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already have a buyer, if you’re interested.”
    “Already?” asked Leland, who seemed genuinely surprised.
    “Yes, already,” confirmed Dale. “He is willing to purchase five of those ingots initially and still more later. His offer is very generous, $980 an ounce. I think that he is mainly interested in the iridium, myself. He is a buyer for a large semiconductor manufacturer. Minus my commission and expenses, that will net you about $942 an ounce.”
    “Sounds good to me,” replied Leland.
    Dale reached into his file cabinet and produced a stack of paperwork. He placed it on the table before Leland. “I took the liberty of having my lawyer draw up the contract. Once you have your lawyer look it over, we can move forward.”
    “That’s OK,” assured Leland. “I’ll just want to take a quick look over the papers and sign them before I leave. I trust you. I want to get this deal moving as quickly as possible.”
    Dale looked at Leland incredulously. “You’re talking about a deal worth over a million dollars. It is one of the largest individual deals I’ve ever brokered. I really think you should discuss it with your lawyer first. Yes, I’m your friend, and no, I wouldn’t screw you over on this. We’re in this together. I want to keep you as a client. Still, you need to take some time on this, make sure this is the route you want to pursue.”
    “I’ll take the papers home, show them to Lusan and get his approval, but Iwant to keep my lawyer out of this for the moment,” said Leland.
    “Lusan?” queried Dale. “That sounds French. This is the guy who gave you the gold?”
    Leland realized that he had just slipped up. He didn’t do things like that usually, but the past few days had been so fast paced. He had to think quickly. Pagoni’s people had been working on creating an identity for Lusan, one that would hold up to careful government scrutiny if it came to that. This deal would go far in covering those costs, which were considerable. “Yes, that is the guy, Andre Lusan. He actually hails from Casablanca, but, yes, he is French.”
    “So, he’s in mining, is he?” asked Dale.
    “Well, indirectly,” was the reply. “He purchased the gold from an independent third party that hit a rich vein of gold deep in the Moroccan desert. They were the actual miners. I’m sorry. I really can’t tell you more than that.”
    Dale nodded. “I fully understand. Thank you for the information. It makes more sense to me now. I still want you to take the papers home and think it over. If your client likes the deal, then bring them back tomorrow. Oh, did you want me to arrange for an armored car to come and pick up the gold bullion?”
    “No, I’ll just bring it in with me tomorrow,” said Leland, placing the papers in his briefcase.
    Dale nodded, but said no more. He was getting accustomed to dealing with Leland and his cavalier attitude toward security.

     
    It was later that evening when Leland presented the papers to Lusan at dinner. It was true that Lusan and Duras really didn’t need to eat, but Krissie’s cooking was exceptional. At any rate, they needed to fit into human society, learn the customs and habits of humanity, including dinner table discussion and etiquette.
    “Yes, Leland, this is totally acceptable,” said Lusan, setting down the last page following dinner. “You have done better than I had dared to hope during the first week.”
    Leland smiled. “Yes, it was one week ago tonight, wasn’t it?”
    “Indeed it was,” confirmed Lusan, who then turned to Krissie. “You have been such a kind and gracious hostess this past week. You have made Duras and me feel truly welcome in your home. We are most grateful.”
    “Indeed, we are,” confirmed the usually silent Duras. “I particularly enjoyed our visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Seeing firsthand the artistic nature of humanity was most spiritually enlightening. Thank you, Krissie.”
    Krissie smiled a broad smile.