25
THE BILLIONAIRE
“Sir, the gardener was let go forty years ago and died not long afterwards.
Before he died he managed to buy two hectares of land on an abandoned
ranch in the state of Texas. He started to build a house on that land, overex-
erted himself during construction, and died. His daughter Sally finished
building the house and now lives in it. Here is the address. We haven’t been
able to get any more information as of yet. But all you need to do is tell us,
and we’ll get you all the information you need.”
John Heitzman took the slip of paper from the secretary, read it carefully,
then neatly folded it up, placed it in his inside jacket pocket, and said:
“Have the helicopter ready to take off in thirty minutes. It will need to
land five to ten kilometers from the house in Texas. Have a car meet me at
the landing spot. Not a luxury car. No security. Just a driver. Make it hap-
pen.”
***
At three o’clock in the afternoon, John Heitzman, limping and leaning on a
cane, made his way along a crushed stone pathway to a small cottage over-
grown with greenery. At first he saw her from behind. An elderly woman was
standing on a small ladder, washing a window. John Heitzman stopped and
began to look at this woman with the beautiful salt and pepper hair. She
sensed his gaze and turned in his direction. She peered for a bit at the old
man standing on her path, then suddenly hopped off the ladder and began
running toward him. She ran with ease. This woman did not look old at all.
She stopped about a meter from John Heitzman, and in a soft, excited voice,
she said:
“Hello Johnny.” She immediately dropped her eyes, covering her flushed
cheeks with both her hands.
