Free Middle Man by David Rich

don’t need work visas to do a meet-and-greet. I can get them two-week tourist visas for that,” he said with a forced friendliness, as if it were going to be a favor.
    â€œThat’d be great. That’d do just fine.”
    â€œBut first, before I can do that, you have to stop bullshitting around and tell me who they are.” He smiled with his lips closed and his eyes narrowed. It was his “I’m on to you” look.
    I waited a few moments, as if I were getting up the nerve to tell the truth. “We secured oil rights—”
    â€œYou already told me that.”
    â€œWe’re working on securing oil rights from the regional Kurdish government in the case of independence and we already have them from the PKK, also known as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, also known as Kongra-Gel. Unfortunately, they are also known as terrorists in some places.”
    He did not show surprise or any acknowledgment that he had ever heard of Kurdistan. I pulled out my checkbook and a pen.
    â€œI can give you a retainer right now.” I wrote a check and tore it off and slid it across the desk. The check was for ten thousand dollars. If he accepted it, I had wasted my time because it would mean he did not give a damn about Kurdish oil rights and did not know anyone who did care. I wanted to know if he was going to alert the King to my presence and my claims. “I don’t know if you have many oil business contacts, but if you do, I might like to get to know some of them. We’re going to be lining up drilling operations, have our ducks in a row for when the time comes.”
    â€œWhat time is that?” He said it like he was inquiring about a dinner invitation.
    â€œWe feel we have a good chance that either the Regional Government or the PKK will be able to move forward as the definitive authority in the area soon. In the next couple of years. Do you know anything about Kurdistan? Fascinating place. Energetic people, great environment to do business.”
    The check remained on the desk between us. He took his eyes off me to look at it and again he smiled. He shook his head. “Politics always makes the world difficult, doesn’t it? That means this is going to require some delicate maneuvering. Quite time consuming. If it can be accomplished at all. I can’t make any guarantees,” he said.
    â€œWhat would it take?”
    â€œThis is a tough one, and you want introductions as well. About ten times that.”
    That sounded high to me, but it made me happy. It meant he wanted to see if I was for real before he started alerting the King. I tore up the first check and wrote one for one hundred thousand dollars and stood up and told him I was staying at the St. Regis. He stood up and shook my hand and said he knew some “folks” at the State Department and would get on it as soon as I got him the names and copies of the passports. “And, if it’s okay with you, I’ll ask around about who might like to get some of your business.”
    â€œThat would be just fine,” I said.
    ______
    Will Panos said he wished he was in Houston with me, but I did not believe him because when I asked how he was doing with the widow, he said, “Kristen is her name. We’re having dinner tonight. At her house.”
    â€œBring flowers.”
    â€œFlowers. Okay. Something for her daughter?”
    â€œToo soon. You’ll make the kid suspicious, if she’s worth anything,” I said. “How are you doing on identifying the body in the grave?”
    â€œNo progress. We can’t exactly put him on exhibit. DNA will come back, but what do we compare it with? The FBI has been around. They want to talk about you.”
    â€œSee if you can get anything out of them about the shooter. Where the bullets came from, anything on the car. Anything. Try to keep the focus on that and off the grave and what we were looking for.”
    â€œAnd off you.”