Authors: Brad Meltzer
Tags: #Fiction, #Large Type Books, #Brothers, #Suspense, #Thrillers, #United States, #Suspense Fiction, #Banks and Banking, #Secret Service, #Women Private Investigators, #Theft, #Bank Robberies, #Bank Employees, #Bank Fraud
The Millionaires
Dead Even
The Tenth Justice
The First Counsel
The events and characters in this book are fictitious. Certain real locations and public figures are mentioned, but all other
characters and events described in the book are totally imaginary.
Song lyric from “Absolutely Sweet Marie” © 1966, renewed 1994 by Bob Dylan
THE MILLIONAIRES.
Copyright © 2002 by Forty-four Steps, Inc.All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including
information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may
quote brief passages in a review.
Warner Books
Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
ISBN: 978-0-7595-2682-2
A hardcover edition of this book was published in 2002 by Warner Books.
First eBook Edition: January 2002
Visit our website at
www.HachetteBookGroup.com
.
Contents
For Cori,
who every single day
amazes me
For Dotty Rubin and Evelyn Meltzer,
Nanny and Grandma,
for teaching me my past,
and in the process,
showing me my future
And in memory of
Ben Rubin and Sol Meltzer,
Poppy and Grandpa,
whose legacies still touch our entire family
I’d like to thank the following people, whose constant support is the only reason this book exists: First of all, Cori. There
are so many words in this world, but none is good enough to express what she means to me. I’m not just in love with Cori —
I’m astounded by her. By who she is, by what she does, and by who she helps me to be. She’s my tether to reality, and without
a doubt, the best reason for me to leave my Land of Make-Believe is to see her at the end of every day. C — thank you for
editing, for brainstorming, for putting up with me, and most of all, for believing in every one of our dreams; Jill Kneerim,
friend, agent, and every writer’s dream, who embraced and nurtured this book from the absolute start. She has always understood
me as a writer, and her Zen way of approaching my manuscripts is more than just a pleasure — it’s pure magic; Elaine Rogers,
for always taking such good care of us; Ike Williams, Hope Denekamp, Andrea Dudley, and all the other incredible people who
watch out for us at the Hill & Barlow Agency.
I also want to thank my parents for the life they gave me in Brooklyn and all the love they’ve given me since. They’re the
ones who first taught me the importance of always being myself, and they’re the reason I’m here today; my sister, Bari, the
Charlie to my Oliver and the Oliver to my Charlie. The love these characters have for each other is only possible because
of the wonderfully insane childhood I shared with my sister; Bobby, Dale, and Adam Flam and Ami and Matt Kuttler help with
everything that needs helping and always make me feel like family; Judd Winick, partner in crime, fellow schemer of the scheme,
and the friend who brought me the eureka moment that led to this entire book. Judd, I’m giving you the full salute (like Hawkeye
in the last
M*A*S*H
). Thanks, Max; Noah Kuttler, one of the first people I turn to, for his astonishing patience, brilliant intuition, and his
neverending ability to challenge me as a writer. I’m humbled by what he brings to the novels and, more important, to our friendship;
Ethan and Sally Kline, who have proven that even an ocean between us won’t stop them from helping me with everything from
editing to plot twisting; Paul Brennan, Matt Oshinsky, Paulo Pacheco, Joel Rose, and Chris Weiss kept this book honest. Their
input is critical to everything I write and I hope they know how important they are to me. Brothers, indeed. Chuck and Lenore
Cohen, our family in D.C., who gave new meaning to the term “opened their home” as they turned their house over to the creative
process. I couldn’t have finished this book without them.
When I started this novel, it was the first time I had to step into a world that I knew absolutely nothing about. For that
reason, I owe enormous thank-yous to the following people for showing me around: Without a doubt, Jo Ayn “Joey” Glanzer was
the most brilliant investigative teacher anyone could ask for. She took me through the details, dragged me down the back alleys,
and brought one of my favorite characters to life. More important, she’s a true friend; Len Zawistowski and Rob Ward are amazing
investigators and incredibly nice guys whom I turned to without hesitation. Thanks for all the plotting and planning; Eljay
Bowron, John Tomlinson, Greg Regan, Marc Connolly, and Jim Mackin were my guides to the incredible organization known as the
Secret Service, and I can’t thank them enough for their trust. They’re the actual good guys, and I respect them (and the Service)
more than they know; Bill Spellings, my director of high-tech gadgetry, who puts James Bond to shame; Robin Manix and Bob
West, for taking the time to make sure I had every banking detail I needed; Ashima Dayal, Tom DePont, Mike Higgins, Alex Khutorsky,
David Leit, Mary Riley, Denis Russ, Jim Sloan, Don Stebbins, and Ken van Wyk answered question after question, no matter how
silly or inane; Bill Warren and Deborah Warner at Disney, for all their fantastic help in taking me backstage at the Magic
Kingdom. The place is just amazing, and their support is much appreciated; Chuck Vance and Larry Sheafe (who are just the
best), Bill Carroll, Andy Podolak, and all the incredible minds over at Vance International, for teaching me how to track
people down; Richard Bert, Sheri James, and the other wonderfully kind people at FinCEN, who taught me so much about financial
crime and law enforcement; Glen Dershowitz, Joe Epstein, Rob Friedsam, Steven Heineman, Roman Krawciw, Amanda Parness, P.
J. Solit, Greg Stuppler, and Jon Weiner, for taking me through the financial world; John Byrne, Tom Lasich, Laura Mouck, Charles
Nelson, and Bob Powis, for their insight into the intricacies of money laundering; Chris Campos, Louis Digeronimo, Nancie
Freitas, Mary Alice Hurst, Terry Lenzner, Ted O’Donnell, Rob Russell, Robert Smith, and Joseph T. Wells, who shared their
privacy and investigative techniques; Steve Bernd, David Boyd, Greg Hammond, Peter Migala, and Sean Rogers, who were the rest
of my high-tech surveillance team; Cindy Bonnette, Jeannine Butcavage, Vincent Conlon, Mike Martinson, and Bill Spiro, for
their expertise on the banking industry; Noel Hillman and Dan Gitner, for the legal advice; Cary Lubetsky, Eric Meier, and
Roger White, who reintroduced me to my hometown; Sue Cocking, Greg Cohen, Jon Constine, Tom Deardorff, Edna Farley, Michele
and Tom Heidenberger, Karen Kutger, Ray McAllister, Ken Robson, Sharon Silva-Lamberson, Joao Morgado, Debra Roberts, Sheryl
Sandberg, Tom Shaw, and my dad, for walking me through the rest of the details; Rob Weisbach, for being the first to say yes;
every one of my male friends (you know who you are — if you just grinned, I’m talking about you), for being the brothers who
live in this book; and, as always, to my family and friends, whose names inhabit these pages.
Finally, I’d like to thank my family at Warner Books: Larry Kirshbaum, Maureen Egen, Tina Andreadis, Emi Battaglia, Karen
Torres, Martha Otis, Chris Barba, the hardest-working sales force in show business, and the rest of the amazingly nice people
who always make me feel at home there. Sincere thanks and a huge hug also go to Jamie Raab, for her dead-on editing, her tremendous
enthusiasm, and for always cheering in our corner. Jamie, I can’t thank you enough for bringing us into the family. Finally,
I want to say a massive thank-you to my editor, Rob McMahon, who does all the heavy lifting. Simply put, Rob is a prince among
men. His editorial input is as honest as his demeanor, and his suggestions always push me to reach for what’s better. Thank
you, Rob, for your friendship, and most important, your faith.
Twenty-three percent of people
say they would steal if they couldn’t get caught.
… but to live outside the law, you must be honest.
— Bob Dylan
I
know where I’m going. And I know who I want to be. That’s why I took this job in the first place… and why, four years later,
I still put up with the clients. And their demands. And their wads of money. Most of the time, they just want to keep a low
profile, which is actually the bank’s specialty. Other times, they want a little… personal touch. My phone rings and I tee
up the charm. “This is Oliver,” I answer. “How can I help you?”
“Where the hell’s your boss!?”
a Southern chainsaw of a voice explodes in my ear.
“E-Excuse me?”
“Don’t piss on this, Caruso! I want my
money!
”
It’s not until he says the word “money,” that I recognize the accent. Tanner Drew, the largest developer of luxury skyscrapers
in New York City and chief patriarch of the Drew Family Office. In the world of high-net-worth individuals, a family office
is as high as you get. Rockefeller. Rothschild. Gates and Soros. Once hired, the family office supervises all the advisors,
lawyers, and bankers who manage the family’s money. Paid professionals to maximize every last penny. You don’t speak to the
family anymore—you speak to the office. So if the head of the clan is calling me directly… I’m about to get some teeth pulled.
“Has the transfer not posted yet, Mr. Drew?”
“You’re damn right it hasn’t posted yet, smartass! Now what the hell you gonna do to make that right? Your boss promised me
it’d be here by two o’clock!
Two o’clock!
” he screams.