| [00:00.00]UNIT5 [00:13.66]The Fraud [00:14.97]Flushed with excitement, Kate stepped [00:17.93]into the spatial vestibule and [00:19.79]was immediately dazzled by the scene [00:21.98]before her. The inlaid marble floor [00:24.60]paved the way to a circular staircase [00:26.90]rising three levels above her. [00:29.52]In a fountain in the center [00:31.93]of the entryway stood a bronze [00:34.12]dolphin balancing on its tail, [00:36.42]its snout pointed to [00:38.38]the lofty domed, stained glass skylight [00:40.68]forty feet above. A massive chandelier, [00:43.75]luminous in the bright sunlight, [00:46.48]cast rainbow fairies dancing [00:49.00]through the pink, green, and [00:50.96]gold floral patterns of the floor [00:53.26]and around the snowy white walls. [00:55.56]Before she could fully appreciate [00:57.97]the beauty of the intricate [00:59.94]plaster work decorating the edges [01:01.80]of the shallow niches installed [01:03.88]in the walls to frame [01:05.52]the numerous paintings, or, [01:06.83]indeed, to appreciate the canvases [01:08.91]themselves, her host, Victor Stone, [01:11.97]approached. Small by North American standards, [01:16.13]he was perfectly proportioned. [01:17.88]Slightly balding at the forehead, [01:20.84]his silver hair curved onto [01:23.02]the collar of his pale [01:24.99]blue shirt at the [01:26.41]nape of his neck. [01:27.94]Laughing blue eyes startled her [01:29.80]with their clarity. A straight, [01:31.34]aristocratic nose rose to meet [01:34.07]his slightly arched brows. [01:36.26]His carefully manicured hands bore [01:38.78]a single gold pinkie ring. [01:40.53]He held out his [01:42.39]hand to take hers. [01:43.48]“Thank you so much for coming, [01:45.01]Kate. I am glad you [01:46.76]could make it,” he said cheerfully. [01:48.07]She had never met this [01:50.04]charming little man before [01:51.47]and knew him by reputation only. [01:52.78]Among his contemporaries, he was [01:55.19]known as a shrewd entrepreneur, [01:58.25]able to diagnose at a glance, [02:00.66]the prospects of those [02:02.41]seeking his backing. She was [02:04.71]anxious to learn why he had [02:06.67]invited her to come to [02:08.10]meet him at his home. [02:09.30]“Thanks for asking me. [02:10.94]Nice place you have here.” [02:12.47]She felt stupid saying something [02:14.12]so absurd, but she was, [02:15.97]at that moment, stumped. [02:17.94]Her ego wouldn't let her [02:21.12]admit she'd never in her whole life, [02:23.31]been so impressed by a foyer. [02:25.82]She hoped that he would realize [02:27.79]she'd had little experience [02:29.43]with the elite, take pity [02:30.96]on her, and show her around. [02:33.59]“Would you like to see more [02:35.89]of the house?” he asked, politely. [02:37.86]“Would I? You bet!” She was [02:39.71]happy he gave no indication [02:41.47]that he thought she was [02:42.67]not in his bracket. [02:43.98]She left her briefcase [02:45.95]on the settee near the door [02:47.59]and followed him through [02:49.34]the foyer to a stairway [02:50.55]to a stairway leading [02:51.97]to a lower level of the house. [02:53.17]They began the tour [02:54.37]in the wine cellar. A heavy, [02:56.34]double thick door opened [02:57.76]to reveal row upon row [02:59.30]of gleaming glass bottles [03:01.71]of vintage wines, all lying [03:04.00]on their sides, cradled by [03:06.19]the solid oak racks. The steady [03:08.16]hum of machinery broke the silence [03:10.57]of the insulated room. [03:12.10]Victor explained that it was [03:14.18]necessary to control the ventilation, [03:16.80]temperature and humidity of the cellar [03:18.77]to achieve optimum conditions [03:20.63]for conserving the flavors [03:22.38]of the expensive wines. [03:24.14]The small but luxurious audio-visual theater [03:27.96]was adjacent to the wine cellar. [03:29.93]Leather upholstered reclining chairs [03:32.56]were casually arrayed about the room, [03:34.53]all with an unimpaired view [03:36.50]of the retractable screen. [03:38.90]The stereo, silent at that moment, [03:41.20]was stateoftheart, with speakers [03:43.61]tactically installed for maximizing [03:45.25]sound effects. Black walnut wood paneling [03:48.86]and a baffled ceiling averted [03:50.83]the possibility of overly loud [03:52.47]entertainment disturbing others in the mansion. [03:55.21]Sliding glass doors led from [03:58.27]the lowest level of the [03:59.36]living area to the enclosed [04:01.11]kidneyshaped swimming pool. [04:03.41]Turquoise and white ceramic tiles outlined [04:06.03]with gold covered the deck area. [04:08.55]Pillars of quartz topped with [04:10.52]milk glass spheres provided illumination [04:12.38]should anyone choose to swim [04:14.02]after dark. A changing booth [04:16.54]was discretely hidden behind [04:18.29]a screen of ornamental floor plants [04:19.82]and cascading vines. Here, too, [04:23.02]a baffled ceiling prevented [04:24.66]the hollow resonance of the pool [04:26.30]room from disturbing others. [04:28.49]At the moment, the games room [04:30.57]was arranged for gambling. [04:32.32]An authentic roulette wheel, [04:34.29]a craps table for dice, [04:35.82]and various card tables were [04:37.57]set up for a benefit evening [04:39.21]that was being held the following night. [04:41.18]Checkers, chess and other board [04:43.70]games augmented the games of chance. [04:45.34]Comfortable furniture and soft lighting [04:48.40]lent a romantic atmosphere to [04:50.04]the terrace garden. Kate had noticed [04:52.89]earlier that Victor had [04:54.31]a slight limp. As they [04:55.95]progressed on their tour, she realized [04:57.70]he was quite lame [04:59.02]on the right side [05:00.11]and needed to rest. [05:01.20]They sat to chat [05:02.41]for a few minutes. [05:03.50]“How much do you know [05:05.03]about me, Kate?” he asked. [05:06.45]“Only what I've read. [05:08.32]And what I have discerned [05:10.39]in the past half hour. [05:11.59]I think you are a man [05:13.35]who has made your home [05:14.55]into a diversion from [05:15.53]the real world. Your taste [05:16.63]is implicit, subtle. Everything [05:19.36]I have seen has been chosen [05:21.33]with a keen eye, not to overwhelm, [05:23.85]but to invite. I think [05:26.36]you choose things for [05:27.57]their intrinsic value, things that [05:29.65]are esthetically pleasing to you. [05:31.72]I don't think there could be [05:33.37]an imitation or a fake item [05:34.90]in this whole place. [05:36.21]You love your home and [05:37.63]enjoy sharing it with others. [05:38.95]Am I right?” [05:40.26]“You are perceptive! Come. [05:42.01]Lets go to the sitting room [05:43.98]and have a cocktail.” He led [05:45.62]the way back into the library [05:47.59]with its mahogany shelves filled [05:49.99]with leather bound matched [05:51.53]sets of first editions [05:52.73]and volumes of encyclopedia. [05:55.03]On a sturdy table under [05:57.11]a reading lamp an illuminated manuscript [05:58.97] with gold metallic page edging [06:02.03] was lying open to [06:03.35]display its vibrant art. [06:05.53]Kate felt compelled to mention [06:07.94]this beautiful piece. He said [06:10.24]an obscure monk during the Renaissance [06:12.21]had copied and illustrated [06:13.96]the Book of Revelations. [06:15.37]It had been quite shabby [06:17.33]when it first came into [06:18.54]his possession but he had [06:20.07]it restored and planned to [06:21.39]donate it to a museum. [06:23.02]The door to a powder room [06:24.77]stood ajar. Inside Kate noticed, [06:26.96]again, the careful attention to [06:29.59]detail manifest in the rest [06:31.12]of the house. The doorknob [06:32.87]was hand painted porcelain. [06:34.95]The ivorycolored fixtures were [06:37.47]shell-shaped and gold-trimmed. [06:39.76]A large bowl of sweetly scented [06:42.17]flowers was centered on the vanity. [06:43.92]Next to the flowers sat [06:45.67]a piece of hand-carved fossilized ebony. [06:48.18]Kate was stunned by the size [06:50.38]of the spacious sitting room. [06:52.23]Several groupings of furniture [06:53.87]lent themselves to seating [06:54.97]as few as two guests [06:56.28]or as many as ten. Here, too, [06:59.45]ornamental plasterwork decorated the walls [07:01.86]and ceilings. The raspberry colored [07:05.03]velvet upholstery covering the couches [07:07.22]and chairs complemented the pale [07:09.41]green oriental carpets and lightly [07:11.93]textured draperies. The gold-colored lamps [07:15.10]with their creamy white shades, [07:16.85]the paintings in their [07:18.49]ornate alcoves, and the open [07:20.46]fireplace with family pictures [07:22.54]on the mantel, gave Kate [07:24.18]an overwhelming feeling [07:25.38]of comfort and peace. |
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