper on the table.
"We've subscribed to it for quite a few years," he said.
"We've never invested in any of its recommendations, though. Seems
frivolous to spend so much money subscribing to something we never use.
To tell you the truth, we've always been afraid to invest in anything.
We've always been conservative, putting all of our money into our
savings account at the bank. We've let opportunity pass us by. But
we're not going to let it happen again. We're tired of missing out on
great investments."
"Yes," Mary said. "I guess we have been a bit stodgy with our money."
"But you still have it," I said. "There is something to be said for
conservative financial planning."
Ansley shrugged. "Yes, I suppose you're right," he said. "But it's time
for us to be more aggressive. After all, we're not young anymore. We
won't have many more opportunities like this one. Have you decided
which parcel you're going to buy?"
"I'm afraid I didn't come here to transact business," I said. "I'm
vacationing."
"What?" Ansley's moustache thickened. "But your car, I
thought for sure..." He turned to his wife.
"As Mr. Churchill said, do not be deceived by appearances."
Ansley swallowed hard. "Oh," he said. "You see, this investment
opportunity is secret. I shouldn't have told you as much as I have."
"You have told me nothing," I said.
"It's invitation only," Ansley continued. "Invitations were sent only
to long-time subscribers of The California Investment News."
"You don't have to say any more," I said.
"Well, it's a new Gold Rush," Ansley said. "Of course, if you haven't
received an invitation from Mr. Jepson we shouldn't tell you about it."
"Then don't tell me about it. I respect your privacy."
"But I think we can trust Mr. Churchill, don't you Mary?" He looked at
his wife and then at me. "You won't tell anybody, will you?"
"Mum's the word."
Ansley reached into his tweed sport coat and pulled out a clump of
papers. He handed them to me as if he were passing on state secrets.
"The prospectus," he whispered.
I opened it and read about the deal. Two hundred parcels of land were
for sale with a limit of five parcels per investor. A detailed map
indicated the location of each parcel and its selling price. One of the
parcels was circled.
The prospectus also contained a market forecast written by a company
called International Investments. The forecast detailed the plans of
the Davidson Development Corporation to build an office park and a
luxury hotel next to the property. A Davidson Development spokesman
listed the area's proximity to the ski slopes of Lake Tahoe and the
gambling of Reno as reasons for building in the Nevada City area. Those
benefits, he stated, would attract the necessary tenants.
"You're going to buy the circled parcel?" I asked.
"Yes, that's right," Ansley said. "You see, those development plans
haven't been made public yet. When they are, land in this area will be
worth a fortune."
"Especially the land next to the development," Mary said.
"That's the land Mr. Jepson is selling."
Ansley looked around the cafe. "I'm just looking to make sure
Mr. Jepson isn't here," he said. "He spends quite a bit of time in the
cafe. He wouldn't appreciate our telling you about the deal."
"Who is Mr. Jepson?" I asked.
© 2008 David Biagini